Tag Archives: heavy metal

Album review: BRIDEAR – Aegis Of Athena

Bridear-Aegis-of-Athena

Setsuzoku Records [Release date 13.05.22] All girl band, Bridear, from Fukuoka, Japan has created a global fanbase since its inception in 2014. Aegis of Athena is its third album. The band’s skilful merge of Melodic Metal and J-Pop might not … Continue reading

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Album review: STARCHASER – Starchaser

starchaser

Frontiers Music [Release date: 06.05.22] If you have an insatiable appetite for the genre, this meat and 2 veg power metal album from new band, Starchaser might provide reasonable, short term sustenance. It began life as a Kenneth (Tad Morose) … Continue reading

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Album review: LILLIAN AXE – Psalms For Eternity (3 CD set)

Lillian-Axe-Cover

Global Rock [Release date 6.04.22] This month, Lillian Axe release a 3 CD retrospective on Global Rock, SFM’s brand spanking new Rock and Metal label, grandly called Psalms For Eternity. It’s been curated by mainman, guitarist and songwriter, Steve Blaze, … Continue reading

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Album review: RIOT ACT – Closer To The Flame

Riot Act - Closer to the Flame

Global Rock Records [Release date 01.04.22] This is the debut album from Riot Act, the band initially formed by former ‘classic era’ Riot members Rick Ventura and Lou Kouvaris and it is a must listen to for any classic hard … Continue reading

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Album review: GHOST – Impera

Ghost - Impera

Loma Vista Recordings [Release date 11.03.22] Papa and the Nameless Ghouls are back with album number 5. The last album, Prequelle, took us back to the time of the Plague, but here we join Ghost in more modern times. The concept … Continue reading

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EP review: LORDS OF RUIN – Ruin Within

LORDS OF RUIN - Ruin Within

Website [Release 24.01.22; streaming services from 14.02.22] Metal band, Lords of Ruin have released their long-awaited debut EP, following the inevitable Covid delays to production and release, which have affected so many up-and-coming bands. It literally stalled them in their … Continue reading

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Album review: TOKYO BLADE – Fury

Tokyo-Blade-cover-Fury

Dissonance/Cherry Red [Release date: 21.01.22] It’s interesting to note that Tokyo Blade’s current members, including guitarist Andy Boulton and vocalist Alan Marsh, were with the band almost from the beginning, but left and rejoined at various intervals since the band’s … Continue reading

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Album review: SAXON – Carpe Diem

SAXON - Carpe Diem

Silver Lining [Release date 04.02.22] Saxon, one of the world’s most consistent and reliable classic metal bands, a name synonymous with the New Wave Of British Heavy (NWoBHM); there were there at the start in the late 70s. Hits such … Continue reading

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Album review : CORROSION OF CONFORMITY – Sleeping Martyr: 2000-2005 (3 CD digipack)

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Cherry Red [Release date 26.11.21] The Sleeping Martyr digipak is a cleverly selected three album package from one of the world’s coolest metal bands, Corrosion Of Conformity. All three – America’s Volume Dealer (2000), Live Volume (2001) and In The … Continue reading

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Album review: LEVERAGE – Above The Beyond

leverage-above-the-beyond

Frontiers [Release date 15.10.21] AOR, Melodic Rock, Power Metal, Progmetal … Leverage are none of these yet they are all of these. On their 5th album now and the music gets harder to define and easier to admire. It’s perhaps … Continue reading

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Album review: ALCATRAZZ – V

alcatrazz v

Silver Lining Music [Release date: 15.10.21] Now that Doogie White and Joe Stump are onboard, Alcatrazz have abandoned all that wimpy rock stuff, and mainlined themselves into the world of heavy metal, on this, their second album with Silver Lining. … Continue reading

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Album review: BLACK SABBATH – Technical Ecstasy (Super Deluxe 5LP Vinyl Box Set)

BLACK SABBATH - Technical Ecstasy

WIN A CD or VINYL COPY! BMG / Sanctuary Records   [Release date: 01.10.21] Following the superb ‘Super-Deluxe’ releases of ‘Paranoid’, ‘Volume 4’ and ‘Sabotage’ in the last couple of years, it is now the turn of ‘Technical Ecstasy’ to … Continue reading

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Album review: SAVATAGE – Sirens and Dungeons Are Calling (remasters)

savatage sirens

ear-MUSIC [release date 3.09.21] We’re cranking the machine way back to 1982, and Savatage’s twin debuts, Sirens and Dungeons Are Calling, both independently released. The band, Jon and Criss Oliva, Keith Collins and Steve Wacholz recorded and mixed all the … Continue reading

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Album review: IRON MAIDEN – Senjutsu

senjutsu

Parlophone [Release date 03.09.21] It’s been almost 6 years since Iron Maiden released Book Of Souls to an eagerly waiting world. For me it was one of the most disappointing releases of the band’s career, over long, plodding and ultimately boring, not a … Continue reading

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Album review: ORANGE GOBLIN – Healing Through Fire (2CDs w/bonus tracks)

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Cherry Red Records [Release date 20.08.21] This expanded Orange Goblin compilation centres on their 2007 Disaster Album, Healing Through Fire. Only a Heavy Metal band could take The Great Fire Of London and the Great Plague as the theme for its … Continue reading

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Album review: BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER – S/T

brotherbrother

Frontiers Records [Release date 11.06.21] Frontiers clearly think highly of Brother Against Brother. The label compares this recording by two vocalists, Renan (Electric Mob) Zonta and Nando (Sinistra) Fernandes, relatively unknown outside of their native Brazil, to the Allen/Lande project. … Continue reading

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Album review: SONIC HAVEN – Vagabond

sonic haven vagabond

Frontiers Music [Release date 07.05.21] Sonic Haven is Herbie Langhan’s band. He of Firewind, Avantasia and others fame. He’s produced it, Sacha Paeth has mixed it and old Radiant chum, Carsen Stepanowicz plays guitar. So, with three vastly experienced artists … Continue reading

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Album review: SWEET OBLIVION (feat Geoff Tate) – Relentless

SweetOblivion-Relentless-cover2021

Frontiers Music [Release date 09.03.21] Another Italian job. The Sweet Oblivion (feat Geoff Tate) debut was co-written by Tate and DGM guitarist/producer, Simone Mularoni. Relentless is the follow up, and it’s been been co-written and produced by another multi-talented Italian … Continue reading

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Album review: VOODOO CIRCLE – Locked & Loaded

VOODDO CIRCLE - Locked & Loaded

AFM Records [Release date 15.01.21] Locked & Loaded is Voodoo Circle’s love letter to Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake. We should all be delighted that Alex Beyrodt got the band back together again. The classic line up, we mean. The team … Continue reading

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Feature: Albums that time forgot…JAMES LABRIE – Elements Of Persuasion

JAMES LABRIE - Elements Of Persuasion

InsideOut (2005) For many band members, the band becomes all consuming.  It means, as a result of the constant cycle of touring, writing and recording, they can’t deliver their own solo album.  There are 15 years between John Petrucci’s first … Continue reading

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Album review: BLACK SABBATH – Paranoid (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe)

Black Sabbath - Paranoid - 50th Anniversary Edition

BMG [Release date 09.10.20] Another year.  Another anniversary.  At the dawn of heavy metal as we know it, 1970, Black Sabbath released their second album which went on to achieve multi-million selling status. A fan favourite it yielded a handful … Continue reading

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News: WIN a copy of BLACK SABBATH Paranoid – 50th anniversary super deluxe box set

Black Sabbath - Paranoid - 50th Anniversary Edition

Celebrating the 50th anniverary of the multi-million selling album ‘Paranoid’ BMG release a 5-LP/4CD edition on October 9th, featuring the vinyl debut of two 1970 concerts. We have a copy of the CD version and the vinyl super deluxe edition … Continue reading

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Feature: Albums that time forgot … BLACKTHORNE – Afterlife

BLACKTHORNE - Afterlife

Music For Nations (1993) Graham Bonnet’s career started in the late 1960s with a conventional pop approach and early solo albums.  It was only in 1979 when he came to Ritchie Blackmore’s attention as a potential frontman of Rainbow (replacing … Continue reading

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Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Iheart Radio Theater NYC 2012

BLUE OYSTER CULT – Iheart Radio Theater NYC 2012

Frontiers [Release date 08.05.20] An invited audience of 200 lucky fans saw Blue Oyster Cult live on stage at the IHeart Radio Theater in New York in 2012. The event noisily celebrated the band’s 40th year together, expertly recorded by … Continue reading

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Feature: What SAXON mean to me…

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Saxon have been a life-long passion for Joe Geesin who has followed the band since the mid-1980s.  More recently he has contributed sleeve notes and curation to several re-issues.  And now he’s ready to write the band’s biography… Barnsley born … Continue reading

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