Album Reviews

Way back in 1939 Winston Churchill described the Russians as being “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” I can’t help thinking this is also an apt description of Ginger Wildheart‘s Songs and Words show. It’s not a gig, It’s not stand-up comedy. It’s not theatre. It’s not …

Iron Kobra from Germany appeared in 2008 and have released a series of singles and one full length before this current offering. They introduce themselves on this album with an intro about playing on 10 – it sets the scene perfectly for what can only be described as a wild …

Welcome back Nuclear Assault! Even though it will be short lived (they are calling this the ‘Final Assault’ tour), the New York based thrash metal legends have reformed for their 30 year anniversary and released Pounder. This blistering 4 track E.P and 2015 tour dates including a main stage slot …

The Fifth NLC/Rockin’ For The Children Festival took place at The Maze, Nottingham over May Day Bank Holiday Weekend 2015. This now annual event is organised by David Tonge (AKA Big D) and his family and friends with a lot of time and hard work going into the organising. Last …

The night opened with Irishman Miles Graham.  He performs doing vocals and playing acoustic guitar, and has two musicians with him, one on the Cajon (a box shaped drum that the drummer sits on as he plays), and one on bass.  His set is very good – a classic singer-songwriter …

Over the last couple of years, earMUSIC have released several live albums from Deep Purple – “Paris 1975”, “Copenhagen 1972”, “Stockholm 1970” and “Graz 1975”.  Now the band’s show at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California, on July 30, 1971 is being released.  The concert features the Mk II …

British band Triaxis are about to release their third album – Zero hour.  The album was recorded following a Pledgemusic campaign to raise the funds, and which reached its goal on the day the campaign launched – such is the support the band have from their fans.  The band’s first …

British band RavenEye may be a new name to many, but fans who saw Blues Pills on their latest UK tour will have seen RavenEye supporting them.  I saw their set in London and was really impressed, so the fact they’re releasing an EP in May is good news. RavenEye …

Italian band Secret Rule are a fairly new band, only forming at the start of 2014, but little more than a year later, they’re already releasing their debut album – Transposed emotions.  In addition to writing and recording an album in little more than a year after forming, they’ve also …

This year has already been a great year for fans of the Blues or Blues-Rock, but it still manages to keep on getting better, and the new album from King King definitely raises the bar for rivals to match.  Their great live performances on their recent tour have set expectations …

  The continual evolvment and progression of Metal in general, never ceases to amaze me, to such an extent, that these days, you need an abacus to count the number of genres and sub genres that exist. Therefore, when I read the term Modern Metal crossed with Hardcore and Electronic, …

May 11th 2015 will see the official release date of the long awaited debut album from Wrexham based Defy All Reason. Early promise was shown by a 4 track E.P Every Second Counts but they have now matured into a force to be reckoned with. 13 tracks at a running …

The night kicked off with Tristan Mackay, a solo performer and former busker. He plays with an acoustic guitar and uses a device to record short bits of playing then replay them in a loop which means he’s able to play more complex stuff than if he just used the …

Tonight’s gig opened with Dutch band Stream of Passion, who are supporting Anneke van Giersbergen on this Gentle Storm tour, and two of the members also perform on stage as Anneke’s band. Stream of Passion are a band I’ve seen several times and they always impress.  Singer Marcela Bovio has …

Rebellion, is a small bar/venue/nightclub on Whitworth Street Manchester, near to Deansgate Rail Station and Deansgate Locks and conveniently close to Manchester’s tallest building Beetham Tower, which houses The Hilton Hotel (should you wish to stay there for a rocking night out), although having spotted the picture of the accommodation …

First up tonight was The Pearl Harts.   Unusually, they’re a two-piece band – other than the Graveltones they’re probably the only two-piece I’ve seen. Unlike the Graveltones, both members of the Pearl harts are petite ladies. They took to the stage in front of a very quiet venue, but …

The night kicked off with 2 cards of 25, a London based Hard rock band.  It’s certainly an unusual name which presumably has some meaning, but ignoring the name, what you have here is a very good hard rock band.  Singer Diego Gutierrez has a good voice, and is helped …

Spin is the fourth album from Romeos Daugher.  It seems hard to believe but it’s 27 years since the release of their self-titled 1988 debut album.  Sadly the band split in the early Nineties, but happily reformed a few years ago and released the excellent album “Rapture”.  Now three years …

Tonight’s gig was the first time Blind Guardian had played the UK in just under 5 years, so it’s no surprise that there’s a good turnout tonight.  While it’s not sold out it’s clearly not far off that judging by how packed the place is. The night opened with Israeli …

Ben Poole was a name that had crossed my ears recently and so I was looking forward to catching him tonight at Shepherd’s Bush Empire. He sings with a smooth caramel vocal and plays mellow songs with that trusty blues nod of the head. He dedicated ‘Time Might Never Come’ …

Dirt Box Disco who, in their own words, describe themselves as ‘Born in the UK from the malfunction of a terrible musical chemical laboratory experiment!‘ release their fourth album ‘Only In It For The Money’ via STP Records on 19th April 2015, with a series of album launch shows this weekend. …

Kiske-Somerville is the collaboration between former Helloween singer Michael Kiske (now with Unisonic) and Trillium singer Amanda Somerville.  Both singers have also worked with Avantasia as well as separately on various projects.  The pair released the album “Kiske/Somerville” back in 2010, and finally found time in their schedules to get …

The Quireboys released their ninth studio album ‘St Cecilia And The Gypsy Soul’ via Off Yer Rocka on 30 March 2015. They head into their fourth decade by bringing out this Four CD deluxe edition, which was preceded by the release of the ‘Gracie B’ EP on 16 March 2015. Whilst this is …

First tonight was Joanne Shaw Taylor, a performer who has headlined this venue herself just a few months ago, but tonight is supporting the legendary Robin Trower.  As a result she has a shorter set than usual and so the set contains less from her new album than normal and …

Welcome once again to the weird but wonderful world of Birmingham based Captain Horizon! This new single is a stunning taster lifted from their forthcoming album ‘Imitation Sun’, due to be released via Rocksector Records on May 11 with an album launch event on May 22 at the Birmingham Academy …

It’s only around 18 months since The Crunch released their debut album, but they’re now back with their second album – Brand new brand. In case you haven’t heard anything about The Crunch, the band itself may be fairly new but the members are all experienced musicians- Sulo Karlsson (Diamond …

Tonight’s gig was the start of the first UK tour for U.D.O in many years – in fact I can’t even remember when they last came to the UK.  Happily though former Accept vocalist Udo Dirkschneider has managed to bring his band to the UK, and he’s brought a couple …

I first came across Bulletproof Rose when I saw them supporting Dave Evans at The Towler in Tottington in June 2013. I was instantly hooked and, impressed by their raw and energetic performance, have seen them several times since, with a few line-up changes along the way. Bulletproof Rose have …

Swedish Hard Rockers Hardcore Superstar release their latest album ‘HCSS‘ via GAIN Music Entertainment on 22nd April. With ten albums already under their belts (or braces in Jocke’s case) including the 2011 compilation album ‘The Party Ain’t Over ’til We Say So’ since they started the band back in 1994, that’s …

Germany’s Messenger return with an eight track album of original tracks and covers, delivered in the classic Heavy Metal style, and with the subtlety of a brick. For a start, Siegfried Schüssler has the most Metal of Metal voices anywhere on the planet, when this guy screams, windows shatter and …

Acid King have been about since 1993 but have quite a sparse catalogue. This being only their 4th Full Length in all these years. Led by the formidable Lori S the band has been through quite a few bass players including Guy Pinhas of Goatsnake and The Obsessed fame amongst …

The new Whitesnake album is an album of Deep Purple covers.  It’s not just any old Deep Purple songs though, it’s songs from the three albums that a young David Coverdale sang on – “Burn”, “Stormbringer” and “Come taste the band”.  David Coverdale describes this album as a tribute to …

When Adrenaline Mob released their latest EP Dearly Departed in February via Century Media, no-one can have foreseen that drummer A J Pero would tragically be found dead (further information here) on the tour bus in the middle of a tour the following month, and therefore the poignancy of the …

Normally when you have a midweek gig in London, the first band plays to a half empty venue, but when the doors are an hour earlier than usual then its usually an almost completely empty venue, so it was a surprise tonight to arrive at the venue to find a …

The resurgence of NWOBHM has resulted in bands who fell by the wayside back in the day to give it another go and the latest welcome addition is Suffolk based Trespass . This new release consists of 10 re-recorded tracks originally written between 1979-1982. They never got to release an …

The support act tonight was Niall Kelly and his band.  Nially Kelly plays guitar and sings and is backed by his wife on violin and vocals plus a guitarist, bassist and drummer.  By the time they start, not long after the doors open, the venue is already fairly busy and …

This beauty has been out for a couple of weeks now but I just could not let it pass by without inking a few lines with the quill. Sweden has always produced cracking bands in the past, from all genres but Doom being my personal passion, I was drawn like …

Last of The Dogs are an Indie Rock band from Crewe, Cheshire. They are holding an album launch party for their debut E.P. Evil Never Sleeps this Saturday (28th March) at Percy’s Cafe Bar at the Star Hotel, Whitchurch. This is a free entry show with a guest band, food …

Situated off the beaten track, the courtyard outside the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham is certainly one of the few places I don’t mind queueing to get into a show. With a few benches, umbrellas with patio heaters and the public bar everything adds up for a relaxed atmosphere leading up …

The Jury And The Saints from Auckland, New Zealand (NZ) who describe themselves as ‘Monster Rock from Aoteoroa‘ (which is the Maori name for NZ) released their self-titled second album via SPV on 2nd March 2015. Formed by Jesse and Rowan as a two piece in 2009 they toured hard but …

I saw Bad Touch about eighteen months ago when they supported The Quireboys at Club Academy, Manchester (reviewed here). They have been out on tour supporting The Answer on their ‘Raise A Little Hell Tour’ and I caught the gig at Sheffield Corporation last night. Mark Ashby for PlanetMosh reviewed …

It is hard to believe that it is 33 years since I heard the news of Randy Rhoads’ death in a tragic plane crash on Friday, March 19th 1982 on Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show on B.B.C Radio 1. I never got to see him play as even though I …

Tonight’s gig was at Oslo.  No, not the Norwegian capital – it’s actually a music venue in London.  It’s a similar size to the Barfly and being located right next to Hackney Central station it is a bit further out than most of London’s popular gig venues so I was …

A small slice of Swedish rock came to Manchester last Saturday. Hardcore Superstar fresh from an appearance at Hard Rock Hell United in Wales on Friday 13th brought their ‘When We Touch The Sky Tour 2015’ to Manchester Club Academy. With Bonafide and NitroDive as support. The problem with playing …

Things haven’t gone smoothly for The Agonist’s latest tour.  It was originally supposed to be supporting Otep but they pulled out so The Agonist took over as headliners and brought a couple of other bands along on the tour.  Last time they played in London the Garage was only around …

Tonight was the first night of Joe Bonamassa’s four night run at the Eventim Apollo (or as Joe put it – “it’s the Hammersmith Odeon”).  It’s not sold out, but isn’t far off – which is pretty impressive for a Blues artist as not many could sell enough tickets to …

I’ve been very lucky recently, in that last month a friend won tickets to see Thunder play an acoustic show at PMT (which stands for Professional Musical Technology) store in Manchester and then only last week another friend, Arwel, won tickets for the Black Star Riders acoustic show at the …

Formed in Whitby in 2003 and now based in Leeds utoXator release their second E.P. ‘Songs From The City …Tales of Our Sea‘ via Rock Paper Scissors records on 21st March 2015 with an official launch party at The Key Club, Leeds in association with Slam Dunk that day (details …

Tax the heat were the first up on this all-British bill.  The Bristol band have a very smart image with their suits – something you don’t see very often, with Joe Bonamassa being one of the few other acts to dress in a suit on stage. The band have a …

Knock Out Kaine, a four piece Rock band from Lincoln, released their second album ‘Rise of the Electric Jester’ on 2nd March, with an album launch show in their hometown of Lincoln. The first night of their UK tour (see poster and any additional dates here) took place at The Salutation …

The Amorettes had the job of opening the bill on this tour.  It must be a fairly daunting task opening for two bands of this calibre, but these Scottish ladies showed no sign of nerves as they took to the stage.  It’s a good sign that the venue was already …

Nightwish are set to release their eighth studio album, “Endless forms most beautiful” on 30th March in the UK (three days earlier in Europe).  As the first album since Floor Jansen replaced Anette Olzon on vocals there has been a huge amount of speculation about the album.  I was lucky …

The most striking thing about this band is the fact they are not American. Formed in Sweden in 2007 the band have taken aspects of all the different scenes within the USA from the 80s, mashed them together to come up with a fun and vicious record. Throughout this album …

This is a timely release as it is made up of 2 previously released EP’s that were available only to fan club members and from the band’s official website which sold out fast . The 11 tracks here are compiled from ‘The Wild Cat Sessions’ from 2010 and ‘The Spellbound …

Formed in Sweden back in 2004 and to date released one full length album back in 2007 and now this EP. There is not an awful lot of information of what they have done in the interim. This EP contains five tracks which kicks in with the high energy “Forever …

Tonight’s gig was billed as An evening with Night Ranger, and is the first time they’ve been to the UK to do more than one show – as well as tonight’s gig they are also appearing at the HRH United festival in Pwllheli at the weekend.  Tonight’s gig has no …

Valentine’s Day loomed bright but breezy in Carlisle and after a day opening all my cards, erm make that looking round Carlisle Cathedral, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, the market  every charity shop I passed and several fine cafés I’d built up an appetite for Rockmantic 3, Day 2. …

Tonight’s gig kicked off with support act Snow White’s Poison Bite.  Even before they start to play, they seem like an obvious choice to support Wednesday 13 as they take to the stage with the faces painted as skulls, so they fit the night’s horror theme.  Once they start to …

First up tonight was Laurence Jones, a very young (21 years old) blues guitarist.  I saw him support Joanne Shaw Taylor at her album launch last year and was impressed by his short acoustic set.  Tonight was a ful eletric set and he was accompanied by his producer, Roger Inniss …

I last saw the Quireboys in November last year which was a plugged in gig. It was a high energy show as always but their latest UK tour is an acoustic affair minus Dave Mc’ Cluskey on drums and Nick Mailing on bass guitar but the Live Rooms gig last …

First up were Starset.  The centre of the stage was taken up by a large glass touchscreen with various audio controls that the singer used.  The band are very striking visually – apart from the singer the rest of the band were in black outfits that looked like lightweight versions …

It’s only around 18 months since The Crunch released their debut album, but they’re already gearing up to release their second album in April.  Ahead of the release of the album they’ve released the first single from the album – Neon Madonna. In case you missed hearing about The Crunch …

Joe Bonamassa is back with another new release – a live release that is coming out in various formats – a Double CD, or 2 DVD, Bluray or 3 x LP.  You may be wondering what sets this release apart from other Joe Bonamassa live releases, but as always he …

Tonight was the second night of Within Temptation’s Hydra Theatre tour which started a few nights earlier in Almere.  As with previous theatre tours, the only dates are in the Netherlands – partly due to the fact the tours require a proper theatre rather than standard music venue. Why? Well …

The old saying of good things come to those who wait can certainly be applied to Mansfield based Sparta and their fans as it has taken almost 35 years for their debut album Welcome To Hell to see the light of day. Formed in 1979 by guitarist Tony Foster, they …

Arriving shortly before the doors open on this cold Friday night, there were already a handful of folks waiting outside in the patio area beside the Nottingham Rescue Rooms main entrance. As the door time came and went, accompanied by the rumblings of a sound-check from deep within the venue, …

First up tonight were SHVPES (who were formerly known as Cytota).  They kicked off as they meant to go on, with a fast heavy set (basically hardcore).  The shouting style vocals and lack of any noticeable melody meant I wasnt over-impressed by them, and clearly the crowd thought the same …

Robin Trower has been making music for over fifty years, first finding fame as a member of Procul Harum (he joined shortly after the release of “White shade of pale”, and then under his own name.  That in itself tells you a lot about what to expect – people don’t …

When the Scorpions announced their retirement way back in 2010, the band let alone their fans would never have dreamed they would still be here in 2015 celebrating their fiftieth anniversary! Better still was the news of a new Scorpions album, Return To Forever to be released. It all started …

  American based solo project, Lamentations Of The Ashen return with a thunderous four track epic amalgamation of Funeral/Classic Doom and Black Metal that is as enjoyable as it is adventurous. One of the very few problems I have with the Black Metal genre in general, is that it can …

Rockmantic is becoming an annual event hosted around Valentine’s Day (hence the name) by Raz White. I went to Rockmantic 1 but couldn’t make last year. This year Valentine’s Day fell on on a Saturday so I was looking forward to a bit of Lurve as I braved the Friday …

Hailing from the depths of Lincolnshire Knock Out Kaine burst onto the UK rock scene at full throttle in 2012 with the release of debut album ‘House of Sins’. Followed up by an aggressive tour schedule with rock greats such as Love/Hate and Tigertailz plus an appearance opening for Status …

Two relatively new bands from Northern Ireland have come together to unleash this monstrous split vinyl onto an unsuspecting public. Nomadic Rituals released a full length “Holy Giants” last year which was well received and this one track “The Great Dying” is picking up where it left off. Its 2 …

From their 2006 beginnings as Reign Of Terror to a name change to Reign Of Fury leading to a two year split before reforming as a punk band called Ransom (featuring three current members of Reign Of Fury), their songs became more metal orientated so they reverted back to Reign …

Hailing from Greece, this fact you would grasp even before reading the accompanying text. This is a new duo being released on Iron Bonehead productions and this is the first demo tape. They are certainly paying homage to their fellow countrymen such as Rotting Christ and Varathon. Starting off with …

As I wait outside Camden Underworld to review and photograph Primitai, I notice in the back of my interview book I had written “Primitai, wish I had heard more” from when I first caught them supporting Edguy, thankfully I have got to see them a few times since and was …

This whole package is quite a mystery. No songtitles they are just labelled I and II, no country of origin, no pictures and no members names. The only information available is that it s coming out on Iron Bonehead productions. This leaves us with the music on its own merits, …

The Dreaming are an American industrial rock band who rose from the ashes of the powerhouse that was Stabbing Westward. Formed by lead vocalist Chris Hall and drummer Johnny Haro The Dreaming have two full length albums and a handful of EP’s to their name. Rise Again was titled by …

South African blues musician Dan Patlansky released his debut album in 1999 and is now releasing his seventh album, Dear silence thieves.  His second album saw him signed to a major label, and in 2006 he became just one of six musicians in Africa to receive a guitar and amp …

          I do not, as a rule, review albums that have been out for a considerable length of time, unless it is a classic Metal album from the distant past that is celebrating a milestone anniversary of course. However, in the case of Agatha’s “Gravis Atque …

Love them or hate them, Venom turned a lot of heads and eardrums around with their debut 1981 release of  Welcome To Hell and it’s follow up Black Metal in 1982. Although they were tagged in the NWOBHM genre they heavily influenced many thrash and black metal bands. Original guitarist …

“Where stories unfold” is the third album from Austrian band Illuminata.  They released their debut EP, “Lachrymal” in 2007 and in 2008 followed it with their debut album, “From the Chalice of Dreams”.  In late 2011 they released their second album “A World So Cold”.  Now at the start of …

It’s been a long time since Thunder last released an album – in fact it was a year before their farewell show.  Which one I hear you ask?  I’m referring to the 2009 “20 years and out” farewell shows as opposed to their previous attempt to retire.  Happily retirement didn’t …

British Singer-songwriter Ian Siegal has won seven British Blues Awards and has been nominated twice for the U.S Blues awards.  He released his first album in 2002, but it wasn’t till last year that he released his first live album.  Now he’s following it up with another live album.  Two …

British melodic metal band Control The Storm come from the South West of England.  It’s been 4 years since their demo disc was released, but now with a new singer they’ve finally got their debut album ready to release.  The album was produced by the band’s keyboard player Raedon Mac …

Tonight’s gig seemed to be a long time in arriving – I’d been hearing good reports for several weeks from friends who had been to earlier dates on the tour – this was a pretty long UK tour before the bands head over to Europe.  It’s a great lineup – …

This is the first of a set of special 20th Anniversary live releases. It is a recording taken from what has become amongst their fans in particular, a legendary performance by Gov’t Mule on 31st October 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The special edition CD box set …

When the NWOBHM came to be in the late 1970’s it brought forth bands of various rock/metal styles, some of which made the big league and some of which did not and split but reformed to give it another try. Birmingham based Quartz are a prime example of one of …

Spinefarm records are reissuing four albums by The Almighty under the ‘RE-F**KIN’-ISSUES banner.  Two albums are to be reissued on 9th February with the other two following later in the year.  As part of the Universal group, Spinefarm are re-issuing them as Deluxe editions and as with other Universal deluxe …

Spinefarm records are reissuing four albums by The Almighty under the ‘RE-F**KIN’-ISSUES banner.  Two albums are to be reissued on 9th February with the other two following later in the year.  As part of the Universal group, Spinefarm are re-issuing them as Deluxe editions and as with other Universal deluxe …

“T-byrds are go” is the debut EP from Australian band Tequila Mockingbyrd.  The name is a nice play on the famous novel by Harper Lee (To Kill a mockingbird).  Tequila Mockingbird are a three-piece all-female band from Melbourne, and play some great rock and roll.  While bands like Airbourne or …

Bast are a 3 piece from London who deals in Doom and suffocating atmospheres. They have been on the circuit now for 6 years and in that time have perfected their sound whilst supporting the likes of Ufomammut, Bong and more recently with Conan. “In the Beginning” plunges headfirst into …

Four piece, London based, metal band Savage Messiah were the opening act on Amon Amarth’s current UK tour. I headed down to the Manchester Academy 2 on a cold Sunday, and luckily found some free parking within a five minute walk. Just made it as I picked up my ticket …

Tonight’s gig was my first time since the work to upgrade the NIA had been completed.  Now named the Barclaycard arena – which is bound to cause confusion with the Genting Arena (the NEC), it’s looking a lot better and the facilities are certainly improved.  That’s lucky really as tonight …

StOp, sToP a Hard Rock/Glam Metal band, founded by front-man Jacob in Barcelona in 2009 and, now based here in the U.K. party hard and tour relentlessly. I saw them when they played at Rebellion Bar in Manchester last year and was pretty much blown away, so it was with …

Visigoth from Salt Lake City, Utah released an impressive mini lp in 2013 which was picked up by Sarlacc and the much respected Cruz De La Sur. This mini LP was filled with a traditional heavy metal attack that landed them a deal with Metal Blade who has released this …

    This debut full length album has been on my radar for some time, ever since I stumbled across the ‘Prophecy Of Doom’ 7” that surfaced a while back, I had been chomping at the bit to see whether this project could continue to evolve. A full blown band, …

Hyena, the fourth studio album by Cripper is so overwhelming I gave up taking notes about halfway through listening to it as it is almost impossible to describe these eleven tracks of an almost perfect mix of thrash and death metal. The focal point of the band for me is …

Unhold split up in 2012 after being together for 20 years. They released 3 full-length albums but it has been 7 years since the last release, so here they are back in 2015 with a new lineup and a most challenging affair of a new album. Most of the influences …

This split brings together 2 of the most oppressive sounding bands to come from opposite sides of the Atlantic. First up is Keeper who hail from California and bring to the table a 14-minute dirge “777” which has a slow punishing beat with a guitar riff that lurches along at …

Atlas Losing Grip a five piece Alternative Crossover Punk band from Sweden released their third album ‘Currents’ via Cargo records today (16th January 2015). Formed in 2005 ‘Currents’ marks their tenth anniversary. Atlas Losing Grip embark on the Currents European Tour 2015 Part 1 next week with support on many …

Tonight was my first gig of the year, and what a great way to kick the year off – three great live bands on one bill. First up were Finnish band Battle Beast here on only their second visit to the UK.  Last time they played London they gave headliners …

Wednesday 13 is back with a new album – “Monsters of the Universe: Come out & Plague”.  As always you’ve got their distinctive punk infused hard rock sound and themes of Horror, sci-fi and a bit of humour.  It’s a great sound – the closest comparison would be Alice Cooper’s …

Skarlett Riot are a hard rock quartet hailing from Northern Lincolnshire. Formed in 2010 they have built a reputation for a high energy live performance with solid recorded material to back this up. Following their well received 2013 album ‘Tear Me Down’, which contained a mixture of new songs and …

An adroit songwriter, Marilyn Manson takes song subjects that are poignant to him and moulds them into the gargoyles and angels that fill the musical cathedral that is his tenth album ‘The Pale Emperor’. It opens with the sense of going into battle with the solid electronic beats that continue …

Finnish metal band Battle Beast are back with their third album with the UK release being the same day the band play London alongside Sabaton and Delain.  Singer Noora Louhimo has a great voice – really powerful and perfectly suited to a traditional heavy metal style, but also capable of …

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 …

        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 …

  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 …

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.  …

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, …

On a particularly dark and extremely wet Glasgow evening the black clad masses ascended once more onto the streets of Scotland’s largest city for the one and only Kreator had arrived. German thrash at its best. Even though this would be my fourth time seeing them live it will be …

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 …