Album Reviews

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 …

Season of Ghosts is the new band of singer Sophia Aslanidou.  She was born in Venezuela, grew up in Greece then moved to Japan where she sang with Blood Stain Child before starting this new project. Season of Ghosts is a very new project – it only formed in 2013, …

Part homage, part parody, and all in-your-face, Massachusetts thrash-mongers Lich King‘s seven-song EP, titled Do-Over, is a jungle of fist-pumping, headbanging riffage. Released by Evil Eye Records on Christmas Day 2014 (as a present to the band’s fans old and new), this EP is an advance warning shot, serving to …

With the band drawing its three members from as far afield as Cyprus and Finland but now based in the UK, this debut EP was originally released as a single-sided 12″ single by the Iron Bonehead label back in 2013, but has now been picked up for digital re-issue by …

Welcome back Avenger ! Yet another North East based NWOBHM band showing they still have what it takes with the release of their new studio album The Slaughter Never Stops, available now via Rocksector Records. Avenger  formed in 1982 in Newcastle Upon Tyne  but unfortunately only got to record two …

The aptly names Take Off sounds a little like it was recorded in an aircraft hanger situated in the middle of a graveyard, with spacious atmospheric electrics merged with strings. Way of Changes launch into heavy panning riffs a the start of Mistakes accompanied by the deep growling scream vocals …

Swedish band Nubian Rose released their debut album (Mountain) in 2012.  It was a great rock album, and now two years on they’ve jsut released their second album, Mental Revolution.  From the moment you hit play it’s clear that this is a very different album to “Mountain”. This new album …

Desolate Pathway are a UK Doom Metal band formed by former Pagan Altar guitarist Vince Hempstead. The band have just released their debut album, “Valley of the king”. While I don’t often comment on album covers, this album’s cover deserves mention.  It’s an impressive cover which has a dark feel …

On the eleventh day of Christmas PlanetMosh gave to me ‘eleven songs a spitting’ I don’t think there’s one piper on the third album by Flitwick Punk/Rock trio Speedshot but plenty to keep you hooked! Speedshot formed in 2008 and have already released 3 EPs and 2 albums and have …

Having made their debut at the recent Primordial-curated Redemption Festival in their home city of Dublin, Vircolac are a quartet who believe in taking things back to the old school – to the extent that (at the time of writing) this four-track EP is only available on cassette. The result …

This second album from New York trio Occultation is a dark, eerie and esoteric opus which combines classic elements of doom metal, progressive rock and ambient electronics into a package which is atmospheric, thought-provoking and strangely pleasant in more or less equal measures. Ploughing a furrow somewhere between the darkest …

On the tenth day of Christmas Planetmosh gave to me ten tracks of melodic rock goodness from Canadian rockers Harem Scarem who are certainly Lords in the eyes of their fans! I get the chance to find out why with a listen to their new album ‘Thirteen‘. Back in 2008 after a …

German stalwart thrash metal act Sodom has released it’s latest, a four-song EP titled Sacred Warpath, in 2014 through SPV/Steamhammer. Tom “Angelripper” and his cronies knew as far back as 1982 how to thrash an audience, and they still seem to have that black magic spark. Sodom has a formulaic …

Sweden’s Miss Behaviour have just released their third full-length record called ‘Double Agent’ and is by far the best work they have done to date, the debut CD ‘Heart Of Midwinter’ was released in 2006, while follow-up ‘Last Woman Standing’ was released in 2011. This latest release is full of …

On the eight day of Christmas PlanetMosh gave to me Eight Scarlett Gypsies in that I got their eight track debut album ALL ACCESS to review. Not sure they would have managed to find any milk maids these days, Gypsies or otherwise! Scarlett Gypsy are a four piece Glam Metal …