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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: BLACK EYED SONS- The Lexington, London, 16 December 2024
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines, 8 December 2024
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Gig review: STRAY – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 7 December 2024
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Gig review: THE SHEEPDOGS, THE COMMONERS – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 5 December 2024
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Gig review: GUN – Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 December 2024
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Gig review: THE DAMN TRUTH – The Grace, London, 26 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: WALTER TROUT – ALIVE in Amsterdam
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News: LARRY MILLER Benefit Gig – The Boom Boom Club, Sutton, 5 November 2016
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EP review: AMY THATCHER – Let What’s In, Out
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Album review: BELLOWHEAD – Broadside
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Album review: DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION – (DBA) – Suburban Ghosts (Geoff Downes, Chris Braide)
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Album review: LARKIN POE – Venom & Faith
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review: PYRAMAZE – Epitaph
AFM Records [Release date 13.11.20] “Epitaph” is the sixth album in sixteen years from Danish metallers, Pyramaze. This is a band who rebuilt their line up in 2015, after significant loss of key members in 2011. That shakeup reflected an … Continue reading
News – BLACKMORE’S NIGHT, H.E.A.T., ORANGE GOBLIN (November 2020)
Blackmore’s Night release a festive themed four song EP ‘Here We Come A-Caroling’ on December 4 via earMUSIC. The same label release the band’s new studio album ‘Nature’s Light’ next spring. Lizzy Borden releases ‘Best of Lizzy Borden, Vol. 2‘ … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged Arthur Brown, Blackmore's Night, classic rock, Crashdiet, H.E.A.T., Massive Wagons, metal, news, Orange Goblin, prog rock, rock
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News – AC/DC, BILL BAILEY, INGLORIOUS, FLOGGING MOLLY (October 2020)
AC/DC (pictured above) have been teasing new activity via their website and UK press adverts. They have now confirmed that vocalist Brian Johnson, bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Phil Rudd are officially back in AC/DC, joining Angus and Stevie Young. A … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged AC/DC, Bill Bailey, classic rock, Flogging Molly, folk, gigs, Inglorious, metal, New releases, news, punk, rock, tours
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Album review: LEAVES’ EYES – The Last Viking
AFM Records [Release date 23.10.20] Leaves’ Eyes are nothing if prolific, with eight albums, eight EPs and a live album since they formed back in 2003. ‘The Last Viking’ marks the final part of the band’s Viking trilogy, telling the … Continue reading
Album review: RISING STEEL – Fight Them All
Frontiers [Release date 04.09.20] Second album from Grenoble’s finest metal band, Rising Steel. And you can see the tongue in their cheek from space. Allegedly. The band’s amusingly phallic name is the first Freudian nod and wink. And then, endearingly, … Continue reading
Album review: FORNDOM – Fapir
Nordvis Produktion [Release date 03.04.20] A new genre has been created: Viking Chill-out and Forndom is the King. Skillfully mixing the best of Icelandic bands like Sigur Ros along with traditional Scandinavian folk, this Swedish artist brings a stunning world … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, chill, Fapir, folk, Forndom, melodic, review, rock, Viking
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News – KING CRIMSON, NEIL YOUNG, ULTRAVOX (September 2020)
King Crimson release a 26-disc set, ‘The Complete 1969 Recordings’, through Panegyric on October 23. It features a brand new Dolby Atmos mix by Steven Wilson of the band’s 1969 debut album ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’, and includes … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, Pure Metal/News, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged albums, Broken Teeth, classic rock, country, folk, King Crimson, metal, Neil Young, New releases, news, Nightwish, pop, prog, re-issues, rock
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Album review: VICIOUS RUMORS – Celebration Decay
SPV Records [Release date 21.08.20] Vicious Rumors found a home at Germany’s SPV Records four albums ago. In fact, Europe’s always offered a warm welcome to the band, right from the start, back in 1985. Now, everything has changed. But … Continue reading
Album review: ONSLAUGHT – Generation Antichrist
AFM Records [Release date 07.08.20] When, on the 29th of April this year, the British Thrash metallers Onslaught announced that singer Sy Keeler had decided to once more part ways with the band, I felt pretty sad indeed. The band … Continue reading
Album review: HAKEN – Virus
Inside Out [Release date 24.07.20] Following the release of their fifth studio album “Vektor” back in October 2018, the members of the British Progressive Metal sextet Haken have rightfully been in the receiving end of various rewards and accolades. For … Continue reading
Album review: PARADISE LOST – Obsidian
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 15.05.20] Creating an album whose compositions are fresh-sounding, well-balanced, expertly-performed and capable of causing high levels of excitement with every new spin is a pretty hard task for any band to achieve in the year … Continue reading
Album review: KATATONIA – City Burials
Peaceville Records [Release date 24.04.20] When, on the 28th of February 2020, I visited the “Gagarin 205” club for the purpose of attending what can only be described as an outstanding performance by the Prog Metal quintet Katatonia, never in … Continue reading
Album review: DYNAZTY – The Dark Delight
AFM Records [Release date 03.04.20] Dynazty’s first three albums culminated in the stirring melodic rock of “Sultans Of Sin” in 2012. By 2014, they had radically recalibrated their sound, trudging through the bland power metal of “Renatus” (2014) and “Titanic … Continue reading
Album review: INTENSE – Songs Of A Broken Future
Pure Steel Records [Release date 27.03.20] It has been nearly nine years since we last saw an album from Intense, during which time they have been busy inside and outside of the music scene (see interview below). The album was … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions, Interviews/Rock Stars, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews, Pure Metal/Gig reviews, Pure Metal/Interviews
Tagged album, Intense, Karl Groom, melodic metal, metal, power metal, prog metal, review, Songs Of A Broken Future, Threshold
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Album review: ABSOLVA – Side By Side
Rocksector Records [Release date 18.10.19] Absolva formed from the ashes of Fury (UK) in 2012, featuring Chris Appleton (vocals, guitar), Luke Appleton (guitar, vocals), Martin McNee (drums) and bassist Karl Schramm, who joined the band in 2014. The band also … Continue reading
Album review: RAGE – Wings Of Rage
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 10.01.20] Every family has a black sheep. That one relative who never gets invited to Christmas lunch. Rage are that family member, the unhinged uncle who is usually locked in an attic or roaming around the woods. … Continue reading
Album review: METAL CHURCH – The Elektra Years 1984-1989
Cherry Red Records [Release date 28.02.20] Before Kurdt Vanderhoof went off to invent a new genre with his band, Hall Aflame, in 1991, he released 3 albums with his startup venture, Metal Church. Cherry Red Records have bundled these into … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews, Reissues
Tagged album, box set, Cherry Red Records, classic metal, David Wayne, Keith Howe, Kurdt Vanderhoof, metal, Metal Church, review, The Elektra Years 1984-1989, thrash metal
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Album review: ROSS THE BOSS – Born Of Fire
AFM Records [Release date 06.03.20] Just when you thought that there was no band more ‘metal’ than Manowar or Judas Priest, along comes Ross ‘the Boss’ Friedman and his crew to combine elements of both and more to provide an … Continue reading
News: MARILLION, NICK MASON, STYX, BLUE OYSTER CULT (February 2020)
Marillion release an expanded version of ‘Script For A Jester’s Tear’ on April 3 as a 4CD/Blu-ray package and on 4LP. Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets will release ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ (2LP, 2CD/DVD and Blu-ray) on April 17 through … Continue reading
Album review: SONS OF APOLLO – MMXX
Inside Out [Release date 17.01.20] Second studio outing from the prog metal supergroup Sons Of Apollo who consist of vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, bassist Billy Sheenan, guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal, drummer Mike Portnoy and on keyboards Derek Sherinian. Sons Of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Billy Sheenan, Bumblefoot, Derek Sherinian, Dream Theater, Guns 'N' Roses, Jeff Scott Soto, Journey, melodic metal, metal, Mike Portnoy, MMXX, prog metal, progressive, review, Sons Of Apollo
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Album review: SERENITY – The Last Knight
Napalm Records [Release date 31.01.20] Austrian symphonic metal band Serenity are back and I seemed to have missed 2017′s ‘Lionheart’, having enjoyed the previous year’s ‘Codex Atlanticus’. That’s the trouble sometimes with so many bands around it is hard to … Continue reading
Album review: KOBURG – Position Of Power
Bandcamp [Release date 01.01.20] It sounds like a fairy tale but, at the stroke of midnight, as the old year passed into the next decade, a new Queen was crowned. Now, America has Amy Lee, Holland has Floor Jansen, Sweden … Continue reading
Album review: MOB RULES – Beast Over Europe
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 13.09.19] Germany has long been a hotbed for rock and metal, with the Scorpions, Accept, Doro and Bonfire leading the way and the huge Waken Open Air festival bringing Teutonic thunder to the world. Celebrating their 25th … Continue reading
Album review: ANVIL – Legal At Last
AFM Records [Release date 14.02.20] It’s impossible not to love Anvil. Sure, prior to the 2008 ‘Anvil! The Story of Anvil’ documentary they were just scratching a living, playing anywhere and everywhere that would have them but that film was … Continue reading
Album review: POSSESSED – Revelations of Oblivion
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 10.05.19] If you were told to imagine how a Possessed album would sound given the circumstances, no matter how vivid of imagination one may have, there is now way that this outcome could have been … Continue reading
