Pop this disk in and it takes only about twenty seconds to suspect it is Kampfar and less than a minute to be sure it could be no one else. All pervasive is the Kampfar sound and if you don’t know what that is by now expect to be turned into a frog by the [...]

I go through phases where I’ve had just about all the power and prog that I can stand, and I’m in one of those right now. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I’ll admit that I’m feeling kind of uninspired to write about a lot of the CDs sitting on my desk now. That [...]

I knew this would be some sort of power metal after one glance at the cover art and logo. What I didn’t know was how damn good these guys are.  I will admit I love power metal, but I don’t waste my time with mediocre, sub par acts.  These guys know what they’re doing, and [...]

It’s been said that anyone who generalizes is an idiot, but it’s gotten to the point where if I see a CD that has a pretty face on the cover and the Napalm logo on the back, I can predict exactly what I’m going to get. Beast Within is no different: inoffensive, poppy midtempo gothic [...]

Here’s a fine folk metal album from Russia’s Arkona that continues Napalm’s recent run of solid folk metal albums (Svartsot, Heidevolk, Alestorm and to some extent Hollenthon) and should please fans of typically Russian/Eastern European bands like Butterfly Temple, Obtest, Skyforger Pagan Reign as well as the usual folk overload fare like Finntroll and Asmegin.
Undoubtedly, [...]

To this day, one of my very favorite metal songs is “The Calm Before the Storm”, the sort of title track from Hollenthon’s second album, 2001’s With Vilest of Worms to Dwell, an album that truly opened my eyes to how death metal, symphonic, classical overtures and ethnic instrumentation could go hand in. The album [...]

Hard to believe it’s been seven years since the release of Hollenthon’s previous opus, With Vilest of Worms to Dwell. Besides featuring one of the more memorable covers that year (a coiled snake with a protruding, knuckled spine), it boasted epic, symphonic swells over vaguely Viking riffage and coarse vocals. It should have been right [...]

Sometimes you see an album cover and just hope that the music inside matches the imagery. In this case, the graphic of five masked phantoms, convened like some interdimensional alien tribunal, could have just been another slapped-on gimmick - but thankfully, it’s the perfect visual for one of the more harrowing and hypnotic tech-death albums [...]

Hailing from the Netherlands, Heidevolk are Napalm’s latest folk metal darlings. Hot on the heels of the likes of Svartsot and Alestorm, Heidevolk might be the best of the bunch, and arguably the best folk metal album I have heard since Ásmegin’s Hin Vordende Sod & Sø.
Apart from the expected gallop of Viking-tinged hymns and [...]

Female-fronted Epic Power Metal…this description alone should be enough to inform you if you’re interested in going any further. Still with me? Ok, then. Edenbridge is what I call a “Genre Band” (I need to copyright that). If you’re into the specific genre to which they belong, then no arguable reason can be found for [...]

Though there was a time that I really enjoyed it, I’m tiring of folk and power metal with classical female vocals. I think pretty much everything that can be done with it has been done with it, and frankly, I’d rather hear the women in metal sounding a little more aggressive. Of course, there’s always [...]

Knowing that Power Quest was formed by keyboard player Steve Williams and bassist Steve Scott after leaving Dragon Heart (now known as Dragonforce, of course) in 2001, you might expect some resemblance between the two bands. The good news, however, is that Power Quest spends less time showing off their technical wankery and puts more emphasis [...]

When I first heard Stuck Mojo in the mid-1990s, the sound was fresh and interesting – a solid, Southern-flavored metal band fronted by a rapper. With the rise of the rap-rock trend and the nu-metal trends in the late 90s and early part of this decade, the sound began to lose its edge. The band [...]

It’s difficult to find security in bands these days. At least half of the bands I look forward to seeing releases from take a turn for the worst at some point. So far Sweden’s Draconian only stay steady if not get better with each album. For those familiar with Arcane Rain Fell and Where Lovers [...]

Cover tunes are somewhat of an abnormality for me. Even when it’s just one on an album of all originals it strikes me as lame, wasteful, and utterly cheesy. Though over the years we have heard some great covers, in any genre, it still presents mixed opinions from this reviewer. So when a pretty well [...]

Back in 2001, The Cleansing made semi waves in the death metal genre being a project involving Obituary’s Trevor Peres and Pyrexia’s Keith Devito and Rob Marseca, and with both band’s at the time being on hiatus, the album probably got more attention and credit than it really deserved.
So now on Napalm Records, (which goes [...]

Isole have been moiling in the underground since the early 90’s. Completely underrated, this Swedish act has only just begun to see the light of day in metal news and charts. 2005’s debut record Forevermore was a healthy slab of traditional epic doom in the vein of Solitude Aeternus, but with its on twists and [...]

Often the press and promo sheets that come with albums for review are the greatest work of literary fiction since “A History of Great French Military Victories” came out. However in the case of Alestorm it simply says this:
‘Scottish Pirate Metal.’
I’d say that about covers it.
Formerly known as Battleheart, Scotland’s Alestorm (arguably the best moniker [...]

Ancient Rites has been a favorite of mine for a very long time and I have Gunther and friends to thank for introducing me to country mates Enthroned. I, of course, picked up the Ancient Rites/ Enthroned split back in 1994, having never heard of Enthroned. They have been a mainstay in my cd changer [...]

Austria’s contribution to the thrash revival, Wolfpack Unleashed (WPU) formed in 2005, released a demo, and quickly signed to Napalm. Though throwback thrash is a fitting tag, they don’t quite fit in the same ballpark as say Fueled by Fire or Warbringer. Instead, they seem to fit in nicely beside the likes of Sanctity or [...]

So what if a band from Denmark mixed the happy go drinking folkish pep of Korpiklaani and the earthy, battle weary death metal heft of Amon Amarth or the first Amorphis album? You’d get Svartsot and their simple but thoroughly enjoyable debut album.
With a mix of simple, mid paced chunky death metal, deep cavernous growls [...]

Third release from this Polish super-group conceived of members of Behemoth and Vader. Though my knowledge of their previous works is thin, I’m finding some enjoyable moments with 2007’s Distractive Killusions.
What I have gathered over the years reading about Vesania is that they failed to impress when compared to other acts in the genre. Despite [...]

I have read some belittling reviews about this bands works and I was very hesitant to listen to their stuff even though it sounded up my alley. Lucky for me, Digital sent their new CD to my door. “The Dark Bastard of the Finnish Goth Scene.” That’s what Sinamore called themselves on their myspace page. [...]

First things first – this is a gonna be a really short review, as this really isn’t my cup of tea – I honestly could not make it through this whole album. Actually, I couldn’t make it through a whole song. Why you might ask? The vocals – reminding much of Rush’s Geddy Lee, hitting [...]

2005’s debut offering from Hurtlocker, Fear In a Handful of Dust was among my top ten favorite releases of the year – an excellent entry in the field of death/thrash, they showed a great deal of influence ranging from classic Bay Area and German thrash, to early Swedish death metal, topped off with a hint [...]