Back catalogue: Metal

Review: The fourth studio album by English hard rockers Jethro Tull, Aqualung married a turning point in the career of the band, prepping them for a more major radio-friendly future that would see them become mainstays of the touring circuit and rank among the finest live acts of the time. It would also quickly become the group's most successful release, commercially speaking, producing two standout singles in 'Hymn 43' and 'Locomotive Breath'. With such a storied history, anyone going anywhere near Tull's masterpiece wants to tread carefully. Or throw themselves full pelt into the chaos and beauty of the record by inviting a load of stoner rock acts to do their best/worst/most imaginative on the original material and come up with something new. Magnetic Eye opted to do just that with Redux, and it hits hard.

Review: This six-track release is a metal reimagining of River Boy's award-winning soundtrack for the cult indie game 'Cult of the Lamb'. This unholy alliance of metal heavyweights, including Howard Jones (ex-Killswitch Engage), Matthew K. Heafy (Trivium), and members of Polyphia and Animals As Leaders, delivers a brutal yet melodic take on the game's haunting soundscapes. Produced by Sam George (Pick Up Goliath), the music conjures a dark and atmospheric world, where crushing riffs and soaring vocals intertwine with intricate guitar work and thunderous drumming. This is no mere tribute; it's a full-blown metal exorcism, a testament to the power of video game music to transcend its original context and inspire new creative heights.

Review: Originally released in 1982 via Earache Records (who're also handling this long overdue reissue), The Ultimate Incantation marked the debut full-length from Polish death metal pioneers Vader. Originally recorded at Sunlight Studio in Stockholm, Sweden with Thomas Skogsberg, both the band and label were ultimately unhappy with the final mixes due to their admitted lack of studio equipment, especially the studio's in-house electronic drumkit which simply could not handle the barrage of blastbeats, leading them to relocate and re-record the album in its entirety at London's Rhythm Studios with producer Paul Johnson. Whilst commended upon release for the band's technical proficiency that helped guide the extreme metal movement, some critics found the desired raw recording quality as too abrasive to truly enjoy, but those critiques have become somewhat redundant over the decades with any extreme metal act worthy of the term and the scene as a whole prioritising raw intensity over studio gloss.

Review: Just in time for the spooky season, the wonderful Numero has put together another of their famously good compilations. This one, Haunted Presence (which comes on lovely 'ghost power' silver vinyl) is packed with Halloween treats from across the label's vast span. It takes in ghoulish garage rock like Slim Martin's 'Haunted After Midnight', skeleton-rattling soul like Bambi Fodera's 'The Moon Turned To Blood' and some proto-metal mutations like Medusa's 'Unknown Fear' as well as haunting 60s rock like Angela Alexander & JD. Saddler's 'Don't Make Me Kill You' across 20 tracks that will enliven any seasonal get-together.

Review: First released almost two decades ago, when it was trailed as a "true metal" tribute, Evil Lives features an impressive array of artists delivering killer covers of songs by the band that arguably started the metal movement, Black Country legends Black Sabbath. Given the quality of bands and solo artists involved, there's plenty to set the pulse racing (and ears ringing), with highlights including a raw, redlined stomp through 'Supernaut' by 100 Homo DJs, Ministry's breathless, riff-powered romp through 'Iron Man', an infectious and predictably anthemic take on metal singalong 'Paranoid' courtesy of Vince Neil and George Lynch, a deliciously psychedelic and relatively slow motion 'Black Sabbath' cover by Iced Earth and a typically atmospheric live recording of 'The Mob Rules' by Carmine and Vinny Appice.

Review: No Future No Past offers the most detailed deep dive yet into the lesser known realms of early Finnish speed and thrash metal. Ranging from 1986-1992, at a time when US acts like Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer were becoming controversial household names, the wave had insidiously swept across Europe and inspired an entirely new generation of long-haired metalheads to enter the fray. Compiled from a myriad of long-lost demo tapes and rare 7" singles from numerous proto-pioneers who never made it past the demo stage, the collection boasts choice cuts from the likes of Damage, Vendetta, Catalepsy and even Sacred Crucifix, who would break up and reform almost three times before their debut album eventually landed in 2004.

Review: The follow up to Newcastle metal icons' stellar debut, Welcome To Hell, is often regarded as one of the quintessential extreme metal contributions, even to this day. Venom would meticulously craft their sophomore effort, with vocalist/bassist Conrad Lent working overtime to mix the tracks, utilising his engineering experience in an attempt to keep costs low while also maintaining full creative control. The end result was Black Metal, a ferocious onslaught of unprecedented technicality, satanic imagery and malevolent atmosphere. It's no small secret that the project is all but directly linked, cited and blamed for the resulting Norwegian black metal genre that would slowly take decrepit shape in the late eighties before plaguing the nineties with as many controversial news articles as it did seminal albums. Even the infamous artwork has become synonymous with the genre as an entity, while the hyper-aggressive, unsettling form of speed-thrash the tracks exude, still stands tall and bold as the intrinsic signifier of the metal scene as a whole, on a deathmarch into uncharted, undiscovered realms of extremity in 1982. Four decades on, this anniversary edition serves as credence to the birth of all modern forms of extreme metal.

Review: Captured on the opening night of their US tour in support of 1985's fifth full-length Possessed, this live performance from Newcastle Upon Tyne first wave black metal pioneers Venom showcases the legends as they ripped through Santa Monica, California on March 28th 1986, delivering an early career-defining set including vital blueprint malevolent thrash bangers such as 'Countess Bathory', 'Buried Alive', 'Teacher's Pet', and of course, the song that would ultimately birth a genre, scene and wave that would eventually take Scandinavia (particularly Norway) by storm, 'Black Metal'. Where bands like Metallica and Megadeth were busy bringing metal to the masses and Slayer were experimenting with just how far the evil envelope could be pushed while maintaining lucrative success, no other metal act in the 1980s showcased such ample disregard for commercial compromise than Venom, maintaining their place as underground forebears for decades to come.

Review: Venom’s arrival in the early 80s marked a seismic shift in the UK metal scene, grabbing the gourmand attention of both metalheads and punks alike for their sludge-mired shreds and vocal catharses. Asmodeic shapeshifters and crimson fiends are heard terrorising London on this latest, greatest hits compilation from the band, reaffirming their rather tense relationship with the big smoke following their comeup in Newcastle upon Tyne. Most of Venom’s early material was penned by bassist and frontman Conrad Lant (aka Cronos) and guitarist Jeffrey Dunn (aka Mantas), with a distinctive focus on satanic imagery. Get ready for a ravelling, blackened English metal catabasis, perfect for those listeners who need it raw.

Review: Originally released in 1986 during their formative Noise Records era, Rrroooaaarrr would serve as the sophomore follow up to Canadian progressive metal legends Voivod's debut album War & Pain, whilst offering the first true glimpses into the more spacy cosmic compositional approach that would ultimately become their new sonic bedrock. While perhaps not at the level of prog wonder that has elevated 1987's Killing Technology to a much-adored fan favourite, the material on their second effort works as almost a bridge between their speed-thrash origins and the more fully realised vision their later material would harbour. While flashy and intricate, this early work is a testament to how formidable of a straight up thrash metal beast the band originally were before they would opt to distance themselves from their burgeoning peers in Metallica or Megadeth; marking the true beginning of their journey into the great unknown (also referred to as "space-prog").

Review: Canadian sci-fi-tinged prog metal auteurs Voivod originally unveiled The End Of Dormancy EP in 2020, with this "ocean blue" reissue from Brutal Panda sprinkling extra aesthetic weight to the title-track's nautical tale of a mysterious entity leagues beneath the sea. Originally a cut from 2018's critically acclaimed The Wake, this EP version offers a unique "Metal Section" take, almost a full minute longer with added trumpets, saxophone and trombones, whilst the B-side features a live rendition of the epic piece as well as the iconic opening track from the band's seminal 1989 prog-thrash masterpiece Nothingface - 'The Unknown Knows', both performed at the Live Montreal Jazz Fest 2019.

Review: Originally released in 2015, Inmazes marked the debut full-length from Danish progressive metal outfit VOLA. Taking sonic influence from the Djent scene pioneered by Meshuggah and further popularised by acts such as Periphery, yet eschewing much of the metalcore aspects prevalent within the subgenre, the material draws as much from Scandinavian prog metal acts such as Opeth and Katatonia, only fitted with seven string guitar low-end grooves and chunky riffage, making for a curious combination of progressive artistry and Djentcore heft, all unified under the saccharine, almost shoegaze lilt of primary songwriter Asger Mygind's understated vocal delivery. While the band would stray further into melodic, synth-laden prog soundscapes on 2018's sophomore follow up Applause Of A Distant Crowd, this debut where is they let their Djent flag fly as high as the influences worn on their sleeves.