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Album review: MARIACHI EL BRONX – Mariachi El Bronx IV
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Album review : JON ANDERSON – Survival And Other Stories / Earth Mother Earth (2 CDs / remasters)
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – The Stables, Milton Keynes, 14 March 2026
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Gig review: A VERY SPECIAL EVENING OF MOTT THE HOOPLE – Riverside Studios, London, 27 February 2026
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Gig review: EMERALD MOON – Le Marquee, Peyrignac, Dordogne, SW France, 7 March 2026
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Tag Archives: metal
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
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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
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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 →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, Alestorm, CD, Christopher Bowes, Curse Of The Crystal Coconut, Fannybaws, Glasgow, Mate Bodor, metal, Perthshire, pirate metal, review, rock, Scotland, Sunset On A Golden Age, Tortuga, Wooden Leg
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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...
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Tagged ACT, album, Cryptex, melodic, metal, Once Upon A Time, pomp, progressive, Queen, review, rock
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Album review: TRIVIUM – What The Dead Men Say

Roadrunner Records [Release date 24.04.20] In the uncertain world of virus and lockdown that we are currently facing it can be a joyless existence. Tours postponed, album releases delayed and little in the way of light at the end of … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, Alex Bent, Catastrophist, CD, Conor Beaulieu, Matt Heafy, metal, Paulo Gregoletti, review, Roadrunner Records, rock, Silence In The Snow, Trivium, What The Dead Men Say
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Interview: ARMORED DAWN
Armored Dawn, the Brazilian Viking metal band from Sao Paulo, released their album ‘Viking Zombie’ via The Orchard/Sony in the UK on 20 March. Get Ready To ROCK! posed a few questions for vocalist Eduardo Parras to answer – I … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/Rising Stars
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Tagged Armored Dawn, band, Brazil, Eduardo Parras, interview, metal, Rising Stars, Viking metal, Viking Zombie
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Album review: KATATONIA – City Burials

Peaceville Records [Release date 24.04.20] When, on the 28th of February 2020, I visited the “Gagarin 205” club for the purpose of attending what can only be described as an outstanding performance by the Prog Metal quintet Katatonia, never in … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Pure Metal/Album reviews
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Tagged album, City Burials, Katatonia, melodic, metal, Peaceville Records, prog metal, progressive, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – IOMMI – Fused (Tony Iommi/Glenn Hughes)

Sanctuary [2005] In 2005 Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes collaborated on the album ‘Fused’. It was Iommi’s second solo album. The pair had worked together on ‘Seventh Star’ in 1986, with drummer Kenny Aronoff, and this was originally destined to … Continue reading →
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
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Tagged album, Black Sabbath, Bob Marlette, Fused, Glenn Hughes, heavy rock, Iommi, Kenny Aronoff, metal, review, Tony Iommi
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Album review: WOLFHEART – Wolves Of Karelia

Napalm Records [10.04.20] Finnish metallers Wolfheart master in something called ‘Winter Metal’ which appears to be a cross between fast and furious death metal and the wide soundscapes of Sigur Ros. It is a mix which works amazingly well and … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, Finland, Finnish, metal, review, rock, SIGUR RÓS, winter metal, Wolfheart, Wolves Of Karelia
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EP Review: BOMBS OF HADES – Phantom Bell

Black Lodge [Release date 17.04.20] Bombs Of Hades originally formed back in 2002 to party and play Crusty Death Metal (a new genre on me!) and have over the years released several albums and EP’s whilst honing their sound. This … Continue reading →
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
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Tagged Bombs Of Hades, Death Metal, EP, Lemmy, metal, Motorhead, Orgasmatron, Phantom Bell, rock
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Album review: BLAZE BAYLEY – Live In Czech

Blaze Bayley Recordings [03.04.20] Blaze Bayley is one of rock and metal’s true survivors. Having been plucked from the excellent Wolfsbane to front Iron Maiden following Bruce Dickinson’s departure in 1994, he was then unceremoniously dumped by the band five … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged Absolva, album, Blaze Bayley, Brno, CD, Christopher Appleton, Iron Maiden, Live In Czech, Man On The Edge, metal, rock, Silicon Messiah, The Clansman, Wolfsbane
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Album review: JOE SATRIANI – Shapeshifting

Sony Music [Release date 10.04.20] We’ve always commented on the energy displayed by Satriani not least sustained during a two hour live show. Recent albums have been pretty convincing too. That energy permeates this latest offering and will surely translate … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, hard rock, heavy rock, instrumental, Joe Satriani, metal, review, Shapeshifting
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Album review: LEGION – Redemption

Rock Company [Release date 18.03.20] Amazingly this is Legion’s eleventh studio album since forming back in 2010. The band’s line-up has also stayed pretty consistent with vocalist Phil Vincent and guitarist Vince O’Regan joined by bassist Gavin Cooper, drummer Any … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, hard rock, Legion, melodic metal, metal, Phil Vincent, Redemption, review, Vince O'Regan
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News: QUEEN, MARILLION, HELLOWEEN, DEVIN TOWNSEND (April 2020)

Hawklords release a new live album ‘Hawklords Alive’ on May 29. Marillion have started work on a new album during the current lockdown and are posting regular updates on their social media. Pattern-Seeking Animals (who feature current and former members … Continue reading →
Album review: TESTAMENT – Titans Of Creation

Nuclear Blast [Release date 03.04.20] The world may well have gone crazy at the moment with Coronavirus changing people’s day to day lives to such an extent that nothing feels normal. It is good then to have something to bring you some normality … Continue reading →
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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Tagged album, Alex Skolnick, CD, Chuck Billy, coronavirus, metal, Nuclear Blast, review, Slayer, Testament, Thrash, Titans Of Creation
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