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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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Tag Archives: metal
Album review: DEE SNIDER – For The Love Of Metal Live!
Napalm Records [Release date 31.07.20] To front a rock band takes a few special ingredients. The candidate should be larger than life, outspoken, overblown, like the sound of their own voice, have massive self-confidence and not give a flying f**k for … Continue reading
Album review: RAVEN – Metal City
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 18.09.20] Athletic Rock legends Raven, long associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, issue their new album (their fourteenth) and what a blistering revelation it is too. While 2015’s Extermination was universally well received, a … Continue reading
Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD) October 2020 – December 2020
Compiled by Jason Ritchie January – March 2020 April – June 2020 July – September 2020 October 2nd AMARANTHE ‘Manifest’ Nuclear Blast BLACKFIELD ‘For The Music’ Parlophone Records BON JOVI ‘Bon Jovi 2020′ Island (postponed from May) BRUFORD ‘Rock Goes … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, NEWS, Upcoming (Tours & Releases)
Tagged 20/20, album, AOR, Bluray, CD, December, DVD, heavy rock, melodic rock, metal, New releases, November, October, progressive, rock
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Album review: HAKEN – Virus
Inside Out [Release date 24.07.20] Following the release of their fifth studio album “Vektor” back in October 2018, the members of the British Progressive Metal sextet Haken have rightfully been in the receiving end of various rewards and accolades. For … Continue reading
Album review: VARIOUS – NWOBHM Thunder 1978-86
Cherry Red Records [Release date 31.07.20] (3 CD set) 1978 to 1986. Those 9 years were the Golden Age of NWOBHM. They were the years that spanned the birth, working life and eventual demise of a significant sub genre in … Continue reading
Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD) July 2020 – September 2020
Compiled by Jason Ritchie January – March 2020 April – June 2020 October – December 2020 July 1st DOMINATION BLACK ‘Judgement IV’ Pride & Joy Music THE QUIREBOYS ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ (re-recorded debut album) 3rd WEATHER REPORT … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, NEWS, Upcoming (Tours & Releases)
Tagged 20/20, album, AOR, August, Bluray, CD, DVD, heavy rock, July, melodic rock, metal, New releases, progressive, rock, September
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Single reviews: LIONHEART, UDO
LIONHEART Thine Is The Kingdom Metalville Records A reformed Lionheart (after 30 years) recorded and released a rather fine album of American influenced Melodic Rock in 2017, “Second Nature”, reviewed here. They weren’t all original band members, but old hands, … Continue reading
News: JEFFERSON STARSHIP, THE CULT, SKERRYVORE, Y&T (July 2020)
Jefferson Starship are planning to put out an EP, ‘Mother Of The Sun’, on 21 August via Golden Robot Records. Guitarist David Freiberg is the only original member remaining in the group, although former bassist Pete Sears plays on three … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged albums, classic rock, country, folk, Jefferson Starship, Katie Melua, melodic rock, metal, New releases, news, pop, prog, re-issues, rock, Skerryvore, The Cult, Y&T
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Album review: SMACKBOUND – 20/20
Frontiers [Release date 12.06.20] Finland’s Smackbound paid their dues playing clubs as a covers’ band. Their debut album, “20/20” is a distillation of all the styles and stuff they performed on stage…with added songwriting. And the songwriting shines brightly. It … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 20/20, album, debut, Frontiers, melodic metal, metal, review, Smackbound, symphonic metal
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Album review: SOLITUDE WITHIN – Disappear
The European metal scene has never been healthier, as each week reveals more and more bands to fall in love with. Belgium Symphonic rockers Solitude Within can rightly stake their claim as part of the leading pack with their 2017 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile)
Tagged album, Disappear, epic metal, melodic, melodic metal, metal, review, Solitude Within, symphonic metal
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Album review: RONAN FURLONG – Minerva’s Meddling
Pete Feenstra chatted to Ronan Furlong for his Feature show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, first broadcast 7 June 2020, and including tracks from the album ‘Minerva’s Meddling’. Thoroughbred Music [Release date 29.06.20] To say that Ronan Furlong’s ‘Minerva’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, Celtic, David Surkamp, folk, interview, Irish, metal, Minerva's Meddling, Neil Young, Pavlov's Dog, review, rock, Ronan Furlong, roots, vocal
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Single reviews: STORMZONE, BRANTLEY GILBERT, GIRL SKIN, LUCA BASELE
STORMZONE Tolling Of The Bell Metalapolis Records [Release date 05.06.20] Blimey, album number seven ‘Ignite The Machine’ from StormZone is released by Metalapolis Records on July 31. Before that we have this new single, a six minute trad metal feast … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged Brantley Gilbert, cinematic, country, Girl Skin, indie, jazz, Luca Basele, metal, NYChillharmonic, pop, progressive, review, rock, singles, Stormzone
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News: THE QUIREBOYS, AYREON, JOE BONAMASSA, ASH, KORN (June 2020)
Valentine (the melodic rockers featuring Hugo on vocals), have teased on Facebook that new material is due soon. Joe Bonamassa has released a new song ‘When One Door Opens’. Feature: Gigs of the Millennium Arjen Lucassen has announced the release … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Books, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged albums, Ayreon, folk, gigs, Joe Bonamassa, metal, news, prog, rock, The Quireboys, tours
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Album review: ALESTORM – Curse Of The Crystal Coconut
Napalm Records [Release date 29.05.20] The Perthshire pirates are back with more tales of the high seas told in their own special way, forget sea shanties we want metal! As per usual the album won’t be to all tastes, its … Continue reading
Feature: What FREEDOM CALL mean to me
Joe Geesin recounts an enduring 20 year passion, cultivated after a few drinks and an introduction to the German metallers Freedom Call… After a decade of writing features and sleevenotes, (I first starting writing reviews for Record Collector magazine in … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, What a Band/Artist means to me...
Tagged feature, Freedom Call, German, metal, power metal, review
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Album review: THUNDERSTICK – Something Wicked This Way Came, Live In France
Indie [Release date 20.03.20] Thunderstick the man is a drummer who, having already played with Iron Maiden in their early daze, made his name replacing Clive Burr in Samson. As the masked and caged mad man, and a bloody good … Continue reading
Single reviews: LITTLE CAESAR, UDO
LITTLE CAESAR – Straight Shooter Golden Robot Records [Release date 15.05.20] The much underrated, often overlooked Little Caesar, champions of biker rock, returned to the recording studio in 2018, after an 6 year absence. They had been a much feted … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged Accept, AFM Records, classic rock, Little Caesar, metal, Musikkorps Der Bundeswehr, review, rock, singles, UDO, Udo Dirkschneider
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Single reviews: THE RISING, NATHAN JAMES, DANNY VAUGHN, THE SENTON BOMBS, DION
THE RISING Shadows On The Wall I have been following the Rising since they started out. In their early days they were more in a country rock vibe, before settling on the main duo of guitarist Chris Logan and vocalist … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged album, alt rock, country, Danny Vaughn, folk, melodic, metal, Paul Rodgers, review, singles, the Rising, the Senton Bombs, world music
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Album review: PARADISE LOST – Obsidian
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 15.05.20] Creating an album whose compositions are fresh-sounding, well-balanced, expertly-performed and capable of causing high levels of excitement with every new spin is a pretty hard task for any band to achieve in the year … Continue reading
Feature: Music Industry v Covid 19
Many reading this will be furloughed writes Brian McGowan… over 6 million UK jobs have been so far. Many will not. Maybe you’re working from home. Maybe you’re less fortunate. You’ll know that the music industry is an integral part … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged artists, bands, blues, coronnavirus, Covid 19, feature, folk, gigs, metal, music, Music industry, pop, PR, record labels, rock, tours
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Album review: ESOTERICA – In Dreams
Esoterica [Release date 20.04.20] The dictionary definition of Esoterica is ‘things understood by or meant for a select few’. No one could ever accuse the London based sextet of either as their open-hearted take on modern rock is growing legions … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Esoterica, gothic, In Dreams, melodic metal, metal, New Order, review, rock, symphonic metal
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Single reviews: JESSICA LYNN, SCORPIONS, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT, ROBERT JON & THE WRECK
JESSICA LYNN Run To Jessica Lynn releases her first single of 2020 and despite the country label, this is one of those timeless pop power ballads. She has a vocal and a half, backed by a big production and guitar … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged Adam Lambert, classic rock, country, Jessica Lynn, metal, New releases, pop, Pop Evil, Queen, review, rock, Scorpions, Shannon LaBrie, singles
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News: ALCATRAZZ, IRON MAIDEN, STEVE HOWE, KROKUS (May 2020)
Alcatrazz release their first new album in over thirty years on July 31. Called ‘Born Innocent’ the line-up features founding members Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea Iron Maiden release ‘The Live Collection’ on June 19, which will feature … Continue reading
Posted in Album News, ALL POSTS, Band Entrees & Exits, Festivals & Large Events, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Gigs and Tour News, NEWS, Re-issues/special editions, RIP
Tagged Alcatrazz, gigs, Iron Maiden, KROKUS, May 2020, metal, New releases, news, Queen + Adam Lambert, rock, Steve Howe, Tour
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Album review: MYRATH – Live In Carthage
earMusic [Release date 17.04.20] Carthage has a lot of history, not all good unfortunately. It was one of the richest cities in the ancient world and was the centre of the Punic empire which proved to be a thorn in … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Ben Arbia, Carthage, CD, Deep Purple, Don Airey, Hannibal, live, Live In Carthage, Malek, metal, Myrath, prog, Punic, review, rock, Sweden Rock, Tunisia, Wacken, Zaher Zorgati
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Album review: CRYPTEX – Once Upon A Time
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 08.05.20] Cryptex are the trio of Simon Moskon (lead vocals, keys), Marc Andrejkovits (bass, backing vocals) and Andre Jean Henri Mertens (guitars, backing vocals), with drums being handled by Simon Schröder. Cryptex have been around since 2011 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged ACT, album, Cryptex, melodic, metal, Once Upon A Time, pomp, progressive, Queen, review, rock
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