Album Reviews

Love them or hate them  Airbourne are here to stay and if they keep making albums as strong as Black Dog Barking then their future is safe. I’ve been a fan since the release of Running Wild in 2008, seen them many times and they have always destroyed whichever indoor …

‘Tales’ is a Gothic masterpiece, one of the genres best albums of the year so far.   The bands roots lie within the beautiful borders of the Canary Islands, where their earlier recordings were a much more Doom Metal affair. Although  Tears Of Martyr have retained aspects of those earlier …

Japanese Metal is on the up and this band are at the forefront.   The internet can be blamed for a great deal of the worlds evils that’s for sure, however one thing it can be proud of is the not inconsiderable part it has played in opening the ears …

The night kicked off with Welsh band Revoker.  With their gear set up in front of the headliners the stage was very cramped – as the band came out I genuinely thought the guitarist was going to fall off the stage as he squeezed past the drumkit , it really …

For those of you who havent heard of Damaged Stock before, it’s an all-day charity festival held at Rock City’s Basement in Nottingham to raise funds for Epilepsy Action.  It’s organised by a bunch of escaped lunatics (or Evil Scarecrow as they prefer to be known) and their Manager Jennifer …

Symphonic metal band Suncrown are one of the new breed of bands who’s members have never met.  They got to know each other over the internet, and with the benefits of modern technology recorded their parts separately before they were all mixed together.  It’s an approach that is getting more …

Finnish band White Flame formed in 2002, and ‘Cougar’ is their third album.  Musically they are rock – some hard rock elements, and some more melodic.  Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Reckless love, Gotthard and The Electric boys are all bands whose names spring to mind while listening to this album – …

‘Backstabber’ is the third album from Finnish band Masquerage.  The band’s singer, Kimmo Peramaki was formerly with Celesty.  The band was founded in 2000 but it was only in 2004 with the addition of bass player Mikael Kontolampi that the lineup was completed.  The band describe themselves as Melodic Metal/Hard …

Arrow-Haze are a Belgian band who count Pink Floyd, Dream theatre and Queensyche among their inspirations.  Given that then you might expect their music to be firmly in the Prog-rock camp, but in reality it’s not quite that simple.  Yes there is a strong Prog element, but there’s also a …

‘The wake of man’ is the self titled debut EP from Melodic rock band ‘The wake of man’.  Having said that, listening to the EP I wouldnt describe them as “melodic rock” – that conjures up images of a much softer music, more like Foreigner, whereas The wake of man …

The Oxford Coma come from Phoenix, Arizona and describe themselves as “Progressive psychedelic grunge”.  The band formed in 2011, and in 2012 raised the funds to record their debut album via a Kickstarter campaign. Progressive Psychedelic Grunge is an interesting description and one that could mean almost anything really.  Listening …

,OakwindDark Radio was formed in 2010 by Diogo Ferreira and Flavio Silva but only finalised the lineup in 2012.  They’ve now recorded their debut album, Oakwind, and are planning to tour during the year. The vocals are great.  They’re very varied, at times reminding me of The Cult’s Ian Astbury, …

The Crunch may be a new name, but the members certainly aren't new to the music scene. Singer Soren 'Sulo' Karlsson was the singer with Blues-rockers Diamond Dogs, Bassist Dave Tregunna was in Sham 69 and Lords of the new church, Terry Chimes was drummer for The Clash, and Guitarist Mick Geggus was part of the Cockney Rejects.

Post Hardcore bliss, a musical experience not to be missed.   If you are a fan of the post hardcore, post rock, post metal scene and let’s face it, many of us are, myself included, then the choice of bands and different variations of the sub genres is pretty much …

In 2011 Blues-rock singer Beth Hart and Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa teamed up to record and release 'Don't explain', an album of Soul cover versions. They covered songs from artists including Ray Charles, Tom Waits, Etta James and Aretha Franklin. Now two years on they've teamed up again to release a second album of soul covers - Seesaw.

Black Metal with a melodic twist ticks all the right boxes.   The Polish Metal scene has always been a strong one generally speaking, even more so since Maiden played groundbreaking shows there way back in the 80’s. The country can now proudly boast a healthy crop of quality bands …

San Francisco Doom merchants deliver another slab of Retro magic.   One thing you can say about Doom is that it never has and never will go out of fashion, unlike certain other sub-genres of Metal I could mention, Grunge being the obvious. Of course, all things evolve and develope …

Once in a while an album will come along and completely blow me away with its sheer intensity. An album that strays away  from a collection of  songs  with the usual verse/chorus/verse/chorus/guitar solo etc.  Pelagial, the 5th studio album from Swiss based band The Ocean is definitely one of those …

Delain have enjoyed a very successful few years with their albums steadily increasing in popularity and their shows selling more and more tickets. They've also had problems - the changes at Roadrunner records saw their last album release being delayed much to the band's frustration. They've now signed to Napalm records, home of so many great female fronted bands, and their first release via Napalm is 'Interlude'.

From sunny California comes one of the finest and darkest albums of 2013. In ‘Opium Morals,SSOS may just have created one of the finest Black Metal tinged Doom albums of recent years. Seriously, this is an album that I can not and will not stop listening to. Ten tracks that …

Cheltenham Brit Rockers get ready to get your feet tapping with an extremely infectious E.P. With this six track E.P. set for release in May, along with a video and a U.K. tour in the pipeline it promises to see busy times ahead for the four piece. Firmly planting their …

After counting down for weeks, the moment had finally arrived. I was finally going to get to see Hypocrisy for the first time! I was probably more excited than a 5 year old at Christmas! Since the gig started at the most random time of 16:30 (what kind of time …

Sweden’s purveyors of  Doom Metal return on fine form. Formed way back in 1992, Memory Garden can hardly be described as new Doomers on the block, this album is actually only the fifth full length release from the band, although you can add a few E.P.’s and mini CD’s to …

The second day at the HRH AOR and Prog event started early as I was interviewing Arthur Brown two hours before the first band started.  Sadly that meant two hours less sleep than I’d have liked, but the early start was well worth it to chat to such an amazing …

This weekend was to see the first HRH AOR festival and the first HRH Prog festival.  Uniquely both events were being held at the same venue on the same weekend.  This sounded like a crazy idea at first, trying to run two events side by side, but the organisers had …

Tonight was a great lineup – Serenity who once again are playing London, and with them are Visions of Atlantis, here for their first ever UK show.  Both bands have new albums released around the day of the gig, so fans are expecting to hear some new material as well …

A triumphant debut album and one definitely not to be overlooked.   Formed in 2001, you might think it’s a really long wait for a debut release but the band have kept themselves busy by releasing a number of demos over the years, as well as gigging and building a …

Anvil began their comeback in 2007 with the self released album This Is Thirteen, the recording of which featured on their acclaimed film  The Story Of Anvil which introduced them to a completely different audience than  they are usually associated with. The doubters wondered if they could keep going as …

Black Magic, ancient rituals, demonic possession and witchcraft are the lyrical themes and signed to Hells Headbangers. Hailing from Poland Cultes Des Ghoules discharge a potent mix which channels the likes of Mayhem, Venom and Hellhammer but provide a denser sound and a wider range of ideas. Opening track “Idylls …

I have to be honest and say that until I was sent this album to review, I’d only ever heard two songs by the Spin Doctors – their two massive hits from the early ’90s ‘Two princes’ and ‘Little miss can’t be wrong’, both from the album ‘Pocket full of …

London band Skarthia decribe themselves as Melodic Death/Groove Metal.  It’s a good starting point to describe them but doesn’t really give a proper idea of how varied the music is – one of the inherent problems in trying to come up with a short genre description for a band.  The …

Jade Vine is a rock band from London that was formed in 2006 by brothers Constantine and Marios Magdalinos.  They toured as a duo for two years under the name “Uncaused Creation”.  In 2008 they were joined by two new members to become a four piece, and after a year …

Donovan’s Devils are a rock band from New Jersey that formed in 2011.  The band takes it’s name from a unit of the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in World War 2 that was commanded by General William Donovan and whihc became known as Donovan’s Devils.  One of the members …

Stonelake come up with the goods on an album not to be missed. Sweden has a damn fine habit of producing bands of high quality and that tradition is continued with Stonelake. ‘Monolith’ actually represents the bands sixth full length release but they may be a band who have slipped …

Tonight, for the second time in a week, Shepherds Bush Empire is playing host to a night of great blues music.  Last week it was Joe Bonamassa, and tonight it’s Eric Johnson.  Less well known in the UK than Joe Bonamassa, Texan guitarist Eric Johnson is here as the first …

The news that Alestorm’s Christopher Bowes had launched a power metal band got my interest straight away.  The thought of Alestorm’s humour being applied to power metal sounded like a perfect match – after all, a lot of power metal lyrics are cheesy and over the top.  With Gloryhammer, Christopher …

Requinox are a heavy metal band from Norway that was formed in 2010.  The members have all played in other bands before joining Requinox.  In 2011 they started touring, both around Norway and in Sweden.  In 2012 they entered the studio to record their debut album, and released ‘Through the …

Dutch band Gate 6 was formed in 2005 by Jan Koster and Tony ten Wolde, initially as a project but it quickly developed into a full band.  Before forming Gate 6 Jan played guitarist in Challenge and Isolation, while Tony played keyboards with Dutch prog band marathon, so as you …

Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, 3 piece blues rock band Blanco Diablo have penned 12 hard hitting numbers on their 3rd full length studio album Attack The Fire and when you have the legendary producer Chris Tsangarides in the driving seat then you can do no wrong! Attack The …

Seven Nails are a German Symphonic progressive metal band from Southern Germany.  The band formed in 2010 and by 2012 had finalised the lineup, and recording of their debut album, Factory of dreams, started soon after. Blending Progressive and Symphonic metal with female vocals, this is a recipe that should …

Imperial Age is the brainchild of Russian musician, concert promoter and martial artist, Aor (Alexander osipov).  Aor is the only permanent member of the band, with session musicians used for the recording of the album and for any live shows.  The process of writing and recording the album was begun …

Is there such a thing as a perfect gig? Well after going to them for over 30 years then this one was as close as you can get. A packed venue, a near perfect setlist ( The Wildhearts played the whole of their debut album Earth Vs The Wildhearts for …

Once you see the band Cough in the title you know that this is going to be nothing less than devastatingly heavy. Cough was formed in 2005 with the sole purpose of being the heaviest band from their area. To date they have released two full lengths, split with the …

I would be very surprised if the studio that the debut single by American band Pyrithion was recorded in is still standing judging by the 11 minutes of apocalyptic metal on show here as it crashes and thrashes at phenomenal speed. The studio is owned by Pyrithion vocalist Tim Lambesis, …

Billed as the “guitar event of the year”, Joe Bonamassa was back this week to trace his London gigging footsteps through venues of increasing size since 2006; starting at The Borderline on 26th March, followed by Shepherd’s Bush Empire on 27th, Hammersmith Apollo on 28th and The Royal Albert Hall …

‘Ethera’ is the fifth  album from Austrian symphonic metal band Visions of Atlantis.  I say Austrian, but like many bands they are international really – singer Maxi Nil for example is Greek.  Although this is their fifth album, it’s only the second with singer Maxi Nil, who joined the band …

 M.A.I.R was formed in Glasgow, August 2010. Their 1st ep followed a year later and since then one line up change with bassist Miranda Bradshaw being added brings us to the present day and the current release of 2nd ep Ear Ape Age. Available on digital download via iTunes it …

Tonight was the third of Joe Bonamassa’s run of four London shows within a week.  Each show is at a different venue, with different musicians involved at each and a different setlist at each show.  Having played the Borderline and Shepherds Bush Empire earlier in the week, tonight’s show was …

Toxic Holocaust formed in 1999 in the USA originally as a one man project in the shape of Joel Grind. The band were picked up on their third album by Relapse and to date have released four lps, four eps and contributed more tracks to splits and compilations that collecting …

An exquisite blend of Scottish poetry, imagery and hard hitting Metal. Before I began writing this review and whilst doing a bit of background research, I came upon the tag Heritage Metal, which for me was a new one, although you’ll probably say it’s a tag that’s been around for …

To say that Kent based metal band The Self Titled have had line up problems is a bit of an understatement. They re-formed in 2010, recorded and recently released their debut album Defaced but the line up that recorded it has undergone 2 losses since then. Lead vocalist Mark Campbell …

Opera Metal for the connoisseur. There comes from time to time an album that lands on your lap and hits you in a way that you were not expecting and I mean that in a good way. Formed in 2010, Molllust have chosen a pretty unique musical path by combining …

    Formed a mere blink of an eye ago in 2011, the Essex quintet announce their intentions to great effect with this 5 track E.P. The first thing that struck me on listening to this release was the high level of professionalism evident from a band so young. Every …

North Wales quartet return to pull the strings, delivering an album of pure quality. One of the most hotly awaited albums on the Welsh rock scene is about to see the light of day, so we thought we best check out what all the fuss was about by grabbing a …

Symbolic Revolver is a taster from the forthcoming studio album Campaigns Of Misinformation due in 2013 from St.Austell based metallers Antari. After numerous line up changes since their formation in November 2010 they are now ready to forge ahead and judging by the anger shown on Symbolic Revolver, it would …

Whats Left Behind, the debut album from Hamburg based band A Million Miles is a very very impressive piece of work to say the least, containing 11 tracks of varying styles but with their own stamp firmly in place. The vocals of Mona Miluski give the band an edge similar …

An album of extreme Metal to put at the top of your shopping list. Without doubt, Australia’s most extreme purveyors of Metal, unless you can tell me different of course, are back to pummel your audio equipment into submission with an album that is brutally unrelenting in its attack. Following …

French band Karelia was formed in 2002 and released their first album, ‘Usual tragedy’ in 2004. ‘Golden decadence’ is the band’s fourth album and was written after they toured with the Scorpions.  ‘Golden decadence’ was released in France in 2011 on Seasons of Mist, but is now finally getting a …

Flamenco-metal is what we have come to enjoy tonight, but not before we have taken the time to check out the other three bands on tonight’s bill at The Garage.   First up are Seven Deadly, a melodic thrash metal band. There are some familiar faces of metal in this …

Blues-Rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa is surely one of the hardest working musicians around – with ten solo studio albums in 12 years plus another five solo live albums, four Black Country Communion albums, an album with Beth Hart and appearances on numerous other albums, it’s amazing he has time to …

Former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach is releasing his first solo live album as a CD and DVD package.  Entitled “ABachalypse Now” it includes previously unseen footage from 2012’s GrasPop Festival in Belgium, the full Hellfest set from France and a remixed and remastered Club Nokia show from Los Angeles …

    Clutch move effortlessly through the gears before parking a big Rock N Roll truck , slap bang on your front lawn. Ten albums into a mighty fine career and Clutch sure as Hell show no signs of waning. In fact this is an album that will surely end …

First up tonight are a fairly small British band – Sacred Mother Tongue.  If you’ve never listened to them then you really should – as an indication of what to expect, their guitarist Andy James has been nominated for the Dimebag Darell Shredder award in this year’s Metal Hammer Golden …

First up tonight was Mia Klose. I’d purchased her album before Christmas and enjoyed her 80’s rock sound so was looking forward to seeing how she’d be live.   clearly a lot of other fans were keen to see her too as there was already a good crowd by the …

A sumptuous banquet of Gothic, Female Fronted Metal to satisfy the most ravenous of appetites. I had the pleasure of catching this band live some two or three years ago and was immediately taken by the epic Gothic tinged Metal on show, infused with an irresistible catchy element that was …

Tonight at the forum was the last night of the UK leg of UFO’s tour.  The British rock legends have Greek band 4Bitten supporting them on the whole of the European tour.  While I’ve seen UFO several times before and always enjoyed them, 4Bitten were a new band for me, …

Formed in 1982, Sodom have rightfully earned their place in the top 3 German thrash metal bands along with Destruction and Kreator. Destruction released Spiritual Genocide in Nov.2012 and Kreator preceded that with Phantom Antichrist in June. Both albums showed they were still on top form so it is left …

Being a Saturday the venue had a club night planned for after the gig, so, tonight’s gig started early – doors at 6.30 and the first band on stage just 15 minutes later. First up tonight were Skarlett Riot, a young band who had been due to play the after …

Immensely powerful debut album from an exceptionally talented band.   At last! A U.K. based Symphonic Power Metal band to rival the European hierarchy. The band gave us an indication of what potential lay within with the release of  ‘Shadow Symphony’, an E.P. which saw release in 2009. This album …

There must be something in the water in Glasgow judging by the recording of the Survival Of The Twisted ep by Lets Play God. 4 short, sharp pieces of feral metal are delivered with utter conviction. It will be released on March 14th 2013 and can be pre-ordered from LetsPlayGod.NET/Store. …

Arkham Witch are a British band formed in 2008 and features members of The Lamp Of Thoth. They describe themselves as “Old School Heavy Metal/Doom infused with Lovecraftian horror, tales of mighty Barbarians and festering evil superstitions!” an intriguing introduction. This is their second album and kicks off with “David …

An album of dark, bleak ambient Metal tones, coupled with Celtic imagery and storytelling make this one not to be missed.   Although this is the second full length release from F.T.B.O.A., I readily admit to it being the first occasion that our paths have crossed. The band name intrigued …

Texan guitarist Eric Johnson may not be as widely known in Europe as guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Steve Vai or Carlos Santana for example, but he is one of the world’s top guitar players, having been voted one of the 100 greatest guitarists of the 20th century by Musician …

Amaranthe’s second album can only be described as a complete and utter triumph.   Like many others around this shrinking globe, I was completely blown away and hooked by Amaranthe’s debut, a self titled monster of an album that came out in 2011. Again, along with many others I was …

Australian hard rock band ‘Destroy she said’ come from Melbourne and are here with their debut album. While Australian bands are often compared unfairly to ACDC, sometimes the comparison is very valid – take Airbourne as a perfect example.  Destroy she said are another Australian band that it is right …

Light among shadows are a symphonic metal band from the Southern part of Spain, although their singer, Tatjana Klee is German.  The band was formed in 2010 and released their debut EP, “At the gates of dawn” in March 2011.  The EP was well received and the band did a …

Swiss band Tempesta was founded in 1994 by Reto Thalmann, and released their first demo in 1995, and in 2002 released their debut album, ‘Platinum’.  Several albums have been released since then, and the band has played concerts supporting bands including ZZ Top, Good Charlotte, Krokus and Billy Idol. First …

The Distorted Waltz started out as a project when the members were at school.  It split before reforming a few years later and in 2011 started recording their debut album.  Due to studies the album wasnt recorded in one go, but was written and recorded over the course of the …

Melodic rock band Starfire come from Los Angeles and released their debut album, “Eye of the storm” in 2010.  They then followed up with three singles before releasing their second album, “Business affairs” in 2011.  September 2013 will see the release of their third album, “The way I am”. Brief …

Canadian band Inner Odyssey was formed in 2007, but it wasnt until 2010 that founder Vincent Leboeuf Gadreau managed to finalise the lineup.  Inner Odyssey signed with Unicorn records to release their debut album – Have a seat. Musically I suppose Prog metal is probably the most suitable description, but …

Dutch Prog band Illumion was formed in 2002 by guitarist Eveline van Kampen. In 2004 the band’s first three song demo, ‘Into the labyrinth’ was released, and this was followed two years later by ‘Into the labyrinth part 2’ which contained six songs including three covers. In 2009 the band …

“Welcome to a new age” declare Shai Hulud. A new age it might be but this band are old hands and show us in the opening lines of this new album the very sound that has gone on to influence so many of today’s bands. Despite their absence in recent …

Finland’s Gothic masters return with an album full of energy and passion.   Eternal Tears Of Sorrow must be doing something right, you don’t get to just short of 20 years in the business by luck alone. The band have been true to their Gothic roots throughout their career and …

Dream Evil, the 4th solo album by Ronnie James Dio has been given the deluxe edition treatment by Universal Music as they did last year with Ronnie’s 1st 3 solo albums Holy Diver, Last In Line and Sacred Heart. To some it may seem like a cash in as Ronnie …

‘Best Of..’ from one of Female Fronted Metal’s ‘best of’.   Launching a ’Best Of’ collection after releasing only three albums may seem a little strange but I guess it gives us a chance to take stock of what Imperia have produced so far, if nothing else. The band are …

Hailing from Salerno, Campania, Italy Heimdall give us their latest musings over their countries heritage, with the apt name of Aeneid. The first track on the album is named Prologue, which of course is an intro. This fades in with slow dramatic sounding trumpets and drums which builds up to …

North Wales Metal returns to warm your cockles.   Another night beckoned at the Railway Institute for what has now become a regular date in the local gig calendar. North Wales Metal is now pretty much established and gaining a reputation for showcasing local talent as well as drawing quality …

Uncompromising display of bludgeoning Death Metal from Danish female fronted Metalers.   Danish Female Fronted Metalheads Illnath return with their fourth full length album ‘4 Shades Of Me’, and what a resounding success it has turned out to be. Now, we all know that the tag ‘Female Fronted’ gets thrown …

Excellent E.P. from Yorkshire’s bright young stars.   Formed in the deep dark wilderness of Yorkshire, Waking Theo have just released this highly impressive three track E.P. With a full length album proposed for later this year, this could be seen as an appetite whetting for what is to come. …

Finnish power metal band Stratovarius are due to release their new studio album, Nemesis, on 25th February.  Fans have already had a taster of what to expect with the song “Unbreakable” having been released as an EP last month. Brief comments on a few tracks The opening to ‘Unbreakable’ with …

The Lidocaine is a rock/metal band from Finland.  The band formed in 2007 and in 2009 released their debut album, “Voices and noises of Kiling Koling”.  In 2011 they started work on their second album,  “On the road to Miero” which has just been released in February 2013. Brief comments …

Skadika are a metal band from Cologne, Germany.  The band was founded in 2005, and after evolving their musical style released their debut album, Winter, in 2010.  In 2012 the lineup changed leaving singer Jule as the only remaining founder member.  Since changing the lineup the band have recorded their …

Sink hail from Finland and have been torturing humans with their mix of black metal and drone for ten years. The band lurks somewhere in the dark reaches of your mind that is only presented when that blackened room is opened. This is an album that defies categorization. It is …

Northless immerse the soul in depressive Doom magic.   Northless really have an uncanny knack of being able to make Doom and Sludge sound even more intense and depressive than many others are capable of. This three track E.P. is a prime example of that, throwing out dark, malevolent waves …

Great White celebrated their 30th anniversary last year with a special gig at the Key club on the Sunset strip in Los Angeles.  The band formed in 1982 if you count back 30 years from 2012 but 1982 wasnt the start of the band.  The band really formed in 1978 …

Intronaut scale the heights and plant their flag firmly at the summit of Progressive Metal.       So here we go, it’s been what seems like aeons since ‘Valley Of Smoke’ hit the ground running back in 2010 but now Los Angeles post-prog supremos Intronaut are poised to unveil …

Bournemouth band Voodoo Vegas formed in 2006, and have spent the last few years touring as much as possible, both within the UK and in continental Europe, playing gigs in German, France, Belgium and Italy.  Last year they launched a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds to record their debut album.  …

Australian band Unitopia play Prog rock but with other influences.  The band formed in 1996 but it wasn’t until 2005 that they released their debut album – “More than a dream”.  Two more albums have followed since then (“The garden” and “Artificial”), and now we have a new album from …

My own chaos are a Canadian metal band from Vancouver.  The band was formed in 2008, and this is their debut album.  The album is a concept album.  Vocalist Connis Chaos talking about the album says “The album was written about my divorce and the emotional rollercoaster that goes along …

Lisbon based rock band Miss Lava released their debut EP in 2008 and their debut album (Blues for the dangerous miles) in 2009.  Since then they have toured extensively within Portugal and further afield including tours of the UK and the US.  Now they have released their second album – …

Swedish band Firstborn were only formed in January 2012, but within a couple of short months they were already starting to record their debut album, which saw the light in October 2012 – just ten month since the band formed which is pretty fast work.  The band are inspired by …

Faultless display of riff driven Rock, essential listening.   Do you remember that feeling you got as a kid, waking up on Christmas Day, running down the stairs, kicking the cat out of the way to get at the presents under the tree and then actually getting the present you …

Excellent album of Gothic tinged Rock, a real ‘must listen to’ record.    Formed in Finland a couple of years ago, this album actually represents the bands second full length release in that very short period of time. ’Back To The Zone’ however, is a lot heavier than its predecessor …

Tonight at the Asylum 2 we had three female fronted bands, all signed to the Rocksector label.  Aside from them being on the same label and having female singers they share little in common.  Incassum are heavy as f**k – melodic death metal being a good description of their music, …

A  sparkling gemstone of Progressive Metal brilliance.     If you can’t get inspired musically when you come from beautiful Rome then there really must be something seriously wrong with you. Founded in 2010 by musicians that are no strangers to the Italian scene, having played and recorded with various …

A pure Rock record of the highest quality.   At the risk of showing my age again, I remember those heady, trippy days of the mid 80’s and the effect a certain album called ’Electric’ by a certain band called The Cult had on my musical outlook and appreciation. In …

Groundbreaking and thought provoking Doom Metal, a real triumph. For a start, I confess that Doom Metal is my guilty pleasure, I’m never happier than when I’m miserable and wallowing in the pitiful depths of my own despair, which is why I leapt, albeit with a heavy heart and a …

Mortillery are a thrash metal band from Edmonton in Canada.  Their musical influences include Judas Priest, English Dogs, Warfare, Broken Bones, Iron Maiden, Crucifix, Slayer, W.A.S.P. Motorhead, Municipal Waste and early Metallica.  That “early Metallica” bit gives you a hint what the music is going to be like – as …

Exceptional release from an equally exceptional band.   American Operatic Metal band Upon Wings are about to unveil their four track E.P. to the world next month, so we thought we had better take a look at what all the fuss is about. For a start, the band definitely can …

In early 2012, Russian folk metal band Arkona celebrated their tenth anniverary with a special concert at the P!PLE Concert Hall in Moscow.  To make it really special they were joined by a 9-piece choir, a string quartet and 2 background vocalists.  The concert was recorded and is now being …

Lovelorn Dolls are a band from Belgium – home of great beer, great chocolate – and some great bands.  The band was formed by Ladyhell and Corpus Christi, and was initially called Lovelorn before becoming Lovelorn Dolls.  Ladyhell was formerly singer of Skeptical Minds from 2002 to 2007 and then …

From the ashes of Black Snake Moan come Jokers Hour, formed in March 2012 and  based in Winsford/Macclesfield. They are a 5 piece hard rock/blues band in their early to mid 20’s and at The Commercial Hotel in the quiet village of Wheelock in Cheshire last Friday they had the …

Death By Fire has its roots set so deep in the 80’s it should come with a free pair of white open topped trainers and drainpipe jeans! The 3rd full length studio release by Stockholm based metallers Enforcer is a short,sharp shock  of over the top metal mayhem. It reminds …

Steve Souza is back and  with a vengeance to show the young thrash metal upstarts how thrash metal should be done! At the ripe old age of 48 he has lost none of his venom and to use a song title from one of his previous bands,he still truly sounds …

Dante produce one of the finest Prog Metal albums you will ever hear.   Formed in 2006, Dante have previously released two albums to notable acclaim in their native Germany and beyond. ’November Red’ marks the bands debut release for new label, Massacre Records and a thoroughly accomplished and moving …

” A masterful fusion of old school Power and Thrash Metal, delivered with a bang up to date, cutting edge sound” Bursting forth from the cold Northern lands that are otherwise known as Alberta, Canada are Edge Of Attack, a five piece band that are about to shake things up …

Huldre produce an excellent Folk Metal record that is really hard to fault.     Folk Metal, Pagan Metal, call it what you will, the genre has continued to grow and develop over recent years, bands like Korpiklaani and Adorned Brood for example have all made their mark on the …

This Spanish band formed 2010 and this is their first official release. This manky low-fi black/death/doom on first listen is fuzzy and unintelligible. After a few listens the riffs start to appear from the sonic mist and the low growls. This band is coming from the old school and have …

Formed 2007 and hailing from Italy they have been a busy band with 10+ releases behind them. Here on offer is 80’s thrash with punk influences along the lines of Trench Hell and to a lesser extent the likes of Destroyer666. The production is excellent and the two 3 minute …

Crossfaith is a metalcore/hardcore/electronica band from Osaka, Japan.  Like many Japanese bands, Crossfaith sing in English.  The band was formed in 2006 and released their debut EP (Blueprint of Reconstruction) in 2008. They then released their first studio album “The Artificial Theory for the Dramatic Beauty”  in 2009, and their …