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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: SQUEEZE – Roundhouse, London, 22 November 2024
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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: KAT RIGGINS – Cry Out
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Album review: SLADE – Till Deaf Do Us Part, Live At The New Victoria
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Album review: SABATON – Heroes
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Album review: BIG WOLF BAND – A Rebel’s Story
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Album review: NEW DANCE ORCHESTRA – Electronica (feat. Geoff Downes/Anne-Marie Helder)
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Album review: SAVOY BROWN – Witchy Feelin’
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Features
Author Archives: Yiannis
Album review: VAINAJA – Kadotetut
Svart Records – Out Now. How I love discovering new bands; and I am especially referring to those which, though respectful of their musical influences, are not afraid to try to bring something new to the table. The latest such … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Death, Doom, Kadoetetut, metal, review, Vainaja
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Album review: DARK FORTRESS – Venereal Dawn
Century Media – Out Now. Ever since their first demo “Rebirth Of The Dark Age” saw the light of day back in 1996, German sextet Dark Fortress has been one of the most prolific entities in the international Black Metal … Continue reading
Album review: SOLSTAFIR – Otta
Season Of Mist [Release date 01.09.14] Iceland may be one of the most barren places on earth but the same cannot be said about its music scene – which is a rich gathering of like-minded and highly artistic people that … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Iceland, metal, Otta, progressive, review, Solstafir
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Album review: THE HAUNTED – Exit Wounds
Century Media [Release date 25.08.14] To lose one founding member may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness… Now, I am not normally in the habit of paraphrasing Oscar Wilde when writing music reviews but this … Continue reading
Album review: U.D.O. – Steelhammer Live From Moscow
AFM Records [Release date 26.05.14] It was thirteen years ago that ex-Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider recorded his solo band’s first ever live album in Russia and, if the AFM Records press release is to be believed, the very same logic … Continue reading
Album review: TUSMORKE – Riset Bak Speilet
Svart Records – Out Now. Some people may have all the luck in the world but then the majority of us have to try really hard in order to achieve our goals in life. Take Norwegian Folk Rock quartet Tusmorke … Continue reading
Gig review: SPOCK’S BEARD – The Dome, London, 18 September 2014
Support Act: The Sixxis Review and photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Over the last twelve years since I moved to the UK I have been to numerous gigs in many different venues around the country but both Tufnell Park and … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 18 September 2014, Alan Morse, album, London, prog, Progressive Rock, review, Spock's Beard, Ted Leonard, The Dome
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Interview with TOM S ENGLUND & JOHAN NIEMANN (Evergrey) – 22 August 2014
Less than a year ago, following another unwanted line-up change, Evergrey were on the brink of calling it a day. A few months later, Evergrey welcomed back in its ranks two of its most important old members and with their … Continue reading
Album review: THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – Magnolia
KScope – [Release date 15.9.14] Bruce Soord must have felt both pretty chuffed and stressed in equal measure the moment he realised the success achieved by The Pineapple Thief’s 2012 opus “All The Wars” – pleased because this album was … Continue reading
Interview with NIGE ROCKETT (Onslaught) – 4 August 2014
British Thrash Metal combo Onslaught are a band I have been supporting since day one, so reviewing their London show and interviewing their long term guitarist Nige Rockett was something I was looking forward to. While the former was achieved … Continue reading
Album review: TANKARD – R.I.B. (Rest In Beer)
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Looking at Tankard’s discography, one cannot fail but be impressed by the incredible consistency of this German outfit. Since their inception back in 1982, the German Weltmeisters of humour-driven Thrash Metal have been pretty much … Continue reading
Album review: OVERKILL – White Devil Armory
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Few bands have a work ethic and determination that is even remotely comparable to that of the New Jersey based Thrash/Speed Metal outfit Overkill. Even during the mid 90s, the time when Grunge’s dominance led … Continue reading
Album review: SEPTICFLESH – Titan
Season Of Mist – Out Now. When the members of the Symphonic Death Metal outfit Septicflesh (originally Septic Flesh) decided to call it a day back in 2003, there were quite a few of their fans, myself included, who truly … Continue reading
Interview with MICHAEL BASTHOL DAHL (Artillery) – 20 July 2014
Of the Thrash Metal bands that made their appearance in the early 80s, the one perhaps less deserving of the total lack of support provided by the music industry were the Danish quintet Artillery. Following a few well-documented break-ups and … Continue reading
Gig review: ONSLAUGHT – O2 Islington Academy, London, 20 July 2014
Support Act: Artillery, Nightlord, One Machine Review and photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis July is not the best of months to arrange a gig in London. This is the time of the year when most people are either counting their … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Gig reviews
Tagged 20 July 2014, gig, London, metal, O2 Islington Academy, onslaught, review, Thrash
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Album review: SABATON – Heroes
Nuclear Blast – Out Now When you are signed to one of Metal’s biggest record labels, your albums enjoy first class promotion around the globe by being made available in various lavish formats and the last major tour you undertook … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Heroes, metal, review, Sabaton
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Album review: VALLENFYRE – Splinters
Century Media – Out Now. The death of a loved one can be a devastating experience and there is no ‘right’ way of dealing with it. While some find solace in isolation, others do so in expression. Greg Mackintosh, guitarist … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Doom Metal, review, Splinters, Vallenfyre
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Album review: CRADLE OF FILTH – Total Fucking Darkness
Mordgrimm – Out Now. Long before enjoying the support of major labels like Sony and Roadrunner and headlining festival stages around the globe, Suffolk-based extreme Metallers Cradle Of Filth were just another UK band struggling to make ends meet. Their … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Cradle Of Filth, demos, metal, review, Total Fucking Darkness
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Album review: E-MUSIKGRUPPE LUX OHR – Spiralo
Svart Records – Out Now. Svart Records is an underground label from Finland whose support of the country’s local Metal scene is responsible, to a large extent, for the evolution of metal music in the land of a thousand lakes. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr, Finland, metal, review, Spiralo
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Album review: POSSESSION – Anneliese
Iron Bonehead / Invictus – Out Now. Possession are an underground Black/Death Metal quartet for which not much information can be found, other than the fact that they were first formed back in 2012 and that they are signed with … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Anneliese, Black Metal, Death Metal, Possession, review
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Album review: GRAVE DIGGER – Return Of The Reaper
Napalm Records – Out Now. With thirty four years of active service and sixteen studio albums under their belts, German Heavy Metal warlords Grave Digger would have been quite justified had they decided to start taking things easy. Rather than … Continue reading
Album review: ELVENKING – The Pagan Manifesto
AFM Records – Out Now. Even though they have been earning their chops performing Folk infused Power Metal for the last seventeen years, the members of Italian sextet Elvenking do not really perform the style of music that I would … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Elvenking, folk, Italian, Italy, power metal, review, The Pagan Manifesto
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Album review: SABBATH ASSEMBLY – Quaternity
Svart Records – Out Now. By all accounts, our world looked a far more spiritually uplifting and inviting place forty odd years ago – a period when art, philosophy and all other forms of human expression were experiencing a renaissance. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Review of album by metal band Sabbath Assembly called Quaternity.occult
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Album review: COLTSBLOOD – Into The Unfathomable Abyss
Candlelight – Out Now. Coming up with a fresh and unique musical proposition in this day and age is quite a challenging undertaking but nothing seems to be able to stop young bands like the Doom/Sludge Metal trio Coltsblood from … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Coltsblood, Doom Metal, Into The Unfathomable Abyss, review
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Interview with LARRY BARRAGAN (Helstar) – 12 June 2014
Larry Barragan, guitarist and sole founding member of the American Power Metal institution Helstar, has been living and breathing Metal since the band’s inception back in 1982 and his passion and love for the said genre is certainly reflected in … Continue reading
