Carl Begai

Nobody said anything about an atomic bomb destroying Rome, but that’s pretty much what Ex Deo’s debut amounts to. An ambitious “little” history lesson cooked up by Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, Romulus plays out as the ultimate blood-and-guts soundtrack dedicated to the Roman Empire, putting all past cartoonish attempts by Virgin Steele to do the same to shame. More importantly, this doesn’t sound like a safety-first Kataklysm rehash even though Iacono’s brethren are heavily involved in bringing the material to life. Nope; the man has thrown himself off the highest tower he could find with the intention of creating something unforgettable upon impact, and he’s hit the ground running. (continue reading…)

It was iconic cinema baddie Darth Vader that spouted the line “You don’t know the power of the Dark Side.” No shit. The brainchild of ex-After Forever guitarist Sander Gommans, HDK hits like a pick-axe wielding maniac on a rampage; straight to the point rather than adopting After Forever’s meandering symphonic / progressive / melodic / metal approach that often confused the hell out of people. Quite an unexpected outing given Gommans was the driving force behind his old band’s music and that he’s teamed up with rock-pop-metal-new age vocalist / lyricist Amanda Somerville (unfairly dubbed a “guest” artist here by the promo department) to create this death-thrash monster. (continue reading…)