Valfreya – Promised Land (2017) – Review

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I am unsure where this somewhat morbid fascination with the history of marauding Norsemen going Viking comes from. After all, they invaded the homesteads of foreign populations, looted, killed, raped, and enslaved until there was no one left. And then they settled the lands for whatever it was worth. I believe the dwellers of the early English kingdoms would have a few stories to tell.

But here we are, and Viking Metal bands are legion these days. And let’s face it: Metal with all its dark facets is just perfect to describe yonder sea adventures and battles alike. The RMR … [...] Click to raid more!

Opinion: A Dirge for Metal Music. Or is it still alive?

A felt every two days or so I hear that Rock and – surely – Metal met their demise. Finally pronounced clinically dead, gone and ashes thrown into the ocean. All of that jazz sacrificed on the altar of those modern pseudo Latino pop and rap sounds that people seem to be so fond of these days.

Those records made for the faceless consumer, comprised of notes devoid of personality, depth or bite. Those that tender to the addicts of notes who do not really care what or who made the tune. Only that the music should suit the listener’s … [...] Click to raid more!

Incursed – Baskavígin (2021) – Review

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Baskavígin, or the killing of the Basque Whalers in 1615. That’s the theme Incursed chose for their newest full-length album of that same name. A sordid tale of over 400 years ago that lead to the death of a score or two of Basque sailors at the hands of Icelandic peasantry.

And indeed, whilst not pretty, the story is perfect to support the band’s Folk Metal urges that mix Death Metal with thrashy faux Viking bouts of Power Metal. To the point that I found yet another beer song on the tracklist. Something that already did not sit well … [...] Click to raid more!

Steven Wilson, The Future Bites – and the loss of prog in metal!

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At the beginning of 2020, the outlook was dire. The progosphere started to lack any snazzy voice or a powerful ‘dear leader’ to pull the Progressive Metal genre down the road. Leprous just jumped off a cliff to sugary-sweet Lalaland with some confused wailing all their own. And Steven Wilson – well – after a testy go-between prog rock thing a few years back, he was about to defect to the anodyne world synthpop occupies – and occupied for many years.

It was thus great that by the end of last year and the beginning of this one, we saw … [...] Click to raid more!