ALBUMS YOU MISSED… Is a yearly tradition of highlighting albums I did not have time to review, all of which are above average. I’d encourage folks to never be “done” with records after the release year passes, and recognize that the true fan will continue seeking the best of what is available and not only what is “current” to the greater perceived conversation. The plastic these were (likely) printed onto will take longer to decompose than you will, so, take a minute and see what escaped your periphery and what might stick. Take a deep breath, frown deeply, and think for yourself — If you find something you dig go tell the band on social media and support them with a purchase! If you’d like your music reviewed, read the FAQ and send promos to: grizzlybutts@hotmail.com

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The means to Diabolic Night‘s ends no longer predictably resolve into the usual speed metal era Venom-isms as this second full-length album stretches its wings beyond the Teutonic black/speed metal paradigm into Bathory and Varathron-esque ancient feeling black metal (see: “Pandemonium”). A bit of a step away from their core focus in the past as well as a shift most had seem coming, now featuring a sound we find in similar bands (Witching Hour, Malokarpatan) as the main composer seems to focus on a more effective rhythm section rather than hammering on classicist riffcraft, which is still abundant enough when in service to the song. I’d especially loved the buzzing Running Wild fueled anthem of “Voyage to Fortune”, a great example of their taste in 80’s power metal guitar work adding some extra character to each piece. It feels like they’re moving with the times rather than against the tide, which you can make your own judgement upon, but in this case ‘Beneath the Crimson Prophecy‘ is a fine result and a brilliant heavy metal album front-to-back.

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Copenhagen, Denmark-based quartet Exelerate definitely bring the Bay Area-sized power-thrash feeling on their biggest pieces, such as barn-burner “Spawn of Satan”, but the whole of this self-titled debut LP doesn’t stick to just one gun and instead shows they’re more than capable working beyond that core late 80’s mode. Their sound should probably cue you into early Flotsam and Jetsam and maybe even Fates Warning depending on the piece but they also inch into more modern power metal tics, darker speed, and even some slower-going songs (“God of Man”) which recall shades of early German/Swedish power metal to my ears. You’ll have to be a true thrash head -and- an 80’s power metal goon to truly appreciate the class with which they blend these energies into something which is both truly classicist but also approachable.

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Mace ‘n’ Chain is a pandemic borne epic heavy metal project from Swedish musician David Nilsson, best known for his work in death metal band Feral. When I’d bought his first 2021 demo it was definitely to support the idea even if the vocals weren’t necessarily album ready, with the ‘epic heavy’ Kreator cover being the main reason to see it through. With those expectations in mind I wouldn’t consider ‘Among Ancient Pillars‘ a disappointment but a particularly solid and well-concieved debut LP. The vocals are still pretty flat but they’ve a bit of character somewhere in between Idle Hands-era Unto Others and Grand Magus and Nilsson can mostly carry a tune. The style of this album is likely meant to align with the current bigguns in the U.S. scene (Eternal Champion, Visigoth) judging by the 80’s power edged compositions but only as a first impression these songs are actually surprisingly dense in their moment-to-moment composition and almost begin to struggle to breathe per all the detail available. The production values are sharp enough, though there is a bit of a guitar pro sounding warp to certain riffs on “Defying the Gates” and the bass guitar sound clashes out in a dimension which does little to enhance the rhythm guitar centre of the songcraft otherwise. Songs like “Labyrinthian Black” would sound huge if the recording wasn’t set in such a tight cavern. It all eventually gets there after a rocky start but the induction was well worth my time, a very pro place to start with some room to improve.

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Morax is an occult heavy metal/hard rock band from Norwegian musician Remi Nygård who is best known for his work in thrash metal band Inculter. Songs of possession and dark intrigue arrive in the first person as the protagonist here is tormented and bewildered to the point that this record makes a dramatic first impression with its deadpan yet melodic delivery and solemn 70’s-meets-80’s push. It is a short but impactful first impression to make and one that certainly warranted being picked up for vinyl etc. right off the bat. I’m interested to see where he goes with it next, no doubt a full-length is in the cards.

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All is futile. — Hirosaki, Japan-based progressive rock/heavy metal legends Ningen Isu [人間椅子] return with their 23rd full-length album and of course over the years it’d seem they’ve done everything, from jazz-tinged progressive rock to classic 70’s/80’s heavy metal and even a bit of psychedelic doom in their own curious way, but above all else they’ve found an entertaining way to express how the see the world and do it in an honest yet entertaining way. Formed in 1987 and releasing one brilliant album after another since this latest album is wise, heartfelt but also never misses an opportunity to have fun with it as each member brings their own well-developed personality to these relatively laid back songs, though there are a few more heavy metal chargers than usual. If you thought they were just a meme back in 2019 thanks to YouTube you’ll definitely rethink that once you’ve sat with a few of their albums, and here they are at their best in many respects. FFO: Budgie, Flower Travellin’ Band.

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Oslo, Norway-based occult heavy metal solo project Blood Python comes by way of musician M. Horn who is best known for throwback heavy rock band Tempelheks and we feel a bit of that smoked out energy walking into this slightly more neon-lit, glam-rock adjacent graveyard, a creeper of a second LP. Mid-paced and bopping heavy metal is most all that ‘Thunder City‘ manages but this comes with somewhat memorable songwriting focused on rough and rambling melodies, a number of decent lead guitar hooks and breathy vocals which are illuminated by weirdly over the top keyboards and ghostly chorales whenever a chorus is called for. The effect is surreal in its calm, expressionless but not cold or morbid, which is at once compelling and bland upon return. There is enough of a cleverness to this work that I’d enjoyed this album but their first LP had a more interesting grit to it by comparison.

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Leipzig, Germany-based heavy metal/hard rock quintet Firmament are a relatively new development from ex-members of Tension, Prisma and Angel Blade (who are now Acid Blade) which gives the impression it’ll have a bit of a late 70’s/early 80’s Thin Lizzy glare to it and they do deliver an old-style heavy rock record overall but the full listen often appears to detangle itself from notions of the retro-metal aspect and lose the plot. The stumbling NWOBHM-era rock adjacency you’d expect isn’t a goalpost so much as a general marker for their rhythm section to operate nearby as certain pieces (such as “Live in the Night”) go one more step towards something more alt-rock than it is Night (Swe) or Wytch Hazel and much of this comes from a struggling vocal performance which seems to fall apart or stop trying around “Losing You”. While the mood is thick the clever interplay of the rhythm section and the riffs are all given a sort of flatline beneath a too-serious touch, sometimes this lines up perfectly (“No Future”, “Dreams of Misery”) but it leaves a somewhat confused sound on a record which is otherwise engaging.

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Dresden, Germany-based heavy metal crew Acid Blade impressed me back in 2022 with their enthused, memorable debut full-length album ‘Power Dive‘ and I’d been anticipating this 7″ because it’d arrived at a time where the line-up and the direction of the band appeared most stable in previews but ‘Shooting Star‘ never hit my inbox beyond the news and it didn’t occur to me to go and check it out until much later. Of course I am happy to report their energy is still geared up, their rhythm section is even stronger and these catchy 80’s heavy metal inspired pieces are now vibrant and somewhat more raw in presentation for the sake of an authentic feeling tape. To me this hits like an old NWOBHM-era single with “Mercy of the Wind” and “Weeping Willow” being the accessible cuts and closer “Rise From the Grave” serving as my kind of dark anthemic piece with a twist upon expectations at the midpoint.

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Even though we’ve unfortunately found ourselves butt-deep in a lingering era of hair metal inspired shite parading itself as heavy metal (the dumbass “cool kid” version) the traditional side of things is still all about songwriting, no matter the privileged circumstance, that allows it to shine. Not sure who guitarist/vocalist Alex Sciortino is but this ~50 minute debut he’s managed out of the blue (with help from pro-drummer Mike Heller and legend John Gallagher, both of Raven) is borne with a full head of flowing hair, a sword, a shield and at least ~6-7 pretty damned memorable songs in hand. Seemingly ripped from the mid-to-late 80’s era of Priest worshipping speed metal crews we’ve got the shred-finesse and the trample of Realm and/or Liege Lord per Sciortino‘s shriek-happy delivery and plenty of tumble-paced US power metallic rides to keep the energy up throughout this persistent, overly long debut. Hot as the momentum is ripping into this album pieces like “The Keep” and “Headless Horseman” weigh down what is otherwise a total rager of an album, exactly to the standards of old and with more than a handful of ideas brought to both the vocal cadence and the power metal riff wagon. Undeniably good but still some room to improve, explore tempo and melody in a way which delivers more than a slammed-through debut. Don’t skip out on Raven‘s 2023 LP if you dig this, you’ll enjoy ‘All Hell’s Breaking Loose‘ too.

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None could blame Suffolk, England-based heavy metal quintet Heathen Kings from slapping tags like “epic” and “power” from your mouth as they dribbled out in response to their deeply traditional but certainly not plain style of songcraft which is clearly rooted in the more theatric side of Maiden and Middle-Earth obsessed fare. Theirs is a daringly “normal” first impression made as the vocally driven bombast of the first few opening pieces ride out but they’re capable of more than the usual rolling thunder, perhaps a bit of a Manowar level ride on “England Expects” and perhaps even shades of Blind Guardian and Týr as we dig into the rhythms they’ve broken into deeper into the overlong second half of the experience. Point being that yes, you could very well receive ‘Fealty to None‘ at face value and be pleased with first impressions but they’ve done well to keep any two songs from sounding alike and the back half of the record ends up in a land far away from where their journey began. Different shades of vanilla to some and a well rounded heavy metal album to others, I’d had a good time with it.

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