PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal

Download 2012’s horrendous weather had led to the year being described as ‘Drownload’, and as Saturday morning breaks it seems likely that this would head the same way; the rain isn’t as heavy but it’s no less relentless. That being said, the arena is open with time to spare before the …

Ahhh, post-festival blues, don’t you just love ’em? Download Festival 2015 has been and gone and for the 80,000 or so punters that attended, it’s back to society and the grindstone. But for those of you who can’t quite let it go yet, here’s the first day of the madness relived …

Baltimore, Maryland’s Hatebeak has released a new 14 track album, titled The Number of the Beak. The band’s music is highly experimental grindcore, noise, or even post-grind, with Waldo the African Grey parrot’s various noises used as ‘vocal samples’. Released through Reptilian Records, this is apparently a compilation of all …

When I was asked to review ‘Vibration of Sound’ by The Hicks I was intrigued by the description of an alternative/hard rock with a hint of reggae from Wigan, a town famous for it’s Pier and for being home of the annual World Pie Eating Championship.  These Hicks are not to …

The venue for this evening’s long-awaited return to Belfast by Pat McManus – it has been almost exactly a year since ‘The Professor’ last graced a stage here – is the basement of a pub situated in Belfast’s oldest known building, McHugh’s Bar.  Built back in the 17th century it, like …

PlanetMosh caught up guitarist Brian Tatler from Diamond Head during the band’s visit to Belfast this weekend.  We chatted to him about the band’s NWOBHM heritage, their relationship with Metallica, the recruitment of new singer Rasmus Bom Anderson, their imminent return to the studio to record the first album in …

Violent Restitution Razor where one of the first true underground bands that came to my attention on the classic Under One Flag release Speed Kills 2. Imagine a world where to your knowledge the heaviest metal there is was Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer, admittedly it was not a bad world …

Tonight’s gig kicked off with a set from the Dave Hanson band.  They’re a four piece band from Leeds, fronted by Dave Hanson on vocals and lead guitar, and play music that is fairly laid back – a mix of blues and funk.  It’s very good but did feel a …

Sorcerer Announced for Hammerfest 8 Sorcerer have been added to the bill of Hammerfest 8. The epic Swedish doom legends will join Exodus, Turisas, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Evile and a whole load more already announced plus tons more to be added to the bill. Check out the video for “The Dark …

Back in 2004, I had the pleasure of visiting Finland on vacation. On the night I arrived in the Helsinki hostel, I noticed a larger than normal number of heavy metal fans arriving back after a show. I asked one what gig they were at. The answer.. DIO at TUSKA. …

Ah well, here we are… it’s a Wednesday night here in Belfast and it’s officially the start of the week;  well, as far as Team PM is concerned anyway, with the prospect of six gigs over the course of the next five nights, starting with tonight’s long overdue return to …

Die No More a young four piece NWOBHM band from Cumbria formed in  2011, since then they have impressed people with their energetic live shows. They released self-financed, four track, début EP ‘Blueprint’ in 2013 which led to them being signed by Rocksector Records with whom they released their debut …

Ireland’s Shardborne has released a seven song instrumental opus, titled Living Bridges. Formed in 2010, Shardborne released Aeonian Sequence, its four song debut EP, in 2011. Living Bridges is an odd, instrumental hybrid of progressive rock fusion, djent, atmospheric extreme metal, and regular thrash metal. Like listening to a great …

It’s an earlier kick-off today at the Tuska Open Air Festival and even though the heavens opened and spilled their disapproval over Helsinki a few hours before the gates opened, it has cleared up and another pleasant day in the concrete cauldron is assured. First up, death metal “open-door supergroup” …

Summer is here and, as usual, Northern Ireland’s weather just doesn’t know what to do with itself, one minute it’s like being in the Bahamas, the next the Heaven’s open up.  This weekend in particular was a special one, with both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice happening where thousands …

“Mr. Falwell, you are not my god.” bluntly states Paolo Rossi, at the end of Wasted Youth‘s 1986 release, a six song EP titled Get Out Of My Yard!. Channeling classic punk rock in every sense of the phrase, this disc scratches an itch to hear genuine, vintage high-energy music, …

It hardly seems like less than six months ago that the Gasoline Outlaws came roaring out of nowhere and propelled themselves on to the Northern Ireland rock scene with furious intent.  A series of increasingly impressive live shows later, the quartet have now released their debut album, the massive sounding …

Recently I had the great pleasure of reviewing ‘Risk Everything‘, the latest album from songwriting legend Jim Peterik and – despite the pair initially meeting almost 40 years ago – his first collaboration with singer Marc Scherer. It was an even greater pleasure to be offered the chance to chat …

Wildfire Festival in Scotland have announced the set times and final line-up of this years festival. Featuring the Tygers of Pan Tang, Ten and Swedish rockers Coldspell as the headliners, also appearing on the final night are the legendary NWOBHM act Diamond Head. It’s all set to be a rocking …

I spoke to The Cadillac Three at Download to talk about touring, album plans and more….