Album Review: Knife – Heaven Into Dust

"There are no gods, no gods in the dark." Knife - Heaven Into DustAugust 25th, 2023Blackened Speed MetalNapalm RecordsMarburg, Germany I first became aware of Knife in 2021 around the release of their first full length record, Knife, which was a ripping piece of auditory devastation that I found myself returning to time and time …

Album Review: Holy Moses – Invisible Queen

"I am the invisible queen. I live in another dimension." Holy Moses - Invisible QueenApril 14th, 2023Death / Thrash MetalFireflash RecordsAachen, Germany The legendary and criminally underrated German death thrash metal band Holy Moses is finally back with their first new record since 2014's Redefined Mayhem. Admittedly I'm not super well versed on most of …

Album Review: Ahab – The Coral Tombs

"I've seen the Antediluvian beast!" Ahab - The Coral TombsJanuary 13th, 2023Atmospheric / Funeral Doom MetalNapalm RecordsHeidelberg, Germany German funeral doom giants Ahab have returned with their first full length record in eight years, following the release of 2015's The Boats of the Glen Carrig. In all honesty Ahab is a band I've neglected over …

Album Review: Luzifer – Iron Shackles

"Free yourself from iron shackles, running free your dire need. Melting down these iron shackles, their rusty chains can't stand your heat." Luzifer - Iron ShacklesMarch 25th, 2022Traditional Heavy MetalHigh Roller RecordsCologne, Germany Germany's Luzifer have sped out of the gates in 2022 with some true old school heavy metal worship in the form of …

Album Review: Kreator – Hate Über Alles

Kreator - Hate Über AllesJune 10th, 2022Thrash MetalNuclear Blast RecordsEssen, Germany German thrash legends Kreator have been consistently pumping out quality records since 1985, becoming a household thrash name with 1986's Pleasure to Kill. But to say that the band has remained purely a thrash metal outfit since their incarnation would be incorrect. The band …

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: 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 …

Album Review: Kanonenfieber – Menschenmühle

Kanonenfieber - MenschenmühleFebruary 20th, 2021Melodic Black MetalNoisebringer RecordsBamberg, Germany When I, like many others, saw the album cover for the debut record from Germany's Kanonenfieber, I simply had to dig in to see what the deal was. I mean, with a cover as brilliant and beautifully illustrated and visually interesting as that, how could you …

Album Review: Equilibrium – Renegades

"I hear my sanity, I hear the demons in my head. With all the reasons to decline, if I could die". Equilibrium - RenegadesAugust 23rd, 2019Folk MetalNuclear Blast RecordsMunich, Germany Oh man, this one hurts. I used to love Equilibrium way back in the day. Their sophomore album Sagas received a shit ton of play from …

Album Review: Accept – Too Mean to Die

"Mass communication, hand to hand. A new epidemic has control of the land." Accept - Too Mean to DieJanuary 29th, 2021Traditional Heavy MetalNuclear Blast RecordsSolingen, Germany There are precious few examples in the world of heavy metal of legacy bands from the 70's and 80's who gracefully age into the modern era to become not …