Album Of The Week

Australia's own WITCHGRINDER played here last weekend on the album launch tour for this album. The sheer quality of the show led me to check this album out and here we are. It's heavy, it's brutal, but there's more to it than that. I haven't heard something like this from an Australian band before.

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SONATA ARCTICA‘s new album, ‘Cold Clear Beyond’ is a  ripper. From the first notes of the album’s opener, ‘First In Line’, (the lead single) you know that the band are charging right ahead, and you are coming along, whether you want to or not. Great songs just keep coming. This album just wants to be listened to again and again. 

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Adelaide's own EMERGENCY RULE have just released an album, 'The King Of Ithaca'. Check it out.  You will realise you have missed this sort of sound.  All the band's great original songs that they've been playing for a while have been captured in the studio . The tracks are 'bottled lightning' as it were. They sound so good, they come across on the album so well. 

STRIKER's new album 'Ultrapower' seems to have taken up where the previous album left off. I think the band raised it a notch, a bit faster in places, a bit heavier, a bit of a nod to their thrashier roots while still maintaining that over-the-top fun edge. 

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Sweden's SORCERER return with 'Reign Of The Reaper', a worthy successor to 2020's 'Lamenting Of The Innocent'.

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WAYFARER are a band from Denver, Colorado, that play a unique brand of Metal. The new album is 'American Gothic'. It's full of cool, 'moody' riffing, with a 'Western American' ring to it, aggressive vocals, and great songs. Great music for the highway. It's on heavy rotation here.

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KK Downing's band, KK's PRIEST have released a second album, 'The Sinner Rides Again',  and the band has stepped it up from the last album in my opinion. The riffs keep coming, songwriting is better, 'multi layered' Ripper is in top form, and the album chugs along nicely. 

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Denmark's finest, MERCENARY, are back with a new album, 'Soundtrack For The End Times'. All the trademarks are there, crushing riffs,  melodic clean vocals, occasional brutal unclean vocals and the sublime guitar work of Martin Buus, reason enough to check it out right there.

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ELEINE are a ‘Dark Symphonic Metal’ band from Sweden. The last album, ‘Dancing In Hell’ was excellent and the follow-up, ‘We Shall Remain’, has cleared the high bar set and raised it a few notches. Songwriting is top class, the song groove along nicely. The vocal melodies are beautiful, there’s even a melody reminiscent of the late 60s on the title track. Not repeating anything, just something to take you back. See if you can pick it. This band stands out from the rest of the Symphonic Metal crowd. If you’re after something a bit different in that regard, check this album out.

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STRAY GODS are the band featuring Bob Katsionis, who you may recognise from seeing him in FIREWIND for many years. An amazingly talented man, putting his talents to good use here. A talented band surrounds him and they ROCK.

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JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13 have a new album out called, 'Crash Of Life'. It's Melodic Hard Rock of very high order. Girish Pradhan (of Girish And The Chronicles) is handling lead vocal duties, and the band is a who's who of elite musos, so why not check this album out pronto.

The mighty FIFTH ANGEL return, flying the flag with 'When Angels Kill', a double length concept album full of top-shelf METAL.

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BUCKCHERRY are one of those bands that keep working hard putting out rocking albums. 'Vol. 10' came out the other day and is a good solid album of hard hitting rockers.  'You wanna party? Then get on the bus and let's go'. It's good time party stuff and they do it well.

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ELEGANT WEAPONS is a band put together by Richie Faulkner of JUDAS PRIEST. 
The debut album, 'Horns For A Halo' has just been released and what a fine album it is too. 

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IMMORTAL have been through a few changes and had a few quiet periods over the years, You can look up the history yourself, but what you can also do is listen to this album. The new album is ‘War Against All’. This is killer. Check it out.

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After the tragic death of Mike Howe and time off, METAL CHURCH are back with a new singer, and a great new album, ‘Congregation Of Annihilation’. It’s heavier and meaner than they’ve been for a long time and takes you right back.
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I received a suggestion to check out ‘FIRES IN THE DISTANCE’ . I was unaware of them. This album gave me many ‘Holy Crap’ moments upon hearing it for the first time. My suggestion is you check this band out as well. You can start right here.

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‘Upon The Edge Of Darkness’, is a brooding masterpiece of Atmospheric Black Metal, that will draw you in, and leave you weakened by the time it’s finished.
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From the very opening of the album, it’s obvious which band you’re listening to. You can pick their style straight away. It’s KAMELOT doing what they do.
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TEMTRIS are a veteran band from New South Wales. They continue to churn out quality Metal, (7 albums now) and ‘Khaos Divine’ is no exception.
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