Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-A-Z, Degreed, Nefarious, Helloween, & Double Vision

Index

Not sure how I missed this band. What caught my eye was the logo, and the gator. Upon research, I was pleased to see that Ray Alder from Fates Warning was fronting this band. Mark Zonder who also spent time with the band is here as well. If you are familiar with DGM, Simone Mularoni appears on this album as well. In ways, it's a star studded project that really delivers quite an experience. I did go back and grab the debut and liked it as well. It's obvious that this band is going to lean progressive with the players involved. The music has a certain finesse to it. It's very upbeat overall and does have transitions, but this is definitely a different animal. In ways, it feels more mainstream, but doesn't short change the listener when it comes to the flash. This album to me is essential listening. Great start to finish and one of the years best so far!

Release Date: June 6, 2025

The album title of this latest offering from Degreed is interesting. I have always thought that when it comes to melodic hard rock, this band is a real gem. They really don't offer anything I consider weak. This EP is no exception. The songs on this album are pretty strong in my opinion. Tempo does vary but stays within the frame of what you would expect from this band. This EP consists of 9 tracks which is a little long for an EP, but maybe slightly short for a full length album. It's good bang for your buck. There are some interesting versions towards the end like 'This Is Love' offered in a synthwave version. Pretty upbeat sounding. You also have an acoustic version of 'Falling Down'. This EP has been available on digital platforms already, but is getting a physical version as well. It is supposed to be a Frontiers shop exclusive, but I did find it at Amazon as well.

Release Date: July 18, 2025

Man, the lineup of this new Bay are thrash band is killer. If you have been following and listening to thrash, you will be familiar with this lineup as they draw from some of the most influential thrash bands in the genre. Katen W. De Pena from Hirax, Rick Hunolt formerly of Exodus, Doug Piercy formerly of Heathen, Tom Gears from Blind Illusion, and Will 'Beastman' Carrol of Death Angel. Basically, the who's who of thrash metal. With that being said, you know exactly what you are going to get here. Old school thrash at its best. Excellent riffing mixed with a frenzied low end. De Pena belts it out the same way as was so common when the scene hit a peak in the mid to late 80's. You'll hear things you've heard before, small things. That's okay. That's what the current scene needs the most. Some familiarity. One thing is for damn sure, this album is a banger! Very solid record!

Release Date: July 18, 2025

I was pretty excited to see this promo come across my inbox. I was a big fan of the band's previous self titled album and felt keeping both Andi Deris and Michael Kiske in the fold offered some amazing benefits. 'Giants & Monsters' expands on this. The back and forth is really cool once again. You could tell in the previous live album, that these two seem to work well together. The music is typical Helloween. The band has been writing songs in their trademark formula for a long time and this listener is rewarded once again due to a confident sounding and explosive record. Not to be lost by any means is the melody. I always classified these guys as melodic speed metal. Melodic is just as important as the speed element in their sound. Songs once again are memorable and the band all bring their A game. Watch for this one at the end of August. Excellent!

Release Date: August 29, 2025

If you are looking for a great Foreigner tribute band, Double Vision is for you. Going beyond that notion is the fact that they also write great original material. This album is chock full of just that. This batch of songs has a sound and feel as if they were written in the early to mid 80's with today's production. Vocally, Chandler Mogel can do a really good Lou Gramm, but for the original material he carries a different vocal identity. Maybe more of a Dennis DeYoung although slightly deeper. It was also nice to see that Scott Metaxas from Prophet is in this band. For those familiar with 90's era Warrior Soul, Scott Duboys is here on drums. This album has mostly mid tempo radio rockers, but also some decent more ballad oriented stuff as well. It's nice to see that a great tribute band can also bring some very good original material to the scene as well!

Release Date: July 11, 2025