Suffering so you don't have to!
Elyna Kahn
Winds of Time, the second album by American band Wings of Steel. Following its 2023 debut Gates of Twilight, the band founded by guitarist Parker Halub and vocalist Leo Unnermark delivers an album that combines a powerful and brilliant modern sound with music that honors the purest form of Heavy Metal, born in late 70s England.
Metalcatto
This year keeps throwing lots and lots of Thrash at us. As if the Metal Gods were offended we didn’t have a Best Of category for Thrash last year (there just weren’t enough good albums, Oxygen Destroyer won that easily). White Mantis’s Arrows At The Sun is here to join the rapidly growing competition in this niche that, despite hard times, never dies! But can the band stand out from the pack, or will we just get more 80s nostalgia that makes me want to quit? Let’s find out!
You know what we haven’t done this year? Review some fresh Tmehrash! I don’t know when the genre died again, but not so long ago, it was booming with ideas. At least last year, we got this beast. However, Sacrifice – Volume Six seems to aim for the more traditional side of the genre, where relentless pummeling and intense energy are the name of the game. You could even say they don’t make them like this anymore, so how about we dive into this modern relic?
My only previous experience with Chilean Metal has revolved around the country’s formidable Death Metal scene, which has spawned killer bands like Melektaus, Godagainst, Atomic Aggressor, and many others. Chilean Doom—specifically, in this case, one of my admitted blind spots, the “Epic” formulation of the style—had completely escaped my attention, at least until this album caught my eye.
Many moons ago, a tiny yet mighty Doom Metal act from Russia gave us a 5.0/5.0 album that redefined what Epic Doom could sound like. Will of the Gods is a Great Power (I sense some Russian grammar in this title) is probably the best Viking Epic Doom album ever made. However, it had been overshadowed by 27 years of inactivity and the tragic demise of Scald‘s original vocalist. And now, here we are decades later, and out of nowhere, a miracle has happened! Ancient Doom Metal is out, and with all sorts of mixed feelings, I wonder: Can Scald touch the sky again? Are you ready? Because I’m not!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 