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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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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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Gig review: THE DAMN TRUTH – The Grace, London, 26 November 2024
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Gig review: LAZARUS HEIGHTS – The Auditorium, Bassilac, SW France, 7 December 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: EAST TEMPLE AVENUE – Both Sides of Midnight
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Album review: GEEZER BUTLER – Manipulations of the Mind – The Complete Collection/The Very Best of Geezer Butler
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Album review: ZEBRAS DON’T SMOKE – Don’t Mention The Swedes (ABBA Tribute)
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Album review: THE RADIO SUN – Heaven Or Heartbreak
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Album review: RUN LIBERTY RUN – We Are
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Album review: STEELEYE SPAN – Wintersmith
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
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Tag Archives: melodic metal
Album review : STARCHASER – Into The Great Unknown
Frontiers [Release date 15.11.24] Second album from Swedish Melodic Metal band, Starchaser. The title track, ‘Into The Great Unknown’, a successful marriage of image and drama and music, gets us underway with a flourish. (Actually the “image” comes from the … Continue reading
EP review: FORLORN HOPE – Valour Part I
Website [Release date 30.08.24] Historical metal band Forlorn Hope are back with an ambitious new album ‘Valour’. This EP is the first part of ‘Valour’, which tells the stories of fifteen Victoria Cross winning actions from Crimea to the Second World … Continue reading
Album review: ORDEN OGAN – The Order of Fear
Reigning Pheonix Music [Release date 05.07.24] Album number eight by the power metal veterans Orden Ogan (well, they have been around since 1997 under the Orden Ogan name!) and their first for their new record label, Reigning Phoenix Music. Mainman Sebastian “Seeb” … Continue reading
Album review: BALANCE OF POWER – Fresh From The Abyss
Massacre Records [Release date 19.04.24] Balance of Power are a band this reviewer has been aware of, mainly for featuring former vocalist Lance King, but would never class myself as a fan. Balance Of Power seemingly went missing in action … Continue reading
Single review : RHAPSODY OF FIRE – Brave New Hope
AFM Records [out now] Rhapsody Of Fire’s vocalist, Giacomo Voli sounds more like Brother Firetribe’s Pekka Heino every day. Or maybe it’s the other way round. Those expressive vocals, bringing a lyric to life, are hard to match. ‘Brave New … Continue reading
Album review: EXIT EDEN – Femme Fatales
Napalm Records [Release date 12.01.24] Exit Eden are down to the trio of Clémentine Delauney (Visions Of Atlantis), Anna Brunner (League Of Distortion) and Marina La Torraca (Phantom Elite), for this, their second album, after Amanda Somerville left the band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Amanda Somerville, Anna Brunner, Clémentine Delauney, Exit Eden, Femme Fatales, Heart, League Of Distortion, Marillion, Marina La Torraca, melodic metal, Napalm Records, Nightwish, Pet Shop Boys, Phantom Elite, symphonic metal, Visions Of Atlantis
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Album review: DORO – Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud
Nuclear Blast [Release date 27.10.23] Doro Pesch is one of metal’s most consistent performers, both on stage and in the studio, having lost none of her vocal range and power, as opener ‘Children Of The Dawn’ ably illustrates. The Queen … Continue reading
Album review: PROMETHIUM – Bleeding The Ghost
Load 4 Records [Release date 15.09.23] Post-pandemic has seen a lot of bands undergo line-up changes, and in some cases calling it a day, as musicians re-evaluate what they want to do and achieve musically. Promethium are one such band … Continue reading
Album review : SCREAM MAKER – Land Of Fire
Frontiers [Release date 14.07.23] Although Polish Melodic Metal band, Scream Maker are usually bracketed beside the bands they have frequently toured with, like Saxon, Judas Priest, Megadeth, Slayer and others, their own material drills down into the DNA of the … Continue reading
Album review : PYRAMAZE – Bloodlines
AFM Records [Release date 23.06.23] Bloodlines is the seventh album in eighteen years from Danish metallers, Pyramaze. This is a band who rebuilt their line up in 2015, after significant loss of key members in 2011. It took the new … Continue reading
Album review: WEAPON – New Clear Power
Pride & Joy Music [Release date 19.05.23] There have been a few changes in the Weapon camp since their 2019 album ‘Ghosts Of War’, with original guitarist Jeff Summers leaving the band in 2021, and they can now revert to … Continue reading
Album review: ELVENKING – Reader Of The Runes (part 2), Rapture
AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] Heavy metal pirates, Elvenking, set sail again, boldly going where few bands dare to go. It’s no exaggeration to claim that this album is a unique heavy metal experience. Operatic, symphonic, folky, very lyrical, not … Continue reading
Album review: MAGNUS KARLSSON’S FREEFALL – Hunt The Flame
Frontiers [Release date: 14.04.23] Fourth Freefall album from rock’n’roll workaholic, Magnus Karlsson. For this, Freefall’s fourth album, Karlsson’s rounded up 11 singers, all of whom offer something different, and we get a few tracks that show every sign that he … Continue reading
Album review : ARCHON ANGEL – II
Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23] On his second album now fronting Archon Angel, Zak Stevens probably couldn’t tell you how many albums he’s appeared on. We’ll help him out: Since 1993, five as Savatage’s frontman, five up front with The TSO … Continue reading
Album review: DOCKER’S GUILD – The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age Of Entropy
Website Docker’s Guild is a massive progressive metal space opera which will unfold through five “seasons” and four “books” for a total of nine albums. It is masterminded by producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Douglas R. Docker. Joining him on this … Continue reading
Album title: BEYOND THE BLACK – Beyond The Black
Nuclear Blast [Release date 13.01.23] Fifth album from Beyond The Black and the third since the 2014 revamped line-up which left vocalist Jenifer Haben as the sole original member. Beyond The Black is completed by lead guitarist Chris Hermsdörfer, rhythm … Continue reading
Album review: DOKKEN – The Elektra Albums 1983-1987
BMG [Release date 27.01.23] Formed in the late 70s by vocalist and guitarist Don Dokken, the band Dokken shot to fame in the 80s, with their very enjoyable (and successful) blend of hard rock, glam and AOR. BMG continue their … Continue reading
Album review: BARNABAS SKY – What Comes To Light
Pride & Glory [Release date 20.01.23] The all-star rock project Barnabas Sky, led by guitarist and songwriter Markus Pfeffer (Lazarus Dream, Winterland), is back a year later with album number two. Tyketto’s Danny Vaughn and Silent Rage’s Jesse Damon are … Continue reading
Album review: AMBERIAN DAWN – Take a Chance – A Metal Tribute to ABBA
Napalm Records [Release date 02.12.22] Amberian Dawn go full on ABBA tribute mode on their latest album, after doing a sterling job of ABBA’s ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ (which is also on here) on their previous album, ‘Looking … Continue reading
Album review: THRESHOLD – Dividing Lines
Nuclear Blast [Release date 18.11.22] Album number twelve from Threshold and their first in five years since the excellent ‘The Legend of the Shires’, which also marked the return of vocalist Glynn Morgan. A darker style and sound overall than … Continue reading
Album review: MANTRIC MOMENTUM – Trial by Fire
Frontiers [Release date: 11.11.22] It’s a little off putting that Mantric Momentum’s Melodic Metal debut album, Trial By Fire, shares its title with numerous releases of the same name. From Henry Jackman’s movie music to Journey’s tenth studio album to … Continue reading
Album review: JOE LYNN TURNER – Belly Of The Beast
Mascot Label Group [Release date 28.10.22] The album’s title gives a clue to Joe Lynn Tyner going full on metal, courtesy of his new found musical companion producer/songwriter Peter Tägtgren (Hypocrisy, Pain, Lindemann). He has also recently revealed he has … Continue reading
Quick plays: MOON LETTERS, SILVER NIGHTMARES, MITCHELL’S KISS OF THE GYPSY
MOON LETTERS Thank You From The Future Website Moon Letters hail from Seattle having formed in 2016 and this is their second album. Their line-up consists of guitarist Dave Webb, vocalist and flautist Michael Trew, drummer Kelly Mynes, bassist Mike … Continue reading
Album review: DRAGONLAND – The Power Of The Nightstar
AFM Records [Release date: 14.10.22] First album in ten years from Swedish Power/Melodic Metal band, Dragonland. A lot can change in ten years. A lot can stay the same. This is Dragonland expanded, more ambitious, with a finely developed movie … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Anders Hammer, Elias Holmlid, Hans Zimmer, Jacob Hansen, Jesse Lindskog, Johan Nunez, John Williams, Jonas Heidgert, melodic metal, Olof Mörck), power metal, review, symphonic metal
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Album review: GINEVRA – We Belong To The Stars
Frontiers [Release date: 16.09.22] Ginevra is a kind of Europa League supergroup. Not exactly Champions League status. Not yet anyway. Kristian Fhyr, vocalist/ songwriter with Seventh Crystal was the instigator, and with the label’s help, the rest of the band… … Continue reading
