Album Review: Corpsegrinder – Corpsegrinder

"I decide when it's your funeral." Corpsegrinder - CorpsegrinderFebruary 25th, 2022Death MetalPerseverance Media GroupTampa, Florida, USA Given how Cannibal Corpse is basically the McDonald's of death metal, providing consistent if rather samey and sometimes bland death metal, I can't say I went into this album expecting much. This is, by the way, coming from someone …

Album Review: Voivod – Synchro Anarchy

"Save for your next trip to Mars, win a chance to reach the stars." Voivod - Synchro AnarchyFebruary 11th, 2022Progressive / Thrash MetalCentury Media RecordsJonquiere, Quebec, Canada Anyone who knows me knows I love Voivod. These guys have been a huge influence on me in recent years, both in terms of being a musician as …

Album Review: Billy Talent – Crisis of Faith

"Living a reckless paradise, the house is burning, trapped inside, our reckless paradise." Billy Talent - Crisis of FaithJanuary 21st, 2022Hard Rock / Pop PunkSpinefarm RecordsMississauga, Ontario, Canada Billy Talent are a band who had a huge impact on me as a kid. I remember in the mid to later days of elementary school and …

Album Review: Ghost – Impera

"It's the sound of another deadline whistling past your ears. It's the sight of a million regrets mounting over years." Ghost - ImperaMarch 11th, 2022Hard Rock / Arena RockLoma Vista RecordingsLinkoping, Sweden Anyone who knows me knows that Ghost have been one of my favourite bands for a considerable amount of time. I started following …

Akhenaten’s Best Albums of 2021

10. Spectral Wound - A Diabolic Thirst Though I may be biased in being currently based in Montreal myself, I can't help but say that I adore this record. These black metal warriors from the frozen north of Canada have provided their best offering yet, with a heaping heavy helping of intense, relentless extremity that …

Album Review: Gatekeeper – East of Sun

"Seraphim ryde in a radiant chaine in the light of the moon..." Gatekeeper - East of SunApril 27th, 2018Power MetalCruz Del Sur MusicVancouver, British Columbia, Canada I first became aware of Vancouver's own power metal upstarts Gatekeeper when a member of the band followed me on Twitter, coincidentally enough. I decided to check out their …

Album Review: Smoulder – Dream Quest Ends

"Warrior witch of Hell, doomed slave marked for death. Skull ring of the great goddess encase her rotting flesh." Smoulder - Dream Quest EndsMarch 13th, 2020Epic Doom MetalCruz del Sur MusicToronto, Ontario, Canada Smoulder is a name that I've heard tossed around in the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal circles over the past several …

Album Review: Unto Others – Strength

"Working all night in the burning dark, dog's awake and the city's alive." Unto Others - StrengthSeptember 24th, 2021Gothic MetalRoadrunner RecordsPortland, Oregon, USA I had heard the name Idle Hands being thrown around a lot in the wider metal subculture over the past decade, but unfortunately I never took the time to check them out. …

Album Review: Young and in the Way – Ride Off and Die

Young and in the Way - Ride Off and DieNovember 13th, 2020Blackened Crust PunkIndependently ReleasedCharlotte, North Carolina, USA Before I say anything about this record I want to be very clear that I don't condone the actions that the members of this band have been accused of. For the uninitiated, the members of Young and …

Album Review: The Ocean Collective – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic

"You feel so disconnected and yes, I get it, but there is just no point in further confrontation, dysfunctional communication skills." The Ocean Collective - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / CenozoicSeptember 25th, 2020Progressive / Sludge MetalMetal Blade RecordsBerlin, Germany When I was a teenager I had a huge phase of getting into sludge metal bands, especially …