Ye Banished Privateers – First Night Back In Port (Napalm)
Just to be different from every other review of this album, I am going to resist the demanding urge to turn all pirate in the first few lines. There’ll be no timbers shivered, any pieces will not be of eight, Mainsails will remain far from.. Read More
Völur – Ancestors (Prophecy)
“They have an umlaut they must be heavy” observed a friend on mention of these Canadians. See, this is a preconception that bands should observe before unnecessarily cladding themselves with such metal signatures. Apart from sharing country of origin and said sigil though, Voïvod they.. Read More
Tusmørke – Hinsides (Svart Records)
“Groove is in the heart of darkness”, they say. Well, as well as being groove-masters, Tusmørke are self-proclaimed ambassadors of macabre romanticism. Progressive in a retro way and just plain weird, I’d put it, in the way that certain Norwegian bands such as Atrox effortlessly.. Read More
Ayreon – The Source (Music Theories Recordings)
It’s a bit of a thankless task reviewing a new Ayreon album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always a joy to hear but…what do you say? Arjen Lucassen puts so much info out there pre-release that all the Ayreon fans already know plenty about it... Read More
King Dude, Sol Invictus, Of The Wand And Moon – London Underworld 11/4/17
I had been looking forward to this one having never seen King Dude and loving his albums. Excellent supports made this a huge draw too and it was nice to actually go to a mellow show for a change and not actually get punched in.. Read More
Cruel Wonders – Gentle Doom (S/R)
How about some folk music? Well, doomy folk noir, to be precise…all the way from Israel. Courtesy of Cruel Wonders, a duo made up of vocalist/guitarist Tamar Singer and Vlad Shusterman, providing the ambience and fuzz, ‘Gentle Doom’ is their aptly named debut album. Its.. Read More
Byrdi – Ansur : Urkraft (Troll Music)
Raise your horns, light the camp fire and blend with nature! If you like traditional songs in Norwegian, Byrdi is your world. Folk-tribal drums, acoustic guitars and epic vocals emitted with crystal clarity covers it but this is far too mundane a description. From the.. Read More
The Moon and the Nightspirit – Metanoia (Prophecy)
“Metanoia” means an initiation, a rebirth, an awakening of the higher self, and the rekindling of an inner flame. Hungarian duo The Moon and the Nightspirit’s brand of folk and world music is a representation of this state. This isn’t folk music in its simplest.. Read More
Wardruna – Runaljod – Ragnarok (By Norse)
What better way to introduce Ragnarok, the third and final part of Wardruna’s 8-year trilogy, with a towering battle hymn to Tyr. One of the less readily recognised Norse gods these days (at least for non-metal fans I should perhaps add), but he was undoubtedly.. Read More
Pelander – Time (Nuclear Blast)
If you are unfamiliar with Pelander, that’s nothing to be worried about, seeing as it is the first release by Magnus Pelander, Witchcraft mainstay, under his own moniker, and a definite change from his normal doom tinged heavy rock releases. Hearkening back to an era.. Read More
Völur – Disir (Prophecy)
Canadians seem to have a particular knack for invoking the ancient spirits of pagan Europe and Völur are no exception. Clearly there’s a link, and they are arguably closer geographically and culturally to Europe than their US neighbours, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. But.. Read More
Dylan Carlson – Falling with a Thousand Stars and Other Wonders from the House of Albion (S/R)
Finally, this Crowd Funded project sees fruition; featuring stunning artwork (a rendering of Dylan’s wife, Holly), ‘Falling with a Thousand Stars and Other Wonders from the House of Albion’ is a reworking of folk songs from the British Isles. All seven songs have been stripped.. Read More
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