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By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal

Pittsburgh-based metal band Icarus Witch released their fourth studio album “Rise” last Tuesday, an album that certainly opens up a new chapter in the band’s career, musically and otherwise. People who’ve seen Paul Di’Anno on his last couple of North American tours would be knowing of Icarus Witch as the ex-Iron Maiden singer’s backing band. Indeed, that’s where I first got to know about them too. While they did a great job playing those Maiden covers, I was definitely more interested in their original material. I was impressed by what I heard in their live shows, and found a liking for their three-album catalog. Those albums have a NWOBHM kind of vibe, but with a bit more melody and an element of occultism that fit the band’s name. Continue reading “Icarus Witch – Rise [9 out of 10]”

By Avinash Mittur

For many heavy metal bands, the nineties was a time of crisis and despair. For stoner and sludge metal though, this was the golden age of the down-tuned riff, and some of the greatest and most pioneering music in the style was born. One of the greatest stoner metal bands of the nineties, Kyuss, released their second album, “Blues for the Red Sun,” on June 30, 1992 and it remains one of the genre’s crowning achievements. More than most other stoner metal albums, “Blues for the Red Sun” truly paints a vivid picture in the listener’s mind for its whole duration. It’s impossible not to imagine a scorching desert wasteland when listening to this album, and the washed out dark red and gold colors on the cover art only help to create that feeling of searing heat. Now twenty years old, “Blues for the Red Sun” continues to be a standard for stoner metal bands to attempt to live up to. Continue reading “Retrospective: Two Decades Of Kyuss’ “Blues For The Red Sun””

By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal

LA-based psychedelic violence rock ‘n roll trio The Shrine are ready to release their new album “Primitive Blast”, and honestly speaking, it feels exciting to listen to this album now, after having seen the band put on some thoroughly impressive performances and owning the stage amongst the likes of Kyuss Lives, The Sword and Graveyard over the past few months. When I talked to the band at the Kyuss show last November, they had already written and recorded this album, but it was in the form of a demo called “Bless Off”, which they released for free listening on SoundCloud, sold tapes of, and of course performed live. It’s heartening to see that one of the most outstanding rock acts in today’s scene is now signed to Tee Pee Records, who will ensure the proper release this set of tunes deserves. Continue reading “The Shrine – Primitive Blast [10 out of 10]”

By Avinash Mittur

In 2012, Exodus is one of the heaviest thrash metal groups currently active. The last eight years have seen the band releasing the most mature, brutal and violent material of their career. When one thinks of their original frontman Paul Baloff though, it’s hard not to imagine the big guy being an amazingly fun and joyous presence in the middle of a Bay Area slaughter. In 1997, Gary Holt, Rick Hunolt, and Tom Hunting reunited Exodus with Baloff returning to the mic and recruited Jack Gibson to fill the vacant bassist position. In many ways, this was the last time the band was all about “good friendly violent fun.” Continue reading “Retrospective: Exodus’ “Another Lesson In Violence” Still Kills After 15 Years”

By Aniruddh “Andrew” Bansal

Progressive metal titans Dream Theater have been around since 1985, originally under the name Majesty for a couple of years, before they changed it to Dream Theater and released their debut album “When Dream And Day Unite” in 1989. 23 years and a few lineup changes later, they now have an 11-album catalog under their belts, and have earned the respect and admiration of fans and fellow musicians worldwide. But one album that truly stands out and is still strongly etched in everyone’s minds is the sophomore release “Images And Words”. Today, July 7th 2012 is its 20th anniversary, and the time is apt to take a retrospective look back at it. Continue reading “Retrospective: Dream Theater’s “Images And Words” Turns 20″

By Avinash Mittur

Blind Guardian are frequently lauded as one of the greatest and most influential power metal acts and it’s tough to make a strong argument against that assertion. The band’s amazingly aggressive songwriting along with Hansi Kursch’s extremely versatile vocal abilities is a winning combination that continues to produce great songs to this day. Many fans and critics point to “Tales From the Twilight World” and “Imaginations From the Other Side” as their masterworks, but the record that came in between, “Somewhere Far Beyond” is often unjustly passed over. On June 30, 1992, “Somewhere Far Beyond” was released; twenty years later, this album is still powerful and catchy, and its songs truly have stood the test of time. Continue reading “Retrospective: Blind Guardian’s “Somewhere Far Beyond” Now Two Decades Old”