Frigoris – …In Stille (2020) – Frigoris have created a melodic, yet heavy and rather dreamlike release that captures the spirit of classic black metal, yet throws in post metal and shoegaze elements. Many of the songs resonate along the same wavelengths, but it all seems to flow together even though there are slight periods for pause and reflection. There’s a slight air of sorrow to the piece, yet I also feel that there are bits of joy and happiness to be found here as well. Even so, the band certainly don’t skimp on moments of bleak devastation and it would be unfair to say that this isn’t black metal – it’s dreamy in parts, but most certainly grim.
Kassad – London Orbital (2020) – Kassad sounds in the very same vein as Frigoris with it’s mixture of black metal, post metal elements, shoegaze and loads of melody. However, more effort has been given to the soundscapes, making the record far less heavy and more focused on what can at times be dreamy or industrial. Unlike Frigoris, Kassad also utilize some electronic portions, which makes sense as the album is supposed to capture the spirit of driving in the traffic of what are probably now bare London highways. No one could have expected that the oncoming threat of Corona Chan would offset the tone of this intended release, but you can certainly jam it if you’re stuck in quarantine and miss the hustle and bustle of London’s highway system.
Novelists FR – C’est La Vie (2020) – Novelists FR (which I’m assuming regards to France) can be very easily classified as progressive metalcore, though with the dreamier aspects of acts like Karnivool or Tool. If you’ve always wanted to hear harsh vocals in Karnivool, well this is going to be the band for you. The frontman also has a rather glassy voice, which adds to what can come off as a dreamy atmosphere. Many times, I feel as if these guys are floating on clouds, yet still angry like those lightning throwing cloud enemies from Mega Man 2. In any case, they certainly caught me with hooky choruses that are good enough for the radio and far more inventive than Imagine Dragons musings.
Discordia – Delete/Rewrite (2020) – These guys certainly appealed to my love of obtusely heavy power, thrash and groove which by now you should be quite familiar with. Obviously, I’ll mention Mercenary’s 11 Dreams again, but there are numerous other albums in that vein that will give you an example of the experience you’re getting here. The record is full of hefty grooves, progressive landscapes, harsh vocals and potent clean singing that should work for most of us. As you may expect, there are also some guitar solos in the vein that I’ve always liked them (classic and all over the goddamned place) so that’s certainly a selling point for me. I also like the fact that they’re using honest-to-goodness death metal growls, rather than a lot of the shrieks and screams that a lot of bands like to pull off as death metal.
Starmen – Welcome To My World (2020) – If you dig KISS (and spoiler alert, I do) then you’re going to dig Starmen. To be honest, these guys sound a lot like several of the bands that are played heavily on my local classic rock radio station (which I’d honestly rather listen to instead of the modern rock station that unironically considers Imagine Dragons to be rock music) but they’ve made new songs so I’m not upset about it. The album is rather eclectic, but seldom soft aside from “Stay The Night” which wasn’t my thing. There are plenty of jams to be found here, but obviously this has a very classic rock sound that some of the kids won’t dig or will call dad rock or boomer music. Don’t worry, I’ve heard all the terms and I’m old enough now to have raised some of these kids, so it is what it is – check out the album if you like KISS and other classic acts though, you’ll love it.
Sutrah – Aletheia (2020) – Now here’s an interesting band, as Sutrah seem to mix technical brutal death metal with dreamy, sometimes even ambient atmospheres. Maybe you’re tired of having your face pounded in and you need a breather every once in a while. Well, that’s what Sutrah seem to offer here with just two songs on the extremely heavy side (Lethe and closer Genèse, respectively) and several on the light and slightly punchy side. The whole thing goes from dream to Cryptopsy-esque nightmare fairly quickly though, which shows that they have a lot of promise. Honestly, I think they should call the next one Pummeling & Peace which would sound a hell of a lot more interesting in their native language; but would make a nice tongue-in-cheek joke regarding their style.
Yatra – Blood Of The Night (2020) – Often I think to myself, “what would it sound like Grim Lord, if you lent your vocals to another style, like stoner doom?” Well, now I don’t have to worry about it as Yatra seem to be doing just that with an approach that sounds like a mix between The Sword and Acid Witch. We could probably throw EyeHateGod in there as well, but you get the picture. As for the vocals, the frontman and I both sound like swamp monsters, so I feel like I’m vicariously listening to what I would have done in this kind of band – and I honestly dig the hell out of it. I think more swamp monster growls should be implemented in heavy metal and it makes me happy that swamp monsters in general are getting the respect we deserve in this modern era – Just bring back Swamp Thing because we all miss it.
Empire Of The Moon – ΕΚΛΕΙΨΙΣ (2020) – Empire Of The Moon are a black metal act, sure – but they don’t seem to be one of those acts who lives in ’96 and completely forgot how to rock in the first place. That’s apparent with “Imperium Tridentis” and the fact that it actually contains heavy grooves, doesn’t rely on blast beats and tremolos, even employing a guitar solo. That isn’t to say that these common black metal mainstays don’t apply later on the album (because they do) but even then, these gentlemen simply don’t want to be placed in the same throwback category as all seventy thousand plus of these kinds of acts I’m exposed to on a daily basis. The record is raw, but it has heart and I have the utmost respect for any of these acts who remember how important a guitar solo is to heavy metal in general. Yes, there’s a stereotype about guys who do air guitar solos, but I am perfectly fine with embodying that stereotype as that’s just another thing I love about this kind of music – please, can we have more albums like this in black metal?
Malokarpatan – Krupinské Ohne (2020) – Let me start by saying just one thing, and this is going to make me sound like an old metal geezer. I absolutely love how classic this album sounds. I honestly think they were going for a kind of retro sound and it makes what was already going to be a vibrant beast of an album sound even better. The disc sounds like the very best of extreme metal in it’s heyday, with some added bells and whistles of the modern era. You can hand this to a young head and they can get a good education on heavy metal in both it’s extreme and classic forms which is not easy to do – it also helps if they’re into D&D, Pathfinder and classic Warhammer (the keyboards truly give off that kind of mood.) Not only that, but people who remember this kind of sound will go totally apeshit over it and they’ll find near endless amounts of adventure to discover within this experience – I’d expect nothing less from these artisans of the genre.
Shakra – Mad World (2020) – Shakra are one of those classic heavy metal meets hair with a little bit of power acts that I can’t get enough of and Mad World actually delivers. To be fair, not every song here hits but many of them do, especially the Bon Jovi in his prime influenced “Turn The Light On” which I was skeptical about at first, I thought it was going to be a soft ballad. In fact, the majority of these cuts are all-out rockers with the slight exception of “New Tomorrow” which certainly isn’t terrible. They also come jam-packed with catchy hooks that you’re going to want to play again and again just for said hooks, not to mention the fact that screaming guitar solos are part of this formula as well, making for a real slobberknocker of an album. I remember when these guys came out and had all those modern rock elements that I didn’t exactly care for, but now I’m a fan and I’m hooked – go get this one right now, I think you’re going to dig what they’ve done here, especially if you love classic metal as much as I do.
The Medea Project – Sisyphus (2020) – Sisyphus is the name of a character in Greek mythology who was forced to push a boulder up a hill, only to have it fall back down again (I can relate to him as far as truck unloading and retail stocking are concerned). I’m not sure how much of a resemblance The Medea Project (and no, not that Medea) has with him, but I can say there is a kind of desert wasteland feel to the whole thing that is accentuated with blistering death metal (To Know Us Is To Fear Us) and unexpected moments of electronic (though not robotic) atmosphere. The disc reminds me a great deal of stoner doom in lieu of it’s massive bass nodes, but it also has a few moments in which agony is explored in lieu of funeral doom. All in all, I’m quite pleased with the work even though it is a bit raw in some sections. However, I find that the disc should not be completely polished, nor should his vocals – this is pretty good shit, no matter how you slice it and I’d certainly like to hear more.
Biff Byford – School Of Hard Knocks (2020) – If you’re stuck in your house during the quarantine and looking for a good mixture of rock and metal to pass the time, then you’re going to love this very first solo effort from Saxon frontman, Biff Byford. I’ve loved Byford’s work ever since I had gotten my hands on a Saxon album (Unleash The Beast) at a pawn shop nearly twenty years ago – I’d never heard them before that and I’ve been hooked ever since. Well, some of the tracks here sound just like Saxon and you’re gonna love the hard-hitting “Worlds Collide” as well as the ancient thunder of “Pedal To The Medal” and “Hearts Of Steel.” I’d also be remiss to forget about “Pit and The Pendulum” which is one of the unexpected epic moments to come out of this rocking little disc, which you’ll also find is filled to the brim with blazing guitar solos. These monumental efforts appear on rockers like the album’s title track as well as the sorrowful “Scarborough Fair” so other than a few less than stellar pieces like “Me and You” and “Black and White” you’re still going to have a great time with this one.
Controversial – Second Genesis (2020) – As an attempt to bring back the hard-edged sound of nineties industrial metal, Controversial seem to have the right idea. Not only does the band utilize a certain standard of industrial minimalism apparent in early Skinny Puppy, but the KMFDM and Ministry-esque guitar riffs really bring me back to an older era of this music that I really loved. What’s more, is the use of voice clips to build an atmosphere, something that I’ve always believed in when it came to proper industrial. The dance-rock of “Violence” carries a bit of an early Rammstein vibe to it, with the kind of political message that this kind of music was always heavily based in. “Commercial Breakdown” is another one that got my head banging, with it’s powerful messages of corporate brainwash, a problem that we’re having in not just the selling of physical products, but actual media. “Let The Monster Out” carries a thrash vibe, almost reminding me of the electro-metal that comprises the current Doom Eternal soundtrack, albeit with more balls. Not that I have a problem with that soundtrack in particular, I just would have liked it to be a bit heavier. The vocals are pushed towards the back and have a harsh element, reminding me of early Grendel in some instances. There are a few songs on the disc that tend towards a lighter side of things like “Crying” and closer “Is This The Best” but you’ll find that eighty percent of the experience is dedicated to pounding your face in with punchy electronic metal that definitely appealed to me and might just be the kind of soundtrack that you need right now. Honestly, I think the lyrics of “Wolf or Sheep” seem to be extremely relevant to right now as I didn’t expect a viral outbreak to result in such oppressive government overreach. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t get to the point where “Forge Ahead and Kill” becomes even more relevant. If you’re looking for angry industrial metal that doesn’t beat around the bush and just gives you the medicine straight, then check out the disc and stay safe out there, folks.
Serpent Noir – Death Clan OD (2020) – If this record proves anything, it’s that one man can kick ass all by himself if he’s got the tools of the trade. I’m sure there were a few session musicians on the album and they’ve all done a great job with this record as well, but seeing one guy in the promo images and matching that with what I’m hearing is astounding. These grim, aggressive hymns to Asmodeus and Astaroth among other good friends of mine are nothing less than passionate and they’ve also got a death and slight thrash metal edge, which sometimes amounts in a few more guitar solos. I’ve said it once before that I’m glad guitar solos are coming back into this music and they never should have left in the first place. This disc is raw, unhinged and perfectly occult laden – I just can’t underestimate how demonic this thing sounds.
Lucifer Star Machine – Devil’s Breath (2020) – Lucifer Star Machine are a rather unique act who combine punk rock, post rock, metal and even blues, making for what I would consider to be a very refreshing musical treat. I also like that these gentlemen simply give no fucks as the high octane “eat dust” loudly proclaims to all “motherfuckers” that they should “eat dust.” I miss when songs were as straightforward as that, without a million people asking what kind of significance the words could mean. No, this isn’t a situation in which hipsters should discuss the environmental applications of consuming soil, it is more like “if you’re too slow, then eat my dust motherfucker.” For those of you who aren’t interested in “dust eating motherfuckers” there are also a ton of great numbers like the surf-rock influenced “Cruel Hearts” as well as the thrashy “Evil Blood” and my favorite, “Midnight Crawler” for obvious reasons. The bottom line is that these guys know how to rock and perhaps had there been a competent mainstream rock media as well as a pandemic not going on, I’m quite certain they would be a household name by now – Sum 41 got famous and these guys remind me of a far better and much more mature version of those guys, so maybe someone will finally catch on to what I think could explode in rock right now.
Fotocrime – South Of Heaven (2020) – It is going to be very difficult for me to review this one, because I’m such a damn fiend for new wave music, especially if it contains rock or post rock elements. When I heard “Love Is A Devil” I found myself definitely anticipating what might come next, but was a bit disappointed with the vocal element. To be honest, the vocal approach turned me off for most of the album and I was completely taken out of the vibe. This is no offense to the artist, I just didn’t come out as enthusiastic about South of Heaven as I expected I would be. Again, the instrumental part of the album definitely matches the tone and style of the classic eighties retro sound that Fotocrime were going for, so I still recommend it to people who enjoy this style as I do – Maybe you’ll like the vocals a bit more than me and really dig the album. That being said, it would be foolish of me to say that I didn’t like anything as “Expulsion From Paradise” definitely hit me and I’ll give them that.
Ashes Of Life – Seasons Within (2020) – Folks, I cannot even begin to describe how difficult it is to review an indie band with a similar death/doom style to what Bleak Bill and I perform in Torii. I don’t want to review the disc based on our standards, because they may not be the same kinds of standards that the band have. So I decided to cover it merely on merit and not substance. Namely, is it a good album? Well, “Shores” starts us off with a calming instrumental, while waves crash on the ground and prepare for a doom-laden onslaught of vocal punishment. “Spiral Down” features even more atmosphere as it sticks to a more clean-laden vocal approach that also brings with it a notable solo effort. The melodies on “Burn” are quite strong as well, as it showcases an appealing instrumental moment. I almost thought that “Autumn Days” was also going to be instrumental until death metal gutturals pounded my ears. Good stuff, I’d say. This is definitely their heaviest moment, but there’s still a coffee break in between for good measure. More death metal is featured on “Tried To Leave” but you’d never know it at first. The track grows rip-roaringly heavy in a matter of minutes. Then later, there is a slight break in the heaviness as with all of these pieces up to this point. It seems that Ashes Of Life want their music to not only hit you over the head, but to be contemplative and that’s an exceedingly rare feeling in heavy music these days. It’s also not a bad thing. Even closer “Dying In The Snow” features a sorrowed sort of solace, right before it utilizes a few more minutes of death metal pummeling and then finishes up on just a solemn a note as it began. Ashes Of Life might be similar to what we and other death/doom or atmospheric death/doom acts perform, but they’re certainly not like too many acts that I’ve come across. There’s far more time to think on this album than you’d expect, so if you’re looking for an album for those quiet night drives home (pending the pandemic, of course) then you’re going to find what you’re looking for here.
Angel Grinder – Confessions Of The Damned (2020) – Angel Grinder craft a form of death metal with a notable sense of groove and progression. The song structure isn’t necessarily straight-forward, in some ways which wind up creating fierce drum bouts, screaming guitar solos and a loud vocal bark that doesn’t come off too cookie monster and reminds me a great deal of early Death. The record is a bit raw and a bit of polish couldn’t hurt, but aside from that listeners are getting an experience that they’ll enjoy. As the band focuses so much on heavy grooves, this the kind of disc that would really benefit from a “bass-boost” option on your device. That isn’t to say that the whole thing is an outright slobberknocker though, as the eerie “Exile” comes out of nowhere to deliver what almost feels at home in the world of Doom or Dead Space. So many of these little instrumentals could beef up indie games, I have no idea why developers don’t reach out to these artists – with everyone “learning to code” and games soon to be flooding out at a speed even faster than they’re already being released, there is going to be a large market for these kinds of compositions.
Acherontas – Psychic Death – The Shattering Of Perceptions (2020) – I’ll bet you didn’t even know that Acherontas released an album this year, because it more or less slipped right by in lieu of all the commotion. At any rate, the band are sticking true to their black metal roots here, while adding in just a few ritualistic bells and whistles in the form of short atmospheric bits dispersed throughout the album. Psychic Death is through and through a melodic black metal album and like other black metal discs that have been released this year, even they’re utilizing a few guitar solos. The drums blaze, the vocals are fierce and frankly, this is the most ravenous that I’ve heard the band sound in years. Despite the breaks, you are still getting pummeled by an act that doesn’t even have to go out of their way to throwback to the legends that inspired them. Plus, with some of the best melodies that I think I’ve ever heard from these guys, what more could you expect in a melodic black metal disc this year?
Neorhythm – Terrastory (2020) – Neorhythm definitely caught my attention with their mixture of Sepultura/Soulfly-esque groove metal, a little bit of djent and some slightly proggy elements to go with the “space” theme. It honestly sounds like a brainier Sepultura in their mid-era, putting Neorhythm on par with their intensely proggy current-era. There are a few nodes to Nu-Metal here as well, which certainly appealed to my guilty pleasure of downtuned guitars. The clean vocals are nothing to write home about, but in my opinion I was more pleased with the band when they were pounding my skull with thick bass grooves and hefty shouts. Sure, that might sound a bit brainless, but the album features enough texture to balance it all out and leave the listener with a solid experience. If you’re not a fan of groove metal or Nu-Metal, you won’t find much in this, but I definitely jammed it more than a few times.
Tombs – Monarchy of Shadows (2020) – Tombs decided that they were done with experimenting with different sounds and styles and have made what I’d consider to be almost a pure black metal album. Well, not completely pure, at least by purist standards – but there’s definitely enough black metal to sell modern black metal fans on just the same. Thrash, death metal, core and even Gothic elements appear on the album, but make no mistake – this is definitely supposed to be a black metal disc through and through. That being said, it’s far from a bad one. There are some core breakdowns on “Necro Alchemy” and synths appear on “ The Dark Rift” but other than that, listeners are getting blazing machine-gun drums, harsh vocals (not quite the goblin shrieks, but good enough) and some crossover moments that make this effort memorable, rather than forgettable. It may sound like just another black metal disc, but give it a listen and you just might find something within this admittedly short offering.
Body Count – Carnivore (2020) – A new Body Count album also dropped this year, which I was quite excited about as I was jamming Ice-T’s Power and Original Gangster just a couple of months ago. They’re much better than the so called “hip hop” garbage that’s created today. Ice-T is also the master at telling it like it is and filling your politically correct mouth with a fist. He’s done that since the first album and it’s not going to change. In fact, “Thee Critical Beatdown” is a damned good indicator of what I just said. Also, this is going to come off a bit controversial, but Ice-T was dropping red pills long before Patrice O’ Neil. Interestingly enough, there’s a surprisingly good cover of Motorhead’s “Ace Of Spades” as well as a throwback to way back – the shit I was talking about earlier, with “Colors.” Don’t forget about “A New Level” with Jamey Jasta, which is what I would consider a power anthem that frankly a lot of men need to hear right now, I’m tired of all these goddamned black pilled fucking nihilists who need to get out there and find meaning and purpose. Look, I know shit’s fucked right now, especially during the quarantine, but this is the kind of thing you probably need to be jamming right now. Get some positive messages in your life. Just listening to that song gave me motivation and that’s what it’s all about.
Antipope – Apostle Of Infinite Joy (2020) – At first thought, Antipope might seem like a black metal band that hinges on avantgarde, but that’s only true in small snippets. For the most part, these guys remind me of a folk-tinged Amorphis and there’s nothing wrong with that. They certainly experiment with multiple types of structures and effects, plus there’s a slew of fine guitar solos here to balance the whole thing out. A song like “Intoxicating Darkness” might not feel so folky, but the chorus melodies on the album’s title track certainly do – it simply depends on the track you’re listening to. That being said, nothing about Antipope feels foreboding, instead I’m feeling a sense of grandeur here. There’s a definite vibe of epicness to the album which seems to meld well with it’s black, death and mostly melodic death folk elements, which in my mind makes Antipope a band to watch. You may have heard this style before, but never like this – I’m looking forward to their next release already.
Metalwings – For All Beyond (2018) – Sometimes I get requests to cover albums that came out a couple of years ago and that’s fine, but it is also around that time that I can understand why the album might not be performing well despite the coverage it had received in the past. Metalwings, for all sakes and purposes, sound a great deal like Nightwish. It’s heavy, symphonic metal with a female vocalist who focuses on an operatic approach. That also, is the problem. Metalwings are plenty competent and put a lot of work into this one, but most labels will probably look at this, especially in the major circuit and say; “Well, there’s already a Nightwish.” It’s mostly a game of firsts when it comes to this industry. The bands who are currently receiving acclaim for styles like this, even if not nearly as good as they used to be when they started out – are only known because it was blue ocean territory in the industry and they just happened to get to it first. Now there is the chance that if Nightwish begins to wane and become less interesting, a band like this can come around and snatch their throne. It happens all the time or at least, it did. I largely blame algorithms for continuing to promote classic bands to people instead of acts that could one day sit in the spotlight after the classic act has exited stage left. That’s how we keep music fresh. In my day we had Michael Jackson, but now we have The Weeknd and he’s trying to reach that level, even though it is probably absurdly difficult. The same can be said for a band like this one, who certainly has everything that it takes for a label to pick them up and may very well be able to do it on their own. The trick is, how do you get them out there? Well, I’ll say it like this. If you enjoy Nightwish, Theater Of Tragedy and other bands in that style, then you’ll find something to like here. This might not have even been a promo, it’s probably something that I bought in a metal bundle and got completely confused. Even so, I’m not going to erase this text. It’d be a waste of time to not post it, especially when I feel I’ve made a valid point. I’m not here to trash the band or consider them not good enough – they’re just going to be foreshadowed by the big name band who happened to get to this style first.
Return Fire – Return Fire (2019) – This was sent to me as part of Alignable, a site that I was added to and haven’t had much time to check even though I’m surprisingly getting a lot of feedback from it. Though it came out last year, I hadn’t heard it and I was certainly interested. The band features Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo along with drummer Joe Nunez and Kevin James (no, not that one) on vocals. The disc is a huge mixture of thrash metal and punk, which ends up in a roaring aural assault that is sure to rouse grandpa out of sleep if played loud enough. Hell, if you use it as alarm, he might spring out of bed and start yelling “Charlie!” at the top of his lungs. In any case, the disc also features a barrage of solos and is largely inspired by Slayer. I felt like I was listening to Slayer a few times through, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing and obviously those guys aren’t going to be doing it anymore so after Corona has been squashed, we’re going to need someone to take that throne. Kevin James is trying pretty hard to sound like Tom Araya, but even so there are more than enough stylistic changes within the album to separate it – at least in parts – from Jeff Hanneman’s classic riff matter. That being said, the best part of waking up is definitely Return Fire in your ears.
Ols – Widma (2020) – I have reviewed previous records from Ols before and have found them quite haunting and folky, which is not unlike what you’re hearing here. Maybe the album sounds enchanting, but the focus of this record is old age and death, which is far from enchanting and very much closer to the atmospheric black metal roots of the project. Though there are no heavy guitars, nor harsh screaming vocals, the record still seems hauntingly vibrant. I will bet that a lot of listeners would never guess that what might sound tribal and beautiful in the vein of Warduna, Dead Can Dance or Myrkur is actually quite ominous and foreboding. This is not a happy record. The translated lyrics that came along with this promo detail that pretty well. Widma is dark, it is very dark. I’d even call it grim, which fits wholly with The Grim Tower. We might have changed a few things, but we still cover grim artists like this one who is again, far removed from the metallic elements of black metal, yet keeps the vibe and atmosphere quite morose. There are few things that are as black metal as a record about old age and death, so she’s definitely proven herself with a folk album that I would consider largely kvlt.
Dool – Summerland (2020) – I couldn’t end this round without a band that certainly caught all of my attention, Dool. I actually think a better name for them would be Dush, because they feel like Rush if they were a dark rock band. The frontman also sounds extremely close to Geddy Lee, which might be why I’m getting the Rush influences – along with maybe “a few” riffs that seem to be a dead giveaway. That isn’t to say that a couple of grunge or modern rock riffs do not appear here either, but there’s really a mix of everything. Bottom line though, the album is passionate and Dool should really jump up in popularity after this one. Someone get the metal and rock magazines on this one, these guys are really something and it has mass market appeal. I know, not everyone digs dark rock as much as me, but Staind made it here in the states and Aaron Lewis did nothing more than make dark rock accessible to the mainstream. I think Dool can do it with this album too, which I’ve listened to just once before this review – but I’m currently jamming it again as a refresher and find myself totally convinced with my opinion. Dool would give the mainstream media more to talk about other than Ghost, Slipknot and BabyMetal, so I won’t mind seeing something on my feed promoting these guys. Or any great band that actually needs the exposure. It’s like I feel there is a little man tugging at my shoulders asking me, “Hey, do you like Metallica?” every five minutes. Dool crafted an album that is actually worthy of that coverage and promotion on such a large scale and people need to check them out. Summerland is what you call art, not sure if you folks got the memo on that one; but there are bands out there that actually spend a lot of time on compositions that stand apart from the rest of the competition out there. And frankly, who would Dool compete with? They’re in a league of their own. Prophecy was prepared to throw out all the stops with their limited edition versions of this album, though I’m not sure if Corona prevented any of those formats from happening. If so, that’s a real tragedy because this is a record that needs to be in the spotlight. I get a lot of metal, but this is how you make household names in music. I highly recommend these guys and I hope that Corona didn’t throw too much of a wrench in the gears. Here’s to hoping they’ll get some major publicity and will be able to follow up Summerland in the future. Additionally, I really need to sit down and soak this one in some more. There’s just too much ground to cover, so be sure to help me out and soak in Summerland for yourself as well. This record is simply too good to sit on.