Album Reviews

To say that this, the follow-up to their (initially self-released) debut, ‘The Devil Rhythm’, has been one of the most eagerly anticipated releases in this particular part of the world – that’s Norn Iron, for those of you who don’t know – is one of the hugest understatements in the …

Back in the early to mid-1980s, a band called Rough Cutt had everything that it could possibly to take to become the then “next big thing” – big hair, big tunes, a big record deal (with Warner Brothers) and big management (in the shape of one Wendy Dio).  However, despite …

D-A-D first came to prominence outside their native Denmark when it was reported that the mighty Walt Disney corporation had threatened to sue their young asses unless they changed the band’s original name – Disneyland After Dark:  it was not that the quartet had deliberately set out to court controversy …

A triumphant debut album and one definitely not to be overlooked.   Formed in 2001, you might think it’s a really long wait for a debut release but the band have kept themselves busy by releasing a number of demos over the years, as well as gigging and building a …

Live Albums can be a blessing or a curse. Whether as a stop gap between studio sessions or as a contractual obligation; Musical history is littered with releases that have fallen flat on their faces. Iced Earth have already released a classic opus with the stellar Alive In Athens” and …

Anvil began their comeback in 2007 with the self released album This Is Thirteen, the recording of which featured on their acclaimed film  The Story Of Anvil which introduced them to a completely different audience than  they are usually associated with. The doubters wondered if they could keep going as …

A pan-European effort is presented here: an English vocalist, a Greek band, a Finnish producer. Right out of the starting gate, Greece’s Serenity Broken impressed me, by including links to 32 reviews and 21 interviews (many with major publications within Greece, such as Metal Zone or Rock Overdose) in their …

El Pistolero means literally, the gunman. More figuratively, it’s taken to mean “a pistol”: someone with a quick fiery temper, who’s unpredictable, or has an angry streak. With that in mind, I eagerly popped Tracer‘s new one in the CD player, hoping for an album with hints of unpredictability or …

Recorded during the ‘Forevermore’ World Tour on October 15th 2011 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, this is Whitesnake’s 5th live release, cheekily entitled ‘Made In Japan’. Sliding straight in with ‘Best Years’ taken from the ‘Good To Be Bad’  opus, opens the show before fan favorite `Give Me …

The as yet unsigned band “The Omega Experiment’s” self-titled debut album is a slick, well written and well produced album, which will surprise a few people, as it was recorded at home by Dan Wieten and Ryan Aldridge, with Dan playing most of the instruments. The premise of this album …

This latest album from the psychedelic American West coast rock band was released on the 18th March 2013 from Abstract Dragon Records. The band have also released the track “Let The Day Begin”  EP for free off this new album, it came out on 8 April 2013. From their first debut album B.R.M.C., which …

Black Magic, ancient rituals, demonic possession and witchcraft are the lyrical themes and signed to Hells Headbangers. Hailing from Poland Cultes Des Ghoules discharge a potent mix which channels the likes of Mayhem, Venom and Hellhammer but provide a denser sound and a wider range of ideas. Opening track “Idylls …

I have to be honest and say that until I was sent this album to review, I’d only ever heard two songs by the Spin Doctors – their two massive hits from the early ’90s ‘Two princes’ and ‘Little miss can’t be wrong’, both from the album ‘Pocket full of …

Looking at the band’s name and the title of the album you may be led to thinking that this is all about pirates, and you would be very correct in that assessment.  Everything about the album from the title, to the lyrics, to the artwork is all heading in that …

It may be 2013, and they may hail from the Gold Coast of Australia, but De La Cruz look and sound just like they’ve stepped out of a strip bar somewhere off LA’s Sunset Boulevard sometime back in the mid- to late-80s. ‘Street Level’ is very much from the Ratt …

Being a rock DJ can be an extremely hazardous job – nearly as dangerous as trying to survive as a music journalist.  Please believe when I say this:  on and off, I’ve been spinning heavy rock and metal discs and writing shit about said same nonsense for more than two …

This the first time I’ve been able to listen to this group’s songs and I think my record collection has been deficient for it!  The groups singer/guitar player Skarlett, has a really strong rock style which belays her tender years and diminutive stature.  While it’s Danny, Tom and Luke who make up …

Nice review of Sacred Mother Tongue's 2013 album Out Of The Darkness, by Iris North

Satan –  Life sentence   Life Sentence is the upcoming album of the NWoBHM band Satan. Satan are a band from Newcastle,  formed in 1980,splited up  in 1998 and reformed in 2011. Their style can be described as a mix of very early thrash metal, a little bit doom influences …

London band Skarthia decribe themselves as Melodic Death/Groove Metal.  It’s a good starting point to describe them but doesn’t really give a proper idea of how varied the music is – one of the inherent problems in trying to come up with a short genre description for a band.  The …