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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
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Gig review: KING KING, THESE WICKED RIVERS – Sub 89, Reading, 27 October 2024
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Gig review: FM – The Carlisle, Hastings, 17 October 2024
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Gig review: THE NEW ROSES- The Black Heart, Camden, London, 16 October 2024
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Gig review: ALICE COOPER – Hydro, Glasgow, 14 October 2024
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Gig review: FIREFEST – Manchester Academy, 11-13 October 2024
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Gig review: STEVE HACKETT – Royal Albert Hall, London, 23 October 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
Features
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Feature: Rock: Rewired – STEVE MARRIOTT Part 2 (Peter Frampton interview)
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Feature: Rock: Rewired – STEVE MARRIOTT (Part 1)
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Feature: DANNY VAUGHN at Fairycroft House, Saffron Walden, May 24 2024
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Feature: The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness – MAGNUM (December 2023)
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Feature: The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness – SAXON (November 2023)
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Single & EP Reviews
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Tag Archives: power metal
Album review: ORDEN OGAN – The Order of Fear
Reigning Pheonix Music [Release date 05.07.24] Album number eight by the power metal veterans Orden Ogan (well, they have been around since 1997 under the Orden Ogan name!) and their first for their new record label, Reigning Phoenix Music. Mainman Sebastian “Seeb” … Continue reading
Album review: VICIOUS RUMORS – Welcome To The Ball (Remaster)
Rock Candy [Release date : 24.05.24] Rock Candy Records are perhaps, unfairly, more associated with AOR and Melodic Rock than they are Metal, but among reissue labels they have no peers when it comes to value judgement. The always underrated … Continue reading
Album review : NIGHTMARE – Encrypted
AFM Records [Release date: 06.06.24] Formed in 1979, French Power Metal band, Nightmare have been worshipping the mighty riff for 11 albums now. Their 12th album, Encrypted, sees ex Songbird songbird, Barbara Mogore (a smart bit of recruitment by Yves … Continue reading
Album review : BLOODBOUND – The Tales Of Nosferatu – Two Decades Of Blood (CD and DVD)
AFM Records [Release date : 19.04.24] It was 20 years ago today that Swedish keyboard player Fredrik Bergh and guitarist Tomas Olsson jumped the genre ship from AOR to Power Metal. They left behind popular melodic rock band, Street Talk, … Continue reading
Album review : FIREWIND – Stand United
AFM Records [Release date : 08.03.24] 10th album from Power Metal band, Firewind. The band, Gus G, Herbie Langans, Petros Cristo and Jo Nunez have established their Power Metal credentials over and over again during the last 25 years, with … Continue reading
Album review : LORDS OF BLACK – Mechanics Of Predacity
Frontiers [Release date : 15.03.24] The Lords Of Black are on their sixth album now, so they must be doing something right, Mechanics… is a thematically sound treatise on the human condition, in which they“embark on a profound exploration of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts)
Tagged album, Lords Of Black, power metal, Predator, Prey, prog metal, review, Ronnie Romero, Survival
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Album review: DYMYTRY – Five Angry Men
AFM Records [Release date : 26.01.24] Second English language album from Czech Power Metal band, Dymytry, (their sixth overall). The arrival of vocalist, Alen Lubic has made all the difference in creating an international appeal. Musically, this new album is … Continue reading
Singles review: NIGHTMARE, ALTERIUM
AFM Records [Release date : 12.01.24] Formed in 1979, Power Metal French band, Nightmare have been worshipping the mighty riff for 11 albums now. Ex Songbird frontwoman, Barbara Mogore, is the band’s new vocalist, subsequently showing off her vocal versatility on a … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
Tagged Alterium, Barbara Mogore, French, Italian, Nicolletta Rosselini, Nightmare, power metal, review, singles
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Album review: THE GRANDMASTER – Black Sun
Frontiers Music [Release date: 12.01.24] For The Grandmaster’s second album, mainman, guitarist and Edguy co-founder, Jens Ludwig has recruited ex Fate vocalist, Peer Johansson. Surprisingly, given the accessibility of the material they created in previous employment, much of Black Sun … Continue reading
Album review : SECRET SPHERE – Blackened Heartbeat
Frontiers [Release date 10.11.23] Blackened Heart is the tenth studio album from the EU’s Power Metal poster boys, Secret Sphere. It’s also the second with original vocalist, Roberto Messina, who reunited with the band on 2021’s Lifeblood, after an 8 … Continue reading
Album review: IRON SAVIOR – Firestar
AFM Records [Release date 06.10.23] Iron Savior’s 2020 album, Skycrest, signalled a new era of Power Metal. Three years later, the voyage of the mothership has apparently been sidelined temporarily, to allow a celebration of Teutonic and indeed, in places, … Continue reading
Album review : JACK STARR’S BURNING STARR – Metal Generation 1985-2017
Cherry Red [release date 08/09/23] It seems like Jack Starr’s bands have been playing gigs and cranking out albums ever since Heavy Metal became a thing. And yet, from his beginnings with Virgin Steele in 1982, to his primary music … Continue reading
Album review : IRON SAVIOR – Riding On Fire – The Noise Years 1997-2004, 6 CD Boxset
Cherry Red [Release date 28.07.23] “A constant and independent force within the Power Metal universe”. No prizes for attributing this quote to Iron Savior mainman, Piet Sielck. It could easily have come from his Iron Savior buddy, Kai (Gamma Ray) … Continue reading
Album review : EDGE OF PARADISE – Hologram
Frontiers [Release date: 14.07.23] Fresh off a ten date US tour with Lacuna Coil, Edge Of Paradise release Hologram, their fifth album, their third on Frontiers. The band is a duo comprising of Armenian/ Russian/ American singer, Margarita Monet, and … 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 : 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 : 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: 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: ROSS THE BOSS – Legacy Of Blood, Fire And Steel
AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] (LP, ref vinyl, gatefold sleeve) Guitarist Ross The Boss is best known as a founder member of both The Dictators and later Manowar, and has an extensive discography with both, as well as Shakin’ Street, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AFM Records, album, best of, Fire And Steel, guitarist, Legacy Of Blood, Manowar, power metal, review, Ross the Boss
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Gig review: SABATON – Hydro, Glasgow – 18th April 2023
The much delayed ‘Tour To End All Tours’ had finally reached Glasgow and the legion of Scottish Sabaton fans were eager to see what Sweden’s finest had in their war chest. Sabaton have gone from strength to strength over the … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 18th April 2023, 1916, Baby Metal, concert, Eurovision, gig, Gimme Chocolate, Glasgow, Hydro, Kami band, live, Lordi, metal, Moametal, momometal, Motorhead, Mr Lordi, power metal, Primo Victoria, rock, Sabaton, SU-Metal, Swedish, The Great War, The Other One, The Tour To End All Tours
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Single review: REDEMPTION – I Am The Storm
AFM Records [release date 14.12.22] Led from the front by multi instrumentalist, Nick Van Dyk, LA’s Power/Prog Metal maestros, Redemption aren’t the most prolific. I Am The Storm, the album, due for release early 2023, is only the band’s third … Continue reading
Album review: AFTER LAPSE – Face The Storm
Frontiers [Release date : 09.12.22] Debut album from Prog Rock classicists, After Lapse. As any aficionado will tell you, Progrock bands need more time than others to tell their story. Credit to After Lapse for holding track lengths to around … Continue reading
Single review: BROTHERS OF METAL – Berserkir
AFM Records [release date: 02.12.22] With 3 vocalists, 3 guitarists, bass, drums and anvil (!), you’re bound to have a BIG sound. And the Swedish Power Metal band who brought us the highly successful Emblas Saga (2020), The Brothers of … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
Tagged Gladiator, Maximus, medieval, Norwegian Royalty, Odin, power metal, review, single
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Album review: AMBERIAN DAWN – Take a Chance – A Metal Tribute to ABBA
Napalm Records [Release date 02.12.22] Amberian Dawn go full on ABBA tribute mode on their latest album, after doing a sterling job of ABBA’s ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ (which is also on here) on their previous album, ‘Looking … Continue reading
Feature: GRTR!@20 Anniversary – Metal – Primer
During the period 2003-2023 metal had morphed into various guises. Brian McGowan tries to keep up with it and surveys the period… Heavy Metal is a musical phenomenon that continues to gain in strength and popularity, worldwide. It has the … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, GRTR!@20, The Primer
Tagged 2003-2023, Avenged Sevenfold, Blind Guardian, Edguy, Helloween, history, metal, power metal, Rammstein
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