Over the years there have been a few bands who have seemingly shot out of nowhere with a strong tie-in with their own culture and then mixing that with metal. The first was probably Sepultura and the mighty ‘Roots’ which is still an epic album, and close to my heart...

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 few name changes and a move from pure folk into folk metal. Given that my love of folk music is probably equal to my...

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 he has pulled together some of his mates, recorded an album and soon will be back out on the road. All those...

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 had an eight-track cartridge player and we would often listen to big band classics whilst out for a drive. This...

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, and that everyone is truly being given their chance to shine, and that is very much the case here in what is...

Here we have the latest release from Brooklyn-based percussionist, drummer, vocalist, composer and bandleader Eric Frazier. His main instrument on this album is congas and while there is a core band of Gene Ghee (tenor, soprano sax), Wayne Jeffrey (guitar), Mamiko...

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 never heard of this Belarus-based black metal duo prior to the email, but there was something about this which made...

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 albums are triumphs from beginning to end. Fenriz and Nocturno Culto have followed their own path for many years now,...

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 involve Kevin Kastning. Mind you, I have previously reviewed some of Carl’s collaborations with him but this time...

’Earthly and Cosmic Tales’ is a program of eight Bruce Lofgren originals and two covers. This album represents a point of departure from previous Lofgren (large ensemble) releases in that this collection of musicians is smaller than normal, and while it has been...

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 to forget that her two albums with Nightwish, ‘Dark Passion Play’ and ‘Imaginaerum’, are very fine indeed. But since...

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 wonder if Del Bromham was still at the helm given he originally formed the band all the way back in 1966, but he is...

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 believe it has been somewhat over the top. Encyclopaedia Metallum has had 11 reviews for this album, average rating 0%. I...

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 was where I first came across the duo of John Fiddler (vocals, guitar, piano, drums) and Peter Hope-Evans...

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 then that I discovered he had released an album of very different styles back in 2007. I always think of Nigel as...

Originally formed in 1999, the still features guitarist Giulio Moschini who joined in time for their second album, 2004’s ‘Pageantry of Martyrs’, while Paolo Pieri (vocals & guitars) joined in 2010 and bassist Marco Mastrobuono (bass) in 2013, and they have now...

Originally brought together by music svengali Kim Fowley in 1973, The Hollywood Stars recorded three albums during the 1970’s, although only one was released during that decade. The original line-up broke up in 1974, at which point Fowley offered two songs to producer...

Formed in 2004, Finnish melodic doom/gothic outfit Hanging Garden released their eighth studio album, ‘The Garden’, in 2023 and have now followed that with a mini album containing five rearranged songs from that set. Recorded during an intimate live performance at the...