Album Reviews

Normally November is a nondescript month but fear not for 2021 as Stoke On Trent nutters Black Coast release another single ‘Mental’ from their forthcoming studio album Outworld on the 19th. An added bonus is the album launch at The Underground in Stoke the same day. The song certainly lives …

Recently released on Joe Bonamassa’s independent KTBA (Keeping The Blues Alive) Records, also produced by Joe and Josh Smith, Joanne Shaw Taylor releases her seventh studio record The Blues Album. These 11 tracks of blues covers originally released by Albert King, Peter Green, Little Richard, Magic Sam, Aretha Franklin, Little …

Australian Black Metal band Ichor have just released their second full length album “The Black Raven” Though they formed back in 1993, it was not until 2018 that Ichor released their first full-length album. Hosting six tracks of icy cold slow to mid-paced BM, nevertheless, it was a solid piece …

You can’t keep a good band down, point proven by Edinburgh based noisy bastards Thirteen, showing that sometimes 13 can be a lucky number with their latest EP Ego Trap released today on October 1st. I’ve seen them at a few rock/metal festivals over the years and their punk rock …

Norwegian industrial rock band Zeromancer release “Orchestra of Knives” – their first studio album since 2013’s “Bye Bye Borderline” First things first, for those not acquainted with Zeromancer, they have been releasing their blend of industrial electronica and rock since 2000. Orchestra of Knives will be their 7th studio album …

One of my major highlights of 2021 has come from mindblowing Montreal party starters The Damn Truth and you could certainly bet that they would be the last to leave! Their third studio album Now Or Nowhere was unleashed on April 25th and a go for the throat nine songs …

Only two months after releasing their ‘Breakout’ single, London based five piece band Dead Man’s Whiskey follow it up with a five track EP of the same name. Due for release on Friday, October 21st 2021, the Breakout EP makes giant strides point proven by opener ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’. …

I’ve been a fan of Blaze Bayley since he sang for Wolfsbane in 1984 -1994 and subsequently when he joined Iron Maiden from 1994 – 1999, releasing two fantastic albums X Factor and Virtual XI with them, then up until the present day he has embarked on a successful solo …

Well this is a classic example of Groundhog Day as TWO Blackpool based bands, both with Rock People Management have recently released their debuts, the first being Avarus with their Parallels EP. Made up of seven seismic tracks it hits the ground running with opener ‘Plight’ as a quickfire rant …

After one listen to 9, the debut album from Blackpool based Takeaway Thieves, you’ll be ringing 999 for an ambulance to check your vital signs after being blown away by the attitude of these 9 songs, point proven by album opener ’13 Feathers’. It’s not unlucky 13 for the listener …

I first came across When Rivers Meet in November 2020 when I was asked to review their debut album We Fly Free and its eccentricity got them an easy 5/5 rating from myself. So fast forward to 2021 with ‘Testify’, the first single taken from forthcoming studio album Saving Grace …

Taking a step back from his usual guitar histrionics, Troy Redfern shows a softer side to his repertoire with recently released ‘Stone’, the 4th single taken from the highly impressive The Fire Cosmic album. A lilting intro sets the scene perfectly with dreamy guitar lines and a heart melting vocal …

Not content with resting on their laurels from recently releasing a monstrous cover of ‘Cant You See’ by The Marshall Tucker Band, the self proclaimed “Norfolk Rock And Roll” band Bad Touch belt out their latest single ‘Twenty-Five Miles, a force of nature cover of the 1968 Edwin Starr soul …

Is it my 58-year-old ears playing up or is 21st Century Love Songs the heaviest album created by The Wildhearts? Recently released on Graphite Records, it’s an absolute monster, to say the least! It races along in the fast lane as the rabble-rousing intro to the title track heads off …

It’s a busy Bank Holiday Weekend for Blackpool terrors Takeaway Thieves as they release their second single ‘Spider’ today that’s taken from their forthcoming debut album ‘9’ due for release on September 17th 2021 via Rock People Management. On Saturday they spread their rollicking rock and roll onto the main …

VADER: Polish death metal classic “De Profundis” gets a new lease of life. Originally released back in 1995, Vader’s classic second album has been remastered, re-issued, and brought roaring into the 21st century. The original CD release had no lyric sheet and a rather basic insert. This has been addressed …

Now here is a name you *should* have heard of if you enjoy filthy, raw, black metal. And trust me Nunslaughter mean business on their new album release. It’s called “Red Is The Color Of Ripping Death” so if you are expecting ballads and progressive stuff, I can guarantee this …

Defying trends since forming in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in 1981, Sodom are not just still flying the flag for Teutonic thrash metal, they are flying it from the highest flagpole! This is proven by the release today of a raging three track EP titled Bombenhagel on Steamhammer/SPV Records. It kicks off …

Even by the standards that Ward XVI set with their 2017 debut album The Art Of Manipulation they forged ahead with giant steps for the follow up Metamorphosis released in 2020 on Metal Rocka Recordings and one of my major highlights from it, ‘Burn The Witch’ has recently been released …

It takes some balls to take on a song of this magnitude and come out with your heads held high as Bad Touch step up for their version of ‘Can’t You See’ from The Marshall Tucker Band, first released in 1973. The original was sublime and credit is due to …