-
Upcoming Gigs & Albums
-
Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD/Bluray) 2025
-
Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD/Bluray) 2026
-
Upcoming: UK & Ireland Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2025)
-
Upcoming: UK & Ireland Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
-
Upcoming: Festivals UK & Europe (2026)
-
Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2025)
-
Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
-
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
GRTR! Greats
Featured Album Reviews
Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review: TANKARD – R.I.B. (Rest In Beer)
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Looking at Tankard’s discography, one cannot fail but be impressed by the incredible consistency of this German outfit. Since their inception back in 1982, the German Weltmeisters of humour-driven Thrash Metal have been pretty much … Continue reading
Album review: OVERKILL – White Devil Armory
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Few bands have a work ethic and determination that is even remotely comparable to that of the New Jersey based Thrash/Speed Metal outfit Overkill. Even during the mid 90s, the time when Grunge’s dominance led … Continue reading
Album review: SEPTICFLESH – Titan
Season Of Mist – Out Now. When the members of the Symphonic Death Metal outfit Septicflesh (originally Septic Flesh) decided to call it a day back in 2003, there were quite a few of their fans, myself included, who truly … Continue reading
Interview with MICHAEL BASTHOL DAHL (Artillery) – 20 July 2014
Of the Thrash Metal bands that made their appearance in the early 80s, the one perhaps less deserving of the total lack of support provided by the music industry were the Danish quintet Artillery. Following a few well-documented break-ups and … Continue reading
Gig review: ONSLAUGHT – O2 Islington Academy, London, 20 July 2014
Support Act: Artillery, Nightlord, One Machine Review and photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis July is not the best of months to arrange a gig in London. This is the time of the year when most people are either counting their … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Gig reviews
Tagged 20 July 2014, gig, London, metal, O2 Islington Academy, onslaught, review, Thrash
Leave a comment
Album review: SABATON – Heroes
Nuclear Blast – Out Now When you are signed to one of Metal’s biggest record labels, your albums enjoy first class promotion around the globe by being made available in various lavish formats and the last major tour you undertook … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Heroes, metal, review, Sabaton
Leave a comment
Album review: VALLENFYRE – Splinters
Century Media – Out Now. The death of a loved one can be a devastating experience and there is no ‘right’ way of dealing with it. While some find solace in isolation, others do so in expression. Greg Mackintosh, guitarist … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Doom Metal, review, Splinters, Vallenfyre
Leave a comment
Album review: CRADLE OF FILTH – Total Fucking Darkness
Mordgrimm – Out Now. Long before enjoying the support of major labels like Sony and Roadrunner and headlining festival stages around the globe, Suffolk-based extreme Metallers Cradle Of Filth were just another UK band struggling to make ends meet. Their … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Cradle Of Filth, demos, metal, review, Total Fucking Darkness
Leave a comment
Album review: E-MUSIKGRUPPE LUX OHR – Spiralo
Svart Records – Out Now. Svart Records is an underground label from Finland whose support of the country’s local Metal scene is responsible, to a large extent, for the evolution of metal music in the land of a thousand lakes. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, E-Musikgruppe Lux Ohr, Finland, metal, review, Spiralo
Leave a comment
Album review: POSSESSION – Anneliese
Iron Bonehead / Invictus – Out Now. Possession are an underground Black/Death Metal quartet for which not much information can be found, other than the fact that they were first formed back in 2012 and that they are signed with … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Anneliese, Black Metal, Death Metal, Possession, review
Leave a comment
Album review: GRAVE DIGGER – Return Of The Reaper
Napalm Records – Out Now. With thirty four years of active service and sixteen studio albums under their belts, German Heavy Metal warlords Grave Digger would have been quite justified had they decided to start taking things easy. Rather than … Continue reading
Album review: ELVENKING – The Pagan Manifesto
AFM Records – Out Now. Even though they have been earning their chops performing Folk infused Power Metal for the last seventeen years, the members of Italian sextet Elvenking do not really perform the style of music that I would … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Elvenking, folk, Italian, Italy, power metal, review, The Pagan Manifesto
Comments Off
Album review: SABBATH ASSEMBLY – Quaternity
Svart Records – Out Now. By all accounts, our world looked a far more spiritually uplifting and inviting place forty odd years ago – a period when art, philosophy and all other forms of human expression were experiencing a renaissance. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Review of album by metal band Sabbath Assembly called Quaternity.occult
Comments Off
Album review: COLTSBLOOD – Into The Unfathomable Abyss
Candlelight – Out Now. Coming up with a fresh and unique musical proposition in this day and age is quite a challenging undertaking but nothing seems to be able to stop young bands like the Doom/Sludge Metal trio Coltsblood from … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Coltsblood, Doom Metal, Into The Unfathomable Abyss, review
Comments Off
Interview with LARRY BARRAGAN (Helstar) – 12 June 2014
Larry Barragan, guitarist and sole founding member of the American Power Metal institution Helstar, has been living and breathing Metal since the band’s inception back in 1982 and his passion and love for the said genre is certainly reflected in … Continue reading
Gig review: ANGRA – Camden Underworld, London, 24 June 2014
Support Act: Stormborn Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Planning a gig in London during the Football World Cup in full swing is equivalent to commercial suicide for most bands but the fact that it’s been … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Gig reviews
Tagged 24 June 2014, ANGRA, Camden, gig, London, metal, power metal, review, Underworld
Leave a comment
Interview with TIM BOWNESS – 19 June 2014
Singer, songwriter, record label owner…Tim Bowness has stuck his skilled fingers in many different musical pies over the years but “Abandoned Dancehall Dreams”, his first proper solo effort, finds the Englishman finally fully taking charge of his artistic destiny. Having … Continue reading
Album Review: TIM BOWNESS – Abandoned Dancehall Dreams
Inside Out – Out Now. Tim Bowness is a much sought after singer/songwriter who is best known as Steven Wilson’s creative other half in the experimental Art Rock / Dream Pop outfit No-Man. Various collaborations have resulted in an impressive … Continue reading
Album Review: OPIUM WARLORDS – Taste My Sword Of Understanding
Svart Records – Out Now. Last time I decided to write a review for one of Sami Albert Hynnien’s musical projects, I was not impressed by the offering in question.I like to consider myself as a fairly open-minded person but … Continue reading
Album Review: RAGE – The Soundchaser Archives
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. It was not very long after they released their debut album “Reign Of Fear” back in 1986 that the German Thrash/Power Metalers Rage were first brought to my attention and subsequent heart-stopping performances, one in … Continue reading
Album Review: TORTORUM – Katabasis
W.T.C Productions – Out Now. Born three years ago and bred in Bergen, the unofficial capital of Scandinavian Black Metal, this Norwegian trio has a very important heritage to live up to. This a task that the lads in Tortorum … Continue reading
Album Review: MAYHEM – Esoteric Warfare
Seasons Of Mist – Out Now. Suicide, Murder, church burnings…when one considers that such extreme events have influenced the productive process of the Norwegian Black Metal outfit Mayhem since pretty much day one, seven years without releasing any new material … Continue reading
Album Review: CARNIFEX – Die Without Hope
Nuclear Blast – Out Now. Carnifex is a new name to me, but the Californian Deathcore quintet has been playing loud and thought – provoking music for quite some time now. It was back in 2005 that this outfit was … Continue reading
Album Review: CARNIFEX – Die Without Hope
Nuclear Blast [Release date 03.03.14] Carnifex is a new name to me, but the Californian Deathcore quintet has been playing loud and thought – provoking music for quite some time now. It was back in 2005 that this outfit was … Continue reading
Album Review: MEKONG DELTA – In A Mirror Darkly
Steamhammer/SPV – Out Now. A good thirty years since their inception, and German Prog Thrashers Mekong Delta continue to be an unknown entity for quite a few Metalheads out there – a state of affairs that surprises and annoys me … Continue reading
