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ABHORRATION Demonolatry

Album · 2024 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.92 | 2 ratings
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"Demonolatry" is the debut full-length studio album by Norwegian, Oslo based death metal act Abhorration. The album was released through Invictus Productions in September 2024. Abhorration formed in 2020 and released the "After Winter Comes War" demo in 2021. The lineup includes (among others) Nekromantheon and Obliteration guitarist Arild Myren Torp.

Featuring 6 tracks and a total playing time of 36:49 minutes, Abhorration waste no time getting the party started, sandblasting the listener´s skin with album opener "Chamber of Agilarept"...what a raw, ultra fast-paced, and intense death metal assault on the ears. Think a more filthy and savage version of early Morbid Angel and you´re halfway there. The rawness and intensity of the sound and the performances are through the roof, but Abhorration are technically well playing too and deliver a precise although still organic attack. Vicious, brutal, and unrelentingly aggressive are valid words to describe the sound of "Demonolatry". Other than Morbid Angel, who are the most obvious influence, I´d mention artists like Angelcorpse, Repugnant, and a contemporary act like Oxygen Destroyer as valied references too (and of course the usual suspects in Possessed and Morbid Saint).

The sandpaper raw blackened death/thrash vocals, the fast-paced powerful drumming, and the many brilliant riffs and screaming chromatic solos. This should be a treat to fans of the genre. Personally it gives me hope that artists still exist who prove themselves capable of delivering music in this style and in such high quality as Abhorration do. There´s a sad shortage of this type of music in a world which more an more seems to favor cold, mechanical, and sterile sounding death metal. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

RÅDDEN REKTALVÆSKE Dansktop i Drop​-​Tuning

EP · 2024 · Goregrind
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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"Dansktop i Drop​-​Tuning" is an EP release by Danish goregrind act Rådden Rektalvæske (Rotten Rectal Fluid). The EP was independently released in August 2024. Rådden Rektalvæske formed in 2023 and released the "Skidt ud som et misfoster / Kraniemukkert" single later that year. "Dansktop i Drop​-​Tuning" is the band´s second official release.

Stylistically there´s been quite the development since the crude and primitive "Skidt ud som et misfoster / Kraniemukkert" single, which honestly didn´t give any positive indications of future greatness for Rådden Rektalvæske. This is still pretty basic goregrind with a couple of heavier brutal death metal moments and Danish language lyrics (which are quite vile and obscene/perverted), but the quality of the sound production, the performances, and the songwriting have been upped considerably since the release of the "Skidt ud som et misfoster / Kraniemukkert" single.

Upon conclusion "Dansktop i Drop​-​Tuning" may not be the most unique nor the best quality goregrind release out there, but it´s a decent quality release overall, and entertaining enough while it plays. A 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.

SEPTAGE Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms)

Album · 2024 · Goregrind
Cover art 3.25 | 2 ratings
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"Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms)" is the debut full-length studio album by Danish, Copenhagen based goregrind/death metal act Septage. The album was released through Me Saco un Ojo Records in March 2024. Septage formed in 2020 and released a couple of EPs/splits before recording and releasing "Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms)". "Septic Worship (Intolerant Spree of Infesting Forms)" was the band´s only full-length studio album released during their original run, as they disbanded in 2024.

Stylistically the material on the 15 tracks, 20:21 minutes long album is total early-Carcass worship. It´s goregrind with the occasional death metal part with all three members of the band providing different types of slimy growling. Think how "Reek of Putrefaction" would sound with a professional, detailed, and less murky sounding production job and you´re halfway there.

Now, there are multible Carcass clones on the scene already, so do we really need another one? The answer is of course yes, yes, and yes. There will always be room for another Carcass worship act, and when the worshipping is done as respectful and authentic as it´s done here and even with the added bonus that Septage have added just a tiny elements of something unique writing almost all their lyrics about feces, urin, septic tanks, and other toilet related matters, I´m as happy as a pig in shit...a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

STENCHED Purulence Gushing from the Coffin

Album · 2024 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.58 | 2 ratings
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"Purulence Gushing From the Coffin" is the debut full-length studio album by one-man Mexican death metal act Stenched. The album was released through Me Saco Un Ojo Records in November 2024. Stenched was formed in 2023 by Adrian Thule (who also operates Impending Rot), who performs all instruments and vocals on the album. Stenched released the "Gorging on Mephitic Rot" demo in 2023 but none of the material featured on the demo have survived and have been included on "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin".

It doesn´t take much more than a couple of minutes listening to "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin", to understand that Stenched is dealing in filthy, gloomy, cavernous old school death metal and it´s contemporary artists like Undergang and Cryptworm who I´m reminded of in addition to early 90s death metal artists like Autopsy, Coffins, and Incantation. So it´s quickly established that Stenched is not concerned with creating music with an original sound. Thule is instead content delivering a high quality old school death metal product and he certainly succeeds in doing exactly that.

"Purulence Gushing From the Coffin" is a prime example of filthy and cavernous old school death metal done right. It´s gloomy and morbid, often death/doomy mid- to slow paced, but does feature the occasionally more faster paced section, and the vocals are deep unintellible growling buried low in the mix. It´s all delivered with the right organic touch and as the icing on the cake "Purulence Gushing From the Coffin" features a production job, which perfectly suits this type of music. Clear enough for you to capture all details of the music, but at the same time filthy and raw to the maximum, providing the perfect platform for this type of death metal to shine. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

SUBMERGED Tortured at the Depths

Album · 2024 · Brutal Death Metal
Cover art 3.00 | 1 rating
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"Tortured at the Depths" is the debut full-length studio album by US, California based death metal act Submerged. The album was released through New Standard Elite in April 2024. Submerged formed in 2023 and released a demo the same year. All material from the demo have been re-recorded and included on "Tortured at the Depths".

The album features 8 tracks and a total playing time of 21:01 minutes, but trust me when I tell you, that 21:01 minutes is more than enough. It sounds like a very negative statement, but it´s actually not meant as negative as it may read. It´s just that the material on the album is such as pummeling, massive, and one-dimensional brutal death metal style, that if you listen to this for more than 20-25 minutes your brain is likely to explode and your skin begin to melt. It´s such an intense and brutal listening experience that few people will probably be able to survive had the album been any longer.

Submerged are a well playing unit, delivering their tecnhically well played brutal death metal with great skill. That to my ears is the main asset of "Tortured at the Depths". The songwriting is relatively one-dimensional and the unintelligible growling vocals are equally one-dimensional and delivered without much emotion. They are just there and almost work as an extra instrument in the already busy, meaty, and massively brutal soundscape. The "empty barrel" snare drum sound stand out in the mix and leads the way in an otherwise chaotic sounding sonic landscape.

It´s hard to evaluate an album like this, because Submerged do many things right, but there are also a couple of things they could have done better. My main complaint is the songwriting. The tracks are incredibly hard to tell apart, as they feature no hooks or memorable parts, and my secondary complaint is the one-dimensional and emotionless growling vocals. When that is said there are still enough quality elements on "Tortured at the Depths" to warrant a 3 star (60%) rating.

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MORDRED Volition

EP · 2020 · Funk Metal
Cover art 3.36 | 3 ratings
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"Volition" is an EP release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The EP was independently released in July 2020. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single in 2015, as their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material). Since the release of "The Next Room" (1994), which was their last release before their 1995 split-up, there have been two lineup changes. Drummer Gannon Hall has been replaced by Jeff Gomes, and original lead vocalist Scott Holderby has returned, replacing Paul Kimball who sang on "The Next Room" (1994).

"Volition" features four new original compositions, although one of the tracks is "The Baroness" from the 2015 single of the same name. This version of "The Baroness" is an alternate recording though, and it´s quite different from the original 2015 single version of the song. "Not for You" opens the EP with a great thrashy riff and some nice turntable scratching, before Holderby´s distinct sounding talking/singing vocals kick-in. A great energetic and powerful track and the most thrash metal oriented track on the EP. "What Are We Coming To" follows and it´s a very different sounding track, as it´s an electronic/keyboard track with some effect laden rap styled vocals on top. It features a sinister gloomy atmosphere, which is the greatest asset of the track. I´m not a huge fan of this style of music, but it´s decent enough for variation. "The Love of Money", features an alternative metal style with more melodic vocals. It´s a great quality track (make sure to watch the official music video for this track, which is pretty great). The above mentioned "The Baroness" closes the EP, and it´s an absolute beauty of a track (and like "Not for You" it´s a thrash metal oriented track). I especially enjoy how the band employ the use of riot gang vocals in such an effective way. The funk element of the band´s sound is heard on all of the tracks (except for "What Are We Coming To").

"Volition" is a well produced release, featuring a powerful, clear, and detailed sound production, which suits the material perfectly. "What Are We Coming To" drags my rating down just a bit, but other than that track "Volition" is quite the brilliant release and fully shows that Mordred still have a lot to offer after their long break. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

MORDRED The Baroness

Single · 2014 · Funk Metal
Cover art 3.58 | 2 ratings
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"The Baroness" is a single release by US, California based thrash/alternative/funk metal act Mordred. The single was independently released in February 2015. Mordred formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1995 after releasing three full-length studio albums and a string of minor releases. They reunited in the 2001-2007 period, but no new studio output was recorded during that period. Mordred reunited again in 2013 and released "The Baroness" single which was their first release featuring new original material in 21 years (they released "The Demos 1986-1988" compilation in 2014, but as the title suggests it didn´t feature any new original material).

21 years is a long time not having released any new original material, but it doesn´t take more than a few seconds of listening to "The Baroness" before you should be convinced that Mordred are back with a vengeance. Bay Area type thrash metal riffs, turntable sctratching, and lead vocalist Scott Holderby delivering his rather unique talking/singing vocal style. This 2015 single version of "The Baroness" is quite different from the version of the track which would appear on the 2020 "Volition" EP, and unfortunately having listened to the 2020 recording first and this one after, I definitely favor the 2020 version. This one doesn´t feature as much bite and conviction as the version of the track which Mordred would include on the "Volition" (2020) EP. When that it said this single version of "The Baroness" is still a high quality track, and it´s a welcome comeback for Mordred. Unfortunately it would take them another 5 years before they released something again, but in this case it was worth the wait. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

ANTHRAX Volume 8: The Threat Is Real

Album · 1998 · Groove Metal
Cover art 3.01 | 30 ratings
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"Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" is the eighth full-length studio album by US, New York based thrash/groove/heavy metal act Anthrax. The album was released through Ignition Records Inc. in July 1998. It´s the successor to "Stomp 442" from 1995 and features the same four-piece lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Stylistically "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" continues the groove/heavy metal style of "Stomp 442", but it´s overall a less heavy and hard edged release. There are a few more melodic moments here than was the case on the predecessor and "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" is also a more varied release than "Stomp 442" is. That´s not necessarily a good thing though, as "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" is a both uneven and often uninspired listening experience. You can´t take away from Anthrax that they are a well playing unit and that lead vocalist John Bush is a skilled and powerful sounding singer, but the singwriting is patchy, forgettable, and in some cases a little silly and awkward ("Toast to the Extras" and "Harms Way" are examples of that). The two opening tracks "Crush" and "Catharsis" are some of the few decent quality tracks on the album, but even those aren´t really that great.

"Sound of White Noise" (1993) was a great introduction of John Bush to the band, and with that album Anthrax changed their sound in a meaningful way. The quality already dropped significantly on "Stomp 442", but at least that album maintained a decent songwriting level. "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" on the other hand is a weak album release by Anthrax, with barely any memorable tracks. It almost sounds like the band entered the recording studio with no ideas for songs and jammed their way through the songwriting process ending up with an album full of hastily put together compositions with very few moments of replay value. A 2.5 star (50%) rating is maybe a bit too generous, but the band can play, John Bush can sing, and the sound production is decent (but not great), so it´s not a total disaster.

W.A.S.P. The Last Command

Album · 1985 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 3.75 | 34 ratings
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"The Last Command" is the second full-length studio album by US heavy metal act W.A.S.P.. The album was released through Capitol Records in November 1985. It´s the successor to the eponymously titled debut album from August 1984 and there´s been one lineup change since the predecessor as drummer Tony Richards has been replaced by Steve Riley (formerly of Keel). "The Last Command" turned out to be a major commercial success for W.A.S.P., selling more than a million copies and reaching No. 49 on the Billboard 200 album charts by early 1986.

Stylistically the material on "The Last Command" is pretty much a continuation of the heavy rock/metal sound of the band´s debut album. Simple vers/chorus structured tracks, featuring hard rocking riffs and rhythms, some blistering solo work, and Blackie Lawless rough voice and raw sounding vocals in front. W.A.S.P. may have had a both shocking and controversial image and sometimes lyrical concept in their early days, but the music is anything but extreme. Lawless has a raw voice and a screaming delivery, but the instrumental part of the music is nothing more (or less) than heavy metal distorted rock´n´roll. As an example you can check out the chorus on opening track "Wild Child". Even my grandma would sing along to the catchy chorus melody on that one. "Blind in Texas" should of course also be mentioned when talking about "The Last Command", as it´s an album highlight and one of the band´s signature songs.

Catchiness and instantly memorable songwriting are probably the two greatest assets of the music on "The Last Command" (and Lawless voice and delivery), because the tracks are sometimes almost too simple and the songwriting a bit one-dimensional. It´s quick and easily digestable entertainment, but it´s also a bit shallow. The sound production is organic, raw, and relatively wild sounding, suiting the material well, so all in all "The Last Command" is a decent quality heavy rock/metal album from W.A.S.P.. I´m not exactly blow away by this, but it´s alright for what it is. A 3 star (60%) rating is deserved.

THERION Beyond Sanctorum

Album · 1992 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.48 | 19 ratings
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"Beyond Sanctorum" is the second full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Therion. The album was released through Active Records in January 1992. It´s the successor to "Of Darkness..." from February 1991 and features one lineup change since the predecessor as bassist Erik Gustafsson has left the band. As no permanent replacement was found in time for the recording of the album, guitarists Christofer Johnsson and Peter Hansson share the bass recording duties on "Beyond Sanctorum".

While "Of Darkness..." predominantly featured re-recorded demo material from the late 80s/early 90s, "Beyond Sanctorum" features material written specifically for this album. Some of the songwriting ideas may have been in the making for years, but the audible thrash metal influences on the predecessor are pretty much gone from "Beyond Sanctorum", which at its core is a more pure old school death metal release. It´s a relatively adventurous and at times anarchistic old school death metal release though, and already this early on Therion also sporadically gave us a taste of their future gothic and symphonic metal influences (heard on the track "Symphony of the Dead" and on "Paths"). Another notable influence is Voivod and their dissonant twisted riff style, which is something Therion also use on occasion (heard on the track "Cthulhu").

So while "Beyond Sanctorum" is arguably an old school death metal release, it´s occasionally a relatively progressive one, and it´s loaded with creative songwriting ideas and stylistic elements that you won´t hear on many other contemporary Swedish death metal releases. The only other contemporary Swedish death metal act who was as innovative and progressive in their approach was Edge of Sanity (...and maybe Afflicted). It´s not always pretty, and it´s often delivered in a very raw and unpolished fashion (and somtimes features some pretty awkward but effective tempo changes and transitions between sections), but there´s no denying that Therion reach beyond the standards of old school Swedish death metal. Not that track lengths are the only parameters to decide if something is progressive but it´s still unusual to find an 11:05 minutes long song on an old school death metal release like "The Way".

"Beyond Sanctorum" features a raw, brutal, and powerful sounding production. There is an unhinged and almost chaotic nature to the album that´s greatly charming and the band are relatively well playing too. Johnsson´s growling vocals are quite varied and ranges from aggressive higher pitched snarling to abysmal growling (and everything in between). The vocals are definitely one of the great assets of the album.

Upon conclusion "Beyond Sanctorum" is a great end to Therion´s early old school death metal phase and definitely the peak of the early period of the band´s discography. They wouldn´t completely abandon their roots on the next couple of releases, but they soon started experimenting a lot with their sound and ultimately became something very different from what they are on this release. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

LINKIN PARK Somewhere I Belong

Single · 2003 · Nu Metal
Cover art 2.00 | 1 rating
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The lead single off the bands second release, ‘Meteora’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’ reassured us all that Linkin Park could indeed follow up their debut with another fantastic album. Beautiful verse melodies, great vocals, catchy lyrics, this is a great song, and helped the bands second album go on to become arguably the peak of nu metal.

I rate it two though, simply because CD singles are obsolete, and as much as I like ‘Step Up’ and ‘My December’, I’ve lost count of how many singles and EP’s I have with some version or another of these songs on them.

NIRVANA Bleach

Album · 1989 · Heavy Alternative Rock
Cover art 3.21 | 30 ratings
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Two years prior to becoming one of the biggest bands on the planet, and giving us one of the most famous and recognizable albums in history, grunge rockers Nirvana released ‘Bleach’, their 1989 debut.

While it’s noticeable that this album is much more raw and gritty than its successors, there’s no denying the quality and sincerity in the writing. The band is already laying the foundations for what’s to come, not only in their own work, but for the whole grunge scene. But sadly, underneath the solid writing and musical performances, a lot of the songs do get a bit repetitive after a few listens.

The production is pretty rough, mostly at times sounding like it was recorded by a bunch of amateurs in their garage, but then, I guess that’s what appealed to a lot of grunge fans. It’s not too overproduced or polished, and I guess it suits the grittiness of the music. And while the record feels a bit samey after a few songs, I suppose there are a number of highlights worth mentioning. ‘Blew’, ‘About a Girl’, ‘Mr. Moustache’ and ‘School’ are all pretty decent tracks. But in all honesty, I don’t think I’ll ever really go out of my way to listen to any of them.

As a whole, ‘Bleach’ isn’t a bad album, I just don’t think it’s particularly memorable either. It’s clear to see what direction Nirvana were going in, and how they would have stood out in the late 80’s music scene amongst all the rock and pop acts. But ‘Bleach’ just isn’t for me. And since their next output will become one of the most famous albums in history, I think I’ll just listen to that instead.

VOLBEAT Servant of the Mind

Album · 2021 · Heavy Metal
Cover art 4.05 | 3 ratings
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"Servant of the Mind" is the eighth full-length studio album by Danish heavy rock/metal act Volbeat. The album was released through Vertigo Records in December 2021. It´s the successor to "Rewind, Replay Rebound" from 2019. While Volbeat were a success almost immediately after the release of their debut album in 2005, they´ve gained momentum and fans in large numbers over the last couple of album releases. A US breakthrough and both tours/shows supporting major artist like Metallica and Megadeth, and their own headline tours have put them firmly on the heavy rock/metal map, and they must be counted among the most successful contemporary artists in the genre.

"Rewind, Replay Rebound" are among the most polished and melodic albums in Volbeat´s discography, and maybe the band wanted to create a more varied and heavy release this time around, because that´s exactly what "Servant of the Mind" is. It´s still melodic vers/chorus structured heavy rock/metal with sing along hooks and mainstream accessibility, but Volbeat have increased the heavy metal part of their sound on this release, which suits them well. A good example of that is album opener "Temple of Ekur", but also tracks like "The Sacred Stones", "Say No More" (which is a semi-thrashy track), and "Becoming". The 7:56 minutes long album closer "Lasse’s Birgitta" is definitely also in that catagory, featuring elements from both thrash, traditional heavy metal, and doom metal.

On the other end of the scale you have melodic mainstream oriented heavy rockers like "Wait a Minute my Girl" and "Dagen Før" (featuring female guest vocals by Danish singer Stine Bramsen). The 50s rock´n´roll part of the band´s sound isn´t that dominant on this album, and is mainly heard on "Wait a Minute my Girl" and "The Devil Rages On". The album features a couple of less memorable tracks, but they are very few, and they aren´t as such filler material. Just not as great as the best material on the album. There´s also room for a little experimentation on a track like "Step Into Light", which opens with a section, which sounds a lot like something off an Alchemist album (Australian metal act). Almost all tracks on the album share one defining feature though and that´s strong and memorable anthemic choruses, so even though some tracks are relatively heavy and sharp edged, Volbeat master the skill writing heavy but memorable material.

"Servant of the Mind" features a sharp, detailed, and powerful sounding production, which suits the material perfectly. Michael Poulsen´s distinct sounding voice and strong vocals are the focus of the music and they are placed high in the mix, but "Servant of the Mind" is produced in a way to also give room and spotlight to the guitars, drums, and bass. To my ears it´s a well balanced production job, and one of the better and more heavy sounding albums in the most recent part of the band´s discography. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

WALTARI So Fine!

Album · 1994 · Alternative Metal
Cover art 3.57 | 3 ratings
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"So Fine!" is the third full-length studio album by Finnish, Helsinki based heavy rock/metal act Waltari. The album was released through Roadrunner Records in 1994. It´s the successor to "Torcha!" from 1992 and it´s the first internationally released album by Waltari.

As always it´s a bit difficult to describe the sound of Waltari as they are a pretty unique sounding act, but an alternative (often funky) and sometimes relatively experimental (at times even progressive) heavy rock/metal style is the most valid description I can give. Compared to the first two albums "So Fine!" is slightly more polished and melodic, which is probably a consequence of the shift to a major international label, but it´s details, as "So Fine!" is ultimatly just as wild, crazy, and experimental as the two predecessors.

"So Fine!" opens with the accessible, ultra melodic, energetic, and beautiful "The Beginning Song", and then goes right into the funky and rhythmic "Mad Boy", before the mad techno heavy rock of the title track kicks in. If you´re not confused about the overall style and direction of the album after listening to the opening trio of tracks, consider yourself an open minded music listener. The next track is a great cover of The Cure´s "A Forest". Waltari retain the melancholic feel of the original but also inject the track with a lot of energy and an additional uplifting spirit. They manage to make the song their own, and it´s always great to hear artists who succeed in doing that.

The remaining part of the album continues in an eclectic stylistic fashion with elements from death metal, thrash metal, big band brass sections, comedy rock (tracks like "Celtic Funk" and "Piggy in the Middle" are pretty silly), and all sorts of other features, to make "So Fine!" a very diverse but at times also confusing release. Waltari produce music which is for the open-minded listener, and even if you enjoy some tracks on the album, you may not appreciate others. In that respect they remind me slightly of Faith No More.

"So Fine!" features a clear, powerful, and well sounding production job and Waltari are an incredibly well playing unit. So upon conclusion "So Fine!" is a high quality release by Waltari, but it´s probably not an album for everyone, and to my ears the adventurous and highly eclectic nature of the band´s music are sometimes taken to an extreme which disrupts the flow of the album and even disrupts the flow of some individual tracks where parts of the song are great while others are in a completely different mood and style, and as a consequence end up making the song a confusing listen. I respect the creativity and the innovation that Waltari bring to the table, but it just doesn´t always work. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

RUNEMAGICK The Supreme Force of Eternity

Album · 1998 · Death Metal
Cover art 3.50 | 1 rating
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"The Supreme Force of Eternity" is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Runemagick. The album was released through Century Media Records in September 1998. Runemagick formed in 1990 under the Desiderius monicker, but soon changed their name to Runemagic and recorded several demos under that monicker before disbanding in 1993. After reuniting in 1997 they finally changed their name to the current one. So while the band was part of the early 90s Swedish death metal scene, they were a little late to the game in terms of releasing their debut album.

The material on "The Supreme Force of Eternity" is early 90s influenced death metal with doom/death metal influenced sections too. The band also display melodic death metal sensibilities (helped along by lead guitar melodies and the occasional use of keyboards), although this is not as such melodic death metal. The vocals are throaty growling. Although this is predominantly old school influenced death metal, "The Supreme Force of Eternity" is not a prime example of Swedish death metal from the 90s. Runemagick have another thing going for them, and while I wouldn´t exactly call their music original or unique, it has something different that sets it apart from artists like Entombed, Grave, and Dismember.

"The Supreme Force of Eternity" features a decent sounding production job, but it´s not the most powerful sounding nor the most interesting death metal sound production. The band are relatively well playing, although the tempo changes and the drum transitions sometimes sound a little awkward (the band both blast away, play mid-paced, and very slow doom/death). Upon conclusion "The Supreme Force of Eternity" is a decent quality debut album by Runemagick, but being this late to the game and not producing an album of the highest quality will almost certainly prevent you from reaching much more than a cult following, which is exactly what happened to Runemagick. When that is said "The Supreme Force of Eternity" is still a great quality death metal release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is warranted.

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