Metallian Heavy

Canada-based PLAGUE WEAVER has an upcoming demo called Ascendant Blasphemy due to be unleashed soon. The band specialized in black metal.

Horror Pain Gore Death has a split release for SEROTONIN LEAKAGE and CHARCUTERIE.

Spain-based technical death metal band WORMED has a video for the track Bionic Relic, which is taken from the act’s 2019 EP Metaportal.

Sweden-based PARANORM’s Empyrean album is out through Redefining Darkness Records on 26.02.2021.

The international death metal band CAMBION has a single, called Cities Of Brass, from its upcoming debut album Conflagrate The Celestial Refugium, which is due for release through Lavadome Productions in March 2021.

The 16th issue of Romania-based fanzine Slowly We Rot is out now. It includes a CD. One could order it at https://slowlywerot.miiduu.com.

Hailing from Toronto, Canada, solo act MALICE DIVINE has a debut self-titled, full-length demo coming February 19th. The Music is compared to IMMORTAL.

Canada-based black metal act MAUDIIR has a new demo called La Part Du Diable. It is out on February 19th.

Finland-based LIVING INFERNO, featuring former WHITEMOUR members, has released a video for the song Paradise Lost. Following WHITEMOUR’s break-up Kristian, Juha and Juho decided to continue in a new band formed in 2020.

BREAKDOWN, which was based in Brazil, has been resurrected by Leo in Ireland. The man is recruiting members.

Brazil-based DROWNED has a demo called Confinement By Sickness (The Quarantine Sessions).

USA-based SINIRA is issuing its debut album The Everlorn through Northern Silence Productions this month.

I AM MORBID, the band featuring former MORBID ANGEL members David Vincent and Tim Yeung (drums) will commemorate the 30th anniversary of MORBID ANGEL’s second album, Blessed Are The Sick, with a European tour in September.

Former CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman and guitarist and BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT man Alexi Laiho died in late December at his home after years of health issues including the effects of alcoholism.

CRYPTOSIS’ debut album Bionic Swarm hits the stores on March 26th. The album shall be released by Century Media Records. The band has a video for the song Transcendence.

Germany-based deathrash metal act DAWN AHEAD has signed with Art Gates Records. Originally founded back in 2012, the band has two releases under its belts and will issue its debut album Fallen Anthems on March 19th.

Time To Kill Records and NATRON shall release Hung, Drawn And Quartered, the band’s debut album, which was originally released through Headfucker Records in late 1997, on vinyl.

Brazilian/German death metal quartet INCARCERATION has a video for Psychic Totality. The band will be releasing an EP, called Empiricism worldwide on April 16th. This was also the name of a BORKNAGAR album.

Spain-based PERENNIAL ISOLATION is following the 2016- CD Epiphanies Of The Orphaned Light with Portraits, which will be released through Non Serviam Records on March 26.

In advance of the release of the newly remastered version of their debut album Opening The Hell Gates, FULCI and Time To Kill Records premiere the new single Paura. This instrumental song was inspired by the soundtrack of City Of The Living Dead/Paura Nella Città Dei Morti Viventi, a 1980 Italian supernatural horror film directed by Lucio Fulci.

Music Records’ thrashers DEAD TREE SEEDS have a video for the song Wailing Wall from the Push The Button album.

CANNIBAL ACCIDENT’s Nekrokluster album will be released through Time To Kill on 26.02.2021.

Metal/mallcore act PATHFINDERS has signed with Music-Records for the release of its first album Ares Vallis in April.

PAGANDOM will issue its third album, called Ashes, through Gain/Sony in late February. PAGANDOM recorded Ashes at Studio Fredman witrh Fredrik Nordström and at Hell´s Island by Martin Carlsson in 2020. It was mixed by Martin Carlsson.

Yet another project: BORSTAL is a hardcore band featuring Nick Barker (BRUJERIA, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, ex-DIMMU BORGIR, etc.), Pierre Mendivil (KNUCKLEDUST) and members of DRIPBACK and KING OF PIGS. The act has a song called Vicious Circles and will issue the At Her Majesty’s Pleasure EP through 4Family Records in April.

ZEBADIAH CROWE’s Lych Milk demo is due out in February.

Brazil-based thrash metal band METALOMANIACS has its first English demo, Last Day On Earth.

WOLVENCROWN shall release a new EP, called A Shadow Of What Once Was, through Clobber Records on Feb 26th.

OKRÜTNIK’s Legion Antychrysta is out through Ossuary Records since November. The band is compared to early BATHORY.

Inspired by KEEL? UK-based white metal band DETRITUS is back and has a demo called Myths through its own imprint Embryo Industries. Somewhat logically the band is Christian.

HELL-BORN has a lyric video for the single Blakk Metal, which features BEHEMOTH‘s Nergal. It is taken from the Natas Liah album.

RETCHED, featuring solo artist David DerMinasian, has a demo single called Horrific. He is working on a full-length of thrashy material. This is the follow-up to the heavy metal release, The Overlord Messiah, from 1988.

Everlasting Spew Records has signed TURRIS EBURNEA and issued the band’s self-titled EP. The band is compared to GORGUTS.

MEMORIAM will release its fourth album, To The End, through Reaper Entertainment in March.

Sri Lanka-based LUCIFERIANOMETH has a demo called The Command Of Lucifer’s Heart. There are only fifty copies of the CD printed. The band is compared to IMMORTAL.

Malta-based band MARTYRIUM has a new album called Lamia Satanica through Art Gates Records on 19.03.2021. Sandra Misanthrope is back in the band.

OMEGA DIATRIBE changed its drummer following the release of the Metanoia album After a relatively short career in the band, Richard Szpuszenik’s job has been taken over by Daniel Szabo now. The man is known from EKTOMORF and BLOODY ROOTS.

CELESTIAL SANCTUARY’s Soul Diminished is out through Church Road Records. The young band is billed as death metal.

Fifteen years in the making US-based IERAACHY has a self-titled full-length demo. The band was on hiatus between 2010 and 2018.

NECRONOMICON‘s new album The Final Chapter is out through Total Metal Records. The band has international members now and features Rik Charron (ex-EXCITER) on the drums and Glen Shannon on lead guitar.

Nuclear Blast has announced the signing of GO AHEAD AND DIE. The band features singer and guitarist Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and ex-SEPULTURA), his son Igor Amadeus Cavalera and drummer Zach Coleman.

Portugal-based death metal act INEPTITUDE has a demo since 2020 called Rageful.

Everlasting Spew is issuing CONSTRUCT OF LETHE’s Corpsegod and TURRIS EBURNEA’s self-titled record.


Metallian Hard

WATCHMAN is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist, producer and audio engineer Roy Waterford. Drawing inspiration from BLACK SABBATH, ELECTRIC WIZARD, and SLEEP among others, his debut full-length demo Doom Of Babylon is out in the summer. The man had a 2020 demo called Behold A Pale Horse.

ROYAL HUNT’s Dystopia was released through King Records in December.

HELSTAR will release a new album, entitled Clad In Black, through Massacre Records on 26.02.2021.

Fascism ahoy: Right-wing musician Jon Schaffer of ICED EARTH was part of the mob attacking the USA Capitol and is under investigation by the FBI. He was photographed bearing the insignia of a cult called Oath Keepers. ICED EARTH guitarist Jon Schaffer subsequently surrendered to the FBI and is in custody. He will be extradited to Washington DC where he broke the law.

WHITESNAKE has another covers album. This one focuses on blues. The Blues Album is the third and final release in the band's Red, White And Blues trilogy.

SKYLINER is back this time with a demo. It is called Dark Rivers, White Thunder.

Detroit-based ‘80s hard rock act ROULETTE is releasing two old recordings as albums, Pre-Loaded and Reloaded, through FnA Records. Pre-loaded was recorded in ’88-’89 and is more of a Joe Moder solo album where he played every instrument on the album. Re-loaded stems from ’89-’90 and was recorded as a full band.

GRAHAM BONNET is recording a new studio album with new members Conrad Pesinato (guitar), Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Mark Zonder (drums) currently. Don Airey is also a guest member.

Sylvain Mizrahi, a.k.a. Sylvain Sylvain, songwriter and founding member of the NEW YORK DOLLS died in January 13th at the age of 69. He had cancer.

Tim Bogert, bassist and founding member of VANILLA FUDGE and CACTUS, has died at age 76.

Singer JORN LANDE will compete in Norway's Eurovision national contest, Melodi Grand Prix.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the band's second album, Slave To The Grind on a U.S. tour this autumn. His solo band will play the album back to back.

NIGHTWISH's bassist Marko "Marco" Hietala has announced his departure from the opera rock act. His heart has not been into it. The band intends to go on tour with a session bassist.

Incendium and Heavy Metal magazine have announced a comic book series called Crystal Planet, which is created by JOE SATRIANI and Ned Evett.

EVERGREY will release its next album, entitled Escape Of The Phoenix, through AFM on 26.02.2021.

Sweden-based ELECTRIC BOYS will release a new album, entitled Ups!de Down, through Mighty Music in April.

SMITH/KOTZEN, the project of Adrian Smith and Richie Kotzen, will release its self-titled debut album through BMG on 26.03.2021.

Nuclear Blast Records has signed SILVER LAKE, the solo project of AMORPHIS guitarist Esa Holopainen.

BATTLE BEAST has re-signed With Nuclear Blast. Singer NOORA LOUHIMO will release a solo album in March.

The Netherlands-based heavy metal act DANGEROUS TIMES FOR THE DEAD has a self-titled demo out. The band has a single called Storm The Castle.

How will the enemies of the USA laugh now that the dotard is gone?


Metallian Demos

NIHILRAGE - ETERNAL
This is a debut EP by the Spanish metallers and features four songs plus an intro. The original cover art of the EP, featuring a whole lot of skulls, was subject to some controversy as it was said to have ‘extraordinary similarity’ to a previous illustration and has since been changed. The one-minute intro, appropriately called Intro, doesn't provide any hints as to the songs to come. It is mellow and even relaxing. Merciless War starts as standard death metal that has become somewhat rare in recent years. Growls and riffs reminiscent of Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Grave and Malevolent Creation dominate the early parts. The quintet do add some slightly less standard moments when trying to inject slower or so called melodic moments. Born Of Weakness includes start stop riffing that only serves to extend the song's length and doesn't add much else. Human Waste includes a short solo that sounds more like a feature of some older death metal releases. The structure of the song is also more 90s like than most current death metal bands. Eternal Condemnation does a bit more of the start stop but it is not disruptive to the rhythm and the enjoyment of the song. It further confirms Eternal as a pure death metal release. The clear production aids the style and the band. The rage is at nihilrage.bandcamp.com – Anna Tergel