![[Album Review] Lacuna Coil - ‘Sleepless Empire’ LP.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1740124900956-STT5KJRWPP2WGU4E7LQQ/lacunacoilcoverphoto.png)
[Album Review] Lacuna Coil - ‘Sleepless Empire’ LP.
Italy’s longstanding melodic-metal success story continues via Lacuna Coil and their latest LP, Sleepless Empire, which released on February 14th via Century Media. Dean gives the album a thorough track-by-track rundown, and it’s a good’un! Check the link for full review plus links to artist socials/official website, album order link plus latest single videos, live footage and more!
![[Gig Review] ENFORCER @ The Leadbeater Hotel, Melbourne 25.01.25.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1737969903782-LTJ9L6VK9H41K3HBL7QD/Enforcer+-+Leadbeater+Hotel+250125-28.png)
[Gig Review] ENFORCER @ The Leadbeater Hotel, Melbourne 25.01.25.
What an honour! Our first local review as an official outlet in Melbourne, and it could’ve been a better pick to kick things off in that respect. Sweden’s Enforcer blazed The Leadbeater Hotel in Richmond last night with a level of NWOBHM/trad/speed-metal and classic rock bombast that was transcendent, skilled and heartfelt! Read on for full the review, including sets by support acts Burnout, Aardvark and Livewire, gig footage, pics and more!
![[Archive] Interview with OLOF WIKSTRAND of Sweden’s ENFORCER + Australian Tour Details.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1737520812639-U43J3B80ZKQQ5WVCID3A/472871823_1144203967066725_9209872957837145904_n.jpg)
[Archive] Interview with OLOF WIKSTRAND of Sweden’s ENFORCER + Australian Tour Details.
AUSTRALIA! Are you ready to rock out in your finest leathers and gauntlets? You should be, ‘cause Swedish heavy/true-metallers Enforcer are on our shores and are about to show Newcastle the Steel! Check the link for my video interview with Olof Wikstrand, frontman/guitarist, which was originally posted on our website that unfortunately went down on 31.12.24. It’s too late, however - peep the link and get the scoop on tickets, artist links, new singles and more!
![[Archive] ISC Pod EP. 28 (Part 1): Review of FROTH AND FURY FEST, Sat 9th Nov 2024 - A Day of Metal & Mayhem.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1737436311029-A1AK2X1WIG3J3DY0XEDV/458314957_821529990096799_6768939003107938271_n.png)
[Archive] ISC Pod EP. 28 (Part 1): Review of FROTH AND FURY FEST, Sat 9th Nov 2024 - A Day of Metal & Mayhem.
See here for Part 1 of Brady and Mal’s MASSIVE coverage of 2024’s Froth and Fury Festival in Adelaide, South Australia last November. We cover a swathe of detail raging from site and venue to the first half of our gig reviews from the day - Bifurcation, Sundowner, Signals, Lumen ad Mortem, Pizza Death, FANGZ, Future Static, Great American Ghost, Hands Like Houses and Dharma. Plus some of the wrestling and medieval fighting events (you heard right), cool vendors and more!
![[Heavy News] BURNING WITCHES Announce May 2025 Debut Australian Tour](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1737348379249-Q8EEBGWX60ORZBS6XXVP/bwcover.png)
[Heavy News] BURNING WITCHES Announce May 2025 Debut Australian Tour
Swiss heavy/power-metal quintet Burning Witches bring their coven of traditional heavy metal witchery to Australian shores in 2025! Check the link for tour dates, latest single, artist links and more. For #musicmonday here at ISC, from the #heavynews desk.
![[Archive] ISC Podcast Ep.21: Interview with KYLE THOMAS, Guitarist/Vocalist of EXHORDER.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1737004158841-5UFV1BW2NC7S4EPHVF8X/exhorderband.jpg)
[Archive] ISC Podcast Ep.21: Interview with KYLE THOMAS, Guitarist/Vocalist of EXHORDER.
Note: This is an archival repost, originally posted to our now-defunct prior website (RIP old site 31.12.2024, sniff). Check the link for our March 2024 interview with Kyle Thomas, frontman, singer and guitarist for veteran US thrash-metallers Exhorder. In the episode we cover a whole smorgasbord of topics - almost too many to mention! See also: artist links/bio details, a statement from the band regarding newest LP Defectum Omnium and more.

#MusicMondays - Mon, Jan 13th 2025.
#MusicMonday for Jan 13th includes - an update on exactly how many music-related ISC podcast episodes are left/who they involve, as well as some cliff-notes about our remaining Riffs (blog pieces). Then, for this week’s #FromTheLegion, I incite a posting-riot with some FB stats and also provide multiple links from the blog. The Musolegion-machine is cranking up, baby! GO TEAM.
![[Archive] ISC Podcast Ep. 14 (Interview) James 'Human Furnace' Bulloch, Vocalist of RINGWORM Talks New Album, Touring, Creative Process](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736670617984-J3063VZUA13R1BII1QGP/ringworm2023c.jpg)
[Archive] ISC Podcast Ep. 14 (Interview) James 'Human Furnace' Bulloch, Vocalist of RINGWORM Talks New Album, Touring, Creative Process
See here for our interview with vocalist James ‘Human Furnace’ Bulloch from 2023, from our sadly now-defunct website (RIP). On the rarest of occasions, there comes along a band that latches on and annihilates your ears with such a unique combination of sounds, you find yourself dislodged from the monotony of every-day music, and rooted firmly in the terrain of admiration. Cleveland Ohio’s Ringworm are no strangers to this concept and have been fascinating metalheads with their unorthodox melodies for over 30 years.
![[Heavy News] Introducing: Music Mondays and Tech Tuesdays!](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736945266015-ZY5CR0M2KV34E7T3SKPZ/image-6.png)
[Heavy News] Introducing: Music Mondays and Tech Tuesdays!
Featured Image: Lachlan R. Dale, solo artist and label owner of Worlds Within Worlds and Art as Catharsis. (interview with Lachlan incoming as i extract it from the carcass of our now-defunct old website, RIP). This article was originally posted to our old website, long may it rest, and introduces Music Mondays for the first time - a regular column including all the latest in heavy and alternative music news, features, reviews, ISC content updates and our own musician updates as well!
![[Heavy News] DYNAZTY Release New Single 'Call Of The Night' + New Album GAME OF FACES Out On February 14th](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736648608453-8WRF4HF4WR5PJZR3C7GL/image005.jpg)
[Heavy News] DYNAZTY Release New Single 'Call Of The Night' + New Album GAME OF FACES Out On February 14th
First New ISC Heavy News item for 2025! Creators of power metal super-track 'Heartless Madness', DYNAZTY today release their third single 'Call of the Night'. The new album Game of Faces will be released on February 14th, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. See the link for full album details, tracklist, preorder link and streaming/video links for the latest single.
![[Archive - 26.11.24] Introducing: #MusicMondays and #TechTuesdays!](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736347726826-AKOWMCU5IZUV3H2BE8FE/49947660_1116194035229434_7626097051209564160_n.jpg)
[Archive - 26.11.24] Introducing: #MusicMondays and #TechTuesdays!
Whilst I don’t have the capacity re: time and energy etc, plus have lost a bit of metadata with the death of my prior site - I can’t in good conscience let stellar posts and input from the Musolegion community (as well as a chance for promoting a lot of great bands!) go to waste. See here for an explainer and initial introduction to Music Mondays (featuring our Musolegion ‘From The Community’ column) and Technical Tuesdays blog series. Keep following us on the new site for future segments!
![[Riffs] Forgive me Mikael, for I have sinned](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736066553513-RCPZ9101EFV2DYGTA6OV/ezgif-6-17ddfb98a6+JPG.jpg)
[Riffs] Forgive me Mikael, for I have sinned
Originally posted on our prior website which experienced an untimely death on NYE 2024 (RIP). Our main-man Hamza shared some pre-release repentance and excitement ahead Opeth’s latest full-length release The Last Will and Testament. Which, coincidentally he also reviewed and posted in 2024 on said old site. That will be uploaded soon, but for now, here’s some nostalgic album pre-release stoke for Sweden’s finest.
![[Review:] Nadir - Extinction Rituals LP (03.05.23)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1736077534374-RIVLMWR7NQCWLHERW924/nadir1.jpg)
[Review:] Nadir - Extinction Rituals LP (03.05.23)
And another in the line-up of our archival posts, extracted from the data retrieved from our sadly now-defunct corpse of an old site (RIP isc.com NYE 2024). This represents one of the earliest album reviews conducted by site owner Brady in Nadir’s excellent black-thrash/metallic-hardcore bruiser of an LP, Extinction Rituals. Links to artist profiles to grab the now-released album within. Check it out!
![[Gig Review, Pt 1] – The New Dead Festival XII, 15.04.23 @ Lion Arts, Adelaide.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1735990880505-OQVGET9LUG7MXGUSFIYF/butcherabc2.jpg)
[Gig Review, Pt 1] – The New Dead Festival XII, 15.04.23 @ Lion Arts, Adelaide.
Part 1 of our two-part festival coverage of the New Dead Festival in Adelaide, 2023. (RIP New Dead, and RIP our old website - thanks WP). Features reviews of: R U N, Black Lava, Lumen ad Mortem, Battlegrave, Vexation, Remission, Writhing, Ashen, Hell Machine, Bifurcated, Apocalyptic Annihilation and I Choose Violence. Just one half of a full day of relentless metal mayhem!
![[Archive Review] - Kurushimi, Return 3:Death EP (12.11.2022).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1735797734694-3W2KPBFP59P3C0E6D4QT/a2738616382_10.jpg)
[Archive Review] - Kurushimi, Return 3:Death EP (12.11.2022).
Archival Review - originally posted on the now-defunct InsertReviewHere.com music journalism blog, then later reposted on the (sadly also now-defunct!) previous InnerStrengthCheck website. Review of Australian avant-garde metallers Kurushimi’s 2022 chaotic EP release in Return 3: Death.
![[Archive Review] - Hidden Intent: Dead End Destiny. (03/11/2022).](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1735794615555-VKVDO87O6R8IKFVR3O4W/a2793573206_16.jpg)
[Archive Review] - Hidden Intent: Dead End Destiny. (03/11/2022).
Archival Review - originally posted on the now-defunct InsertReviewHere.com music journalism blog, then later reposted on the (sadly also now-defunct!) previous InnerStrengthCheck website. Review of Australian thrashers Hidden Intent’s opus Dead End Destiny.
![[Archive Review] - Alarum - Circle's End - (03.11.2022)](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1735713576242-VEB5RHNF23ID3FJPRCEE/alarum.jpg)
![[Interview]: Aaron Osborne of AGLO (Melbourne Death-Doom) - 23.04.23.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67738900deaf1a5f243892aa/1735710610595-YSOBGU03VR3BKBPONGLK/aglo-.jpg)
[Interview]: Aaron Osborne of AGLO (Melbourne Death-Doom) - 23.04.23.
Archival interview with Melbourne-based purveyor of one-man sludge/death-doom act AGLO, originally posted on the now-defunct innerstrengthcheck.com in 2023.

Live Review - Nicolas Cage Fighter, Stay Gold Brunswick 12/08/22.
Archival repost of my first local gig review for Inner-Strength Check, for Nicolas Cage Fighter @ Stay Gold in Brunswick, 12.08.22.
Rest in Peace InnerStrengthCheck.com, 31/12/2024. Welcome to innerstrengthcheckpodcast.com!

Gig Review: The New Dead Metalfest XI, 23/04/22.
Archival review of 2022’s brilliant New Dead Festival in Adelaide, South Australia at the Lion Arts Factory.
Plenty more from the sadly now-defunct InnerStrengthCheck.com website - you can’t keep us down!