Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Few conversations or analyses surrounding doom metal can begin without mentioning the integral Sleep and their genre-defining opus Dopesmoker. That same analytical discussion cannot be rounded up without OM coming into the fray, as the duo of bassist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Haikus originally worked together as Sleep's rhythm section. The hypnotic 'Gebel Barkal' single would serve as the final recording from the pair following the 2007 full-length Pilgrimage, before 2009's God Is Good would welcome the arrival of current drummer Emil Amos and signal the group's continued expansion into an eventual three-piece.

Review: "This 10" single reissue comes in celebration of the upcoming 30th anniversary of Ozzy Osbourne's 'No More Tears'. A new mashup sure to inspire only the best moshpitting and hair-flicking skills from every true hard rock head, this new track hears a the original Ozzy song mashed up with Motorhread's version. Never before released, it sounds like an alternate Dante eagerly cruising through the many layers of hell, as new drum reversings, stereo effects and soundscapes are peppered into this masterful musical jigsaw. The B-side also contains the two original, unremixed versions.

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Review: Crafted over years, Rebirth encapsulates Old Gods Of Asgard's decades-spanning creativity as eminent collaborators with the video game industry. Over the years, the Old Gods have woven a tapestry of sound in conjunction with such indie titles as Alan Wake and Control, which now takes full retroactive form in this Greatest Hits record. A barrage of rock 'n' roll anthems that could grind rocks to dust and pulverize hotel rooms, the band's thunderous drumbeats and scorching guitar riffs ignite a fire within, while the vocals soar to celestial heights, invoking an undeniable euphoria. A numinous experience if we've ever heard one, this new Insomniac edition is a testament to the indomitable Odinist spirit of the Old Gods.

Review: As one of the leading lights in European prog metal, Opeth have come a long way since they first appeared in the mid 90s, but as with all totemic bands, it's fascinating to travel back in time and remember where it all began. For Opeth, it started with Orchid, which was signed by Candlelight without the band even having recorded a formal demo. The strength of their potential shone through from rehearsal sessions, and the resulting record showed off their prowess in two-part guitar harmonies, Celtic rhythms and sweeping, epic arrangements punctuated with moments of powerful metal. Now Spinefarm have reissued it as a double LP pressed on red, translucent vinyl - one for collectors and newcomers to the world of Opeth alike.

Review: The third album from the Swedish prog-metal auteurs served as their first endeavour following the replacement of drummer Anders Nordin with Martin Lopez, while proving that their newfound departure into ethereal waters weaved around their reliable gothic death metal machinations was no mere one-off. Distinguishing itself from its seminal predecessor, Morningrise, by restricting all tracks to below the ten-minute mark (an accomplishment for a group notorious for their eschewing of brevity), the expansive tracklist which includes fan favourites such as 'Demon Of The Fall', would cement Opeth as leaders of a new artistic nuanced form of prog-death which they have continued to refine over the ensuing decades since.

Review: Originally released in 2003 as the companion piece to the preceding year's equally acclaimed Deliverance, the seventh full-length from renowned Swedish progressive death metal auteurs, Opeth, would mark their first unashamed wade into the waters of retro prog-rock, whilst opting to eschew essentially all metallic machinations. Embracing primary songwriter Mikael Akerfeldt's lush clean vocals, while sonically delving into delicate atmospherics elevated by the prominent use of a mellotron, Damnation has grown in the two decades since its initial release to become a much lauded fan favourite, with many being able to appreciate the sharp turn the group took while noting the reflective balance contrasted against its much more macabre sister album. From the opening notes of essential cut 'Windowpane' onwards, you're pulled into a frosted world of depressive romanticism where the only way out is through. Celebrating its 20 year anniversary with a long overdue reissue, this is a work designed to be spun and absorbed in all its haunting majesty.

Review: Industrial, metal and glam outfit Orgy was the first act signed by Korn's Jonathan Davis to his Elementree imprint, and the move paid off right away with their 1998 debut, which went Top 30 and scored a huge hit with it's cover of New Order's 'Blue Monday', and went on to dazzle with original numbers, most eminent among which is the song 'Stitches'. With crunching expositions, screeching, hyper-chorused vocal deliveries and multi-layered drums amounting to a huge, scorching sound, the band's debut record surely earned them the crown of their very own genre coinage, death pop. Somehow, though, this enduring late-90s favourite has eluded a vinyl release, until now! With the full cooperation of the band, Real Gone have really gone and gotten it remastered for vinyl (by Mike Milchner of Sonic Vision) and placed this platter inside a beautiful gatefold jacket.

Review: Say what you will about Black Sabbath founding father turned solo metal don Ozzy Osbourne, he has never come remotely close to giving up. Even as ill-health resulting from decades of living the ultimate rock 'n' roll lifestyle - alcohol, drugs, eating bats - has crept up on him. As this sentence is written, reports are hitting the entertainment press that he was spotted leaving a recording studio in Los Angeles with wife Sharon, the 73-year-old hell raiser looking frail but still clearly up to something.

Whether the results will be the follow up to Black Rain is another question, of course. Released in 2007, it's currently the most recent album from the Prince of Darkness. Amazingly, it remains his most successful record in terms of opening week sales, too, shifting 152,000 copies in the first seven days, which in the era of hard drives clogged with Limewire-sourced illegal downloads is saying something.

Review: RECOMMENDED
You can almost feel Ozzy Osbourne's determination to prove critics wrong on his solo work from this era. Diary of a Madman was released in 1981, just three years after the Prince of Darkness was thrown out of Black Sabbath due to the extent of his drink and drug problems. It should go without saying you have to take things pretty far to wind up an evictee from one of heavy metal's most full-throttle outfits. Nevertheless, it happened, so by the time this record arrived there was a clear desire to show people that was a temporary setback.

At the same time, there's also an element of sending himself - and that reputation - up here, preempting the comic book caricature of Evil Ozzy we would come to recognise, and love, in later years. Musically, it's as it should be - atmospheric, eerie, and packed with the classical-leaning guitar work of the late, great Randy Rhoads. 3million copies sold and counting, say no more.

Review: Following a successful, vital surgery, Ozzy has left little time to unveil details of his upcoming thirteenth studio album, and follow up to 2020's triumphant, 'Ordinary Man'. Later this year, we'll be introduced to the world of, 'Patient Number 9', which boasts a ludicrously impressive array of guest features from the likes of Zakk Wylde, Jeff Beck, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Robert Trujillo (Metallica), Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses), Eric Clapton and the late, great Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. Black Sabbath guitarist extraordinaire, Tony Iommi, shall also make his Ozzy solo album debut, which essentially everyone can agree, has been a long time coming. Utilizing his own approach to morality and legacy, the great grandfather of all things metal and malevolent appears eager to whisk us around his hallowed ground yet again.

Review: Ozzy Osbourne remains a rock behemoth. Number 9 is The Prince of Darkness's 11th solo studio album and one that finds the heavy metal singer and former Black Sabbath frontman in fine form after a big performance at the closing Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in his native Birmingham recently. He has a big team of top collaborators along for the ride such as Jeff Beck, late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and Eric Clapton. It is his second solo album in two years and word is there is a new studio being built at his Grade II listed UK pile so expect much more to come.

Review: "I'll never die, because I'm immortal," Ozzy Osbourne makes clear on Patient 9's opening track, 'Immortal'. Far from a throwaway line, in music terms it does often feel like the Prince of Darkness is less a man and more an omnipresent force that has been here since the beginning of time, or at least metal, and will likely somehow still be releasing records when we're rotting the ground like the corpses on an album cover.
Of course, he's not, but in a decade-spanning career, Osbourne has reached heights some can only imagine. At least some of that experience is distilled onto Patient Number 9, an album that is more a celebration of camaraderie and bonds established over time than anything else. Collaborations with some of the all-time guitar-wielding greats (Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and - most pleasingly - fellow Black Sabbath co-founder and all-round legend Tony Iommi) come thick and, in most cases, fast, fenders squealing and rhythm guitars threatening to run away into that cursed night.

Review: What is Record Store Day Black Friday really about if not limited edition picture disc versions of classic albums gone by? Well, they don't come much more classic than this heavy metal nugget from the one and only Black country overlord himself, Ozzy Osbourne. It was the sixth solo studio by the vocalist and came back in 1991, even managing to chart at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. The biggest tunes on it were 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' and the Grammy-winning track 'I Don't Want to Change the World.' The whole album got critical praise and is said to be one of Ozzy's best.

Review: Originally released in 1983 and celebrating its 40 year anniversary, Bark At The Moon served as the third solo full-length from Ozzy, and not only marked his true embracing as a titular rockstar, but also ventured into a much more accessible synth-laden pop-metal vibe. When compared to both earlier solo works and Black Sabbath material, there's a notable helping of retro cheese across the entire affair, but that didn't stop the album from stoking the flames of Satanic panic upon initial release due to a murder being pinned on the project, whilst most notable is the inclusion of deep cut 'Now You See It (Now You Don't)', penned by bassist Bob Daisley taking square aim at Ozzy's wife Sharon due to her alleged tampering with the line up which led to Daisley's dismissal.

Review: While Black Sabbath continued on with Ronnie James Dio and then, for a short stint Ian Gillan, their original frontman Ozzy Ozbourne was going from strength to strength, attracting publicitiy with bat-chomping, dwarf-hanging antics and also proving he could write the odd decent song without the help of his old comrades. This album - his third affair alone - is his high watermark as a solo artist, with the title track scooping up chart success as a single and 'So Tired', while apparently unpopular with die hard fans on its release due to its near ballad style, boasting plenty of emotional resonance.

Review: You mightn't initially peg the Sunderland area of Northern England for being a hotbed of brutal, violent deathcore, but that's precisely what Osiah offer, with their own mission statement even declaring them to be the "UK's heaviest Northern offering". Following on from 2021's malevolent Loss, the band have somehow managed to drag their psychotic blend of frenetic riffage, octopus-like blast beat drumming, heaving hardcore breakdowns and despicable guttural vocals further down into chasms of otherworldly abyssal dread. Hideous, highly technical, and arriving courtesy of definitive deathcore label Unique Leader, although it arrived in December of 2023, many have slowly begun to retrospectively regard Kairos as the most intense, dynamic and powerful offering to the genre of last year.

Review: Recorded in Montreal, Quebec in 1981 whilst touring his sophomore solo endeavour Diary Of A Madman, this live LP from the former/current/former (?) Black Sabbath frontman serves up an iconic slice of very-much-in-his-prime metallic rock mayhem. Featuring timeless staples such as 'I Don't Know', 'Crazy Train', 'Mr. Crowley', and even finishing with an electrifying cover of 'Paranoid' (greatly embellished by Ozzy's secret weapon throughout the 80s - guitar virtuoso Randy Rhodes), this LP serves as a high watermark live collection from the Prince of Darkness.