The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

Argentinian band Dragonfly are out with the EP "Laberinto" through Spanish label Art Gates Records, and metal is the style explored on this production. It is a smooth, well produced affair this one, with a slick and compelling sound and mix that emphasize the melodic qualities in the mainly power metal oriented escapades we are treated to on this production. A little bit of a hair metal inclusion asides, these are tight numbers with steady energetic rhythms and suitably melodic guitar riff foundations that serves as a fine foundation for the very well controlled, melodic and broadly appealing lead vocals that is a feature throughout. With some nice and elegant guitar solo runs as a bit of icing on the cake, and with a further touch of elegance for the sometime use of subtle orchestra inspired textures that adds a ghost of a symphonic metal seasoning to the landscapes explored. An EP to seek out by those who enjoy power metal when explored in a smooth, melodic and compelling m...

Netherlands based band Under The Shadows are out with the album "Thesmophoria" through Finnish label Lion Music, and metal is the style explored on this production. It is a dark and moody slab of atmospheric laden metal we get here, with a talk-like, slightly gritty and world weary sounding vocal catering for major parts of the singing alongside more regular, melodic lead vocals. The songs alternate between more doom-laden passages and traditional heavy metal exploits on one hand and more power metal oriented and occasionally thrash metal flavored excursions on the other. With some fine and elegant guitar solo tidbits, some side steps into gentler, melodic and more atmospheric laden landscapes and the occasional folk music inclusion being a part of the experience too. For some reason or other this album did give me a bit of a retro 80's feel in the mix and sound department, and I'd suspect that those who enjoy the more varied underground metal bands from the mid 1980s...

(36:56; Echozone) Track list: 1. The Hills Have Eyes 4:21 2. Miss Demoness 3:38 3. Blood Orgy 4:36 4. German Zombie Attack 3:59 5. Supersonic Vampire Pussy 3:58 6. Eternal Love 2:47 7. Summoned Them From Their Graves 4:57 8. 1000 Ways To Die 4:17 9. Carnivore 4:23 Line-up: Postel - vocals Holly - guitars Marple - bass Ole - drums   German band Lords of Salem have been around since 2015 or thereabouts from what I can see, and released an initial EP back in 2018. The band have released a small handful of single releases since then, and then signed with German label Echozone for the release of the album "Supersonic Vampire Pussy", which was issued in the spring of 2026. It is the industrial corner of the metal universe that is the chosen habitat of this foursome. The guitar riffs are hard and repetitive, the vocals alternate between being more rough and aggressive and more melodic and controlled, and a wide array of synthesizer sounds and electronic sounds flavor the landscapes ...

(41:09; Act Music) Track list: 1. Window to your World 5:15 2. Helios 4:11 3. Alia's Abandon 4:22 4. Paper Boats 4:11 5. Fallow Tide 2:24 6. Forgotten Friend 4:04 7. A Thread in the Dark 5:23 8. Four Flowers 4:48 9. Submerge 6:31 Line-up: Nick Smart - piano Jordan Smart - saxophone Rob Turner - drums  UK threesome Mammal hands has been a feature in the UK and European music scene for almost 15 years at this point, and following 5 studio albums on the label Gondwana Records the band signed with German label Act Music for their sixth and most recent studio production "Circadia" at the start of 2026. This album is also the first studio production by the band that feature their new drummer Rob Turner. If it is one word that for me defines the compositions we are provided with on this album, then that word is elegant. This isn't a threesome that are all that fond of dramatic displays, but a more subtle, detailed and careful expressive mode of delivery appear to be a key fo...

(34:25; M&O Music) Track list: 1. The Lotus Legacy 1:07 2. Arthefac 4:07 3. Ocean 0:38 4. Les Volontaires 4:26 5. Naga 4:19 6. Purvinituq 0:45 7. Inukshuk 4:10 8. Les Adorateurs du Soleil 4:25 9. Le Silence des Observateurs 1:14 10. Yakushima 4:43 11. Témoins du Déclin 4:31 Line-up: Arianne Fleury - vocals Michel Gagné Bouchard - drums François Kelly - bass Rob Henx - guitars  Canadian band Empire De Mu started out back in 2016, and self released their debut album "Spiritual Demise" 4 years later. With a remastered edition of that album appearing in 2023. Since then the band has signed to French label M&O Music, who released their second album "The Lotus Legacy" It is a tight, firm and hard variety of extreme metal that appear to be the main focus for the landscapes explored on this second full length album by the band. Quick alterations in pace, subtle as well as more overt, is one of the defining aspects of this production, with a sound in general and a gu...

(140:47; Soundologia Records) Track list: 1. Charles Norman Mason: Swagger [for amplified bassoon and fixed media) 10:38 2. Federico Bonacossa: Meta I [for guitar and live electronics] 5:44 3. Federico Bonacossa: Meta II [for guitar and live electronics] 3:36 4. Orlando Jacinto Garcia: Marea Cambiante / Changing Tide [for solo amplified violin] 7:58 5. Daniel Estrada: Life Is [for solo flute] 7:46 6. Dorothy Hindman: Ulterior Motives [for string trio] 2:05 7. Jacob David Sudol: Trefoil Knots / Agemaki [for cello and live electronics] 10:28 8. Russ Spiegel: Circles [for large ensemble] 9:58 9. Atomic Theatre: Within [for vocal, piano, bass, drums, percussion and sampler] 13:07 10. Richard Garet: Residue 10:00 11. Gustavo Matamoros: Anatomia de un Deseo 5:24 12. José Hernández Sánchez: Incantation 8:32 13. Juraj Kojš: Boiling Anew. A Sonic Meditation on Water 7:32 14. Jose Veliz: Do We Control Nature? 5:38 15. Night Foundation: Spirit 8:09 16. Eden Grey: Meditation on a Sequence 10:38 17...