Vinylsamstag: @liarthiefbandit - Diamonds (2022) 🇸🇪

#vinylmatinee #VinylSaturday #semmehorcht #liarthiefbandit #diamonds #swedenrock #actionrock #scandinavianrock #rocknroll #hardrock #highenergyrocknroll #theSignRecords #vinyl #onvinyl #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylcommunity #vinyligclub #vinyljunkie #nowspinning #spinningnow #recordcollection #recordcollector #instavinyl #albumoftheday #rockvinyl #vinyllove #vinyladdict #33rpm #swedishrock

And here it is 🌩️
Vinylfreitag: @thehellacopters - Cream of the Crap! Vol. 3 (2026) 🇸🇪

#vinylfreitag #semmehorcht #vinylfriday #vinylmatinee #thehellacopters #hellacopters #scandinavianrock #swedishrock #rocknroll #garagepunk #highenergyrocknroll #actionrock #nuclearblast #imeighteen #vinylcommunity #vinylcollector #vinyladdict #nowspinning #spinningvinyl #recordcollector #recordcollection #BonyMoronie #doublelp #gatefold #rarities #bsides #creamofthecrapvol3 #analogmusic #rockvinyl

See u tomorrow, Mr. Postman!
Vinylsonntag: @thehellacopters – Disappointment Blues (1998 🇸🇪)

#vinylsonntag #semmehorcht #vinylsunday #vinylmatinee #thehellacopters #455sd #disappointmentblues #swedishrock #sverige #sweden #1998 #garagerock #actionrock #rocknroll #highenergyrock #punkrock #vinylcommunity #vinylcollector #vinylcollection #recordcollection #nowspinning #instavinyl #vinyladdict #vinyljunkie #vinyligclub #vinylporn #creamofthecrapvol3 #radiobirdman #spinningvinyl #loudmusic

Majestica - Power Train

https://thebrainbin.org/m/AlbumArtwork[email protected]/t/1403645

I grew up with a slew of friends who dabbled in the visual arts throughout the years. One in particular blew me away by stating that the greatest artists aren’t the masters of their trade in every aspect, but rather they know what they don’t have, or rather don’t need, to make a sizable impact. You don’t need to own the most expensive paint set, a wide array of colors at your disposal, or to fill up the canvas with stuff. You have to just create your vision with what you have, and let the negative space do the work for you. Swedish duo Moon Mother knows this. On their second full-length, Meadowlands, they paint a lush, aural landscape teeming with anguish, grief, and trauma, while also crafting a sense of wonder, peace, and a smidge of hope.

You probably scrolled down to the tags section and decided to nope out in record time, especially at the sight of the “Not Metal” tag, and that’s entirely your loss. What guitarist Patriec Ahlström and vocalist Sara Mehner crafted in Meadowlands is nothing short of breathtaking, and their usage of negative space to allow for Ahlström’s melodies and gentle strums to reverberate and roll through the sleepy landscape they’ve crafted. “Wilderness,” with its finger-plucked strings and gentle electric guitar hums, is a class example of what you can build with only what you’ve got. It’s not the high production values or expensive instruments that carry you through. Rather, it’s knowing what to say, how to say it, and when not to say anything at all.

And Mehner’s angelic voice is the perfect complimentary component. Whether it’s her powerful howling (opener “High Houses”), somber melodies (closer “Windhover”), or her achingly beautiful near-yodels (“Wilderness”, the awesome “Be a Forest, Child!”), Mehner’s ability to wring out the most emotion out of a song or melody rivals that of Chelsea Wolfe or Emma Ruth Rundle in terms of performance and power. The way her gentle wailing closes out the title track stirs up so many raw emotions that will have you feeling both heartbreak and catharsis, no matter how it manifests within you. Singling out certain moments on Meadowlands proved difficult because, in reality, her standout performance, coupled with Ahlström’s musical backdrop, is best enjoyed in a single, uninterrupted, and fully focused listening experience.

If there was a bone to pick with Meadowlands, it’s in the production, and even then, it’s not a dealbreaker. Meadowlands is drenched in reverb, and I mean drenched in reverb. Coupled with the compressed mix, it makes it a bit busy, especially during the second half of “High Houses.” That, and the album is loaded with cathartic moments in the album’s second half, almost to the point of being overwhelmingly so. But the last time I’ve been hit this hard, this potently, by a doom/folk hybrid was with Darkher’s debut album. That is some absolutely stellar company to be with, and Meadowlands connects viscerally on that level.

Sure, I know what the name of the website is, and Meadowlands is a colossal anomaly in that aspect. And yes, I’m sure my colleagues will give me a reasonable (re: absurdly high) amount of shit for giving it the score it’s getting, but Moon Mother crafted an album that’s simultaneously the perfect album to purge your emotions, and an album you can use as a backdrop for a dew-filled foggy morning with a mug of your favorite heated beverage of choice. In creating an album to signify grief and hope, they gained my attention and my adoration. Give it your time, and it most certainly will do the same for you.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format: WAV
Label: Independent/Self-Release
Websites: Official | Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026

#NowPlaying #TheMetalDogIsNowPlaying
#Ghost
IMPERA
Spillways

🎸 Live Stream:
https://nowplaying.themetaldog.net/

YouTube Search:
https://youtube.com/results?search_query=Ghost+IMPERA+Spillways

LastFM:
https://www.last.fm/music/Ghost/_/Spillways

Lyrics:
https://genius.com/Ghost-spillways-lyrics

Listen on major platforms:
https://song.link/s/0WHtcCpZnoyFlQg3Mf2cdN

#Ghost #PapaEmeritusIII #JonatanEkdahl #HeavyMetal #HardRock #GothicMetal #SwedishRock #Metal2010s #SwedenMetal

Hällas—Sweden’s self-styled administrators of ‘adventure rock’—has suffered a nearly decade-long absence from AMG. Back in 2017, El Cuervo (rightly) awarded Excerpts from a Future Past a 4.0, praising the debut for its transportive aesthetic and cohesive performances. Since this one-off review, Hällas has become a premier neo- proto-metal act, yet they haven’t reached the exceptionality of their entrance. Conundrum (2020) continued in the vein of Excerpts with a synth-heavy slow burn that (why not?) feels less adventurous than the debut.1 Redressing this safeness, Isle of Wisdom (2022) favors tighter, jauntier tunes that bleed into each other.2 On the heels of two very good albums is Panorama, the first to be released on Hällas’s own (aptly named) Äventry Records. This shift seems to signal the kind of confidence arising from a veteran band coming into their own. Accordingly, Panorama experiments more than any previous Hällas album, but experimentation alone does not guarantee Greatness.

Panorama deftly delivers Hällas’s now-familiar take on heavy, psychedelic prog rock. Indeed, these Swedes still sound like Uriah Heep counseling Iron Maiden. Pre-release single “The Emissary” and closer “At the Summit” best encapsulate classic Hällas. On these tracks, Rickard Swahn and Marcus Petersson bounce between wee-da-lee guitarmonies, Ren-faire acoustic plucks, and driving riffage. Nicklas Malmqvist supplies texture via sparkling synthesizers and percussive organ. It is the infectious guitar/key interplays, however, that define Hällas. Towards the end of “At the Summit,” Swahn, Petersson, and Malmqvist unite for delicious harmonized noodling, building drama before a serene denouement. Wrapped in warm, 70s-sounding production fans have come to expect, Panorama supplies some of the strongest Hällas tunes yet.

Panorama’s experimentations, however, make it Hällas’s most singular statement. Its boldest innovation is “Above the Continuum,” a 20-minute, 7-part suite akin to the eponymous openers of Rush’s 2112 and Yes’s Close to the Edge. On this cinematic saga, Hällas brings Gregorian chants, strings, and horns to their brand of synth-rock. Floydian voice-overs materialize Panorama’s somber narrative, in which a hermit laments encroaching dystopia atop his tower. An imperceptible escalation that finally burrowed under my skin after ten or so listens, “Above the Continuum” is an early Song o’ the Year candidate.3 How does one follow such a sprawling epic? With a trotting jam, of course. On “Face of an Angel,” another pre-release single, drummer Kasper Eriksson rides a sleazy Thin Lizzy groove with bassist/vocalist Tommy Alexandersson, who lays down a droningly hooky chorus. Hällas has dropped crowd pleasers before (“Star Rider,” “Carry On”), but “Face of an Angel” is their poppiest ditty yet and the perfect counterbalance to the opening beast. It is “Bestiaus,” though, that truly spotlights Alexandersson’s vocals. His smoky baritone and booming bellow sit center stage on this affecting piano ballad, standing alone in Hällas’s catalogue.

Five scenes spliced into one holistic picture, Panorama is a grand album, which might not register when glancing at the runtime. Like every Hällas record, Panorama clocks in at just under 45 minutes, yet its more limited track count (5, instead of 7–8) renders every song utterly distinct. There is zero filler here, only questionable moments. “Above the Continuum” has abrupt transitions in its opening minutes, but they don’t hinder the track as a whole. Additionally, the immediate fadeout on the punk ending of “The Emissary” always frustrates me. Frustration is surely the intended effect, but Hällas could have stretched the part a few measures and achieved the same. And “Bestiaus” itself feels a little like a moment, striving for songhood but not quite reaching it. Still, it’s an elegant setup for “At the Summit”—an epic but unprotracted finale.

With Panorama, Hällas has delivered (why not?) their most adventurous album, but it’s also their best work to date. Excerpts hinted at excellence—Panorama achieves it. Per its namesake, Panorama provides a virtually seamless showcase of all that Hällas has done while splendidly surveying new terrain. A fun yet serious record, Panorama puts an angelic synth-rock face on a devilish narrative circulatory system. It’s only January, but these Swedes may have already dropped the neo- proto-metal album of 2026 (and a list-topping contender for yours truly).



Rating: 4.5/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Äventyr Records
Websites: haellas.bandcamp.com | hallasband.com | facebook.com/haellas
Releases Worldwide: January 30th, 2026

Vinylsonntag: @thehellacopters – Cream of the Crap! Vol. 1 (2002 🇸🇪)

#vinylsonntag #semmehorcht #vinylsunday #vinylmatinee #nowspinning #nowplaying #vinyl #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #recordcollector #recordcollection #thehellacopters #hellacopters #scandirock #swedishrock #garagerock #actionrock #punkrock #rocknroll #highenergyrocknroll #rarities #bside #compilationalbum #nordicrock #vinyllover #turntable #highenergyrocknroll #loudmusic #garagepunk

Vinylsonntag: @thenomadsofficial – Hardware 🇸🇪 1987

#vinylsonntag #thenomads #hardware #1987 #swedenrocks #garagepunk #punkrock #vinylsammlung #nowspinning #onmyturntable #recordcollection #vinyllove #punkvinyl #vinyladdict #vinylcommunity #vinyloftheday #vinyllover #recordlover #rocknroll #surfininthebars #semmehorcht #amigorecords #vinyldigger #swedishrock #recordcollector #vinylgram #classicpunk #punkrecords #spinningvinyl #turntable

#TheMetalDogArticleList
#BraveWords–WhereMusicLives
A Look Back At EUROPE – “Conquered The World With A Synth Line, Fell Apart Because Of It, And Clawed Their Way Back” (Video)

https://bravewords.com/news/a-look-back-at-europe-conquered-the-world-with-a-synth-line-fell-apart-because-of-it-and-clawed-their-way-back-video/

#Europe #JoeyTempest #JohnNorum #SwedishRock #HardRock #1980sRock #TheFinalCountdown #GuitarMeetsScience #Stockholm #RockDocumentary