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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: PAUL McCARTNEY- 02 Arena, London, 18 December 2024
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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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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: MAGNUM – Escape From The Shadow Garden
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Album review: WALTER TROUT – We’re All In This Together
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Album review: JAMES LABRIE – Impermanent Resonance
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Album review: THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA – Tubular Bells 50th Anniversary Celebration
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Album review: SAXON – Solid Book Of Rock (Box set)
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Album review: GARY FLETCHER – River Keeps Flowing
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Features
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Category Archives: Pure Metal/Album reviews
Album review : HATEBREED – The Rise Of Brutality / Supremacy (2CD Deluxe Ed)
Cherry Red [release date: 14.07.23] “Heavy Music is this cleansing, therapeutic and cathartic experience for so many”. So says Jamie Jasta, frontman of US Grammy nominated, Metal/ Hardcore band, Hatebreed. No surprise then to learn that his band are longtime … Continue reading
Album review : ALL FOR METAL – Legends
AFM Records [release date : 07.07.23] We distinctly remember reviewing All For Metal’s trailer single, ‘We were Born In Valhalla’, back in December last year, and referring this dubious claim to a Fact Check website. Well, they never got back … Continue reading
Album review: BLOODBOUND – Tales From The North
AFM Records [release date 7.07.23] Since the early nineties, Northern European Metal bands have progressively sought to explore and celebrate the history and impact of Viking Culture. “Viking Metal” has grown considerably since then. One of today’s key exponents is … Continue reading
Album review : PYRAMAZE – Bloodlines
AFM Records [Release date 23.06.23] Bloodlines is the seventh album in eighteen years from Danish metallers, Pyramaze. This is a band who rebuilt their line up in 2015, after significant loss of key members in 2011. It took the new … Continue reading
Album review : WINTERSTORM – Everfrost
AFM Records [Release date 14.07.23] It’s always the case with music like Winterstorm’s – a refreshing mix of Nordic Viking metal, folk, and fast-paced orchestral power metal – that you have to get with the programme to really appreciate it. … Continue reading
Album review : WITHERING SCORN – Prophets of Demise
Frontiers [Release date: 07.07.23] Withering Scorn is a band made up of experienced, successful heavy metal musicians, assembled by brothers, Glen and Shawn Drover, both ex Megadeth and Eidolon. They are joined by ex Fates Warning bass man, Joe DiBiase … Continue reading
Album review : FALSE MEMORIES – Hybrid Ego System
Frontiers [Release date: 09.06.23] Guitarist, Francesco Savino founded False Memories in 2015, but it was only when he recruited vocalist, Rossella Moscatelli in 2018 that the band’s career gained some momentum. We reviewed the debut, The Last Night Of Fall … Continue reading
Album review: WEAPON – New Clear Power
Pride & Joy Music [Release date 19.05.23] There have been a few changes in the Weapon camp since their 2019 album ‘Ghosts Of War’, with original guitarist Jeff Summers leaving the band in 2021, and they can now revert to … Continue reading
Album review: ELEGANT WEAPONS – Horns For A Halo
Nuclear Blast [Release date 26.05.23] Elegant Weapons may be releasing their debut album, however, the album’s line-up is a bit of a metal supergroup. It features Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, along with fellow Priest band mate, drummer Scott Travis. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Andy Sneap, debut, Elegant Weapons, heavy metal, Horns For A Halo, Judas Priest, metal, MSG, Nuclear Blast, Pantera, power metal, Rainbow, review, Richie Faulkner, Ronnie Romero, UFO
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Album review: SCREAMACHINE – Church Of The Scream
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] While not immediately lovable, Italy’s Metal monsters, Screamachine’s second album, Church Of The Scream inexorably works its way under your skin. And remains there. So, get your headphones on and say a prayer. They band hit … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Accept, album, Alice Cooper, Church Of The Scream, Edoardo Taddei, KROKUS, Motley Crue, Paulo Campitelli, review, Savatage, Screamachine, speed metal, Valerio Carrichio
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Album review: ELVENKING – Reader Of The Runes (part 2), Rapture
AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] Heavy metal pirates, Elvenking, set sail again, boldly going where few bands dare to go. It’s no exaggeration to claim that this album is a unique heavy metal experience. Operatic, symphonic, folky, very lyrical, not … Continue reading
EP review: DANIELE LIVERANI – The Wheel Of Emotion
Spotify [Release date 30.03.23] After being lost for more that 30 years in old tapes, Daniele Liverani issues these four unreleased songs. Recorded back in 1992 with a 4 tracks and minimal home recording equipment tools, the tracks have been restored and … Continue reading
Album review : BIOHAZARD – Urban Discipline and No Holds Barred, Live In Europe (2 CD Deluxe Digipack)
Cherry Red [release date: 14.03.23] New York band Biohazard are credited with fusing hardcore metal, punk and hip hop. Five years after formation they signed with Roadrunner Records and released their groundbreaking album, Urban Discipline. Urban Discipline (1992) This influential … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged 2 CD Digipack, album, Deluxe, Fishbone, hip hop, Kyuss, metal, New York Times, punk, review
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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
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
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
