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Upcoming: UK & Ireland Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Category Archives: PURE METAL (All posts)
LOUDNESS – Eve To Dawn
FROSTBYTE – Out Now There are certain songs that will forever stay in my memory as they have been instrumental in helping shape my personality and musical tastes as a young teenager. One such song was “Heavy Chains” – a … Continue reading
CASTLE – Blacklands
VAN RECORDS – Out Now No one can deny that the 70s has been probably the most important decade in the history of Rock as the sound and style that was developed during this period continues to influence Rock and … Continue reading
ELUVEITIE – The Early Years
NUCLEAR BLAST – Out Now It was only eight months ago that Folk Deathsters Eluveitie presented the world with their 5th studio album “Helvetios” and there is yet another with their name on the sleeve being released. As the title … Continue reading
VOIVOD (Denis “Snake” Belanger) INTERVIEW
I remember how there was a time in my life when the idea of seeing the Canadian Prog Metallers Voivod live would have seemed like a dream but this October, not only was I to enjoy a one and a … Continue reading
GEOFF TATE – Kings & Thieves
Inside Out – Release date: 29/10/2012 The 20th of June 2012 is the day that is carved in my memory – the day when the unthinkable happened: Michael Wilton, Scott Rockenfield & Eddie Jackson informed the world through an announcement … Continue reading
CIRCLE II CIRCLE – Full Circle – Best Of
AFM RECORDS – Out Now Zachary Stevens is a man who should really need no introductions! Following a very sucessful stint as the frontman of the mighty Savatage between 1993 and 2000, he went on to create similarly impressive music … Continue reading
MARDUK (Morgan Hakansson) INTERVIEW
Morgan “Evil” Steinmeyer Håkansson is a man who should really needs no introduction, having been the founding member and undoubted leader over the past 22 years of the Swedish Black Metal war machine Marduk– one of the most original and … Continue reading
CATUVOLCUS – Gergovia
Deathbound Records (Release Date – Out Now) History tends to be littered with battles and brutality, especially where the Roman Legions are concerned, so the retelling of the Gauls’ battle against the Romans was never going to be … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Catuvolcus, Gergovia
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VOIVOD Gig Review
Support Acts: Doom /Serpent Venom. London Highbury Relentless Garage , Sunday the 7th of October 2012 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Photos by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Who cares if you have to travel into London on a Sunday night and, … Continue reading
MOTORHEAD – The World Is Ours Vol.2 – Anyplace Crazy As Anywhere Else
UDR/EMI – Release Date 24/9/2012 The world of Rock is full of passion and vice and has claimed a significant number of victims over the years – people whose resistance and ability to manage drugs and alcohol is incomparable to … Continue reading
BEARDFISH (Rikard Sjöblom) Interview
I rarely become truly hooked on an album these days, but Beardfish’s latest Prog Rock/Metal offering “The Void” has certainly proved to be an exception. After having spent numerous hours enjoying layers upon layers of technically demanding and emotionally charging … Continue reading
MARDUK Gig Review
MARDUK Gig Review Support Acts: Immolation /De Profundis/ Heaving Earth/Forsaken World & Sinate London Underworld, Saturday the 29th of September 2012 Review by Yiannis (John) Stefanis Photos by Fabiola Santini These past few weeks have been relentless for me … Continue reading
WINTERFYLLETH – The Threnody Of Triumph
CANDLELIGHT – Out Now I am not quite sure why loving one’s country and history has become synonymous with being politically right-wing. Fears of such associations which could potentially damage record sales have deprived many artists from presenting aspects of … Continue reading
A FOREST OF STARS – A Shadowplay For Yesterdays
LUPUS LOUNGE – Release Date: Out Now An element of mystery has always been a helpful ingredient in any Rock band’s arsenal and no band has mastered the art of identity concealment better than Kiss, of course, but that has … Continue reading
BEARDFISH – The Void
BEARDFISH – The Void Inside Out [Release Date: 27/08/2012] What on earth are they feeding musicians in Sweden? Maybe an odd question, but one can’t ignore the number of prominent Prog Rock/Metal bands that hail from the ancient lands of … Continue reading
MICK UNDERWOOD’S GLORY ROAD
MICK UNDERWOOD’S GLORY ROAD Cabbage Patch, Twickenham Thursday August 30th 2012 A new rock night is being launched at the Cabbage Patch pub in Twickenham, already home to blues and folk clubs and they had former Gillan drummer Mick Underwood’s … Continue reading
Posted in Pure Metal/Gig reviews
Tagged Cabbage Patch, Gillan, Glory Road, Jeff Summers, Mick Underwood, Twickenham
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KAIPA (Hans Lundin) INTERVIEW
KAIPA (Hans Lundin) INTERVIEW Hans Lundin is a very talented multi-instrumentalist who has been providing the world of Prog Rock with albums of outstanding quality through Kaipa – a group of similarly-minded musicians who have been active since the early … Continue reading
Posted in INTERVIEWS, Interviews/Rock Stars, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Interviews
Tagged Hans Lundin, Inside Out, Kaipa
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KATATONIA – Dead End Kings
(Peaceville) Following on from their superb ‘Night Is The New Day’ album – the point at which former doom-metal merchants Katatonia saw the light and crossed over from the dark side – comes ‘Dead End Kings’, an album so magnificent … Continue reading
KORPIKLAANI -“MANALA”
KORPIKLAANI -“MANALA” NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Folk Metal has evolved enormously since the early 90s, a period when bands like Skyclad gradually began convincing people that folk tunes and organs, such as the violin, in Metal can be an inspiring rather … Continue reading
DEW-SCENTED – “ICARUS”
DEW-SCENTED – “ICARUS” METAL BLADE (2012) Dew-Scented is a band that will forever stay in my memory as one of the first ever reviews I wrote back in 2003 was for the band’s then release “Impact”. Since then there have … Continue reading
TANKARD – “A GIRL CALLED CERVEZA”
TANKARD – “A GIRL CALLED CERVEZA” NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) How does a band manage to play the same style of music for thirty years, restricted to a specialised and somewhat controversial topic, and still manage to make a decent career … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged A GIRL CALLED CERVEZA, TANKARD
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DORO – Raise Your Fist In The Air
DORO – “RAISE YOUR FIST IN THE AIR EP” NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Metal music has employed the services of many female vocalists over the years, none being more influential, respected and humble than Dorothee Pesch – the petite Dusseldorf-born blond … Continue reading
BURY TOMORROW – “THE UNION OF CROWNS”
BURY TOMORROW – “THE UNION OF CROWNS” NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) Portsmouth and Southampton have spawned numerous Metalcore outfits over the years, one of which, the melodic quintet Bury Tomorrow, is clearly doing enough to attract the attention of a major … Continue reading
KAIPA – “VITTJAR”
KAIPA – “VITTJAR” INSIDE OUT (2012) It feels very strange to be reviewing a band which released its debut effort around the same year you were born but this is indeed the link between me and the Swedish Prog Rockers … Continue reading
NILE – “AT THE GATE OF SETHU”
NILE – “AT THE GATE OF SETHU” NUCLEAR BLAST (2012) As a young man growing up in 70s/80s Athens, there were two things in life that I felt really passionate about: Egyptology and Heavy Metal. Happily, I have fulfilled my … Continue reading
