Nicholas Franco, Author at Cryptic Rock

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

Dark Tranquillity – Construct (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoOctober 31, 2013

There must be something in the water in Sweden. For a country with such a small population, they have managed to churn out a slew of the world’s finest and brightest heavy metal bands. One city always at the creative epicenter, famed Gothenburg (Göteborg), even ... Read More

Carcass – Surgical Steel (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoOctober 30, 2013

It’s not often a band is credited with pioneering two musical sub-genres. From the English town of Liverpool Carcass arguably gave birth to both grindcore and melodic death metal, doing so in just the first ten years of their existence. Between 1985 and 1995 the ... Read More

Amorphis – Circle (Album Review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoOctober 19, 2013

One of the most consistent and productive bands in the heavy metal pantheon, Helsinki’s own Amorphis dropped their 11th album Circle back in April of this year, once more to critical acclaim. Hard at work since 1990, the Finnish six-piece has evolved from three guys ... Read More

A poster of a man on a horse with lightning coming out of it.

Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods (Album review)

Nicholas FrancoNicholas FrancoOctober 11, 2013

Go to any metal show these days and try to tally up the Amon Amarth shirts and patches you spot in the crowd. You will probably lose count. Such is the popularity of the Viking-themed metal troupe from Tumba, Sweden whose grip on their very ... Read More

Nicholas Franco

Týr – Valkyria (Album Review)

Dark Tranquillity – Construct (Album Review)

Carcass – Surgical Steel (Album Review)

Amorphis – Circle (Album Review)

Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods (Album review)

Týr – Valkyria (Album Review)

Dark Tranquillity – Construct (Album Review)

Carcass – Surgical Steel (Album Review)

Amorphis – Circle (Album Review)

Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods (Album review)

Interview – Tucker Rule of Thursday & L.S. Dunes

Interview – Tom Berenger

Interview – John “Mook” Gibbons Talks Wu-Tang Clan’s Legacy

Friedberg – Hardcore Workout Queen (Album Review)

Swallow the Sun – Shining (Album Review)

Midge Ure – Live at The Royal Albert Hall 04.10.23 (Live Album Review)