Album Reviews

Located in Ireland’s mid-west, the city of Limerick has endured more than its fair share of economic hardship as a result of the collapse of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ in recent years – a situation that has had the simultaneous effect of breeding an invigorated and angry underground music scene, as …

Symbiosis is generally described in the dictionary as “the living together of two dissimilar organisms in more or less intimate association” – which, one has to assume is the effect this Portuguese five piece were trying to achieve when they merged crust, punk and metal nigh on two decades ago. …

  One of the best things about this job isn’t just reviewing the big releases from worldwide established bands who’s track records are well proven, it’s the joy of listening to a band about whom you know very little about and being able to approach it with a clean slate, …

Attika 7 are the band for whom the term ‘biker metal’ was invented. They define it. In fact, it could be argued that they redefine it. After all, they not only feature a famed motorcycle builder – Rusty Coones – in their ranks, are the band of choice of the …

Fozzy, heavy metal curio or bona fide band? The brainchild of Rich Ward and Chris Jericho, they’ve spent the past decade shaping the band and moulding it into what we see and hear now through the release of their forthcoming album “Sin and Bones”. Truth be told, “Sin and Bones” is Fozzy’s …

I had to pinch myself earlier when I realised that these guys have been around since’99, seems like no time ago that they burst on the scene with “All Eternity”, an album I still give a whirl to now and again. However, following the equally as good “Wounds Wide Open” …

Grave Digger where one of the first bands to emerge from the speed metal scene and since forming over 32 years ago have had a very prosperous and fruitful career, releasing 15 full length studio albums, 3 live DVD’s and numerous EP’s and singles – not to mention having played …

When you think of Luxembourg, you don’t automatically think of aggressive-as-fuck thrash metal. No sir. You’re more likely to think of likely to think of fat, profligate bankers lolling around mountainside coffee tables thinking of ever more elaborate ways to grind us poor working folks’ noses into the ground: after …

    Too often, bands like Mutiny On The Bounty get tagged as math metal but there is a lot more to them that genre. Their second album Trials is brimming with astounding musicianship. The guitar lines and drum patterns at times are like endless jazz jams. Mutiny On The …

Former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen is about to release her first live CD/DVD/Blu Ray – Act 1.  It was recorded at the end of March 2012 in Argentina. Planetmosh recently reviewed the CD version of Act 1 – you can read the review here – http://planetmosh.com/tarja-act-1-cd/ Now it’s the turn …

Aonia are a band from the East Midlands who play metal with female operatic vocals.  While vocally the influences may be the usual suspects – Nightwish, Within Temptation, After Forever, Epica etc, the musical influences are less typical for a band with female operatic vocals – Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, …

  Due for release via Rocksector Records on 24th Sept. 2012, Ambush, the Tygers Of Pan Tang’s second full length album since their reformation by original guitarist Robb Weir in 2001  just goes to prove that you cannot keep a good nwobhm band down! Formed in 1978 in Whitley Bay, …

  When it comes to riff master opinion polls, they are usually dominated by stalwarts like Tony Iommi, Angus/Malcolm Young, James Hetfield etc.  but worthy of inclusion is founder member/guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike from High On Fire, formed in Oakland,U.S.A in 1998.  The Art Of Self Defense is their debut album, …

Storming out of Brisbane Australia come Down Royale, a heavy metal quintet looking to burst out of the colonies with their explosive sound.  Formed in 2008 by vocalist Scott Michael and guitarist Corey James, they were joined in 2009 by second guitarist Jackson Cheng and then in 2011 by drummer …

When you think of Latino thrash, your thoughts inevitably stray in the direction of underground forces such as Brujeira and Suicidal Tendencies as well as giants of the scene such as Sepultura and Soulfly. And, certainly, there are parts of this third album from the Virginian combo which are more …

When Belfast’s Red Six – there’s only five of them and, no, it’s not just you, we’ve never been able to figure it out either – released their debut EP, ‘Devour’, a little over a year ago, it immediately not only garnered them heaps of critical acclaim but also, coupled …

I love a good Celtic tune and so when I was asked if I wanted to review the new album by Eluveitie I said….well…go on then!  Due to be released on 17 August, the new album is called ‘The Early Years’ and looking at the track listing it is easy …

In olden days of yore – before even most of the Planet Mosh crew was born (and that’s saying something) – grog was (often cheap) watered-down rum served to sailors to keep them reasonably intoxicated enough to fool them into thinking they were happy with their lot and therefore less …

Without wanting to give my exact age away, I remember 1986 very well, admittedly a large section of it was viewed through a drunken haze but I remember it nevertheless. A time when mobile phones came with a free wheelbarrow to carry the battery pack in, Ford Capri’s ruled the …

When this black metal crew issued their sophomore EP, ‘To Whatever End’, in 2009, it was hailed as one of the best examples of the genre to emerge from the island of Ireland at the time. It was praise which was well-deserved, as it was an excellent slab of Celtic-tinged …