Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Often credited alongside the likes of Testament and Death Angel as one of the most integral groups of the thrash metal second wave, Phoenix, Arizona's Sacred Reich originally disbanded in 2000, four years on from their at-the-time swan song fourth LP Heal. While the band would reform in 2006 to embark on numerous legacy tours, it would be 23 years until they'd return to the studio to deliver their 2019 comeback Awakening (which marked the first recorded output without original guitarist Jason Rainey who tragically passed away in 2020). It's due to this persistent reforming and adding to their legacy, that in hindsight, Heal has absorbed a stable credence for serving as the initial full stop on the band's original tenure, complete with the OG line up. Reissued on lush red & orange marbled vinyl, the ever-reliable archive keepers at Metal Blade continue to remain as on the pulse as ever with regard to the insatiable appetites of collector's constantly scanning label rosters for overdue represses.

Review: No, not that Sade is the first thing to note or you will very much be in for a shock. This Sade is a gloomy metal band made up of Andrew Pozzy on vocals, guitars, piano, synth, Silvia on bass, backing vocals and Matt Sade on drums and pads with Maurizio Baggio also going for some additional guitar and synth work. This album has been informed by the pandemic and brings all new darkness to the band's sound. Dark-wave and goth moods pervade the tracks which all lay out a pessimistic and nihilistic view of the human condition.

Review: Following Glenn Danzig's departure from Misfits, but before re-branding/re-establishing all musical endeavours under the name of Danzig, the enigmatic, often controversial frontman would form Samhain, generally mis-pronounced as Sam Hane. With an increased focus on the macabre, occult and a less whimsical, cartoonish flare than his previous horror-punk troupe, their short-lived tenure only covered two full-lengths and an EP, while many regard this live compilation made of two separate performances from Danceteria, New York in 1985, and the Cabaret, Metro Chicago,

Review: Norwegian black metal mainstays, Satyricon, are no strangers to pursuing outlier projects and collaborations with differing artists and ensembles such as Anja Garbarek, Trondheimsolistene, and The Norwegian National Opera Chorus, to name but a few. Their latest endeavour sees an original scoring of arguably Norway's most famous artist, Edvard Munch, and a unique exhibition of his works at the Munch museum in Oslo. One look at Munch's most iconic piece, 'The Scream', should be enough to draw the connections between both artist's meditations on isolation and despair. A singular, 56-minute composition, aural companion-piece that traverses the depths of ambient, folkloric post-black metal in a manner that's been seldom heard from the duo of Satyr and Frost; this is the sound of two equally profound artists and their works coalescing in hideously ethereal abandon.

Review: Sightless Pit is Lee Buford (aka The Body) and Dylan Walker (aka Full of Hell). The creative pair's debut album Grave of A Dog put them right up there with the best bands in the heavy metal scene. They now follow it up with another album that redefined heavy guitar sounds. Lockstep Bloodwar is an eclectic one sound wise and it features some big names making guts appearances such as Gangsta Boo from Three 6 Mafia, YoshimiO from Boredoms, plus Midwife, Lane Shii Otayonii and more. This version comes on limited translucent red marbled vinyl for a look as freaky as the music sounds.

Review: Best known as the powerhouse frontwoman for Dutch symphonic metal collective Epica, the enigmatic, operatically trained Simone Simons makes her solo debut with Vermillion. Written entirely in collaboration with Arjen Lucassen (mastermind behind prog rock opera project Ayreon) at his home studio, the material marries Simons' grandiose cadence and overwhelming delivery with sonics both familiar and alien to her recorded output, drawing on lush orchestral arrangements as well as bombastic, melodic death metal-inspired riffage and more subdued moments of lysergic, melodious prog. Longtime bandmate Mark Jansen of Epica also makes an appearance, along with Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz and Apocalyptica's Perttu Kivilaakso.

Review: Slayer's album Mind Control was recorded for public radio broadcast in 1990. It was captured in 1994 in Brazil and finds the legendary trash metal kings right at the very top of their game and showing why they were unanimously regarded as one of the most mighty metal outfits ever. This limited edition blue vinyl version of the live album is packed with intense metal weaponry and includes serval of their most well known and loved hits such as 'Hell Awaits,' 'Mind Control,' 'Dead Skin Mask' and several others. An essential and raw collection from these guitar heroes.

Review: Serving as follow up to 2023's acclaimed breakout third full-length Take Me Back To Eden, London's elusive, masked progressive metal mystics Sleep Token return with Even In Arcadia. Renowned for their genre-fluid melding of djent, metalcore, post-rock with further leftfield elements of post-classical, hip-hop, trap and indie-pop, the project led by the enigmatic Vessel has seen a massive expansion in popularity since the release of their last album. Set to headline Download 2025 before embarking on their first US Arena Tour, their newest endeavour promises to maximise all of their sonic abandon and outdo their own blueprint in the process, with lead single 'Emergence' starting life as a piano ballad before morphing into an ambi-trap groove metal anthem until fading with a lush, jazzy saxophone and piano finish. No doubt, this will be one of the highest selling/streaming/controversial/debated/talked about metal-centric titles to be released this year.

Review: Returning with their follow up to 2023's major breakout third album Take Me Back To Eden, London's mysterious, masked prog-metal mystics Sleep Token make their boldest statement yet with Even In Arcadia. Known for their brazen genre-fluidity that melds elements of djent, metalcore and post-rock with even further leftfield elements of post-classical, hip-hop, trap and indie-pop, the band led by the enigmatic Vessel have seen a massive expansion in popularity since the release of their previous full-length. Headlining Download 2025 before embarking on their first US Arena Tour, this latest endeavour maximises their sonic abandon and expands upon their own blueprint in the process with the lead single 'Emergence' beginning life as a piano ballad before morphing into ambi-trap groove metal anthemics before finally fading into a lush, jazzy saxophone and piano finish. Set to be one of the highest selling/streaming/controversial/debated/discussed metal-centric releases of the year, Sleep Token appear set to take on the world with their newfound fame and fearless disregard for sonic boundaries or metal elitism.

Review: .Yorkshire self-proclaimed "swamp death" trio Slimelord have spent the past half-decade slowly crafting their impenetrable, murky brand of heaving, sludgy doom-laden extreme metal over the course of several challenging EPs. A mulchy path littered with festering fauna, alien plant-life, and hallucinogenic colours finally leads to their mind-melting debut full-length Chytridiomycosis Relinquished. Committing further to their style and aesthetic than ever before, the material lyrically delves into geology, ancient myths, world history, environmentalism and fantasy; weaving these facets into a Lovecraftian swamp world of cosmic dread, emboldened by field recordings of marshland and swamps to imbue the kaleidoscopic, hyper-technical compositions with an incomparable immersive quality. You may feel the need to take a shower after spinning.

Review: At the turn of the 21st century, Slipknot opted to take the newfound fame and success rewarded by their self-titled debut, and run it into the ground in, what has to be, one of the most intriguing examples of chaos and inner band turmoil lending to an integral work.

Named after their home state, 'Iowa', still remains an utterly frightening project, driven by addiction, depression, and encompassing negativity. Refusing to pursue a more accessible route regardless of the ensuing momentum around them, the collective would lash out with an extremely severe batch of material that remains challenging even by today's standards.

While the now iconic leads singles, 'My Plague' and 'Left Behind' remain embedded in the metal spectrum, deeper cuts such as the caustic 'People = Shit', nihilism rally of 'The Heretic Anthem' or the decrepit defeatism of 'Skin Ticket' offer the bleakest look into the band's psyche at their most temperamental of conditions.

The fact that frontman Corey Taylor has confessed that the 14-minute closing title-track was recorded while highly inebriated and cutting himself with a broken liquor bottle, should be all the background one could need when approaching this complex, unforgiving beast of an album.

Reissued after far too long an absence, this beautiful new rendering finally allows for a timeless endeavour to be rediscovered in all of its violent glory; rarely bridging the vast dichotomy between mainstream and extreme metal.

Review: Continuing the onslaught of Slipknot back catalogue reissues, '0.5: The Gray Chapter', saw the collective channel the shared grief and inner turmoil of losing their bassist Paul Gray, into a dynamic, vicious fifth full-length that served as a twisted follow up to 2008's global success, 'All Hope Is Gone.' Harboring some of their darkest singles in over a decade, such as the blistering, 'The Devil In I', or the claustrophobic assault of, 'Custer', many may consider the project to be the outlier within the 9's canon, but with drummer Joey Jordison's last recorded performance, and before the rebirth of 'We Are Not Your Kind', this work served as a complicated reflection of artists lost in a deep state of bewilderment and trauma; utilising their connection and artform to process and heal in ugly, chaotic abandon.

Review: Upon the strange reception received by the creatively uncertain, '.5: The Gray Chapter', many wondered where the Iowa collective would set their sights to next. Processing the lingering grief of losing their bassist, Paul Gray, proved a major undertaking that many naturally assumed would be the final output from the 9, but 2019's, 'We Are Not Your Kind', proved to be a malodorous mission statement, reminding all just how and why Slipknot are one of the biggest metal acts in history. With utterly intense cuts such as 'Nero Forte' and 'Unsainted', this sixth full-length proved to be the revitalised rebirth many anticipated from its predecessor, while foreshadowing a creative future seemingly impossible a few years prior.

Review: 
The nu-metal scene of the late nineties/early noughties arguably birthed no act as seminal or incomparable as the masked, nine-member Iowa collective known as Slipknot.

Their highly influential self-titled full-length debut marked the first studio appearance of now iconic vocalist and frontman, Corey Taylor, whose unkempt aggression and visceral performance would help chart a course for a group destined for exposure and acclaim far beyond their murky compositions.

With buzzsaw riffs, a claustrophobic percussive assault and Taylor's vitriolic pennings, cuts such as '(Sic)', and 'Eye Less' have maintained their integral ferocity decades on while the rap-metal frenetics of 'Spit It Out' and melodious lead single 'Wait & Bleed' have remained the high water mark for all chasms of mainstream metal to this day.

Out of print and resold at extortionate prices for years, this reissue is a vital piece of the puzzle for any fan of the nine or collector of genre staples. Don't sleep on this rare chance to lock down a twisted classic.

Review: The much anticipated follow up to 2003's, 'Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses', almost painted Slipknot into an uncertain corner, but once the now iconic 'Psychosocial' dropped, essentially all reservations were laid to rest.

Continuing to stray further from the bile and limescale grit of their earlier work, 'All Hope Is Gone', took the melodic lessons of its predecessor, and expanded upon them with dynamic and controversial results. From the crushing breakdowns and visceral fury of 'Gematria (The Killing Name)', to the Stone Sour leaning, big melody hooks of 'Sulfur' and 'Dead Memories', all the way to arguably one of the strongest points of contention, the utterly vulnerable and melancholic 'Snuff', would reveal dimensions of the Iowa 9-piece some never thought possible.

Possibly the most misunderstood entry in the collective canon, the project has garnered its own cult status in recent years, and also poignantly marks bassist Paul Grey's final effort with the group before his untimely passing in 2010.

Review: Originally released in 1992, the fifth full-length from the German thrash metal pioneers marked a notable embracing of more modern metallic composition, pulling from the burgeoning death metal sound to help sharpen their sonic assault. What resulted was a band who originally formed in 1981 proving they could still go riff for riff with any of their more youthful contemporaries with a barrage of their most frenetic, fast-paced speed-thrash up to that point in their career. Their final effort with founding drummer Chris Witchhunter, the LP also marked the debut of guitarist Andy Brings and now comes home newly remastered and spread out across a lush red vinyl 2xLP.

Review: While the Cavalera brothers would become renowned for their work with Sepultura, many will admit to having little reservations about jumping ship to Soulfly when the time came. With frontman Max Cavalera's penchant for ferocious thrash riffage, husking growls and tribal infusions, this later project would bolster some of the most vicious thrash-punk both sides of the millennium. 'The Soul Remains Insane' compiles all four studio albums, released between 1998 to 2004, along with a bonus LP of b-sides, rarities and unreleased tracks. A book with rare interviews offering insight into each record is also included, making this 4 album/1 compilation, 5xLP collection a true spectacle of fan service to behold.

Review: BBE Music continues to delve into the exceptional back catalogue of Detroit's Strata label. Overall, there's not a huge amount there, with just ten albums released during the imprint's tenure. Nevertheless, what's there has plenty worth diving into, not least the stunning cover designs by iconic jazz poet John Sinclair - aesthetics to set the mood, make no mistake.
Sphere's Inside Ourselves was the third record put out on the platform. Recorded live at the Detroit Institute of Arts on 28th June 1970, and like much of the Strata stuff, this is about boundary-free jazz that captivates and compels the listener as much as it seems to entrance and possess those playing it. Indicative of the overall standard that came out of the camp itself, collective memories of Sphere themselves seem hazy, but John Dana, Jimmy Peluso, Keith Vreeland, Eddie Nuccilli and Larry Nozero made up the outfit, so props to them.

Review: Arizona doom-metal outfit, Spirit Adrift, are set to follow up last year's exceptional, 'Forge Your Future' EP, with '20 Centuries Gone'; a collection of covers from a diverse array of artists all intrinsic to the band's core dynamic. Running the gamut of deep, underrated tracks from the likes of Type O Negative, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Thin Lizzy and Pantera, this mini-LP of sorts offers a unique insight into the essential components which primary songsmith Nate Garrett constantly finds himself reverting back to, in search of inspiration and rejuvenation. Featuring two brand new songs; the pummeling 'Sorcerer's Fate', and the aptly titled, 'Mass Formation Psychosis', as well as some major surprises (the rendition of Metallica's 'Ride The Lightning' deep cut, 'Escape', is exceptionally potent), this collection keeps the momentum churning on from 2020's last full-length, 'Enlightened in Eternity', and serves as testament to the band's inability to sit still for more than a few months.

Review: Following from 2022's not-aptly titled The Final Battle, Orange County Christian power metal legends Stryper continue to weave their devout beliefs and relentless knack for face-melting riffage into one triumphant experience of galloping "God rock". While many of their more popular, less religiously focused peers in say Motley Crue or Poison rest on laurels and legacy shows, primary songwriter Michael Sweet has seemingly refused to let age slow down his frenetic shredding or informed compositions, leading to their 15th full-length When We Were Kings firing on as many cylinders as they were on their 1986 magnum opus To Hell With The Devil. Timeless, seasoned, polished, if you love your retro metal with big hair and some Jesus adoration to boot, you really have come to the perfect place.

Review: Following on from 2019's Years Of Aggression, Greek thrash metal behemoths Suicidal Angels return with their highly anticipated eighth full-length Profane Prayer. Led by the incomparable vision of sole founding member Nick Melissourgos, the band's recent signing to metal label titan Nuclear Blast, serves as a gleaming sign of approval for their half-decade gestating opus. Teaming with frenetic riffage echoing the likes of early day Megadeth and Testament, this is thrash fury of a deft, artisanal touch, yet delivered with all of the kaleidoscopic abandon of musicians skilled enough to transcend their genre confines without losing sight of what made said genre so potent all those decades prior.