Although Sabreen is young, and is currently studying at the University of Auckland, she has been involved in the arts for some time, both in music and poetry and performed at The Others Way Festival as far back as 2018. To date she has released a few singles, the most...

I enjoyed Behemoth’s last studio album, 2018’s ‘I Loved You At Your Darkest’, but did not exactly warrant it as essential, while I was also not exactly gushing about their more recent live ‘In Absentia Dei’, so what would I think of the latest effort? With a Latin...

I don’t think I will ever get used to just how much amazing music there is out there for people willing to look and forego popular radio stations. Last year I was asked if I would like to review a duo I had not previously come across, who were over here from America...

Abby Christo first came to prominence when, in 2015, she appeared on X- Factor NZ as part of duo Mae Valley who has significant success with their debut EP and played alongside country stars such as Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini. She released her...

Mel Parsons has built a strong reputation since the release of her debut album in 2009, and here she is back with her fifth which debuted at #3 in the Official Top 40 album charts and #2 in the Top 20 NZ album charts when it was released in September last year. For...

It has been a few years now since I first came across Matt Joe Gow, a proud Dunedin son who now lives in Melbourne. Since then, I have reviewed all three of his albums, and have managed to see him twice on his solo jaunts to New Zealand and will soon be catching him...

2023 promises to be an incredible year for New Zealand metal and rock, and one album everyone is looking forward to is the forthcoming Rejecting Obliteration from Christchurch’s very own BALTTW. The first time I saw these guys play was supporting Death Angel and...

A few years ago I was at Dead Witch when someone came up to and introduced themselves as Lex, and that he was bassist in a band called Living State and would I like to hear their single? I agreed, but to be honest never expected to hear from him again as that is the...

Although I work in Auckland on North Island (New Zealand’s largest city), I call home a small farm close to a township called Oxford on South Island, and I get back there as often as I can, especially as that is where my wonderful wife is. According to the last census...

Even though Armored Saint have now been in existence for more than 40 years, and I have of course been aware of the name (primarily due to John Bush, who took time off to sing in Anthrax), I do not think I have previously come across any of their material. With their...

1985 saw the band follow up their debut with the same line-up, although Phil Sandoval left during the recording and only played on a few tracks. The logo on the cover may have stayed the same, but the image being portrayed was very different to that of the knights on...

1987 saw the band back with their third album, by now solidly a quartet (although Sandoval would return later). The first three albums are normally seen as a set, as this was the last to feature Dave Prichard, who was diagnosed with leukaemia while they were recording...

Finnish band Insomnium are often described as melodic death metal, yet they also bring in atmospheric elements of black metal and so many other elements on this album that I would not be surprised to see them categorised prog metal as well. Released in 2014, here is a...