Wintersun – The Forest Seasons (2017) – Review

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Ah, Forest Metal. Bands like Ellende or Waldgeflüster come to mind. Of course, the aforementioned outfits feature a different, darker style than Wintersun‘s latest. But hey, foresty musings can come in many forms. And we find all of those very hard to resist. Thus, seasonal greetings from under a leafy cover. Bungle in the jungle.


Somebody mentioned that Wintersun‘s 2017 full-length album The Forest Seasons was brimming with lush soundscapes, grand atmospheres, and all kinds of green and woody things. A record so good, everybody needed a copy for posterity, or else. Others were more reserved or felt … [...] Click to raid more!

Hex A.D. – Delightful Sharp Edges (2023) – Review

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Hex A.D.‘s records are no easy fare. And that makes them a bitch to review. But somehow, both Astro Tongue in the Electric Garden1 and Funeral Tango for Gods and Men ended up with highest praise over at the RMR office tower. I guess, some of the old geezers of the review crew have a soft spot for overly complex gritty retro rock with a penchant for Nikola Tesla’s musings. But it’s of course not that simple.

And speaking about complex. This time Hex A.D. got themselves a real thorny theme. Delightful Sharp Edges talks about genocide, … [...] Click to raid more!

Red Cain – NÄE’BLISS (2023) – Review

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Red Cain like it short, intense, and wild. Already the Kindred Series, Act I & II, fascinated the hell out of the grouchy joint – ahem – chain smokers over at the review desk. To the point that some of ’em started fantasizing about meeting Juliet, which – of course – wouldn’t have ended well. A case for the RMR security squad armed with oversized tasers and tranquilizer guns.

And those records always rolled in on a reasonably short airtime of 36-39 minutes or so. All of that filled to the brim with a crazed medley of elements, … [...] Click to raid more!

Immortal – War Against All (2023) – Review

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Ah, yes. Our mainstream metal series takes on some truly malevolent steam. Immortal just dropped War Against All, their 10th album. And – as always – this is yet another well-established Extreme Metal band that – somehow – never made it onto our smattering of lists.1 Yet more fodder for the dreaded guillotine on the RMR Altar ov Metal Ignorance.

And we heard them all. The voices screaming loudly that nothing memorable was left standing in Metal’s Hall of Fame in the thorny wake of Abbath‘s departure after All Shall Fall. Ironically, apart from the high … [...] Click to raid more!