Album Reviews

Black Stone Cherry are releasing their new album – Family Tree on 20th April. It’s their sixth studio album – their first was released 12 years ago. Like me, some of you are probably thinking “Surely that can’t be right, it wasn’t that long ago”, but it really was. Their …

Soom push the boundaries of Stoner Doom with the excellent ‘Djebars’ Hailing from the Ukraine, Soom are a band that many of you may be completely unfamiliar with, especially if you don’t delve into the Stoner scene that often. The band formed in 2013, and ‘Djebars’ represents their second full …

Few bands are as revered in extreme music today as Behemoth. The black metal titans had been at the forefront of the genre for years anyway, but 2014’s titanic The Satanist pushed them head and shoulders above the rest of the pack and when they toured the record in full recently …

Sexorcism is the 9th Studio release from Finnish Hard Rock Monsters Lordi and is said to be ‘their most controversial album to date’. I was eager to give it a listen having been under their spell since I first saw them 13 years ago at their debut UK show. Lordi …

The NWOBHM movement throws up so many influencing bands, one of whom is Blitzkrieg, formed in 1980 with original vocalist Brian Ross still remaining. His haunting croon can be heard on their latest studio album Judge Not, released on Mighty Music on April 27th 2018 and will be celebrated by …

Bulletboys a Rock n Roll band from Hollywood, California were founded in 1988 by former members of King Kobra and Ratt. Thirty years later with more former members (see here) than years service, including some famous names such as DJ Ashba, Steven Adler, Jason Hook and Chris Holmes, the band released their …

Interestingly coming over with the angst of early Pitchshifter with pummeling grunge grooves, Godstone sound like a band destined for big things with their five track debut Monument Of One. Thrilling opener ‘Over The Line’ cruises in as the guitars from Alex Goodrich and John Kenward writhe and churn over …

Find a light is the sixth studio album from Blackberry smoke. I had to double check that when I first read it – it doesnt seem long since The Whippoorwill was released and that was their third album, but incredibly it’s been six years. Blackberry smoke haven’t just been busy …

In 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made a long awaited return to rock after years of only playing folky medieval music with his band Blackmore’s night. He played a tiny handful of gigs in Europe and none elsewhere, with a new Rainbow lineup that featured an unknown singer, Ronnie Romero …

In March last year, Beth Hart performed a special intimate show at the Iridium jazz club in New York – a venue that only holds less than 200 people, so far smaller than Beth’s usual shows. The show wasfilmed and featured on the Season 8 premiere episode of Public Television’s …

69 Chambers return after a six year absence with their new album ‘Machine’ Can you believe that it’s six long years since ‘Torque’ burst through your speakers, what an album that was, storming Rock/Metal at its best, and an album that I still listen to regularly. Frustratingly however, time dragged …

Due for release via AFM Records on April 20th 2018, once again Ross The Boss takes no prisoners with the no punches pulled album By Blood Sworn. Best known for being one of the founder members of Manowar, a comparison I was trying not to use on this album but …

Crash! Bang! Wallop! What was that sound?  Have Kid Klumsy dropped their balls and become conscientious men of punk rock?  No, is the simple answer, because these jelly babies with their vivacious love of in ya face punk rock noise will, never, ever, really grow up!   The infectious and soon …

The German quintet Circle Of Silence return with ‘The Crimson Throne’, their first release since 2013’s ‘The Rise Of Resistance’ Right from the off this album simply grabs you by the throat, the mission is plain and simple, to conquer all before it. Track three, ‘Destroyers Of The Earth’ is …

Skyryder, hailing from Newcastle Upon Tyne and in my opinion the founder of NWOBHM have released an impressive debut E.P titled Vol. One. Available via their bandcamp page here, the five tracks are £3 for a digital download or £5 for a CD or a limited edition cassette tape.    …

Atomic Generation, studio album number eleven from the national treasure that is FM, features eleven stunning tracks of premium melodic rock available now via Frontiers Music. Self produced, something I’m a firm believer in with a very in your face mix, point proven by opener ‘Black Magic’. Showing their heavier …

Bullet are a heavy metal band from Växjö in Sweden. They released their debut album “Heading for the top” in 2006, and have followed this with 4 more albums, with the last being “Storm of blades” in 2014, now after a gap of four years they’re releasing their sixth album …

German gothic metal band Crematory release their latest studio album this April. It’s their 14th album in a 27 year career, and is the first studio album with the new lineup – before the last album clean-vocals singer Matthias Hechler left the band after 17 years in the role and …

Texan blues singer/guitarist Lance Lopez has just released his new solo album, Tell the truth. As well as his 6 solo albums, he’s also performed lead vocals/guitarist as part of Supersonic Blues Machine (and if you haven’t heard their album I strongly recommend you listen to it). This isn’t a …

The Dark Light are a very international band. Formed in London by Italian guitarist Marco Simoncelli, the band contains an English singer (who grew up in New Zealand), a German drummer, and English bassist and a second Italian guitarist. The band formed in 2015 but it wasnt till 2017, shortly …