I am ready for a new Enforcer album too. Thought From Beyond was their best yet.

Enforcer never really grabbed me that much, but "Mask of Red Death" from their 2015 album is an absolutely killer track.

New Sacral Rage is available in its entirety at bandcamp

https://sacralrage.bandcamp.com/album/b ... ial-echoes

Attacker have a new EP out. 4 new tracks.

I'll check it out. It's not a good sign when bands start releasing EPs.

If a band releases an EP less than a year from their last album, it's a good sign--they've overflowing with ideas.

If a band releases an EP several years after their last album, then yeah, that's a bad sign.

I never really thought releasing EPs meant anything bad necessarily. Just seemed to be another thing bands could do.

...based on what, exactly?

My Tome of Absolute Truth, from which I have glimpsed all knowledge in this world. And which I've written.

I'd rather have an EP than an album with a bunch of songs that the band wasn't feeling as much as the best ones from the EP.

Oh yes, the famous EPs of ill-omen like Running Wild's Wild Animal, Sodom's Expurse of Sodomy etc wherein the band releases an EP and then follows them with a slew of classic albums. The horror, the horror.

I'm curious if you guys bothered to listen to the Attacker EP before making weird claims about EPs lol. It's pretty damn solid, I had a great time spinning it on repeat to review it. I reached out to them for a statement for my site and basically what Mike Sabatini said is that it's there to act as a bridge until their next full length and it definitely feels that way to me.

[quote="MetlaNZ"]Warlord had so much potential, they should've been huge after "Deliver Us" and Cauldron Born's albums are all excellent. The USA came up with some awesome trad metal bands over the years.

Cauldron Born-Born of the Cauldron CD reissue on Echoes Of Crom Records.

https://cauldronborn1.bandcamp.com/releases

Also available on vinyl and cassette. More merchandise coming soon.

Just listened to Warlock's four albums this past week. Burning the Witches was just kinda meh, but True as Steel, Hellbound, and Triumph and Agony were fucking killer all the way through. Like, holy shit some of those songs ripped. Any recommendations on which Doro albums are just as essential?

Doro's debut solo album was intended to be Warlock's fifth, so here you go. And also 2006 return-to-form Warrior Soul LP. But in general, don't expect her repeating the same old formula. A lot of ballads and soft stuff, some albums are even far beyond the boundaries of metal. Doesn't mean it's bad. Just very different, so be ready. I really like her 2002's Fight LP, but it's not approved by metalheads in general, because it's really an album of its time — with alternative and nu metal elements and all.

I haven't listened to her more recent music, though. I suppose she continued to revive trad heavy metal sound after Warrior Soul.

I thought Burning the Witches was their best, really. But no really fucking awesome albums... pretty good at best, you could make a cool comp of them. Bit of an average band, really, albeit one with a very good vocalist.

I'd say Hellbound is their real highlight, but both BtW and Hellbound are among top-tier German trad heavy metal albums to me. Rarely listen to the other two though, and never understood why Triumph and Agony is revered so much among fans. Some really good moments here and there, but overall these albums are pretty bland in comparison to earlier stuff.

Warlock is meh.

I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of A TOUCH OF EVIIIIIILLLL!!

It's been over 4 yrs since the EP. What's happening? Must be time for a new album.

I was doing some temp work for a few days, and someone was playing Chastain on the stereo last night! Talk about pleasant surprises! Has anyone heard that Shelton/Chastain collab yet? The preview track was pretty damn cool.

I'm going to buy it. The preview track ruled to insane levels. Surprised not many people here were talking about that.

I also never heard any Chastain albums - gonna get into them this winter for sure.

No brainer on this one. Instant buy. Big fan of both Shelton and Chastain. The first four Chastain albums are wicked.

Very surprising coming from you Emp. Like MetlaNZ said, the first four is the way to go. My personal favorite is Ruler of the Wasteland.

Just one of those 'too many bands' things. Obviously it was a terrible oversight. Listening to Shelton/Chastain's demo now and this guitar playing is blowing my goddamn mind. Pure agility and heaviness and sharp writing.

The 20 minute version of "Orpheus Descending" on this demo is really something. Real expansive and epic.

I've only heard the "short" version of Orpheus Descending so far, but it was definitely my favorite track on that demo. Despite being dead simple, the transition from the clean guitar part to that crunchy riff is absolutely glorious.

You just listening to the songs one by one or something?

Weirdly, I can't get into much Chastain - I like the odd song here and there. I find Dave's guitar playing to be a bit "stock" when it comes to shredding. I'll revisit some stuff, though.

Anyone into the Swedish Universe?

Also, I got the second Pharaoh album recently - great stuff. 'By the Night Sky' is like some incredible alternate universe where Iron Maiden wrote interesting material in the modern era.

I am incredibly into Universe! They got this amazing, unexplainable atmosphere. There's something epic and progressive about them, despite them being neither. Just a lot of Rainbow really. And I'm in love with the singer!

The new Sacral Rage is definitely a different beast than their debut - more Toxik than Agent Steel - but it rules nonetheless. I think Vaguely Decoded might go on a bit too long, but on the whole the album slays.

I put up the last of the Cauldron Born vinyl. When it is gone there will be no more.

https://cauldronborn1.bandcamp.com/albu ... e-cauldron

New Sacral Rage is indeed amazing and it still has staying power with me. Really great sound and I love the addition of extreme metal influences - did you guys catch that minute of evil tremolo picking and blast beats??

Shelton Chastain crushed all my expectations in the best way possible. I can't believe how good this is. Production is poor, but that's because it was done on a 4 track according to Chastain. MUST LISTEN for Manilla fans though, I can't stress this enough.

I updated the Cauldron Born merch page:

https://cauldronborn1.bandcamp.com/merch

What's up, people? So, this might be quite a specific request but does anybody know of any bands with a sound similar to songs like "The End of this Chapter", "Last Drop Falls" or "Sing in Silence" off Sonata Arctica's "Silence"? By that I don't mean their usual speedy, Stratovarius-like songs, but their slower, more melancholic, ballad-like songs like those I mentioned. I always thought those and a couple more off their first three albums were quite particular in sound and atmosphere, and as I've been revisiting their discography I wondered if there was anything similar out there, given that they didn't really follow that style with subsequent albums.

Thanks!

I, too, would like more melodic frosty-sounding tunes like early Sonata Arctica. It's a sound worth keeping alive.

Tried Chastain - Ruler of the Wasteland today. Fucking smoking, brass-balled US metal. Badass. Gonna enjoy these guys for sure.

Okay, this new single from Conception is weird as fuck, but I really dig it. There's not really a trace of power metal (or of metal at all tbh) left in their sound, but it's really compelling prog rock with tons of layers and great rhythms.

Is Roy Khan still in it?

Yep, and he sounds pretty much on-point. The first track, Grand Again, has a whole bunch of distorted vocals but I actually think it's a really cool texture (and they had already been exploring that direction on Flow), but the second track, Feather Moves, is pretty much classic Khan. Very, very good.

Tore Østby is as subtle and sublime as ever, too. The whole band sounds like they're seriously clicking.

I'm psyched for a full album.

Don't miss CJSS, same band with different singer. David Chastain was productive!