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Album review: RITA BLISS – One More Winter
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Album review : SEVEN SPIRES – A Fortress Called Home (Master Key Edition / 3CDs)
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Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
Album review : ARCHON ANGEL – II

Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23] On his second album now fronting Archon Angel, Zak Stevens probably couldn’t tell you how many albums he’s appeared on. We’ll help him out: Since 1993, five as Savatage’s frontman, five up front with The TSO … 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, Aldo Lonobile, Archon Angel, Circle II Circle, Frontiers, II, melodic metal, review, Savatage, TSO, Zak Stevens
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Album review: KILLER – Hellfire (And The Best of Killer) 2 CD Edition

Cherry Red/HNE [Release date: 21.03.23] Belgium: 1980 : 3 respected, experienced, died in the wool rock musicians split with their long time bands, and get together to share a different musical destiny. Paul “Shorty” Van Camp, “Fat Leo” and “Spooky” … 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, Belgium, Cherry Red, heavy metal, Hellfire (And The Best of Killer), HNE, Iron Maiden, Killer, Mausoleum, Metallica, Motorhead, review, Saxon, Shorty Van Camp, Spooky
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News: RAVEN, THE FIERCE & THE DEAD, CRAZY LIXX (April 2023)

Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder release his second solo album, ’II, on June 9 via InsideOut Music. A 40th-anniversary super deluxe edition of Black Sabbath’s ‘Live Evil’ is released on June 2 through BMG. Bonfire have re-recorded their ‘Point Blank’, ‘Fireworks’ and … Continue reading →
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, 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 Americana, blues, classic rock, country, Crazy Lixx, folk, gigs, metal, New releases, news, pop, punk, RAVEN, rock, The Fierce & The Dead, tours
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Album review: WARFARE – The Lemmy Sessions (3 CD Boxset)

Cherry Red/HNE [Release date : 24.03.23] Late on in the last century’s timeline, around 1990, Co. Durham’s one and only anarchic metal band, Warfare, were outselling stablemates, Venom and Raven. On stage and off stage they were living up to … 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, boxset, Durham, Evo, heavy metal, John Tucker, Lemmy, Motorhead, review, The Lemmy Sessions, Warfare
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Album review: THE BANISHMENT – Machine And Bone

Frontiers [Release date 10.03.23] From Dokken and Lynch Mob to End Machine, KXM and more, George Lynch has been on quite some rock’n’roll journey. And is still. He and his new world bandmates, Producer/Mixer/Writer, Joe Haze and vocalist, Devix AKA … Continue reading →
Album review: ICARUS FALLS – Hollow

Facebook [Release date 03.03.23] Icarus Falls hail from West Sussex in the UK, consisting of Doug Hay (vocals), Harvey Wigg (guitar, vocals), Lawrence Trousdale-Smith (guitar), Vinnie Denton (bass) and Josh Harris (drums). As well as having the pandemic hit their … Continue reading →
News: WHITESNAKE, POWER QUEST, DEMON (March 2023)

Bryan Adams has finished work on his latest album which is due for release later this year or early 2024. The Alarm release their latest album ‘Forwards’ on June 2. The title track and ‘Next’ have been released ahead of … Continue reading →
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Gigs and Tour News, Listening Post, NEWS, PledgeMusic/Kickstarter Campaigns, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Interviews, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
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Tagged classic rock, folk, gigs, metal, New releases, news, Power Quest, punk, rock, tours. Demon, Whitesnake
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Album review : DEICIDE – Bible Bashers (3 CD Retrospective)

Dissonance/Cherry Red [Release date: 24.02.23] The first of the 3 CDs in this Deicide set, InsinerateHymn (fabulous title), was the band’s fifth album, released in 2000. The band, led by bassist/ writer/ singer, Glen Benton, had made their not inconsiderable … Continue reading →
Album review: RONNIE ROMERO – Raised On Heavy Radio

Frontiers Records [Release date: 27.01.23] Second “Raised On…” album from Ronnie (Rainbow, Lords Of Black, The Ferry Men) Romero. Recording cover versions of your favourite songs must be a temptation that’s impossible to resist. Many singers/bands have done it. Few … 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, Bad Company, Chris Caffery, Foreigner, Gus G, heavy metal, Helloween, Iron Maiden, Journey, Judas Priest, melodic rock, Nozuma Wakei, Rainbow, Raised On Heavy Radio, review, Roland Grapow, Ronnie Romero, Steve Perry, Survivor
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Album review: DOCKER’S GUILD – The Mystic Technocracy Season 2: The Age Of Entropy

Website Docker’s Guild is a massive progressive metal space opera which will unfold through five “seasons” and four “books” for a total of nine albums. It is masterminded by producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Douglas R. Docker. Joining him on this … Continue reading →
News: GLEN MATLOCK, SAXON, GRAND DESIGN (February 2023)

Angel release their new album ‘Once Upon A Time’, via Cleopatra Records on April 21. Babylon A.D. release ‘Live Lightning’ via Perris Records on March 17. Elles Bailey releases an expanded version of her ‘Shining in The Half Light’ album on 17 March. The expanded version includes … Continue reading →
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, 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
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Tagged classic rock, folk, gigs, Glen Matlock, Grand Design, metal, New releases, news, punk, rock, Saxon, Skindred, tours
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Album review: GIRLSCHOOL – The School Report 1976-2008

Cherry Red/HNE [Release date: 27.01.23] Girlschool experienced their share of heartache… label let downs, revolving door membership issues, conflicting views on musical direction and the struggles to sustain their ambitions in the face of all of the above. But they soldiered … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged 1984, album, boxset, GIRLSCHOOL, NWOBHM, punk, review, The School Report 1976-2008
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Album review : HOLOCAUST – Heavy Metal Mania – The Complete Recordings, Vol 1 1980-1984 (6 CDs)

Cherry Red [Release date 27.01.23] Carrying the NWOBHM torch in Scotland since 1977, Edinburgh’s Holocaust are the genre’s archetypal survivors. They are almost literally the definition of “Metal bands who’ve flown under the radar their whole career”. Arguably, it was … Continue reading →
Album title: BEYOND THE BLACK – Beyond The Black

Nuclear Blast [Release date 13.01.23] Fifth album from Beyond The Black and the third since the 2014 revamped line-up which left vocalist Jenifer Haben as the sole original member. Beyond The Black is completed by lead guitarist Chris Hermsdörfer, rhythm … Continue reading →
News: MR BIG, TREVOR RABIN, PINK FLOYD (January 2023)

A.C.T. release a new six song EP ‘Falling’ on March 3. Bryan Adams releases a live version of his 2022 Royal Albert Show, where he played all of his ‘Cuts Like A Knife’ album, on February 3. MVD Marquee Collection … Continue reading →
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Exhibitions, 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 folk, Frontiers, gigs, metal, Mr Big, new albums, news, pop, prog, Pure Metal/News, re-issues, RIP, rock, special editions, tours
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Album review: DOKKEN – The Elektra Albums 1983-1987

BMG [Release date 27.01.23] Formed in the late 70s by vocalist and guitarist Don Dokken, the band Dokken shot to fame in the 80s, with their very enjoyable (and successful) blend of hard rock, glam and AOR. BMG continue their … Continue reading →
Single review: REDEMPTION – I Am The Storm

AFM Records [release date 14.12.22] Led from the front by multi instrumentalist, Nick Van Dyk, LA’s Power/Prog Metal maestros, Redemption aren’t the most prolific. I Am The Storm, the album, due for release early 2023, is only the band’s third … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
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Tagged Borealis, Evergrey, Nick Van Dyk, power metal, prog metal, Silent Skies, single, Tom Englund, Vikram Shankar
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Single review: ELVENKING – Rapture

AFM Records [release date: 14.12.22] ‘Rapture’ is the first trailer track / single from the forthcoming Elevenking (2023) album, Reader Of The Runes Part 2 (of 3). The band’s fascination with backing vocals that are rooted in Gregorian chants and … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
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Tagged cantata, Carl Orff, Carmina Burana, Classical music, Gregorian chant, Reader of The Runes, review, single
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Album review: AFTER LAPSE – Face The Storm

Frontiers [Release date : 09.12.22] Debut album from Prog Rock classicists, After Lapse. As any aficionado will tell you, Progrock bands need more time than others to tell their story. Credit to After Lapse for holding track lengths to around … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged After Lapse, album, Face The Storm, Frontiers, Mike Portnoy, power metal, progrock, review, Spain
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Single review: BROTHERS OF METAL – Berserkir

AFM Records [release date: 02.12.22] With 3 vocalists, 3 guitarists, bass, drums and anvil (!), you’re bound to have a BIG sound. And the Swedish Power Metal band who brought us the highly successful Emblas Saga (2020), The Brothers of … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
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Tagged Gladiator, Maximus, medieval, Norwegian Royalty, Odin, power metal, review, single
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Single review: ALL FOR METAL – Born In Valhalla

AFM Records [Release date 02.12.22] The All For Metal warriors claim to have been “born in Valhalla”. We’re slightly sceptical so have referred this to a Fact Checking Website. We’ll let you know. Meantime the the band have released a … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
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Tagged All For Metal, heavy metal, review, single, Vikings
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Album review: AMBERIAN DAWN – Take a Chance – A Metal Tribute to ABBA

Napalm Records [Release date 02.12.22] Amberian Dawn go full on ABBA tribute mode on their latest album, after doing a sterling job of ABBA’s ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ (which is also on here) on their previous album, ‘Looking … Continue reading →
Album review : SCREAM MAKER – Bloodking

Frontiers [release date 9.12.22] Third album from Polish Metal band, Scream Maker. Bloodking begins where 2016′s Backs Against The World left off. This is a band who’ve spent much of their pre and post pandemic time on tour (Europe and … Continue reading →
News: METALLICA, POWER WOLF, KHYMERA (December 2022)

Ace Frehley is finishing off his new album for a planned release in early 2023. The Balladmongrels is a new band featuring Dogs D’amour frontman Tyla J. Pallas and singer songwriter Matty James Cassidy. Their debut album, ‘Trouble’, is set … Continue reading →
Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Exhibitions, 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 Ace Frehley, folk, Frontiers, gigs, Khymera, Level 42, metal, Metallica, new albums, news, pop, POWER WOLF, prog, rock, tours
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Album review: THRESHOLD – Dividing Lines

Nuclear Blast [Release date 18.11.22] Album number twelve from Threshold and their first in five years since the excellent ‘The Legend of the Shires’, which also marked the return of vocalist Glynn Morgan. A darker style and sound overall than … Continue reading →


