When darkness takes over and atmospheric, depressing sounds are echoing though the old town alleys… there’s something wicked and shady that’s entering your deepest nightmares while you’re trying throughout the day phases, Dawn, Sunrise, Morning, Afternoon, Sunset, Evening & Night, to escape these doomed, gothic, gloomy, melancholic & fated obsessions… that are controlling your mind. If there’s no way out… better give in…
 

Trixter is another US band that was destroyed by the so called grunge music movement in the US in the early 90s. They were formed in the mid-80s… they released their first album in 1990, the second one in 1992 and the third one, which was a cover album, in 1994. Then they disappeared… along with lots of other hard rock bands of that era… as the big labels… used to name new rock stars overnight and they advertised and offered fame and fortune to untalented bands that could make fuzzy rock music with no sense of taste at all.
 

Loosening the iron grip of doom (death) metal has been Anathema’s common practice right since mid-90s and even those who didn’t wish to speak in favor of them, now grudgingly own up to their success as a band.
 

Just about 2 years ago these Swedish newcomers presented their second release “Monolith” which basically opened the road and gave them more popularity. So as it is obvious those who saw a new promising band taking its first steps are/were rather anxious to hear the third work of the band, which in many cases show how the future is gonna be like.
 

Jeff Loomis, former Nevermore guitarist, is back with his second solo album after 4 years since the debut, “Zero Order Phase”. The guys that helped him in the recordings are: the guitarist Joe Nurre (Shaded Enmity), the bassist Gregory Macklin (System Divide, Ordinance) and the drummer Anup Sastry (Intervals, Skyharbor). The album was produced by Aaron Smith (7 Horns 7 Eyes) and mastered by Jens Bogren (Paradise Lost, Opeth, Katatonia, Amon Amarth, etc.). As expected, the sound is amazing.
 

Surely a lot of fans were expecting Europe’s new studio work with anticipation. After their comeback in 2004… it’s true that they surprised us (nicely or badly it doesn’t matter) with their new music style. Balancing between classic rock and hard rock with various modern elements, the three previous albums have caused quite a few arguments among the loyal 80s fans of the band. So, everyone was eager for “Bag of Bones”…
 

Frankly, I never thought there could be a time I would have to deal with the Greek Hard Rock scene and actually enjoy it. I am proud of being Greek… but, seriously, I don’t generally appreciate our rock music. Yet, after listening to 4Bitten I’ve started to reconsider.
 

Two years after their comeback album “Blood of the Nations”, which also introduced us the band’s new vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT Quick), Accept are back with “Stalingrad”. It’s always “weird” when it comes to review albums from bands that have marked out metal music generally. I was skeptical and a little bit cautious about this album… not in terms of music quality… but due to UDO’s absence. I’m a big UDO fan and I believe that he should have been with the band in the first place… but I must also admit that Mark has done a hell of a job.
 

One of the pioneering doom metal bands… Saint Vitus can surely be among those bands that defined the genre and influenced some of the so called stoner rock (what a rash term) bands which are trying to imitate and copy the sound and the heavy slow riffs they once taught. Certainly, they all bow to the mighty Black Sabbath… that are the godfathers of doom metal… and not only.