Intensely heavy yet soulful, poetic and cinematic, up-tempo and both energising and evocative. Oathforged is a confronting and awakening listen, and offers a whole new highlight from the upcoming full-length album. Mythrend have made sincere promises to raise the bar, and so far, they’re outright refusing to back down on their word.
Heavy Metal
Forged In Shadow (Bound by Fire) is the boldly cinematic heavy metal introduction, an electrified and poetic hard-rock arrangement and delivery, built around the iconic Lord of the Rings story, and showcasing both the intricate craftwork and essential contrast of composer and performer Mythrend through its cascading layers.
Heavy thrash metal with a fine balancing of the creative freedom to play and the conceptual, atmospheric intention of a bigger project – Ankoth delivers a deadly force of intense metal pace and weight, with the unmistakable Danu’s Decline.
Perfectly encapsulating the implications of its title, and seamlessly blending the ferocity of metal with the essential embrace of rhythm, concept, character and even melody, Death Culture fires up a brand new album with a powerful opening track, and proceeds to impress throughout the intense and addictive Man and Machine.
Armed with a bold collection of albums and singles from multiple creative corners of metal, hardcore and hard rock – Guitarist, guitar-tech, producer and composer Osi Pavez kindly took part in an interview.
Carefully intertwining a pristine affinity for heavy metal production and melodic design, with a Faith-driven backdrop of story and sentiments chosen to inspire and uplift audiences, Craig Bannerman introduces the passion and purpose of his music, with the compelling new single For God So Loved.
Exploring creative storytelling with darkness and devotion, Claws of Chaos inject imaginative realism and poignancy into the classic rock format, with the emotionally loaded nuance and harsh detailing of Baby Down.
This playlist is a musical anthology, inviting listeners to reflect upon the human condition through the sadly forever relevant lens of conflict and determination. It’s a fiercely focused set of stories and songs, with a boldly heartfelt undertone that feels decidedly honest and, at times, heart-breaking.
Defiantly unique and rather fearless in bridging the gap between the most intense distorted music and the more charming softness of acoustic and melodic satisfaction, In The Chaos I Return is a fascinating project, which feels profoundly more vast than its three-track limit appears to imply.
Creating art out of trauma is a painful but ultimately therapeutic process, and if that art or music can in turn provide the same kind of solace and understanding for other victims of abuse, then its all the more rewarding. Johnny Bottos tells his story in a unique and empowering way, with the pure poetry, sheer weight, and musical precision of Crown Of Thorns.
To celebrate the release of his debut EP Biting The Hand That Feeds, we caught an interview with Christian Metal artist Feet in the Fire.
We talk about the inspiration for making the project, the bible stories behind the songs, and the challenges of intertwining the intensity of heavy metal with the peaceful living of Christian Faith.
Haunting solo piano keys guide us provocatively into the mix, before a fully-loaded ambient to electronic metal realm backs up the sheer desperation and changing pace of Mike’s vocal.