Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

Album Reviews

ALBUM REVIEW RATING SCALE:
**Please note that this rating scale serves as a reference for albums reviewed prior to 2023.
Numbered ratings will not be added going forward, in hopes that the writer’s impression of the work will suffice.
It will have to.** 

6 – Rarely bestowed. An honor reserved for undeniable classics (or those that should be). The Apex Predator.
5 – Impressive.
4 – Worthy of special recognition.
3 – A solid effort.
2 – The participation trophy.
1 – These are the albums that the 2s beat up on the way home from school.
0 – A waste of both our time and yours.

Album Reviews

Album Review: Blazoner – Escape To Electric Land

My home state trio, BLAZONER arrive with their debut full length offering in the form of Escape To Electric Land but, to be honest, I’m a little concerned when any bio references the likes of BLACK SABBATH and adds “with a few electronic twists”. So, here goes. Well, no sense in not getting right down to the business of a fully electronic intro track that sounds as if it’d be more at home on an ‘80s Windham Hill Records sampler. I’m actually fine with this, however what I’m expecting is some absurd veering into heavier realms soon enough. I’m not […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Martyrdoom – As Torment Prevails

I often lament the utter lack of individuality and originality amongst modern death metal bands, but now and then an act arrives that is in such total mastery of the genre’s basics that such concerns are irrelevant. That brings us to Poland’s MARTYRDOOM and As Torment Prevails…these gross motherfuckers just plain plow you under the rancid Earth with this pulsating pustule of doom-tinged rottenness. Two things help elevate MARTYRDOOM; the quality of their riffs, which is outstanding, and the true feeling of morbid sickness, which is something that just can’t be faked. If you like greasy, oozing riffs drenched in […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Cirith Ungol – Dark Parade

Along with MANILLA ROAD, MANOWAR and BROCAS HELM, Ventura, California’s CIRITH UNGOL is one of the first bands that comes up (or should) in any discussion of American power/epic/heavy metal. With the passing of Mark Shelton of MANILLA ROAD any album released by the above becomes more important as not a teary-eyed trip through the “glory days”, but as confirmation of metal’s warrior spirit. After a triumphant return to record in 2020’s Forever Black, we join Dark Parade, the band’s sixth studio album. ‘Velocity (S.E.P.)’ bursts from shattered gates, a twin guitar attack and vocalist Tim Baker’s “Stretch your soul […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Xorsist – At The Somber Steps To Serenity

XORSIST sends infernal hails from the land of Gothen…wait, no, Stockholm. These newcomers make no secret that the band is a blatant attempt to conjure the early HM-2, buzzsaw riffing and low-toned rumble for which their town is known, but can they? After 2022’s debut showing – which was alright, but when you’re talking Stockholm, “alright” just doesn’t cut it – founder and vocalist/guitarist Gustav Ryderfelt found himself some other folks to play with, hung onto the name, and here we have a second album already, At The Somber Steps To Serenity, on Prosthetic Records. Anyone who’s read my scratchings […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Prong – State Of Emergency

State Of Emergency is lucky #13 for New York’s stalwarts PRONG. Judging by the photos accompanying the release, it seems the “band” is pretty much just Tommy Victor at this point. Of course, Tommy is so multi-talented that he doesn’t need anybody else. Except maybe when it comes to the live show. The album will satisfy and delight anyone who has ever grooved or thrashed to PRONG’s mechanistic style of heavy metal. And if you hated and ignored PRONG before, this won’t change your mind. Will it draw new ears to Tommy’s pride and joy? Maybe, if you give it […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: False Fed – Let Them Eat Fake

You toss the “formed by members of” tag in front of so many bands, and it often ends up feeling like a resting-on of laurels at best and a “Hey, give us a pass if it sucks, alright? This isn’t our real band anyway!” at worst. But when the ranks of FALSE FED’s “…members of” include members of DISCHARGE, BROKEN BONES, AMEBIX and MINISTRY, you’ve got my attention at least. Kicking off with JP Parsons’ pulsating bassline, snapping drums and a guitar that conjures the much-missed DEAD ARTIST SYNDROME, and MAGAZINE, but with Jeff “JJ” Janiak’s vocals holding more a […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Malokarpatan – Vertumnus Caesar

If you’ve never delved into the mystic world of MALOKARPATAN before, I strongly advise you to do so. Vertumnus Caesar is a perfect entry point for getting to know this extremely quirky metal band from Slovakia. Their sound has echoes of many of the giants of the past, yet it still manages to be its own animal, with a completely singular identity. These guys really do sound like they’ve come from a different time and place. They are deeply steeped in the lore of Central Europe and their lyrics and song titles are all in jaw-breaking Slovakian that I will […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Fabricant – Drudge To The Thicket

I remember FABRICANT. You might, as well. Founders Troy Roberts and Pendath basically split tasks evenly for a demo in November 2010 that turned more than a few heads. The iron being hot, they struck, the Drudge To The Thicket demo/single appearing with an expanded lineup by year’s end. 2013 comes, and a split with the short-lived APOCRYPHON seemed to also spell the end for FABRICANT. Now, a full decade later, the duo returns augmented by bassist Ryan Daugherty. ‘Prey To Whom’ bursts forth, blooming twisted beats and distorting riffs, almost like an incredibly more polished DEIQUISITOR. While the song […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Slomatics – Strontium Fields

With 2024 being the band’s 20th anniversary, and only one lineup change in that time – that over a decade ago – it’s a fair bet that Belfast’s SLOMATICS has a grasp on its sound, as far as what fits and doesn’t. Wall-Of-Sound amps, a mixture of riff-rockin’ majesty and low-end groove have always been the trio’s “bread and butter”, but they’ve also never shied away from experimentation or journeys into fuzz-fueled psychedelia when the mood (or bong) hits. Speaking of which, though the past has seen the band releasing songs just over 1 and over 10 minutes in length […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Freya – Fight As One

Picture it. Sicily. Or, rather, America in the late ‘90s / early 00’s. Landmark metal/hardcore bands like ONLY LIVING WITNESS had called it quits for whatever reason, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE wasn’t the slave to the hype engine they were soon to become, and bands like SHADOWS FALL were making some quality metalcore (emphasis on the metal). Into the fray leapt FREYA, and ‘03’s As The Last Light Drains was, to my ears, a masterwork of the style. Though more hardcore, largely due to the members’ backgrounds, the solos tastefully, the melodic vocals weren’t off-putting and everything fit exactly where it belonged. […]

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