Brainstorm

Rozario – Northern Crusaders Review

By Holdeneye on February 27, 2026 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 60 comments

“I reach down and grasp a promising prospect. Pieces of congealed n00b meat and 16-year-old promo remains fall from the cover, revealing a band name that sounds like some guy’s last name and a photo of several dudes in various tough-guy poses. I smile, allowing myself to hope that I’ve found what I’m looking for. Further investigation reveals Rozario’s Northern Crusaders to be a 50-minute-long heavy/power metal album, and I tell myself that this has 2.5 written all over it. Yep, this’ll do.” Kinks of the North.

Heavy Moves Heavy 2025 – AMG’s Ultimate Workout Playlist

By Thus Spoke on January 3, 2026 in Blog Posts, 82 comments

The gym-dwelling AMG staffers curated a new playlist for your efforts to get back into shape in 2026. We cannot be held liable for any resulting injuries of deaths.

Steel Druhm’s Top Ten(ish) of 2025

By Steel Druhm on January 2, 2026 in Blog Posts, Lists, 219 comments

Steel Druhm descends from his lair atop Mount Crumpit to deliver his Top Ten(ish) of 2025. Prepare to be carved like a roast beast.

Dragon Skull – Chaos Fire Vengeance [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

By Baguette of Bodom on December 17, 2025 in Things You Might Have Missed 2025, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 40 comments

“Greece is a surprising hotbed for power metal-adjacent sounds, providing recent gems such as Sunburst last year and Sacred Outcry’s 2023 masterpiece. Dragon Skull is a newcomer to these fields of glory, introducing their burly heavy/power style on their promising self-titled EP as recently as 2022. Now, three years later, they were finally ready to unleash their debut Chaos Fire Vengeance on the world. And oh my, what an entrance it is.” Wengeance is best served on fire.

Black Knight – The Tower Review

By Steel Druhm on July 8, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 38 comments

“It’s always an interesting experience to seize a promo by a band that’s been around for decades, yet you’ve never heard of them. Thus did I come to discover Dutch traditional metallers, Black Knight. Formed way back in the 80s, they didn’t release an album until 1998, and since then, they’ve only managed 2 other releases, the last being in 2020. Badly delayed by COVID lockdowns and lineup changes, it’s only now that we get 4th album, The Tower. With a sound that borrows mightily from Accept, Primal Fear, and Brainstorm, they bring exuberantly old school antics to the table with slight traces of power metal decorating the edges.” Tower of elder abuse?

Brainstorm – Plague of Rats Review

By Steel Druhm on February 25, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 48 comments

“Another Brainstorm album is upon us, and that means another opportunity for me to blather on about how they’re the most consistent heavy metal band out there. Since I found them back in 2000 by stalking frontman extraordinaire Andy B. Franck from his Ivanhoe and Symphorce projects, they’ve regularly impressed me with their hyper-hooky and punchy take on the classic heavy metal formula.” Storm in the Rat Pit.

Asenblut – Entfesselt Review

By Steel Druhm on August 2, 2024 in Reviews, Melodic Death Metal, 50 comments

“Steel Druhm Himself and Holdeneye see eye to…eye on many metal-related issues. We gravitate toward the same styles and share an appreciation for plenty of bands across the metal spectrum. It’s not all Kumbaya though, no Sireebob. I could not have agreed less with his loving review of cheese-tastic faux-Manometal act All for Metal. They’re like an even more ridiculous version of the already super ludicrous Brothers of Metal, and I couldn’t stomach the lactose overload their music flung in all directions like cheap beer at an 80s thrash-fest. Imagine then my primal shock when I grabbed the latest album from German battle metal purveyors Asenblut only to find it’s helmed by one of the vocalists of All for Metal.” Metal fatigue.

Release the Titans – The Odyssey Review

By Kenstrosity on June 28, 2024 in Reviews, Power Metal, 26 comments

“There are a lot of countries I automatically associate with power metal. Italy. The US. Germany. Canada, even. But not Norway. I associate that country with edgelord black metal, church burnings, brown cheese, and my roomie. And yet, here I sit, jamming Norwegian power metal outfit Release the Titans. Established in an unspecified year, and originally a one-man project spearheaded by guitarist/vocalist Pål Olsen, Release the Titans started dropping a cavalcade of singles from 2022 into 2023. Those who have listened to all of those already know this album pretty well, but I hadn’t heard a thing up to this point. So, I embark upon The Odyssey with fresh ears and an open mind.” Space force.

Primal Fear – Code Red Review

By Steel Druhm on August 30, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 39 comments

“When a band makes it to their 14th album, you know they’re either doing something right or they have some really incriminating photos of a record company executive in their back pocket. In the case of German’s Primal Fear, I can’t completely rule out the extortion angle, but I suspect we’ve gotten to this point because these gents know how to play classic Judas Priest-influenced heavy metal with enough hooks and charm to keep folks coming back for more.” Who ordered the Code Red??

Medevil – Mirror in the Darkness Review

By Steel Druhm on April 6, 2023 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, 22 comments

“Sometimes you stumble upon a band entirely unknown to you (and I suspect, to everyone else) and you hear a lot of good things, yet the overall listening experience falls well short of good. Canadian prog-power-trad metallers, Medevil subjected your Steelness to such an unsatisfying experience with their sophomore outing, Mirror in the Darkness.” Lost reflections.