I have now been reviewing music for more than 35 years, which means it is somewhat embedded in me so if I head to a gig I find it difficult not to review it, and when someone sends me an album just for me to listen to, not to review, then it always ends up on my list....

Here we have the debut album from Finnish quintet Distressed, and anyone expecting something of the melodic rock or progressive genre, given the label they are signed to, are going to be in for something of a surprise. Nick Katona just said to me that the band were...

To say I was surprised when I was sent this EP by Katharine Blake was something of an understatement as I was under the impression that MSG had broken up years ago. Turns out that is indeed the case, but they reformed for a gig in 2022 and are now set for a full tour....

“One Last Time is the third single off Lazy Fifty’s upcoming EP ‘Neighbour of the Beast’ which is a collaboration between Adrian Athy and producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, The Feelers, Devilskin etc.). On the EP Adrian wrote all the songs, sang...

The Belgian death metal act are back with their twelfth album, and they have taken a somewhat unusual approach to this one in that singer Sven de Caluwé, who has been at the helm since the band’s formation in 1995, has brought in some mates to perform with him on each...

On 15th December 2019, Children Of Bodom, which at the time consisted of Alexi Laiho (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jaska Raatikainen (drums), Henkka Seppälä (bass), Janne Wirman (keyboard), and Daniel Freyberg (rhythm guitar), held their last concert in Helsinki named,...

Andy Pratt, who is based in Chicago, is a fluent and melodic jazz guitarist who also sings with a deep and friendly voice. On this recording, which took place over two days last June (recorded live in the studio with no overdubs), he is joined by bassist Joe...

I have heard quite a lot of Jerry Kingls music in recent years, but this is a blast from the past, quite literally. Zany Starblaster were a Wisconsin Rapids band that performed locally and elsewhere in the mid-west during the years of 1978 through 1980. Members...

Hellenic Black Metal act Varathron are blessed with an incredibly stable line-up in recent years, given that the current version of the band came together in 2012. Singer Stefan Necroabyssious has been at the helm for 35 years, and he is joined by Achilleas C on...

This project originated in 2020 when Sarah McKenzie recorded “Corcovado (Quiet Nights)” with guitarist Romero Lubambo and cellist Jaques Morelenbaum as a trio. The reception to their Facebook video was so favorable that they performed at several European jazz...

When it comes to music, there is always room for the overblown, but anyone who has been following my reviews for the last 35+ years will know I very much enjoy simplicity, and that when a performance is just an untreated vocal and an acoustic instrument it is at its...

Here we find the duo of Rhonda Hofmans Johnson (lyrics, main vocals, harmonies, acoustic guitar) and Chris Fish Johnson (lyrics, backing vocals, spoken word, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, classical guitar, soundscapes, synths, piano and keyboards) being joined by...

I first came across Michael some years ago when he sent me some albums by faunch to review, and now the left-handed guitarist has brought together three EP’s he released under his own name as a single 10-track album. Michael started playing guitar in 1973, when he was...

‘Geyser’ is a piece in eight parts which was commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and first performed by the Marius Neset Quintet with the London Sinfonietta on September 3rd, 2022, at the Royal Albert Hall, London, as part of BBC Proms 2022. Marius provides both tenor and...

Released in 2022, this the latest release from American band The Lizardz, who first came together some 35 years ago. These days the line-up is Milo Plante (guitars, vocals), Mark Larson (keyboards, vocals), Travis Plantico (drums, guitar, vocals) and Jamie Bruhn...

When ‘In Sorte Diablo’ was released in 2007 none of us who had following the career of Dimmu Borgir to that point realised that in many ways it was not only the end of an era but the end for one of Norway’s greatest symphonic black metal acts. Since then they have...

Back in 1979 NWOBHM was in full swing in the UK, the year I became 16, so I was very much the target market and I was doing whatever I could to discover the music and soon had quite a collection of singles and albums from the likes of Samson, Raven, Iron Maiden,...

I have been reviewing Vanden Plas for more than quarter of a century, and while there are times when their albums are somewhat workmanlike, there are plenty of others where they are truly phenomenal. My first look at this release did cause me some surprise though, as...