Search results for 'ancient bards'

News

SALIVA Guitarist WAYNE SWINNY Dies After Suffering Brain Hemorrhage

SALIVA's founding guitarist Wayne Swinny has died. He was reportedly 59 years old. The news of Swinny's passing comes one day after he was admitted to an intensive care unit following a brain hemorrhage. SALIVA singer Bobby Amaru has released the following statement regarding his bandmate's death: "...

News

IRON MAIDEN's 'Legacy Of The Beast' Announces MOTÖRHEAD In-Game Collaboration

IRON MAIDEN's "Legacy Of The Beast" free-to-play mobile game is excited to announce another major in-game collaboration, this time with MOTÖRHEAD. A new year brings a list of new in-game collaborations. Teaming up in the past couple of years with musical heavyweights such as DISTURBED, FIVE FINGER D...

Review

Blasphemous Prophecies

There are now so many different strains of death metal that nailing the genre's true essence has becoming almost entirely pointless. From adherents to AUTOPSY's sludgy code, right through to the hyper-blasting atonality of the brutal DM set, there are many ways to honor the ancient gods. But by conj...

Review

Fumes Of Funeral Pyres

Another week means another fantastic addition to death metal's new wave of young and hungry bands. Coming straight out of Finland with energy levels set to psychotic, TRAMALIZER sound like they have spent decades worshipping the ancient gods. "Fumes Of Funeral Pyres" doesn't have any of the composit...

Review

Tales Of Demonic Possession

For a brief moment back there, CLOUDS TASTE SATANIC were musically earthbound. The NYC quartet's last release, "Cloud Covered", was a collection of covers, including a particularly inspired reading of CHICAGO's "If You Leave Me Now". Lockdown fever will do that, even to such dedicated space cadets....

Review

Homicidal Ecstasy

It was arguably little more than a ridiculous name that lured death metal fans into their grimy slipstream, but SANGUISUGABOGG were deservedly hailed for the sheer knuckleheaded belligerence of their 2021 debut, "Tortured Whole". Having weathered the departure of guitarist and titular figurehead Cam...

Review

KaliYuga

Liv Jagrell has always been a formidable presence. First emerging 20 years ago as frontwoman with the perennially excellent SISTER SIN, the Swedish singer oozed heavy metal integrity from the start. Since going it alone — albeit with the DIO-like caveat that LIV SIN is a band, not just a solo vehicl...

Review

At The Heart Of Wintervale

From the very start, TWILIGHT FORCE made it plain that their ambition knew no limits. On the surface, the Swedes were another symphonically inclined power metal band with a hard-on for the exploration of wild, fantasy realms, with additional LARP-ing possibilities for the truly devoted. Even on thei...

Review

Beyond The Black

Brimming with promise from the start, BEYOND THE BLACK began their career sounding not entirely distinct from the rest of the big-budget symphonic metal pack. Debut album "Songs of Love and Death" was full of great songs and vocalist Jennifer Haben had power and charisma in abundance, but this was s...

News

ROBERT PLANT Reflects On HEART's 'Magnificent' Rendition Of LED ZEPPELIN's 'Stairway To Heaven' At Kennedy Center Honors

Back in December 2012, HEART's Ann and Nancy Wilson delivered a moving rendition of "Stairway To Heaven", LED ZEPPELIN's signature song, at the Kennedy Center Honors. They were joined by Jason Bonham, son of original drummer John and the drummer for LED ZEPPELIN's 2007 reunion show. Their version of...

Review

Bab Al On

Say what you like about Christmas, it is clearly the perfect time to revel in seething, anti-Christian sentiment. "Bab Al On" is rich in the non-festive traditions of second wave Norwegian black metal, and few bands have been so consistent in their myopic adherence to that ancient code than DØDSENGE...

Review

Dark Side Of The Sacred Star

In the realms of underground metal, few labels have ever maintained both reputation and rigor with the same consistency as PEACEVILLE RECORDS. This compilation celebrates the UK imprint's 35th anniversary with a dazzling array of unreleased cuts and new material from both the well-recognized and the...

News

AMON AMARTH Announces New Epic Graphic Novel/Board Game 'The Great Heathen Army'

Z2 has announced "Amon Amarth: The Great Heathen Army", a new graphic novel and board game collaboration celebrating the heavy metal quintet's last album of the same name. Channeling the thunderous epic poem winding through these nine tracks, the graphic novel dives into the heart of the Viking Age,...

News

MANOWAR Shares Lyric Video For 'Immortal' From 'The Revenge Of Odysseus' EP

MANOWAR has released the official lyric video for the song "Immortal". The track is taken from the band's latest digital EP, "The Revenge Of Odysseus (Highlights)", which came out in June via Magic Circle Entertainment. Conceived as a "thank you" for the steadfast and passionate support of the Greek...

Feature

MATS BJÖRKMAN On 'Sweet Evil Sun': 'If You Don't Like This Album, You Don't Like CANDLEMASS'

By David E. Gehlke A Tony Iommi guest spot does not an album make, but it sure helps when getting some long-overdue recognition from the Recording Academy. Legendary Swedish doom metal pioneers CANDLEMASS earned a Grammy nomination for "Astorolus — The Great Octopus", a cut from their 2019 "The Door...