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Album Review – Kerry King / From Hell I Rise (2024)

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Like a demon arising from hell, the iconic Kerry King returns to action armed with his debut solo album alongside a stellar lineup in a lesson in both old school and modern-day Thrash Metal.

When you put together Slayer’s indomitable, iconic guitarist Kerry King, the fantastic vocalist Mark Osegueda of Death Angel, former Vio-lence and Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders, and Slayer and former Testament, Forbidden and Exodus drummer Paul Bostaph, you know it’s going to be an extremely heavy, evil and violent feast of Thrash Metal. That’s exactly what you’ll get in Kerry King’s debut solo album From Hell I Rise, his first material since disbanding Slayer back in 2019. Produced by Josh Wilbur, the album sounds like Slayer without being Slayer, bringing to our avid ears an overdose of caustic riffs, soaring vocals and blast beats, or in other words, a must-listen for fans of both old school and modern-day Bay Area Thrash. Well, just take a look at the album’s demonic artwork and you’ll quickly realize Mr. Kerry King and his henchmen are not among us to bring peace nor hope.

As soon as you hit play you’ll face Diablo, a beyond electrifying intro to the album, almost working as a full song, opening the gates of hell for the quintet to attack us all in Where I Reign, a lecture in contemporary Thrash Metal where Mark’s vocals sound incendiary, while the scorching riffs by Kerry and Phil will penetrate deep inside our skin. Residue is a heavy-as-hell extravaganza by the band that delivers sheer aggression in the form of obscure, grim guitars and the always hammering drums by Paul; followed by Idle Hands, the first single of the album, offering the perfect fusion of the music by Slayer and Death Angel, with of course the trio formed of Kerry, Mark and Paul blasting our cranial skulls with their infuriated sounds. Trophies of the Tyrant is another late Slayer-inspired tune where the groovy kitchen by Kyle and Paul add endless density to the overall result, all spiced up by Kerry’s trademark solos, whereas Crucifixation, the longest of all songs from the album, is a hurricane of acid Thrash Metal, with Paul taking the lead with his inhumane beats while the band’s guitar duo slashes their stringed axes nonstop. And Tension sounds like a song taken from Diabolus in Musica or God Hates Us All, being very modern while still showcasing Kerry’s characteristic old school sound, albeit not as exciting as the other songs.

Everything I Hate About You is a bestial display of Thrash Metal by the band where Mark sounds possessed on vocals, resulting in one minute and twenty seconds of pure insanity that will ignite some demented circle pits during their live concerts, flowing into the also headbanging, groovy Toxic, where Mark once again roars and barks like a creature from the underworld, keeping the album at a humongous level of violence. Then flirting with the Groove Metal played by bands like Lamb of God while also showcasing strong elements from Mark’s own band Death Angel we have Two Fists, not to mention the sound of the guitars is simply striking; whereas a song by Kerry King named Rage doesn’t need a lot of explanation, as it’s pure riff-driven Thrash Metal with endless animosity and, of course, rage flowing form Mark’s raspy vocals. Paul keeps pounding his drums in great fashion in Shrapnel, with the band offering an avalanche of wicked riffs and deep vocals, being therefore perfect for slamming into the pit while they craft one of the most detailed sounds of the whole album. And lastly, we’re treated to the perfect way to conclude the album, the title-track From Hell I Rise, an incendiary, frantic and heavy tune just the way we like it in classic thrash, with Kerry and Paul making an insane duo with their riffs and beats.

This beast of an album can be appreciated in full album on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course if you want to put your dirty, evil hands on it you can grab a copy of it by clicking HERE or HERE, or click HERE for all things Kerry King, including the links to his own Facebook and Instagram. Just like a phoenix arising form the ashes, or maybe I should say a demon arising from hell, Kerry King returns to the battlefield with his striking debut solo album, and hopefully he’ll keep delivering awesome music like what’s found in the album in the near future (even if Slayer are back for good), because with a stellar lineup like what he’s put together we can rest assure all hell will break loose to the sound of his visceral thrash.

Best moments of the album: Where I Reign, Idle Hands, Everything I Hate About You and From Hell I Rise.

Worst moments of the album: Tension.

Released in 2024 Reigning Phoenix Music

Track listing
1. Diablo 1:54
2. Where I Reign 3:51
3. Residue 4:40
4. Idle Hands 3:45
5. Trophies of the Tyrant 3:33
6. Crucifixation 5:15
7. Tension 2:48
8. Everything I Hate About You 1:21
9. Toxic 3:54
10. Two Fists 3:37
11. Rage 3:25
12. Shrapnel 5:01
13. From Hell I Rise 3:33

Band members
Mark Osegueda – vocals
Kerry King – guitars
Phil Demmel – guitars
Kyle Sanders – bass
Paul Bostaph – drums

Album Review – Wolfheart / Draconian Darkness (2024)

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Finnish frontrunners of icy Melodic Death Metal return with the musical embodiment of frigid, dark winter nights that, while terrifying and foreboding, reveal the majestic power and beauty of the natural world.

Finnish frontrunners of icy Melodic Death Metal, the unstoppable Lahti, Päijät-Häme-based Wolfheart, are preparing to unleash their latest album, Draconian Darkness, taking every aspect of the band’s trademark sound of colossal melodies, growling vocals, and driving drum rhythms to searing new levels. Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios, the follow-up to their 2022 album King of the North is the musical embodiment of frigid, dark winter nights that, while terrifying and foreboding, reveal the majestic power and beauty of the natural world, all carefully brought into being by Tuomas Saukkonen on vocals and guitars, Vageliss Karzis on lead guitars and clean vocals, Lauri Silvonen on bass and backing vocals, and Joonas Kauppinen on drums.

An imposing, epic start gradually evolves into the metallic feast Ancient Cold, with all background orchestrations adding an extra touch of epicness to the heavy and technical sounds blasted by Tuomas & Co., whereas Joonas pounds his drums in the name of Melodic Death Metal in Evenfall, with their riffs matching perfectly with the deep roars by Tuomas, or in other words, it’s a beautiful song from the North. It’s then pedal to the metal in the just as heavy and multi-layered Burning Sky, where the riffage by Tuomas and Vageliss will pierce your mind like an arrow on fire; while slowing things down but sounding just as melodic we have Death Leads the Way, presenting nice headbanging riffs complemented by the classic drums by Joonas. And in Scion of the Flame the band brings elements from Symphonic Metal to their core Melodic Death Metal, resulting in a very detailed and epic song tailored for fans of Finnish melodeath.

Back to their more vicious sonority, it’s time for the violent Grave, a metal assault showcasing harsh lyrics (“Cross breed of pure violence and virtuous flesh / Driven by the principle of wrath / Overfeed the senses / Let the cancer cells devour / Cranial nerves under profusion of information”) and endless electricity, and their razor-edged guitars will keep cutting our skin deep in Throne of Bones, while Lauri and Joonas fill out every space left in the air with their rumbling bass and drums. It’s not as exciting as the other songs, though, but still really enjoyable. Then in Trial by Fire the quartet once again delivers a high-octane, groovy and incendiary Melodic Death Metal feast where Tuomas deeply roars supported by his bandmates until the very last second. Lastly, we face The Gale, starting in a serene and soothing manner in paradox with the rest of the album, and alternating between more violent moments and pure acoustic sounds, putting a charming yet strong ending to the album.

The guys from Wolfheart are waiting to show you all the glory of the North, and you can join them by following the band on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their official YouTube channel, by streaming their music on Spotify, and of course by purchasing a copy of the excellent Draconian Darkness by clicking HERE. Melodic Death Metal will always be one of the best genres to translate the harsh yet alluring cold of the winter into music, and the unstoppable Wolfheart are offering exactly that in their powerful and enfolding new album.

Best moments of the album: Evenfall, Burning Sky and Grave.

Worst moments of the album: Throne of Bones.

Released in 2024 Reigning Phoenix Music

Track listing
1. Ancient Cold 5:37
2. Evenfall 4:03
3. Burning Sky 4:15
4. Death Leads the Way 3:22
5. Scion of the Flame 4:01
6. Grave 4:22
7. Throne of Bones 5:28
8. Trial by Fire 3:53
9. The Gale 4:28

Band members
Tuomas Saukkonen – vocals, guitars
Vageliss Karzis – lead guitars, clean vocals
Lauri Silvonen – bass, backing vocals
Joonas Kauppinen – drums

Album Review – Orden Ogan / The Order Of Fear (2024)

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One of the torchbearers of German Power Metal is back with their seventh album, continuing their saga with a particularly triumphant lesson in dark metal music.

A standout in the Power Metal genre and a crucial part of the international metal scene since their 2008 debut album Vale, Arnsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s own Power Metal warriors Orden Ogan are back with their latest epic The Order of Fear, their seventh studio opus, continuing their saga with a particularly triumphant lesson in dark metal music in a Hollywood-style story. Recorded, mixed and mastered by the band’s frontman Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann at Greenman Studios, and displaying a classy artwork by Dan Goldsworthy (Aborted, Corpsegrinder, Accept, Alestorm, Cradle of Filth, Gloryhammer, and many more), The Order of Fear seamlessly fits into the band’s impressive catalog, showcasing all the dexterity and passion for heavy music by the aforementioned Seeb on vocals alongside Niels Löffler and Patrick Sperling on the guitars, Steven Wussow on bass, and Dirk Meyer-Berhorn on drums.

In the opener Kings of the Underworld there’s no intro, nor any moments of peace; it’s a fast-paced, no-shenanigans Power Metal attack right from the beginning led by the classic drums by Dirk while their guitars sound absolutely striking and vibrant. Then the title-track The Order of Fear offers an overdose of whimsical lyrics declaimed by Seeb (“I heard the king is dead / Now others reign instead / Pulling the strings in the dark of the day / Abel, my good old friend / Through shadows we descend / He’ll follow me to the end of the way”) while the music is a well-balanced mix of Heavy and Power Metal, followed by Moon Fire, another solid and entertaining creation by the band bringing forward traditional Power Metal with some additional background elements, adding a more epic vibe to it. Then an acoustic, gentle start gradually morphs into a galloping sound in Conquest, with once again Dirk pounding his drums accompanied by the metallic bass by Steven, whereas the fast riffage by Niels and Patrick set the tone in Blind Man, a fun and thrilling Power Metal extravaganza that should work really well if played live.

The second half of the album offers more of their metal hymns, starting with Prince of Sorrow, with Seeb kicking some ass on vocals as usual while the riffs by the band’s guitar duo sound striking, followed by Dread Lord, which tries to be epic but ends up being cheesy and generic, although the riffs and solos by Niels and Patrick are once again very pleasant. It’s then time for a stunning power ballad titled My Worst Enemy, led by the passionate vocals by Seeb, bringing a touch of finesse to the album; and speeding things up again the band delivers the electrifying Anthem to the Darkside, alternating between heavier moments and more melodic passages, with Dirk kicking some serious ass behind his drums. Finally, the interlude The Journey Thus Far offers a dark narration that will take you on a wild musical journey titled The Long Darkness, with Seeb leading his henchmen in a melodious, epic and charming song where all backing vocals enhance the power of his own vocals, offering over eight minutes of classic Orden Ogan by bringing forward their trademark riffs and bass lines, pounding drums and soaring vocals, also ending in a climatic and epic way.

“The album is much more stripped down,” commented Seeb. “It is to the point, more metallic, direct, and perhaps ‘authentic’. The guitars are more in the foreground, but of course, it didn’t work entirely without orchestral elements,” he complemented, and if you want to experience that more metallic side of the band you can grab a copy of the album by clicking HERE, also keeping in mind that soon this ten-song cinematic story will be available in a reading version through the official Orden Ogan fan club. You can also find more information about the band and the album, and of course more of their music, on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Spotify, joining the band in their quest for Power Metal. In a nutshell, the saga goes on in The Order Of Fear, an album that will surely please all fans of the band, therefore leaving everyone eager for the next chapter in the metallic book by one of the torchbearers of German Power Metal.

Best moments of the album: Kings of the Underworld, Blind Man and Anthem to the Darkside.

Worst moments of the album: Dread Lord.

Released in 2024 Reigning Phoenix Music

Track listing
1. Kings of the Underworld 3:58
2. The Order of Fear 4:26
3. Moon Fire 4:14
4. Conquest 4:12
5. Blind Man 3:52
6. Prince of Sorrow 4:02
7. Dread Lord 3:33
8. My Worst Enemy 3:28
9. Anthem to the Darkside 7:09
10. The Journey Thus Far 0:54
11. The Long Darkness 8:21

Band members
Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann – vocals
Niels Löffler – guitars
Patrick Sperling – guitars
Steven Wussow – bass
Dirk Meyer-Berhorn – drums