Album Reviews

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 …

German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell released his first solo album way back in 1989. Now 29 years later he’s releasing his 17th solo studio album. That’s a lot of albums and doesnt even include live albums or solo albums, so he’s clearly not the type of person to take things …

Auri has three members – Johanna Kurkela, Tuomas Holopainen and Troy Donockley. The last two names are familiar to Nightwish fans – Tuomas being the main composer and keyboard player of Nightwish, and Troy is a longtime collaborator and now full member of Nightwish. Johanna Kurkela is Tuomas’s wife and …

In 2016, Iggy Pop released an album written and recorded with Queens of the stone age frontman Josh Homme – Post pop depression. The album was intended to be something different to the usual rock fare that both men are used to, and in that they succeeded. American Valhalla is …

Can I get a 7!! Dirt box disco bring their high energy burst of post punk rock fuelled selves back for their 7th release and 6th studio album ‘’Immortals!’’ In line with what you would expect to hear from Dirt Box Disco, this album has more ‘whoa’s’ and nah, nah, …

If you could get an O.B.E for sheer determination then Blaze Bayley would have a drawer full by now. Currently on a fifty three date European tour, he has just released his tenth solo album The Redemption Of William Black (Infinite Entanglement Part III) via Blaze Bayley Recordings, the third …

Garage Punk ‘n’ Roll band Cheap Tissue from Los Angeles, released their self titled debut album earlier this month via Lolipop! Records. Founded in 2015 when Andrew Taylor and Jesse Youngblood got together and decided to write songs, which they felt, most people wouldn’t like very much! They were soon …