Full Length Review: Iotunn "Waves over Copenhell" (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

Band: Iotunn

Location: Copenhagen

Country: Denmark

Genre: Progressive metal

Full Length: Waves over Copenhell

Format: Digital, 180g black vinyl (limited to 333 copies) red black merged vinyl (limited to 333 copies)

Label: Metal Blade

Release date: January 9, 2026

Since 2016, Iotunn has only released one EP, one split, and two full lengths, and they're garnering accolades from Ivar Bjornson of Enslaved, Knut M. Valle of Arcturus, Øystein G. Brun of Borknagar, and Jacob Hansen who produced the work of Volbeat, Evergrey, and Asinhell. As they're respected for their achievements as experienced musicians and producers with an ear for what creates an impression, if they're extremely pleased with Iotunn's efforts thus far, there must be something to them.

With their debut EP "The Wizard Falls," they demonstrated an uncanny determination to redefine progressive metal, much like Fates Warning did during underground metal's formative years. They experimented with imaginative songwriting and time shifts, melodic vocals, and embellishments that showcased talent, occasionally adding a rawer sound to complement the music and voices. Even when honed and polished, their approach to progressive metal has evolved in ways that continue to surprise you.

The five-track live album "Waves over Copenhell" was recorded at the 2023 Copenhell Festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, where they shared the stage with Iron Maiden, Metallica, Sick Of It All, Meshuggah, Testament, Halestorm, Slipknot, and many other well-known bands. It chronicles Iotunn's foray into the mainstream spotlight. Bringing the most magnificent and breathtaking music they could include on their set list, they took full advantage of the chance to present themselves to a huge number of metal enthusiasts.

Exploring human nature through mythology, Iotunn identify themselves by remaining connected to the nature and heritage of their native Norway, expressing what they found through epic compositions reaching from the earth's foundation to the highest reaches of the sky. Their blend of prog rock, power metal, and acoustic passages, their fusion of complex musicianship, rawness, and blast beats, frequently leaning toward black metal, appear almost alien in scope, particularly onstage at the Copenhell Festival.

With a massive, all consuming sound courtesy of drummer Bjørn Wind Andersen (mixing) and Jacob Hansen (mastering) who has worked with bands like U.D.O. and Epica, "Waves over Copenhell" shows Iotunn has evolved and developed long, hypnotic passages, dissonance and melody, marked contrasts between clean and brutal vocals and atmospheric keyboards, as well as operatic delivery of all this and their ability to deliver it in front of an audience. I’m sure they turned more than a few heads at that show.

Iotunn's "Waves over Copenhell" exhibits their evolving sound, incorporating hypnotic passages, dissonance and melody, contrasts between clean and brutal vocals, atmospheric keyboards, and operatic delivery in front of an audience, courtesy of drummer Bjørn Wind Andersen (mixing) and Jacob Hansen (mastering) who has worked with bands like U.D.O. and Epica. I'm sure they turned a lot of heads at that show. It just took one listen to convince me how far they've pushed themselves since their debut EP.

A spectacular light show reminiscent of seventies rock bands, with a keyboard intro giving that Blade Runner/Terminator vibe as a prelude to their memorable performance at that festival, which boasted such a wall of sound as a vehicle for their inventive musicianship, I imagine it was difficult not to be drawn into what Iotunn delivered that night. You feel transported to their performance and their explorations into the most open regions of their minds simply by listening to this album from your own home.

This year, Iotunn will be performing at Copenhell as well as numerous events, including Helsinki Metalfest, Brutal Assault, Motocultor Festival, and Be Prog! My Friend. Starting this March, they'll be touring Europe alongside In Vain and Nephylim, so if you happen to be in Europe and have the opportunity to see them live, I recommend it. The spectacle they put on, as well as the way they showcase their amazing work and inventiveness, is an experience that you may remember for a long time. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Jón Aldará: Vocals

Jens Nicolai Gräs: Guitar

Jesper Gräs: Guitar

Eskil Rask: Bass

Bjørn Wind Andersen: drums

Track list:

1. Waves Below

2. The Tower Of Cosmic Nihility

3. Access All Worlds

4. Mistland

5. Voyage Of The Garganey I

Single Review: King Diamond "Masquerade of Madness", "Spider Lilly" (Metal Blade) by Dave Wolff

Band: King Diamond

Country: Denmark

Genre: Heavy metal

Singles: Masquerade of Madness, Spider Lilly

Format: Streaming

Label: Metal Blade

Release date: 2019, 2024

King Diamond's upcoming album, "St. Lucifer's Hospital 1920" (originally "The Institute"), the first of a three-album concept, has garnered a huge buzz through a lengthy correspondence between Diamond and guitarist Andy LaRocque. For a number of reasons, the album has been in development for quite some time, and the only new material we have so far are the singles "Masquerade of Madness" and "Spider Lilly." After listening to both several times, I can say I'm still looking forward to its eventual release.

For years, it has been promoted via video teasers, interviews, and even publicized tours. Based on the visuals, the solo piano, and the enigmatic theme of the teaser, I expect "St. Lucifer's Hospital 1920" to be as unsettling as "The Graveyard," "The Puppet Master," and "Give Me Your Soul... Please," as well as Diamond's most complex and involved narrative yet. Considering the amount of time that has elapsed since "St. Lucifer's Hospital 1920" was initially announced, it seems to be one of metal's most anticipated albums.

Andy LaRocque, who has been with the band since "Fatal Portrait" and is considered one of metal’s most influential guitarists in his own right. He stated in one interview that he’s been recreating the mood and ambiance of early albums while writing and composing for "St. Lucifer's Hospital 1920." Blabbermouth also reports him as saying the band is aiming for an organic sound that doesn’t need to be executed perfectly.

The ambiance evoked in Diamond’s music from "Portrait" to "Them," as well as the band’s roots in 70s rock and proto-metal, are evident in a way that’s timeless and unique in those singles. Diamond's albums are like visits to the worlds imagined in the music and lyrics; once you've been welcomed, those worlds nearly become real. But you were always certain you were safe. Here, the songs dive deep into insanity, dread and the sense of being trapped in a subterranean hell from where there’s no escape.

This is why "Masquerade of Madness" and "Spider Lilly" are such powerful teasers for the upcoming album. Even recorded with modern equipment the singles give you claustrophobic, suffocating, all-consuming creepiness I don't recall ever experiencing listening to a King Diamond album. In this way they arouse your curiosity to know more of the narrative: who the characters are, where they are, hw they got there, what happens next, and so on.

By the way, Blabbermouth also reported more songs have been completed for the album and a new promotional video is to be filmed. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

King Diamond: Vocals, Hammond organ

Andy LaRocque: Guitars

Mike Wead: Guitars

Pontus Egberg: Bass

Matt Thompson: Drums

Livia Zita: Backing vocals (Masquerade of Madness)

Amalie Bruun: Backing vocals (Spider Lilly)

Single Review: Markus Sis "Kalbin Işığı" (Independent) by Dave Wolff

Artist: Markus Sis

Location: Herzogenburg

Country: Austria

Genre: Electronica, synthpop

Single: Kalbin Işığı

Format: Digital

Label: Independent

Release date: September 4, 2025

The Austrian musician Markus Sis began his musical career by touring the US, South America, Europe, Taiwan, Singapore, South Africa, Malta and other countries with the Vienna Boys Choir. He started playing in bands in the 90s and released his first full length with his project Faust in 1995.

The self-titled album embodied the experimentation and departure from normal songwriting of what is referred to as krautrock. It was a fusion of metal, alt rock, industrial, electronic, and synthpop. The title krautrock was first created as a joke by the English music press, but it soon gained recognition as distinct from both American pop and German traditional music.

Starting independently of its forebears, krautrock helped inspire Techno, ambient, post-punk, post-rock, and new age. It's understandable that Markus Sis was able to go through such a varied phase of development in bands and as a solo artist given such experience in German based alternative rock. Working in bands and collaborating with different artists in the 2010s, he went solo in 2021 releasing four full-length albums that demonstrated unpredictability.

You should visit his Bandcamp page if you're curious about how R&B might sound with heavy guitars and electronica, prog rock with electro and industrial, electronica with funk and hip hop, classic rock with electronica and atmosphere, or strange experimental music. Then there’s Sis's recent single "Kalbin Işığı," with a Turkish title translated to "light of the heart" and German lyrics. Using the bağlama, or saz, for rhythm and structure, it shows his expansion into Middle Eastern folk and world music.

Roberta Baum, Loreena McKennitt, Sarah Brightman, and Enya are some of the musicians I know of who take their work in similar directions. While those artists write their material to be multilayered with exotic ambiance, Sis' appeal is found in electronic beats, ritualistic vocals, a straightforward bass rhythm and traditional Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, and Azerbaijani folk instruments. Instead of making "Kalbin Işığı" feel constrained, this allows the saz to foster intimacy and introspection.

Similar to an acoustic guitar, banjo and sitar, a saz can be played solo by experienced hands. Here, Sis skillfully conjures a Mideastern ambiance, seemingly filling the entire desert with the sounds he creates as his vocals create additional richness and the electronic elements propel it all forward. Like the song's intended message, the east-west symbiosis ignores cultural barriers, creating something more than the sum of its parts that should pique your interest in Mideastern music. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Markus Sis: Vocals, music, lyrics, recording

EP Review: Alex Sandra "Crisis" (Independent) by Dave Wolff

Artist: Alex Sandra

Location: San Francisco, California

Country: USA

Genre: Metalcore, nu metal

EP: Crisis

Format: Digital

Label: Independent

Release date: September 26, 2025

If a vocalist and her band merged traits of Lady Gaga, Korn, Black Label Society and Arch Enemy, how would it come across? Alex Sandra (also known as Aleksandra Marshaniia) mixes the heavy grooves typical of metalcore and nu metal with rawer energy, more brutal honesty, and a unique theatrical style, pushing the boundaries of those genres.

I was surprised how quickly I was drawn to the strength of her music and the sincerity with which she presented her ideas. The clip I came across by chance was brief, but something about her presentation struck me as being more painfully honest, so much that it made me want to hear more.

From her hometown Georgia, Russia, to China and the U.S. Bay Area, her live shows have left a significant mark on her audience. By showcasing a seemingly vulnerable persona, she opens her heart’s deepest recesses, infusing her lyrics and diverse vocal style with massive amounts of urgent sensitivity. Confronting conventional views of women in entertainment, Sandra addresses serious issues like child abuse and domestic violence with rather unsettling frank intensity.

The frank intensity of "Crisis" shows her readiness to share her struggles and give a voice to those who relate, regardless of demographics. Her appeal comes not from stepping outside her comfort zone but from completely disregarding limits, ignoring boundaries between genres as well as boundaries between lifestyles. Sandra aims for the heart, calling attention to the core anguish to draw strength from it.

Presented as a form of musical theater. or confrontational theater, which she considers artistry; "Crisis" features a massive wall of sound that’s louder, darker, and more passionate, with added depth. Enriching its metalcore and nu metal roots, it incorporates organic and electronic elements, a biting guitar sound, occasional ambience and vocals that blend aggression, melody, and diction likened to hip hop.

Drawing also from the start of her musical career when she was doing alternative rock and pop, she blended them with an accessible and heavy sound to get noticed in industries that thrive on sameness. I gather "Crisis" tackles body shaming, pressure to adhere to societal norms, suppression of individuality, scapegoating, and penalizing independent thought (at least any thought deviating from the majority).

As a catalyst for change, "Crisis" is a call for society to assume responsibility, keeping in mind the idea that change always starts with one person. The title track's promotional video is even more expressive, highlighting a punk attitude as she confronts standards of body type, expressing her frustration with the previously mentioned pressures, dismissing expectations and reaffirming her identity. This is a common theme in her videos, and I imagine Sandra will continue to build her reputation on it. –Dave Wolff

Track list:

1. Crisis

2. So You Can't

3. What's Inside

4. Lowest

Full Length Review: Bloedmaan "Vampyric War in Blood" (Immortal Frost Productions) by Dave Wolff

Project; Bloedmaan

Country: Belgium

Genre: Black metal

Full length: Vampyric War in Blood

Format: CD, digital

Label: Immortal Frost Productions

Release date: December 19, 2025

When I first heard "Vampyric War in Blood," I had the impression of watching a horror exploitation film from the seventies. To me the album felt like the legend of a vampire cult forgotten by history but alive, concealed from humanity, turning humans in the shadows and performing rituals deep underground beneath ancient, forgotten, crumbling castles in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the inevitable day to reveal their existence. It piqued my interest in delving further into their hidden society, and discovering the nature and significance of their rituals.

As I mentioned in my analysis of "Castle Inside the Eclipse," Bloedmaan is a project helmed by Ronarg, who is also involved with Antzaat, Ars Veneficium, and Ronarg, and collaborated to some extent with Druon Antigon, Nachtmaer, and Doodswens. The Belgian musician has contributed artwork for Dystopia, A Thousand Sufferings, Gurthang, Sidious, Ondfødt, Psychonaut 4, and others. Being that he was born in 1992, when second wave black metal was gaining traction, it's should be little surprise that this project is ideal if you like Gorgoroth, Black Funeral, Darkness Ensrhoud, and Tsjuder.

In some ways "Vampyric War in Blood" feels similar to early Immortal (“Pure Holocaust,” “Blizzard Beasts”) as millennia of cold, snow, and ice seem to radiate from the album's guitars, atmosphere, and ambience. While Immortal gave us glimpses into the fabled land of Blashyrkh, Bloedmaan shows us the everlasting cold and frost as final place of repose of an eons-old vampire lord, perpetually sleeping but not quite dead, laid to rest when his time came to an end, but not for forever. When his time finally comes to rise again, it will be heralded by a birth cry heard far beyond the vicinity of his burial.

As if symbolizing the deity the vampire cult worshipped and served since the beginning of time, a deity older than time that will endure long after humanity has winked out forever, the opening piece creates a mood like a ceremony to celebrate a return to unspeakable vampiric practices, creating intensifying suspense and unease. This mood, with keyboards and choral vocals added for more environment, advances the growing anxiety and spawns refinement instead of focusing entirely on engulfing you.

As on Bloedmaan’s debut, the ambiance provided this album at Wolfthrone Studios is bursting with Ronarg's frost-laden lead and rhythm gutars. The surrounding darkness is made to feel cold, the cold you would feel in a region between the surface of the earth and a subterranean ruin where no sun has existed for as long as anybody can remember. Rumbling, echoing bass evokes something that has slumbered beneath for too long and has now awakened. Ronarg's voice heralds the dawn of a new era marked by its rebirth, reaching far and wide into the blackend sky above.

After "Vampyric War in Blood" flooded my imagination with such vivid imagery, I'm curious to learn more about Ronarg's extensive research into vampires and vanpirism, the sources he consulted, and what they mean to him. I'm drawn to this, and I imagine there's a lot more to what he uncovered that's covered in mystery next to what he revealed on in his album. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Ronarg: Vocals, guitar, bass

Lennart Janssen: Keyboards

Frederik Geuvens: Drums

Track list:

1. Intro

2. Vampyric War in Blood

3. Return to Castlevania

4. The Clock Tower

5. What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse

6. Commander of Spectral Forces

7. Outro

8. Rise of the Blood Moon

Full Length Review: King Parrot "A Young Person's Guide To" (Housecore Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: King Parrot

Location: Melbourne

Country: Austraila

Genre: Grindcore

Full Length: A Young Person's Guide To

Format: Vinyl. cassette, CD, digital

Label: Housecore Records

Release date: June 6, 2025

For years now, grind bands worked overtime to push outward adding originality of one kind or another to the genre. King Parrot follows suit on "A Young Person's Guide To," adding humor common to their home country of Australia, according to Metal on Tap.

The webzine features a video interview with the band from June 2025 that I researched while listening to the CD. I picked up a lot about them, including the making of "A Young Person's Guide To" and how they spent time in the studio to integrate clean production and an organic sound with the feral intensity they've established over the years.

The album has gained a lot of recognition since its release and the band has secured tours with well-known acts like Pantera and Gwar, with whom they’ll tour beginning in March of 2026 (Soulflly is accompanying them). The aggression and wrath that drove their ferocious, lustrous grindcore since 2010 make their attitude clear, even when comedically tempered.

After releasing their 2020 EP "Holed Up in the Lair" (rereleased in a compilation in 2022), King Parrot took five years to launch this album with six singles and three promotional videos as an all-out assault on the grind industry. Producing the material in a clear-cut way is designed to sound both professional and brutal, to enhance the stamina they exhibit at pubs with small crowds or fests with larger ones.

The production gives the guitars a kind of raw dissonance and the bass a rumble like fault lines preparing an earthquake while the drums present blast and double bass with as much discernable clarity as the well-enunciated vocals. In many cases, "A Young Person’s Guide To" sounds pushed as far away from classification as possible. The band takes time to add subtle distinctions to their writing in addition to incorporating aspects of death and black metal into their grind themes.

This is particularly true of the bass tracks, which propel the songs in the same manner as bass guitars give funk songs additional weight. There are some moments in the guitar tracks where notes seem to slide, which is as close as I can put it. You have to listen carefully to fully appreciate the unconventional crunch and odd guitar harmonies, and many riffs border on industrial music.

The band's approach to songwriting and composition seems to serve as the foundation for the humor mentioned earlier. I'll give you two examples of this humor in case they interest you in checking out the album. The vocals sound like someone screaming at the top of their lungs, as if to deliberately mock the assumption that metal vocalists only scream because they can't carry actual notes.

Next, their promotional video for "Fuck You and the Horse You Rode In On" begins with a rude patron riding his motorcycle into a pub in Australia, and it turns out he’s disabled as a result of several riding injuries. The video plays like a short film, mostly told from the bartender’s perspective, and depicts the mayhem that occurs when he has his first drink of the evening.

Described by Earsplit PR as "thoroughly crafted" and "sensory destroying," "A Young Person’s Guide To" should lend grind more legitimacy and may even help the genre to increase its popularity given the recent attention they’ve been receiving. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Youngy: Vocals

Mr. White: Guitar

Squiz: Guitar

Slatts: Bass

Toddy: Drums

Track list:

1. Get What Ya Given

2. Fuck You And The Horse You Rode In On

3. Cunning As A Dunny Rat

4. It's A Rort

5. Punish The Runt

6. Target Pig Elite

7. I Got The Right

8. Look Away I'm Hideous

9. Glazed And Diseased In Defeat

10. Pissing On The Fist Of The Law

Full Length Review: Deceased "Children of the Morgue" (Hells Headbangers Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: Deceased

Location: Arlington, Virginia

Country: USA

Genre: Thrash, death, heavy metal

Full length: Children of the Morgue

Format: Digital album

Label: Hells Headbangers Records

Release date: August 30, 2024

Since I first heard “Fearless Undead Machines,” Deceased has never disappointed. Based in part on George Romero's original "Living Dead" trilogy, it was a concept album about the now-popular zombie apocalypse with complex song compositions, not to mention meticulously written, intelligent lyrics.

Each of their subsequent albums up to their eighth, “Children of the Morgue,” expanded a little further in the musical, lyrical or conceptual department. Then are the two volumes of "Rotten to the Core" (Malt Soda Recordings), which featured punk and hardcore landmarks by The Ramones, Cro-Mags, Angry Samoans, Final Conflict, The Accused, The Buzzcocks, and more.

Such was the energy, passion and conviction of those albums they even surpassed Slayer's "Undisputed Attitude" (this from someone who was huge on Slayer in the 80s and 90s). "Thrash Times at Ridgemont High" emphasizes Deceased's love of 1980s thrash without falling under the “retro” label.

All talk of gatekeepers, posers, and preachers aside, Deceased has always been about preserving the joy of discovering those bands when they were at first active and carrying it through into the present. Doing so and being the finest old school band they can be is its own form of recognition. This is exactly what you can expect from “Children of the Morgue.” No excuses, no softened blows, no apologies.

After eight albums, newest members Shane Fuegel and Amos Rifkin work well with longtime members Les Snyder and Mike Smith, effectively mixing technical, melodic and improvisational license. The lines between death, thrash, and NWOBHM is further blurred as half the album consists of tracks between five and eight minutes, allowing for many sections especially based on a particular influence. This and the occasional intro pieces help them break out from stagnation and predictability.

Vocalist/lyricist King Fowley (also of October 31), writes and provokes thought in a manner befitting classic literature. Emerging from behind the drums allows him to focus solely on his vocals, which he delivers with greater amounts of energy and intensity, drawing wind from his gut, deepening his voice and enunciating with more clarity. Themes of existential dread, parasitic creation, false optimism, and humanity's unstoppable march toward its own destruction are explored without subtlety.

The cycle of life and destruction, or of birth, death, and rebirth, is explored with dismal frankness with images of extraterrestrial creatures, forgotten memories, psychological pain, and of course grim reapers come to claim more souls. Where Black Sabbath, Dio, and Candlemass offered thin but tangible rays of hope, Deceased illustrates the gradual collapse of hope as humanity is pushed to its eventual end.

In this sense Children of the Morgue" is a complement to "Fearless Undead Machines" and its depiction of humanity succumbing to the zombie apocalypse not with a bang but a whimper. Both albums depict a progressive descent into entropy, madness, and the extinction of the human race, set to an extravagant metal opera and crafted with enough forbidding diligence to make "The Walking Dead" look optimistic.

Additional vocals by Jillian Smith enhance the lyrics' literary personality, giving tracks like "Fed to Mother Earth" a feel somewhat akin to Cradle of Filth. Also look for guest solos by former Deceased guitarist Mark Adams, Matt Ibach (ex-October 31) and Mike Bossier (CrusHuman). –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

King Fowley: Vocals

Mike Smith: Guitars

Shane Fuegel: Guitars

Les Snyder: Bass

Amos Rifkin: Drums

Track list:

1. Destination Morgue

2. Children of the Morgue

3. Turn to Wither

4. Terrornaut

5. The Reaper Is Nesting

6. The Uninvited Dirge

7. The Grave Digger

8. Eerie Wavelengths

9. Fed to Mother Earth

10. Skull with the Vacant Stare

11. Brooding Lament

12. Farewell "Taken to Forever"

Full Length Review: Enslaved "Heimdal" (Nuclear Blast) by Dave Wolff

Band: Enslaved

Location: Bergen

Country: Norway

Genre: Progressive black/Viking metal

Full length: Heimdal

Format: CD, digital

Label: Nuclear Blast

Release date: March 3, 2023

Enslaved’s sixteenth recording “Heimdal” is the culmination of more than four decades of exploration and self-discovery which haven’t exhausted these Norse Viking metal pioneers.

Since embarking on solitary excursions into the distant Scandinavian past and chronicling what they discovered on their demos "Nema," "Yggdrasil," and "Hordanes Land," they've sought not only to distinguish themselves from their contemporaries, but to transcend every perception of extreme metal from Immortal, Gorgoroth, Mayhem (though the line from Mayhem’s song “Pagan Fears,” “the past is alive” is more than appropriate when discussing this album). In doing so Enslaved generated soundscapes that couldn’t be defined as black metal or anything else.

"Frost," "Eld," "Mardraum (Beyond the Within)," "Isa," "Ruun," "Ritiir," and "E" were not only unique but exuded timelessness and heralded new phases of innovation, regardless of commercial viability or lack thereof. Beyond sword and sorcery and Robert E. Howard-inspired fantasy, Enslaved writes lyrics based on historical accounts and mythological legends.

"Heimdal" is named after the Norse deity who watches over Ragnarok from Himinbjörg, his dwelling between the rainbow bridge and the skies. The motif running through "Heimdal," reflecting Enslaved's long periods of growth and development, is Heimdal proclaiming the foretold war between the old Nordic gods, which would eventually lead to a new epoch with new gods replacing the gods who fell during Ragnarok. The Gjallarhorn's sound echoes far and wide across the world, drawing slowly but steadily closer, signaling the end of an era and the eventual coming of a new one.

The complex, eerie, mesmerizing and darkly beautiful "Behind the Mirror," "Forest Dweller," "The Eternal Sea," and "Caravans to the Outer Worlds" contribute a stronger foundation to the shadowy undercurrent behind the lyrics. The conflict between the old gods begins not with explosions and widespread destruction, but rather with relentless waves as one section of a song flows into another. As the tracks alternate between unsettling vocal harmonies and harsh, rough-edged voices, the guitars and bass also vary between bizarre, soporific arrangements and drawn out, discordant tremolo plucking.

Many sections, being lengthy, avoid becoming monotonous or repetitive since they’re written to capture and flow gradually deeper into your mind and soul. The combination of strings, keyboards, synthesizers, and electronic sounds forms an ever-changing setting with shifting complexities and a stimulating atmosphere that invites your interest to the arrangements and the hidden vibrations beneath.

You get the idea that the band has found a niche they can expand on after devoting considerable time exploring and searching for a sound that was elusive but within their reach. Now that they've achieved it, they're just getting started evolving to heights you hadn't expected from a black or Viking metal band. We can expect much more from Enslaved in the future. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Ivar Bjørnson: Guitars, keyboards, effects

Grutle Kjellson: Vocals, bass, keyboards, effects

Arve Isdal: Lead guitars

Håkon Vinje: Keyboards, clean vocals

Iver Sandøy Drums, keyboards, effects, vocals

Track list:

1. Behind The Mirror

2. Congelia

3. Forest Dweller

4. Kingdom

5. The Eternal Sea

6. Caravans To The Outer Worlds

7. Heimdal

Full Length Review: Testament "Para Bellum" (Nuclear Blast) by Dave Wolff

Band: Testament

Location: Oakland, California

Country; USA

Genre: Thrash metal

Full length: Para Bellum

Format: Digital album

Label: Nuclear Blast

Release date: October 10, 2025

Although I've always appreciated Testament, even when some albums didn’t seem so hot to me, I wasn't prepared for the degree of savagery and skill I experienced on “Para Bellum.” This album is a huge improvement from anything they've previously produced, musically, technically, emotionally, and in terms of composition, musicianship, variety and vocal delivery. It's a visceral rollercoaster that keeps pushing ahead until the very end.

I'm not sure where they're getting their energy, but Testament has benefited much from age and experience, and adding Steve DiGiorgio of Act of Denial and Chris Dovas of Dovas and Fire Wing (who is also Vital Remains' live drummer) has given them a boost of stamina. Testament has always been a band to stick things out and carve their own niche among their colleagues. This time, these Bay Area thrash veterans are pushing their efforts to stand out even further than "The Legacy," "The Formation of Damnation," or "Brotherhood of the Snake."

It’s been a long period of growth for them, and building on their sophisticated technical thrash by adding equal amounts of death metal, black metal, prog and orchestral elements they generate most likely the finest moment of their existence. If you're wondering if Testament can outperform themselves about forty years after their inception and after working with such musicians as Dave Lombardo, Paul Bostaph, Gene Hoglan, John Tempesta, and Nicholas Barker, just listen to the opener "For the Love of Pain" which combines thrash, death, and black metal with more tightness and conviction than anything I've heard before, and it's only the first track.

Long-time members of the band have been active in several other projects, which is most certainly rubbing off here. Dovas’ blast beats adds more push to Eric Peterson's work with the black metal band Dragonlord, plus Alex Skolnick's work with Savatage and Metal Allegiance, and live work with Anthrax and Ozzy Osbourne. Chuck Billy has been building his range as a vocalist, and here he complements his typical thrash vocals with deeper guttural roars that move closer to death metal vocalists.

The album’s title “Para Bellum,” the Latin phrase for “prepare for war,” is all too applicable for the current times we live in, and the mirror Testament casts on modern society in the slightly groove laden “Shadow People,” the black/thrashy “Witch Hunt,” the Megadeth-like “Room 117” and the epic title cut is as poignant and unwavering as most people's perceptions of where we may be headed.

That furious intensity can even be found in the album's sole ballad, "Meant to Be," the one moment of regret and downheartedness in the midst of all the implacable entropy. Blending thrash with classic eighties metal, strings, and classically influenced solos, it sounds like a final plea for redemption from a world on the edge of complete destruction. Its swing from melancholy to impassioned is nearly enough to bring a tear or two to your eye if you feel it strongly enough. In this way, Testament is honing more than one capacity to make you empathize with them. –Dave Wolff

Lineup

: Chuck Billy: Vocals

Eric Peterson: Guitars, vocals

Alex Skolnick: Guitars

Steve DiGiorgio: Bass

Chris Dovas Drums

Track list:

1. For the Love of Pain

2. Infanticide A.I.

3. Shadow People

4. Meant to Be

5. High Noon

6. Witch Hunt

7. Nature of the Beast

8. Room 117

9. Havana Syndrome

10. Para Bellum

Full Length Review: Sodom "The Arsonist" (Steamhammer) by Dave Wolff

Band: Sodom

Country: Germany

Genre: Thrash metal

Full Length: The Arsonist

Format: CD, vinyl, digital

Label: Steamhammer

Release date: June 27, 2025

What more can I say about Sodom than I already have? To this day I still remember them as the band I initially (and briefly, I might add) disliked but grew to love.

Going back again to "In the Sign of Evil," that EP is either loved or despised, but someone had to impart those songs with the chaotic wickedness they contain. Without it, they wouldn’t have evolved their own personality or had long-term inspiration on thrash and black metal bands. If they’d been cautious and tried to tone it down, they wouldn’t have created a sound and attitude that is now considered iconic.

Today, they manage to retain the Crowleyan esoteric temperament, metaphysics, and mythology Tom Angelripper that suffused “Obsessed by Cruelty” with. This characteristic, their precision and lyrical intensity, and Angelripper’s slightly punk meets Motorhead disposition and slightly beer soaked pub crawler vocals, is still evident in their native Germany and the worldwide resurrection of thrash metal.

My enthusiasm for Sodom prompted me to listen to their most recent full-length “The Arsonist” as soon as I had a chance. They generally haven’t lessened what has given them distinction to thrash fans since the eighties. Their grand, regal coarseness I’ve noted persists, perhaps more firmly imprinted with more sophistication after their studio and live experience.

Would you expect anything less than outrageous irreverence from a band founded within their country's working class and titled after the biblical town where many taboos were broken? A perfect example is the track "Witchhunter," a tribute to their former drummer Chris Witchhunter, who passed away in 2008, and demonstrates the influence his aggressive, frenzied drumming still has on Sodom's sound.

The intensity, accuracy and intricate solos Frank Blackfire brought to the band were no less significant, and they stiff fit now that he's part of the lineup again. You'd swear its ferocity and blender bass was in their repertoire for longer. Their embracing of gruesome, bloody and unpleasant imagery propels "The Arsonist" as much as it did "Til Death Do Us Unite," "M-16," "Decision Day," and "Genesis XIX."

Their ages ranging from late 30s to early 60s, they're not presenting a throwback mood or attempting to relive previous triumphs. They’re channeling their effort into composing hook-laden guitar progressions with greater focus on thrashy and mid-tempo portions rather of the all-out speed they’re known for. Composing in this fashion, knowing the limitations that come with age, and proceeding accordingly is allowing them to subsume more additional creativity and imagination.

The unclean musicianship, and increased amount of thought out riffs in their songwriting, enriches their old-school flavor, pushes past age restrictions, and demonstrates another side of Sodom’s capabilities. In other words, "The Arsonist" does not sound like a band that is fading and losing its fire; rather, it sounds like something fresh from a band making do with what they have and crafting the best songs they can, displaying something that they had not displayed before.

And this was always the incentive for sticking to their guns, playing what they felt and keeping it fresh, as opposed to mainstream bands that hopped on trends and faded away after a few years. Sticking to formula was not stagnation for them; rather, it was establishing their position in the history of German thrash and thrash in general. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:

Tom Angelripper: Bass, vocals

Frank Blackfire: Guitar

Yorck Segatz: Guitar

Toni Merkel: Drums

Track list:

1. The Arsonist

2. Battle Of Harvest Moon

3. Trigger Discipline

4. The Spirits That I Called

5. Witchhunter

6. Scavenger

7. Gun Without Groom

8. Taphephobia

9. Sane Insanity

10. A.W.T.F

11. Twilight Void

12. Obliteration Of The Aeons

13. Return To God In Parts

Full Length Review: Sodom "40 Years at War: The Greatest Hell of Sodom" (Napalm Records) by Dave Wolff

Full Length Review: Sodom "Genesis XIX" (Entertainment One, Steamhammer/SPV) by Dave Wolff

EP Review: SODOM "Partisan" (Steamhammer Records) by Dave Wolff

Video Review: SODOM Caligula by Dave Wolff