Iris North

My formal position is: editor and music reviewer. I joined the PlanetMosh army in 2012. I enjoy extreme metal, 'shred' guitar, hard rock, prog rock, punk, and... silly pop music!

Badmotorfinger – It’s Not The End

Badmotorfinger, an Italian hard rock band, released It’s Not The End, a brazen 13-track disc. It’s straight-ahead, catchy, anthemic, guitar-driven hard rock. Modern, confident, and in-your-face music. With no frills, keyboards, or ‘studio effects’, it’s loud, crisp, flashy music for the guitar-friendly audience. With gruff, gritty, lower-register vocals strongly reminiscent …

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Battlecross – War Of Will

Battlecross is an American modern death metal band showing European flar. With War Of Will, they offer a bit more melody and atmosphere then most. There’s a crisp, punchy sound with a triple vocal tone attack – from a hatecore screech to a brutal low growl. Battlecross offers unusually inspiring …

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Protector – Reanimated Homonculus

Veteran German thrash mongers Protector scorch a blazing trail of old-school death-thrash through Swedish woods, taking no prisoners. They channel all that is good from thrash metal into tunes like “Reanimated Homonculus” and “Antiman”, snapping necks furiously and without remorse. The competent, tight band delivers blood-curdling goods on this disc, …

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Eternal Torture – Lacerate The Global Hate

Eternal Torture is a young death metal band from Munich (Bavaria), Germany. This band is part of the “we are faster and more extreme then anyone else” movement, with hyperspeed double-bass drumming, low guttural (and unintelligible) vocals, and downtuned guitars. Their twist on this pun intended, done-to-death schtick is that …

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Bad Pollyanna – Monstrous Child

What would happen if you repackaged trendy pop music with a little bit of emo, and some of burlesque subculture’s image? You’d end up with something like Bad Pollyanna. Sugary sweet, digitally perfect female vocals merged with a litany of electronica sounds and effects comprise 2013’s release, Monstrous Child. The …

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Karnivool – Asymmetry

A bizarre, mellow blend of alternative rock mixed with electronica and industrial elements make up 2013’s Asymmetry, by Australia’s Karnivool. Moods range from a free-floating ambient to an ‘industrial meets emo-pop’ tangent. The oddly sequenced record of longer-length songs seems to take pride in dissonance. There are many quirks and …

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Equilibrium – Waldschrein

Equilibrium‘s Waldschrein is an interesting twist on the folk or pagan metal subgenre. This five-song EP, released in 2013, runs the gamut from entertaining folk metal, to an epic movie soundtrack type tune. This Bavarian band’s rapid ‘riff factory’ idea shifts tend to be jarring or choppy – in the …

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Parise – Parise1

Hailing from the humble, hardworking Pittsburgh, PA, is modern rock outfit Parise, a band composed of friends in music. Spearheaded by guitarist Dan Parise, this project came in to being to showcase the prodigious talents of these musical collaborators. These aren’t any ol’ friends: the band features within it’s ranks, …

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Battlecross Interview with Tony Asta, August 2013

Chicken Fighting With Battlecross Battlecross is a band from the rust-belt suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. In 2005, the nascent band crafted up a few tunes and self-released a demo. What a difference a few years makes: by 2013, they’ve been signed to Metal Blade Records, and have partied like rock …

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Fergie Frederiksen – Any Given Moment

Dennis “Fergie” Frederiksen (Toto, Frederiksen/Philips, Mecca, LeRoux) is an inspiration. His long and storied music career continues strongly, despite advancing age and failing health. Frontiers Records brings listeners his newest material, 2013’s Any Given Moment. Produced by Alessandro Del Vecchio, this record has 11 tracks of melodic, smooth rock and …

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Hypocrisy – Penetralia/Osculum Obscenum Re-Issue

Lending additional momentum to Swedish stalwart death metal band Hypocrisy‘s career in 2013, label Nuclear Blast decided to re-release the band’s seminal 1992 debut Penetralia, and 1993 sophomore effort, Osculum Obscenum. These albums are packaged in a 2CD deluxe box, featuring additional live recordings as bonus material. 2013 marks the …

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Ajenda – Unrecognizable

ajenda album art - unrecognizable

Ajenda is a rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Fronted by vocalist Jen, the four-piece brandishes a mellow, blues-infused rock sound that’s pleasing overall. Following the release of two platters: 2009’s Vicious Circle EP and 2011’s The Suomi Sessions EP, listeners are treated to Ajenda’s 2013 debut album, Unrecognizable. This …

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Manegarm – Legions of the North

Sweden consistently produces and exports very fine quality extreme metal, and their Manegarm is no exception. Compared to the band’s previous releases, this one will appeal to a wider audience, both because of the more universal English language, and a greater emphasis on mid-tempo crushers. The songs are very dramatic, …

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Pat Travers Band – Can Do

Pat Travers has long been known as a guitar force to be reckoned with. With an illustrious career spanning back at least 37 years, the Canadian-born six-string slinger has more pure life experience to draw on then most. His records Heat In The Street and Makin’ Magic are considered influential …

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Primus – Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

“Primus sucks!” remains the backwards compliment paid by fans to the band, because the first thing to note about these veteran Bay Area, California musicians is that they sure don’t suck. Their sophomore effort, Sailing The Seas Of Cheese, had it’s original heyday and review cluster back before genres like …

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Nunslaughter – The Devil’s Congeries, Vol. I

“Metal is the way… Devil Metal!” The prolific Nunslaughter, a pride and joy of Cleveland Ohio’s live underground metal scene, have birthed a double CD compilation record. Out on the Hell’s Headbangers imprint, The Devil’s Congeries, Vol. I features highlight tracks from some of their collector-grade past 7″ vinyl releases. Channeling …

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Famous Underground – Famous Underground

First of all, Famous Underground can pull it off live, and that’s something to admire about them. What you’re hearing on the album is what you’re going to hear live in concert. It’s not a manufactured ‘Autotune’ band. This is a monster group of heavyweights to watch. Plus, how can …

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Arx – Ordo Ab Pax

Ordo Ab Pax, released in 2013, is the debut album from Gauteng, South African progressive thrash metal outfit, Arx. The band has an engaging, melodic extreme metal sound, a bit reminiscent (but not derivative) of Dark Tranquillity or later In Flames. The album ranges from instrumental, to thrash, to ‘hatecore’ …

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SixStringNoise – Likewise

SixStringNoise, a four-piece outfit from Greece, formed sometime after 2011’s one-man-band debut “Snowing Bullets While Kissing the Ground” was released. With a lineup (Markos, Nikos X, Alex B, and Alex D) solidified, the band decided to record and release a proper album. Likewise, 2013’s full-length offering, is the result of …

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Immolation – Kingdom Of Conspiracy

The first notes of Immolation‘s ninth and latest studio album, Kingdom Of Conspiracy, blare out from my speakers as I sit down and begin to listen. I reminisce: they were a killer band ‘back in the day’. Then I quickly realize: they still are. This newest disc drives that home …

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