Back in 1997, Lugano-based rock band Gotthard released their fourth album, ‘D Frosted’, which not only was their first live album but was also acoustic. Within three months it had reached double-platinum sta […]

When HammerFall released their second album in 1998 they were following up from the incredible success of their debut, and cemented it with ‘Legacy Of Kings’ which charted in multiple territories including Top 20 […]

Having cut his teeth with Ripping Corpse and Morbid Angel, Erik Rutan formed Hate Eternal in 1997, since when he has been pursuing his own brand of Florida-style death metal which is both technical and brutal. […]

One day I will start keeping better notes, but until then I will continue at times to come across a CD which I am reviewing that I have no recollection of where it came from. It is particularly annoying these days […]

Johnny Gioeli first came to prominence as the singer with Hardline, later returning to the scene to sing with Axel Rudi Pell (where he has been now for the last 20+ years), and he also combines those roles with […]

Anyone who has been following my scribbles over the years will now that my normal listening practice is to play albums without any pre-conceived ideas and only read the press release when it is time to actually […]

I had a quick check of the dictionary to confirm my thoughts about what the album title means, and it is indeed a verb meaning “(of organic matter) become liquid, typically during decomposition.” Maestus eme […]

Back in 2006 I came across Billy Greer’s email address, I’d probably been sent it in connection with Seventh Key, and while I knew it was a great opportunity to speak to Billy, I was actually way more int […]

It has been some 25 years since the Italian death metal act released their debut album ‘Inside The Unreal’, and given they then broke up in 1997 it was something of a surprise when the name returned in 2014 wit […]

To many, Graham Bonnet will always be associated primarily with Rainbow and then with MSG, but it must also be remembered he had his first hit single with The Marbles in 1968. In 1983, he co-founded Alcatrazz, […]

I first came across Italian band Ataraxia back in 2005, when I was sent ‘Arcana Eco’ to review. At that time, I said “Ataraxia are a band quite unlike any other that I have come across while writing reviews – thi […]

‘Synchronicity Embraced’ is the 26th album by the Italian band, and their second for Sleazsy Rider following on from 2016’s “Deep Blue Firmament’. The band themselves are the same quartet who have now been toge […]

It is safe to say that I’m not exactly a massive fan of the second album by the Swiss female quintet, ‘Hexenhammer’, so when it was announced that Nuclear Blast were going to reissue the 2017 debut alongside four- […]

The Argentinian-born Carla Campopiano has been an important part of the Chicago tango scene since 2015. The flutist has also been exposed to jazz and blues, resulting in her leaving her tango performances open to […]

This five-track, 19-minute-long EP, is the latest release from Connecticut-based metalcore outfit Currents. It is no secret that metalcore is probably my least favourite genre within the metal scene, but even I […]

There is no doubt that British melodic metalcore act Shvpes have been building a reputation for themselves over the last few years, and now they are finally back with their second album. They move between multiple […]

In February 1986 I saw Ozzy for the first time at the might Hammy O. His band that night was Jake E Lee n guitar; Phil Soussan on bass; the late Randy Castillo on drums and John Sinclair on keyboards (who I had […]

Towards the end of 1984 myself and a group of mates travelled along the south coast to Brighton to see Meatloaf on his latest tour. It was my second time of seeing him and was really looking forward to it. I have […]

This is the third album from Tor Marrock, which is the name of the bandleader as well as the band itself. They are currently a trio, although they appear to often operate as a quartet, and comprise Tor Marrock […]

I can’t explain why, but I have never explored the music of Virgin Steele, which given my normal virtually encyclopaedic grab of rock is somewhat hard to explain for a band who has been around since 1981. S […]