Cherry Red [Release date: 23.10.26] Nearly men among nearly men, what now defunct Swedish thrash/ death metal band, Ceremonial Oath lost in fame and recognition they gained in other ways. Primarily as the proving ground for many talented musicians, providing … Continue reading
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Posted on October 25th 2026, 5:30pm
Reviewed by Eric Clifford
The Berzerker are less a band and more an auditory hit of methamphetamines straight to the bloodstream. Through forbidden genetic science, they splice outrageously fast gabba techno into a deathgrind template resulting in something halfway between music and an aerobic firing squad. If their debut self titled release was feral but uneven, they made good on their potential with their appalling violent “Animosity” album by mixing the catchiness of the “World of Lies” release into the uncut venom of it’s older brother “Dissimulate”. “Animosity” is, to my ear at least, the high water mark of the band’s discography. But they weren’t done shredding our ears yet; obvious influence from death metal exists across the full spectrum of the ir back catalogue – including a cover of Carcass’ ultra-classic “Corporeal Jigsore Quandry” on “Dissimulate” – but they’d never yet sprinted all the way down the left hand path and done a full true blooded death metal release. And that was when, all the way back in 2008, they dropped “The Reawakening” on us.
“The Reawakening” is lethal; spat from Hell’s aviary, something of smoking pinions and flame lacework snaking about it’s beak. Realising that you can’t spell “death metal” without EDM, the band weave the grimiest warp speed dance beats into tracks like “The Deception”, hypersonic breakbeats forming the gunpowder charge to blast nimble flocks of Caltrop riffs at you. They’ve long had a sense of rancorous melody to them, and it’s no different here – a lot of these riffs wind a cacodemonic tunefulness into the cyclone that grants an insane catchiness to it, “Caught in the Crossfire” coming across as a mad cocktail of Terrorizer grind and thrash propellant. “Evolution of Aggression” leers at you with ugly grooves before lashing out with the pinpoint scalpel strikes that characterize it’s deceptively technical riffwork.
If “Animosity” felt like being torn apart by chimpanzees, “The Reawakening” feels like being dropped into the middle of a mass knife fight – less blunt trauma and more holding your jaw in place because a slash you barely saw opened your face from ear to ear. Maybe it’s just me slipping into picky semantics, but a word like “vicious” seems to suit it more than one like “brutal”. The texture of it feels sharper, more edged, more inclined to dislimb through incisions than brute force. The band are laser precise, and while the distorted bass drum is ever present in accordance with the will of the lord It has been rolled back a touch – a bit less the oppressive force it was on dissimulate or animosity. It’s joined by highest tuned pingiest snare the band have deployed, and one that’s likely to be something of an acquired taste even for grind fans. The result is an album that seems to prioritise a rapier’s precision agility over a zweihander’s broad reaving.
I feel that previous albums sometimes suffer for the band dabbling with soundscapes outside their core identity of an electronics-inspired deathgrind outfit (the interminable doom track “Farewell” that caps the otherwise excellent “World of Lies” album or the trio of industrial noise tracks that close out their debut for example). Here, though, then The Berzerker have ruthlessly amputated any incongruous vestigial limbs. With the exception of a few weird seconds of dead silence at the end of “Spare Parts”, the band waste neither your time nor their own, focused and inexorable until the cyber-tribal beat at the end of “An Unforgotten Force” finally lets go of your throat.
If you forced the most hateful drum n’ bass DJs that ever lived to do nothing but listen to At The Gates records for ten years, you might get something like this. “The Reawakening” is ravenous, faster than a scalded whippet and about as pissed off too. Nary a second of filler besmirches a runtime wholly devoted to the evisceration of your eardrums, and if you’ve not subjected yourself to the psychopathic serenading of this band yet, then let this be fair warning to strap in and brace for impact.
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The post Album Review: The Berzerker – The Reawakening appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
Late last year, extra-curricular activities, personnel departures and concert cancellations inspired rumours that Haken might be no more. Fortunately they were false: the band are returned with new EP In A Fever Dream, their first new music since 2023’s Fauna, which features some very special guests. Vocalist Ross Jennings tells Prog about the band’s latest chapter.
Sometimes an EP can be a standalone project that allows artists to experiment with concepts, creativity and tone; to have a little fun and let off steam with ideas they might not carry through to their next full album. Haken’s In A Fever Dream feels like a far more pivotal release than that. It certainly plays with new sounds and approaches, but it’s more of a stepping stone than a standalone exercise. ‘I’m finding a way to say goodbye/A new day rises from the ashes,’ sings Ross Jennings on Bleeding Sky.
“The whole EP is about transformation,” says the singer; “a transformational period in a relationship, or maybe you’re changing your life in some way. Reflecting on the band as well, we’re going through some stylistic changes and it serves as a kind of bridge to what we might be working on in the future. All without trying not to alienate people too much – not throwing too many changes at our fans in one go. We’re really excited to be drawing on new influences and shifting how we work in some way.”
Haken have certainly dealt with major changes recently. At the start of the year they announced the departures of longtime guitarist Charlie Griffiths and bassist Conner Green. That came soon after the band pulled out of a tour supporting Coheed And Cambria, citing only “reasons beyond our control” and spurring fan gossip. Haken still aren’t looking to wash their dirty linen in public, and Jennings is keen to pay tribute to the pair’s previous contributions.
“The situation was quite raw for all of us – Charlie and Conner were monumental fixtures in the band,” he says. “They contributed so much to the songwriting and the sound of the band. So it was a really hard time to navigate; but some things were necessary. Change is hard; and the band is like any marriage. But this is life: to move forward and deal with these things appropriately and keep positive.”
As a result, there were changes in the way Haken approached the songs on In A Fever Dream. There are still plenty of progressive touches and intricate rhythms in there – but elements have been pared down, with a wall of sound production and dense, emotional heft replacing some of the more complex dynamics fans have become used to. Part of the shift might have been imposed by the abridged line-up, but there’s also an intentional evolution at play.
“We’re down one guitarist so we’ve had to rewrite material to lend itself to just Rich Henshall playing, working more with collaborations between guitars and keys rather than that extra guitarist to fill gaps,” Jennings says. “It’s totally reshaped how we approach new songs.”
Another change was their decision to work with an outside producer for the first time in their near-20-year career. George Lever is known for his work with bands from the djent side of prog metal, including Monuments and, most prominently, Sleep Token. It didn’t take long for fans to jump on that – and it’s safe to say not everyone is on board. “That’s been a monumental shift in how we work, how we record; having that outside viewpoint that we never had,” Jennings says. “I’ve noticed in some comments about how different it’s sounding. That was intentional.
“A large part of what drew him to us, and us to him, was because he’s a fan of some of the older Haken stuff. We obviously love what Sleep Token have done; we’re huge fans. We didn’t want to copy too much, but naturally there’s going to be an element of the sounds and sound design that he integrated into those records. For better or for worse? I don’t know.”
He assures us that Haken won’t be taking to wearing masks, but they’re certainly not averse to taking inspiration from a new generation of bands who have taken modern metal with progressive touches to huge audiences. It can be a difficult balance for any artist to take on new influences while retaining their core identity, as he acknowledges: “The jury will be out on that. I don’t think we can really say if we’ve achieved that or not, but that ’s certainly the intention. We’re definitely inspired by a lot of modern metal bands coming up doing great things.
“Obviously we want to keep our audience young; but we don’t want to alienate our longstanding loyal fanbase, whom we love. There’ll always be a bit of the classic prog in there, and the way I sing is never going to change drastically. So there will always be that link – but we’re an ever-evolving band that never wants to get stagnant.”
On the subject of his vocal performance, there are moments on the title track and closer Lotus where he accentuates his heavier elements with harsh singing. he’s done it before, albeit in small doses, on debut album Aquarius and in live performances; but he says: “I was never truly satisfied with how those parts came across, and for a while I didn’t really enjoy singing in that way. But certainly since we recorded Vector onwards and started leaning more into the heavier aspect of our sound, I started to think about reintegrating some of that. This project felt like the perfect time to do that.”
If we’re just doing the same stuff with every release, we’re going to be playing the same venues in 20 years to the same lovely fans
Jennings credits co-vocalist Pipi Gogerl from side-project Novena with helping him make sure his “growling game was up to scratch,” and adds that there may be “bits and pieces” of the style on future records. What there won’t be, at least for the immediate future, are full-time replacements for Griffiths and Green.
“We’ve decided to continue as a four-piece and live with a session bassist for now,” he explains. “We’re happy with the dynamics on the EP. Connor’s shoes are hard to fill – he was a great bassist. We don’t want to rush into filling that spot, but eventually we’ll land on someone.”
In A Fever Dream features contributions from Aristocrats bassist Bryan Beller – who’s also worked with James LaBrie, Dweezil Zappa and Joe Satriani – and former Periphery man Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood. “We thought it was cool to invite a couple of players that we’re inspired by and are friends with,” Jennings says. “Bryan came to mind. He’d worked with Ray Hearne, our drummer, before. The bass parts were essentially all written by us, but we gave him licence to add his spin on it, and he did a really solid job. Nolly mixed Vector and Virus, so there’s a bit of history between us. He’s a solid bass player; we had songs in mind that required his style, so that collaboration worked perfectly.”
It will be Haken’s 20th anniversary next year, but don’t expect any major celebrations. “I don’t think I’m in a place to be celebrating 20 years like an old dog,” says Jennings with a laugh. “We still feel young as a band and we feel there’s so much more of that mountain to climb – the mountain we were singing about however many years ago,” he adds, referring to 2013 album The Mountain and its precipitous metaphor for life.
In retrospect, their most recent album, 2023’s Fauna, could come to be seen as the end of one Haken era and the beginning of a new one, with 2024’s career-spanning An Evening With Haken tour making a spectacular bookend. The shows featured Fauna in its entirety followed by a set of fan favourites, with the London stop also immortalised as a live album.
“We wanted to represent everything we’d done to that point with the classic prog stuff and the metal stuff and also nods to the future, a bit like we’re doing now,” Jennings reports. “It felt right to tour it as An Evening With… It was a lot of fun, an amazing tour, and I’m glad we documented it in our hometown.”
That’s the past, though, and Haken are now looking firmly towards the future. Jennings reveals that they already have “an album’s worth” of new music besides the EP, and that the “mixing and final tweaking stages” are underway. “I’d expect it in 2027,” he adds when pushed.
There’s a good chance it will divide fan opinion – but he’s unrepentant about Haken’s refusal to stand still. He’s also happy to take a few cues from bands like Sleep Token.“That’s what we want to see really: that people who listen to straight-up metal can open their minds to the stuff that we do,” he says.
“Every band wants to progress and grow their fanbase. If we’re just doing the same stuff with every release, we’re going to see ourselves playing the same venues in 20 years’ time to the same lovely fans that we have. We’re hoping to keep the momentum going.”
In A Fever Dream is on sale now.
(written by Islander) Life events external to NCS have forced me to again truncate my plans for this usual Sunday column devoted to variants of black metal. All is well, but I need to leave home and computer fairly soon, too soon for me to do more than write about one album that came out […]
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With the release of Undercover, The Violution have brought 13 rock and metal classics to life through the electric violin. We had the pleasure of chatting with mastermind JLynn about the new album, the challenges of adapting guitar music to the violin, her musical influences, the growing use of AI in music, and what comes next for The Violution.
Reuel
Hello JLynn! I’m very happy to chat with you. How are you doing?
JLynn
Hi Reuel! Thank you, happy to speak with you as well and I’m so happy that Las Vegas is finally out of the brutal summer heat and now enjoying some cooler temps!
Reuel
You’ve recently released Undercover! It’s 13 tracks that most metal and rock fans know and love. How are you feeling about the reaction the album has received so far?
JLynn
I’m stoked to finally have this particular album out, and we’re receiving some wonderful feedback! It’s so interesting that everyone has their personal favorites and for many different reasons.
Reuel
One of my favorite songs covered on your album is Stairway to Heaven, and I was stunned when I learned it has 81 separately recorded orchestral parts, all played by you. Was this the most challenging song to create for the album?
JLynn
I love that Stairway is one of your favorites, as it is also one of mine! Stacking and layering the orchestral parts one by one in addition to stacking the rhythm VTARs was indeed a challenge as far as the time that it took; however, I feel that an even bigger challenge that we faced was how to approach the song in a way that allowed for a steady climb in intensity with both instrumentation and volume that could peak into the glorious Jimmy Page solo, and then continue to hold that intensity until the very last note. I like to believe that we achieved that.
Reuel
It’s brilliant! You customized many things about both your instruments and performance style to match the range of a guitar. What I’m curious about is how did you physically adapt your bow work to get that sharp, aggressive rhythm attack without a pick?
JLynn
It has been such a journey! Electric violins are worlds different from electric guitars with the types of pickups installed (mostly piezo) and the difference in impedance levels. Having effects pedals can allow for some really amazing sounds and tones if you can put the time and the effort into experimenting and tweaking all the individual parameters. What we have in place of a pick (the bow) can create beautiful sustained notes that the guitar is missing. But the guitar has the pick and I did have to figure out and come up with things that a violinist normally wouldn’t do to sound more like a guitar, researching guitar techniques that I was not familiar with to understand how to sound like that myself. It’s truly a melding and blending of both violin and guitar techniques and what has evolved I like to call my own “signature sound”.
Reuel
Undercover makes these massive metal and rock tracks feel like they were actually meant for the violin. Now that the proof of concept is out there, do you see yourself writing original metal songs for The Violution?
JLynn
Yes! The goal from the very start was to introduce listeners to our sound through familiar songs, build our niche audience, and then release original music. Now that the covers are out, we’re ready to unleash some slamming original tracks potentially before the end of the year!
Reuel
What musicians can you credit as the ones who inspired you, personally, in your life or career as a musician?
JLynn
There are a few that stand out to me. I’ve always had female role models, and I vividly recall going to the Symphony as a young girl to see classical violinist Anne Sophie Mutter perform and just being blown away. Not too soon after, classical crossover violinist Vanessa Mae took the world by storm, shaking a lot of classical music enthusiasts to their very core for daring to step outside the box and I loved it – she was a huge inspiration. Then the pop string quartet Bond, Escala, and more. It wasn’t until I discovered effect pedals that guitarists then became my inspiration and influence, and I became obsessed with learning guitar solos. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy), Synyster Gates (A7X), John Petrucci (Dream Theater), Steve Vai, Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) and others, in combination with the teachings and styles of all my violin teachers and professors, have all shaped my current sound and approach to my instrument. Although I was groomed for it, my trajectory pointed far away from simply being in the orchestra or taking the traditional route. Although I can and sometimes still do the occasional engagement on acoustic violin, which satisfies my classical “in the box” self, I’m so very happy where I ended up -– as a front lead center-stage electrifying entertainer who so enjoys the spotlight!
Reuel
Great names! You’ve done a large part of this project all by yourself. Meanwhile, people are using AI to do things as simple as talking to each other. What dangers does AI pose to musicians in particular, and what do you think needs to be done to counter it?
JLynn
AI in music generation/composition is a huge point of contention for so many professional musicians, and it is a dividing issue as well in how it is being used. I do think that it could be used constructively as a tool in some way, in giving musical ideas to songwriters that have lyrics but don’t necessarily know how to or simply cannot afford to bring their ideas to life. But I believe that real musicians should be making the music — musicians that have spent their entire lifetimes honing their skills as a musician. There is a beauty in the fallibility and imperfection of humans, and one thing that AI will never take away is the power of live music.
Reuel
Brilliant! Thank you for your time, JLynn! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
JLynn
Just one thing. When playing our music, crank it or yank it!
Thank you, Reuel, and thank you, FemMetal!
The post Interview | JLynn (The Violution) : “There is a beauty in the fallibility and imperfection of humans” first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.