Molly Karloff – Supernaturalation EP Molly Karloff, a new band to me, another UK trio and thankfully recommended by Peter Noble from Noble PR, come across with the smart talking suss of Therapy and the melodic leanings of Ash, point proven by the tongue twisting title of their latest EP …
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Hedra – Broken Bones (single) On March 21st 2020, Norwich based noisemongers Hedra announced “Hedra for Universal domination”. Just six days later on the 27th they may be on their way judging by the release of latest single ‘Broken Bones’. Is there such a thing as a melo industrial genre? …
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Hedra – Karma In Blood (single) Norwich based bruisers Hedra do what they do best which is to create challenging music which they have certainly done with this single release Karma In Blood. It’s a phenomenal piece of work fitted into five feral minutes. Hate fueled lead vocals from Jim …
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Bang Bang Firecracker – Welcome To The Slaughterhouse Yet another example of seeing a band for the first time that I’ve never heard of and being blown away which is why I always watch the support bands. Stoke based metal maniacs Bang Bang Firecracker played only their fourth ever …
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Testament – Titans Of Creation Thirteen is allegedly an unlucky number but this is not the case for thrash metallers Testament as they unleash their thirteenth studio album Titans Of Creation via Nuclear Blast Records on April 3rd 2020. Their inclusion to the Big Four of thrash metal bands should …
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Bonfire – Fistful Of Fire Due for release on April 3rd 2020 via AFM Records, Fistful Of Fire is described by their founding member guitarist Hans Ziller as “One of the toughest Bonfire albums ever”, and this is no over confident brag as the fourteen tracks here do not outstay …
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Rolling rolling rolling, keep those wagons rolling and Massive Wagons certainly have with ‘In It Together’, the opening track taken from forthcoming studio album House Of Noise released via Earache Records on July 17th 2020. I’ve heard this song twice in the last 18 months at gigs, it sounded impressive …
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Joe Satriani – Big Distortion (single) Joe Satriani, the guitar maestro dazzles us again with Big Distortion, the latest single taken from his forthcoming studio album Shapeshifting, released on April 20th 2020 via Sony Music/Legacy Recordings. Even by his high standards, this song definitely whets the appetite for the …
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Bonfire – The Devil Made Me Do It (new single/video) Bonfire, a band who have slipped passed my radar since I saw them give Judas Priest a very hard act to follow on tour in 1988 have just released a brand new single/video ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ from …
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Disconnected Souls – Warring Elements In their biography, Chester/Manchester-based Disconnected Souls aim to achieve three great pillars of music. Electronic, classical and metal but not only have they created the pillars they have built a whole temple to with their very impressive debut EP Warring Elements. Seven tracks astound with …
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Still thrashing away since 1984, Canadian based metallers Annihilator show no signs of slowing down with their seventeenth studio album Ballistic, Sadistic. One of the two founding members, Jeff Waters is still putting his heart and soul into delivering old school thrash metal and the ten tracks on here show …
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Sky Valley Mistress, one of the most exciting bands I’ve seen live over the last few years have finally finished their debut album Faithless Rituals which will be released on March 20th, 2020 via New Heavy Sounds/Cargo Records. The Blackburn based quartet have managed to create their live vibe …
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I’ve been to many Anvil gigs since 1982, playing at festivals, support slots and as headliners. There has never been a bad one, some stand out more than others and another addition to the latter is the Buckley Tivoli gig last night. A pre gig interview with frontman Steve ‘Lips’ …
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Ross The Boss, founder member of Manowar back in 1980 shows he still has the riffs in his metal arsenal with Born Of Fire, his fourth solo album released on AFM Records. These twelve monster songs are blazed out by his backing band of Marc Lopes on vocals, Mike …
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Kent based quartet Collateral came to be in late November 2016. A well received EP ‘4 Shots!’ paved the way for two singles, ‘Lullaby’ and most recently ‘Merry Go Round’, both of which feature on their stunning self titled debut album, recently released by Roulette Media Records. They have been …
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Not get enough foreplay on Valentines day? Well fear not as Glasgow hard rockers Heavy Pettin are here to the rescue courtesy of their just released 4 Play EP. Self produced by guitarist Gordon Bonnar, it bristles with pride throughout like a strutting peacock. Forming in 1981, they caused a …
Read More »It’s been a long time since I’ve been so excited waiting for the second album from a band. The first time was way back in 1980 for Iron Maiden when their self titled debut was followed by Killers and now Bridgend based Those Damn Crows have shown their full potential …
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2020 has got off to a thrashtastic start, courtesy of German lunatics Stallion with their third studio album Slaves Of Time. Due to be released by High Roller Records on Feb.28th, ten tracks of rabid thrash metal are dished up here. Formed in the Lake Constance area in 2013, the …
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The heart of Izengard beats strong with their latest studio album Angel Heart. Released on Massacre Records, it’s a colossal piece of music boosted to great heights by the mixing and mastering of Paul Hume. ‘Demon Of The Night’ is a gripping opener as sparse chords and keyboards ease in …
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GraveReign, the brainchild of guitarist David Shankle (ex Manowar, DSG and Feanor) along with vocalist Tony Engel (ASC and Veilside) have joined forces. Simply put as “A studio project of two friends who finally got around to writing together”. A studio album is currently planned and the first result is …
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This furious five piece band came to my attention when they were first band on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2019, drawing a very impressive crowd at 10.30am on a Saturday morning! Six months on sees Inferiem releasing a brain rattling new single called Burning Gold. …
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Well here is a great blast from the past and a nod to the future courtesy of NWOBHM band Troyen with this Anthology (1981/2019) album. Released via Classic Metal Records, this double CD contains everything the band have recorded. CD 1 contains a four track demo from 1981, one track …
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A band name change from The Bad Flowers to Wolf Jaw sees them bloom into a band now barking at the moon, point proven by current studio album The Heart Won’t Listen, released via the aptly titled Listenable Records label. I’d seen the band twice before hearing this album and …
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2020 will start off strongly for fans of melodic rock as Revolution Saints release their third studio album Rise via Frontiers Music S.R.L on January 24th. The supergroup trio of Deen Castronovo on drums/lead vocals, Jack Blades on bass guitar/vocals and Doug Aldrich on guitar have strengthened the promise shown …
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Since their formation in Brugg, Switzerland 2015, all female band Burning Witches have wasted no time in getting their music out to the masses with their self titled debut in 2017 and two albums in 2018, the Burning Alive live album and Hexenhammer studio album. They end 2019 with the …
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There cant be many live albums that are completely live with no studio trickery after the event to tweak an out of tune guitar or vocal but here’s one to feast your ears on as Give Me Everything, Live In Blackpool by Stevie R. Pearce And The Hooligans captures …
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When one of your favourite bands gets in touch to ask for an early review of their forthcoming album, proclaiming “It’s gonna rock your ass”, it had better be good. Good? With their eighteenth studio album Legal At Last in the can, Toronto based Anvil have certainly walked the walk …
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God bless The Wildhearts! Rising from the ashes like a hard rock phoenix, not only have they reformed with my favourite line up, they have returned to the studio, have recorded and released Renaissance Men, my album of 2019! A Google search of renaissance translates to “A revival of, or …
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February 14th 2020 sees the new decade open heavily with Legal At Last, the 18th studio album from those Canadian crushers, the mighty Anvil on AFM Records, but prior to that they have just released ‘Nabbed In Nebraska’, the first single taken from it. It has a gloriously grinding main …
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From the ashes of The Black Bullets we have the Newbury based the Small Town Saviours to banish our blues away, point proven by their latest single ‘Cry’, an ear warming breath of fresh air power pop. It rushes in with the sugar sweet chorus and a gritty lead vocal …
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A winning performance at the Bristol leg of the M2TM 2019 resulted in Voluntas securing a slot on the New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival. I’ve been to the last ten and as long as they keep booking bands like Voluntas then I’ll keep on returning! Their debut …
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When is a gig not a gig? When it’s an event and I can honestly say that every Wildhearts gig I’ve been to since the early 90’s has been an event as they are a rare breed of band who have never let me down. I’ve always wondered how they …
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Grand Slam, formed as a solo band in 1983 (that included Magnum keyboard player Mark Stanway) by Phil Lynott that took on the name when Thin Lizzy had completed their farewell tour the same year. A revolving line up included ex Stampede guitarist Laurence Archer who joined in 1984 but …
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Currently blazing a trail around Europe promoting their latest studio album Ritual, NWOBHM legends Tygers Of Pan Tang are showing that they are wildcats not to be messed with, point proven by these eleven songs here. Formed in Whitley Bay 1978, band leader Robb Weir still exists from the original …
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Only a few years from their 50th anniversary since forming in London 1973 by brothers Chris and Tino Troy, melodic hard rockers Praying Mantis prove they are still a force to be reckoned with judging by this performance for the Keep It Alive album, due for release on Dec.6th 2019 …
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The self titled debut album from Reading based Marisa And The Moths is a bakers dozen of tunes that totally captivate from the pile driving opener ‘Needy’ to the haunting closer ‘Everything Is Going Swimmingly’. Fronted by the honey coated vocals of Marisa Rodriguez, it commands your total attention …
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NWOBHM stalwarts Salem UK return to the studio to hedge their bets with their latest studio album Win Lose Or Draw. Released via Dissonance Productions, their brand of hard rock is of a very high standard as opening track ‘The Wraith’ crackles with energy throughout. Bullying riffs are the …
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Since their formation in 1976, Angel Witch albums are as rare as Halleys Comet as latest release Angel Of Light is their fourth studio since their self titled 1980 debut but the wait is definitely worth it! Released via Metal Blade Records the eight tracks here are all killer, no …
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I’ve been a fan of Slayer way back since 1983 after buying their debut album Show No Mercy. 1985 saw Hell Awaits with the band playing a darn sight faster but the major game changer was Reign In Blood in 1986. For a measly £5.50 I got to see them …
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Hotel Mango, the second studio album from The Midnight Dogs can be described by a Rolling Stones song title, ‘It’s Only Rock And Roll (But I Like It)’. Their self titled 2016 debut showed promise but this release is a real humdinger! Twelve songs will kick your ears one minute, …
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I first heard Desolation, brand new single from King Creature when they played it live in Manchester last Friday, the day it was released It was one of my highlights of their set and they have captured that intensity in the studio. Earworm buzzing riffing backed by a vocal delivery …
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Been looking forward to this gig for quite some time and my expectations were fulfilled many times over. Through sheer hard work in the studio and onstage, Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons are now showing their potential as they played a seventeen song set of raw power, supported mightily …
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Forty years? Has it really been that long since the titanic trio of Lemmy Kilmister, ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke and Philthy ‘Animal’ Taylor bashed out not one, but two ground breaking albums in 1979? From 1976-1982, Motorhead ,with this line up shook the Earth to its very core! Overkill on March …
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I first came across Burnt Out Wreck at a RACPA festival in Nottingham a few years ago and to say I was blown away by their full on delivery is an understatement. Thankfully that vibe has been caught in the studio for their latest album This Is Hell, currently on …
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Caught this groovy three piece at a festival in the Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool last April. First band on at 1pm since being on the road from 5am in London, District 13 tore the place apart so here they are now doing the same thing in the studio with …
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Older rock fans (myself included) would remember Phil Campbell from heavy metal band Persian Risk but most know him as lead guitarist from Motorhead whom he played with from 1984 until 2015 when band founder Lemmy Kilmister sadly passed away. It did not take Phil long to get back onto …
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So a week after we said farewell to a band I really thought would make it, there are still a lot of mixed emotions flying around my head from their two hour gig at Rebellion in Manchester. From seeing them first at the SOS Festival in 2014 they have come …
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Normally the class clown on and offstage with Bigfoot, guitarist Sam Millar seems to have surprisingly grown up (but I doubt it will last) by releasing his first solo EP Holy Sass and very impressive it is to! Its five tracks bristle with confidence, opening up with ‘Eyes’ it has …
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Since forming in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989, Opeth have eschewed from their death metal beginnings to a much proggier outfit without losing their heaviness and this point is proven vehemently with their thirteenth studio album In Cauda Venenum, Latin for poison in the tail. Out on Nuclear Blast Records, eight …
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Metal music comes in many different forms. Heavy, thrash, black, death, hair, glam etc, so here comes Mongolian metal from The HU on their mindblowing debut album The Gereg, released by Seven Eleven Music. They first came to my attention when Planet Rock played ‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ and the instrumentation …
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It’s been a bit quiet on the Soldier front since the release of the Defiant album in 2015 but they are back with all guns blazing for new EP Storm Rider. Founded way back in 1979 by Ian Dick, this three track EP released on Starhaven Records sees them battling …
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New single ‘Running So Long’ from Cumbria based rockers Thirteen Stars is a bit special for many reasons. Not only is it a country tinged musical tour de force, it was written by lead singer/guitarist Hoss Thompson as a dedication to the sadly departed Tom Petty. It’s a heart wrenching …
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Deservedly still in the Big Four of German thrash metal, Destruction have no intention of losing that position with their fifteenth studio album Born To Perish, released via Nuclear Blast Records. As if the band were not already heavy enough, they have bolstered their attack even more with two new …
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Another year and another sold out Rockwich Festival to review but this year we are at the Witton Albion Social Club, Northwich. It’s a very welcome change of venue and an acoustic evening of bands on Saturday preceded an electric day of thirteen bands in twelve hours today organized by …
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When a new band on the scene features two members of Ministry, you know it’s going to be a bit special. 3 Headed Snake is the brainchild of guitarist Sin Quirin on guitar joined by fellow Ministry member Derek S Abrams on drums. Aided by Johnny Ray on vocals and …
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Earlier this year I saw a performance by the tour de force ball of energy Kim Jennett at the Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool. Her set flew by as she delivered with being on as well as offstage and ‘Psycho’, her opening song that day is her brand new single. …
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Here we are for soggy Sunday! Sadly the last day of Bloodstock Open Air Festival 2019 where (most of) the bands delivered. First band up on the New Blood Stage at the eye rubbingly time of 10.30am were Leicester based tech metal crew Fractions. They created a swirling metal vortex …
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Mother Nature must have got out of the wrong side of bed today as the wind hit harder than the after effects of a prawn vindaloo, so much so that the Ronnie James Dio Stage was shut down and cordoned off for about an hour later on in the day. …
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Music wise, 2019 was my favourite Bloodstock Open Air Festival I’ve attended in the last eleven years, weather wise it was the worst as mother nature tested the mettle of the metalheads but came out in second place to a packed out Catton Hall in Alrewas, Walton-On-Trent. First band of …
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Fourteen tracks is a brave move for an album, let alone a debut as the listeners attention may start to waver but this is not the case for this absolute stunner from South Wales based Scarlet Rebels with Show Your Colours. Early promise was shown when I caught their set …
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When I was asked to review The Eagle Has Landed 40 (Live) by NWOBHM legends Saxon, I thought it was a re-issue of their 1982 live album but this is not the case as it’s a triple CD release of forty live songs chosen by their lead singer Biff Byford. …
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Graham Bonnet, still kicking out the jams at the ripe old age of 71, point proven on this very impressive Live In Tokyo 2017 album, released on Frontiers Music S.R.L. Out of its sixteen tracks, it weighs heavily on Down To Earth, the album Graham made with Rainbow. It divided …
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Currently available from the band and major streaming sites, this tasty four track EP titled Figured It Out should have you not taking too much time to figure out why it is well worth £5 by Nuneaton based trio Dig Lazarus! Opening track immediately sets a high standard with the …
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My first impression of Liverpool based metallers Reaper was definitely not a grim one as they tear into current single ‘Death Games’ available now from their bandcamp page. To be honest, my thought when I heard this game, it would be a video slots, a kind of money game and …
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“The Gods made heavy metal and they saw that it was good. They said to play it louder than Hell, we promised that we would”. Those Manowar lyrics perfectly sum up the attitude that Stormrider have conjured up once again with their brand new EP, What Lies Within and what …
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How has a band this good slipped passed my radar? The New Roses, formed 2007 in Wiesbaden, Germany, will release their fourth studio album Nothing But Wild on August 2nd 2019 via Napalm Records. Vocally they come across like prime time era Cinderella and musically they impress with early Guns …
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Excite The Light : Part 2, is the second album of the trilogy by Twisted Illusion. Now that the sensible intro is out of the way, the best analogy I can describe this band with and the way they evolve is similar to the creature in The Thing by John …
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To say that Fahran have come on in massive leaps and bounds with latest album V-a-p-o-u-r-s since their self titled debut and follow up Chasing Hours would be it likened to a kangaroo on steroids! Produced and mixed by guitarist Jake Graham, it sounds huge and features stunning artwork from …
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I’ve been to many Massive Wagons gigs over the years but this one with my eyes and ears saw them reach their full potential. Whether it comes from opening up recent stadium shows with Status Quo and Lynyrd Skynyrd above them, I’m not sure but this performance at the Live …
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Recently released EP A New Dawn from NWOBHM band Troyen is aptly titled due to the addition of new bass guitarist Mark Nortley and by the superhuman recovery from a triple heart bypass operation undertaken by lead guitarist/vocalist Steve McGuire, one of two original members since their formation in 1980, …
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What a gig to kick off the album release for Vapours by Fahran at Percy’s Cafe Bar, a little gem of a venue tucked away in Whitchurch, Shropshire. The venue was pretty much packed as they took to the stage following impressive opening sets from Hollow Illusion and Kamino. I’ve …
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I normally avoid arena and stadium gigs like the plague but if one band was going to change my mind, then it has to be Rammstein, especially as they are only doing one UK gig here in 2019. Tickets were bought last November and the last eight months have seemed …
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There are two points to consider on this fine EP The Fate Of Elision, the brand new release from Stoke based Quiet The Thief. One is what the title means and most importantly, who has spiked their oatcakes to get them to write heavier songs? This fierce five track opus …
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Since founding Holocaust in Edinburgh 1977, guitarist/lead vocalist John Mortimer has released some impressive music to say the least and the bar has been raised even higher with current studio album Elder Gods. The trio is completed by Mark McGrath on bass guitar/vocals and Scott Wallace on drums. A shift …
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Choo choo! Here come the mad Scots The Swamp Born Assassins with their latest studio album Dead Man’s Train. Ten first class travel tracks kick off full steam ahead with the title track as it literally burns up the track as ear rasping harmonica from frontman Charlie Moffat add nuances …
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At Bloodstock Open Air Festival, Saturday, August 12th 2018 on the Jagermeister Stage, Norwich based trio Alpha Omega played one of the most intense and loud sets I’ve heard in the ten years I’ve been going there. The Orange amps must have been made of sterner stuff than my hearing …
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As Queen once said, “You know it’s time for the hammer to fall” and it will on August 19th as Swedish power metallers Hammerfall unleash their eleventh studio album Dominion via Napalm Records. They hit hard and heavy from the off as ‘Never Forgive, Never Forget’ bludgeons with big powerchords …
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I had not planned to review this gig but being the last date on the tour and also no support bands meant that over two hours of music was promised by Twisted Illusion so it would be a shame to not document it. Notes were kept to a minimum so …
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Two gigs in two days for me at the Star And Garter, a new venue to me and very impressed with the acoustics, atmosphere and the bands they have playing there. Headliners Hollowstar were supported strongly by Florence Black and gig openers Matt Mitchell & The Coldhearts who warmed a …
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I very much doubt that Spreading The Disease will ever record anything acoustic as they continue to batter us into submission once more with the Mindcell EP. Currently available on their webpage for £8 it certainly hits hard and heavy. Opener ‘Obsession’ is a full on rant from the off. …
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Considering this was only the second Falling Eden gig, the first being way back in August 2018, they may have been nervous being first on a three band bill but any doubts were blown away as they tore into set opener ‘Falling Eden’. Their debut album Our Time Is Coming …
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With all the crap going on in the World, you can always rely on class clowns Footprints In The Custard to make you forget about it, point proven by current release A New Low. To these ears the Crewe/Manchester based band have reached a new high with 13 pieces of …
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In all my years of listening to rock/metal I can’t think of any album that has blown me away than Revelations Of Oblivion by Possessed. Death metal can be repetitive at times but to keep my full attention for just under an hour takes some doing. Released on Nuclear Blast …
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I can remember Leeds based nutters Blind Haze play a hangover curing set at Bloodstock Open Air Festival a few years ago and it’s good to see they have still got that fire as they hit the ground running with their latest EP Red Light Fever. It’s currently available for …
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Well here is a thrilling blast from the past to say the least! Clandestine Live sees Entombed joined by the Malmo Symphonic Orchestra to blast out their 1991 studio album Clandestine on November 12th 2016 in Malmo, Sweden. Three original members from that line up, Alex Hellid on guitar, Uffe …
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Vader, a band I’ve heard of but criminally have heard nothing by until now and I have certainly got a lot of catching up to do judging by the quality of soon to be released EP via Nuclear Blast called Thy Messenger. Formed in 1983 in Olsztyn, Poland, they open …
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It’s hard to contemplate that only a few years ago, founding member Brian Tatler of Diamond Head, who formed the band in 1976 did not envisage recording anymore albums but with the arrival of vocalist Rasmus Bom Andersen in 2014 and a self titled studio album in 2016, latest album …
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Formed just over a year ago, I’ve seen early promise a few times from the Takeaway Thieves at the Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool and they have carried that vibe with them into the studio for their debut EP This Is Rocknroll ,currently available on CD and digital music sites …
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Following on from the 2018 E.P release of How Does It Feel To Be Alive, Luke Appleton has carried on with his wealth of songwriting on his full length album titled Snake Eyes, currently available via Rocksector Records. He has a few guest appearances that include his brother Chris who …
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Rammstein have most certainly divided opinion since their formation in Berlin 1994. Their latest self titled seventh studio album, released by Spinefarm/Universal has been a long time coming, 10 years to be precise but it’s well worth the wait! The cover is of an unstruck match which may be a …
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Ding ding! Round 1 of day 2 and first band of the day, London based District 13 gave us a highly entertaining nonet of songs considering they had been on the road since 4am. A dizzying array of musical dishes was served up for Sunday lunch as they kicked off …
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Festival organizer Martin Short has a change of name for his annual festival and venue for 2019 so the Badass Bash now became Rockforce Festival and it was certainly a force to be reckoned with as 16 bands, all playing for free shook the rafters of the Waterloo Music Bar …
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Once again another bunch of young upstarts prove that rock isn’t dead, but is well and truly alive and kicking, with the self titled debut album by Hollowstar! The St.Ives based quartet have been causing a bit of a stir on the live circuit playing support slots and all this …
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Judging by the strength of Caught By The Machine, the third album by The Room, I’m looking forward even more to their set at Rockforce Festival on May 5th. Ten songs of crafted melodic rock have just been released on White Star Records make it an essential purchase for me …
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Our Time Has Come sums up Falling Eden perfectly now they have released their debut album that has taken a few years to see the light of day. The Crewe/Stoke On Trent based 5 piece have penned 9 songs that hit hard due to a very in your face production. …
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There must be something other than water in the River Severn as it flows through the normally sedate Shropshire town of Shrewsbury to addle the brains of Mad Spanner when they came to write their latest album, the aptly titled Life Absurd as it seems to have turned them into …
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Gasoline Outlaws are the second band this year that have until now slipped under my radar. Latest studio album Light Up The World should have been released on April 5th but for a problem not of their own but from their Pledge campaign means it won’t see the light of …
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If Saturday night’s alright for fighting then surely Friday nights are alright for obeying as Stoke based metallers Obey unleashed their seismic new studio album Swallow The Sun at the well attended Underground in Stoke. A four band bill saw openers The Secret Elephant and Banzai Pipeline bring the noise …
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There must be something in the water (or scrumpy) in Postbridge, Devon for Torqued to create the totally unhinged recently released The Coup De Grâce EP. The trio of Marc Cleave, Kurt Johnson and Rimmy Sinclair have created some of the heaviest music I’ve heard in quite sometime as they …
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So, can Obey overcome the tricky third album syndrome with their new opus Swallow The Sun? Of course they have and with ease! It’s taken 3 years since they served up Maelstrom but the wait has been worthwhile as opener ‘Back Home’ draws you in from the off by a …
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To say that reviewing Blaze Bayley albums kept me busy is an understatement as the hardest working artist I know of has just released his Live In France double album via Blaze Bayley Recordings which makes it 4 in 2 years in between a relentless touring schedule. The gigs I’ve …
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So the dreaded last day of a fantastic 3 days at Grimm Up North Festival 2019 comes far too soon as first band of the day Sellsword proved to be one of my most enjoyable sets of the weekend as the York based lunatics hammered out just four songs due …
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Here we go again as a similar song once said. Curious weather in Bury before the first full day of Grimm Up North 2019 as we had rain, hail, snow and sunshine within an hour so that was a sign of a metal storm to come and it did with …
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Since the sheer delight of the first Grimm Up North Festival in 2017 we have had to wait just over a year for the sequel and what a weekend it was! 23 bands over 3 days giving their all to a room full of metal heads to say a big …
Read More »A very funny start to Grimm Up North Festival 2019 as I interviewed Damnations Hammer before their set whilst various members of Troyen and Blitzkrieg walked by and the band were expecting a call from a late arriving bass player.
Read More »My interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve Zodiac after their headlining set on the final day of Grimm Up North 2019.
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Here’s to a big welcome back for Sacramento, California based melodic rockers Tesla as they return from a five year studio hiatus with new album Shock, released by Universal Music Enterprises on March 8th 2019. Formed in 1985 they still feature four out of five original members as they come …
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Now this is how live albums should sound! Dissonance Productions have raided the heavy metal vaults and dug out this 1980 Live Quartz album, of course by the band Quartz. Actually recorded on December 1st 1979 in their hometown of Digbeth, it sounds stripped down to its bare bones. Three …
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Those fine folk at Dissonance Productions have cranked up their time machine and unearthed the self titled debut from Quartz in 1977. Produced by Tony Iommi, they also supported Black Sabbath the same year and appeared at the prestigious Reading Festival (when it used to be rock/metal related) in 1977, …
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Now flying the flag for AOR for thirty five years now, FM fly it even higher on their latest album The Italian Job, a live recording from their appearance at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan on April 29th 2018 that features seventeen songs and a bonus DVD released on …
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To say reviewing an electronica album is out of my comfort zone is a bit of an understatement but after seeing a gig by The Webb a few months ago at Percy’s in Whitchurch, I was kindly given a copy of their second album Truth Delay by them after passing …
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Leeds based thrashers Shadows Of Violence hit hard and heavy with Revolt, due for release this summer. Formed in 2007 their chops have been honed as the title track, a brief news report skit tells about the band rioting across the UK. ‘Words Unchained’ is a surefire call to arms …
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So after a two year gap between Aokigahara, the debut album by Brighton lunatics Jonestown, those trusting people at Long Branch Records have removed their straitjackets and let them loose in the studio for an even more disturbing follow up titled Dyatlov. It really is hard to define them in …
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Nostalgia can be a good or a bad thing with some bands but this is not the case for Tygers Of Pan Tang with Hellbound, Spellbound (Live 1981), a gem of an album recorded at Nottingham Rock City. It reaffirms my opinion that the NWOBHM movement was best represented in …
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For a reviewer personally speaking, ten tracks is fine, twelve is a challenge but come on Fugitive! Fourteen of them. FOURTEEN with new album The Awakening but I digress as I’m only joking as it’s a fine hard rock album to say the least. Due for release on April 5th …
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The aptly titled On A Mission album from Bloody Times available now from Rock N Growl Promotion sees the core trio of John Greely on lead/backing vocals, Raphael Saini on drums and Simon Pfundstein on bass guitar/backing vocals joined by an array of guest artists including ex Manowar guitarist Ross …
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Jeez, how have I not heard of Fractions before? A band that slipped past my eagle eyed radar who will be releasing a rather excellent single called Soundness Of Mind on January 29th 2019, free to download on all digital outlets featuring stunning artwork from Andy Pilkington at Very Metal …
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Wasted Life. Punk rockers. The real deal, not the watered down shit that passes for punk rock that creeps ever higher at Download Festival every year. With their latest studio album World War Zero they have managed to do what Slayer did with Reign In Blood and that is to …
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As someone much wiser than me once said, “Never judge a book by its cover” and this certainly rings true with my first impression of The Heretic Order before I had heard any music from Evil Rising released via Massacre Records. Photos of the band and song titles suggested …
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Sometimes you have to knock on a few doors to get on in the music business but with Show Me Your Teeth, the second studio album from Beth Blade And The Beautiful Disasters to be released on 25th January 2019, these twelve songs are taking a demolition ball to the whole …
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PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal