There are many reasons why Iron Maiden’s second full length studio record “Killers” has become an iconic album with a huge impact on both the band’s career and the young heavy metal genre in general. First of all, there is of course the memorable close-up album cover of band mascot Eddie who looks much more charismatic than before and has since become the most popular mascot of an entire genre. The production on here is clearer, more dynamical and tighter than on the debut that suffered from an average sound quality. The song writing has also become more consistent. While the debut record included a lot of experiments and lacked a clear concept, “Killers” has a clear guiding line despite a more elevated number of tracks and a few interesting exceptions. Talented guitarist Adrian Smith has replaced Dennis Stratton who wasn’t the right choice for the band since he was not only older than the other band members but also less into the heavy metal scene in general. Even though this record is probably the least impressive with Adrian Smith’s participation, his uniquely emotional and more technical guitar play already adds a new dimension to the sound and complements Dave Murray’s melodic but less experimental leads in a good way. Paul Di’Anno’s vocals sound even more confident than on the debut album and he probably delivers the best performance of his career. The rhythm section with Steve Harris on bass and Clive Burr on drums also takes more space than on the first album. This album is much straighter, harder and dirtier than the first strike and mixes the best elements of heavy metal, punk rock and rarely but efficiently employed progressive or psychedelic rock influences.

In my opinion, there are also several negative points to mention. While the flow of the record is clearer and straighter than on the predecessor, the working formula gets somewhat redundant after a while. To be fair, I’m not talking about the two instrumental tracks even though I think that especially “Genghis Khan” is bland and boring and that I would have expected something more epic when a track is named in honour of one of the most important historical and historic characters of all times. A good example would rather be “Another Life” which starts with promisingly dynamical drum loops, emotional guitar leads, a tight rhythm section and a charismatic and variable performance by Paul Di’Anno. The problem is that the song repeats itself after only one minute. In three minutes and a half, the track only includes four lines of lyrics which are repeated three times. I don’t really understand why the band didn’t write three short verses with different lyrics as the rest of the track is really great. “Innocent Exile”, “Purgatory” and “Drifter” have similar problems and especially the latter two are rather disappointing tracks. “Purgatory” is a really bland fast heavy metal track and by far the band’s worst single choice. The equally fast and short bonus track and single “Twilight Time” is already much better due to its melodic and psychedelic chorus and even the often criticized Skyhooks cover “Women in Uniform” is a great party tune performed with groove and passion. Album closer “Drifter” is by far the least impressive of its kind in Iron Maiden’s entire discography. The track is too long and repetitive for its own good and the breaks or solos after each verse are destroying the flow of the tune.

On the other side, the record also includes a few aggressive, consistent and short heavy metal anthems that work very well such as the charismatic “Wrathchild” with its charismatic galloping bass guitar and one of Paul Di’Anno’s angriest vocal performances ever. “Killers” is a track that took some more time to grow on me due to its long and psychedelic introduction but what follows is a fast paced yet atmospheric heavy metal anthem with haunting lyrics and vocals. Ironically, my personal highlights on the record are the two tracks that don’t really fit in. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” is in my opinion probably the very best song written while Paul Di’Anno was in the band. The track starts with great psychedelic guitar harmonies that give the song a fitting mysterious atmosphere before the tune gets faster and explodes into a passionate and speedy heavy metal banger with angry bumblebee bass sounds and powerhouse drumming. The track is not only aggressive and fast from then on but includes the most vivid melodic guitar solos on the entire album and Paul Di’Anno’s most diversified vocal effort where he shows off what an underestimated and powerful singer he was back then. The other outstanding tune is definitely “Prodigal Son”, an epic and mystic piece dominated by acoustic guitars and laid back vocals in the key of the two ballads from the debut record. The song has this certain something which gives it an incredibly longing yet slightly occult atmosphere which could come from the greatest progressive rock bands of the late sixties or early to mid-seventies such as Pink Floyd, Genesis or even early Rush. The track sounds nothing like any other Iron Maiden ballad and is maybe the most experimental track ever written by the band. It’s a track that really inspires and touches me and which proved back then that this is not just a short-living and exchangeable product of its time but a band that would go on to change the world with its music over the next thirty-five years and beyond.

All in all, Iron Maiden’s “Killers” must be seen as a step forward for the band as Iron Maiden forged its own identity and niche in rock music with this release after the more eclectic debut release. Both the dynamical production and the cohesive play of the band sound much tighter than before and the different instruments harmonize much more and complement each other better than on the predecessor. Due to some obvious flaws in the inexperienced song writing and an unusually elevated number of filler tracks that sound like they had been written in ten minutes each, this is still one of the weakest outputs in Iron Maiden’s groundbreaking, innovating and massive discography. From my point of view, the album is one step forward and one step back at the same time for these reasons and personally, both the debut album and its follow-up are pretty much on the same level. This album is recommendable for fans of the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal and those who like faster genres such as punk rock, speed metal or even thrash metal. Occasional heavy metal fans should rather go for the more important “The Number of the Beast”, “Powerslave” and “Somewhere in Time” among others.

“A spectre is haunting Europe…” No, it’s not called communism. It’s called the new wave of pop metal. Beyond The Black is next in line to deliver a mixture of tired symphonic metal from the beginning of the millennium with a touch of dated pop music from the eighties on the stupidly entitled Songs Of Love And Death. The album title alone makes dated commercial acts like Good Charlotte and HIM look like geniuses. I'm mentioning these bands because their sounds are not a far call from Beyond The Black and the target audience could be the same.

Beyond The Black seems to be influenced by symphonic metal with a penchant for commercial success. The band tries to include a few folk-inspired melodies to sound like Within Temptation’s “Mother Earth” in “In The Shadows”, rehashes the mixture of pseudo-harsh male vocals and a fragile female performance to recall Evanescence’s “Bring Me To Life” in “Running To The Edge”, and comes around with pop music with some guitars in the background on “Songs Of Love And Hate”, a song that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on Anette Olzon’s solo album Shine. Sometimes, the band includes all three categories in the same song in a predictable and tame verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus structure as seen in “Hallelujah”. A few predictable and uninspired piano ballads such as “Love Me Forever” or “Unbroken” interrupt the compositions by numbers with more boredom. Most songs are reduced to lengths around four minutes in order to fit radio play standards. All these elements prove to me that this band is purely a commercial product without soul, and is making an obvious attempt at commercial success rather than artistic authenticity. Another proof is that both the symphonic sounds and the vocals of their debut performance at Wacken actually came from a tape and weren't live. If you are still not convinced, check out the singer's biography. She has already sung in the casting pop band for children called Saphir at the tender age of fourteen.

The vocals sound in fact like a female parody of Modern Talking or a limited teenage version of Jennifer Rush. The keyboard passages sound less impressive than a Nightwish cover band, and the guitar play sounds about as authentic as gothic pop casting band Nu Pagadi. Rumors say that the band features a bass guitarist, but this instrument is completely inaudible. The drum play is also mostly buried and plays the usual repetitive patterns in the background. It’s hard to tell if this is due to horrid song writing, the lack of overall musical talent, the overproduction, or all of these options combined. The lyrics are also completely dull, and too closely inspired by the bands mentioned in the second paragraph.

Why is a band like Beyond The Black signed to a big metal label these days? It must be a mixture of an attempt at elevated sales figures among inexperienced children and the fact that sex sells as the label tries to make the singer look cute which is the reason why she alone is featured on the album cover. Don’t get me wrong, I adore many female-fronted metal acts like Edenbridge, Epica, Krypteria, Nightwish, Seraphim, and many more. I think, however, that the wave of female-fronted pop rock bands is generally a short-living trend that repeats itself every fifteen years or so. This fits with the current trend of exchangeable dystopian movies with horrible female lead actresses like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent”. I guess the target audience is quite similar as well. This product here might at least help introduce some young and inexperienced female teenagers to the universe of rock and metal music in a smooth way. If the target audience ends up listening and identifying itself with real rock and metal music at a certain point in the future, these bands might have had some sort of purpose in the end. Until then, all fans of authentic, creative, and organic rock music of any kind should ignore these bands. “Metalheads of the world, unite!”

The nihilistic black metal trio is back with its second full length release somewhere between black metal, crust punk and a shot of doom metal. Their sound is characterized by a bleak, cold and desperate atmosphere. 

The songs feature short and emotional vocal passages that are painfully howled by guitarist and singer Sovannak. In addition to this, the band is perfectly bilingual as five songs are performed in French and two songs sung in English which adds some diversity to the sound. Anyway, it's nearly impossible to understand the lyrics but a look at the booklet helps. The lyrical topics are sometimes socially critical and accusing but also ecological and almost sarcastic and at other times nihilistic and repugnant. These lyrics are short and simple but I think they are very meaningful and original for their genre. 

The main focus lies though on the long instrumental passages which are extremely variable. We get to hear short and hyperfast crust punk passages, slow to mid-tempo paced atmospheric black metal and slow depressive doom metal parts that almost have slight jazz inspired moments. Despite an uncompromisingly raw underground production, one can hear the talent of the involved musicians. Instead of using the usual blast beats, young drummer J. is able to play fast parts, tight and almost grooving passages but also very slow and emotionally thought-out moments. The pumping bass guitar rhythms by Vincent VDM are sometimes depressing and repetitive and at other moments angry and startling. The guitar play is at times simple and gives the other instruments enough space to shine while it comes around with slow and haunting melodies and almost garage rock influenced riffs at the right moments. The instrumental work sounds epic, intellectual and almost progressive and I mean this in a very positive way as the tracks are never overlong or pretentious. The seven tracks have a great flow and the album never gets boring. I really suggest you to listen this record as a whole as it takes you on an atmospheric yet entertaining journey to the abyss of the human soul. It doesn't make sense to point out any particular song as they are all equally inspired and complement each other.

I'm convinced that even those who are less into black metal could appreciate this band because of its diversified and original instrumental work that never fails to surprise, its gripping and haunting atmosphere and its unique lyrics that give some food for thoughts. This band is pushing the contemporary boundaries of extreme metal further than most of its peers. Old school black metal fans who are looking for fast and violent tunes might find some parts of the album too slow and tame but it's the perfect fusion of appeasing and pitiless passages that makes the listening experience even more valuable as a whole. If you are looking for intellectual and original extreme metal music that differs from the usual genre stereotypes, you should give this band a fair chance, support the guys and and spread Putamen Insula's name. This band is maybe the best band of the contemporary black metal scene in Quebec and since this scene is very rich and unique, this statement means quite a lot. Make sure to check one of Putamen Insula's extreme and intense live shows out as well.

Iron Reagan is a quintet from Richmond, Virginia, consisting of band members from groups such as Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste. Since its foundation three years ago, the band plays an energizing mixture of hardcore punk, thrash metal and a shot of dirty hard rock. Imagine a mixture of The Subhumans, early Anthrax and early Motörhead and you might come close to what these guys are playing. The lyrics feature a balanced mixture of absurd nonsense humour and politically or socially inspired messages. The crazy package is rounded up with a few mean cover artworks honouring Ronald Reagan situated somewhere between disrespect and sarcasm. The idea behind the band is nothing new as this kind of crossover had already animated bands such as D.R.I., Mucky Pup, Stormtroopers of Death and The Accüsed back in the wild eighties but Iron Reagan plays its music with so much authenticity, humour and rage that they should conquer anyone who likes some of the numerous aforementioned bands above by storm. Let’s add that this kind of music is meant to be played live. If you can get the chance to see this quintet in concert, your experience will be even greater than listening to one of its two regular studio albums, one EP, one demo or the split with Exhumed. Anyone who can’t enjoy the band on stage should wait for a live release which would be a conciliatory option.

This album has a great flow over its short running time of around thirty-two minutes and twenty-four songs plus an optional bonus track. Those who like fast hard rock should fall in love with the tight “Close to Toast” which comes around with one of the most gripping riffs on the entire album and one of the few great guitar solos. “Bill of Fights” stands most for the old school hardcore punk spirit of the band as it features fast, repetitive and simple riffs as well as a slightly more melodic and slower bridge with a pumping rhythm section and rebellious lyrics sung by a furious singer that is supported by enthusiastic gang shouts. Those who are looking for thrash metal inspired by the early eighties should enjoy the closing “Four More Years” which has the longest running time by clocking in at exactly four minutes. The melodic mid-tempo riffs are atmospheric, brutal and gripping throughout the entire track and lead to an almost epic sing-along chorus where the pissed off main vocalist is once again supported by powerful gang shouts. While the entire album is a unchained fun ride, this album closer is an instant genre classic that people should still remember in the future.

Those who are saying that this record lacks contemporary quality standards, genre diversity and uniqueness are wrong. While the production sounds mean at first sight one can perfectly hear all instruments and the dynamical sound is a perfect mixture of the spirit of the past and the elevated technical standards of the present. The band always comes around with a few surprises here and there as in the nasty punk track “Consensual Harassment” featuring sleazy female vocals performed by Luna Duran. Despite its honest old school attitude, the band forges its own identity by including several concise excerpts from political speeches or short radio play passages at the beginning of a handful of tracks that may give you some food for thoughts or simply make you laugh out loud. The band is spreading its pleasure like an enjoyable disease.

If you feel ready for a fast-paced hardcore thrash fun ride somewhere between sarcasm and social criticism for an entertaining half an hour, there is probably no better contemporary release than Iron Reagan’s second output. Don’t forget to bring something to drink, prepare enough space for a potential mosh pit, warn your neighbours if you like them, invite a couple of friends and crank up the volume to fully enjoy this record.

HammerFall’s “Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken“ is an album with many ups and downs. While the middle part includes several forgettable songs, the album also includes some of the band’s greatest efforts, a few controversial tunes and a hidden pearl.

Let’s start with the most amazing efforts. The album kicks off with “Secrets” which is maybe the best HammerFall opener ever. Right from the start, the band builds up an epic and majestic atmosphere before a ferocious up-tempo anthem kicks off with gripping guitar and keyboard melodies, a ferocious rhythm section and powerful vocals. The chorus is not only very catchy and features great melodies but is also quite meaningful. The highlight of this perfect track is the instrumental middle part featuring three extremely well executed guitar solos where Stefan Elmgren and Oscar Dronjak show off their hidden talent and prove that they can be on par with the greatest heavy metal guitarists of all times. I’m seriously asking myself why these obviously brilliant musicians seem to restrain themselves most of the times by playing rather tame, repetitive and ordinary solos in most of their songs. Now, this is an amazing way to start a record but it also sets the bar pretty high for the rest to come. The single “Blood Bound” fulfils the elevated expectations. It has no impressive solo passages but the track has other strengths. The song is to the point and doesn’t include one unnecessary second. It’s a powerful anthem with gripping vocals and harmonious guitar melodies leading to one of the strongest choruses in the band’s career which makes this track the best single the band has released in its career. This unbeatable opening duo seems to announce the band’s very best record but the following songs can’t keep the high quality and are only good average mid-tempo tracks somewhere between traditional heavy and power metal.

A promising exception may be the ballad “Never, Ever”. Some people may find the controversial track too cheesy, too soft and too weepy and when I’m listening to the strained vocals, the kitschy acoustic guitar and keyboard melodies and the melancholic guitar melodies in the chorus and bridge as well as the heavily emotionally charged vocals I can understand that point of view. On the other side, this song is truly moving me as I can somewhat relate to the lyrics about a sad end to a love relationship and I’m sure that I’m not the only one. That’s why the concept works perfectly for me and I really prefer this track over similar efforts in the past. Another controversial tracks that works at least partially for me is the album closer “Knights of the 21st Century” which clocks in at almost twelve and a half minutes as the longest HammerFall song ever. The truth is that the actual song already ends after about ten minutes and that the rest consist of two minutes of silence and a short humorous hidden part. This song combines Joacim Cans’ melodic vocals with Cronos’ guttural black metal growls of Venom fame. His exaggerated and theatrical performance sounds mildly amusing but I get the impression that this was the desired effect. Maybe the band wanted to build a diverting and slightly humorous contrast instead of truly adding an evil atmosphere to the tune. To my positive surprise, the two quite different vocalists complement each other and the entertaining vocal performances carry a track that is otherwise a little bit overlong and unspectacular from an instrumental point of view. In the end, this quite unusual song is a welcome change of style even though it’s only an average tune after all.

The hidden pearl of this album which includes a few too many fillers is “The Templar Flame”, a short yet epic heavy metal anthem almost on par with “Blood Bound”. The song is a little bit slower and the chorus is a little bit less euphoric which might be the reasons why this track is often overlooked. Still, the guitar melodies and vocals remind me of a mixture of HammerFall’s later single “Any Means Necessary” and Mike Oldfield’s “Moonlight Shadows” with a healthy dose of heavy metal of the eighties in the key of Iron Maiden with a fun sing-along part in the middle section. I really hope this song is on the set list when I’m going to see HammerFall live because this kind of tune is meant to be played in concert. I can only warmly recommend to rediscover this hidden gem again as it’s one of HammerFall’s catchiest and most entertaining tracks on here.

As you can see, this record is somehow a double-edged sword. It includes two undeniable band classics with the ferocious opener “Secrets” and the catchy single “Blood Bound”, an amazing heavy metal song meant to be played live with “The Templar Flame” as well as one of the band’s very best ballads with “Never, Ever” and one of their most experimental tracks with the unstable epic “Knights of the 21st Century”. These five tunes would have made an excellent EP. Sadly, the rest of this full length release is really unspectacular and sounds like random background music that can be skipped without any regrets. If a company ever decided to choose some metal tunes as elevator music, then they could find five candidates right here. My final verdict is that faithful fans of the band should purchase this release while occasional listeners may find the very best songs on here on the “Steel Meets Steel – Ten Years of Glory” compilation or the live outputs “Rebels with a Cause – Unruly, Unrestrained, Uninhibited” and “Gates of Dalhalla”.