On first listen, you could be forgiven for thinking that Helker are German: in fact, they hail from that renowned hotbed of heavy metal Argentina, with ‘Somewhere In The Circle’ being their fourth album but the first to be both recorded in English and gain an international release, thanks to …

When I think of Polish metal bands, I must admit that I automatically think of internationally acclaimed acts such as Behemoth and Vader. Having recently been subjected to the humiliation of the band self-described as “Poland’s Iron Maiden”, i.e. Turbo, I’m somewhat sceptical about some of the boasts made about …

Us rock journalists are supposed to be reasonably savvy types, keeping our fingers on the pulses and knowing exactly what’s happening on this planet we call mosh, so we can impart our knowledge onto you, our millions of devoted and much lover readers. So, imagine my surprise when, completely unannounced …

If you’ve never heard them before, you would be forgiven for thinking, upon first listen, that there is a very Savatage quality to Circle II Circle’s sound:  it’s a comparison that you would be more than justified making, as CIIC frontman Zak Stevens spent eight years at the helm of …

France’s Idols For Dinner actually trace their roots back more than half a decade, forming as Corpse Division back in 2007 but changing their name a few years later as they felt their original monicker did not reflect the style of music they play:   “it sounded like a brutal death …

This fifth studio album from Polish progressive rockers Riverside – their first since 2009’s ‘Anno Domini High Definition’, which charted at number one in their native Poland – is an interesting beast, drawing as it does on a myriad of influences, from underground central European jazz through English folk music …

Welsh metalcore heroes Funeral For A Friend have very much returned to their roots with their sixth album, ‘Conduit’, which, as we noted in our recent review – http://planetmosh.com/funeral-for-a-friend-conduit/ – is a lot more grounded in the 1990s hardcore sound that characterized their first couple of releases.  This approach also …

Gigs like this make me feel decidedly old.  As I stand on the balcony looking out over the basement venue, the floor below me is a seething mass of pre-pubescent bodies, each and every one of them, without exception, younger than my own daughter… behind me, the bar staff are …

In 2010, In Flames guitarist Jesper Strömblad quit the band he had formed 20 years earlier, in order to, as he said myself, “fight my demons once and for all” – a reference to his battle with alcohol. Now, two years later, he is back and fighting fit, with a new …

Normally, I avoid so-called “supergroups” with a wider berth than I would give to a black rat diagnosed with carrying the bubonic plaque… in my book, most of them can be described as something else beginning with ‘s’ and rhyming with ‘height’! However, a couple of years ago, the debut …

French deathcore newcomers Idols For Dinner release their debut album, ‘Tenants Of A Dying World’ at the end of January. Planet Mosh took the opportunity to catch up with vocalist Cristofer Rousseau, to find out more about the band, the album and what them both tick… [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkCucGgw-1I&feature=youtu.be] First of all, could you …

It must be said, Dublin’s Vicar St is one of the best venues I’ve been to:  a purpose built modern theatre, it is designed in such a way that it can accommodate everything from comedy to heavy metal with ease.  I’ve been to it on several occasions over the past …

Three words summarized tonight’s gigging experience: commitment, dedication and resilience. On the part of both the bands and their fans. On the face of it, there probably could not have been a worse night to stage the first big metal show of the year – at least, one outside the …

Since their formation in 2001, Welsh ‘post-hardcore’ crew Funeral For A Friend have literally “been there, done that, sold a million T-shirts”. However, over the past decade or so, their popularity has undeniably waned: following the gold status of their debut ‘Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation’ in 2003, and …

Folk metal, pagan metal, call it what you will, has an unnerving penchant for veering, inexplicably and unexpectedly, from one extreme to the other – and, most notably, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Unfortunately, Munich-based sextet Knaat fall somewhere ‘twixt and between – but, at the same time, manage …

The name The Resistance may be a relatively new and unknown one to those not “in the know” on the underground scene – but it’s constituent members are certainly no strangers to the extreme metal scene, being, as they are, former In Flames stalwarts Jesper Strömblad and Glenn Ljungström, ex-The …

I may not be (quite) old enough to remember them the first time around, but the names Skid Row and Taste hold a seminal place in Irish music-lore: the former as the ultimate forerunner of the mighty Thin Lizzy, and the latter as the trio who propelled the late, great …

While not strictly falling into PM’s orbit, last year’s ‘In Time To Voices’ was definitely one of the more pleasant surprises to be unearthed in this particular corner of the planet that is mosh: a mixture of punk, indie and blues very much in the vein of White Stripes and …

For almost 30 years, New York-born Jeff Scott Soto has been one of the most respected hard rock vocalists in the business, with a career that has included stints with Yngwie Malmsteen, Soul SirkUS, Journey, the iconic Talisman and, most recently, Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Last year, he released his fifth solo …

After some 15-plus years very firmly at the top of the local tree, NI death grinders Condemned shocked many fans a little earlier this year when they announced their decision to call it a day. The reason was not the usual ‘internal divisions’ or ‘musical differences’ bullshit that many acts …