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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
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Latest Album Reviews
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: GRAHAM GOULDMAN – Cadogan Hall, London, 20 March 2025
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Gig review: THE DARKNESS – G Live, Guildford, 11 March 2025
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Gig review: FISH – O2 Academy, Glasgow, 9 March 2025
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Gig review: WILL WILDE- 100 Club, London, 4 March 2025
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Gig review: URIAH HEEP – London Palladium, 26 February 2025
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Gig review: THE VAPORS Album Launch – The Water Rats, London, 27 February 2025
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: JOE LYNN TURNER – Street Of Dreams – Boston 1985
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Album review: RAVEN – Metal City
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Album review: ALBERT CASTIGLIA – Big Dog
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Album review: NORDIC UNION
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EP review: COLLATERAL – Acoustic Covers Lockdown
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Book review: ERUPTION – CONVERSATIONS WITH EDDIE VAN HALEN by Brad Tolinski and Chris Gill
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Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review : CRIMSON GLORY – The Roadrunner Years (3 CD)

Cherry Red [Release date 21/03/25] The Cherry Red label is currently on a run of highly compelling Heavy Metal reissues. We’ve had Wrath, Tigertailz, Barren Cross in only the last month, and very recently, the superb Vision Of Disorder. This … Continue reading →
Album review : ENBOUND – Set It Free (w/bonus CD)

Embrace The Fear [Release date : 21.02.25] 2025’s Set it Free is Enbound’s third album, a follow up to Blackened, if an album 9 years later can be described as a “follow up”. Nice (if expensive) piece of marketing here… … Continue reading →
News: BILLY IDOL, RUSS BALLARD, PINK FLOYD (March 2025)

Russ Ballard releases a double album entitled ‘Songs From The Warehouse/The Hits Rewired’, out on April 18 via Frontiers. The first CD contains new songs, while the second CD includes brand new recordings of famous hits he either penned or … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Interviews, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged albums, AOR, Billy Idol, blues, folk, gigs, melodic rock, metal, news, re-issues, RIP, Russ Ballard, special editions, tour dates
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Album review : VISION OF DISORDER – Vision of Disorder / Imprint (2 CD Deluxe Digipak)

Cherry Red [Release date : 28.02.25] The early nineties was a strange time for Heavy Metal. US band, Vision Of Disorder emerged from a morass of subgenres and splinter groups, all following different paths, all pursuing different objectives, mostly with … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged Cherry Red, Dave Sardy, Doom Metal, Hardcore, Hendrix, Imprint, metal, Rammstein, review, Vision Of Disorder, VOD
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Album review : BARREN CROSS – Atomic Arena/State Of Control (2 CD Deluxe Digipak)

Cherry Red [Release date 21.02.25] The second and third albums released by Christian Metal heroes, Barren Cross, are now together for the first time, remastered and reissued by Cherry Red, with ‘2 bonus tracks’ added. Atomic Arena (1988) State Of … Continue reading →
Album review: DREAM THEATER – Parasomnia

InsideOut [Release date 07.02.25] Dream Theater’s sixteenth studio album marks the return of drummer Mike Portnoy after a 15 year hiatus. While the album ambitiously explores themes of sleep disturbances it does lack the innovative spark that once defined the … Continue reading →
News: RUSH, IQ, CANDICE NIGHT (February 2025)

Bryan Adams released the title track of his forthcoming album ‘Roll With The Punches’ on February 7. The album is due later this year and was co-written with Robert John “Mutt” Lange. Deko Entertainment release a 50th anniversary edition of Angel’s … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged albums, AOR, blues, Candice Night, folk, gigs, IQ, melodic rock, metal, news, re-issues, RIP, Rush, special editions, tour dates
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Album review : WRATH – Children Of The Wicked (3 CD set)

Cherry Red [Release date 31/01/25] You’d need a degree in modern sciences to play with Chicago USA band, Wrath. Such is the technically demanding nature of their thrash metal sound. The cover depicts a fresh face bunch of lads who, … Continue reading →
Album review: JULIET’S NOT DEAD – This World Is Ours

TMR Records [Release date 07.02.25] Hailing from the North East, Juliet’s Not Dead are an adrenaline fuelled, driven band with the sole intention of thrilling their audiences at every show. Having just finished recording the follow up to the highly … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, HRH, Juliet's Not Dead, melodic metal, metal, review, rock, This World Is Ours
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Album review : THE FERRYMEN – Iron Will

Frontiers Music [Release date : 24.1.25] This new Ferrymen album should make some solid advance sales on the basis of Stan W Decker’s front cover artwork alone. Take a look. Classy. Ronnie Romero, Magnus Karlson and Mike Terrana are back … Continue reading →
Album review : AVATARIUM – Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead

AFM Records [Release date : 24.01.25] If anyone is going to have the inside information on the darkside of metal, it’s a psychosocial counsellor. And if anyone’s able to bring the genre’s competing emotions to life, it’s Avatarium’s vocalist / … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged Avatarium, Between You, Candlemass, Doom Metal, Evergrey, God, Hard Rock. Our Lady peace, Jennie-Ann Smith, Marcus Jidell, Psychosocial, review, Stockholm, The Devil and The Dead
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Album review : TOKYO BLADE – Time Is The Fire

Cherry Red [Release date : 17.01.25] The Cherry Red reach has increased dramatically in recent years, and Tokyo Blades’ latest album, Time Is The Fire will be getting a considerable PR push around the 17/1/25 release date. True heavy metal … Continue reading →
News: JACK MOORE, GENERATION RADIO, THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (January 2025)

The Adventures release their first new studio album in over thirty years on March 28. Titled ‘One More With Feeling’ it will be released through Cherry Red Records. Don Airey releases his latest solo album ‘Pushed to the Edge’ on … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions
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Tagged albums, AOR, blues, folk, Generation Radio, gigs, Jack Moore, melodic rock, metal, news, re-issues, RIP, special editions, The Doobie Brothers, tour dates
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Upcoming: Festivals UK & Europe (2025)

Please check artist and festival websites for latest information. Your festival not listed? Contact us! ore: Upcoming (UK tours and gigs, 2025) Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, Festivals & Large Events, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Upcoming (Tours & Releases)
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Tagged 2025, AOR, classic rock, European, festivals, folk, Frontiers, Guilfest, indie, Maid of Stone, melodic rock, metal, rock, Steelhouse Festival, uk
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Album review: WITHIN SILENCE – The Eclipse Of Worlds

Ulterium Records [Release date : 06.12.24] On their third album now, Slovakian Power Metal band, Within Silence have reached the point where their grasp is the equal of an ambitious reach. From the moment the opening track, ‘Land Of Light’ … Continue reading →
Album review : ILLUSION FORCE – Halfana

Frontiers [Release date : 13.12.24] Five year veterans of the Japanese rock/metal scene, Illusion Force have now been recognised by Frontiers’ Music as indeed, a force to be reckoned with worldwide. They cite Dragonforce and Helloween as being among their … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged Dragonforce, Frontiers, Gagaku, Helloween, Illusion Force, Japan, Jinn Jeon, metal, review, rock, Shiramoura brothers
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News: AVANTASIA, GOTTHARD, MICKEY JUPP (December 2024)

Airforce (who feature former Iron Maiden guitarist Doug Sampson) release their new album ‘Acts of Madness’ on February 21 through ROAR Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks release a CD/DVD package ‘Jon Anderson and The Band Geeks Live- Perpetual Change’ … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged albums, AOR, AVANTASIA, blues, folk, gigs, Gotthard, melodic rock, metal, Mickey Jupp, news, re-issues, RIP, special editions, tour dates
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Album review : IMPELLITTERI – War Machine

Frontiers [Release date : 08.11.24] Chris Impellitteri has always had something to say about the world and the way of it, illuminated by the occasional religious overtone. This new album, his band’s 16th, is not much different. We should be … Continue reading →
News: BONFIRE, MOGWAI, KID KAPACHI (November 2024)

Ambush have signed with Napalm Records with a view to release a new album next year. Tori Amos releases a new live album, ‘Diving Deep Live’, via Decca on December 6. A remastered 2CD/2DVD box set version of ‘An Evening Of Yes Music Plus’ … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged albums, AOR, blues, Bonfire, folk, gigs, Kid Kapachi, melodic rock, metal, Mogwai, news, re-issues, RIP, special editions, tour dates
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Album review : BROTHERS OF METAL – Fimbulvinter

AFM Records [Release date : 01.11.24] Fimbulvinter (the great winter) is the third album from Swedish eight man band, Brothers Of Metal, arriving hot on the heels of the very well received Emblas Saga. The Nordic countries have their own, … Continue reading →
Album review : NIGHTMARE – Waiting For The Power, The Early Years (3 CD Set)

Cherry Red [Release date : 11.10.24] French cult Metal band, Nightmare, released the album, Encrypted, last year. Their 12th since forming in 1979. We reviewed it in GRTR! a few months ago. In another scoop for Cherry Red, remasters of … Continue reading →
News: JESSE DAMON, NICKY HOPKINS, NEIL YOUNG (October 2024)

After Lapse release their new album ‘Pathways’ on December 13 on Frontiers. Arch Enemy release their twelfth studio album, ‘Blood Dynasty’, on March 28 via Century Media Records. Joan Armatrading has announced that her new album, ‘How Did This Happen And What Does … Continue reading →
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged albums, AOR, blues, folk, gigs, Jesse Damon, melodic rock, metal, Neil Young, news, Nicky Hopkins, re-issues, RIP, special editions, tour dates
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Album review : AGENT STEEL – Mad Locust Rising, Live At Hammersmith Odeon (CD/DVD Deluxe Digipak)

Cherry Red [Release date : 27.09.24) 20th June 1987. Agent Steel headlined a line up that included Onslaught and Nuclear Assault at the Hammersmith Odeon, most famously known for Motorhead’s “No Sleep ‘Til…” The band had been unable to avoid … Continue reading →
Album review : SINNER’S BLOOD – Dark Horizons

Frontiers [Release date : 27.09.24] On their second full studio album on the Frontiers’ label, Sinner’s Blood ramp up the menacingly brooding rhetoric on their new recording, Dark Horizons. Chilean duo, Nasson – songwriter, producer, guitars, and James Robledo – … Continue reading →
Interview: BLOOD FEAST (CJ Scioscia)

When I decided to approach Hells Headbangers in order to arrange an interview with the New Jersey based Thrash Metal legends Blood Feast, little did I know that in guitarist CJ Scioscia I would end up finding a musical kindred … Continue reading →