Review: Martyrdöd – Elddop (D-takt & Råpunk 2014 LP)

 Well, the autumn is here, and what would be a better soundtrack to its arrival than the bitter sweet tones of the new Martyrdöd-LP? Even though they might not be that similar musically, I kind of have the same feeling for this one as I had about the last Bombus-album. The spectrum of influences is so wide, and the result is an album that simply should appeal to anyone who likes some kind of heavy and melodic music.


 The fact that it's one of the most consistent albums I've heard in a while is also worth pointing out, I don't even think I can pick any highlights. The phenomenal beautiful piece Martyren stands out a bit from the rest, otherwise it's more or less the same d-beat driven, and at times heavy, punk/metal all the way. Martyrdöd has delivered a very impressive effort that without a doubt makes its way to the absolute top of the 2014-releases. 8.5/10 /H

Hypertension - Distant Thunders Call & King Malice - s/t MC's OUT NOW!



That's right, our first two releases are now available! Details on how to order can be found in the SHOP-section, and more details in the RELEASES-section.

Hypertension: Swedish speed/thrash metal, second album.





King Malice: Swedish doom/stoner, first demo.

Review: Demon Bitch – Death Is Hanging... (Dying Victims 2014 MC)

 From Detroit, Michigan, comes this heavy metal outfit that brings us four new tracks in form of their new EP. I suspect that I'm not the first to make this comparison, and that they might be tired of hearing it, but it does sound a lot like fellow local band Borrowed Time (I even think I've read that they share(d?) some band members). But since their mighty first album was one of my top five releases last year (which was an unbelievably strong year) it's shouldn't be taken as anything but positive feedback.

 Both bands features the same kind of timeless heavy metal, analogue sounding production, and most of all the incredibly charismatic and kind of theatrical vocals, that stands out in a way that is very rare these days. The first album by Sweden's Portrait also comes to mind. Might be regarded as a bit strange and weird to some at the first acquaintance, but just listen to it twice, and hopefully you'll see the uniqueness and brilliance in this. I'll add that I really hope we've haven't seen the last of this band yet, the though of what Demon Bitch could be able to achieve in the full-length format is stunning. 7.5/10 /H

First two releases out soon!

That's right, our first two releases arrived today, which means that it won't be too long 'til they're out! For further information, see the releases-page.

Review: Brottskod 11 – Demokratisk Kontroll (LP 2014 Phobia)

 After already having released the great Suffer The Pain-EP, Phobia continues to deliver great stuff in form of the long awaited debut LP from Brottskod 11, which sadly also seems to be their last one.

 Anyway, Demokratisk Kontroll is no exception from their earlier stuff, the razor sharp riffs, filthy production and super pissed of vocals are all there. Tempo changes are rare, but the ones that they have are just enough to make the album fell varied enough, since it can't be no longer than 20-25 minutes. The short lyrical explanations that comes with the insert are also something worth pointing out, knowing more detailed what the songs are about definitely makes them more interesting. 7/10 /H

Review: Ocean Chief – Universums Härd (I Hate 2014 CD)

 I recently named Vanhelgd Mjölby's finest, and that is a statement that remains unchanged, yet definitely not unchallenged, after the release of Ocean Chiefs new album. The bands do actually even have a common denominator in the guitarist Björn Andersson. Unlike Vanhelgd's sinister death metal, this is all about stoner/doom, with a generous dose of atmosphere and raw primordial power added.

 Compared to their previous album, by the name of Sten, which was amazing if you just had the time to make it all the way through its 71 minutes, Universums Härd is a way shorter, faster and more straight to the point in general. A decision I absolutely appreciate, I don't mind a 3-minute facemelter like Urtiden among the 10, 15 or sometimes even 20+ minute monoliths piled up on each other, that sort of have become their trademark. Something that makes this album even more dynamic are the instrumental interludes, Färden being the most stellar one. Dissecting the ideas into smaller parts instead of having a bunch of extremely long songs was a great choice, intentionally or not.

 So even though they might be defeated this time, Ocean Chief has delivered an impressive effort that caught my attention like never before. I'm looking forward to the clash of the Mjölby-titans round two. 7.5/10 /H

Review: Zone Zero – The Lost Legacy (2-CD 2014 Shadow Kingdom)

 Christmas seems to have arrived early this year for worshippers of classic Swedish metal from the eighties. This is probably the most essential release since the Detest-compilation by Stormspell Records. Zone Zero is simply one of those bands that musically almost were on the same level as Heavy Load, Gotham City and Silver Mountain, to mention a few, but remained even more forgotten since they never released an album.

 Now that their complete works are finally available, hopefully they'll get the recognition they have always deserved. Songs like Genocide Patrol, Breaker Of The Chains and Demon From Kingdom Of Death (!) could impossibly be disliked by any heavy metal maniac. From start to finish, everything is just so typical for it's time, yet so timeless.

 Something I like is the fact that the songs are in chronological order, which means that the first five tracks are live recordings. Normally, live-recordings are regarded as bonus-material that you don't listen to as much as the studio-tracks, but in this case you have to. Which is great, since the sound quality of those recordings is very good, even better than some of the the demo- and rehearsal-tracks. Four new songs are also included, which, by obvious reasons, have a way more modern sound, but still maintains the high quality.

 In conclusion, this releases compiles some of the most hidden and well kept Swedish heavy metal treasures. Don't hesitate, go on and discover this band immediately, if you haven't done so already. 9/10 /H