Album Reviews

Ask any person in their twenties to name a Papa Roach song and nine times out of ten it’ll be something from 2000 opus Infest – and nine times out of ten it’ll be the same song (we all know which one I’m referring to here). Contrary to opinion though, the …

Hailing from the eastern French region of Haute Savoie, Hybrid Sheep play traditional deathcore heavy enough to induce devastating avalanches on nearby Mont Blanc and send it crumbling into Lake Geneva. For where these five young guys score heavily is in their emphasis on old-school death metal sensibilities – such …

Late September 2014 saw the first FemME (Female Metal Event) held at Effenaar in Eindhoven.  It was a one-day festival featuring bands with female members (primarily on vocals).  It was a great day, and this year’s event promised to be bigger and better having been expanded to a two day …

German heavy metal legend Udo Dirkschneider is back with another album with his band U.D.O.  It’s their fifteenth studio album – this is a man who doesn’t take things easy, as he’s released an album pretty much every two years for the last couple of decades, as well as several …

Bigfoot are a five piece hard rock band that were only formed in Spring 2014 .They are from Wigan and combine powerful vocals, dual lead guitars and a heavy driving rhythm section. They state their influences are from The Eagles to Pantera. The band members are:-Antony Ellis -Lead Vocals, Sam …

        As much as I love the whole Doom Metal genre, it has become somewhat of a musical minefield in recent times, I guess the price of an ever growing popularity status amongst the masses can only mean a plethora of new bands, eager to become the …

No Bells On Sunday was vocalist Mark Lanegan‘s “warning shot”, his prelude EP released just prior to his 2014 Phantom Radio full length effort. Comprised of “extra” songs that did not make the full length, this vinyl platter is a spin through a dizzying collection of alt-rock ambiance. The EP …

Canadian-born musician Pat Travers is fortunate to have a long and storied career playing rock and roll. He’s got an extensive discography with The Pat Travers Band, including at least one touchstone live release. This latest live album, Live at The Iridium NY, released through Frontiers Records in 2015, adds …

  Lillyé a five piece hard rock band from Sydney, Australia released their self titled EP in Summer 2014. Fronted by Virginia Lillyé who, after a long stint performing in stage productions and rock bands in Germany, returned to Australia in 2008 and appeared on The Voice. Virginia then formed the band …

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 …

The Stone Angels, an ”Alternative’-Rock duo from Torquay, Devon This new self-titled EP from the band was my first oppotunity to hear the guys play since first discovering them via the LinkedIn website. Reading a bit of their band blog, they formed up back in 2009 as a three piece …

Lyria are a Symphonic Alternative Metal from Brazil that was founded by singer and songwriter Aline Happ.  After a crowdfunding campaign in 2014 they released their debut album, Catharsis. So, what can you expect from the album?  Well for a start you have the beautiful mezzo soprano vocals from Aline.  …

Formed out of the ashes of Norwegian AOR-sters Wig Wam, Ammunition is the new project from vocalist Age Sten Nilsen who, since the surprise split of his former band last March, subsequently has teamed up with guitarist/producer friend Erik Mårtensson (best known for his work with W.E.T and Eclipse), with …

Frontiers boss Serafino Perugino has put together another one of his ‘supergroups’ and this time it’s a trio made up of Journey’s drummer Deen Castronova, Night Ranger’s bass player Jack Blades and former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich. Guest musician is Frontiers in house maestro Alessandro Del Vecchio, who provides the …

Despite hailing from 21st century California, Night Demon are a band with their roots very firmly in the NWOBHM, encompassing influences from the obvious ones such as DiAnno-era Iron Maiden and Saxon through Angel Witch, White Spirit and Raven, as well as the first wave of US bands to in …

Two years on from their acclaimed second album, ‘Beneath The Surface’ (enthusiastically reviewed by PlanetMosh at http://planetmosh.com/alpha-tiger-beneath-the-surface/), young Saxony retro melodic metallers Alpha Tiger return with their third offering, and their first for the mighty Steamhammer imprint. Hailing from Saxony, the powerbase (sic) of the German power metal scene, Alpha …

@planetmosh reviews Holding all the Roses by .@blackberrysmoke on .@EaracheRecords Holding all the Roses is an American term meaning you’re the winner. It’s an appropriate name for this, Blackberry Smoke’s fourth studio album, as this band is fast becoming the one everyone else in the Southern Rock genre is chasing. …

While most bands try to follow their debut album as quickly as possible, Californian grinders Cretin waited a full eight years to release their second opus, with the result being issued via Relapse Records at the end of last year.  But, then, these Santa Cruzers seem to like to take …

Hailing from the darkest nether reaches of Florida, but drawing their lyrical and musical influence from Greece (their name comes from the Greek term “religion of knowledge”) both ancient and modern, Gnosis deliver a dark and malificent brand of dark and dank black metal that is as primeval and primordial …

Admittedly I had never heard of Orden Ogan until the video for ‘The Things We Believe In’ caught my eye, which was the single released from their 2012 album ‘To The End’. This was an album that turned out to be a real breakthrough for Orden Ogan as it was …