Evergrey – The Glorious Collision

Evergrey managed to ensnare me with their dark and rich sound with the Solitude + Dominance + Tragedy album back in 1999. Their Recreation Day (2003) and The Inner Circle (2004) made a huge impression on me. I wasn’t too keen on the stripped down approach of Monday Morning Apocalypse (2006) and Torn (2008) had its moments, but it wasn’t the great return to form it initially seemed to be. With the recent departure of Henrik Danhage (guitars), Jonas Ekdahl (drums) and Jari Kainulainen (bass) in mind, I didn’t hold my breath with the arrival of Evergrey’s latest album, entitled The Glorious Collision.

Omega Crom – Blood, Steel & Steel

My first encounter with Omega Crom came courtesy of a manila envelope stuffed in my mailbox. It was my first promo CD, and having no preconceived notions of what the band might sound like my first impressions were naturally based entirely on the album art. In this case it was a cover which depicted a loincloth clad cartoon warrior who, with muscles rippling and battle axe poised, was leading a vicious mob of bloodthirsty minions into battle. How much more ridiculously metal can you get?

Volbeat – Beyond Heaven Above Hell

Things are going very well for this Danish band. A support tour with Metallica and three critically acclaimed records under their belt, I’m sure many bands would kill for that. Anyway, the guys are back with their fourth album, entitled Beyond Heaven Above Hell. Let’s see what it’s made of.