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Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: AORIA – The Constant
Version Studio Records, 2012 There must be something in the water in Sweden at the moment. Following in the (rather large) footprints of progressive metal contemporaries, Katatonia and their magnificent ‘Night Is The New Day’ and ‘Dead End Kings’ albums, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Aoria, Katatonia, prog metal, Progressive Rock, The Constant
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HOLY GRAIL – Ride The Void
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. It is official ladies and gentlemen: what people my age call “classic” and the younger generation refers to as “retro” Heavy Metal is back in fashion! All you have to do is visit a few … Continue reading
PERTNESS – Frozen Time
Pure Legend Records Pertness is a mighty strange name for a metal band. Maybe it describes the peaks of their native Bernese Highlands in Switzerland. They wear their local Bernese kilts on stage, apparently. Or perhaps the name is inspired … Continue reading
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Tagged Frozen Time, PERTNESS
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RICHARD THOMPSON – Electric
Proper Records (Released 11th February) http://proper-records.co.uk/richardthompson-electric/ Thompson returns with a new album and as the title suggests it is one of his electric albums. Recorded in Nashville with guitarist Buddy Miller producing (and playing), Thompson is … Continue reading
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Tagged Electric, Fairport Convention, folk, folk rock, Proper Records, Richard Thompson, songwriter
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GRAVITY – Eutheria
M&O Music Within its niche, this is not a bad album. Gravity, a French outfit putting out their second album, strive to blend death metal with melodic rock and atmospheric passages. The band are not short of ambition and are … Continue reading
EDGE OF ATTACK – S/T
Spread the Metal Records Edge of Attack is a Canadian outfit touted as “power thrashers”. This is the quintet’s debut release. “In Hell” opens proceedings and the opening riff combined with relentless percussion immediately grabs one’s attention. Edge of Attack … Continue reading
AIRLESS – Changes
Lion Music www.lionmusic.com (Released 18th February) Airless is a Spanish hard rock outfit that has been producing music for over ten years, their debut coming out in 2002. “Changes” is the band’s fourth effort – a … Continue reading
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Tagged Airless, Danny Vaughn, Lion Music, melodic rock, Tyketto
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SUICIDE BOMBERS – Criminal Record
Suicide Records “Criminal Record” is the debut album from Norway’s Suicide Bombers, and is a solid slab of Scandinavian sleaze. The band have elected to give themselves characters (Sleaze Fuhrer, Sex Gunslinger, Bitch Commander and Outlaw Groover) and a background … Continue reading
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Tagged Criminal Record”, Suicide Bombers
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RYAN ROXIE – The Roxie Box
R77 Records Mostly known for his long stint as Alice Coopers ‘guitarist of choice, Ryan Roxie has to be one of the most under-rated songwriters and guitarists out there, as highlighted by the recent Casablanca album “Apocalyptic Youth”. “The Roxie … Continue reading
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Tagged Alice Cooper, box set, Casablanca, Ryan Roxie, The Roxie Box
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Album review: CODE OF SILENCE – Dark Skies Over Babylon
Mausoleum [Release date 25.02.13] Put together by Eden’s Curse bassist Paul Logue, Code Of Silence - if this debut album is anything to go by - is surely a band on the cusp of great things. Fronted by Brazilian vocalist Gus Monsanto … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews, The Best Of 2013
Tagged Adagio, Ben Randall, Code Of Silence, Dark Skies Over Babylon, Eden's Curse, Gus Monsanto, hard rock, melodic, metal, Paul Logue, Power Quest, prog, progressive, review
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NIGHTFALL – Kassiopeia
Metal Blade – Out Now. Nightfall and I go back a long time, all the way to the classic days of the late 80s/early 90s, the time when my country’s extreme Metal scene gave birth to some of the most … Continue reading
VOIVOD – Target Earth
Century Media – Out Now 2013 is a very important year for Voivod. Having survived the passing of founding member Denis “Piggy” D’Amour, various line up changes and, most importantly, Mayan calendar prophesies of the end of days, the Canadian … Continue reading
JOE WALSH – Ordinary Average Guy & Songs For A Dying Planet
It’s hard to believe that 20 years has elapsed since the release of second of these two albums in 1992 and Joe’s recent ‘Analog man’. But rather than absence making the heart grow fonder, both albums appear to be remnants … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays, Reissues
Tagged Joe Walsh, Pete Feenstra, rock
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SONATA ARCTICA – Stones Grow Her Name
Nuclear Blast I know it’s been some time since the Finnish outfit has released this, but I feel I need to put in my two cents on what I think could be their strongest album to date… The band grabbed … Continue reading
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Tagged Sonata Arctica, Stones grow her name
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JAKOB SAMUEL – PastPresent
Sony Entertainment Sweden Jakob Samuel burst onto the international rock scene with The Poodles fifteen years ago and the band hasn’t looked back. The Swede has recorded his first solo album, “PastPresent”, a curveball from the Scandi rock norm… The … Continue reading
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Tagged Jakob Samuel, PastPresent, pop rock, The Poodles
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EDGE – Heaven Knows
Escape Music www.escape-music.com Edge are a new band, focused around the two main members Jonas Forss (vocals/guitars/keyboards) and Tobias Andersson (guitars/keyboards), who has been in Shadowland and Seven Wishes. Fellow Shadowland band member Olle Rodehn (drums) … Continue reading
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MY SOLILOQUY – The Interpreter
www.mysoliloquy.net (Released 18.02.13) This album has been in the works for the past couple of years and is the brainchild of Threshold’s Pete Morten (he also had a brief spell fronting the now defunct Power Quest). Pete Morten has written, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, my solilioquy, Pete Morten, prog, progressive metal, rock, The Interpreter, Threshold
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SNAFU – Situation Normal
Angel Air www.angelair.co.uk This is the band’s second album originally released back in 1974 and saw Pete Solley take more of the limelight, which as a result sees this album have a much more country rock leaning than the debut. … Continue reading
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Tagged Angel Air, Micky Moody, Situation Normal, Snafu, Whitesnake
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CAPTAIN ZORX – Maps Of The Ancient Sea Kings
Zorx Intergalactic Music (Release date – out now) Every so often an album comes along that treads a very thin line between genius and ‘what the f**k!’, this album is definitely one of those. This is the third … Continue reading
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Tagged Captain Zorx, Maps Of The Ancient Sea Kings
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MY OWN CHAOS – My Own Chaos
Self Release (Release date – out now) This is the first album from Vancouver based My Own Chaos. The band are the brainchild of frontwoman Connie Chaos who has drawn together a talented band to bring her slightly … Continue reading
GIRLSCHOOL – The Bronze Years
Cherry Red Lemon (4CD) No matter how good the music is (which in this case it REALLY is) you have to wonder how many times things get repacked, especially when there’s no new music added. But … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged GIRLSCHOOL, NWOBHM, The Bronze Years
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KISS – The Casablanca Singles Collection 1974-1982
Universal (29 CD or 29 7” box) Now this is a very limited but seriously lavish box set – but then Kiss never did things by halves, especially during the makeup years. This set covers the classic era, considered by … Continue reading
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Tagged box sets, Kiss, The Casablanca Singles Collection 1974-1982
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SAXON – Sacrifice
UDR/EMI 2CD [Release date 04.03.13 ] NWOBHM Legends Saxon have been on a bit of roll with recent albums and tours getting much acclaim. And this new album sees no let up at all. This album is to the last … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Biff Byford, metal, NWOBHM, Sacrifice, Saxon
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AUDREY HORNE – Youngblood
Napalm Records (Released 4th February) Audrey Horne are amazingly on their fourth album and feature members of Enslaved and Sahg, although Audrey Horne owe more to 70′s hard rock and modern rock. I had heard the name … Continue reading
CAROUSELS & LIMOUSINES – Home To Andy’s
(Released 25th February) Carousels & Limousines have changed a bit since they released an enjoyable EP last year under the name Grace. They have changed drummer and their style, switching from Quo riffs and a Led Zeppelin stomp to the … Continue reading
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Tagged Bruce Springsteen, Carousels & Limousines, Gaslight Anthem, Grace
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