If you’re old enough, you may remember the explosion of Doom releases in the mid ‘00s. A time when Doom Metal took the underground by its trembling hand and guided it, with fanaticism, toward BLACK SABBATH’s ‘Heavy paradise’. CATHEDRAL, REVEREND BIZARRE, CANDLEMASS and SAINT VITUS, among others, led the underground straight into trends’ living rooms, making many fans turn their gaze (and ears) toward a genre that, until then, felt difficult, slow, and not exactly eager to please.

After confronting their inner demons across the two “Dealing With Demons” albums, DEVILDRIVER have shifted their attention outward. Perhaps the band recognized the strength that comes from acknowledging their losses, tending to their wounds, and emerged with renewed energy on “Strike And Kill”. This is the kind of album that not only sounds great and carries powerful lyrics, but can also serve as a megaphone for everything that has been bubbling inside you. It is time to take a firm stance and strike back.

I feel somewhat guilty for discovering BLACK SITES only after the recent lineup update and a live performance that finally put the band on my radar. After all, BLACK SITES are from Chicago and had already released four full-length albums before adding “For Eternity” as their fifth, so I should have known better. Still, it is never too late to make amends, and getting “The Promised Land?” on vinyl whetted my appetite while raising my excitement for the new music of “For Eternity”.

This is a much-needed reissue, as the original was difficult to acquire, and even those fortunate enough to own it also needed a VHS player to watch the video portion. Through her own label, Rare Diamonds, Doro has been releasing and reissuing albums that might otherwise remain difficult to find. Such reissues accomplish two important things: first, they make the material available again, and second, as in the case of “Live”, they upgrade the original video footage to DVD format. It is a win-win for both new and longtime Doro fans who understand the magnitude of her continuing contribution to the Metal scene. Doro achieved legendary status years ago, yet the greatest thing is that she continues to perform live, record new music, and live a life devoted to her fans.