Halestorm: Back from the Dead (2022) One of the hardest working bands in the business, often clocking up well over 200 gigs a year, it is perhaps not surprising that this 2022 release is […]

Hryre: From Mortality to Infinity (2016) This is the 2016 album from West Yorkshire Atmospheric Black Metal trio Hryre, who took their name from the Swedish for “scream” and whose debut EP a few […]

Jeff Scott Soto: Complicated (2022) There is no doubt that JSS is a highly regarded melodic hard rock singer, given he has more than 60 albums under his belt with different bands and […]

Michael Schenker Group: Universal (2022) It would not be unkind to say that Schenker has had an up and down career, releasing some amazing and essential albums both with his own band as a member […]

Curlys Jewels: Changes (2023) single This is not a cover of the well-known Black Sabbath number, but instead is a song written by the band, with lyrics by singer Jel, about one of their […]

Ella Pollett: When I'm Gone (2023) single Ella Pollett is a young (17) singer/songwriter from Hawke’s Bay who has already seen some success with Smokefree Rockquest, and will soon be playing h […]

Wilda: Going Wild (2023) single It was some time ago when I saw Mema Wilda play a gig at The Tuning Fork, where she accompanied herself on an acoustic and was joined by just one other […]

Axel Rudi Pell: Lost XXIII (2022) Pell is back with his 21st studio album from a career which has lasted for more than thirty years, and as with his last four studio albums the ARP band […]

BillyBio: Leaders And Liars (2022) Put the name “Billy” into a New York hardcore context and it can only mean one man, Billy Graziadei, who is now back with the second album from his Bil […]

Corey Taylor: CMFB …Sides (2022) Corey Taylor is probably one of metal’s most under-rated actual singers, as while we all know him as the masked frontman of Slipknot, spitting venom, o […]

FM: Thirteen (2022) FM formed in 1984 when singer Steve Overland and his brother, guitarist Chris (both formerly of Wildlife), teamed up with drummer Pete Jupp (ex-Wildlife […]

Týr: A Night at the Nordic House [Live with the Symphony Orchestra of the Faroe Islands] (2022) Týr are recognised as one of the most important bands of any genre ever to come out of the Faroe Islands, and for more than 20 years have been telling […]

The Hu: Rumble of Thunder (2022) It is incredibly difficult to come up with a new sound, no matter the genre, so bands often find themselves being likened to others, but that was not the […]

Agony Street: Italian Whisky (2023)Last year I was fortunate enough to hear the CD reissue of Agony Street’s 1993 second album, ‘Songs For William’, which was recorded by just two peopl […]

Light Engineering: The Flagging Career of a Semaphore Signaller (2022) I have come across Tim Hunter primarily for his work with Thierry Sportouche (of Acid Dragon fame) as half of Silver Hunter, but here we find him taking […]

Chip Z'Nuff: Perfectly Imperfect (2022) Chip Z’Nuff will always be associated with the band he formed nearly 40 years ago, Enuff Z’Nuff, with whom he has released more than 20 albums since the […]

Enuff Z'Nuff: Finer Than Sin (2022) Releasing a solo album towards the beginning of 2022 obviously was not enough for bassist/singer Chip Z’Nuff, as in November the band released their 1 […]

Dead Favours: Riffing & Yelling [Part 2] (2023) In 2021, Dead Favours released the first half of their album to great acclaim, winning the Rock category at the Aotearoa Music Awards, and finally we now […]

Written by Wolves: Give Em Hell [Alt Version] (2023) Having only recently released their first single from the new album, here we have Written By Wolves back with a very different take on that song, which […]

Sabaton: The War to End All Wars [History Edition] (2022) Sabaton’s tenth studio album finds them again revisiting World War I, which was referred to as “the war to end all wars”, and the version I am liste […]