PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal

  As a huge fan of Doom Metal I was really looking forward to hearing this album, after doing so I can state categorically that I have been blown away by the sheer power and atmospheric genius that eminates from each and every track. Red Moon Architect is the brainchild …

This debut album from sisters Sarah and Melissa Fontaine features a host of musicians gathered from the AOR fraternity and falls firmly into the Melodic Rock camp. It represents a very clever and thoughtful attempt at creating a foot tapping, sing along record and in places achieves it. Tracks such …

Shinedown are seemingly unstoppable this year. After a short UK tour in February followed by an appearance at Download Festival which was then followed with a full stretch of America as headliners for the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, they are back for another assault on the UK. Bringing along …

Not many bands can say it’s taken eight years between debut and sophomore album but Finnish metallers Wintersun have finally returned with the first part of their epic concept album, Time. It’s something akin to a fantasy soundtrack and wouldn’t sound out of place as the musical backdrop to the …

  Dust Bolt are a mighty Thrash band from Germany. Formed in 2006 Violent Demolition will be their first album released under Napalm Records. Being quite a thrasher myself I am looking forward to this. As usual I am going to admit that it is very likely that I will …

Nightwish - O2 Academy, Birmingham - 6th November 2012

Nightwish Photos - O2 Academy, Birmingham - 6th November 2012

When Magnus Pelander founded WITCHCRAFT back in the year 2000, he just did so to record PENTAGRAM tribute album. It took until 2002 for the band to finally released their first single. Enter 2012, the band has found a new home with Nuclear Blast records and sees the release of …

Portugal’s Enchantya deliver a superb debut album to rock your socks off.     Formed in 2004 when vocalist Rute Fevereiro decided to take a break from Portugal’s first all female Metal band ‘Black Widow’. The early days saw a demo (Moonlighting The Dreamer) released in 2005 and then following …

How has touring been going so far? Matt: Surprisingly good so far, people are still showing up so that’s good. Ol: There’ve been more people than we would have expected so can’t complain there. Matt: In Belfast people were saying ‘aw Belfast not the best for gigs and there aren’t …

A slightly later departure from the bus pick up point on the Sunday…9.30am! Which considering we hadn’t gone to bed until gone 2am was a bit of a struggle, although as it’s the one and only bus to the festival, we sure as hell weren’t going to miss it. After …

On 23 October I headed down to the Electric Ballroom in Camden to watch what would turn out to be by far one of the best gigs I have been to this year.  I was totally enthralled from the word go! But before the night of metal commenced, I sat …

The final band night of the year for North Wales Metal saw us once again gathering at the Railway Institute in Bangor. A venue that from the outside may look a bit ‘tired’ but is actually a cracking little place, nice tight stage, really good acoustics, oh and a cheap …

You can’t help but feel sympathy for the Iron Knights, formerly Stuka Squadron. Just on the cusp of the release of their new album everything went to hell in a handbasket as a major fallout in the band saw the departure of co-founder Lord Pyre and subsequent mud slinging led …

Female fronted, French melodic metal band Venturia haven’t exactly had an easy time of it over the last couple of years. An unfortunate series of line-up changes (sometimes due to circumstances plainly  beyond their control) have meant that putting music out there has been a difficult task for the band. …

The song ‘Cat’s In The Cradle’ carries a particular resonance for Northern Ireland rock fans.  While, almost exactly 20 years ago, our counterparts in the rest of the world were propelling Ugly Kid Joe’s cover of the Harry Chapin ballad back into the upper reaches of the charts, the government …

London based Lynchpyn,having only formed  in May 2012 are already looking to be a fine metal band judging by the quality of their new cd single Drop The Blade. An album is being recorded with a possible release in Feb. 2013 which should be one to definitely look out for! …

Last Wednesday saw the annual arrival of Halloween, one of my favourite holidays, so once again I happened upon Camden Town for a spot of gig’age.  Now this being the night when the veil is at its thinnest and the ghouls, monsters and freaks come out to play, one might …

First up tonight was Jordan Reyne.  Until I arrived at the gig I had no idea if there was going to be a support act – while the Leeds gig had two support bands announced well in advance, there was no such announcement for the London show, and the venue …

Tonight’s lineup started with Duff McKagan’s loaded. I hadnt listened to anything by them before so was looking forward to seeing them. I have to admit to being slightly sceptical though – when a band needs to rely on the name of one of the members then that’s usually not …