Recent Reviews

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

[ More Music Reviews ]


Kill Ritual: Karma Machine
Kill Ritual Karma Machine CD Album Review

Kill Ritual: Karma Machine

Heavy/Thrash/Power Metal
3.5/5.0

Karma Machine marks the arrival of the third album by Bay Area metal band Kill Ritual, led by talented lead guitarist Steven Rice. And I just finished reading my review of the previous album Eyes Of Medusa.

Kill Ritual Karma Machine Band Photo

Kill Ritual

Not to talk the easy way out or be unnecessarily redundant, but I could say the very same thing about the new album as the last. The roots of Kill Ritual are definitely in Rice's Bay Area thrash roots, not the least from his former band Imagika. So then there's an abundance of intense, brisk and frisky, riffs delivered by a quick and deliberate rhythm section. Yet, as said in the past, these are buffeted by the melodic lines of traditional American heavy power metal.Of course, while all this is going on Rice is both amazing you and frying your brain with his blistering and abundant guitar leads. But Kill Ritual is generally and essentially, if not by necessity, steady to fast and heavy. Yet, there's one exception. It comes with the song The Key, which starts slowly, with voice over light electric guitar and drums. But, fear not, it erupts just before the midpoint for another thrash power metal extravaganza. Yeah. Okay. So I did just repeat myself from last time. But I did use some different words. If you liked Kill Ritual's previous material, you'll dig this too. Up the irons.

Kill Ritual - Rise


CraigHartranft.net - New fiction, crime fiction by Craig Hartranft

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

In Short

If you liked Kill Ritual's previous material, you'll dig this too: lots of thrash metal driven American power metal, not without melody, and loaded with Steven Rice riffs and guitar solos. Up the irons.

Find A Review

Alphabetical Index

a b c d e f g h i j
k l m n o p q r s t
u v w x y z #
New & Notable
Read the Eclipse: Megalomanium II Album Review

By far, Sweden's Eclipse is one of my favorite bands. Always consistent and always entertaining, Eclipse has been delivering their 21st century version of melodic metal rock since songwriter, producer ... [ Read More ]