Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Departing Roadrunner Records for the more fitting label home of Century Media, Portland, Oregon's Unto Others (FKA Idle Hands) have consistently been referred to in the music press as the likely torch bearers of the goth-metal revival, with many even heralding them as the 21st century successors to The Sisters Of Mercy or Type O Negative. While their macabre 2019 debut Mana and the more abrasive sophomore effort Strength both provided glimpses of this perceived greatness, it's with their highly anticipated third full-length Never, Neverland the band truly seize the mantle and rise to the weighted pressure. Tapping producer Tom Dalgety (The Cult, Ghost) has proved a stroke of genius, as his experience and melodious sonic penchants allow for glossy synthwave to pulse beneath gloomy, gothic, lovelorn death-rock bangers as accessible and instantaneous as they are menacing. Dust off your black shades and leather jacket, it's cool to be a sad, verbose goth with a deep voice again.

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: 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: 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: 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.

Review: Huge guitar solos, a not-so-subtle hint of seduction and romance, rousing choruses and an attitude that screams: "I'm gonna make that heavy metal hand signal every five or six minutes." Warrant may not be the first name on everyone's lips when it comes to the heyday big room, sexually charged glam metal, but when all is said and done they did pretty well during their seven years in the game.
Emerging from the Los Angeles scene of the mid-late-1980s, a city that has a lot to answer for in these musical ends, by the time they packed up their Fenders and called time more than 10million albums had been sold, with the double-platinum Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich the real gem of the lot. Dog Eat Dog came along a little later, in 1992, and by this point the group had really got into gear. Don't expect the same tangible hunger and impact as the inaugural effort, then, but in many ways this is far more complete example of what they were gunning for.

Review: The debut full-length from Los Angeles glam metal superstars, Warrant, is the perfect time capsule of late eighties sunset strip era rock of a bygone leather-chapped age. 'Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich', boasted the hit singles, 'Heaven', 'Down Boys', and, 'Sometimes She Cries'; all still heralded as some of the group's most essential cuts to date. Noted for its pushed back release due to vocalist Jani Lane suffering a nervous breakdown upon catching his best friend and girlfriend "entangled", an encounter detailed in lyrical form on the band's single, 'I Saw Red', which would feature on the following year's sophomore effort, 'Cherry Pie'; there's still no ignoring or denying the infectious cheese, stadium-sized riffs and endlessly catchy hooks that still prop up this debut as a (not so) timeless classic of its stature.

Review: The Best of Warrant compiles 16 defining tracks from the band's early years, pressed on limited 180-gram red audiophile vinyl with a numbered double vinyl format and an insert. This collection revisits the glam-metal era with hits from their first three albumsiDirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, Cherry Pie and Dog Eat Dogioffering fans a nostalgic journey through Warrant's prime. Favorites like 'Down Boys', 'Heaven', and the iconic 'Cherry Pie' capture the band's energetic hooks and singalong choruses. The acoustic version of 'I Saw Red' highlights a more introspective side, while deep cuts like 'Thin Disguise', a Cherry Pie B-side, add exclusivity. Their hard-hitting cover of Queen's 'We Will Rock You', from the Gladiator soundtrack, showcases a grittier edge. The inclusion of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' and 'Mr. Rainmaker' underscores their storytelling flair, while tracks like 'Big Talk' and 'Sure Feels Good to Me' keep the energy high. Originally released in 1996, this greatest hits package is still thee best collection of their best.

Review: Sheffield metalcore giants While She Sleeps make their long awaited return on the follow up to 2021's Sleeps Society. Taking a more sprawling approach to composition this time around, and allowing outsider influences from the likes of Gorillaz, Aphex Twin and even Britpop to help steer their creative course, the resulting sixth full-length Self Hell, offers simultaneously the band's most aggressive, complex and frenetic work in over a decade, whilst tapping into newfound electronic soundscapes aided by the use of vintage synths such as the Korg MS-20 and Behringer TD-3. These warring textures provide a unique balance of post-metalcore serenity, with technical riffs weaving around lush hues of ambient, euphoric electronica akin to say Mount Kimbie, yet repurposed for angst-riddled displays of sonic, melancholic fury. That doesn't necessarily mean that there's a lack of chugging bangers with glistening synth lines, but they're deftly balanced with moments of triumphant catharsis.

Review: The second full-length from New Jersey thrash metal outfit Whiplash arrived courtesy of Roadrunner in 1987, a mere year after their breakneck paced debut 'Power & Pain'. At this point in the late 80s the scene already had genre classics such as Metallica's 'Master Of Puppets' and Slayer's 'Reign In Blood' to contend with, making it a free for all of pummeling thrash acts doing their utmost to not get lost in the ether. While some often cite 1989's 'Insult To Injury' as the total showcasing of their prowess, Ticket To Mayhem is testament (no pun intended) to the myriad of vital bands that kept the thrash movement pulsing beneath the major heights and laurels of a select few, with Whiplash finally receiving the praise and credence they had initially earned so many decades prior.

Review: Worlds Collide Tour is the sixth live album from Dutch symphonic metal legends Within Temptation, taken from their largest home-country show to date on November 29, 2022 at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, marking the band's first time headlining the iconic venue. A co-headline tour with Evanescence, the run would be delayed four times due to COVID before finally taking flight across 2022, with the incomparable Amy Lee even joining Sharon den Adel for a powerhouse performance of 'The Reckoning' each night. Boasting a career-spanning catalogue up to and including 'Entertain You' taken from last year's latest full-length Bleed Out before the album had even been announced.

Review: On Hiss Spun, Chelsea Wolfe delves into sludge metal, intertwining sweetness with heaviness and discomfort with beauty. Collaborating with Kurt Ballou, Wolfe and her team craft an album where her haunting vocals meld seamlessly with crushing guitars and noise collages. Through themes of personal scars and global suffering, Wolfe explores intimacy, trauma, and escape. Yet, while the music exudes foreboding, it also offers a sense of grounding and reconciliation. The album's power lies in its ability to evoke unsettling emotions while ultimately leaving listeners feeling settled, a testament to Wolfe's nuanced approach to catharsis through sound.

Review: Following on from 2019's muted, folk-leaning Birth Of Violence, as well as the weighty Bloodmoon: I collaborative LP with experimental hardcore heroes Converge, which arrived in 2021; the Wiccan mystic that is Chelsea Wolfe returns with her highly anticipated seventh full-length She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She. Shying away from the acoustic or metallic sonics of prior projects in order to embrace a blistering new era of frosted trip-hop, chopped and screwed with industrial tinges, echoing a more ugly, gothic interpretation of Portishead at their most macabre, the endeavour also marks her first since departing long-time label-home Sargent House following a litany of controversies, in favour of the ever-expanding dynamic roster of Loma Vista (HEALTH, Militarie Gun, Soccer Mommy).

Review: Following up 2021's exceptional breakthrough album, Foreverglade, Floridian death-doom hybridisers Worm return with the four track 26-minute mini-LP Bluenothing, which majorly increases focus on their more atmospheric tendencies. While the cavernous despair and cosmic horror remain firmly intact, the band embrace the echoing abyssal sonics with moments of delicate despondency from acoustic segments to neo-classical arrangements, serving as a distorted epilogue to its malevolent predecessor.

Review: It took just a year and a half for Florida's Worm to follow up their widely acclaimed doom, funeral, scary-men-grunting-over-engine-room-guitars album Gloomlord with this latest effort. In the world of modern music, that's actually relatively rapid (long gone are the days when rock bands would pump out one LP per year minimum), and yet the contents of Foreverglade feel remarkably un-rushed and, perhaps not patient - that would be a misleading way to describe such commanding and uncompromising sounds - but nevertheless meticulous in planning and production. While the uninitiated may be tricked into believing that this kind of heavyweight, oppressive-sounding noise has one track, the truth is what makes Worm's new offering so refreshing and essential is the way it pays respect to a gamut of metal, playing with tempos and time signatures and generally wanting to f*!k stuff up in a way that only true artists seem capable of.

Review: Massachuessetts symphonic deathcore brutalisers, Worm Shepherd, made quite the statement of intent with 2020's 'In the Wake ov Sol'. On their sophomore effort, however, it now becomes abundantly clear just how much expansive venom the group have been harbouring. 'Ritual Hymns' builds upon its preceding debut with obliterating breakdowns, complex, frosted melodics and a weary, theatrical sense of nihilism that elevate epic centrepieces such as, 'Blood Kingdom' and 'A Bird In The Dusk' to a level of spectacle only tangentially approach on their debut.

Review: Following on from the 2022 career-height of their seminal fourth full-length Hiss, Singapore grindcore heroes Wormrot return with a rare slice of fan service in the form of the Left To Rot 12". Compiling several of their previously never-pressed-to-vinyl early releases such as their 2007 Demo, 2008's 'Dead' EP, as well as their 2008 split tape with Greece's Diseptic and even some newly re-recorded cuts, the total damage clocks in at 34 tracks of venomous, vicious, vitally unhinged grindcore of the most scabrous variety, designed to emboldened only those with the most calloused and familiar of ears whilst alienating every other would be passerby listener in existence. Get in.

Review: The third full-length from one of the UK's "big four" thrash metal acts, Xentrix, was quite the controversial project upon its initial release in 1992. Leaning into a more progressive metal influence saw the band abandon some of their metallic potency in search of more texture and artistry. They've since gone on to refer to the work as the biggest mistake of their career, while it also led to the departure of vocalist/guitarist, Chris Astley, until his 2006 return after the band reformed. Like most albums steeped in artistic self-deprecation and early fan backlash, 'Kin', has gone on to find its audience, with expectation and anticipation now removed from the conversation, the group's attempt to strive for material beyond their integral make up is as refreshing as it is forward thinking for an early nineties thrash record.