PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal

In March this year Joe Bonamassa played four special shows in four nights in London.  Each night was at a different venue and with a completely different setlist.  Each night had a different theme – the Shepherds Bush Empire show was the Blues night, the Hammersmith Apollo show was the …

Flying Colors, the group formed by Mike Portnoy, Steve Morse, Neal Morse, Casey McPherson and David Larue released their debut album in March last year, and for me it was one of the albums of the year – stunningly good stuff.  Later that year they toured Europe, and reports I …

I suspect many of the people reading this review weren’t even born when Leslie West played one of the biggest shows of his career, when in 1969 he played the legendary Woodstock festival as part of the band Mountain.  So he’s been around for a long time, but he’s not …

Some photos of Gloryhammer at the garage in London last week.

Photos of Tyr supporting Finntroll at the Robin 2 in Bilston on Friday night.

Some photos of Skalmold at the Robin 2 in Bilston on Friday night.

Some photos of Finntroll at the Robin 2 in Bilston on Friday night.

Just one month after the release of their third album – Spirit, Finnish Glam Rock band Reckless Love came over to the UK for a 9 date UK tour. The opening night conveniently (for me) being at Manchester Academy 3. Support came in the form of Australian born Laura Wilde …

Having released their excellent debut album in May – and despite vocalist Lyla D’Souza expecting her first child around the time of release – London quintet Kill For Eden aren’t hanging around with this hard-hitting triptych of an EP. The three songs are fiery and intense, filled with true rock …

In the 1990’s, if you were in a death metal band, you were well-off if you could claim Florida, New York, or Chicago as your hometown. Each locale had something distinct to offer – NY had it’s slam “NYDM”, Florida had bands who pushed the genre to greater extremes like …

Jesse Damon is a renowned artist as a solo singer, songwriter, and guitarist foremost, but has also been the front man for the hugely popular melodic hard rock act Silent Rage since the band’s inception back in the mid 80’s. Silent Rage had four critically acclaimed albums released, including the …

I recently caught up with 3 members from the band Attica Rage at The Classic Grand in Glasgow, before their performance for their 88mph tour. The band discuss the tour, festivals, trying to get a copy of their 88mph album around the world within 88 days amongst other things. Attica …

Yet another all-star project by Italian brothers Amos and Pierpaulo Monti, this time recruiting Wheels Of Fire vocalist Davide Barbieri to their ranks, along with a veritable who’s who of guests from the entire spectrum of the European AOR scene, this eponymous debut album is nothing more and nothing less …

True underground black metal bands used to pride themselves on a few things: sparse instrumentation, evil vocals, and what used to be termed “basement production”. True to form, but from 2013, we’re introduced to War Iron, a band from Ireland. Their EP, Of Prophecy And Alchemy, plods along in a …

Join the new wave of British Rock. The First, a band from Cambridgeshire, have released Take Courage, their 11-track second album. This is a melodic, hook-laden disc, rich with anthemic, catchy rock tunes. Widely compared to You Me At Six, the band channels influence from classic rock to power pop-punk, …

Ferocity, a Danish death metal band, focuses on truly ferocious vocals, thick buzzsaw stringwork, and solid percussion in a variety of tempos on their second and latest release, The Sovereign. Deep, guttural vocals are “mixed high”, tending to blot out what’s happening underneath. That said, the band seems to have …

London’s Superfecta, formed in 2011, have released their debut EP, a four-song effort titled simply The EP. Drawing influence or ‘mojo’ from bands such as Soundgarden, Alter Bridge, Stone Temple Pilots, or Alice In Chains, the modern rock or nu-grunge band focuses each song on a different classic hook of …

Caveat: don’t judge a band’s entire output based on one “free” song. This tune, “Everything I Am Not”, by West Yorkshire UK’s Down The Machine, sounds like a cross between industrial bands like Nine Inch Nails, grunge type outfits like Alice In Chains, and modern rock outfits like Audioslave. The …

The wolf pack head out on their Wolfsnächte European tour, establishing their dominant position within the power metal genre. Tonight is their only UK date at the famous Underworld venue in London. German band Majesty kicked the night off. Manowar style metal can be a bit cheesy (ok very cheesy at …

Tonight was a night I was really looking forward to. For Scottish grunge rock/metal band Afterlife showcasing new songs from their forthcoming debut album “Omega“. It would also be a night I was looking forward to see support act Christie Connor-Vernal perform with her new band, and not on her …