Author Archives: Yiannis

SINISTER – “LEGACY OF ASHES”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

SINISTER – “LEGACY OF ASHES” MASSACRE (2010) Death Metal is a very tricky business! I mean, how does anyone really go about it in the year 2010? Do you concentrate on technical skill by providing each of your compositions with … Continue reading

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CROWBAR -“SEVER THE WICKED HAND”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

CROWBAR -“SEVER THE WICKED HAND” CENTURY MEDIA (2011) “What? Are you serious? You’ve got to be joking, man!”. These were the exact words that came out of David, one of my best friend’s, after I blatantly informed him that I … Continue reading

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LEGION OF THE DAMNED – “DESCENT INTO CHAOS”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

LEGION OF THE DAMNED – “DESCENT INTO CHAOS” MASSACRE (2011) When I think of Legion Of The Damned, I have this image of a group of black-clad, long haired (with the exception of drummer Erik Fleuren) lads, performing their riff-orientated, … Continue reading

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EXCITER (John Ricci) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

EXCITER (John Ricci) INTERVIEW How many Metal bands do you know that have been around since 1978 which are still recording music nowadays? Not many, right? Certainly not many who have been operating predominantly in the underground scene throughout most … Continue reading

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EKTOMORF – “REDEMPTION”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

EKTOMORF – “REDEMPTION” AFM RECORDS (2010) Eight years ago, my good friend and fellow journalist Mr. Ritchie asked me to prepare a review for “Destroy” – the fifth studio effort of the Hungarian Thrash/Hardcore Metal outfit Ektomorf. I was really … Continue reading

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CRADLE OF FILTH – “DARKLY, DARKLY, VENUS AVERSA”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

CRADLE OF FILTH – “DARKLY, DARKLY, VENUS AVERSA” PEACEVILLE (2010) If somebody asked me to compile a list of the most influential Black Metal albums that came out back in 1994, that list will almost certainly include Darkthrone’s “Transylvanian Hunger”, … Continue reading

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FIREWIND Gig review

FIREWIND Gig review Support Acts: BREED 77 / PRIMITAI London Relentless Garage, 7th January 2011 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Playing the six string for a legend of Metal such as Ozzy Osbourne is a dream that every guitar player … Continue reading

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FIREWIND (Gus G & Apollo Papathanassiou) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

FIREWIND (Gus G & Apollo Papathanassiou) INTERVIEW Being the lead guitar player for the living legend that is Ozzy Osbourne must be the dream of every young guy who ever decided to pick up a six string. Greek guitar hero … Continue reading

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ROSS THE BOSS – “HAILSTORM”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ROSS THE BOSS – “HAILSTORM” AFM RECORDS (2010) Manowar is one of those bands who can proudly claim to have some of the most loyal friends (and enemies) around the world – a band which, for the last thirty years, … Continue reading

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MALEVOLENT CREATION (Phil Fasciana) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

MALEVOLENT CREATION (Phil Fasciana) INTERVIEW When Death Metal began losing its popularity around the mid-90s, many bands decided to call it a day, disappointed by the lack of interest from both fans and the music industry alike. One of the … Continue reading

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EXCITER – “DEATH MACHINE”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

EXCITER – “DEATH MACHINE” MASSACRE RECORDS (2010) Every time the word classic 80s Metal is used in any article, the first few names that one expects to come across as its true and main representatives are Iron Maiden, Judas Priest … Continue reading

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ANTIMATTER – “ALTERNATIVE MATTER”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ANTIMATTER – “ALTERNATIVE MATTER” PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS (2010) Anathema is one of those bands which I literally grew up listening to, a band whose sensationally dark and moody melodies helped not only answer many important questions, but also overcome various obstacles … Continue reading

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ELECTRIC WIZARD – “BLACK MASSES”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ELECTRIC WIZARD – “BLACK MASSES” RISE ABOVE (2010) Life is full of beautiful paradoxes! Take for instance the case of the Dorset-based Doom, Stoner or whatever-else-you-want-to-call-it quartet Electric Wizard. These fine British noisemakers made a whole career out of indulging … Continue reading

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FLOTSAM & JETSAM (Craig Nielsen) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

FLOTSAM & JETSAM (Craig Nielsen) INTERVIEW I am not going to lie to you guys; I absolutely adore Flotsam & Jetsam! One of the few second generation Thrash Metal bands from the US who continued producing diverse and often quite … Continue reading

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QUEENSRYCHE (Geoff Tate) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

QUEENSRYCHE (Geoff Tate) INTERVIEW Music journalism is an activity I have been involved in for the last eight years, during which time I have met and spoken to many musicians whose music I literally grew up listening to. Talking to … Continue reading

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ONSLAUGHT (Band) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ONSLAUGHT (Band) INTERVIEW I love album premieres! Not only do they give you the opportunity to listen to stuff much earlier than most people, it also enables you to meet the creators in person, express your opinion and get first-hand … Continue reading

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FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – “THE COLD”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM – “THE COLD” DRIVEN MUSIC GROUP (2010) 2010 belongs to Thrash Metal! Why? Well, what else can you say when you know that the end of the first decade of the new millennium saw the release of … Continue reading

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EXODUS (Gary Holt) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

EXODUS (Gary Holt) INTERVIEW When I began my time as a music journalist, the very first artist I had the pleasure of interviewing was Gary Holt, founding member and axeman of the Legendary Californian Thrash Metal outfit Exodus. Now, several … Continue reading

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ORDEN OGAN (Tobias Kersting & Nils Weise) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

ORDEN OGAN (Tobias Kersting & Nils Weise) INTERVIEW Using the London Underground can be a very testing experience, especially on a day like the 29th of November where a strike was announced and most trains operated limited services with severe … Continue reading

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HAIL OF BULLETS (Martin van Drunen) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

HAIL OF BULLETS (Martin van Drunen) INTERVIEW Three years ago, legendary frontman Martin van Drunen (of both Pestilence and Asphyx fame) unleashed his most recent creative demons under the war-inspired moniker Hail Of Bullets. The product of that attempt took … Continue reading

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FORBIDDEN – “OMEGA WAVE”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

FORBIDDEN – “OMEGA WAVE” NUCLEAR BLAST (2010) I have always hated Grunge music with a passion. Why? Apart from the fact that it provided numerous uneducated and incompetent ‘musicians’ with a platform and urged them to voice their ‘anxieties’, it … Continue reading

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VIRGIN STEELE – “THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA”

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

VIRGIN STEELE – “THE BLACK LIGHT BACCHANALIA” SPV (2010) It feels very strange indeed when you come to realise that a band whose career you have been following from the very early days is about to release its twelfth studio … Continue reading

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BLIND GUARDIAN (Frederik Ehmke) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

BLIND GUARDIAN (Frederik Ehmke) INTERVIEW There was a time when, to find a Blind Guardian CD on the shelves of even the most central record stores in London was “mission impossible”, but now things have certainly changed. Following a string … Continue reading

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HELSTAR (James Rivera) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

HELSTAR (James Rivera) INTERVIEW Doing interviews is something that I really enjoy as I feel that I am given the chance to help artists promote their music. When my interviewees are as outspoken, positive thinking and outwardly enjoyable as the … Continue reading

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DIMMU BORGIR (Silenoz) INTERVIEW

Metal Church - The Present Wasteland

DIMMU BORGIR (Silenoz) INTERVIEW The times we live in are an economic challenge to all, even more so to bands and musicians around the world. With illegal downloading in its prime, many musicians are struggling to make ends meet and … Continue reading

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