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Album Review – Striker / Ultrapower (2024)

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These Canadian metallers are made of metal, their circuits gleam, and they’re ready to show us all the endless power of heavy music to the sound of their striking seventh studio album.

Blending classic Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, and 80’s Hair Metal, Power Metal and so on, Edmonton, Canada’s own powerhouse Striker has been making “shredtacular” anthems since their inception back in 2007, which is also the case with their seventh studio album, titled Ultrapower. Produced, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder, and displaying a stylish, metallic cover art by Al Perez of Ramone Sketch, Ultrapower is a strong and solid follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2017 self-titled album and their Juno Award-winning 2018 effort Play To Win, showcasing a collection of the band’s tinkering and exploring new avenues, all brought into being with tons of energy and passion by frontman Dan Cleary, guitarists Tim Brown and John Simon Fallon, bassist Pete Klassen, and session drummer Jono Webster.

The maniacal laugh by Dan ignites the thrilling, metallic Power Metal hymn Circle of Evil, one of the heaviest songs from their past few albums, with Tim and John taking the song’s punch and electricity to a whole new level with their wicked riffs and solos. Then venturing through the realms of Hard Rock and Glam Metal it’s time for BEST of the BEST of the BEST, with its inspiring lyrics flawlessly declaimed by Dan (“If I could show you the top of the world / All of the things I’ve seen / Every long and winding road / All that I gave up to get what I’ve got / Maybe you’d understand / Why I’m never gonna stop”); and the sound of the saxophone brings a “Michael Bolton” vibe to Give it All, an 80’s-inspired, mellow rockin’ tune where Pete and Jono dictate the pace with their classic kitchen. It’s pedal to the metal as Striker will kick you in the head in Blood Magic, again showcasing their always catchy choruses and the beautiful heaviness of their guitars and drums, whereas Sucks to Suck keeps the adrenaline flowing in the album, a nice tune with a chorus that is as cheesy as hell (but that should work really well if played live).

Back to a more direct Heavy Metal sonority form their early records we have Ready for Anything, where Dan kicks some ass on vocals as usual supported by his bandmates’ classic backing vocals, making it impossible not to headbang nonstop to such electrifying tune. Once again paying a visit to the Sunset Strip in California, the band fires City Calling, proving how versatile their music can be, with Pete sounding ruthless armed with his thunderous, metallic bass; and let’s keep this Rock N’ Roll party going in Turn the Lights Out, where the guitars by Tim and John exhale heaviness and melody while Jono keeps hammering his drums in great fashion. Then we’re treated to Thunderdome, their personal tribute to the 1985 cult movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, presenting a pounding rhythm led by the crushing beats by Jono, while Dan and his henchmen keep roaring the famous movie line “two men enter, one man leaves”, whereas Live to Fight Another Day is another AOR/Melodic Rock-infused creation by the band, sounding as if it was taken from one of those teen movies from the 80’s, with Dan delivering the goods with his powerful vocals. Finally, closing the horn-raising Ultrapower we’re treated to Brawl at the Pub, a no shenanigans, classic Striker hymn where the heaviness of their riffs and beats matches perfectly with the soaring vocals by Dan, all complemented by a beyond powerful guitar solo.

“Ultrapower is the amalgamation of 5 years of writing and exploring music. With influences from AOR to Speed Metal, Hardcore to Hair Metal, Steely Dan to Deathcore, you name it, it made its way into the album. In the end with the help of Josh Schroeder’s guiding hand, we melted it all together to present something uniquely Striker. Lyrically we’ve stuck to the Striker tradition of writing montage songs for movies that don’t exist, songs about our spiraling serfdom, and lyrics about the evils that lurk in the shadows,” commented the band about their new album, also saying that “we wanted the album artwork to represent how we feel as a band right now. We are an engine that is fired up and ready to roll. We’re made of metal and our circuits gleam.” Hence, in order to join Striker in their quest for Heavy Metal, you can start following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, subscribe to their YouTube channel, stream their music on Spotify, and purchase a copy of the hard-hitting Ultrapower by clicking HERE. Striker are more-than-ready to show us all the power of heavy music with Ultrapower, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride with one of the best (of the best of the best) bands of the current Canadian landscape.

Best moments of the album: Circle of Evil, BEST of the BEST of the BEST, Ready for Anything and Brawl at the Pub.

Worst moments of the album: Sucks to Suck.

Released in 2024 Record Breaking Records

Track listing
1. Circle of Evil 3:44
2. BEST of the BEST of the BEST 3:19
3. Give it All 4:14
4. Blood Magic 4:35
5. Sucks to Suck 3:15
6. Ready for Anything 3:56
7. City Calling 3:45
8. Turn the Lights Out 2:49
9. Thunderdome 4:01
10. Live to Fight Another Day 4:00
11. Brawl at the Pub 3:47

Band members
Dan Cleary – vocals
Tim Brown – guitar
John Simon Fallon – guitar
Pete Klassen – bass

Guest musician
Jono Webster – drums (session)

Album Review – Mental Cruelty / Zwielicht (2023)

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A German Blackened Deathcore outfit arises from chaos with their fourth studio album, pushing the band’s sound to new blacker intensities.

Rising from the ashes of personal and professional chaos, Karlsruhe, Germany-based Blackened Deathcore outfit Mental Cruelty has been blasting our ears with their incendiary fusion of Black Metal, Symphonic Black Metal, Symphonic Deathcore and Brutal Deathcore since their inception in 2016, becoming standard-bearers for the sound in Europe. Now in 2023 the band currently formed of newcomer Lukas Nicolai on vocals, Nahuel Lozano and Marvin Kessler on the guitars, Viktor Dick on bass and Danny Straßer on drums returns in full force with Zwielicht, or “twilight” in German, the fourth studio album in their career. Mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder at Random Awesome! Recording Studio, and displaying a classy artwork by Mariusz Lewandowski (R.I.P.), the album pushes the band’s sound to new blacker intensities forged in emotional riffing, heavy “back to the roots” breakdowns, and epic orchestral arrangements that surpass the already elite standards that have become synonymous with their name, being highly recommended for fans of Lorna Shore, Ingested and Vulvodynia, just to name a few.

The cinematic intro Midtvinter will embrace your soul and take you to Mental Cruelty’s demonic lair for all eternity, exploding into Obsessis a Daemonio (or “possessed by a demon” in Latin), where Lukas sounds truly possessed on vocals while Danny smashes his drums nonstop, all spiced up by grandiose, epic background sounds in a flawless fusion of Symphonic Black Metal and Deathcore. As imposing and sinister as the previous track, Nahuel and Marvin continue to deliver sheer aggressiveness and insanity through their riffs in Forgotten Kings, another pulverizing creation by the quintet; whereas not a single space is left empty in Pest thanks to the rumbling bass by Viktor and the stone crushing beats by Danny, making a beautiful paradox with the orchestral and symphonic elements in the background. Then drinking form the same Stygian fountain as Lorna Shore we have Nordlys (“Northern Lights” in Norwegian and Danish), offering more of the demonic, enraged roars by Lukas and sounding absolutely grim and infernal form start to finish.

Leaning towards pure Symphonic Black Metal, the band will darken the skies in Mortal Shells, showcasing their always thunderous kitchen supporting the venomous riffs by Nahuel and Marvin, whereas the interlude Zwielicht brings to our ears an embracing dosage of poetry declaimed in German by Lukas, before the band takes our minds and souls by storm with Symphony of a Dying Star, bringing forward more of their undisputed hybrid of Black Metal and Deathcore with symphonic elements, sounding absolutely thrilling from start to finish with Danny stealing the show with his demolishing drums. In The Arrogance of Agony we’re treated to wicked lyrics (“The glance of death as I look into the mirror / The faceless staring back at me can’t recognize this person / This is something that I used to be”) amidst a solid display of extreme music, followed by the breathtaking A Tale of Salt and Light, offering us all one final round of their poetic words (“Blessed are the ones who walk the salty desert / Blessed are the ones who conquer their fear in the ocean / Every second I battle the current / Swim against the whim of nature / Hunters of the deep circle of my path / Hopes washed away by the pull of the tide”) while the band’s guitar duo keeps slashing our ears with their riffs and solos, resulting in a climatic conclusion to such diverse and vibrant album.

“Let us embrace a new era of darkness by bringing the ‘black’ into blackened heavy music. Join us on the way down to infernal gates of hell to be rebirthed back to life. The album will contain the most mind-bending variety of different heavy musical influences and sounds. Epic symphonic orchestras accompanied by slam breakdowns; this will have it all. Inspired from metaphors written by nature, death, and inner demons,” the band commented about their newborn beast, available for a full listen on YouTube and on Spotify, and you can purchase a copy of it by clicking HERE or HERE, not to mention the guys from Mental Cruelty are also eagerly waiting for your feedback on their music on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube. Just like the name of the album, the music by Mental Cruelty perfectly depicts the feeling we all sense during twilight, as their music gets darker and darker while there’s still fragments of light in our sight throughout the album, and may this new version of the band keep on delivering amazing albums like Zwielicht to us fans of heavy music for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Obsessis a Daemonio, Symphony of a Dying Star and A Tale of Salt and Light.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2023 Century Media

Track listing
1. Midtvinter 1:43
2. Obsessis a Daemonio 5:07
3. Forgotten Kings 5:57
4. Pest 5:52
5. Nordlys 5:19
6. Mortal Shells 6:11
7. Zwielicht 1:33
8. Symphony of a Dying Star 4:11
9. The Arrogance of Agony 5:22
10. A Tale of Salt and Light 7:31

Band members
Lukas Nicolai – vocals
Nahuel Lozano – guitars
Marvin Kessler – guitars
Viktor Dick – bass
Danny Straßer – drums

Album Review – Ov Sulfur / The Burden ov Faith (2023)

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Behold the debut album by this Las Vegas-based Blackened Deathcore beast, overflowing blasphemy, sulfur and obscurity.

The sound of a musical left-hand path that is nothing short of sonically jarring, lyrically blasphemous and utterly epic in its delivery, Las Vegas, Nevada-based Blackened Deathcore entity Ov Sulfur has just unleashed upon humanity their first full-length opus, entitled The Burden ov Faith, the follow-up to their 2021 debut EP Oblivion. Engineered, mixed and mastered by Josh Schroeder and produced by Morgoth Beatz, the album challenges the genre’s conventions while inviting comparisons to Dimmu Borgir or Behemoth in their prime, with an ominous sense of melody dotting the dark musical landscapes brought into being by frontman Ricky Hoover (Suffokate), guitarist Chase Wilson (Collisions, Sigil), bassist Ding (Efnisien) and drummer Leviathvn (Empyrean Throne, Dawn of Ashes, Deadcheck, Urilia), supported by an array of magnificent guest musicians the likes of Alex Terrible (Slaughter To Prevail) and Howard Jones (Killswitch Engage, Light The Torch).

It’s hell on earth in just a few seconds in the opening tune Stained in Rot, with Ricky already growling like a beast while Leviathvn dictates the song’s demented pace in a lecture in Blackened Deathcore by the quartet; and the band continues to pulverize our ears in Befouler, featuring the aforementioned Alex Terrible on guest vocals, with Ricky’s inhumane roars walking hand in hand with the heavy-as-hell riffage by Chase. Then we have Unraveling, featuring Taylor Barber (Left to Suffer) as a guest vocalist while epic background keys add an extra touch of sulfur to the music. Needless to say, Ding’s bass and Leviathvn’s drums sound infernal from start to finish, which is also the case in Death ov Circumstance, where its wicked lyrics (“The sky above is cloaked in endless dark / Ashes, once life, coat the lungs ov all those in sight / What a foul stench – that ov charred innocence”) spice up an already venomous sonority, or in other words, it’s demonic Deathcore at its finest; whereas hellish barks, piercing riffs and whimsical background orchestrations and sounds will embrace your soul in Earthen.

After the atmospheric, enfolding interlude A Path to Salvation?, the band will crush our senses with the grandiose I, Apostate, where Ricky showcases not only his deep guttural roars, but he also delivers more devilish Black Metal-inspired screeches, sounding perfect for breaking our necks headbanging. Poetic lyrics are darkly screamed by the duo formed of Ricky and guest Howard Jones in Wide Open (“One of us, accept your feelings / One of us, let go of it all / One of us, this is the real truth / One of us, break their control over you”), while Chase, Ding and Leviathvn are merciless armed with their sonic weapons in the most sulfurous of all songs. Their second to last breath of darkness and blasphemy comes in the form of The Inglorious Archetype, with the massive drums by Leviathvn and the visceral roars by Ricky sounding awesome despite the fact that the song loses its punch after a while; and lastly, featuring guests Kyle Medina (Bodysnatcher) and Lindsay Schoolcraft (Cradle of Filth), the title-track The Burden ov Faith is a spot-on depiction of everything the band stands for, with the charming vocals by Lyndsay bringing some peace to our hearts amidst the band’s metallic savagery.

Such incendiary album can be appreciated in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you should purchase your favorite copy of The Burden ov Faith by clicking HERE, and don’t forget to also follow the band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. Ov Sulfur offer us all in their debut opus everything we love in this type of music, sounding absolutely devilish, caustic and blasphemous from start to finish, paving the band’s path to the underworld and, therefore, placing them among one of the new driving forces of the current Deathcore scene worldwide.

Best moments of the album: Stained in Rot, Death ov Circumstance and Wide Open.

Worst moments of the album: The Inglorious Archetype.

Released in 2023 Century Media

Track listing
1. Stained in Rot 4:14
2. Befouler 3:43
3. Unraveling 4:46
4. Death ov Circumstance 4:33
5. Earthen 5:24
6. A Path to Salvation? 1:13
7. I, Apostate 4:40
8. Wide Open 5:07
9. The Inglorious Archetype 3:46
10. The Burden ov Faith 6:50

Band members
Ricky Hoover – vocals
Chase Wilson – guitars
Ding – bass
Leviathvn – drums

Guest musicians
Alex Terrible – vocals on “Befouler”
Taylor Barber – vocals on “Unraveling”
Howard Jones – vocals on “Wide Open”
Kyle Medina – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”
Lindsay Schoolcraft – vocals on “The Burden ov Faith”

Album Review – Lorna Shore / Pain Remains (2022)

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One of the most explosive names of the current Deathcore scene invites us all to dance like flames in a sea of fire to the sound of their newborn masterpiece.

Hailing from New Jersey, in the United States, the unrelenting Progressive/Symphonic Deathcore outfit Lorna Shore has been making a name for themselves since their inception back in 2009, but it’s now in 2022 with their newborn masterpiece Pain Remains that we can say without a shadow of a doubt they’ve reached a whole new level of awesomeness. Produced, mastered, mixed, and engineered by Josh Schroeder, Pain Remains is the fourth studio album in their career and the first to feature frontman Will Ramos, guitarist Andrew O’Connor and bassist Michael Yager, who together with guitarist Adam De Micco and drummer Austin Archey are simply setting new standards in the world of rock and metal music, sounding absolutely heavy, caustic and sinister while at the same time epic and beautiful throughout the album’s 60 minutes of top-of-the-line Deathcore infused with symphonic and old school death nuances. Put differently, you’re in for a treat with Pain Remains, an album that will certainly place Lorna Shore as one of the driving forces of modern-day metal music worldwide, and that will certainly feature among the best releases of the year.

A stunning opening tune, Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer showcases poetic lyrics roared by Will (“Open your mind, let it consume / Your flesh dissolve within the infinite / The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of all / Their nightmares”) while the music is a gripping fusion of progressiveness, epicness and rage; and Austin decimates his drums in the pulverizing Into the Earth, supported by the flammable riffs by Adam and Andrew in a bestial display of Symphonic Deathcore. Sun//Eater is another tune with a serene, introspective start before all hell breaks loose to the demonic gnarls by Will, sounding and feeling dense, technical and infernal from start to finish, with its guitar solos being a thing of beauty, making an instant bridge with the imposing Cursed to Die (a song about the creation of life, bringing upon the idea that maybe the figure we see as ‘god’ is no different than what we already are) where the band hammers our heads with their wall of sounds spearheaded by the blast beats by Austin and the rumbling bass by Michael. And less intense but just as heavy and obscure, Soulless Existence offers us all a lesson in Progressive Metal where Will keeps screaming manically from the bottom of his blackened heart, all spiced up by the song’s epic background keys.

In Apotheosis the background choir sounds marvelous, adding an extra touch of obscurity to the band’s venomous Deathcore while also presenting a great job done on the guitars and drums, offering Will exactly what he needs to growl nonstop; whereas in Wrath we’re treated to more of their wicked words barked by Will (“Behold displacement, cremation / Rising from devastation / From embers of creation unto death / All shall return”) masterfully embraced by an unstoppable sonic attack by his bandmates, or in other words, it’s Symphonic Deathcore played to perfection. Then get ready for a truly unique experience to the superb “Pain Remains Trilogy”, which begins with Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames, where the sound of the falling rain enfolds our souls before exploding into visceral, caustic Deathcore. Moreover, Austin is simply fantastic behind his drums, leading his bandmates until the music flows into Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear, even more violent and crushing than the first part, with Will being on absolute fire throughout the entire song as well as the band’s guitar duo with their razor-edged riffs and solos. Then closing the trilogy (and the album) we have Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire, another masterpiece by Lorna Shore where the energy emanating from the music is immensurable, and don’t forget to check the official videos for the trilogy in the correct order to be properly hypnotized by their depth, their emotions and, of course, by their incredible music.

You can dive deep into the ocean of first-class Deathcore blasted by Lorna Shore in Pain Remains by listening to the album in its entirety on YouTube and on Spotify, and also by following such skillful band on Facebook and on Instagram for news, tour dates and so on. In addition, above all that, you should definitely grab your favorite version of Pain Remains by clicking HERE, adding to your personal collection one of the deepest and most dynamic albums of the past few years. Having said all that, let’s simply dance like flames in a sea of fire to the sound of Pain Remains, resting assured that as long as Lorna Shore keep delivering first-class music like what’s found in their new album, Deathcore will forever remain strong.

Best moments of the album: Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer, Wrath, and obviously the “Pain Remains Trilogy” comprised of Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames, Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear and Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2022 Century Media

Track listing
1. Welcome Back, O’ Sleeping Dreamer 7:21
2. Into the Earth 5:12
3. Sun//Eater 6:10
4. Cursed to Die 4:40
5. Soulless Existence 7:12
6. Apotheosis 4:54
7. Wrath 4:57
8. Pain Remains I: Dancing Like Flames 5:52
9. Pain Remains II: After All I’ve Done, I’ll Disappear 5:36
10. Pain Remains III: In a Sea of Fire 9:12

Band members
Will Ramos – vocals
Adam De Micco – guitar
Andrew O’Connor – guitar
Michael Yager – bass
Austin Archey – drums