The Viking in the Wilderness - reviews and news

(47:36; Dark Vinyl) Track list: 1. Surrender 5:07 2. Rage 1:41 3. Sadly 3:34 4. Darker Days 4:27 5. Let Us Begin 3:14 6. Deep Inside 4:54 7. Frantic 3:52 8. Forsaken 4:58 9. Decline 4:48 10. That Feeling 2:52 11. Torn 3:51 12. Darker Days (Jean Marc Ledderman Remix) 4:18 Line-up: Michael Aliani - vocals, guitars, programming, keyboards, percussion Dino Molinaro - bass, cello Leanne Coe - saxophone Australian band Chiron has been a going concern for the past 25 years or thereabouts, and is established as something of an underground cul favorite among people with a more dedicated interest in music generally described as dark in mood and atmosphere. Following a longer spell of inactivity as a recording unit the band released the album *The Sun Goes Down" in 2022 through German label Dark Vinyl. My only previous experience with this band was their Best Of compilation from 2015, a production that documented a creative band moving inside of a Gothic, post-punk and new wave triangle some...

(70:56; Wave Records) Track list: 1. Forgotten 4:18 2. Loosing You 3:42 3. Bleed 4:08 4. No Order 5:12 5. Point of No Return 4:12 6. Close My Eyes 3:36 7. Ascent 4:30 8. Hate 5:12 9. Burn (Remix) 6:01 10. Distorted 4:20 11. Disenchanted 4:53 12. Far From Me 4:09 13. Crying in the Night 4:24 14. Night in Cairo 3:32 15. Love Is (Alternative Mix) 4:50 16. Visions 3:57 Line-up: Michael Aliani - vocals, programming, keyboards Dino Molinaro - bass, programming DJ Robert Anthony - decks, programming, keyboards Shura B2 - guitars Leva B2 - guitars Carlo Pascale - guitars Richard Allen - guitars Brian Gibson - guitars Marissa M - vocals Australian band Chiron appeared towards the tail end of the 1990's following main man Michael Aliani's departure from Gothic rock band Ikon. Over the years Chiron has become something of a staple in the underground rock scene it would appear, a band that appears to be very popular among music reviewers and with a small cadre of dedicated fans, but never ...

(22:56; Eternal Frostbite) Track list: 1. Intro 0:42 2. The Rage I Keep 5:35 3. Decimate 4:07 4. The Walking Wounded 2:34 5. Save Me 3:18 6. Crossing the Line 3:10 7. This Means War 3:30 Line-up: Kaye Emm - vocals Michael - vocals Ondre.B - drums, guitars, bass, backing vocals Australian band Eternal Frostbite is a fairly new player in the music scene down under, and appears to have been in some form or other of activity since 2021. In the summer of 2022 they self released their debut EP "This Means War". The main defining aspect of this production is that it is a primal one. This is an artist still in development, without the more sophisticated traits one can expect from more established and developed artists. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a fact that will have some impact on listener interest nonetheless. A variety of thrash metal is the most recurring trait in terms of style, with surprisingly playful but also primal sounding guitar riffs dominating th...

(44:47; Ellie Promotion) Track list: 1. Para Bellum 4:56 2. Point of Divergence 4:53 3. Pillars of Smoke 5:17 4. Absurd Heroes 5:12 5. Atheist 5:15 6. The Exoteric Verses 4:39 7. Insurgents (Part 1) 2:01 8. Insurgents (Part 2) 5:54 9. Ascent to Rebirth 6:40 Line-up: Guillaume Granier - vocals Jérémie Delattre - guitars Michel Marcq - drums Yannick Fernandez - vocals, bass Yoric Oliveras - guitars French band Worselder started out back in 2008, and released their first sign of recorded life with a demo back in 2010. Since then they have an EP to their name that was released in 2014, while their full length debut album "Paradigms Lost" appeared in 2017. "Redshift" is the band's second studio production, and was released through French label Ellie Promotion" in February of 2023. Metal is the style explored by this band, and in this case thrash metal is probably the best manner in which to define and describe the music. In this case we have a band that explore ...

(42:44; M&O Music) Track list: 1. Missing 4:15 2. Outside 3:35 3. Black Sheep 3:44 4. More Than Blood 4:23 5. Be My Roots 4:36 6. Selfish 3:55 7. No Shame 4:10 8. Can't Buy It 3:45 9. Write Your Own Story 3:11 10. Dog's Loyalty 3:34 11. Through Your Eyes 3:36 Line-up: Rémy Planson - vocals, guitars Laurent Planson - drums François Delclaux - bass French band Burn The Day have been around for a decade or thereabouts with brothers Remy and Laurent Planson as the driving force of the band. Bassist François Delclaux joined the band in 2016. The band released their debut album "Drive-By" through French label M&O Music at the start of 2023. The influence of grunge and alternative rock is highlighted in the label page bio for this band, and that comes with good reason. The album opens and concludes with songs that come with a strong and distinct Nirvana feel to them, and it is crystal clear that this is a band that thrives in this particular landscape. Vocalist Remy ...

(15:41; M&O Music) Track list: 1. 3 Princes (Memento Mori) 4:36 2. A Vicious Century 3:28 3. War and Lies 4:31 4. A New Order 3:06 Line-up: A.S.A - vocals Bruno Fontebasso - bass Alexandre Verdier - guitars Gaetan Sartre - guitars Mike Heller - drums Based out of the French territory of New Caledonia, the band Redsphere has been an active unit in their local music scene since 2015 or thereabouts. They released their initial EP "Facts" back in 2017, and following this they were ready with their full length debut album "Immortal Voids" in 2019. The EP "Regnvm Lvpvs" is their most recent studio production, and was released by French label M&O Music in January 2023. Extreme metal is the style explored by the band, and they go about the task inside of a well produced and contemporary sounding framework. The excellent mix and production really emphasized the full sound of the band, with the riffs and the rhythms as well as the vocals coming across as dar...

(44:12; M&O Music) Track list: 1. Blood Red Moon 4:08 2. Down and Dirty 4:18 3. Lay It All on the Line 3:32 4. Wake Up 3:45 5. Without You 5:43 6. Saving Grace 4:49 7. Fallin' 4:28 8. In the End 4:14 9. Sin City 4:33 10. The Spirit 4:42 Line-up: David Clabaux - vocals, guitars Philippe Merlen - guitars, keyboards Jérôme Willocq - drums French band Project had their initial phase of existence in the late 1990's and early 2000's before the band went on hiatus for a while. They returned as an active band in 2008 and in 2013 they released their full length debut album "Riding Free", and two more studio albums have followed since then. "The Awakening" is the most recent of these, and was released through French label M&O Music at the start of 2023. It is a band with an interest and a passion for many types of hard rock we are dealing with here, and it would appear that the period between 1975 and 1990 is the one the band is looking at more than anythi...