For those unfamiliar with the event, Blazefest is an annual fundraising show in aid of the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.  It is inspired by a very brave young man, Blaze Shields-Pettitt, who, in his short life, has endured a lot more than many of us old fogies could …

As I sat down to write this review of this, the hard-to-believe-it’s-actually-his-20th-album, from Rick Springfield, a little note popped up on my Facebook feed, pointing out that the very date on which I started typing marked the 35th anniversary of the release of his breakthrough album. ‘Working Class Dog’… For …

Let’s get this clear from the start:  I hate fucking so-called “reality” TV “music” shows.  Never watch them.  By and large, they’re ego-stroking vanity trips for equally vainglorious multi-billionaires merely seeking to embarrass weird and random selections of wannabe has-beens into making complete dicks of themselves and earning undeserved adulation …

Over the course of the past decade or so, the Pure Steel family of record labels has established itself as a stronghold of the classic-meets-New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal sound, whether it be via its own multiple imprints or equally numerous distribution deals.  It has a reputation for picking …

Bavarian hard rock legends Bonfire are to release a special 30th anniversary collection, via UDR Music, on March 18 in Europe and March 25 in North America. ‘Pearls’ will be a double album, spanning the band’s 14 studio and six live albums. The first disc will feature 13 re-recorded tracks, …

“And lo, the [heathen] hordes from the East did descend up the city at the mouth of the river called the Farset… and they did lay waste onto the same with their furious vengeance and the spilling of much ancestral blood.” OK, forgive the pastiche of sub-Biblical phraseology, but it …

Finnish folk metallers Ensiferum played Belfast for the first time this past weekend, when they brought their ‘Burden Of The Fallen’ tour to the UK and Ireland. PlanetMosh took the opportunity to catch up with bassist/vocalist Sami Hinkka to chat about all things to do with the band, including his views on …

The first heat of the 2016 round of the Metal 2 The Masses competition’s Northern Ireland leg was so tight it squeaked.  Just four points separated all four bands.  It couldn’t have been any closer.  Well, that’s what we thought until the second heat, when, at the end of the …

PlanetMosh has looked at the long term weather forecast for this coming summer – and it shows that there will be Thunder over the south of Wales at the end of July! The veteran British rockers – who have just completed a British stadium tour this past weekend – have …

The word legend is one which is often, and even more frequently inappropriately, bandied about. But, it is a description which definitely does apply to one man: a guitar player from the humble back streets of east Belfast whose name is cemented in the mythos of the Irish, and subsequently …

For almost two decades now, Primal Fear have been one of the cornerstone acts of the European power/speed metal scene, standing alongside the likes of Accept and Helloween and certainly matching both of them in terms of both artistic contribution and musical pedigree. While they may not have enjoyed the …

Tremonti are to release their third album, ‘Dust’, on April 29 via Fret 12 Records. It was was recorded during same sessions as last year’s ‘Cauterize‘.  Several exclusive fan bundle pre-orders, including autographed CD’s, T-shirts and hoodies, are now available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PGvyjZtVKU Tremonti will be touring the European festival circuit in late May …

There are some artists who just love to play live, and seem to get itchy feet if they are more than a few minutes away from treading the boards of the stage.  Just off the top of my head, I can think of two homegrown Norn Iron talents who definitely …

It started back on the cusp of the millennium, in the pub next door, when a group of like-minded friends came together and decided to put on a few metal shows of a Saturday afternoon.  Fifteen years later, those ‘RocKD’ sessions (they take their name from that of the bar, …

Swedish riff lords Grand Magus will release their eighth studio album, ‘Sword Songs’, on May 13 through Nuclear Blast. Frontman JB commented: “We put all of our sweat, blood and tears into this new album and I think that you can hear that. For me, ‘Sword Songs’ is the best Grand Magus album ever!  The new songs are faster and more …

If ever you needed proof that the future of thrash metal is safe in the hands of the younger generation of bands seeking to re-invigorate the genre, then this third album from madcap Finns Lost Society is it. The young quartet first emerged into the collective metal conscience with their …

Max Cavalera certainly believes in keeping it in the family.  Or maybe it’s a case of keep your friends close but your family closer.  Whatever it may be, the last couple of Soulfly tours have gone out under the ‘Maximum Cavalera’ banner, with bands featuring both his sons and his …

Max Cavalera is to re-unite with his brother Igor again later this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Sepultura’s iconic ‘Roots’ album, by playing the album in its entirely on their Cavalera Conspiracy tour later this year.. That was the exclusive revelation which the Soulfly frontman made when PlanetMosh …

Finnish thrashers Lost Society have released the third and final track-by-track trailer for their forthcoming new album, ‘Braindead’, being released on Nuclear Blast next Friday (12 February). In this episode, frontman Samy Eblanna discusses the tracks ‘Only (My) Death Is Certain’, ‘P.S.T.88’ and the bonus ‘Terror Hungry (Californian Easy Listening Version)’: …

Richie Cavalera is a man very much in the mould of his stepfather, Max.  For a start, he’s a workaholic.  He’s very much a hands on guy when it comes to everything to do with his music.  And, like the leader of the Cavalera clan, he loves life on the …