Album Reviews

Quasi-witty or ‘cheesy’ title aside, Terror Empire‘s second full-length release, The Empire Strikes Black, is one pummeling slab of old-school cool death metal. A young Portugese band, founded in 2009, Terror Empire sound a bit like they’re part of the “revivalist” faction discussed previously on PlanetMosh. The concept is simple: …

When you are an artist of any medium you expose yourself. Particularly when you release any product of your creative endeavour.  Even as a reviewer you are liable to a difference of opinions from those that read your musings. The home studio has become so affordable in recent years that …

Just before Christmas, former Judas Priest guitarist K K Downing revealed that, despite a prolonged period of silence, he had not totally left the metal scene behind, by revealing that he was releasing not a new album but a range of fragrances named after the genre in which he in turn …

Italy’s Game Over, founded in 2008, has presented fans with a crisp, 13-track re-release of their 2012 debut disc, For Humanity. A word being thrown around these days in some metal circles is “revival”, with practitioners labeled “revivalists”. Thrash and speed metal arguably had their heyday around the same time …

Hailing from Denmark, Forever Still is a 4 piece band fronted by the super talented Maja Schønning. To date they have released two EP’s, the second of which, ‘Scars’ was unleashed towards the end of 2014. The EP’s are set to combine with two further releases and be released as …

This is the first of a set of special 20th Anniversary live releases. It is a recording taken from what has become amongst their fans in particular, a legendary performance by Gov’t Mule on 31st October 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, Massachusetts. The special edition CD box set …

Finnish melodic folk-death metal band Ensiferum has released their sixth studio album through Metal Blade Records, titled One Man Army. The band, which takes it’s name from a Latin word translating to “Sword bearing,” has included 15 aggressive tracks, counting the four bonus tracks, for eager fan consumption. Overall, One Man …

When the NWOBHM came to be in the late 1970’s it brought forth bands of various rock/metal styles, some of which made the big league and some of which did not and split but reformed to give it another try. Birmingham based Quartz are a prime example of one of …

Spinefarm records are reissuing four albums by The Almighty under the ‘RE-F**KIN’-ISSUES banner.  Two albums are to be reissued on 9th February with the other two following later in the year.  As part of the Universal group, Spinefarm are re-issuing them as Deluxe editions and as with other Universal deluxe …

Spinefarm records are reissuing four albums by The Almighty under the ‘RE-F**KIN’-ISSUES banner.  Two albums are to be reissued on 9th February with the other two following later in the year.  As part of the Universal group, Spinefarm are re-issuing them as Deluxe editions and as with other Universal deluxe …

“T-byrds are go” is the debut EP from Australian band Tequila Mockingbyrd.  The name is a nice play on the famous novel by Harper Lee (To Kill a mockingbird).  Tequila Mockingbird are a three-piece all-female band from Melbourne, and play some great rock and roll.  While bands like Airbourne or …

This is the second album from up and coming UK based progressive metal band HeKz. ‘Caerus’ follows on from the self-released debut album ‘Tabula Rasa’ which was warmly received. HeKz consists of Matt Young on bass guitar and vocals, Alastair Beveridge on electric and acoustic guitars, Tom Smith on electric …

Bast are a 3 piece from London who deals in Doom and suffocating atmospheres. They have been on the circuit now for 6 years and in that time have perfected their sound whilst supporting the likes of Ufomammut, Bong and more recently with Conan. “In the Beginning” plunges headfirst into …

Two years since their last studio album ‘Solarflesh: A Gospel of Radiant Divinity’, Polish death metallers Hate are back with a new album again. Getting closer to number ten, their ninth full-length album ‘Crusade: Zero‘ is another argument showing that Hate is definitely still going their own way. ‘Crusade: Zero’ is framed between the solemn and …

One thing keeps me interested in UFO, and that is Phil Mogg, the singer of UFO (and joint founding member along with Pete Way) since the band formed in 1969, I was 4 then. Phil’s vocals are still solid; if slightly lacking in power since the hay day of UFO …

Swedish black metal icons Marduk jump back to the front with their new concept album, ‘Frontschwein’ – and it is something else!  ‘Frontschwein’ is a German colloquial term among soldiers since World War I that sarcastically described the soldiers on the front as mere cannon fodder.  It means “Front Pig” …

This album plays out like the soundtrack of a movie. Sadly the movie was never made… However, luckily for us, the music was… Perfectly structured, each track flows effortlessly into the next… Taking the listener on a sonic voyage… The listener in this case is me and it is with …

Blind Guardian is a special band; a band that has laughed in the face of convention since day one and have created some of the seminal classics of the power metal genre. With a legacy as powerful how will new release Beyond The Red Mirror fare in the land of …

@planetmosh reviews As The Crow Flies by .@LaceWeeper on .@momusicfr As The Crow Flies is the debut album from Irish four piece Lace Weeper, due to be released on March 2nd.   The band was formed in 2011 by guitarist Matt Hayward and vocalist Sebastian Florek. Os Andres (bass) and Kevin Liffey …

Sometimes an album, or even a band, is of its time.  This re-issued debut from New Jersey (at the time) upstarts Exxplorer definitely falls into that categorization – but, in a good way. Quite rightly, when first released three decades ago, ‘Symphonies Of Steel’ was regarded as a groundbreaking album, …