Nicholas Franco, Author at Cryptic Rock

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Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 14, 2013

There are few musical genres more argued over than black metal. You have the purists who demand a strict adherence to Satanism, you have the new generation of hipsters with their mind-bending take on things, as well as the Norse hordes still churning out the ... Read More

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Helloween – Straight out of Hell (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 14, 2013

Longevity in a band is a fickle thing. It takes hard work, creativity, and no small amount of luck. On the cusp of their third decade of life, German institution Helloween know a thing or two about lasting; as 14 studio albums and 5,000,000 records ... Read More

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Chthonic – Bù-Tik (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 12, 2013

Made in Taiwan is something we’ve all seen before; on toys, clothes, and a ton of other things. We haven’t seen it too often on a musical album, especially an extreme metal one. Unbeknownst to the cushy western world in which we dwell, Taiwanese metal ... Read More

Tarja – Colours in the Dark (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 8, 2013

October 22nd of 2005, perhaps best known in the music industry as the night operatic vocalist Tarja Turunen was fired from Nightwish, is now eight years in the past. The band which launched her career has soldiered on, allowing their erstwhile singer to pursue the ... Read More

Doyle – Abominator (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 6, 2013

A mainstay in the underground music scene since 1980; Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein may be best known for his involvement with various incarnations of the Misfits, and of course his wearing of the famous Devilock hairstyle. The famed guitarist from New Jersey has been hard ... Read More

Týr – Valkyria (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoNovember 6, 2013

Seven quality albums in eleven years might seem like too tall an order for most bands. For Faroese pagan metal warriors Týr, its simply business as usual. After all, the people of the Faroe Islands are no strangers to hard work. The hardy fishing industry ... Read More

Nicholas Franco

Inquisition – Obscure Verses for the Multiverse (Album Review)