Album Reviews

If there is ever a band that truly defines the meaning of the genre heavy metal then that band is Saxon and they have been hammering it out since 1976 when they were originally known as Son Of A Bitch. Their record company recommended a name change and so Saxon …

The UK holds a special place in the hearts of Black Stone Cherry’s Chris Robertson, Jon Lawhon, John Fred Young and Ben Wells, for this is where everything really took off for them and within the UK, one place has always been extra special for them and that place is …

Horror Punk Rock band The Other from Köln, Germany released their sixth album ‘Fear Itself‘ on 10th July  via Steamhammer/SPV. The Other started in 2002 as a Misfits cover band, a lot has happened in the thirteen years since then, and a few line-up changes sees the remaining original members …

If you’ve not yet heard of Gama Bomb – where on earth have you been? These feisty Irish lads make geek cool with a sickeningly good injection of thrash. Untouchable Glory is Gama Bomb’s 5th album, and due to be released at the end of the month, on Friday, 30th …

Blues guitarist Walter Trout is back with a new album, Battle Scars.  It’s his 42nd album if you include his time with Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and his 18th with label Provogue, and is an album some feared may never happen – at the beginning of last year …

@planetmosh reviews Condition Hüman by .@Queensryche on .@centurymedia Over the course of their career Queensrÿche, like the rest of us, have had their ups and downs.  Some of the well publicised downs have been long, drawn out and no doubt painful for those involved.  However, with their issues resolved they …

 ‘Never A Good Day To Die’ is the third studio album from British Heavy Metal band, Absolva. Encompassing a clear-cut combination of Thrash meets Power Metal, the new album shows a progression from their previous releases, most likely as a result of the experience each band member has drawn from …

I read very little fiction these days, but I remember when my mother was introducing me to the weird and wonderful world of literature and exploring the shelves of dusty, leather bound volumes which dominated our living room.  Naturally, as a nascent metallian, I was drawn to the darker side …

Exploding out of a relatively small Central American country better known perhaps for its awesome coffee than its death metal exports, this second album from Costa Rica’s Corpse Garden is as intense and dark as both the aforementioned should be.  It’s also fucking fast! Corpse Garden very obviously pay tribute …

This third album from Swedish progressive experimentalists Moloken is as dark and claustrophobic as its subject matter.  Four years after the release of their last opus magnus, ‘Rural’, ‘All Is Left To See’ is the first in a trilogy of albums based around a lyrical concept called ‘Mörkrets Kärna’, which …

Country Rock seems to be receiving a lot more recognition in recent years, and it’s bands like The Cadillac Three who are to thank for the privilege. The Cadillac Three are an American Country / Southern Rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, consisting of Jaren Johnston – lead vocals / guitar, …

So after no studio output from Def Leppard since 2008, what does the new self-titled album have to offer? Something for everyone would be the first answer that comes to mind. As a long-time Leppard fan I have always managed to find at least part of their more recent output to satisfy …

Hailing from a decidedly unfrostbitten San Francisco, the blackgaze Deafheaven has released its latest five song album, titled New Bermuda. Ranging from a drain cleaner caustic to a gentle caress, the five long-playing tunes on New Bermuda weave experimental, varied, smooth tapestries of sound. Deafheaven is one of a select …

Inescapable Damnation, the Solo EP release from Murashita, is set to break new ground as far as solo projects go. The five track EP, due to be released on 16th October features metal giants such as David Ellefson (Megadeth), Kevin Talley (Suffocation, Six Feet Under, Chimaira), Kelly Conlon (Death, Monstrosity) …

You can’t fault Michael Monroe for trying. The former frontman of glam rock legends Hanoi Rocks has been in the music business for well over three decades now and built a huge reputation in the process, yet he shows no signs of resting on his laurels and continues to write and record new …

This debut album should really have been a stone cold classic from Metal Allegiance as their core musical line up consists of Mike Portnoy on drums, Alex Skolnick on guitar and Dave Ellefson on bass guitar with an array of guest vocalists but out of the 9 tracks, only 7 …

‘Wolf metal’ takes a turn for the fantastical at the hands of VARG’s ‘Rotkäppchen’. Contemplate fledgling concept ‘wolf metal’ and the mental image of canine dominance and menace suitably demonstrates a visual representation of VARG’s ‘Rotkäppchen’, otherwise known as ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. Hinged on a fairytale of innocence and concealed …

Despite having only emerged from Norn Iron’s dankest extreme metal sewers within the past 12 months, The Crawling are by no means newcomers to the scene over here, with the triumvirate collectively counting nigh on four decades of experience between them.  Guitarist Andy Clarke, for example, was the cornerstone of …

Throughout their decade long career, German doomsters Ahab have consistently displayed a fascination with both all things nautical and literary:  previous albums have been based on works such as Herman Melville’s epic ‘Moby Dick (with the band, of course, taking their name from the novel’s psychotic lead human character) and Edgar …

Bauda first came to life in 2006, ostensibly as a solo project by Chilean guitarist and vocalist César Márquez.  It wasn’t until 2012 that it became a fully formed band.  The following year, Márquez and his fellow musicians – drummer Nikolas Recabarren, bassist Juan Díaz and keyboard player Edgardo González …