Author Archives: jason

Album review: EPIC – Like A Phoenix

Posted on April 22, 2016 by jason
EPIC - Like A Phoenix

Escape Music www.escape-music.com [Release date 22.04.16] Never judge a book (or in this case CD) by its cover, as the band’s name Epic and cover artwork on this album may have you expecting a power or melodic metal album. It … Continue reading →

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Album review: HAKEN – Affinity

Posted on April 20, 2016 by jason
HAKEN - Affinity

Inside Out www.insideout.de [Release date 29.04.16] Haken return with their fourth album and have a high bar to reach after their last album, the excellent ‘The Mountain’. The album also marks the first full length studio album to feature new-ish … Continue reading →

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Album review: KANSAS – Always Never The Same

Posted on April 20, 2016 by jason
KANSAS – Always Never The Same

Store For Music www.storeformusic.com An album overlooked in the Kansas catalogue being originally released back in 1998, three years after their last studio album ‘Freaks Of Nature’. I remember reading an interview back at that time where drummer Phil Ehart … Continue reading →

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Quick plays: CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS, JOANA SERRAT, JAMES McARTNEY, DIRTY ACTION

Posted on April 19, 2016 by jason
CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS Anti-Social Network

CALLING ALL ASTRONAUTS Anti-Social Network This is Calling All Astronauts’ second album and they have been around since 2012, consisting of David B (vocals/programming), J Browning (guitars) and Paul McCrudden (bass). Musically they cover goth, rock, electro and certainly have … Continue reading →

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Gig review: NOTHING BUT THIEVES – O2 Forum, London, March 31 2016

Posted on April 18, 2016 by jason
NOTHING BUT THIEVES

Southend’s Nothing But Thieves have been making moves since 2012. Signing to RCA Records in 2014 saw the band get to work on their debut album. After it’s release last September, they’ve slowly began the rise to the big time. … Continue reading →

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Album review: OYSTERBAND – This House Will Stand Best Of 1998-2015

Posted on April 17, 2016 by jason
OYSTERBAND - This House Will Stand Best Of 1998-2015

Navigator Records [Release date 27.05.16] This is a 2CD, 29 song collection from the Oysterband covering their latter day output from 1998 to the present day. They started out back in 1977/78 as the Oyster Ceilidh Band before morphing into … Continue reading →

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Album review: EDU FALASCHI – Moonlight

Posted on April 17, 2016 by jason
EDU FALASCHI - Moonlight

Test Your Metal Records [Release date 20.05.16] I’ve been a passing fan of Angra a long time, but I would never call myself a diehard or super knowledgeable about them. What songs/albums I have heard I always enjoyed, but were … Continue reading →

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Album review: FLOTSAM AND JETSAM

Posted on April 17, 2016 by jason
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM

AFM Records [Release date 20.05.16] Flotsam and Jetsam are band I have had mixed feelings about over the years. Having been a huge thrash fan most of my life, and a huge fan of Metallica back in the day, there … Continue reading →

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Album review: VARIOUS – Heavy Psych Sounds

Posted on April 6, 2016 by jason
VARIOUS - Heavy Psych Sounds

http://www.heavypsychsounds.com [Release date 08.04.16] Remember the days when you would go into your local record store and there would be just two categories of music – Rock and Pop, maybe if there was an upstairs or a downstairs, there might … Continue reading →

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Album review: CHRIS OUSEY – Dream Machine

Posted on April 5, 2016 by jason
CHRIS OUSEY - Dream Machine

Escape Music [Release date 22.04.16] Chris Ousey has taken time out from fronting Snakecharmer to release his follow-up to his 2011 album ‘Rhyme & Reason’. He is joined by various guest musicians including fellow Snakecharmer Adam Wakeman, Tommy Denander and … Continue reading →

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Album review: CIRCUS MAXIMUS – Havok

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jason
CIRCUS MAXIMUS - Havok

Frontiers www.frontiers.it [Release date 18.03.16] Circus Maximus have been around since 2000 and this is album number four from them. Previously they have been more into straight ahead prog metal recalling bands like Kamelot and Symphony X, this time though … Continue reading →

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EP reviews: THE BOSTON SHAKERS, LIBERTY SHIP

Posted on April 4, 2016 by jason
Liberty Ship

LIBERTY SHIP http://www.libertyshipband.com/ Liberty Ship I discovered at the Broken Witt Rebels gig, who this band preceded. They hail from Sheffield, where they have been creating a bit of a buzz locally and I picked their six song CD up at … Continue reading →

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Gig review: BROKEN WITT REBELS – Water Rats, London, 2 April 2016

Posted on April 3, 2016 by jason
BROKEN WITT REBELS - Water Rats, London, 2 April 2016

Another new venue to me, although it has been hosting gigs since the early 1960′s, albeit then under another name, The Pindar of Wakefield. Bob Dylan, the Pogues and, err, Katy Perry have graced the stage here. A front bar/dining … Continue reading →

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Album review: BELLOWHEAD – Live The Farewell Tour

Posted on April 1, 2016 by jason
BELLOWHEAD - Live The Farewell Tour

Navigator Records [Release date 08.04.16] Bellowhead formed in 2004 and since then they have headed major UK and international festivals, selling out tours of major concert halls and selling in excess of 250,000 albums. Their last studio album, ‘Revival’ debuted … Continue reading →

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Quick plays: ALMANAC, MOULETTES, BREAK THE SENSES

Posted on March 29, 2016 by jason
ALMANAC - Tsar

ALMANAC Tsar Nuclear Blast [Release date 18.03.16] Rage had a major line-up change last year, one of which saw guitarist Victor Smolski leave the band and he wasted little time in assembling Almanac. This album is a concept piece based … Continue reading →

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Album review: DRIVE, SHE SAID – Pedal To The Metal

Posted on March 28, 2016 by jason
DRIVE, SHE SAID - Pedal to the Metal

Frontiers www.frontiers.it [Release date 15.04.16] Mark Mangold and Al Fritsch appeared under the Touch banner at the 2014 Firefest and this sparked them creating new music, hence now we have the first new Drive, She Said (DSS) album since 2003′s … Continue reading →

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EP review: IMPAVIDUS – s/t

Posted on March 25, 2016 by jason

www.impavidus.bandcamp.com/releases [Release date 27.1.16] Manchester born Impavidus are currently tearing venues all around the UK apart and their newly released EP is the damning evidence. Formed from members of both My Wooden Pillow and Driven Apart, Impavidus provide a cutting … Continue reading →

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Album review: AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM – The Source

Posted on March 22, 2016 by jason
AFRO CELT SOUND SYSTEM - The Source

ECC Records [Release date 29.04.16] Before starting this review a disclaimer of sorts in that this is one version of the Afro Celt Sound System (ACSS). The band reunited last year, however Simon Emmerson announced he was leaving and formed … Continue reading →

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Album review: TAX THE HEAT – Fed To The Lions

Posted on March 19, 2016 by jason

Nuclear Blast [Release date 08.04.16] I first came across Tax The Heat supporting prog/pomp rock veterans Kansas back in 2014 and was suitably impressed by their live show. Since then they have toured extensively and signed with Nuclear Blast. The … Continue reading →

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News: 7 Bands to Watch – Download 2016

Posted on March 19, 2016 by jason
Atreyu

Here GRTR!’s Dillon Grant casts his expert eyes and ears over seven of the ‘must see’ bands at this year’s Download Festival. You can read the full article here including some who just missed the cut. Download 2015 reviews 7. … Continue reading →

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Album review: METAL CHURCH – XI

Posted on March 17, 2016 by jason
METAL CHURCH - XI

Nuclear Blast [Release date 25.03.16] Metal Church are back and they bring the incredibly impressive XI. This is your typical thrash release from Metal Church, and that’s not a bad thing. Formed in what is known as Thrash’s golden era … Continue reading →

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Album review: THE DOWLING POOLE – One Hyde Park

Posted on March 14, 2016 by jason
THE DOWLING POOLE - One Hyde Park

369 Music www.thedowlingpoole.com [Released 08.04.16] The Dowling Poole’s 2014 debut album ‘Bleak Strategies’ easily made my year end top 10, so this new album has a lot to live up to. Based around the duo of Willie Dowling (Jackdaw4/the Grip/the … Continue reading →

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Quick plays: COLOUR OF NOISE, WHITE WINE

Posted on March 12, 2016 by jason

COLOUR OF NOISE www.colourofnoiseofficial.com The band maybe new, however two key members aren’t as the line-up features former Little Angels guitarist Bruce J Dickinson and on vocals Matt Mitchell (Furyon/ex-Pride). The band’s sound is steeped in the bands of the … Continue reading →

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Gig review: SABATON – Glasgow Barrowlands, 3 March 2016

Posted on March 10, 2016 by jason

Pirates, tanks and a night to remember! Scotland’s very own Alestorm stopped over in Glasgow and with them came Sweden’s Sabaton and Bloodbound. The Barrowlands was, on the night a venue filled with a mix of Sabaton’s trademark bulletproof vests … Continue reading →

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Album review: DOOGIE WHITE & LA PAZ – Shut Up And Rawk

Posted on March 9, 2016 by jason
DOOGIE WHITE & LA PAZ - Shut Up And Rawk

Metal Mind Productions [Release date 08.04.16] Doogie White & La Paz are back with their third album since they reunited back in 2009. Doogie White and guitarist Chic McSherry are the main songwriters again, between them creating a fine piece … Continue reading →

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