HardAlbumReview

Discography Overview: Hadi Pakzad 4th Anniversary

In the bumpy and rocky history of rock and alternative music in Iran, few names are as revered and highly esteemed as Hadi Pakzad, especially among the younger generation of musicians who appeared after the 1979’s revolution. Rock music in this land goes way back to 1960s and 1970s, but there was an extended hiatus for about 25-30 years. Born in 1982 and in the city of Mashhad, Hadi held a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering but was chiefly engrossed in philosophy, literature and music. He started his work as a young alternative musician in 2002, but had to work in the underground scene, until 2016 when a compilation of his previous works was “officially” published with a permit from Iran’s Ministry of Islamic Guidance. Later that year, on May 27th, he took his life after an overdose on tranquilizers and sleeping pills. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Sadness – Alluring the Distant Eye 7.5 (Black Metal)

Sadness is an extremely prolific one-man project from Oak Park, Illinois and despite being quite a young band, formed only in 2014, the band’s discography shows 16 studio albums (In 2015 alone, 5 LPs were released)!!! This can only mean that most of the music produced, and Elisa’s approach to this form of art in general, is hit-and-miss. As there are outstanding pieces, there ought to be equal, if not more, negligible (or maybe plain substandard) tracks too. How many world-class pieces can one make in one year in one genre, no matter how young and creative one might be? All said, the current state of affairs points to a more balanced view towards musical production in Sadness, with 1 album in 2018 and 2 in 2019. And 2020 has seen only one album, so far. […]

HardAlbumReview

Microdose: Deer Park Ranger, Theory Of A Deadman, The Echelon Effect & Stone Temple Pilots

Mass is still at the helm of Microdoses and he’s already mixing it up. This week we take a break from extreme metal and delve into a world of more radio friendly rock and post rock. Some people listen to stuff other than metal, that’s probably a good idea. What are some of your favorite non metal albums coming out lately? (There’s a comment section). […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Aeternam – Al Qassam 9.2 (Melo Death)

Symphonic Folk Death Metal may seem quite vague and too broad a concept to apply to any musical production. But when it comes to this Quebec-based quartet, it is in every bit expressive of the work of the band. Aeternam’s brand of music is a whole scope of Middle-Eastern/North-African (MENA) folk sounds, a grand symphonic foundation and a ferocious death metal that molds all these elements into one fine alloy poured into a gargantuan cast of awe-striking grandeur. […]

2020 Albums

Album Review: Sepultura – Quadra 8 (Thrash Metal)

Sepultura has always been a staple in metal, particularly thrash metal, since their conception in the early 1980’s where they were the sound of metal in Brazil and among the few who could compete with the metal scene growing – maybe even unproportionally – in the world-renowned Bay Area, with such acts as Exodus, Metallica, Testament, Death Angel, Megadeth and Blind Illusion. The original line-up of the band, with Cavalera Brothers, is still highly idolized and their work is often deemed superior to the more recent offerings of the band. I, admittedly, was one such person. Well I was until I heard this new release. I’m not saying The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart and Machine Messiah were inherently weak performances, I’m just saying this work is a cut above them. […]

HardAlbumReview

Microdose: Annihilator, Vvilderness, Moongates Guardian & Dark Matter

Four great albums, four short reviews. This time however it’s all picks and opinions of Noob Heavy writer Mass from Iran who has some interesting tastes and takes. Most of his listening pool is everything I haven’t heard of from places I don’t often hear from so expect some esoteric sounds to western ears as well as ruthless takes on those we are familiar with. Haha, love it. Also he gets his own format for it. […]