Simon Bower

Rock/Metal junkie living in beautiful Anglesey.Love live music and have a musical taste which can go from Cannibal Corpse to Kate Bush in the blink of an eye.

Flotsam & Jetsam – Interview at Bloodstock 2014

      I had the genuine pleasure of talking to Eric from Flotsam & Jetsam following their main stage set at this years Bloodstock Festival. A set made all the more special when considering the band had not played the U.K. since around 1987       http://www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com/ https://www.facebook.com/flotsamandjetsam.official

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The Self Titled – Bloodstock 2014

  I was lucky enough to grab a few minutes with The Self Titled at this years Bloodstock Festival, ahead of their much anticipated set. We had a chat about the festival itself, future plans, and the probable title for the forthcoming album   Photo credit – Rhian Cox   …

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Vardan – Enjoy of Deep Sadness

    The one man machine that is Vardan, can never be accused of resting on his laurels and watching time drift by. This album is the second release so far this year, continuing the trend of the three offerings made last year. It really interests me as to what …

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Doom:VS – Earthless

Out for a while now, yes but still worth checking out. Doom:VS return with Earthless. Not renowned for their output level, it is a real joy to see new material emerge from the band who are the embodiment of what emotional Doom Metal is all about. The brainchild of Draconian’s …

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Temple Desecration – Communion Perished

    Now before we start, I realise that a good percentage of the Metal fraternity, may not necessarily be huge fans or followers of the Blackened Death Metal sub genre, I myself , sort of fell into it via the Depressive Suicidal Black Metal and Doom route but as …

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Voyager – V

‘V’ represents the bands (yes, you guessed it) fifth studio album, and contains some of the best melodic and progressive Rock you will have the pleasure of listening to during the present calender year. Based in Australia, the band have been steadily progressing in terms of popularity, having become the …

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Landskap – ‘I’

The whole retro, vintage take on the classic era of Doom has been touted around now for some time, and let us be honest, in varying degrees of quality. It is one thing to pay homage to the riffs of the 60’s and 70’s but entirely another to produce something …

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Epica – The Quantum Enigma

“The Quantum Enigma” marks Epica’s sixth studio album release and follows on from last years live “Retrospect” offering. Where as that was by the very nature of the title, a look back at the bands past material, this career defining latest album, is entirely forward thinking, both in its construction …

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ElupiA – Departure

This three track E.P. marks the bands first release since the mini album ‘Wilderness’, which saw the light of day last summer.   I remember remarking then, how technically tight and adept this band were, a trait that has been happily brought forward with this new material. Japan, at the …

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MFVF12 – More Bands Announced

Therion become the first headliner to be announced for this years Metal Female Voices Festival, held at Wieze in Belgium, this year sees the Festivals 12th edition, and as always will feature a wide cross section of genres, all linked together by the female vocal. Visit the official website for …

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Lacuna Coil – Broken Crown Halo

    It is a really sobering thought, when you realise that Lacuna Coil have been treading the boards and recording for twenty years this year, albeit a mere sixteen years only, as the band we see today. The group has grown into one of the most polished outfits on …

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Ethersens – Your Wandering Ghost

    Delivering their first album in a good six years has been a true labour of love for the band, having gone through the almost obligatory line up changes, the French Avantgarde Metal band are finally back. In essence, this is a concept album, dealing with a couples tumultuous …

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Silent Opera – Reflections

    Despite having formative roots growing back to 2007, this is the bands second only full length album, following on, as it does, from 2010’s “Act One”, an album that drew a lot of favourable reviews and comments, in particular, from their home stomping ground of France. So, what …

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Thou Shell of Death – Sepulchral Silence

  The world of Ambient and Atmospheric Metal has, for a long time now, had a certain appeal to my ears. The fascination with all things dark and gloomy, the sinister, the morose, all have wielded a gravitational pull on my auditory senses. I had liked what I had previously …

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Darkyra Black – Dragon Tears

    As big a fan and follower of Female Fronted Metal as I am, there is now, undoubtedly, a fair number of ‘same old, same old’ bands cluttering the genre. Therefore, I had been looking forward with great anticipation to get the chance to listen to this debut album …

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Mount Salem – Endless

    Having now been snapped up by Metal Blade Records, the band are about to release a beefed up version of their E.P. that surfaced  early last year, with the addition of two new tracks, taking the total up to eight, this now has the more rounded feel of …

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