Korpiklaani: Rankarumpu (2024) This is the 12th studio album from Finnish folk metal band Korpiklaani, or the 15th since Jonne Järvelä started on the musical journey which has seen a f […]

Kerry King: From Hell I Rise (2024) King needs no introduction whatsoever, and with the ending of Slayer there was no way he was just going to sit at home and retire gracefully, but instead […]

Jazz at the Ballroom: Flying High (2024) Here is another jazz album which caused me to have a smile on my face from beginning to end. My dad was into jazz, and I remember our first family car […]

Jake Hertzog: Longing to Meet You (2024) There are times when one comes across an album which is so perfectly curated and brought together that one feels there is no single leader of the band, […]

Eric Frazier: That Place (2024) Here we have the latest release from Brooklyn-based percussionist, drummer, vocalist, composer and bandleader Eric Frazier. His main instrument on this […]

Downcross: White Tower (2024) I get offered multiple albums every day, and the vast number of emails just get filed away, but for some reason I took a second look at this one. I had […]

Darkthrone: It Beckons Us All (2024) There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Darkthrone are one of the most important bands to ever come out of the black metal scene, and their early a […]

Carl Clements: A Different Light (2024) I have reviewed many albums released by Greydisc over the years but am sure this is the first one I have ever been asked to write about which does not […]

The Bruce Lofgren Group: Earthly and Cosmic Tales (2024) ’Earthly and Cosmic Tales’ is a program of eight Bruce Lofgren originals and two covers. This album represents a point of departure from previous Lof […]

Anette Olzon: Rapture (2024) In some ways I have always felt a little sorry for Olzon, as she was the filler in the sandwich between Tarja Turunen and Floor Jansen, and people tend […]

Stray: About Time (2023) I was more than a little surprised when I came across this release, as I remember Stray from years ago and had not realised they were still going. I did […]

Pestilence: Levels of Perception (2024) I must confess to have never seen an album so universally slammed as this one, and while I do understand where the reviewers are coming from, I do […]

Medicine Head: Heartwork (2024) Back in 1973, one programme I would never miss was Top of the Pops, as it was the best way to discover music at the time (at least through TV), and this […]

Mazlyn Jones: Planet For $ale (2021) Nigel contacted me via email recently and of course we started reminiscing about music and how long we had known each other (30 years), and it was only […]

Hour Of Penance: Devotion (2024) Originally formed in 1999, the still features guitarist Giulio Moschini who joined in time for their second album, 2004’s ‘Pageantry of Martyrs’, while […]

The Hollywood Stars: Starstruck (2024) Originally brought together by music svengali Kim Fowley in 1973, The Hollywood Stars recorded three albums during the 1970’s, although only one was r […]

Hanging Garden: Citylight Sessions (2024) Formed in 2004, Finnish melodic doom/gothic outfit Hanging Garden released their eighth studio album, ‘The Garden’, in 2023 and have now followed tha […]

Gigo: The Divine Proportion (2024) OK, so I am having a few issues getting my head around this album, and I will explain why. Back in 1980 I attended my first ever metal gig, Saxon […]

Funeral Leech: The Illusion Of Time (2024) Four years on from their debut, ‘Death Meditation’, funeral doom outfit Funeral Leech are back with their second, with five songs coming in at just ove […]

Bruce Dickinson: The Mandrake Project (2024) Back in 1980 I turned 17, and NWOBHM was everywhere: I was in my element. I grabbed Sounds when it came out every week to find out about new bands, and […]