It is hard for me to remember the last time I had anticipation for a black metal album. Part of the reason for that is newer acts have been boring it up with many of the same tired trends in modern black metal that have left a sour mark on the genre for years. I've certainly had records surprise me over the past year and a half, but the joy of expectations (and having them met) is a feat seldom felt. That's where Saidan comes in.

Coming into my radar in 2024 with Visual Kill: The Blossoming of Psychotic Depravity they left a noticeable mark after a year that was depraved of decent black metal. The combination of black metal with j-rock, with divergences into punk and thrash, it made for an uplifting release that was packed to the brim with riffs, melodic motifs and solid production. This time around, Saidan have moved away from the indie's and are signed with Avantgarde Music. With the transition comes their longest album to date, but also their most diverse and passionate.

And once again, Saidan nailed it. In fact I might even call this their best. The main riffing in the guitar is grandiose as it goes back and forth between soaring melodic leads and devastating chugging rhythms. The bass is prominent most of the time and gives the low end of the mix some weight and makes tracks like "Razorblade Temptation" and "Kara No Bara" unbelievable forward momentum. I love how the percussion is performed here; the black metal blast beats are strong and precise, but the switchbacks to the punk skank beats, while the guitars continue the same riffing as before, helps grow each tune to tremendous heights. The vocals are ferocious and relentless, while still leaving the listener with enough room to breathe and reflect.

The riffing on Fangdriller: Scars Beneath Memory's Wrist is in top form. The recurring motifs on "Ethereal Blood", "Her Lips Pressed Against a Coffin Nail" and "Kara No Bara" are some of the best I've heard in a while. The slower transitional periods are a wonderful change of pace on a normally blistering album. The interludes between "Stained Glass Sin/Fang Driller" and "Beat to Death" are stunning, however they give the impression that they belong to the overall song structure as well.

As a whole album, Fangdriller does nearly everything right as it flows between different song styles. It is still a black metal album, so variation can feel limited at times, however the revolving key changes prevent the album from becoming too derivative. And each melodic lead has just enough variation from the songs around it to give each one a fighting chance to stand up and be remembered. In summary, Fangdriller is the kind of black metal album that will knock you back with its intensity and determination, but will keep you wanting to come back for more with a impressive run of killer melodies and punchy riffs.

Best Songs: Razorblade Temptation, Immersed by Eternity's Blade, Kara No Bara, Her Lips Pressed Against a Coffin Nail, Ethereal Blood, Beat to Death

For Fans Of: Svalbard, Stormlord, Deafheaven

You know those Instagram/TikTok musicians who declare "We're bringing back 80s thrash!" Yeah, don't be like those guys. If you're gonna bring back an earlier sound, you gotta actually do what has made a genre great in the past, and whether or not it actually brings it all back is the listener's opinion. Don't say, just do. Fortunately, there's one band who, alongside Static Dress, may just be restoring the greatness of 2000s metalcore/post-hardcore, Concealer.

This Room Could Be Heaven is the band's debut after a couple EPs. All of the melody and emotion that has made metalcore and emo 20 to 25 years ago is in here, while making room for some modern heaviness in the riffing.

We already get some vicious intensity in "Vanity, a Fractured Promise", blended with ethereal melody. "Claymore" is an explosive track that would blow you away especially when played through one of the big loudspeakers. Another chaotic standout "Color Slowly Fading" throws in some sincere melody here and there. It sounds almost like if Skycamefalling didn't split up and instead make a second album.

Then there's an electronic interlude in "I", adding in some metal at the end to segue to the next track. "II" is a short heavy track that brings forward some of the electronics from that interlude. Next track "A Quiet Ending" is anything but quiet, showing how well the band master their formula.

Another interlude-ish track, "The Stillness Between Us" has some decent ambient trip-hop. "And the Sunlight Spoke" is one of the best tracks of this emo/metalcore revival. I can listen to that highlight as many times as I want and not get bored. "In This Moment" is one more brief interlude, nothing to do with the similarly-named band. The closing title track pretty much summarizes the greatness of this album and shall leave their listeners wanting more.

So would it be appropriate for Concealer to declare "We're bringing back 2000s emo/metalcore!" with this album? Again, it all depends on the listener's opinion. For me, I say it's a promising contribution to the revival. If they can make it big with this one and future albums, this could be the scene's new era!

Favorites: "Vanity, a Fractured Promise", "Color Slowly Fading", "A Quiet Ending", "And the Sunlight Spoke", "This Room Could Be Heaven"

Oh dear! What have we here I hear you ask? Well, this Brisbane-based trio were one of the earliest metal bands to come of my adopted home state of Queensland back with 1985's awfully titled four-song "Daddy's Little Girl" E.P. being their first proper release. Vice weren't exactly a household name in this country so I didn't get around to checking this relatively unknown release out until earlier this decade &, even then, it was only out of sheer completism. I would suggest that the cover art alone would have scared off the majority of punters from this century but, you know what, someone's gotta do it so I recently decided to take the plunge by returning for a second helping, purely in the name of the glorious Aussie metal scene that I love so much.

The horribly titled "Daddy's Little Girl" was released on the completely insignificant Sundown Records label right in the middle of the 1980's. One look at that cover will probably tell you that Vice were at least loosely associated with the glam metal movement &, if that was the case, then you'd be correct because a good half of their sound fits that description pretty comfortably. However, they also possessed a much tougher heavy metal edge at times & opening track "Morpheus" will no doubt have you second guessing yourself with its powerful, down-tuned, bottom-string chug riff that's been pulled straight off of Black Sabbath's "Children of the Grave". It's a great opener actually & I really enjoy it. It also sounds very different to other three tracks on the release. "Morpheus" is immediately followed by a very commercial sounding & misguided cover version of The Supremes "Stop ...in the Name of Love" which is certainly well performed & energetic but doesn't do a lot for me personally. The lengthier "Into the Night" sees things descending further with front man Peter Sharman's vocals struggling to find his feet amidst the glam/heavy metal instrumentation before the more than decent closer "Thriller Between the Sheets" rewards our patience with an up-tempo heavy metal feel that reminds me a lot of the punk-infused electricity of Iron Maiden's debut album. The variation in approaches across the four songs tells the clear story of a young band who were still trying to decide on what musical direction they should take so it can come across as unfocused but it does keep you on your toes nonetheless.

The production job on "Daddy's Little Girl" is more than acceptable for such an underground release of the time as it presents the band's strengths quite well. Peter Sharman would appear to be the main attraction with his big, masculine, powerful tone tending to make up for his occasional pitchiness with sheer charisma. The guitars of Dr Dave Warner (unfortunately not the former Australian opening batsman) are loud & proud while drummer Scott Allard would appear to be influenced just as much by hard rock as he is heavy metal, alternating between the two across the four songs. My enjoyment does tend to vary depending on how successful Sharman is at tackling each track though &, when he's in his element, Vice can be well worth hearing. I do think they were a significantly better heavy metal band than a glam metal one though so I've found myself enjoying the two more metallic inclusions a lot more than the two glammier ones. In fact, Vice don't really sound much like a glam metal act on the two songs that bookend this release which can only be a good thing in my opinion. Unfortunately, the two tracks that make up the middle of the E.P. do exist which has led to me deciding that "Daddy's Little Girl" probably isn't for me so I can't say that I'd recommend it to members who are looking for a hidden Aussie gem.

For fans of Twisted Sister, Axatak & early Kings Cross.

As I've gotten older, I have become less tolerant for long, overbloated records. I squirm at the idea of an album longer than fifty minutes, especially when it comes from the metalcore scene. And even more so when the album is as blatant a nostalgia grab as This Room Could Be Heaven. by concealer. 

But here's the thing: This Room Could Be Heaven. is concise and straight-to-the-point. "Vanity, a Fractured Promise" starts the album with a bang and the record keeps going for almost the entire time, minus a few atmospheric post-rock passages. Those sections are probably this albums greatest fault, because on a record that runs shorter than half-an-hour, there is no room for meandering. Many of my favourite metalcore and thrash metal albums of the past five years have a no bullshit policy that they follow almost to the letter, and while this record is short and concise, it does not really abide by that policy for long.

That being said, there are some interesting moments here. "Color Slowly Fading" is an early record standout with a nice chorus that could have been borrowed straight out of an old Underoath album. The same can be said for "...And the Sunlight Spoke", which includes one of the few examples of a post-rock bridge actually complimenting the songwriting. On the flipside, the combination of "I" and "II" does not really do it for me. If the band wanted to treat "I" as an interlude, it could have worked, but "II" creates the illusion of being this ruthless hardcore slam, only for that song to subdue into more post-rock nonsense and it becomes a massive letdown.

At the end of This Room Could Be Heaven. I was underwhelmed. I could tell that concealer. have a knack for production and could tell you every miniscule detail about The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation. What pains me is that concealer. do not have that much to say about themselves. 

Best Songs: Vanity, a Fractured Promise, Color Slowly Fading, ...And the Sunlight Spoke

For Fans Of: Skycamefalling, Poison the Well

The "beauty and the beast" vocal technique of female cleans and male growls originated in the 90s from gothic metal releases like the first 3 Theatre of Tragedy albums and Within Temptation's debut Enter. Nowadays, any band with heavy riffs and bombastic symphonics can do that vocal pairing. We already know that style was popularized in symphonic metal by Epica, but what about this Swedish band Eleine? This is their glorious second album Until the End!

The newer bands like Eleine have helped stabilize symphonic metal in the past 10 years before this review. Madeleine Liljestam has a lot of strength and power in her vocals, greatly fitting in with the growls by guitarist Rikard Ekberg.

There's some of that heavier gothic vibe in "Story Untold", getting close to melodeath territory, though the symphonics and singing are what help things out. Cranking up the tempo is "Echoes". Madeleine stands her ground with her vocals, while Ekberg provides the ocassional growls whenever the time is right. "Sanity" punches through with some deathly groove, again balanced out with the symphonics. "From the Grave" continues that sound with a bit of spookiness to remind some of King Diamond (the band).

One of the best tracks to display that vocal pairing is "Whisper My Child", sounding heavy while staying bombastic. The title track is a perfect diverse cauldron of the oriental aspects of Myrath, the symphonics of Xandria, and a bit of the power metal of Heavenly and Iron Fire. The gothic ballad "Please" is all about emotion, not too much drama.

"Another Rite" may seem too pop-ish for heavier metalheads, but when you listen with an open mind, you can the vocal dynamics there. They especially shine in the catchy chorus, thus making another epic highlight. "Hell Moon (We Shall Never Die)" has more of those Therion-infused symphonics. "Prelude: Arise" is a brief break before the final track. "Break Take Live" unleashes heavy aggression including some soloing to top it all off. As much as the vocals are memorable, so is the instrumentation.

Until the End has showcased a heavier gothic-esque side of symphonic metal last heard from Epica. Eleine has strengthened that sound with their talent. Alongside other bands like Seven Spires and Beyond the Black, they shall reign in the new wave of symphonic metal!

Favorites: "Story Untold", "Echoes", "Whisper My Child", "Until the End", "Another Rite", "Break Take Live"