Author Archives: Yiannis

CANNIBAL CORPSE – Torture

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

CANNIBAL CORPSE – “TORTURE” METAL BLADE (2012) Being a band that has helped shape the extreme genre that we all know as Death Metal, and enjoying a pretty impressive twenty four year pedigree, is an achievement in itself and even … Continue reading

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BARREN EARTH – The Devil’s Resolve

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

BARREN EARTH – “THE DEVIL’S RESOLVE” PEACEVILLE (2012) Side projects have been an outlet for Rock musicians since the late 60s – an understandable move for those who feel their band does not always provide all the necessary space for … Continue reading

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CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – Corrosion Of Conformity

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – “CORROSION OF CONFORMITY” CANDLELIGHT (2012) Corrosion Of Conformity are no an ordinary band. When they first formed in Raleigh/North Carolina back in 1982, they did so with the understanding that they were going to be a … Continue reading

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EPICA – Requiem For The Indifferent

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

EPICA – “REQUIEM FOR THE INDIFFERENT”  NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) When Mark Jansen, lead guitarist and founding member of the Dutch Symphonic Metal quintet Epica, decided to relieve Helena Michaelsen (Trail Of Tears) of her duties in favour of the virtually … Continue reading

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ANTHRAX (Joey Belladonna) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ANTHRAX (Joey Belladonna) INTERVIEW Joey Belladonna may be a legend of the 80s Metal scene but it only takes a couple of minutes in his presence to realise what a positive, polite and down to earth person he really is. … Continue reading

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3 INCHES OF BLOOD – Long Live Heavy Metal

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

3 INCHES OF BLOOD – “LONG LIVE HEAVY METAL”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Twelve years ago, in the seaside city of Vancouver/Canada, three friends decided to resurrect their then defunct Heavy Metal band. Little did they know that their supposedly one-off … Continue reading

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ELUVEITIE – Helvetios

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ELUVEITIE – “HELVETIOS”  NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Strange as it may sound to fans of Rock and Metal music today, there was actually a time when Folk and Rock were two worlds that were literally miles apart in terms of orientation … Continue reading

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PILGRIM – Misery Wizard

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

PILGRIM – “MISERY WIZARD”  METAL BLADE (2012) It been a good forty two years since Birmingham Heavy Metal legends Black Sabbath released their eponymous debut album and bands all around the world seem to still be heavily influenced by the … Continue reading

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Gig review: SUFFOCATION – London Underworld, 13 March 2012

SUFFOCATION Gig Review Support Acts: Cattle Decapitation, Blood Red Throne, Sadist, Cerebral Bore. London Underworld, Tuesday 13th March 2012 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis London’s extreme Metal fans should have been much contented by the number of good quality gigs … Continue reading

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ENSLAVED (Grutle Kjellson) INTERVIEW

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ENSLAVED (Grutle Kjellson) INTERVIEW There are two types of successful bands in this world: the ones which achieve fame and recognition through a combination of skill and a certain degree of luck and those which also have skill but who … Continue reading

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CANNIBAL CORPSE (Paul Mazurkiewicz) INTERVIEW

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CANNIBAL CORPSE (Paul Mazurkiewicz) INTERVIEW Controversy and censorship are things that Buffalo Death Metal legends Cannibal Corpse are all too aware of, these two concepts having followed them closely since their inception back in 1988. Only a couple of days … Continue reading

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CANNIBAL CORPSE Gig Review

CANNIBAL CORPSE Gig Review Support Acts: Triptykon, Enslaved, Job For A Cowboy London Forum, 10th March 2012 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis   There is something quite reassuring in knowing that, even during times of escalating economic austerity such as … Continue reading

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VENDETTA (Mario Vogel & Klaus “Heiner” Ullrich) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

VENDETTA (Mario Vogel & Klaus “Heiner” Ullrich) INTERVIEW Thrash Metal may have been quite a poplar genre in the mid-80s but there were quite a few impressive bands, like the Bavarian quartet Vendetta, whose prospects of making a career in … Continue reading

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NAPALM DEATH – Utilitarian

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

NAPALM DEATH – “UTILITARIAN”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Thirty one years is a pretty long and impressive period of time for any band to be actively creating and performing and when the outfit in question happens to perform one of the … Continue reading

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ASPHYX – Deathhammer

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ASPHYX – “DEATHHAMMER”  CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Line-up changes are a common occurrence among bands, but I cannot think of many which can claim to have seen more people coming and going as the Dutch Death Metal legends Asphyx have during … Continue reading

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KRISIUN Gig Review

KRISIUN /MALEVOLENT CREATION / VITAL REMAINS Gig Review Support Acts: Karnak & Truth Corroded London Underworld, 15th February 2012 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis I am sure that everybody is aware of the state of the world economy right now, … Continue reading

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LACUNA COIL – Dark Adrenaline

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

LACUNA COIL – “DARK ADRENALINE” CENTURY MEDIA (2012) Milan-based Atmospheric/Gothic Metalers Lacuna Coil have managed to capture the attention of fans and music media through a string of highly successful commercial-sounding releases and through a really clever marketing strategy – … Continue reading

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RAGE – 21

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Germany has for many years been the “breeding ground” for some of the most impressive Metal bands around and even though naming the most important Teutonic Extreme Metal band of all time may well be a matter … Continue reading

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RE-ARMED – Worldwide Hypnotize

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

MASSACRE (2012) Ever since Amorphis first graced us with their presence back in 1990, Finland witnessed a slow but steady growth in its number of Heavy Metal bands, to the point that our beloved music is now in terms of … Continue reading

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VENDETTA – Feed The Extermination

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

VENDETTA – “FEED THE EXTERMINATION” MASSACRE (2011) 1987 was a very important year for me. Having been introduced to the likes of Metallica and Slayer through older acquaintances friends and the invaluable guidance of the Greek Metal Hammer, it did … Continue reading

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ANVIL – Strength Of Steel,Pound For Pound,Worth The Weight

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ANVIL – “STRENGTH OF STEEL”, “POUND FOR POUND” & “WORTH THE WEIGHT” Reissues,  SPV (2011) Despite many years of exposure to the music industry, I am always amazed by its unique way of operating and the mass of contradictions that … Continue reading

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MY DYING BRIDE – The Barghest Of Whitby

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

MY DYING BRIDE – “THE BARGHEST O’WHITBY” PEACEVILLE (2011) Yorkshire-based Doomsters My Dying Bride have never been the kind of band which shies away from experimentation. Clear evidence can be found in any of the band’s recordings including “Evinta” – … Continue reading

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NAPALM DEATH (Mark “Barney” Greenway) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

NAPALM DEATH (Mark “Barney” Greenway) INTERVIEW 2011 has been quite a fulfilling year in terms of impressive album releases and good quality live shows and as someone who grew up supporting the extreme Metal scene I could not think of … Continue reading

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THE DEVIL’S BLOOD – The Thousandfold Epicentre

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

THE DEVIL’S BLOOD – “THE THOUSANDFOLD EPICENTRE” VAN RECORDS (2011) Two years ago, during one of my numerous pilgrimages to beautiful Germany whilst visiting a very dear friend of mine, I was introduced to the sounds of an album entitled … Continue reading

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DIABOLOS DUST – Ruins Of Mankind

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

DIABOLOS DUST – “RUINS OF MANKIND” MASSACRE RECORDS (2011) The music industry has changed dramatically over the years when it comes to finding and supporting young talent. Back in the 80s, all a band had to do was to record … Continue reading

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