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 …

Welcome once again to the weird but wonderful world of Birmingham based Captain Horizon! This new single is a stunning taster lifted from their forthcoming album ‘Imitation Sun’, due to be released via Rocksector Records on May 11 with an album launch event on May 22 at the Birmingham Academy …

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 …

It is hard to believe that it is 33 years since I heard the news of Randy Rhoads’ death in a tragic plane crash on Friday, March 19th 1982 on Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show on B.B.C Radio 1. I never got to see him play as even though I …

This is a timely release as it is made up of 2 previously released EP’s that were available only to fan club members and from the band’s official website which sold out fast . The 11 tracks here are compiled from ‘The Wild Cat Sessions’ from 2010 and ‘The Spellbound …

I last saw the Quireboys in November last year which was a plugged in gig. It was a high energy show as always but their latest UK tour is an acoustic affair minus Dave Mc’ Cluskey on drums and Nick Mailing on bass guitar but the Live Rooms gig last …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Unfortunately the majority of the Unity Works crowd did not turn up until later on in the evening but to those that saw Defy All Reason’s set  they were in for an early Xmas treat as the band made the most of their stage time after their long trip from …

To say 2014 has been a big year for Vardis and their patient fans is an understatement. Following their reformation in 2013 after an almost 30 year hiatus, they played their 5th gig of 2014 at the Unity Works in Wakefield. This was a homecoming gig at a venue they …

My chat with Vardis prior to their headlining set.   Photo courtesy of Simon Dunkerley.

To be released mid/end of January 2015 and to be included on their full length debut album The Road Ahead at the end of March, ‘Bad Blood’ is probably the heaviest song I’ve heard from Defy All Reason but has enough hooks to make it widely accessible. It rolls along …

Just before I was to review Primordial‘s eighth studio album I was asked to compile my top 10 albums of 2014 for Planetmosh and had it all worked out until I played Where Greater Men Have Fallen. After the albums hour long duration it was a no brainer that it …

It is almost 30 years since King Diamond left Mercyful Fate in 1985 to form his solo band and is miraculously still touring following a triple heart bypass operation 4 years ago and has just completed a 2 month tour of North America . His trademark banshee vocals are still …