Author Archives: RockmusicRaider

Mysterizer – The Holy War 1095 (2021) – Review

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Ah, Power Metal. Over time, the RMR deckhands developed some sort of affinity for the often overblown themes that the genre peddles for yer listening pleasure. Any fantasy will do in there, and that’s perfectly fine. And you get them all, from the sillybones, over the cheesecakes, to truly remarkable pieces.

Albeit that you need to be constantly on your guard to avoid slipping in those fondue puddles. Or you risk getting stuck in syrupy sugary sweetness that will make any stevia plant taste bitter. But that goes with the territory.

Now, Finland’s Mysterizer caught our attention … [...] Click to raid more!

Xael – Bloodtide Rising (2021) – Review

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There is such a thing as the sophomore cliff for record releases. A blackened metallic rock that any new band somehow must navigate around with their second full-length record. Because failing that, they may not reach those stellar future hunting grounds that will make them stinking rich1. Yet sadly, many a band inexplicably shipwrecks on those accursed submerged reefs.

The RMR crew followed Xael around pretty much since its inception. But somehow the band never quite made it to a full review. Their debut full-length record The Last Arbiter only netted them a short article. A write-up that … [...] Click to raid more!

2021 and The Extreme: Black, Death, and the Arcane!

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RockmusicRaider - 2021 and The Extreme. Black, Death, and the Arcane!

Some years have a darker more ominous feel to them. And 2021 surely exudes those waves of additional woe in more ways than one, and we’re not quite done with it yet. At least that is what these first few months up to August taught us. And in truth, our late prog and alt harvest already spoke to that. Great findings for sure from metal bands of the light, but sparse pickings nonetheless.

On the other hand, the picture is much different from the extreme folks in the metal multiverse. This year, an avalanche of distorted sounds of the arcane … [...] Click to raid more!

Seth – La Morsure du Christ (2021) – Review

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I always wondered just how long it would take for some Black Metal outfit to turn the mother of all church burnings into a record. And no, this is not about the likes of Varg Vikernes1 who – between other atrocities – garnered some questionable fame by torching a number of spacious abodes of the nailed god.

Instead, it’s French Black Metal that – yet again – caught our attention. RMR here already covered that particular scene a number of times. Corpus Diavolis, Geisterfels, and a few others come to mind. All of them operating in that … [...] Click to raid more!