Metal Assault: Album Reviews

By Andrew Bansal

San Diego-based one-man industrial doom act Author & Punisher, brainchild of electromechanical innovator Tristan Shone, has compelled the world to take notice of its uniqueness with a string of live performances across the US and Europe over the past three years. Shone has achieved this by using an intricately arranged drone machines, dub machines and masks, all of which he invented himself. His compositions are vastly different from anything that would fit the descriptions of a typical heavy metal act, but he has still garnered a legion of admirers among followers of the genre. As a result, ‘Melk En Honing’, the fifth Author & Punisher full-length album and debut on Housecore Records set for release on June 30 2015, has been highly anticipated among fans and critics alike. Continue reading “Author & Punisher – Melk En Honing”

By Andrew Bansal

Detroit rock ‘n roll party crashers Wilson put out a stellar debut album called ‘Full Blast Fuckery’ in 2013 and followed it up with extensive touring to present insanely high-energy and fun-filled shows anywhere and everywhere they could. Now, they are back with their sophomore full-length effort ‘Right To Rise’, set for release on June 29th via Razor & Tie. On this album, they maintain the rawness and exuberance that dominated the debut, but have successfully channeled it into a set of catchy, massive-sounding tunes that embody the spirit of their homeland. Continue reading “Wilson – Right To Rise”

By Andrew Bansal

Las Vegas-based doom metal quintet Demon Lung are ready to release their second full-length album ‘A Dracula’ via Candlelight Records, a set of tunes inspired by the 1977 horror movie ‘Alucarda’, and recorded in Oregon under the masterful guidance of Billy Anderson. Demon Lung’s spellbinding live rituals have made them a standout, and they are without doubt the finest heavy music export to come out of Las Vegas in a long, long time. While their 2012 EP ‘Pareidolia’ and the 2013 debut full-length ‘The Hundredth Name’ were appreciable attempts at capturing on record the intensity and aura of themselves as a live band, ‘A Dracula’ truly supersedes both those releases. Continue reading “Demon Lung – A Dracula”

By Andrew Bansal

Australian heavy metal quartet Elm Street have released their new EP ‘Heart Racer’, a long-awaited follow-up to their 2011 debut full-length album ‘Barbed Wire Metal’. All four members of Elm Street have age still very much on their side and a long future ahead, but they’ve already been playing together for a long time. After being a largely unknown commodity outside Australia for all these years, they finally caught the eyes and ears of many in America through their first tour here in January 2015, and are currently doing the same in Europe. This three-song EP gives listeners a little taste of new material and briefly showcases the band’s musical development over the past four years. Continue reading “Elm Street – Heart Racer (EP)”

By Andrew Bansal

German power metal veterans Helloween have returned to Nuclear Blast Records after a stint with them in the early 2000s wherein they released ‘The Dark Ride’ (2000) and ‘Rabbits Don’t Come Easy’ (2003). Twelve years later, they have unveiled their fifteenth studio album ‘My God-Given Right’ to announce a comeback on the label. Helloween are highly revered for their classic material and despite personnel changes, have still continued to put out new music on a consistent basis in recent years. Besides ‘7 Sinners’ (2010) received unanimously positive reactions among fans and critics, while ‘Straight Out Of Hell’ (2013) was a worthy follow-up. Much was expected from Helloween’s newest endeavor, and this June 2015 release, the band’s first with the same lineup from the preceding album, was highly anticipated among classic/power metal lovers. Continue reading “Helloween – My God-Given Right”

By Andrew Bansal

Los Angeles-based old-school metal group Resistance have been plying their trade for more than a decade locally and beyond, and comprise a lineup of musicians who have played in bands for even longer. Their debut EP ‘A Certain Sorrow’ came out in 2002, followed by two full-length albums ‘Lies In Black’ (2004) and ‘Patents Of Control’ (2006). Their latest EP ‘Volume 1: Battle Scars’, released in April 2015 via Metal Machine Records, took a long time coming, but has turned out to be worth the wait and presents the band’s finest work till date. Continue reading “Resistance – Volume 1: Battle Scars (EP)”