Review by Rosh on April 7, 2022.

Sinister Realm's self-titled debut is an album that immediately appealed to me for simply being much better than most of the modern traditional metal movement, and you could point to this band's affiliation with traditional doom metal (Pale Divine in particular) for making it way more likable than the actual, oddly pop-y, NWOTHM stuff, but the success of this album is really just a matter of putting some concentrated effort into your songwriting in a way that influences the album as a whole. The music itself is essentially a slightly heavier version of something Ronnie's instrumentalists would've played on the classic Dio albums, except a little doomier and slower at times because of what, to me, sounds like some Solitude Aeturnus influence. It's very straightforward heavy metal riffing, but it's played with way more energy and power than most of the other bands in this niche, which I'll discuss more in a moment. Sinister Realm though, is an album that I've had success with using as a sort of catalyst to convert detractors of modern traditional metal, or avoiders of traditional doom, back into the styles.

So, yes, the riffs here are very by-the-books heavy metal fare, but not in a "so since this band can play their instruments decently and recently heard some metal classics, they decided to try to emulate the genre's motifs" kind of way - more like a "they've been playing heavy metal all their lives so it comes naturally to them" kind of way. I like how 'Machine God' uses a heavy, power chord-based hook with a certain crunchiness to it, but it's not super Sabbath-y like you'd expect a slower power chord riff from a heavy/doom band to be, it's more in line with a slower Iron Maiden song such as "Revelations", and 'Machine God' also reaches a really memorable refrain towards the end that fully capitalizes on the potential of its main riff, and this is but one example of what I mean about songwriting being a focus here. The musicians make up a solid rhythm-based band packing good riffs, but the songs aren't afraid to become vocal-oriented at times and it results in none of it growing tiresome, especially since the singer here has a rich, robust voice.

Opener 'The Oracle - Into the Depths of Hell' as well as the instrumental namesake track 'Enter The Sinister Realm' have a little bit of a Maiden feel as well, due to the triumphant gallop to the riffing and how the entire musical passage unfolds gradually, despite not really moving too slowly as a whole. Moody and foreboding guitar melodies work their way into the songs subtly, without insisting upon themselves, and the bassist keeps things really steady in a thumping sort of way (he also played on my favorite Pale Divine album, "Cemetery Earth"). In addition, the latter instrumental piece kind of reminds me of Satan's "The Ritual", which says a lot about the composition and performance itself, because the production here is way more crisp sounding than on an album like "Court In The Act" from 1983. 'The Demon Seed', meanwhile, has that typical "triplet" rhythm you hear in traditional heavy metal all the time, and the fact that it sounds as badass and driving as it does here is proof of what I was talking about earlier. Heavy metal guitar playing motifs exist for a reason, so play them with some real balls and you'll melt faces off, even if it's not completely fresh.

Sinister Realm definitely feels strongly inspired by classic heavy metal, there's no doubt about that, but it's actually still doomier than most of the music bands like Argus and Grand Magus have put out. On the doom metal side of things, there's a lot of the same stuff that made "Through The Darkest Hour" such a consistent album from Solitude Aeturnus, for example the verses of 'The Demon Seed' to me are like "Pawns Of Anger" but more concise and punchy, and interestingly, you could also point to the more accessible, nearly contemporary albums from The Gates Of Slumber like "Conqueror" and "Hymns Of Blood And Thunder" as being based on a corollary influence in the heavy/doom style. Finally, 'Message From Beyond' is a very good melodic trad doom song and not something you'd normally hear most bands who aren't considered "full-on" doom metal play. It's got a slithering kind of riff that is Sabbath-y as hell this time, it's like something Leif Edling would've written when Candlemass was still called Nemesis. This tells you that Sinister Realm are a class act and they do actually strive for originality.

I guess my liking for this album is pretty simple to explain when compared to some of my other preferences that are a bit off the beaten path, because it's not only memorable, but it's an inspired execution of familiar, established genre traits. The Crystal Eye from 2 years after this debut album is above average as well, but a bit less distinct in regards to the heavy/doom sound. I don't necessarily think Sinister Realm needs to be a project with tons more material coming out in the future, because as it stands right now, they offer something that is both inspiring and indispensable for any traditional heavy metal enthusiast.

Rating: 9.3 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on June 9, 2024.

When I was still fresh going into the various subgenres of heavy metal, discovering amazing bands from every angle, I still recall that wonderful moment of coming across the Canadian veteran band Anvil. Hearing Forged In Fire for the first time ever in 2013, and then discovering more headbanging tunes from the Metal On Metal album in the video game Brutal Legend, really got me incredibly hooked. I still recall covering the title track 'Metal On Metal' on my first rehearsal ever with my longtime friend and bandmate, where both of us were practically drooling and going crazy at their heavy sound, even their documentary film managed to open new doors for me. Come 2024, what many consider the year of oldschool heavy metal revival with titans like Saxon, Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson releasing their albums, Anvil would also join the party with their twentieth full-length album One And Only, with the official release date of June 28th, 2024 via AFM Records. Without wasting any time, we are about to hit the hammer on the anvil and listen to the loud sound of banging metal.

If you came to hear some good old Anvil with plenty of speed, catchiness and Canadian heavy metal, and you are in a good mood to have some fun, then you are in for a ride. From the very first, we are already kicking things off with a good start, heading for a flaming hot rocking action with simplistic yet solid riffing, proudly stating that despite the modern difficulties of originality, Anvil is still "One and Only". The album provides a very moderate amount of heaviness to the songs, whilst maintaining a nice balance between old and new, with tracks like 'Dead Man Shoes' and 'Blind Rage' giving a throwback to the fast songs from the band's discography in the early 80's. What stood out to me about this album from the very get-go is that Anvil is going for a slightly more AC/DC influenced direction with that oldschool rock 'n roll, on examples such as the title track 'One And Only' and 'Truth Is Dying', even trying out some bluesy moments like 'Rocking The World'. Overall, anyone who is generally familiar with the sound and style of Anvil, will pretty much know what to expect from them, so this album is by no means an exception to that regard, and it fulfills the task of handing out entertaining bangers and uplifting choruses with powerful statements.

Anvil's songwriting has for the most part been quite simplistic and straightforward, but nonetheless very effective and successful in fulfilling that task, without a desperate attempt to reinvent the wheel and just give some nice and catchy tunes to enjoy. Personally, even though I had no initial expectations before hearing what this album has to offer, I was actually hoping that it would be entertaining to a certain degree, and I can't deny the fact that it successfully manages to do just that, thanks to its consistency and simplicity. I will admit that hearing a couple of tracks like 'Fight For Your Rights' and 'Blind Rage' gave me some nostalgic throwbacks to my early teen years when I was getting into metal music and discovering Anvil for the first time, so I have to highly compliment that. On the other hand, there isn't anything exceptional or outstanding on One And Only which differs to what the band had previously done throughout their lifespan, although I personally don't consider that to be an issue, but rather a fact that should remind people that striving for originality or repeating works from the past is a fool's errand. Anvil has been around for more than 45 years now and to expect that they would create a new Metal On Metal or Forged In Fire in the 21st century would be very unrealistic and unnecessary, because you simply cannot recreate or replicate that once in a lifetime magic, it's practically impossible. At this point, I am pretty convinced that some people are considering them to be "dad rockers" like AC/DC or Metallica, and that they should retire as soon as possible, but I highly disagree, because even though it is evident that these people are now older and not as energetic as they were in their youth, at least they are not chasing for success or attempting to commercialize their sound to reach out to wider audiences. If anything, Anvil does their job right, unlike other veteran bands who are pretty much creating uninspiring and lifeless albums that really don't have a single spark of creativity and optimism. So in that regard, these guys are still around because they just want to have fun and avoid pressure, or in short, rock until they drop dead. So, what can I say? Take it, or leave it!

In the end, One And Only is a very good and solid album that doesn't disappoint, and successfully manages to keep you entertained and engaged from start to finish. I respect the fact that Anvil are doing their best possible, and while listening to this album, I didn't feel like the band was going out of shape, rather keeping things simple and effective, but not stupid. In case you are someone who digs this band, I recommend that you check out their new album when it's released, because you will have a good time once you hit play.

Rating: 8.1 out of 10