Metal Assault: Album Reviews

By Rosie Walker

In latin, Mors Principium Est means “death is the beginning”. A perfect name for a metal band. Particularly fitting for these Finnish melodic death metal veterans. Finland is known for being the heavy metal mecca of the world. It’s a country were metal is mainstream and where many metal legends come from, naturally making it the scene there very competitive. Yet, M.P.E. stood out immediately when they began nearly 20 years ago and are still making waves in the scene with their newest release, ‘Embers of a Dying World’. Continue reading “Album Review: Mors Principium Est – Embers of A Dying World”

By Ryan Falla

Overkill has always been a thrash metal giant that’s flown under the radar, if not often being under-appreciated among fellow thrash gods such as the members of the so-called “Big Four”. Overkill has always been a pure and heavy no-holds-barred speed demon grinding you up with monstrous riffs; completely relentless and non-stop from track to track throughout an illustrious career that has already spanned nearly four decades. ‘The Grinding Wheel’ may be the 18th studio album from Overkill, but it avoids the clear issue with many aging metal acts nowadays who substitute blistering speed and agonizing riffage with a more Alice in Chains “heavy sludge” approach. While this approach has worked famously for a few notable metal acts, many suffer the damage of their music “aging”. Continue reading “Album Review: Overkill – The Grinding Wheel”

By Ryan Falla

Glam rock isn’t a genre that has explored and stretched its various elements to create a rich and diverse sound that’s lasted through the ages; yet with Stephen Pearcy’s fourth solo album ‘Smash’ ,he shows us why glam rock doesn’t need reinventions to find success. Founding member of Ratt, Stephen Pearcy looks to deepen his solo repertoire with a record that reminds you why Stephen Pearcy and Ratt rocked the radio waves 30 years ago, occasionally rearing their heads into modern radio as well. Continue reading “Album Review: Stephen Pearcy – Smash”

By Ryan Falla

Despite Evil Triplet releasing their debut LP ‘Otherworld’ February 10th, this band has already gone through the grinder of the music industry; led by Steve Marsh and his 40-year trip throughout the musical universe. Hailing from Austin, Texas, Evil Triplet is a three-piece experimental psych-rock band comprised of Steve Marsh (guitar/vocals), Kirk Laktas (Drums) and Joe Volpi (bass), that aims to pull you off your couch and into space. Evil Triplet is unabashedly experimental in what they do, taking psych-rock and contorting it into something that is only recognizable as “Evil Triplet”. Continue reading “Album Review: Evil Triplet – Otherworld”

By Doug Walker

For those unaware, or living under a rock for the past four years, Iron Reagan is a crossover hardcore/metal supergroup featuring past and current members of Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Mammoth Grinder, Darkest Hour and several other projects. They hit the ground running in 2012, and have only picked up steam since then. Crossover Ministry is the newest offering from them. Continue reading “Album Review: Iron Reagan – Crossover Ministry”

By Rosie Walker

Words of Farewell’s third full-length album does not disappoint! This German heavy metal sextet was conjured a decade ago and grabbed a lot of attention in the melodic death metal scene. The band compares their sound to the greats like Dark Tranquility and Scar Symmetry. ’A Quiet World’ definitely has the traditional death metal sound, but twists it with some progressive and ambient goodness, making it a breath of fresh air. In approximately 50 minutes, the band paints a landscape filled with bombastic breakdowns, catchy choruses, and some epic ethereal movements. Continue reading “Album Review: Words of Farewell – A Quiet World”