Djinn and Miskatonic - Forever in the Realm - Album Review

Year: 2013

H.P.Lovecraft was a man who, during his time was terribly under appreciated. It was only after his death, that his true genius was recognized and respected. Titled the Edgar Allen Poe of the 20th century, H.P.Lovecraft was instrumental in shaping up the genre of horror with his works which dealt with themes like occult, supernatural and extra terrestrial elements in such a way that they were clumped together under a broader classification called Lovecraftian horror. He not only inspired a multitude of writers, but his influence is also seen to play a major role in many of today’s metal bands. From early bands like Black Sabbath, to modern bands like The Black Dahlia Murder, all have gained inspiration from Lovecraft in one way or the other. The Indian metal scene is not far behind in this aspect. Djinn & Miskatonic from Bangalore, have a penchant for Lovecraftian Horror as exhibited in their latest studio release.

Chaos Plague - Chaos Plague EP

Year: 2012

What is essential in any music album is that it should be memorable. The riffs must invade the listener’s mind in such a way that they haunt him long after he has hit the stop button. But this is a lesson that seems to be lost on many bands today, especially when it comes to the technical and progressive genres. Most of these bands try to cram in as much technical riffs in their songs as posiible and to leave the listeners in awe. The result of this is that the songs are instantly forgotten after the last note, though they manage to keep the listener enthralled for the length of the track. Still, there are quite a few bands that are an exception, who make their music both memorable and technical. Which of these categories does Chaos Plague fall under?

Seed Of Sorrow - Seed Of Sorrow EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

In today's scenario, there a tons of new metal bands being formed every single day. Bands have started popping up in every part of this planet, creating the music that they love and adore. The sheer volume of bands coming into existence each day, causes a lot of bands to be overlooked. Some of these bands are truly worthy of more attention than what they are getting at the moment. One such new and upcoming band is Seed Of Sorrow.

Carcass - Surgical Steel - Album Review

Year: 2013

A perfect blend of Death Metal and melody. I used to wonder if such a thing can even exist! Evidence from the music of most Melodic Death Metal bands today, suggested otherwise, as they were over saturated with melody to the point that they became simple melodic metal with harsh vocals. But, if there is one band that could pull off the perfect ratio of both Death Metal and melody, it ought to be a band that have proved their merit in both the fields. That is exactly what Carcass had done in the past and now, with their comeback album about to be unleashed, they prove that they are the right band to accomplish the task of delivering the perfect mix.

Gorguts - Colored Sands - Album Review

Year: 2013

The true test of a band's skill and consistency, is when they make an album after a long period of absence. The so called "comeback album", measures the band's ability to make good quality music despite staying dormant for an extended period of time. 2013 seems to be filled with such comeback albums, with big league bands like Carcass and Black Sabbath putting out albums after quite some time. Canadian Avant Garde Death Metal veterans Gorguts are the next ones in line. 

Watain - The Wild Hunt - Album Review

Year: 2013

Popularity. It can either make a band grow big or it can break the band. If there is one thing to be learnt from the years of metal music, it is that when a band achieves high levels of fame, the band most often ends up becoming a shadow of its former self. This phenomenon has remained true in almost all sub genres of metal, including one of the most non commercial ones that is Black Metal. Bands like Satyricon, Dimmu Borgir etc., who were once hailed as great bands, after seeing their share of fame are now regularly churning out mediocre albums. With this in mind, I approached the new Watain album (considering the amount of expectations and hype that this album made before its release) with high scepticism. Has Watain really made the same mistake as their peers?

Plague Throat - An Exordium To Contagion - Album Review

Year: 2013

When it comes to the Indian Metal Scene, if there is one place where one can look for some quality, underground bands delivering some solid extreme metal, then that place would be the North East. This land of the hills has given rise to some of the big names in extreme metal like Alien Gods, IIIrd Sovereign, Agnostic, Dark Carnage etc. Plague Throat is one such band, which had been causing shock waves in the underground scene for quite some time. Now, it is the time for these underground mammoths to unleash their debut record. So how have they fared in this venture?

Exhumed - Necrocracy - Album Review

Year: 2013

Are you on the lookout for a new band that out brutalizes every other band out there? Searching for something that is filled with riffs written in such a way that its sole purpose seems to be to squish your head to a pulp? Do you want a fast, mind numbing wall of noise? Then this is NOT the album that you are looking for. Because, Exhumed has come out with something that you might not have heard from them till now. They have released a very mature album.

Thy Raventhrone - End - Album Review

Year: 2013

What is it about the Finns? Whatever they touch, it turns grand and melodic. I can safely say that the majority of music coming out of Finland, have this very melodic and very epic feel to them. It has got to do something with the Finnish landscape, filled with beautiful forests, majestic hills, the northern European climate etc. So it really comes as no surprise that the music made by inhabitants of such a awe inspiring place, sounds so beautiful. Speaking of Finnish melodic metal, Thy Raventhrone has the very same formula, containing ingredients of melody, grandeur and atmosphere.

Parasitic Ejaculation - Rationing The Sacred Human Remains - Album Review

Year: 2013

When dealing with Brutal Death Metal, the things that immediately spring to mind are rough production, wailing of highly distorted guitars, a wall of noise attempting to pulverize the listener with sheer brutality and highly incomprehensible vocal work. I did not expect anything different when receiving the promo of Parasitic Ejaculation's debut. In this album, they have done many things right and one of those things, was proving all such expectations wrong.

Broken Hymen - Shrouded By Death EP - Album Review

Year: 2013

When speaking of the Metal scene in Asia, the scenes that generally come to mind are Indian, Sri Lankan and Malaysian scenes. But there is yet another rapidly growing, yet predominantly underground scene that Asia has to offer. I am talking about the Metal scene from Nepal of-course. Unlike most of the other countries, the bands from Nepal predominantly sway towards the more abrasive side of Metal, taking up genres like Death Metal, Black Metal and Grindcore. In fact, the audience there crave the heavy stuff so much that they have had giants like Napalm Death and Vader perform in the country. Now, from the country that has given us bands like Ugra Karma and Antim Grahan, comes a new icon of brutality, Broken Hymen.

Preludium - Impending Hostility - Album Review

Year: 2010

War. This is a sensitive subject which has captured the attention and serves as an inspiration to many an artist. It serves as the subject matter for too many works of art. In literature, there are works by Lord Alfred Tennyson, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Alistair Maclean etc. In the field of cinema too, we have witnessed innumerable films depicting the various aspects of warfare. Metal music, was not far behind to catch up. Bands like Bolt Thrower, Sodom, Hail Of Bullets etc, have spoken about war throughout the length of their discography. The latest band to join the ranks of such bands is Preludium from Poland.

Autopsy - The Headless Ritual - Album Review

Year: 2013

When listening to music, the first thing I expect from a band is, for them to provide enough variations, either in terms of composition, song writing, pace shifts etc., that would keep me hooked to the music that they are delivering. While a few bands manage to do that now and then, some bands have been doing it throughout their career, in almost all their releases. One such band, is the legendary Death Metal band, Autopsy.

Coffins - The Fleshland - Album Review

Year: 2013

I had always pictured Japan as a land of technology, anime and bubbly J-pop music. But on listening to Coffins for the first time, surprise hit me hard like a massive sledgehammer. This band was nothing like the other stuff, that I've heard coming out of Japan. It appears that I've been missing out on a big metal scene from the island country.

Black Sabbath - 13 - Album Review

Year: 2013

Of all my years of lurking in the interwebs, I have seen one particular argument rear its ugly head many times over. "Who gets the credit for inventing Metal as a genre?". While some may say Led Zeppelin, others may say Blue Cheer or Deep Purple. The reality is though, no single band can be credited for inventing this amazing form of music. However, there is one band, without whose existence, Metal may not have been as we know today. And that band, undeniably, is Black Sabbath. These lads from Birmingham, UK, started out way back in 1968, under the name Earth. Through the course of their 45 years of existence, this band has undergone numerous line up changes and stylistic changes, while at the same time, remaining true to Heavy Metal. Now in 2013, the band has broken out of a long slumber, to unleash doom upon the mortal world once again, this time, in the form of 13.

Megadeth - Supercollider - Album Review

Year: 2013

When Megadeth named their new album Supercollider, I expected the album to surpass the previous two albums by them, namely Endgame and Thir13en. This expectation was only compounded by Dave Mustaine's constant words that this was the best album that the band had ever recorded. But none of this prepared me for what Supercollider, really turned out to be. 

September Murder - He Who Invokes Decadence - Album Review

Year: 2013

Progressive Metal is a genre, which is known for it's eclectic tempo shifts and time signature changes. Now, put this together with something as heavy as Brutal Death Metal, and the resulting concoction is something which is truly interesting. The mark of a good Progressive Metal band is to keep the listener hooked, while keeping the changes coming. On the other hand, a Brutal Death Metal band aims to pulverise everything in it's path. New age metallers, September Murder succeed in achieving both, for the most part.

A Chat With Kracken Kelly Of "Foreshadow"

Foreshadow are an American Death Metal band hailing from Tampa Bay, Florida. Having successfully released one studio album and an EP to some really good reception, the band is all set to tour the world. They are currently set to play their music in China and are also pushing for a tour in Europe. We, at Metal Gallows, had a chance to have a chat with the drummer of the band, Kracken Kelly. Here is an excerpt of the interview.

Reptilian Death - The Dawn Of Consummation And Emergence- Album Review

Year: 2013

Sahil 'The Demonstealer' Makijha seems to be a very busy man indeed. Many people consider him to be the face of the Indian Metal Scene and one can see why. He is an active member of not one, but four different bands and he is constantly touring and releasing new material. This year has already seen a release from his comedy rock project, Workshop. Now, Sahil has rebooted his death metal project, Reptilian Death. What started out as a parody act, has now become something serious. 

Gregzeye - The End Days - Album review

Year: 2013

What kind of a name is Gregzeye? It sounds an awful lot like Greg's Eye. Upon some further inquiry into the origin of such an uncommon name, it turns out that my initial suspicions about the name was spot on. The members had actually named the band after their friend Greg, who had visited one of their rehearsals after hurting his eye on a beach umbrella! Well, don't let the name put you off. Because, listening to their debut album, it is not difficult to see the passion and talent that these lads possess.