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Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review: ONSLAUGHT – Generation Antichrist
AFM Records [Release date 07.08.20] When, on the 29th of April this year, the British Thrash metallers Onslaught announced that singer Sy Keeler had decided to once more part ways with the band, I felt pretty sad indeed. The band … Continue reading
Album review: HAKEN – Virus
Inside Out [Release date 24.07.20] Following the release of their fifth studio album “Vektor” back in October 2018, the members of the British Progressive Metal sextet Haken have rightfully been in the receiving end of various rewards and accolades. For … Continue reading
Album review: PARADISE LOST – Obsidian
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 15.05.20] Creating an album whose compositions are fresh-sounding, well-balanced, expertly-performed and capable of causing high levels of excitement with every new spin is a pretty hard task for any band to achieve in the year … Continue reading
Album review: KATATONIA – City Burials
Peaceville Records [Release date 24.04.20] When, on the 28th of February 2020, I visited the “Gagarin 205” club for the purpose of attending what can only be described as an outstanding performance by the Prog Metal quintet Katatonia, never in … Continue reading
Album review: DYNAZTY – The Dark Delight
AFM Records [Release date 03.04.20] Dynazty’s first three albums culminated in the stirring melodic rock of “Sultans Of Sin” in 2012. By 2014, they had radically recalibrated their sound, trudging through the bland power metal of “Renatus” (2014) and “Titanic … Continue reading
Album review: INTENSE – Songs Of A Broken Future
Pure Steel Records [Release date 27.03.20] It has been nearly nine years since we last saw an album from Intense, during which time they have been busy inside and outside of the music scene (see interview below). The album was … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions, Interviews/Rock Stars, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews, Pure Metal/Gig reviews, Pure Metal/Interviews
Tagged album, Intense, Karl Groom, melodic metal, metal, power metal, prog metal, review, Songs Of A Broken Future, Threshold
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Album review: ABSOLVA – Side By Side
Rocksector Records [Release date 18.10.19] Absolva formed from the ashes of Fury (UK) in 2012, featuring Chris Appleton (vocals, guitar), Luke Appleton (guitar, vocals), Martin McNee (drums) and bassist Karl Schramm, who joined the band in 2014. The band also … Continue reading
Album review: RAGE – Wings Of Rage
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 10.01.20] Every family has a black sheep. That one relative who never gets invited to Christmas lunch. Rage are that family member, the unhinged uncle who is usually locked in an attic or roaming around the woods. … Continue reading
Album review: METAL CHURCH – The Elektra Years 1984-1989
Cherry Red Records [Release date 28.02.20] Before Kurdt Vanderhoof went off to invent a new genre with his band, Hall Aflame, in 1991, he released 3 albums with his startup venture, Metal Church. Cherry Red Records have bundled these into … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews, Reissues
Tagged album, box set, Cherry Red Records, classic metal, David Wayne, Keith Howe, Kurdt Vanderhoof, metal, Metal Church, review, The Elektra Years 1984-1989, thrash metal
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Album review: ROSS THE BOSS – Born Of Fire
AFM Records [Release date 06.03.20] Just when you thought that there was no band more ‘metal’ than Manowar or Judas Priest, along comes Ross ‘the Boss’ Friedman and his crew to combine elements of both and more to provide an … Continue reading
News: MARILLION, NICK MASON, STYX, BLUE OYSTER CULT (February 2020)
Marillion release an expanded version of ‘Script For A Jester’s Tear’ on April 3 as a 4CD/Blu-ray package and on 4LP. Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets will release ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ (2LP, 2CD/DVD and Blu-ray) on April 17 through … Continue reading
Album review: SONS OF APOLLO – MMXX
Inside Out [Release date 17.01.20] Second studio outing from the prog metal supergroup Sons Of Apollo who consist of vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, bassist Billy Sheenan, guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, drummer Mike Portnoy and on keyboards Derek Sherinian. Sons Of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Billy Sheenan, Bumblefoot, Derek Sherinian, Dream Theater, Guns 'N' Roses, Jeff Scott Soto, Journey, melodic metal, metal, Mike Portnoy, MMXX, prog metal, progressive, review, Sons Of Apollo
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Album review: SERENITY – The Last Knight
Napalm Records [Release date 31.01.20] Austrian symphonic metal band Serenity are back and I seemed to have missed 2017′s ‘Lionheart’, having enjoyed the previous year’s ‘Codex Atlanticus’. That’s the trouble sometimes with so many bands around it is hard to … Continue reading
Album review: KOBURG – Position Of Power
Bandcamp [Release date 01.01.20] It sounds like a fairy tale but, at the stroke of midnight, as the old year passed into the next decade, a new Queen was crowned. Now, America has Amy Lee, Holland has Floor Jansen, Sweden … Continue reading
Album review: MOB RULES – Beast Over Europe
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 13.09.19] Germany has long been a hotbed for rock and metal, with the Scorpions, Accept, Doro and Bonfire leading the way and the huge Waken Open Air festival bringing Teutonic thunder to the world. Celebrating their 25th … Continue reading
Album review: ANVIL – Legal At Last
AFM Records [Release date 14.02.20] It’s impossible not to love Anvil. Sure, prior to the 2008 ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ documentary they were just scratching a living, playing anywhere and everywhere that would have them but that film was … Continue reading
Album review: POSSESSED – Revelations of Oblivion
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 10.05.19] If you were told to imagine how a Possessed album would sound given the circumstances, no matter how vivid of imagination one may have, there is now way that this outcome could have been … Continue reading
Album review: XENTRIX – Bury The Pain
Listenable Records [Release date 07.06.19] To me, Xentrix has always been the leading UK thrash metal band back in the day. When it comes to having the whole package meaning musicianship, compositions, ferocity, melodic lines they came up on top … Continue reading
Album review: DEVIN TOWNSEND – Empath
Hevy Devy/Inside Out [Release date 29.03.19] Devin Townsend has rested his Project and with ‘Empath’ we have his first solo album since ‘Ziltoid’. Guests include regular contributor Anneke van Giersbergen, Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, Frank Zappa alumni Mike Keneally as music … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Anneke van Giersbergen, Casualties of Cool, Chad Kroeger, choral, classical, Devin Townsend, Empath, folk, melodic, metal, Nickelback, progressive, review, rock, Solo, Steve Vai, Strapping Young Lad, symphonic
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Album review: AVANTASIA – Moonglow
Nuclear Blast [Release date 15.02.19] ‘Moonglow’ is the eighth full-length album by Tobias Sammet’s metal opera project Avantasia. As with previous Avantasia’s albums he calls upon an impressive list of guest vocalists including returns for Magnum’s Bob Catley, former Queensryche and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, AVANTASIA, Bob Catley, Candice Night, Edguy, GEOFF TATE, Jorn Lande, melodic metal, Moonglow, Nuclear Blast, pomp, power metal, review, symphonic metal, Tobias Sammet
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Album review: FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – The End Of Chaos
AFM Records [Release date 19.1.19] My infatuation with Flotsam And Jetsam and their unique brand of Metal began sometime in the late fall of 1988 – that is when, while watching a late-night episode of the now legendary, Baily Brothers … Continue reading
Album review: THRASHIST REGIME – Carnival Of Monsters
Fat Hippy [Release date 28.4.18] You return home from work tired, you had people yelling at you all day, your kids are crying because you didn’t bring them the new Lego with the millennium falcon expansion, the wife is giving … Continue reading
Album review: BEAST IN BLACK – From Hell With Love
Nuclear Blast [Release date 08.02.19] Beast In Black hail from Finland and were formed in 2015 when guitarist and songwriter Anton Kabanen left his previous band Battle Beast. They released their debut album ‘Berserker’ in 2017 and now they are … Continue reading
Album review: RHAPSODY OF FIRE – The Eighth Mountain
AFM Records [Release date 22.02.19] Italian power metal band return with their latest album, cementing the new/current line-up. Formed in the mid 90 as Rhapsody, RoF made the genre of symphonic power metal their own. Founder members keyboard player Alex … Continue reading
Album review: CULTURAL WARFARE – Warmageddon
M-Theory Audio [Release date 14.9.18] Stop the press. There is a new player in Metal City that deserves your immediate and utmost attention. Hailing from Oakland US, this four-piece outfit takes a shot at making a Thrash Metal record and … Continue reading
