Flames are finally back with, the aptly titled “Resurgence”, their first album since 1996 and it’s a great slice of Thrash/Death Metal with fabulous production and mixing, courtesy of the always excellent Bob Katsionis and I, for one, am very happy to see them return.

Now, some of you younger Metal fans, are probably looking at your computer screens saying WHO? Well, for those of you who haven’t heard of Flames, you’ve got some catching up to do but I guarantee you’ll enjoy delving through their back catalogue.

Flames, from Greece, were originally formed in 1984 by brothers Chris and Andy Kirk, from 1985-1996, we got six albums and a live EP and they became a pretty well-known and important band on the Greek scene. I first heard of them in about 1988 and, being a huge fan of Speed/Thrash Metal, always enjoyed their output. They now split their time between Greece and Germany and I had wondered if we would ever get another album. Well “Resurgence” has arrived, with the brothers still at the helm plus long-time vocalist/guitarist Thomas Trampouras, and newish drummer Nick Samios (check out the list of bands Nick has been in on the Metal Archives, it is seriously long) and if you love some Kreator and Sodom then this bunch will be very much up your street.

Opening with just a single guitar, ‘Keeper Of The Burning Flame’ is a suitably evil and short instrumental before the band launch into the thunderous and thrashtastic title track. This is followed by ‘Crawl Beyond’, ‘Rotten Life’, ‘Murder Taste’ and ‘War In Mind’, all good tracks, but if I have one tiny complaint then it is that the fast sections are all quite similar to each other. However, the first half of the album still flies by and your neck will definitely be sore.

‘The Crib’ is the first track that really mixes up the tempos, containing some chunky medium paced sections that stomp like a size 12 to the face. ‘Mercy Denied’ also splits things up well and is excellent and ‘Shell Shocked (Western Front)’ is an album highlight. ‘Yourself Unknown’, ‘H8red’ and CD bonus track ‘Legend III (The Final War) bring the album to a suitably bombastic close and then I immediately pressed play again.

There are no bad tracks here, although I definitely prefer the second half of the album due to the tracks being more varied. Musicianship is excellent throughout, everything sounds like a pounding hammer and the artwork is great. It’s awesome to see Flames return with such a good comeback album and I hope we can look forward to more in the future.

Track List:

01. Keeper Of The Burning Flame

02. Resurgence

03. Crawl Beyond

04. Rotten Life

05. Murder Taste

06. War In Mind

07. The Crib

08. Mercy Denied

09. Shell Shocked (Western Front)

10. Yourself Unknown

11. H8red

12. Legend III (The Final War) (CD Bonus Track)

Band Members:

Tom Trampouras – Guitars/Vocals

Chris “R.B. Lee” Kirk – Guitars

Andy Kirk – Bass Guitar

Nick “Yngve” Samios – Drums

This review is purely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

Glaswegians, DVL (Formally D3vilMayCry), recently released their second album “Hush” and it’s a monster album that, somewhat, took me by surprise. I’m not familiar with the debut “The Pawn That Took the King” (2013) released under their former name, or why it has taken nearly a decade to release a follow up, but what I do know is that “Hush” has been played repeatedly by this reviewer, which has delayed me from listening to other albums that I need to review. It’s a good job I don’t get paid!!

DVL are not an easy band to pigeonhole (another thing I love about them), they cover a range of styles including NWOBHM, Prog Metal, Metalcore, US Metal and Hard/Heavy Rock and they do it without ever sounding disjointed. This is a band that has spent a lot of time with these tracks and has got them sounding exactly how they want them.

Opener ‘Among Us’ immediately delivers a killer blow. There is no ‘album intro’, DVL just kick you in the face with an awesome riff and thunderous song. It’s heavy as hell but incredibly catchy, with a superb chorus and a stunning guitar solo, brilliant vocals, insane musicianship and wonderful production. Now that’s a recommendation and I’ve used up all the plaudits I would usually spread out over a complete review, for one song, so I’m not sure what to write now!!

Instead of capitalising on the opener DVL immediately change tact with next track ‘Dead Man’s Switch’. It’s slower, more progressive, darker and it’s excellent, proving that they can write in a variety of ways but still sound completely as one!

‘Eternity’ introduces Harsh/Screamed vocals and a Metalcore feel for the first time on the album and it’s done extremely well. Metalcore is not a genre I’m so keen on but the harsh vocals aren’t overused, the chorus is once again hugely catchy and I cannot say enough about the guitar work.

Next track ‘Dread’ takes everything you’ve already heard, plus the kitchen sink, and knocks you off your feet with its intensity and style and this is how DVL roll. You are never quite sure what you’ll hear next but you’ll know it will be good! One of my personal favourites is ‘The Pitch’, which is probably the slowest track on offer but the music (which I think also includes some very atmospheric saxophone), personally, conjures up a 1940/50’s Detective Agency but one which is situated in a southern, swamp infested, backwater US town. A strange combination I’ll agree, however, that’s what I love about music, especially when it provides such a powerful visual image.

Lyrically, everything is on the sombre side, with an emphasis on Mental Health in modern society, a subject many of us can, unfortunately, relate to and whilst lyrics are usually the last thing I concentrate on in an album, they have connected with me more so than they normally would.

Before you all think I’ve lost the plot, I’ll just say that “Hush” is an absolute banger of an album and DVL have created something which perfectly combines the old and new. Something which, given the chance, will appeal to a huge fan base. Now it’s just up to you to go and buy a copy because these guys deserve your attention!

Track List

01. Among Us

02. Dead Man’s Switch

03. Eternity

04. Dread

05. Parasomnia

06. The Pitch

07. Hallows

08. Stranger

09. Trial By Fire

10. Hush

Band Members

Ryan Patterson – Vocals

Alan Graham – Lead Guitars

Mark Paterson – Rhythm Guitars

Kevin Choi – Bass Guitar

Lewis Templeton – Drums

This review is solely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

So what do you give a thrash girl to review that would really make her happy? Why, it’s a thrash album of course and that is exactly what I got with this album from British band, Halberd.

Hailing from the gritty street of South East London, the five piece band originally formed in 2013 and played their first gig in a small pub under a train bridge, where the audience consisted mainly of family members and a few friends who turned up in support. They found a sound that suited them and felt right to play but decided to call it quits in 2018 due to general life taking over. Luckily for us, jut before covid hit, the guys met up for a jam session and they realised how much they missed playing music. They got back together, ditched the old material and wrote a new more mature sounding album.

“Parasitic Humanity” is the band’s debut album, released on 1^st May 2022 and I must say I have left it FAR to long to listen to it (Sorry, Casey!)

The band state on their Facebook page that they “play an infectious genre blending mix of thrash, death and groove metal – all crafted together with heavy riffs and headbanging grooves to get you pounding your skull and moshing til your limbs fall of!” and I couldn’t agree more.

Mix together a touch of hardcore, a pinch of groove, a smidgeon of death and a shed load of thrash and you will have an idea of what this album is about. The guitar work is great, the bass and drums ae tight and keep everything locked together perfectly and the vocals are awesome, just as thrash vocals should be!

I have listened to albums in the past, some from my favourite artists even, and have had to turn them off because of the monotony that was going on but the change of pace, not just from track to track but throughout each song is fantastic, meaning the listener doesn’t ever get bored.

If you like bands such as Kreator and Destruction then you are going to love this album and I highly recommend you go and buy it. More people should know about Halberd, the sheer energy you can hear coming from their music makes them a must for anyone’s ‘to listen to’ list! This is definitely MY kind of album!

I will be going to see them at the Cart And Horses in Stratford on 9^th July 2022 I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that the passion and vigour displayed on the album will be transferred to the stage. Definitely a gig I am really looking forward to!

My final words on “Parasitic Humanity” will be these……If you are going to produce a debut album, make sure it’s a good one! And boy, did these guys do that with bells on!

Track Listing

1. Return Of The Axe

2. Death By Death

3. Force Fed Lies

4. Breakout

5. We Are The Horde

6. Raiders Of The Night

7. Parasitic Humanity

8. Warmonger

Band Members

Casey Marsh – vocals

Jack Tubby – guitar

Steven Scott – guitar

Bret Yates – bass

Zack Covil – drums

This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

When Julian Jenkins from the band Fury made a Facebook post asking for people to review the band’s new album, we, at The Metal Asylum, jumped at the chance. I had first seen Fury, a newly-five piece heavy metal band from the West Midlands in the UK, on The New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival in August 2013, and they totally blew me away, even back then.

With three earlier studio albums and an EP, the band are back with their new album “Born To Sin”, released on 18^th March 2022. Written during multiple lockdowns and cancelled tours since Spring 2020, the band have turned to darker and more introspective themes and their new demonic-themed album has a louder, harder and faster edge to it.

Says vocalist Julian Jenkins: “Born To Sin has everything you’d expect from a Fury album, from fast energetic rockers perfect for working your neck muscles, to our now traditional (one per album) ballad. And, of course, the album is awash with wailing lead guitar, bass and drum solos, big catchy vocal hooks and an absolute choral feast of backing vocals.”

The band also have a broader soundscape, with layered vocal harmonies now an integral part of the production. There is much more from backing vocalist Nyah Ifill, who guested on ‘Upon The Lonesome Tide’ and ‘Road Warrior’ on the band’s previous album “The Grand Prize”, as she takes over lead vocals on a number of songs, the mix of male and female vocals always being a good thing in my opinion. And just to add, I said “newly five piece” at the beginning of my review as the band announced on 8^th May 2022 that Nyah would now be joining the band on a full time basis, so congratulations to her!

The band released the first single from the album ‘Hell Of A Night’ on 15/10/2022, just in time for Halloween, featuring on The Metal Asylum’s Halloween Special, with a further three singles being released to date; ‘If You Get To Hell First’ on 04/02/2022, ‘Nowhere To Be Seen’ on 25/02/2022 and ‘Born To Sin’ on 11/03/2022 respectively.

The album kicks off with “If You Get To Hell First”, a track laden with catchy riffs, awesome guitar solos, energetic drums and bundles of oomph! A great opening track that certainly sets the tone for the rest of the album, and even the obligatory ballad is just an awesome track that compliments the rest of the album perfectly.

Fury never fail to impress, their passion for the music clearly evident, which means they can deliver a bucket load of power, reminiscent of metal bands gone by, but with enough talent to actually put their own mark on it. This is a band that is firmly fixed in the New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal and they rightly deserve their place in the genre!

Produced by Pete Newdeck (Eden’s Curse) this album is traditional heavy metal mixed with rock grooves and will have you dancing around your living room with your air guitar! I played this in my car for three weeks straight and not once did I get bored of it, each time making me bop around even more than the last, never good when you are actually meant to be driving a car!

This is a fantastic album, one that everyone should listen to. The band went down a storm at Download 2022, which just goes to show the calibre of the band and how highly they are regarded. I’ve missed them at a few gigs recently for one reason or another but Fury are definitely a band I WILL get to see live at some point in the near future.

I don’t give marks out of ten for reviews but if I did, this would definitely be a 10/10!!

I am waiting with baited breath now for the next album (jumping the gun a bit I know) but I am looking forward to what they can come up with next!!

Track Listing

1. If You Get To Hell First

2. Nowhere To Be Seen

3. Next In Line

4. Hell Of A Night

5. Who Are You

6. Sunrise

7. It’s Rock N Roll

8. Shadows And Dust

9. Embrace The Demons

10. Born To Sin

Line Up

Julian Jenkins – guitar, vocals

Becky Baldwin – bass, backing vocals

Tom Fenn – drums

Jake Elwell – lead guitar

Nyah Ifill – backing vocals

(Jade Maris – backing vocals – Hell Of A Night)

(Robin Fox – piano, organ – Shadows And Dust)

(Matt Jones – lead guitar – Born To Sin)

This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

Take equal parts Voivod (“War And Pain” era), Venom, Hellhammer and Motörhead, throw in a dash of Septic Death & NWoBHM, mix it up and you’ve got the Black/Speed/Heavy Metal/ Punk infused nastiness of one-man-band Midnight from Cleveland, Ohio. “Let There Be Witchery” is the fifth full-length album from Midnight but there have also been a plethora of EP’s and split releases over a near twenty year period. I already have several of those releases in my collection so, when this arrived in my inbox, it was a no brainer that it would get a review because I’m a fan.

In the modern musical climate, there is something for everyone with hundreds of ever more splintered genres and bands duelling over what weird instruments and influences they can include in their sound. Of course, diversity is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it’s great just to listen to something that’s so unashamedly filthy, raw & unpretentious and that’s what Midnight gives me. Listening to “Let There Be Witchery” takes me back to the day in 1982 when I bought my cassette version of Motörhead’s “Iron Fist”, the day in early 1983 when I heard Venom’s “Black Metal” for the first time or the day in 1984 when I bought my vinyl copy of Piledriver’s “Metal Inquisition” and if you hadn’t already guessed, they were bloody good days!

“Let There Be Witchery” is 10 tracks and 35 minutes of no bull-shit Rock/Metal with vocals that sound like the bastard lovechild of Lemmy & Cronos and I love it. Guitar, bass and drums are also more than adequate and it always gets to me when I stop and think that one person is playing everything! In fact this is, probably, some of the strongest material I’ve heard from Midnight and it’s awesome that Athenar, the man behind the Midnight name, keeps releasing all this material, which never seems to repeat itself, and that he does it with so much enthusiasm and passion.

If you have teenage musical memories similar to mine and love any of the bands mentioned then you need Midnight in your life. If you are younger and want to listen to a great sounding (but not too polished) cracking little album that might go some way to letting you experience what we did back in the 80’s when bands were starting to crank up the heaviness, 35-40 minutes was considered the perfect length for a release and Speed, Thrash and Death Metal were on the cusp of breaking through then “Let There Be Witchery” is it, but it’s also an album that sounds relevant and fresh in 2022!

Track List

01. Telepathic Nightmare

02. Frothing Foulness

03. In Sinful Secrecy

04. Nocturnal Molestation

05. More Torment

06. Let There Be Sodomy

07. Devil Virgin

08. Snake Obsession

09. Villainy Wretched Villainy

10. Szex Witchery

Band Members

Athenar – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Drums

This review is solely the property of Richard Tilley and The Metal Asylum

I asked in another recent review whether women have a place in heavy metal music and the answer then was a resounding YES. Letter From the Fire are another female fronted band and, once more, the answer to my question would be yes!

Female fronted bands are on the increase and the women are showing they are just as much a force to be reckoned with as the men and, despite in the past being accused of jumping on the Nightwish bandwagon, many of the women now have made their own way and created their own sound, with a lot of them forsaking the operatic vocals of Tarja and preferring tough, gritty styles of singing.

Letters from the Fire are a five piece hard rock band hailing from the San Fransisco Bay Area of the USA and was founded by guitarist Mike Keller in 2007 under their previous name of Park Lane. The band had a turbulent origin and after a few line up changes re-introduced themselves to the musical world as Letters From the Fire. They suffered numerous vocalist problems before finding Alexa Kabazie, who nailed it right from the outset.

The band had early success on national tours with bands such as Fuel, Trapt, NonPoint, and Pop Evil and recording with Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody they even scored a few rock radio hits with “Zombies in the Sun” and a cover of “Eleanor Rigby”

“Worth The Pain” is the band’s debut full album and was released in Europe on 17th March 2017 and has really been a labour of love for the band to produce. “These are our stories our trials and tribulations. This is who we are,” says founder member and guitarist Keller and this phrase now serves as both a reminder of the band’s sometimes turbulent origins well as a rallying cry as the band moves forward.

Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Kile Odell (Motionless in White, Cursed Sails, Vanisher) the album is a “beguiling mix of melody and heaviness” packed with energy, killer riffs and passion.

The album opens with “Perfect Life”, packed with furious and unrelenting drums and a jaw dropping solo from Keller that would leave even the most skilled guitarists green with envy, and is the perfect opening to the awesome album.

I could go through all the songs one by one but, if you have read any of my reviews before, you would know that’s not really my style. The whole album is fantastic and is a mix of traditional, melodic hard rock and contemporary modern pop and groove along with heavy metal edginess, which results in something that sounds quite different and there really is something for everyone.

If you like the more ballady tracks then “Bruised” and “At War” are songs for you, while the drum heavy opening and intensive lyrics of “Living a Lie” give off a more venomous energy. “Last December” has a strong use of synthesisers and the hard and heavy “One Foot in the Grave” is packed with fast riffs and double bass drumming.

All in all this is a great album and if you like your female fronted bands then don’t give these a miss. This is definitely one to be added to your collection and I think should be up there along with the likes of Nightwish, Epica, Lacuna Coil and Evanescence (and if I’m honest I think its better than all of those!)

But don’t take my word for it. Go check ‘em out and see for yourself!

TRACKLISTING:
1. Perfect Life
2. Mother Misery
3. Give in to Me
4. Bruised
5. Live a Lie
6. My Angel
7. Last December
8. Holy Ghost
9. At War
10. Control
11. Worth the Pain
12. Scars
13. One Foot in the Grave

LINE-UP:
Alexa Kabazie – vocals
Mike Keller – rhythm guitar
Cameron Stucky – lead guitar
Clayton Wages – bass
Ben Anderson – drums

This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

Having never really been a fan of The New Way of British Heavy Metal era of metal music, what better test of my abilities as a reviewer, than to review a NWOBHM album?

Released on High Roller Records in October 2016, “Fear No Evil” is the latest album from Quartz, their first since 1983’s “Against All Odds.”

Originally classed as one of the forerunners of the NWOBHM movement, the band were actually formed in 1974 under the name of Bandy Legs. They changed their name to Quartz in 1977 for the release of their self-titled debut, an album that was produced by Tony Iommi, featured Queen guitarist Brian May on one of the tracks and had backing vocals supplied by Ozzy Osbourne himself. Criticised in the past as being a Sabbath clone, the band played Reading festival three times, supporting the likes of Black Sabbath and AC/DC, and released three albums before disbanding in 1983.

But, now a great name from the past are back. Featuring four out the five original members, after the recent death of singer Mike Taylor, the band have reformed with new singer David Garner and what a fantastic comeback album!

The band are obviously influenced by bands of the seventies, such as Black Sabbath as previously mentioned, but this does nothing to take away from the bands own talents. Singer, David Garner, has a strong voice, almost Ozzy-esque in places, but this is by no means a bad thing.

The album as a whole is traditional NWOBHM. It has a solid sound and the production is great, unlike a lot of previous NWOBHM albums, which I think is why I never liked the genre. Most of it sounded like it was being played inside a bucket, and although this was probably the charm for a lot of people, it wasn’t for me. This album, however, has an “old-school” vibe and feels like it could have come straight from the early 1980’s but in no way feels out-dated. That, in itself, is a contradictory of terms but this is a sign of how well the authenticity of the album has been produced.

The album is dotted with heavy, infectious riffs, fine melodies and kick-arse solos. The guitars are dirty, the drumming is tight and the keyboards add an atmospheric tone to the whole record. The vocals and song writing is melodic and, together with catchy choruses, will have you humming for the rest of the day.

The band seem to work better on the faster songs but, apart from “Rock Bottom”, a catchy heavy metal song with great bass and drum work, my other favourites on the album are “The Stalker” and “Zombie Resurrection”, two of the slower-paced tracks often criticised by other reviewers.

But I guess that’s the whole point of reviewing. No one person’s opinion of an album is the right one.

What I suggest you do, is go get yourself a copy and judge for yourself. This won’t be breaking any new ground or setting the metal music scene alight BUT it is a great album by a great band and will easily keep you entertained for nearly fifty minutes.

Quartz are BACK!

TRACKLISTING:
01. Fear No Evil
02. Rock Bottom
03. The Stalker
04. Rapture
05. Zombie Resurrection
06. Barren Land
07. Walking on Holy Water
08. Dangerous Game
09. Born to Rock the Nation
10. Riot in the City
11. Dead Man’s World
12. Scream at the Devil

LINE-UP:
Derek Arnold – Bass
Malcolm Cope – Drums
Mick Hopkins – Guitars
Geoff Nicholls – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
David Garner – Vocals

This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum

One of the things I love about reviewing albums is I never know what I am going to get. A new upcoming band, or a more established band who I have never heard of, could approach me to write a review for them and until I plug that USB stick into the stereo in my car, I never know what I am going to hear. This, in itself, can be a blessing or a curse.

In the case of Catastrophe, it was definitely a blessing.

Hailing from Dublin in Ireland, Catastrophe are a thrash metal band formed in 2015 and within a week, the band had written “Propaganda”, the first track on the recently released EP “Terror Campaign”, a sure sign of how well the five members fitted together.

Siting bands such as Slayer, Testament, Exodus, Destruction and Annihilator as influences, Catastrophe have mixed elements of thrash, NWOBHM, punk and hard rock to create their own sound and it really is hard to believe that these guys have only been together for a year.

The EP is a pretty intensive experience from start to finish with a hard and fast energy the driving force behind it. The vocals are typical of the thrash genre, shouted with a few growls thrown in for good measure. The guitars, almost punky at times, are heavy with some blistering solos and the basswork is fantastic, most notable on the bass-lead intro to “God Is Gone.”

And lastly, if the drumming is anything to go by, these guys certainly don’t need to go to the gym to work out!

This is great thrash EP that couples the charm and chemistry of early 80’s trash metal with the vigour of more contemporary bands and it has undoubtedly reignited my love for the thrash genre.

If there was ever a band that could be described as rawer than early Slayer, then Catastrophe would be that band!

I will be on tenterhooks now waiting for the next release from this terrific band. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Propaganda
2. God Is Gone
3. Terror Campaign
4. Septic Society
5. Kill Or Be Killed

LINE-UP:
Jamie Murphy – Vocals
Adam Treacy – Lead Guitar
Gordo Casey – Guitar
Darragh O’Connor – Bass
Connor Middleton – Drums

This review is solely the property of Dawn Smith and The Metal Asylum