Album Reviews

Never one to rest on their laurels, The Sword have veered away yet again from their swashbuckling roots with new release Low Country. Formed in 2003 in Austin, Texas they trail blazed onto the music scene with some seismic stoner/doom metal. Their 2015 release of High Country saw them go …

Over the past few years, Canadian alt-rockers July Talk have dedicated their time to extensive tours through America and Canada celebrating the release of their self-titled debut album back in 2012. This saw the band achieve a gold record in Canada, and receive the Juno Award for Alternative Album of …

Essex band Forever Never formed in 2003 and after releasing an EP and a couple of albums they announced in 2012 that they were to take a break.  In 2015, Kerrang heralded their return with a preview of the new song “Never giving up” which enjoyed considerable success.  In July …

Ian Hunter came to fame as part of British music legends, Mott the Hoople from 1969 to 1974.  Since then he’s had a successful solo career, releasing a steady stream of albums.  “Fingers crossed” is his 21st solo album. I loved his last solo album – “When I’m president”, so …

Having caught up with Devin Townsend a few months back at Ramblin’ Man Fair to talk Transcendence I have been excited to hear his newest creation.  With such a varied back catalogue I looked forward to hearing what direction Transcendence would take; I have to say the wait was quite a challenge …

      Following on from the rightly well received recent EP, Idlewar make their debut proper with this sumptuously groove laden album ‘Impulse’             I will readily admit to being a hook, line and sinker fan of the Rock trio concept, there has always …

Back in 2007 at the height of a thirty year career, Journey, one of the all-time great rock bands found themselves without a singer. What followed next, frankly you couldn’t make it up. Scouring Youtube late one night Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon found Arnel Pineda, lead singer of the …

Eternal Champion hail from Austin Texas and formed in December 2012, now they unleash their debut full length ‘The Armor Of Ire‘ in a blaze of classic heavy metal with a fantasy twist. This album follows on from 2015’s well received split with Gatekeeper, a single and a demo. The opening track …

The son of Be’lakor has been born and Countless Skies is his name. The Hertfordshire foursome of Ross King – Vocals and Guitars, James Pratt – Guitars, Phil Romeo – Vocals and Bass and Nathan Robshaw – Drums have produced a stunning debut album that has everything you would want …

It’s been two years since Die No More’s last album, ‘Evil Elected’ and the new EP ‘Destruction Complete’ is proper old school metal with some thrash thrown in. They give us fantastic solos, vociferous drums and straight up riffing guitars throughout. Opening track ‘Save Yourself’ starts with the sound of …

The title of this album is somewhat misleading, the lead man Jay Gambit has amazingly now in excess of 70 releases which to date have been mostly of a collaborative nature in experimental noise. This is the second album he has completed as part of a band. On offer here …

Theatres des Vampires are an Italian gothic metal band with seductive tones to tempt the most innocent of listeners to take a step into the darkness. I’ll give you a little insight into the band name itself, the members were inspired by the fictional Parisian theatre where vampires would pose …

Back in 1984 Sascha Konietsko’s “performance art project” became Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, quickly abbreviated to KMFDM. KMFDM pioneered the crossover between techno/dance and heavy metal, creating their unique sound in the field of Industrial Rock. This latest release ‘ROCKS’ is a personal ‘best of’ compilation by KMFDM protagonists …

Dec Burke’s body of work is expansive and impressive, with outings in Frost*, Audioplastik and Darwin’s Radio as well as solo ventures, his understated yet all-encompassing talent for fusing musical elements which defy absolute categorisation is pure 24 carat prog laced gold. Burke’s third outing under his own name follows …

Like a cool breeze on a hot, humid day Aynsley Lister’s eighth studio album Eyes Wide Open refreshes those parts some other blues / rock albums fail to reach. Packed with a variance of style, and a serving of understated panache, here is an assortment of 13 individually superb creations …

Heavy Psych Sounds recently compiled and released a first for America’s desertified hard rock act Mondo Generator – a two vinyl record or CD set, titled Best Of. While Mondo Generator was formed in 1997, it’s debut didn’t see the light of day until 2000, when a break in band …

Once in a while there comes along an album that makes you smile for no particular reason other than it is something to savour and you feel blessed to have heard it. Ray Wilson’s second album release inside twelve months, Makes Me Think of Home, is such an album. With …

The Dutch three piece return with their sixth full length offering ‘Eternal’, just released digitally but more interestingly, a planned limited edition vinyl release is set for later in the year         The band fall into the murky subgenre of post Black Metal meets Shoegaze but have …

I am a huge fan of this one, I have a few issues with it but overall I like it. It is filled with dread and atmosphere perfect for what the band were aiming for. With its Lovecraftian and cultic overtones this is some stellar blackgaze. The first issue I …

“It’s a little bit different,” says Joanne Shaw Taylor of her fifth studio album in a recent interview and she sure isn’t wrong either. Wild is a ride filled with pure emotion that’s been sprinkled with a touch of spice and seasoned with more than a dab of zest. From …