Holdeneye

When you wield the 4hammer, every album looks like a nail.

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.

The Magus – Daemonosophia Review

By Holdeneye on February 25, 2026 in Reviews, Black Metal, Heavy Metal, Melodic Black Metal, 39 comments

“The Magus is the eponymous band of The Magus himself. At times known also as ‘Morbid,’ ‘Magus Wampyr Daoloth,’ or even ‘George,’ the entity known as ‘The Magus’ is somewhat of a fixture in the history of Greek black metal. He contributed mightily to the scene by performing on the first two Rotting Christ full-lengths, founding both Necromantia and Thou Art Lord, and owning and producing at Storm Studio in Athens, the recording location for many of Hellenic black/death metal’s seminal records. In 2021, it was announced that Necromantia had “now descended into the Abyss” following the death of its co-founder, Baron Blood. Shortly after releasing that band’s swan song, The Magus announced the birth of The Magus as a vessel to express his Luciferian worldview.” Grand Magus?

Greyhawk – Warriors of Greyhawk Review

By Holdeneye on February 12, 2026 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Power Metal, 40 comments

“What a week this has been for Seattle-based, Hawk-themed, team-oriented activities! Not only did I just get to see my beloved Seattle Seahawks reach the precipice of American football via the most awesome post-season arc I could have possibly drawn up, but I also get yet another opportunity to cover my beloved hometown metal heroes, Greyhawk. I’ve written ad nauseam about how I found the band and their brand of hard-rocking traditional metal, and I’ve routinely gushed my appreciation for their commitment to mind-positivity. Yes, it is safe to say that I am a total fanboy. So, it was with a fair bit of trepidation that I sat down with Greyhawk’s third full-length album, Warriors of Greyhawk.” Et tu, Hawk Tuah?

Rave in Fire – Square One Review

By Holdeneye on February 3, 2026 in Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, 54 comments

“The 80s feel like my own personal primordial, mythological paradise, a Garden of Eden to which I can never return. The gate is eternally guarded by a cherub wielding a flaming sword, but thanks to bands like Rave in Fire, I need not risk being divinely smote in order to feel like I’m back in the garden, all innocent, naked, and happy.” Naked in the rave garden.

Deathraiser – Forged in Hatred Review

By Holdeneye on January 20, 2026 in Reviews, Thrash Metal, 67 comments

“When considering what Brazil is best known for, people often throw out things like the Amazon rainforest, round-ball football, coffee, beef, and that really tall statue of the Christmas Superstar, but you and I both know that Brazil is primarily known for thrash metal. Seeking to add to that legacy, Deathraiser is raising themselves from the dead by releasing sophomore album Forged in Hatred a mere 15 years after their debut.” Hate can’t be built in a day.

Blackslash – Heroes, Saints & Fools Review

By Holdeneye on February 7, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 40 comments

“With the recent departure of Huck N’ Roll and the descent of Steel Druhm into disgusting death metal madness, someone has to cover the real heavy metal. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: you can’t spell Holdeneye without ‘olde.’ It doesn’t get much olde-r, sound-wise that is, than what Germany’s Blackslash have been laying down since their 2007 formation (with the exact same lineup, I might add. Impressive!). Drawing power from their patrons, heavy metal deities like Iron Maiden and Saxon, Blackslash specialize in extremely guitar-forward tunes of all speeds and sizes.” Newe olde guards arise!

Master Spy – Maze Runner Review

By Holdeneye on January 23, 2025 in Reviews, Power Metal, 86 comments

“You turn from this unbelievable spectacle and walk away, no longer content with your miserable, mundane existence, so it’s probably good that you’re not aware that our hero’s day is just getting started. You see, after an evening of revelry with his scantily clad yacht-mates, the Master Spy retreats to a mansion-like cabin that puts your stupid home to shame. There, he begins work on his true passion project: heavy metal. He sleeps only 4 hours per night—he’ll sleep when he’s dead—so he’s free to write tunes until the wee hours of the morning. His first album, The Train, focused on long epics inspired by Iron Maiden’s X-Factor and Virtual XI albums, but this time around, he’s shortening the song lengths, dialing up the speed, and injecting a healthy dose of melodicism by veering sharply into power metal territory.” Yachtcore on rough waters.

Century – Sign of the Storm Review

By Holdeneye on January 21, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 30 comments

“There’s something so magical about epic traditional metal. Of course, I could be speaking about the genre’s sword and sorcery themes, but I actually mean it in a much larger sense. So much of today’s metal is unmistakably modern in the way that it is produced, played, and marketed, and, yes, I enjoy a ton of this perfectly polished output. But it’s so much fun to have a sub-genre of our favorite music that not only transports us back decades in time through conscious aesthetic choices but also teleports us to another universe where might and magic reign supreme.” Century of trveness.

Axetasy – Withering Tides Review

By Holdeneye on January 15, 2025 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, Speed Metal, 43 comments

“Distributed by the suspiciously named Big Pharma firm Dying Victims Productions, Axetasy hails from Germany, and the drug’s mechanism of action works by flooding the victim’s patient’s brain with copious amounts of molten guitar leads in order to induce a state of therapeutic euphoria. If you choose to try the embedded pharmaceutical sample labeled “Beyond All Order” (after consulting your physician, of course), you’ll see that Axetasy’s debut recipe, Withering Tides, draws inspiration from a host of tried-and-true formulas from years past. Take all of the health benefits of speed metal, arena rock, early power metal, proto-thrash metal, and NWoBHM drug classes and add them together, and you’ll find that they can all be replicated by listening to this one easy-to-swallow pill.” Better living through essential metals.