Album Reviews

After catching Cradle Of Filth‘s fantastic set at Graspop Festival, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this album, we were lucky enough to be treated to ‘ Right Wing Of The Garden Triptych‘ live and get a taste of what was to come. Hammer of the Witches is …

If band positions on festivals were awarded based on soldiering on in the face of adversity, Dragonforce would have headlined Download moons ago. Loved and hated in equal measures across the UK, they’ve battled through lineup changes, the wrath of Machine Head and Trivium fans on 2007’s ‘Black Crusade’ tour and …

A few months ago I went to see Wilson open for Halestorm in Glasgow’s legendary Barrowland Ballroom. I also got to meet and interview singer Chad Nicefield before the show and although he was feeling a bit under the weather he could not have been nicer or more giving of …

Popes of Chillitown a Ska/Dub/Punk band from London founded in 2006 have gone through several line-up changes before the six piece line-up we see today. To date they have self released two EPs and pledge funded début album ‘A Word To The Wise‘ in 2013. Their second album ‘To The …

Baltimore, Maryland’s Hatebeak has released a new 14 track album, titled The Number of the Beak. The band’s music is highly experimental grindcore, noise, or even post-grind, with Waldo the African Grey parrot’s various noises used as ‘vocal samples’. Released through Reptilian Records, this is apparently a compilation of all …

When I was asked to review ‘Vibration of Sound’ by The Hicks I was intrigued by the description of an alternative/hard rock with a hint of reggae from Wigan, a town famous for it’s Pier and for being home of the annual World Pie Eating Championship.  These Hicks are not to …

Violent Restitution Razor where one of the first true underground bands that came to my attention on the classic Under One Flag release Speed Kills 2. Imagine a world where to your knowledge the heaviest metal there is was Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer, admittedly it was not a bad world …

Ireland’s Shardborne has released a seven song instrumental opus, titled Living Bridges. Formed in 2010, Shardborne released Aeonian Sequence, its four song debut EP, in 2011. Living Bridges is an odd, instrumental hybrid of progressive rock fusion, djent, atmospheric extreme metal, and regular thrash metal. Like listening to a great …

“Mr. Falwell, you are not my god.” bluntly states Paolo Rossi, at the end of Wasted Youth‘s 1986 release, a six song EP titled Get Out Of My Yard!. Channeling classic punk rock in every sense of the phrase, this disc scratches an itch to hear genuine, vintage high-energy music, …

  Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani has released his latest studio album, titled Shockwave Supernova. The California native’s all-instrumental record explores a fairly loose, abstract concept of an alter ego, named Shockwave Supernova. The songs outline and follow this superhuman persona through journeys across stages both worldwide and intragalactically. This 15th …

The 180gm vinyl re-issues of Rush‘s back catalogue continues with their 7th studio album, Permanent Waves as part of the ’12 months of Rush’ celebrations via Universal Music. Originally released on January 1st 1980, a lot of fans, myself included must have thought it was April 1st as to the …

The 69 Eyes are a dark gothic rock band from Finland, formed in 1989 in the bars of Helsinki they started out playing sleazy rock inspired by bands such as Hanoi Rocks and Motley Crue. Fairly early in their 25 year career the band allowed influences from gothic bands such …

Gasoline Outlaws emerged on to the Northern Ireland rock scene at the turn of this year, when former Black Freeway/Last Known Addiction singer Matt Fitzsimons, freshly returned from a sojourn down under, re-united with his brother Chris and in turn teamed up with former Yellow Sam guitarist Adam Parkin and …

‘Ten Years of Pussy’ is the title of Nashville Pussy’s new compilation CD to celebrate their tenth year with SPV records, with whom they have released five albums from ‘And Get Some’ in 2005 to ‘Up The Dosage’ in 2014. ‘Ten Years of Pussy’ takes sixteen studio tracks from their …

Dennis Churchill Dries will be best remembered to rockers of a certain vintage as the singer and bass player with White Sister and, latterly and (almost) simultaneously, Tattoo Rodeo.  The former’s self-titled 1984 debut, produced by Gregg Giuffria, is one of the most under-rated and overlooked classic albums of it’s generation, although …

There are numerous names for the bands that play troll metal, all sorts of fictional monster metal… Nekrogoblikon perhaps could go on the same shelf – melodic and truly fun goblin metal, which is usually described as melodic death metal/folk metal. The music of the Nekrogoblikon further will be named …

Hooligan a punk/rock ‘n’ roll band formed in Dublin, Ireland in October 2009. Their fourth and latest 7″ EP ‘Criminal Damage’ features guest appearances from Tony Van Frater (Cockney Rejects) on guitar and bass, with Decca Wade and Nicky Buck (original and latter day Angelic Upstarts) splitting drum duties. ‘Criminal …

Anzi Destruction former lead singer of Finnish rock band Stereo Junks! well known for his exciting and energetic live performances, which included fire breathing, launched his solo career in 2011 when he released his début self produced album ‘High Clash Motherfucker’, on which he played nearly every instrument.  As a solo performer the …

It’s good to go back to the old school, to remember your roots. Although I have to admit that this is the first time I’ve ever sat down and listened to Armored Saint. I know, I know… for shame… guilty as charged your honour. On the go since 1982 and …

This most rare of things, a rock band from Iceland that have over the years honed their musical talents after one of the longest apprenticeships I’ve ever heard! Allow me to introduce “The Vintage Caravan”. They first started jamming back in 2006, playing at local gigs around Iceland. However, they …