Album Reviews

I jumped at the chance when I was asked to review Beholder’s new album and follow up to their stonking debut in 2010, The Awakening. The band, to me, are a perfect example of what hard work, grit, determination and sheer bloody-mindedness can achieve. They never seem to stop. If …

With the imminent release of Quentin Tarrento’s new film ‘Django Unchained’ starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio . Arrow Video will release (on DVD Monday 14th January ) for the first time ever in the UK ,Ferdinando Baldi’s “Django, Prepare A Coffin” A long-lost and previously unavailable sequel …

To say that I approached this album with trepidation is an understatement. Bob Katsionis plays keyboards for Outloud but is probably known more for his work with Firewind. I must admit I expected a Rick Wakeman style instrumental  opus but was knocked out after the 1st minute of album opener …

Swiss metallers Dreamshade are back with their second album “The Gift of Life” which is set for release on the 25th January via Spinefarm Records. Since the release of their debut EP “To The Edge Of Reality” in 2006, they have attracted new fans worldwide with storming sets at festivals …

Greece has always had a pretty strong Metal scene but I guess it’s only over the last couple of years that the rest of the world has begun to tap into and appreciate the wealth of talent that lies within. Show Your Face are most definitely set to continue that …

German Hardcore quartet deliver a slamming debut album. Formed in Frankfurt in 2008, this represents the bands full length debut album, following on from a couple of well received and self released EP’s. Now that the band have been taken under the wing of Bastardized Recordings however the stakes have …

One of Germany’s true Metal giants return bigger and badder than ever. Rebellion’s biography reads like a film script, formed in 2001 by Tomi Gottlich and Uwe Lulis following their split from Gravedigger, the band went on to forge a huge and loyal following and enjoyed great success on both …

Some of the finest Canadian Death Metal money can buy!   Formed in Quebec, Canada in 2007, it’s only since signing to German Metal label giants Massacre Records that Kaotik finally and truly get the chance to project their brutal brand of old school Death Metal upon the unsuspecting international …

Swiss rockers Shakra are new to me, for all their strong pedigree and lengthy history. Having shared the stage with the likes of Uriah Heep, Maiden and Guns n’ Roses alongside doing some pretty major world tours with Hammerfall and Stratovarius, 2013 sees the release of their tenth studio album …

Jorn is the solo project of Jorn Lande, the former vocalist of Masterplan, Ark, Beyond Twilight, Millenium, Vagabond, and The Snakes.  Between these bands and guest apeparances with bands including Ayreon and Avantasia, he’s racked up an impressive discography of over 30 albums.  The reason for his success is simple …

German Heavy Metal Band Dark At Dawn founded in 1993 with three albums, tours and shows on the most popular Metal-Festivals (Wacken, Summer Breeze and Wave Gotik Treffen) followed. In 2007 the band decided to split due to various factors line up changes, jobs. Five years later, they are back …

Since their formation in 2001, Welsh ‘post-hardcore’ crew Funeral For A Friend have literally “been there, done that, sold a million T-shirts”. However, over the past decade or so, their popularity has undeniably waned: following the gold status of their debut ‘Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation’ in 2003, and …

Snakecharmer is probably a new name to most of you, although Planetmosh readers may remember we introduced you to this band back in December 2011 when they were first unveiled to the press.  The name gives a nod to the past of two of the members – former Whitesnake members …

Voivod formed in 1983 and have never achieved the commercial success they deserve but have maintained critical acclaim throughout their career by releasing records that are starkly different and follow no set formula. This is their thirteenth studio album and the first to feature Dan Mongrain and first to be …

A true ‘Fly On The Wall’ rockumentary that will keep you glued to the screen. ‘Road Dog Forever’ the DVD is so much more than the title suggests, for here we have not one but two DVD’s, each featuring around two hours worth of live material, studio sessions and general …

It’s been the best part of three years since US metallers Holy Grail released their critically acclaimed debut, Crisis in Utopia.  A number of line-up changes aside, they’ve continuously worked hard and played harder, touring and writing to produce follow up album Ride The Void. I remember supporting Holy Grail in Glasgow …

Folk metal, pagan metal, call it what you will, has an unnerving penchant for veering, inexplicably and unexpectedly, from one extreme to the other – and, most notably, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Unfortunately, Munich-based sextet Knaat fall somewhere ‘twixt and between – but, at the same time, manage …

The name The Resistance may be a relatively new and unknown one to those not “in the know” on the underground scene – but it’s constituent members are certainly no strangers to the extreme metal scene, being, as they are, former In Flames stalwarts Jesper Strömblad and Glenn Ljungström, ex-The …

I may not be (quite) old enough to remember them the first time around, but the names Skid Row and Taste hold a seminal place in Irish music-lore: the former as the ultimate forerunner of the mighty Thin Lizzy, and the latter as the trio who propelled the late, great …

While not strictly falling into PM’s orbit, last year’s ‘In Time To Voices’ was definitely one of the more pleasant surprises to be unearthed in this particular corner of the planet that is mosh: a mixture of punk, indie and blues very much in the vein of White Stripes and …