No Nonsense Metal Reviews

Suffocation Pinnacle Of Bedlam    You want brutality? You got it. Suffocation's seventh full length album hits hard and fast like repeated hammer blows to the head. Pinnacle Of Bedlam totals just under 40 minuets long, and there is not a single second during that time for you to catch your breath. Just listen to the monolithic opening track " Cycles Of Suffering ", and attempt to headband in time with the riffs.     Tracks like " As Grace Descends " are pure Death Metal gems. The Death-Metal tradition of just having an album of tracks bleeding from one to the next, with very little or no variation in style for the duration of the album, definitely does not apply here. As you progress through the album, you are exposed to so many different styles and twist in sound. Such as the brief melodic intro on "Sullen Days" and the skull pounding thunderous riffs towards the end of "Rapture Of Revocation".     Luckily though, the variation on t...

JUNGLE ROT TERROR REGIME     You NEED this album. It is inconceivable to think your life could have any meaning without it. Think I'm over exaggerating? Just listen to the title track, " Terror Regime " and you'll wonder just how you ever survived without this album (Despite the fact its only just been released).     For existing Jungle Rot fans, you will not be disappointed by Terror Regime. In fact, many fans will proclaim Terror Regime to be Jungle Rot's best release so far. This album is sure to gain notoriety with haste. With that notoriety Jungle Rot will predictably gain many new fans, and with very good reason. This album cannot be commended enough.     Beyond basic requirement and necessities such as; rock hard, fist pumping, headbanging riffs, Relentless rolling drums and unhallowed guttural bellowing vocals, this album has so much more. The closest description of the the sound of Terror Regime possible is a cocktail...

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL JUST GOT EVEN BETTER!!!    Those of us who have already purchased tickets to the UK's most Metal event of 2013, have just been dealt another reason to throw the horns and mosh around our living rooms with excitement. Those among us who haven't yet purchased entry to the Metal Metropolis that is Download Festival, were given a further nudge into doing so last night. So what has caused this new wave of excitement regarding Download Festival you may ask? Another life changing line up announcement is what.    Although a majority of us Downloaders were eagerly sitting in front of our computer screens at 6 pm last night, overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation of who could be confirmed in the announcement, those who weren't able to see the announcement first hand wouldn't have had to wait long to hear the news. The news of which surely disappointed no-one. Even the keyboard warriors would have had series difficulty finding fault in the...

5 Of The Best DEATH METAL albums EVER.     Some Metal albums are universally loved by all Metal fans. Trying to choose just 5 albums to be "The greatest of all time" would be an impossible task. Breaking Metal down into its many sub-genres and then picking the 5 best albums from each one is a slightly more approachable task. So first category to face judgement shall be one of the most difficult, Death Metal.    Although considered the ugliest and most gruesome of all sub-genres, it has without a doubt spat out some genuinely brilliant bands and albums. So here is the list of the 5 Death Metal albums (Although there are many more worthy albums out there) I believe are some of "The greatest of all time". 1: CHTHONIC     TAKASAGO ARMY     Takasago Army is Chthonic's sixth studio album, and is widely regarded as being their finest work to date. The album itself is shrouded by the story of the Takasago Army during WWII. These were...

Cannibal Corpse: Dead Human Collection    Do you like Cannibal Corpse? Of course you do. Do you like box sets stuffed full of gore-tastic extras? Of course you do? Do you like your special edition, bonus box sets at a very reasonable price? Of course you do. So it seems that Cannibal Corpse's Dead Human Collection has ticked all the boxes so far, but before you go running down to your local record shop to pre-order it, why don't we crack open the chest and take a look inside.    The obvious thing your going to be searching for in this vault of festering Death Metal is of course, the Death Metal. Well have no fear, the Dead Human Collection contains far more Death Metal than can possibly be good for you. In fact this gold mine, or maybe more appropriately, this "gore" mine contains all 12 Cannibal Corpse studio albums and a live album. I think its fair to say, this box set is packed full of chugging riffs and guttural gruesome growls. So whether y...

5 Bands you NEED to watch at Download Festival 2013!    The UK Metal event of the year is fast approaching. Nothing can stop the Metal missile that is heading straight for Donington Park on June 14-16 2013. It is sure to go off with one hell of a bang. With a line up of truly amazing bands stretching the generations and more choice of what to watch than on TV these days, there is going to be something for everyone. Well everyone that loves being hit by wave after wave of Metal, similar to being hit by 666 consecutive trains that is.     Don't believe me? well if your a straight out denim and leather wearing Heavy Metal fan, then your in for a treat! On Friday you will get a chance to witness legends Uriah Heep. On Saturday, UFO will be taking on the main stage to get the crowd sufficiently thirsty for the real Heavy highlight of the weekend. The Saturday night headliner, Iron Maiden performing their iconic "Maiden England" set list. Not your cup of tea? We...

Bullet For My Valentine Temper Temper    Whether you like them or not, Bullet For My Valentine are huge. Any person with sense can see that they are probably the biggest band to burst out of the UK in a decade, taking the higher festival slots that once belonged to their peers. With 3 previous albums that have worked their way into the hearts and souls of thousands of adoring fans, this 4th album will surely see them shoot up the charts faster than Usain Bolt on Speed. But will it?    With this monumental album and the undeniable soaring success of the band, keyboard warriors have been sharing their disapproval about all things related to Bullet For My Valentine. So what is that these faceless critics are complaining about? Well the terms "Mainstream" and "Selling out" are thrown around a lot, but both make no sense when being used to insult Bullet For My Valentine. If somebody was to argue that they didn't like BFMV because they are heading towar...

KREATOR PHANTOM ANTICHRIST    Although Kreator are not the biggest Thrash Metal band in the world, they certainly are one of the best. Phantom Antichrist demonstrates Kreator's mastery with a unique fusion of pure Thrash brutality, light speed riffs, fearsome vocals, chant worthy melodies and infectiously memorable instrumentals. This is an album packed with anthems and doesn't have a single track marginally below amazing. Only true classics like South Of Heaven, And Justice For All and Rust In Peace come anywhere close to the Metal majesty of Phantom Antichrist. For any die hard Metal fans worried about the state of the current Metal world, Phantom Antichrist is sure to repair your faith and trust.    From the haunting into of "Mars Mantra" straight into the skull crushing brutality of the title track, you get a strong idea of what the rest of Phantom Antichrist has in store. Despite consisting of rather unhappy song titles such as "Death To The World...

Sylosis Monolith    Sylosis are a band at the spearhead of the rising British Metal scene. A scene that is taking the world by storm. 'Edge of The Earth' earned its place upon the throne as one of the best British albums this side of Iron Maiden's 'Fear Of The Dark'. It has earned its place as one of the best Metal albums of all time and definitely the best of Sylosis to date. So how did "the Shredding from Reading" approach a follow up to such a titan of Metal? Well it came a mere 1 year later in the form of Monolith.    With their third full length album, the Metal apple hasn't fallen far from the Sylosis tree. The signature throat bloodying screams, melodic singing and earth shattering thrash riffs are all present here. Monolith stands up against the Sylosis album catalogue with great confidence. Tracks such as 'The River' and 'What Dwells Within' just go to show that Sylosis are able to blend melodic, slower pace with Slaye...

DESTRUCTION Spiritual Genocide     How can a band who has reached its 30th anniversary really make it something to remember? Do they put on an anniversary gig with more special guests than people in the crowd? Or do they throw in the towel after 30 years and call it a day? The answer is No. Metallica have already done the salivation inducing  anniversary show, and throwing in the towel or giving up is just not the Metal way. So what is it that Destruction have done to celebrate 30 years of thrashing? They made the biggest, best and most brutal album of their entire 30 year career.     Germany has been producing amazing bands for decades. From legends such as Kreator, Helloween and Sodom to more recent defenders of the faith such as Caliban and Heaven Shall Burn. Destruction are another one of Germany's national treasures, but what is it that makes them so special? Well their unique breed of thrash Metal puts them at the more extreme end of the thras...

Motionless In White Infamous    There are certain bands and sub-genres in the Metal music world that all fans are united by a love for. Metalcore however, is not one of those sub-genres. Although it is becoming an increasingly popular side of Metal music due to bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Architects and Parkway Drive, there is no doubt that for some people it is still fashionable to dislike Metalcore. Despite this, Metalcore has evolved, developed and drastically increased in the number of bands under this sub-genre over the last few years. This new wave has seen bands such While She Sleeps, Devil Sold His Soul and Bury Tomorrow erupt into immense popularity and success. Motionless In White are one of those bands.     Infamous is the follow up to debut album, Creatures. There is an undeniable change in style between Creatures and Infamous, although both albums have a distinct sound exclusive to Motionless In White. The growth in Moti...

STONE SOUR House Of Gold And Bones: Part 1    As far as come backs or grand returns go in the music world today, this is by far the greatest since Iron Maiden's 2000 return album, Brave New World. With House Of Gold And Bones: Part 2 on the horizon due for release early 2013, the return is only going to be more of a milestone for Stone Sour and the Metal music world.     Although it has only been 2 years since Stone Sour released the amazing Audio Secrecy, the concept album House Of Gold And Bones: Part 1 still marks a comeback from what a year ago seemed like the end of the road for Stone Sour. Personal issues, health complications and other commitments meant for some of Stone Sour's members, this band would have to wait. The bands first casualty was bassist Shawn Economaki, who left the band earlier this year. In the eyes of many fans the future of the band looked dark.    Whatever it was that changed within Stone Sour, and all of the hard...

   AXEWOUND   VULTURES    Ever wondered what could be better than Bullet For My Valentine or Cancer Bats? Well how about the two of them blended together in one fantastic new super band that prove just how alive metal is in 2012.                                Axewound's unique sound is a mixture of Metal core, Death and Thrash metal in equal measure. Liam Cormier from Canadian metal kings Cancer Bats, takes the spot light of Axewound. With Liam's savage screams and unique vocal style, it quickly becomes obvious why he is front man. Matthew Tuck from Welsh Titans Bullet For My Valentine, takes a step back from his normal vocalist day job and focuses on throwing out riffs at an machine gun rate. Songs such as "Cold", "Exorchrist" and "Burn Alive" see Matt step up to lend a hand with vocals, resulting in some of the catchiest choruses ever created. "Collide" is the quietest song...

TESTAMENT Dark Roots Of Earth       It's 2012 and Testament have comeback with their 10th album, and what an album it is. Full of lightening fast riffs and solid vocals on 9 brilliant tracks.     Instrumentally, this album is flawless. Drums are fast and brutal, guitars hit hard and heavy when they need to, but still give plenty of amazing solos and classic Thrash riffs. The vocals are the really treat on album number 10. Distinct and refreshing at the same time, Chuck's singing has largely moved on from the style we heard on The Gathering or Demonic. That said there are definitely hints of the Death Metal style that worked its way into Testaments music.    To give a better idea of the how the album comes together here's a track  by track guide to the album and an individual song score out of 5. 1: Rise Up 4/5 -The first track of the album is a brilliant start and paints a fair picture of the amazing tracks ye...