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Gig review: PAUL McCARTNEY- 02 Arena, London, 18 December 2024
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Gig review: BLACK EYED SONS- The Lexington, London, 16 December 2024
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines, 8 December 2024
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Gig review: STRAY – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 7 December 2024
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Gig review: THE SHEEPDOGS, THE COMMONERS – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 5 December 2024
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Gig review: GUN – Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 December 2024
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Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review: RAVEN BLACK NIGHT – Barbarian Winter
Metal Blade – Out Now. I am sure that most of you would have gathered by now that 70s and 80s Rock/Metal music is definitely back in fashion. I mean, all you really have to do is to have a … Continue reading →
Album review: ORCHID – Wizard Of War
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. If, as I really hope, you are frequent visitors of our album reviews page you will remember that back in January, I was quite generous when rating “Heretic” – the four track E.P of the … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, issue, metal, Orchid, review, rock, Wizard Of War
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Album review: THE BIG TEUTONIC FOUR – The Big Teutonic Four E.P
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Ask a hundred Thrashers to name the most important Thrash Metal bands in the world and you are guaranteed to have the vast majority say, “That has to be the Big Four” referring, of course, … Continue reading →
Album review: MAN THE MACHETES – Idiokrati
Indie Recordings – Out Now. Indie Recordings in a Norwegian Label with an eye for all things unusual and unique-sounding. Want me to throw a few names at you? How about Borknagar, Vreid, Cult Of Luna and Wardruna– all bands … Continue reading →
Album review: CATHEDRAL – The Last Spire
Rise Above – Release Date 29/4/2013. The first time that the possibility of London-based Doomsters Cathedral calling it a day was on the cards was back in 2010, from the very mouth of the band’s legendary frontman Lee Dorian. During … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, Cathedral, Doom Metal, metal, The Last Spire
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Album review: CULT OF LUNA – Vertikal
Indie Recordings – Out Now. Fifteen years is a long time for any band to make its impact felt and Cult Of Luna are among those outfits which have managed to cause much interested among fans and media since their … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, Cult Of Luna, metal, review, Vertikal
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Album review: ROTTING CHRIST – Κατά τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού
Season Of Mist – Out Now. Rotting Christ is a band that I have always admired, not only for their musically daring and impressive material but, most importantly, for the honesty and ethos that has accompanied them throughout their twenty … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, Black, Dark, Extreme, issue, metal, review, Rotting Christ, Sakis Tolis, Season Of Mist, Κατά τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού
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PHILIP H.ANSELMO & WARBEAST – War Of The Gargantuas Split E.P.
Housecore Records/Season Of Mist – Out Now. Philip H. Anselmo is a name that should require not a single word of introduction to any self-respecting metalhead. If that happens to be the case with you then please leave our pages … Continue reading →
Album review: SUFFOCATION – Pinnacle Of Bedlam
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. If you are not a fan of the extreme sound you might be excused from believing that the chances of finding innovation in a genre as strict in its rules as Death Metal are quite … Continue reading →
Album review: ENFORCER – Death By Fire
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. As part of the blessed 80s generation that got to enjoy all the classic Heavy Metal albums in their making I am sceptical about young bands that claim they play “True Metal”. I mean, what … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged 80's metal, album, Death By Fire, Enforcer, review
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Album review: LIGHTNING SWORDS OF DEATH – Baphometic Chaosium
Metal Blade – Out Now. When you are a member of a band whose first ever worldwide tour has been in support of Glen Danzig, your subsequent tour experiences involve bands such as Kreator, Behemoth and you enjoy the financial … Continue reading →
Album review: HATEBREED – The Divinity Of Purpose
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Labels always accompany new releases with a press release, so I found the shortage of information on Nuclear Blast’s leaflet for Hatebreed’s sixth studio album “The Divinity Of Purpose” somewhat strange. On the other hand, … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged Hatebreed, metal, review, rock, The Divinity Of Purpose
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Album review: BEDEMON – Symphony Of Shadows
Svart Records – Out Now. Bedemon is a name that not many people, however much involved in Heavy Metal music, are expected to know. This has mainly to do with the fact that, even though they have been in existence … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, Bedemon, Doom, heavy metal, issue, review, Symphony Of Shadows
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Gig review: PAIN – Borderline, London – 13 February 2013
Support Acts: Neosis Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Even though I consider myself to be fairly open-minded when it comes to music these days that was not so much the case in the mid 90s – the time when Death … Continue reading →
Album reviews: HEXVESSEL – No Holier Temple
Svart Records – Out Now. A year or so ago I remember coming across a review from a fellow journalist which was pretty complementary of “Dawnbearer”, the debut release by the Finnish Folk Metal outfit Hexvessel and even though I … Continue reading →
Interview with BIFF BYFORD (Saxon)
I have been in the presence of many fellow music journalists, all of whom had at least one disappointing tale to tell of meeting with a music idol who failed to meet their expectations. Though I dreaded the same, I … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions, Interviews/Rock Stars, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Interviews
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Tagged Biff Byford, heavy metal, interview, Sacrifice, Saxon
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ALASTOR – Out Of Anger
Metal Mind Records (Release date – out now) Polish thrashers, Alastor, have become something of a legend in their home country. Formed back in 1986 the band have had a mixed career, releasing four well received albums . … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged Alastor, Out Of Anger
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SABBATH ASSEMBLY – Ye Are Gods
Svart Records – Out Now. Religion and Mysticism have been closely linked with Rock throughout its history, providing both artists and bands with subjects for inspiration and discussion through music. While images of the goat have been sported on many … Continue reading →
JOLLY (Joe Reilly) Interview
None of the interviews I have conducted so far has ever been as revealing about the artist as this one! Apparently, I’ve been choosing the wrong breakfast cereal for the past (almost) four decades of existence – thanks for … Continue reading →
GOD SEED – I Begin
Indie Recordings – Out Now. How many bands can you name which have recorded a live album at a festival as prestigious as Wacken Open Air before having released even a single note under their name? Chances are that, apart … Continue reading →
DARKTRIBE – Mysticeti Victoria
Massacre Records – Out Now. It’s typical that during an economic recession, the art world suffers most…state funds are reduced (if not scrapped altogether), people’s attendance at shows declines and record labels tend to invest less in their artists. It … Continue reading →
I SPIT ASHES – Inhaling Blackness…Reflecting Light
Massacre Records – Out Now. A picture is worth a thousand words, isn’t it? Normally, I would agree, however, this is not always the case…Take, for instance, the album cover of “Inhaling Blackness… Reflecting Light”, the debut release of the … Continue reading →
UNHERZ – Die Wahrheit Liegt Dazwischen
Masscare Records – Out Now. The Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the most culturally and linguistically varied areas of the Germany, bordering with Belgium and Luxembourg. It is quite natural, then, that this area would produce a band like Unherz – … Continue reading →
JOLLY – The Audio Guide To Happiness Part II
Inside Out – Release Date: 4/3/2013 One of the few major benefits of getting older is becoming more accepting and “open-minded” – a word much hated by a certain close friend of mine. Twenty years ago I would never have … Continue reading →
SEREMONIA – Seremonia
Svart Records – Out Now. Svart Records is a Finnish label whose releases I only recently managed to gain access to and, so far, I have been fairly impressed by both the variety and quality of music on offer. The … Continue reading →