Dennis Jarman

Full time downtrodden album/gig reviewer and part time rock God!

Captain Horizon – Imitation Sun

The second full length album from Birmingham based Captain Horizon sees them stretching their musical boundaries even more. Released on May 11th 2015 via Rocksector Records and a well attended album launch/gig in Birmingham on May 22nd shows the leaps and bounds they are making since they were formed by …

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Vardis – Queens Hall, Nuneaton, 16/05/2015

2015 started badly for Vardis when drummer Gary Pearson, who had doggedly searched for guitarist Steve Zodiac to reform the band again after a 30yr hiatus, decided to quit after the band had only been back together for almost 2yrs. Fans wondered what the future would hold but a few …

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Raven – ExtermiNation

Formed in 1974 in Newcastle Upon Tyne by brothers John and Mark Gallagher, Raven have stuck to their guns through thick and thin resulting in their 13th studio album release ExtermiNation currently available via SPV/Steamhammer Records. Fan friendly formats include a CD Digipack with bonus track ‘Malice In Geordieland’ and …

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Nuclear Assault – Pounder E.P

Welcome back Nuclear Assault! Even though it will be short lived (they are calling this the ‘Final Assault’ tour), the New York based thrash metal legends have reformed for their 30 year anniversary and released Pounder. This blistering 4 track E.P and 2015 tour dates including a main stage slot …

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Defy All Reason – The Road Ahead

May 11th 2015 will see the official release date of the long awaited debut album from Wrexham based Defy All Reason. Early promise was shown by a 4 track E.P Every Second Counts but they have now matured into a force to be reckoned with. 13 tracks at a running …

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Trespass – Trespass

The resurgence of NWOBHM has resulted in bands who fell by the wayside back in the day to give it another go and the latest welcome addition is Suffolk based Trespass . This new release consists of 10 re-recorded tracks originally written between 1979-1982. They never got to release an …

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Sparta – Welcome To Hell

The old saying of good things come to those who wait can certainly be applied to Mansfield based Sparta and their fans as it has taken almost 35 years for their debut album Welcome To Hell to see the light of day. Formed in 1979 by guitarist Tony Foster, they …

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Scorpions – Return To Forever

When the Scorpions announced their retirement way back in 2010, the band let alone their fans would never have dreamed they would still be here in 2015 celebrating their fiftieth anniversary! Better still was the news of a new Scorpions album, Return To Forever to be released. It all started …

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Reign Of Fury – Death Be Thy Shepherd.

From their 2006 beginnings as Reign Of Terror to a name change to Reign Of Fury leading to a two year split before reforming as a punk band called Ransom (featuring three current members of Reign Of Fury), their songs became more metal orientated so they reverted back to Reign …

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Venom – From The Very Depths.

Love them or hate them, Venom turned a lot of heads and eardrums around with their debut 1981 release of  Welcome To Hell and it’s follow up Black Metal in 1982. Although they were tagged in the NWOBHM genre they heavily influenced many thrash and black metal bands. Original guitarist …

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Quartz – Too Hot To Handle.

When the NWOBHM came to be in the late 1970’s it brought forth bands of various rock/metal styles, some of which made the big league and some of which did not and split but reformed to give it another try. Birmingham based Quartz are a prime example of one of …

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Cripper – Hyena.

Hyena, the fourth studio album by Cripper is so overwhelming I gave up taking notes about halfway through listening to it as it is almost impossible to describe these eleven tracks of an almost perfect mix of thrash and death metal. The focal point of the band for me is …

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Panzer – Send Them All To Hell.

Panzer came to be when Stefan Schwarzmann, drummer from Accept approached Destruction vocalist Schmier to form a trio along with fellow Accept member Herman Frank on guitar. Since the album has been released via Nuclear Blast Records, Herman and Stefan have left Accept to concentrate on Panzer. Normally in the …

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Avenger – The Slaughter Never Stops.

Welcome back Avenger ! Yet another North East based NWOBHM band showing they still have what it takes with the release of their new studio album The Slaughter Never Stops, available now via Rocksector Records. Avenger  formed in 1982 in Newcastle Upon Tyne  but unfortunately only got to record two …

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