Album Reviews

The greatest selection of albums, reviewed and rated

Burnt Out Wreck – This Is Hell

I first came across Burnt Out Wreck at a RACPA festival in Nottingham a few years ago and to say I was blown away by their full on delivery is an understatement. Thankfully that vibe has been caught in the studio for their latest album This Is Hell, currently on …

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Down ‘n’ Outz – This Is How We Roll

Down ‘n’ Outz, the side project of Def Leppard‘s frontman Joe Elliott was founded back in 2009. Heavily influenced by Mott The Hoople the band also features a somewhat stellar cast with members of The Quireboys, Wayward Sons & Vixen. You can find out the history behind the project from …

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District 13 – Soma.

Caught this groovy three piece at a festival in the Waterloo Music Bar in Blackpool last April. First band on at 1pm since being on the road from 5am in London, District 13 tore the place apart so here they are now doing the same thing in the studio with …

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Wednesday 13 – Necrophaze

Wednesday 13 has just released his latest album – Necrophaze. As always it’s got a horror theme which works well for him and other artists such as Alice Cooper, and inevitably there are going to be comparisons between the two. To be honest I’ve never understood why Wednesday 13 isnt …

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Epica – Design your universe (Gold edition)

To mark 10 years since the release of their “Design your universe” album, Epica have released a “Gold edition” version of the album. So what’s new? Well its not just a remixed version of the album – instead Epica have gone back to the studio and recorded something new. As …

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Helloween – United alive

For Helloween fans, 2017 and 2018 were a great period as the modern lineup of the band reunited with former members including Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske for a special tour – Pumpkins united. It was a fantastic tour and for many fans it was their first chance to see …

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Phil Campbell – Old Lions Still Roar

Older rock fans (myself included) would remember Phil Campbell from heavy metal band Persian Risk but most know him as lead guitarist from Motorhead whom he played with from 1984 until 2015 when band founder Lemmy Kilmister sadly passed away. It did not take Phil long to get back onto …

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The Wildhearts: Diagnosis mini album review

The Wildhearts Diagnosis

The Wildhearts released their new mini-album Diagnosis on 4th October 2019.   Featuring five brand new songs and one song you may be familiar with, Diagnosis off their acclaimed album Renaissance Men. The Wildhearts feature the iconic line-up of Ginger, CJ, Danny McCormack and Ritch Battersby who are proud to reveal …

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Babymetal – Metal Galaxy

For the uninitiated Babymetal takes a bit of explaining. There are things in this world that go together naturally like Strawberries and Cream. There are also combinations that should never be allowed like custard and fishfingers. However sometimes there is a fusion which, whilst it shouldn’t work, does. Babymetal may …

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Life Of Agony – The Sound Of Scars

Well, well, well. The wait is almost over. It feels like an eternity since Life Of Agony announced ‘The Sound Of Scars ‘ as their next album. But here it is, finally, in all it’s glory, and glorious it is. There’s no hiding from the fact that I’ve always been …

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Laurence Jones Band – Laurence Jones

The start of the album was a little surprising as it was the first time I had listened to Laurence Jones, although he has been on the scene for some years now. I had expected to hear a “blues”- rock band right from the off, but “Everything Is Gonna Be …

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Flying Colors – Third degree

When Flying Colors formed seven years ago they were one of many supergroups, but they’re one of the very few that has lasted more than one album or a few short years. The lineup of Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson is unchanged and with …

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Beth Hart – War in my mind

Beth Hart releases her latest album on 27th September. It’s produced by Rob Cavallo (Green day, My Chemical romance, Goo goo dolls etc) and her fans will no doubt have a pretty good idea what to expect – top quality blues from a woman with arguably the best blues voice …

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Acid Reign – The Age Of Entitlement

Acid Reign return with their first full length album in incredibly twenty nine years. Not since ‘Obnoxious ‘ back in 1990 have the band given us the excitement of a new album hitting the shelves. Finally, it’s here, and it spawns a sense of maturity immediately with the title track …

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Sam Millar – Holy Sass EP

Normally the class clown on and offstage with Bigfoot, guitarist Sam Millar seems to have surprisingly grown up (but I doubt it will last) by releasing his first solo EP Holy Sass and very impressive it is to! Its five tracks bristle with confidence, opening up with ‘Eyes’ it has …

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Opeth – In Cauda Venenum.

Since forming in Stockholm, Sweden in 1989, Opeth have eschewed from their death metal beginnings to a much proggier outfit without losing their heaviness and this point is proven vehemently with their thirteenth studio album In Cauda Venenum, Latin for poison in the tail. Out on Nuclear Blast Records, eight …

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Hellyeah – Welcome Home

Last year we lost one of our own when Vinnie Paul passed away. He had, as I’m sure you’ll agree, along with his brother been a pioneer in Metal and after Dimebag’s untimely death Vinnie had carried on within the Supergroup that was Hellyeah. He had though, before his untimely …

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GosT – Valediction Album Review

GosT

American GosT returns with his new album Valediction.  The constantly changing electronic landscape he creates includes many alternative musical styles.  For instance, black metal, brutal industrial, energetic dance music and catchy synth pop, all effortlessly flow from one genre to the other.  This results in a varied listen and most …

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