It seems to become a common phrase in my recent album reviews; line-up changes. The same goes for Leaves’ Eyes and this one is a biggie. Former singer Liv Kristine has left the band and has been replaced by Elina Siirala. Naturally this leaves an impact on the sound of the band. Of course, a […]
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Report: Korpiklaani, Heidevolk, Arkona and Trollfest
On a regular Sunday, a not so regular event happened. The folk metal clans of Korpiklaani, Heidevolk, Arkona and Trollfest have been traveling through Europe and today the happy caravan made a stop in the venue Melkweg, Amsterdam. Read the full report here!
Harakiri for the Sky – Arson
February is the biggest bummer of a month in northern Europe. The Christmas markets have long since closed, all the pretty sparkly lights are gone, and you know it’s going to be at least another month or two before the days start to feel any longer or warmer. Everything is gray and slushy and miserable; […]
Tribulation – Down Under
Tribulation have been around since 2004, and as such, managed to shapeshift themselves in almost every major release they ever put out there. What started out as a purely Death Metal band from Sweden that’s being swallowed in the gigantic pool of names of their own genre, has slowly transformed itself into a well oiled, […]
Arkona – Krahm
A black and white album cover showing three hooded figures, two with knives. On the background a starry sky or maybe eyes in the darkness. A gateway to another world and ravens to show the way. These elements can be seen on the appealing contemporary artwork that is the album cover of Krahm, the eight […]
Grafjammer – Schalm & Schabauw
The Utrecht based black metallers Grafjammer are back. They already have a demo (Smeerenburgh , 2012) and a full-length (Koud gemaakt, 2015) on their name, with the second coming: ‘Schalm & Schabauw’ (to be released on the 10th of February). If you think you will get screeching horror sounds from the grave read no further […]
Orphaned Land – Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs
Oriental Metal band Orphaned Land just released their sixth full length album, Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs, last week. It took the band five years to complete it, and those were five years well spent. Being a Middle East junkie I think first time I heard of this band was somewhere in the Mabool-era. I […]
Erdve – Vaitojimas
An album named Vaitojimas lands on the digital desk, by a band called Erdve. The first question that comes to mind is, are we dealing with Finnish black metal here? A bit further down the line, Erdve appears to be a Lithuanian hybrid of hardcore, sludge, and black metal. My interested is peaked, partially because […]
Bleeding Gods – Dodekathlon
The Dutch extreme metal band Bleeding Gods has been making a name for itself with the deadly force of an avalanche. Even though the group is not a newcomer to the national stages and some of its members are veterans in the Dutch metal scene (guitarist Ramon Ploeg, ex-Houwitser), the intensity with which label Nuclear […]
Heidevolk – Vuur van Verzet
If you have any familiarity with the folk metal genre, you will know Heidevolk. The Dutch band has been active in the scene for roughly 16 years and conquered its rightful place on countless tour posters and festival line-ups. Although the band’s own lineup has changed over the years, two pillars – drummer Joost and […]