Heavier Than Hell!

                                                                                                                      Best Rock/Metal Albums  Inter Arma sky burial Ghost BC infestinusam Phil Anselmo and the illegals walk through exits only Steven Wilson the raven that refused to sing and other stories Black Sabbath 13 Scale The Summit the migration Pelican forever becoming Russian Circles memorial Intronaut habitual levitations Cult of Luna Vertikal Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats Mind Control Clutch Earth Rocker Gorguts colored sands Jesu every day i get closer to the light from which i came Skeltonwitch serpents unleashed Subrosa more contant than the gods Windhand soma A...

                                                     20 Things I liked This Year 2013 A Field In England (Film directed by Ben Wheatley) Ben Wheatleys latest venture set during the English civil war. Held its own ground this year being screened in black and white with minimalistic setting but still being able to intrigue with its gritty occult vibe and plot laid out on a mental palette which questions war, Greed and religion Django Unchained (Film directed by Quentin Tarantino) Tarantinos latest film and his first with a modern spaghetti western revenge twist tells the story of a slave set free by an infamous bounty hunter who seeks his help in finding his captors. With Comic Book violence and Black comedy antics it is one of the best commercial films I have seen in recent years  Steven Wilson The Raven That Refused To Sing Music ...

Evile Skull Evile have always been a band riding the wave of the modern thrash metal revival scene which has gradually got bigger and bigger since the latter part of the Noughtie's. They first exploded onto the scene in 2007 with the much acclaimed album  "Enter The Grave" and since then have spawned 3 very strong album's since with each one growing in both publicity and production value's. As soon as I heard of there output for there 4th album bluntly entitled "Skull" it was hard not to conjure up sceptical thought's would the band still be able to produce a memorable album in what can sometime's be considered an over saturated and repetitive genre? The album opens up with a pummelling chord stab intro unveiling a sound which any fan of there previous albums will have come to love with the production tone's sounding closer to there first two albums than there last release (2011's) Five Serpent's Teeth. Giving hint's ...

Clutch Earth Rocker  Some records hold the title of being cult classics over the year's for hitting you right were you want with integrity, power and quality song writing this can be said for clutch's 2004 effort Blast Tyrant. More recently clutch have turned down the gain and aggression for a more chilled, bluesy and laid back vibe on there 2007 album "From Beale Street To Oblivion" and 2009's "Strange Cousins From The West". There Latest effort see's them turning back the aggression and energy levels to Max creating perhaps there heaviest but still upbeat album yet or at least since Blast Tyrant . The Opening track "Earth Rocker" kicks in with a dynamic groove which is unrelenting and powerful ensuring the listener from the start it's going to be a fast paced affair. The second track crucial velocity see's Tim Sult in full Jimmy Page mode starting the track with a trippy wah laden guitar lick ensuring all the band...

Ghost BC infestissumam Ghost BC have only been around for the past few years originally holding the name Ghost of which they are previously entitled on there succesful 2011 release Opus Eponymous . This mysterious Swedish outfit have managed to cultivate a strong following while keeping the symbolism and arcane nature which made there first release so ground breaking.  Although the sabbathesque crunchy guitar riffs are as evident as on the first record there seems to be even  more focus on the pomp driven chorus's giving nods to more classic pop roots to bands such as Abba but the content and substance itself still remains bleak and dark. The intro track   "infestissumam" opens up with an orchestral like chant with backing female vocals to give an earthy wide feel helping the listener conjure up mental images of papa walking out into a cathedral itself.  The third track which was also the third track to be leaked of this album is secul...

The Atlas Moth hail from Chicago Illinois and have come to the attention of the metal underground within the last couple of years. After offering a wide pallet of different styles and concepts within metal since there 2009 inception there latest offering An Ache For The Distance has raised the platform most experimental progressive metal bands aim to achieve which they have done by the barrel load and very early on in there career. The Album Starts of with a track bluntly entitled Coffin Varnish which starts of with some tasty legato based guitar riffs lashed together creatively with hordes of Reverb and Delay creating sound scapes which have become notoriously associated with acts such as Isis, Tool, Katatonia. The Drums have a natural open airy feel which complements the dark and brooding tribal tom sounds perfectly blending well with the tension and atmosphere consistently from start to finish. The 2nd track which is personally my favourite...

So where to begin it is not long before Agalloch's next release with there latest leaked track the Faust based on the classic German legend of the same name about a protagonist who sells his soul to the devil exchanging it for unlimited worldly knowledge. This is sure to to be a big release within the metal community alike this year but how will it compare to the sparser marrow of the spirit? Marrow of the spirit welcomes the listener with the sound of a running waterfall, birds tweeting and a mournful cello line giving the album a big cinematic impression in the audiences mind from the word go. Due to the liveliness of the trickling water and distant ambience you can't help but imagine it being the perfect background music to compliment a scene from a classic Cult B movie. The next track "Into The Painted Grey" starts of with hectic picked riffs doused in Reverb and fast passed paced drum patterns this then comes to an immediate stop to we...