#speedmetal — Public Fediverse posts

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

SEXMAG + RAPID + DEATHLY SCYTHE

K-Hole, Friday, September 11 at 07:00 PM GMT+2

You like it dirty? Sexmag is not at an attempt at philosophy and fine arts. It comes to bludgeon you over your head with a lesson in filth and violence. It‘s an ignorant goon from the gutter parts of town who stole an electrical guitar and a grimoire and is trying to understand how both work, failing miserably but unleashing some dark presence in the process.
Now the beast is loose once again, shepherded by Finland’s Rapid (who finally decided to release a decent-sized slab of metal after hauting the premises for a good decade) through the heartland of Europe. In Berlin they will be aided by Deathly Scythe on their rip-and-run visit.

The dirty essence of 80s heavy metal - and we mean HEAVY, full of monsters and bat wings and horrible creatures from the dark - is hereby unleashed upon your miserable heads.

Die for total metal, or leave the hall!

https://berlin.askapunk.de/event/sexmag-rapid-deathly-scythe

✊MANIAKKS BEWARE ✊

In case you are looking for the perfect collector's item, look no further! The ETERNAL DAGGER limited box set is the perfect opportunity to show your dedication to Iron Kobra and Heavy Metal!

Limited box set (200 copies) with the album on blue/silver galaxy vinyl, including

- insert
- A1 sized poster
- sticker
- post card
- woven patch
- silkscreened backpatch
- metal pin
- posterflag
- slipmat
- download code

Be quick or be dead, this box will never see a second run! #IronKobra #HeavyMetal #vinyl #metal #SpeedMetal #EternalDagger

A week has passed since the release of our new album ETERNAL DAGGER and we cannot express how extremely grateful we are for all the positive feedback and love that YOU have shown us! Thank you so much for all your support and dedication.

Now we want to know: From the despairing depths of the Tembling Dungeons to the epic unspeakable heights of the Mountains of Madness, what is your favourite track of the album? Are you SIDE ETERNAL or SIDE DAGGER?

Post in the comments and let us know!

To celebrate the release, we will also hand out 5 free download codes of our new album among all comments! #IronKobra #HeavyMetal #metal #EternalDagger #SpeedMetal #nwothm

🗡️Danke, Iron Cult Demonheim!🗡️
⚔️Danke, Der Detze Rockt!⚔️

Nächste Gigs:

22.08. United Forces V, Oer-Erkenschwick
10.09. Storm Crusher Festival DVP Party, Püchersreuth
26.09. Erntedrunkfest Open Air, Rauschenberg
05.12. Metal Forces Festival, Hamburg
#HeavyMetal #metal #festival #SpeedMetal #IronKobra

The year was 2008. The place is Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Four brave souls were about to form Iron Kobra. Yearning for an era with less sheen and more grit, the band honed their craft with early demo Cult of the Snake and EP Battlesword. Their debut full-length, Dungeon Masters, wouldn’t descend upon the masses until 2012. While a little rough, it showed promise and ambition; the band clearly understood the fundamentals of hard rock and classic heavy metal. 2015 would see them return with Might & Magic, a higher-octane affair with tighter musicianship. But for a single here and there, Iron Kobra has remained quiet in the 11 years since. The metal snake returns now in 2026, promising louder, faster, and better.

I’m gonna do this review a little backward, starting with my chief complaint. Eternal Dagger feels more like a playlist than an album. There’s awesome musicianship and band cohesion on display here—the call and response antics of “Trembling Dungeons,” the stair-stepped riffs of “Fliehen,” the band’s perfect punctuation of Ela’s lyrics on “Forbidden Fruits,” Matze’s bass carrying the melody through the end of “Silver Strings and Iron Wings”—but nothing really ties these tracks together. It’s all undeniably the work of Iron Kobra, but the band careens—quite competently, at least—from searing speed metal (“Unchained & Untamed”) to Priestly NWoBHM (“Shibuya Nights”) to epic heavy metal (“Mountains of Madness”), making the album feel a bit unfocused. The great part about a criticism like this is that it has absolutely no bearing on how fucking hard these Germans rip.

From the first moments of “Trembling Dungeons”—a trash can opening, a sick divebomb, and soaring cleans—it’s clear Iron Kobra came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and they’re all out of bubblegum.1 Eternal Dagger is a rager written for all those who still blast Saxon on the reg. Whether burning barns (“Forbidden Fruits,” “Treacherous Tyrant”) or stomping out anthemic bangers, Iron Kobra plays with wanton abandon. This riotous and free energy never lets up, largely thanks to drummer Bjӧrn, even when the tempo drops a gear. “Silver Strings and Iron Wings” takes me back to Di’Anno-era Maiden, and “Trembling Dungeons” could’ve been an Angel Witch b-side. “Eternal Dagger” ventures into progressive territory, and although it doesn’t quite stick the landing and ends a little awkwardly, it’s intriguing, and I’d like to see them explore this narrative style more on future releases.

Eternal Dagger is a vast improvement over Iron Kobra’s back catalog, most notably stemming from its superior production. Mixed and mastered by Stefan Castevet, Eternal Dagger feels full and fleshed out. Bjӧrn’s kick drum moves some serious air, and Matze’s bass sounds absolutely incredible. It’s lush, vibrant, and responsible for some of my favorite moments on Eternal Dagger (“Shibuya Nights,” “Silver Strings,” “Unchained & Untamed”). The other major improvement of Eternal Dagger is the band’s synergy. While previous efforts felt like four talented musicians playing together, Eternal Dagger feels far more cohesive. This is best shown in the way lead guitarist Steffen dances beautifully around Ela’s rhythm guitars like variations on a theme. His leads and solos always feel like an extension of the rhythm section, rather than a standalone element (“Trembling Dungeons,” “Forbidden Fruits,” “Treacherous Tyrant”). Licks and fills from every member of Iron Kobra decorate the larger compositions, and as a result, Eternal Dagger feels like the work of a band at the top of their game.

Iron Kobra has got the goods. Front to back, Eternal Dagger is infectious and riotously fun. Whether you wanna howl at the sky while driving a bit too fast down the highway or pump your fist and bang your head in a crowd of sweaty, late-middle-aged men, Iron Kobra will get you there. I do wish Eternal Dagger had a more singular identity, but at the end of the day, I still had a blast working with this album over the past couple weeks. Unless you won’t settle for anything less than earth-shattering and paradigm-shifting masterpieces, Eternal Dagger will give you a sore neck and some involuntary stank face just fine.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 19th, 2026

And in case you are unsure whether ETERNAL DAGGER is for you ... here a list of reviews (thread) ⬇️ #IronKobra #EternalDagger #HeavyMetal #metal #SpeedMetal #nwothm

You can listen to the album in its entirety on our Bandcamp page: https://ironkobra.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-dagger #HeavyMetal #IronKobra #SpeedMetal #metal #nwothm

ETERNAL DAGGER RELEASE ... TODAY!

Time since MIGHT & MAGIC:
11 years.
4,061 days.
5,847,840 minutes.
Enough time to listen to the IRON MAIDEN album 143,564 times.

And now, the time has come.

OUR THIRD ALBUM ETERNAL DAGGER IS OUT TODAY!

We will present some songs tomorrow at Der Detze Rockt, where you will also be able to purchase it in person. We will update the merch on our bandcamp store shortly.

Thanks for the support. It means the world to us.
#IronKobra #EternalDagger #HeavyMetal #SpeedMetal #EpicMetal #metal #rock #nwothm

:headbanger: FULL ALBUM STREAM :headbanger:

We are proud to present to you, in collaboration with Decibel Magazine, our upcoming album ETERNAL DAGGER in its entirety!

ETERNAL DAGGER will release this Friday, with our official release party at DETZE ROCKT Festival on Saturday. Don't forget to pre-order the album at Dying Victims Productions! #HeavyMetal #IronKobra #metal #SpeedMetal #EpicMetal #EternalDagger
https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2026/06/15/full-album-stream-iron-kobra-eternal-dagger/

🎸ETERNAL DAGGER AUF DEM DETZE🎸

14 Jahre ist es her, dass wir auf dem großartigen Der Detze Rockt Festival gespielt haben. Und wir kommen natürlich nicht mit leeren Händen, sondern feiern mit euch das Release unseres dritten Albums ETERNAL DAGGER! Wir werden auch einige neue Songs dabei haben, aber natürlich auch ein paar Kobra-Klassiker krädenzen.

ACHTUNG! Wegen der komplett wahnsinnig guten Bekanntgabe, dass Metal Inquisitor auch auftreten, verschiebt sich unser Auftritt leicht nach vorne. Stagetime am Samstag: 16:45! #HeavyMetal #SpeedMetal #ThrashMetal #DetzeRockt #IronKobra #festival

🔥BEWARE OF THE DUNGEON MASTER(S)🔥

June 19 is not only the release day of our third album ETERNAL DAGGER, but finally our debut album DUNGEON MASTERS will finally see its first re-press on vinyl and CD!

For obvious reasons, this album holds a special place in our hearts. It also contains some of the absolute fan favourites like Black Magic Spells, Born under the Tower, or Heavy Metal Generation.

We recorded the album at the legendary Toxomusic Studio in Koblenz, the same place Cruel Force recorded their debut album THE RISE OF SATANIC MIGHT. #HeavyMetal #IronKobra #SpeedMetal #DungeonMasters #CruelForce #metal

⚔DANKE MONHEIM!⚔

Es ist merkwürdig, im Juni sein Livedebüt fürs Jahr zu feiern, aber so ist es halt, wenn man an einem Album arbeitet. Umso größer war die Freude, endlich wieder vor Publikum zu spielen! Tausend Dank an Iron Cult Demonheim und das Sojus 7 für die tolle Organisation, The Neptune Power Federation und Satan's Propaganda für Auftritte mit viel POWER, und natürlich alle Maniakks, die gekommen sind!

WIR SEHEN UNS IN KNAPP ZWEI WOCHEN WIEDER AUF DEM Der Detze Rockt! #HeavyMetal #metal #monheim #IronKobra #SpeedMetal

First review of our upcoming album ETERNAL DAGGER! „If you enjoyed listening to albums like Tokyo Blade's debut, See You in Hell from Crossfire, Witch Cross's Fit for Fight and the like, you'll want to give Eternal Dagger a spin.“ 4/5 #HeavyMetal #IronKobra #EternalDagger #SpeedMetal https://www.metalcrypt.com/reviews/16737

Listen to TREMBLING DUNGEONS, the opening track of our third album ETERNAL DAGGER! #IronKobra #EternalDagger #HeavyMetal #SpeedMetal https://ironkobra.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-dagger

IRON KOBRA 2026 – The Eternal Dagger Era

Ela – Six String Slaying & Haunting Screams from Sto'Vo'Kor
Björn – Thundering Drums of Doom
Steffen – Guitar Carnage on the Altar of Harmony
Matze – Four Strings of Apocalypse

📸 Kai Ski of The Serpent Sun Tattoo
#HeavyMetal #SpeedMetal #EpicMetal #IronKobra #EternalDagger

Accuser – Taste Of Steel
#Metal #heavymetal #powermetal #speedmetal #thrashmetal #uspowermetal #Arlington
CC BY-NC-ND (#CreativeCommons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives) #ccmusic
https://accusertx.bandcamp.com/album/taste-of-steel

Tired? Irritable? Prone to bouts of melancholy that leave you feeling listless and unfocused, particularly as the weather changes? It could be seasonal affective disorder, but these symptoms can also typify a diet deficient in vitamin R(iff). If it’s the latter, Hellripper’s Coronach practically hemorrhages the cure for what ails you, parading pulse-pounding riffs, blistering solos, and enthralling grooves with palliative nonchalance. Unleashing Hellripper’s fourth album in under a decade, architect and sole member James McBain maintains a tried-and-true release schedule and, more importantly, a steady evolution of sophisticated songwriting that’s as compelling as it is emboldening. I won’t mince words—Coronach is an undeniable corker and succeeds as Hellripper’s greatest triumph to date. So run down to your local or digital dealer and grab some Coronach posthaste!

Expanding on the achievements of Hellripper’s previous albums, Coronach harnesses the charm of earlier releases and injects them with a lethal dose of vitality. Back in 2017, debut Coagulating Darkness bled its influences on its sleeve, from riffs dripping with warp-speed Venom to the guitar lead from “Bastard of Hades” pulled straight from Metallica’s “Hit the Lights.” The Affair of the Poisons shaped Hellripper’s identity with flurries of licks that, while still laced with influences, exuded a welcome dimension of originality. Three years ago, Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags’ introduced knotted, longer-form compositions that pushed out the runtime while augmenting Hellripper’s arsenal of aural ammunition. With Coronach, Hellripper strikes a balance between the lengthier arrangements of Warlocks and the breakneck blackened bangers of yore, amplified by stellar performances throughout.

Coronach (24-bit HD audio) by Hellripper

Coronach overflows with electrifying instrumentation, and while McBain supplies most of Hellripper’s sonic ingredients, a few guests further enrich its proceedings. Searing leads and scorching solos set Coronach’s eight tracks aflame, boasting some of the hookiest guitar-playing I’ve heard this year. “Hunderprest” and “Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm” crackle with flashy fretwork, buoyed by longtime six-string contributor Joseph Quinlan (Desert Heretic). Similarly, “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite)” rumbles with snappy Motörheadstrong riffs before an acoustic guitar cuts in to transition the song into slinky grooves and heavy half-times. After some interplay, the pace ramps back up to close out on the intro riff. Hellripper has never lacked for earworms, yet Coronach unveils a mature understanding of dynamic songwriting that endows depth and complexity while never sounding forced or unnatural. Besides Quinlan, Jess Townsend contributes violin on “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned),” while singer Marianne returns to lend her vocals on a few tracks and Antonio Rodriguez reprises the bagpipes on closer “Coronach.” Vacuous’s Max Southall even bestows some percussive flair on “Mortercheyn.” Between himself and the talented musicians he’s assembled, it’s clear that while McBain is comfortable with his supporting cast, he’s determined not to put out the same album twice.

What impresses me most with Coronach is that McBain manages to broaden Hellripper’s auditory palette without ever losing the band’s core identity. “Hunderprest” and “Coronach” brim with the band’s trademark rippin’ riffs, yet the solos recall southern rock shredding à la Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Outlaws played at one-and-a-half speed. “Sculptor’s Cave,” meanwhile, channels what El Cuervo affectionately dubbed ‘Motörhead on cocaine’ energy during its “Rock ‘n’ Roll”-informed solo. A pervasive punk attitude also shimmers beneath the surface of Coronach, where the unadorned guitar refrains from “Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite),” “Sculptor’s Cave,” and “Mortercheyn” evoke more technical versions of Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tying it all together and allowing the myriad influences to coalesce, the mix ensures this is the best Hellripper has sounded, retaining their raw edge while dialing back the ‘everything louder than everything else’ approach that afflicted past albums—The Affair of the Poisons in particular.

Doubtlessly, Hellripper has dropped their finest release so far with Coronach, though a few small adjustments could have boosted it to undisputed excellence. “Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned)” runs a tad too long, and although I like “Mortercheyn,” it doesn’t quite live up to the heights of the other tracks. Even so, I unapologetically return to Coronach again and again with no signs of slowing down. Just remember—Coronach must be taken while driving or operating heavy machinery. If lethargy creeps in or your mouth runs dry from a chronic deficit of Vitamin R, just take one to two doses of Coronach (by ear) and wait for Hellripper’s restorative fix to kick in.1

Rating: Great!!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: Website | Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

#UnpopularOpinion

Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" song is my favorite from their album since my teen days...

However Megadeth's version is WAY BETTER than Metallica !

Don't change my mind...

#USA #Megadeth #Metallica #RideTheLightning #ThrashMetal #SpeedMetal #1980s #2020s

Sacred Leather – Keep the Fire Burning Review

By Steel Druhm

I’ve never been to Indiana, so I’m not acquainted with how they do things. After listening to Sacred Leather’s sophomore outing, Keep the Fire Burning, I’m definitely left wondering if time moves differently there, though. That’s because this is one of the most retro, throwback-y pure metal things I’ve heard in some time, with a sound so hopelessly locked between 1983-1986, that I feel my back hair receding as my olde denim jacket grows new Venom and Motörhead patches. When I call this style “dated,” what I really mean is carbon-dated.1 Now, don’t take this as a criticism, as those years were some of the very best for classic heavy metal, and Sacred Leather do their damnedest to harvest the finest elements from a time when things were simple, pure, and still very based in hard-rock. As this album unspools, you’ll be whisked away to an age when Jag Panzer, Savage Grace, and Warlord ruled with a collective iron fist, and being labeled a poser was akin to a death sentence. Could you withstand the cred rigors of such a draconian time? Steel Druhm did once and would gladly do so again!

After a tasteful instrumental intro, Sacred Leather tan your worthless hide from point Ape to point ChimpanZee on “Spitfire at Night,” powered by the uber-period guitar work of J.J. Highway and Cvon Owens. It’s vintage metal with a speed injection, and it reminds me of long-forgotten German quasi-thrashers Vendetta mixed with Agent Steel. That’s 100% undiluted Steel bait, and the chum is thick and saucy here. Riffs churn and race, over-the-top solos stamp fat exclamation points, and frontman Dee Wrathchild screams and wails like a banshee on banshee meths. It’s a recipe for rowdy, high-energy shenanigans, and in the steady hands of Sacred Leather, this volatile brew sizzles and pops. “Phantom Highway (Hell is Comin’ Down)” delivers more lusty worship of excess. It’s a slick blend of NWoBHM and the most sturdy of mid-80s US metal, and it reminds me of Sumerlands. “Fallen Angel” channels the early days of Jag Panzer with big arena-ready guitars dueling with wanton vocals locked in overdrive as every ounce of meatheaded drama is wrung from the music. Sure, Mr. Wrathchild lets his voice get away from him at times, but that’s freaking metal, folks.

Song after song hits like a runaway freight train from 1985, and at no point will you want to step off the tracks. “Tear Out My Heart” feels like the bastard love child of Warlord and Savage Grace, with stunning guitars framing the kind of massive vocal drama that only 80s metal can provide. If you were looking for a burly, hard-as-nails breakup song for written for men who don’t cry, this is it. The title track channels the badass anthemic might of the criminally underappreciated Cities, and the band proudly honor their oath to keep the flame of the 80s burning bright. Just as you regain your senses, the big epic closer “Mistress of the Sun” arrives to make you love it or feel the wrath of Wrathchild. This is the same kind of larger-than-life metal tune as Krokus’ immortal “Screaming in the Night,” walking the line between anthem and power ballad and damn if it doesn’t tickle all the same nerve endings. There are no bad tracks, with each activating a major nostalgia bomb. So, what, if any, drawbacks will you encounter amid this most retro metal marination session? There are bits of bloat here and there, like on “Tear Out My Heart,” but not to the point where the songs are seriously undermined. In fact, at a tight 40 minutes, this thing feels like a fast-moving mission statement on how to properly worship the 80s, with a production about as trve to the time as one could hope for.

This is the kind of metal album that exudes guitar magic, and Highway and Owens spare no expense in decorating each song with the trappings of yesteryear. I hear many classic 80s albums referenced in their playing, and they really know the era they pay homage to. The riffs are energetic, beefy, and vibrant, and the harmonies and solos rock hard. Over the top of this solid foundation, Dee Wrathchild channels his inner metal god. Blessed with a broad range, he lets it all hang out, exploring his upper register freely and sometimes in ill-advised ways. He does seem to slip out of tune here and there when going all in, but I don’t especially care. Most of what he delivers is solid and commanding, checking all the boxes of 80s overkill and melodrama.

I love it when I blunder into some December release expecting little but getting my ass handed to me on a gleaming chrome platter. Sacred Leather bring the classic metal thunder, and if you love the sounds of the 80s, you should await the lightning strike. As winter moves ever closer, you too should Keep the Fire Burning. Any other choice would smack of flagrant poserism, and that would mean a visit from the Metal Inquisition. Be true to your olde school.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: King Volume Records / Wise Blood Records
Websites: facebook.com/leathersacredleather | instagram.com/sacred_leather
Releases Worldwide: December 12th, 2015

#2025 #35 #AgentSteel #AmericanMetal #Cities #Dec25 #HeavyMetal #JagPanzer #KeepTheFireBurning #Review #Reviews #SacredLeather #SavageGrace #SpeedMetal #Sumerlands #Vendetta #Warlord

Stuck in the Filter: August 2025’s Angry Misses

By Kenstrosity

The heat persists, but now the humidity comes in full force as storm systems wreak havoc upon the coasts. I hide in my cramped closet of an office, lest I be washed out once again by an unsuspecting deluge. However, I still send my minions out into the facility, bound by duty to search for those metallic scraps on which we feast.

Fortuitously, most all of those imps I sent out came back alive, and with wares! BEHOLD!

Kenstrosity’s Galactic Gremlin

Silent Millenia // Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil [August 26th, 2025 – Self-Release]

Have you ever seen such a delightfully cheesy cover? Probably, but it’s been a while for me. I bought Celestial Twilight: Beyond the Crimson Veil, the second raw symphonic black metal opus from Finnish one-man act Silent Millenia, on the strength of the artwork alone. Little did I know that what lay beyond this crimson veil was some of the most fun melodic black metal this side of Moonlight Sorcery. The same low-fi roughness that personifies Old Nick’s work grounds Silent Millenia’s starbound songwriting as it traverses the universe with an energetic punch reminiscent of Emperor or Stormkeep (“Awaken the Celestial Spell,” “Daemonic Mastery”). To help differentiate Silent Millenia’s sound from that of their peers, a gothic atmosphere ensorcells much of this material to great effect, merging eerie Victorian melodies with galactic adventurism in an unlikely pair (“Enthrone the Spectral”). Swirling synths and sparkling twinkles abound as well, creating blissful moments of interest as frosty tremolos and piercing blasts take full advantage of the false sense of security those entrancing clouds of synthetic instrumentation create (“Benighted Path to Darkness Mysterium,” “Reign in Cosmic Majesty”). Simply put, Celestial Twilight is an unexpected gem of a symphonic black metal record, bursting with killer ideas and infinite levels of raw, unabashed fun. You should hear it!

Kronos’ Unexpected Unearthments

Street Sects // Dry Drunk [August 15th, 2025 – Self Release]

Dry Drunk sticks to your inner surfaces, draining down like cigarette tar along paralyzed cilia to pool in your lungs until the cells themselves foment rebellion. Once it’s in you, you feel paranoid, wretched, and alone. So it’s the proper follow-up to Street Sects’ visionary debut, End Position. Like that record, Dry Drunk plumbs the most mundane and unsavory gutters of America for a cast of protagonists that it dwells in or dispatches with a mixture of pity and disgust, with vocalist Leo Ashline narrating their violent crimes and self-hatred in a mixture of croons, shrieks, and snarls that cook the air before the speakers into the scent of booze and rotten teeth. And like that record, Shaun Ringsmuth (Glassing) dresses the sets with a fractal litter of snaps, squeals, crashes, gunshots, and grinding electronics, caked in tar and collapsing just as soon as it is swept into a structure. And like End Position, Dry Drunk is a masterpiece. The impeccable six-song stretch from “Love Makes You Fat” through “Riding the Clock” ties you to the bumper and drags you along some of the duo’s most creative side-roads, through the simmering, straightjacketed sludge of “Baker Act” to the chopped-up, smirking electronica of “Eject Button.” Swerving between addled, unintelligible agony and unforgettable anthems, Dry Drunk, like End Position before it is nothing less than the life of a junkie scraped together, heated on a spoon, and injected into your head. Once you’ve taken a hit, you will never be quite the same.

Thus Spoke’s Frightening Fragments

Defacement // Doomed [August 22nd, 2025 – Self Release]

There’s music for every vibe.1 The one Defacement fits is an exclusively extreme metal flavor of moody that is only appreciable by genre fans, made tangibly more eerie by their persistent idiosyncratic use of dark ambient interludes amidst the viciously distorted blackened death. Audiences—and reviewers—tend to disparage these electronic segments, but I’ve always felt their crackling presence increases the analog horror of it all, and rather than being a breather from the intensity, they prolong the nausea, the sense of emptiness, and the abject fearfulness of head-based trauma. This latter concept grows more metaphorical still on Doomed, where the violence is inside the mind, purpose-erasing, and emotionally-detaching. The ambience might be the most sadly beautiful so far (“Mournful,” and “Clouded” especially), and the transitions into nightmarish heaviness arguably the most fluid. And the metal is undoubtedly the most ambitious, dynamic, and magnificent of Defacement’s career, combining their most gruesome dissonance (“Portrait”) with their most bizarrely exuberant guitar melodies (“Unexplainable,” “Unrecognised”). Solos drip tangibly with (emotional) resonance (“Unexplainable,” “Absent”) and there’s not a breath or a moment of wasted space. Yes, the band’s heavier side can suffer from a nagging sense of homogeneous mass, but it remains transporting. While I can appreciate why others do not appreciate Defacement, this is the first of their outings I can truthfully say mesmerised me on first listen.

ClarkKent’s Heated Hymns

Phantom Fire // Phantom Fire [August 8th, 2025 – Edged Circle Productions]

While I waded through the murky depths of the August promo sump, Steel implored me to take the eponymous third album from Phantom Fire. “The AMG commentariat love blackened heavy metal,” he said. I disregarded his advice at my peril, and while I ended up enjoying what I grabbed, it turns out this would have been solid too. Featuring members from Enslaved, Kraków. Hellbutcher, and Aeternus, Phantom Fire play old school speed metal that harks back to the likes of Motörhead and Iron Maiden’s Killers. Thanks to healthy doses of bass and production values that allow the instruments to shine, each song is infused with energetic grooves. The music sounds fresh, crisp, and clear, from the booming drums to Eld’s “blackened” snarls. Early tracks “Eternal Void” and “All For None” show off the catchy blend of simple guitar riffs and a hoppin’ bass accompanied by energetic kit work. While placing a somewhat lengthy instrumental track in the middle of a record usually slows it down, “Fatal Attraction” turns out to be a highlight. It tells a tragic love story involving a motorcycle with nothing but instruments, an engine revving, and some police sirens. The second half of Phantom Fire gets a bit on the weirder side, turning to some stoner and psychedelia. There’s a push and pull between the stoner and Motörhead speed stuff on songs like “Malphas” and “Submersible Pt. 2,” and this blend actually works pretty well. It turns out that they aren’t phantom after all—these guys are truly fire.

Burning Witches // Inquisition [August 22nd, 2025 – Napalm Records]

With six albums in eight years, Swiss quintet Burning Witches has really been burning rubber. While such prolific output in such a short time frame generally spells trouble, Inquisition is a solid piece of heavy/power metal. Burning Witches dabbles in a mix of speedy power metal and mid-tempo heavy metal, often sounding like ’80s stalwarts Judas Priest and Def Leppard. With Laura Guldemond’s gruff voice, they produce a more weighty, less happy version of power metal than the likes of Fellowship or Frozen Crown. While the songs stick to formulaic structures, tempo shifts from song to song help keep things from growing stale. We see this variety right from the get-go, where “Soul Eater” takes a high-energy approach before moving into the more mellow “Shame.” There’s even a pretty solid ballad, “Release Me,” that grounds the back half of the record. Songs of the sort that Burning Witches write need catchy choruses, and fortunately, they deliver. “High Priestess of the Night” is a particular standout, delivering a knock-out punch in its delivery. It helps that the instrumental parts are well-executed, from crunchy riffs to subdued solos to booming blast beats. Anyone looking for a solid bit of power metal that’s not too heavy on the cheese will find this worth a listen.

Deathhammer // Crimson Dawn [August 29th, 2025 – Hells Headbangers Records]

Celebrating 20 years of blackened speed, Deathhammer drop LP number six with the kind of energy that exhausted parents dread to see in their children at bedtime. This is my first foray with the band, and I am in awe of the relentless level of manic energy they keep throughout Crimson Dawn’s 39 minutes. If science could learn how to harness their energy, we’d have an endless source of renewables. The two-piece out of Norway channels classic Slayer on crack and even has moments reminiscent of Painkiller-era Judas Priest. They play non-stop thrash cranked to 11, with persistent blast beats and some dual guitar parts that leave your head spinning from the rapid-fire directions the riffs fire off in. The heart of the mania is singer Sergeant Salsten. His crazed vocals are amazing—snarling, shouting, and shrieking in a way that took me back to the manic pitch Judge Doom could reach in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He sings so fast that on the chorus of “Crimson Dawn,” it sounds like he says “Griffindor,” which had me searching confusedly for the Harry Potter tag. This was probably my favorite song, not just because of the Griffindor thing, but because that chorus is so catchy. Either way, it’s tough to pick a standout track because they all grip you by the throat and don’t let go. Crimson Dawn is a ton of fun and a must listen if you like your music fast.

Grin Reaper’s Bountiful Blight

Kallias // Digital Plague [August 14th, 2025 – Self Release]

Machine gun drumming, spacey synths, Morbid Angel-meets-Meshuggah riffing, Turian-esque barking and Voyager-reminiscent vocal melodies…what the fuck is going on here? The only thing more surprising than someone having the moxie to blend all these things together is how well they work in concert. Kallias doesn’t hold back on sophomore album Digital Plague, and the result is a rocket-fueled blast through forty-four minutes of eclectic, addictive prog. The mishmash of styles keeps the album fresh and unpredictable while never dipping its toes in inconsistent waters, and staccato rhythms propel listeners through eight tracks without losing steam. As with any prog metal worth its salt, Kallias brandishes technical prowess, and their cohesion belies the relatively short time they’ve been putting out music.2 The mix is well-suited to spotlight whoever needs it at a given time, whether the bass is purring (“Exogíini Kyriarchía”), the drums are being annihilated (“Pyrrhic Victory”), or a guitar solo nears Pettrucian wankery (“Phenomenal in Theory”). The end result is three-quarters of an hour filled with myriad influences that fuse into a sound all Kallias’s own, and it’s one I’ve returned to several times since discovering (also, credit to MontDoom for his stunning artwork, which helped initially draw my attention). Check it out—you’ll be sick if you avoid this one like the Plague.

Luke’s Kaleidoscopic Kicks

Giant Haze // Cosmic Mother [August 22nd, 2025 – Tonzonen Records]

Whereas many of my colleagues are bracing themselves for cooler conditions and harsh winters to come, in my neck of the woods, things are warming up. While my own wintry August filter proved scarce, there was one particular summery gem to lift moods with burly riffs and fat stoner grooves. Unheralded German act Giant Haze seemingly emerged out of nowhere during a random Bandcamp deep dive. Debut LP Cosmic Mother channels the good old days of ’90s-inspired desert rock, featuring grungy, doomy vibes via a groovy batch of riff-centric, hard-rocking and uplifting jams, evoking the nostalgic spirit of Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Clutch and perhaps even a dash of Danzig. Punching out raucous, groove-soaked hard rockers with skyscraping hooks (“Geographic Gardens Suck,” “King of Tomorrow,” “Panic to Ride”), summery, funk–psych jams (“Sunrise”), and bluesy, punk-infused fireballs (“Crank in Public,” “Shrink Age”) Giant Haze get a lot of things right on this assured debut. The songwriting is deceptively diverse and punchy, bolstered by solid production, tight musicianship, and the swaggering, ever so slightly goofy vocal charms and powerful hooks of frontman Christoph Wollmann. Inevitably, a few rough spots appear, but overall Cosmic Mother showcases oodles of budding potential, an impactful delivery, cheeky sense of humor, and infectious, feel-good songcraft.

Spicie Forrest’s Foraged Fruit

Bask // The Turning [August 22nd, 2025 – Season of Mist]

Last seen in 2019, Bask returns with fourth LP, The Turning, a concept album following The Rider as she and The Traveler traverse the stars. They still peddle the unique blend of stoner rock and Americana Kenstrosity reviewed favorably in 2019, but 2025 sees them looking up for inspiration. The Turning incorporates a distinct cosmic bent (“The Traveler,” “The Turning”) and post-rock structures (“Dig My Heels,” “Unwound”). These augmentations to Bask’s core sound are enhanced by the masterful pedal steel of new official member Jed Willis. Whether floating through the firmament or tilling earthly pastures, Willis creates textures both fresh and intensely nostalgic. The infinite shifting vistas of The Turning’s front half coalesce into singular timeless visions on the back half, supporting its conceptual nature in both content and form. Like a combination of Huntsmen and Somali Yacht Club, Bask weaves riffs and melodies heard across the plains and through the void above with an unguarded authenticity felt in your soul.

Dolphin Whisperer’s Disseminating Discharge

Plasmodulated // An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell [August 1st, 2025 – Personal Records]

Stinky, sticky, slimy—all adjectives that define the ideal death metal platter. Myk Colby has been trying to chase this perfect balance in a reverb-wonky package with projects like the d-beaten Hot Graves and extra hazy Wharflurch, but vile death metal balance is hard to achieve. However, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell contains a recklessly pinched Demilichian riffage, classic piercing whammy bombs, and spook-minded synth ambience that places Plasmodulated with an odor more pungent than its peers. With an infected ear that festers equally with doom-loaded, Incantation-indebted drags (“Gelatinous Mutation ov Brewed Origin,” “Trapped in the Plasmovoid”) and Voivod-on-jenkem cutaways to foul-throated extravagence (“The Final Fuckening”). An air of intelligent tempo design keeps An Ocean from never feeling trapped in a maze of its own fumes, with Colby’s lush and bubbling synth design seguing tumbles into hammering deathly tremolo runs (“Such Rapid Sphacelation”) and Celtic Frosted riff tumbles (“Drowning in Sputum”) alike, all before swirling about his own tattered, trailing vocal sputters. Steady but slippery, elegant yet effluvial, An Ocean ov Putrid, Stinky, Vile, Disgusting Hell provides the necessary noxious pressure to corrode death metal-loving denizens into pure gloops of stained-denim pit worship. Delivered as labeled, Plasmodulated earns its hazardous declaration. We here at AMG are not liable for any OSHA violations that occur as a result of Plasmodulated consumption on the job, though.

#2025 #Aeternus #AmericanMetal #Americana #AnOceanOvPutridStinkyVileDisgustingHell #Aug25 #Bask #BlackMetal #BlackenedDeathMetal #BurningWitches #CelestialTwilightBeyondTheCrimsonVeil #CelticFrost #Clutch #CosmicMother #CrimsonDawn #Danzig #DarkAmbient #DeathMetal #Deathhammer #DefLeppard #Defacement #Demilich #DigitalPlague #Doomed #DryDrunk #DutchMetal #EdgedCircleProductions #Emperor #Enslaved #Fellship #FinnishMetal #FrozenCrown #FuManchu #GermanMetal #GiantHaze #Glassing #Hardcore #HeavyMetal #Hellbutcher #HellsHeadbangersRecords #HotGraves #Huntsmen #Incantation #Inquisition #IronMaiden #JudasPriest #Kallias #Kraków #Kyuss #MelodicBlackMetal #Meshuggah #MoonlightSorcery #MorbidAngel #Motörhead #NapalmRecords #NorwegianMetal #OldNick #PersonalRecords #PhantomFire #Plasmodulated #PowerMetal #ProgressiveDeathMetal #RawBlackMetal #Review #Reviews #SelfRelease #SilentMillenia #Slayer #Sludge #SludgeMetal #SomaliYachtClub #SpeedMetal #StonerRock #Stormkeep #StreetSects #StuckInTheFilter #StuckInTheFilter2025 #SwissMetal #SymphonicBlackMetal #TechnicalDeathMetal #TheTurning #TonzonenRecords #Turian #Voivod #Voyager #Wharflurch

Greg's 32nd Birthday Bash w/ Ashbreather [Album Release], Black Absinthe, Unsucked, Stab @ Thrashcan - September 19th, 2025

Thrash Can, Friday, September 19 at 09:00 PM EDT

Come down to the Thrashcan and get ready to bang your fuckin' head! It's my 32nd birthday bash, and we're lucky to have Montreal progressive sludge maestros Ashbrreather take the stage to celebrate the release of their forthcoming new record 'La Grande Bouffe'! They'll be joined by Toronto heavy metal warriors Black Absinthe, Montreal sludgegrind power duo Unsucked, and Montreal noise punks Stab!

Ashbreather:
https://ashbreather.bandcamp.com/album/la-grande-bouffe

Black Absinthe:
https://blackabsinthe.bandcamp.com/album/on-earth-or-in-hell

Unsucked:
https://unxxsucked.bandcamp.com/album/vagittarius

Stab:
https://www.instagram.com/stab.band/

Friday, September 19th, 2025
@ Thrashcan (Ask a punk!)
Doors @ 9:00 PM
Show @ 9:30 PM
$15

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/gregs-32nd-birthday-bash-with-ashbreather-album-release-black-absinthe-unsucked-stab-thrashcan-september-19th-2025

SPEEDTRAP Vol. I

Batiment 7, Saturday, April 12 at 04:00 PM EDT

Viridian Cult Productions presents:

SPEEDTRAP Vol. I

Prepare for a night of unholy and ripping speed metal punk at Bâtiment 7 for the inaugural edition of SPEEDTRAP, a new (hopefully) annual festial in Montreal dedicated to unrelenting tempos and old school sounds.

On the afternoon of Saturday, April 12th, 2025, 11 bands will take the stage at Bâtiment 7 with one purpose: rockin' the fvck out. Join us for this frenzied ritual of razor-sharp sonic terror!

The lineup for this year's event from first to last:

- Leash Aggression
- Mistwalker
- Anti-Criss (Rimouski)
- Motorwolf
- Feed
- Street Panther
- Tonnerre
- The Watcher (Boston)
- Barrow Wight (Ottawa)
- Occult Burial
- Metalian

Tickets are $30 ($33.28 with Eventbrite's fees) in advance, $40 at the door.

@ Bâtiment 7
1900 Rue le Ber, Montreal
Doors / Portes 16:00h
Show / Spectacle 16:30h
NO PUNK TIME
18+ (ID Required)

Tickets available through Eventbrite at this link:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/.../speedtrap-vol-i-tickets...

Poster by the ever-talented Ghastly McNasty.

https://montreal.askapunk.net/event/speedtrap-vol-i

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BLABBERMOUTH
SADUS Announces First Album In 16 Years, 'The Shadow Inside'

https://blabbermouth.net/news/sadus-announces-first-album-in-16-years-the-shadow-inside

#Sadus
#TheShadowInside
#NewAlbum
#Metal
#Thrash
#16Years
#SpeedMetal
#NorthernCalifornia
#SteveDiGiorgio
#JonAllen
#DennisButkus
#SpecialGuest