Absolutely one of the best death metal albums this year, Majesty and Decay has set the standard to beat.

Time to Burn is stuck shamelessly in 1984: it was a time when melodic heavy metal and hard rock boasted über-slick production and massive, massive hooks, but most importantly, the guitars still retained a metallic bite, unlike the gaudy, thinner sounds of the post-1986 glam metal era. More Spencer Proffer, less Bruce Fairbairn. Simply put, if you grew up with bands like Ratt, Dokken, Kick Axe, and Y&T, you will dig this sucker, without a doubt.

This is the band’s fourth full length studio album, which is technically a three-year-old release that came out in Brazil in June, 2007, and it brings fifteen tracks packed with early Vader, Carcass and Possessed influences mixed with Dimmu Borgir style vocals (very throaty and rough aggressive roars). Headhunter D.C. is based on killer riffs, fast and angry tracks and Anti-Christian lyrics.

On first listen, this album gave me visions of using it as a soundtrack to a documentary about people who are into epic fantasy role-playing. I can see the hordes of costumed Lord of the Rings fans clashing their replica swords on a battlefield to win the princesses hand

While instability is familiar territory for Trouble, the changes of the last few years are of an order of magnitude beyond anything it has experienced previously. The reissue of Unplugged, featuring outgoing vocalist Eric Wagner, and Live in Los Angeles, featuring the debut of replacement Kory Clarke (Warrior Soul), jointly symbolize the end of one era and the start of a new era.

Tate Bengston reviews these two new releases by Chicago doom metal legends Trouble.

The problems I have with this record can be summed up in a few simple words: I’ve heard this all before.

Live Inferno is nothing less than a send-off from the canonical Norwegian black metal band.

This 12-track affair is surprisingly progressive, unwittingly infusing a great deal of punk rock ‘n’ roll into their beastly Sick Of It All-influenced (as in, Three Steps Back feels like it could be a natural successor to Scratch The Surface) delivery.