Reviews: AVKRVST, Fairyland, Savaged, Signeri (Matt Bladen)
AVKRVST - Waving At The Sky (InsideOut Music) After being celebrated, quite rightly for their incredible debut album, The Approbation, AVKRVST return with its follow up Waving At The Sky. Now you may...
View ArticleReviews: Standover, Vaneno, Gaahls Wyrd, Fuzzriders (GC, Mark Young, Rick...
Standover - When A Clenched Fist Is No Longer An Option (Gutter Prince Cabal) [GC]There are so many different genres mish-mashed together and tagged onto hardcore nowadays it gets a bit tedious looking...
View ArticleA View From The Wild: Call Of The Wild Festival (Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)
Call Of The Wild Festival 2025: A Rock Baptism, Lincolshire Showground - 29.05.25 - 01.06.25 Before we had even arrived at the Lincolnshire Showground, I knew I was in for something special, the bands...
View ArticleReviews: Fallujah, Sun After Dark, Insania, Malvada (Spike & Matt Bladen)
Fallujah - Xenotaph (Nuclear Blast) [Spike]Fallujah don’t mess about. Xenotaph is a full-bodied, dizzyingly complex onslaught and it’s absolutely glorious for it. From the opening seconds, there’s no...
View ArticleReviews: Paleface Swiss, Sigh, Skyborne Reveries, Archers (Spike, Mark Young,...
Paleface Swiss - Cursed Reissue (Self Released) [Spike]I missed Cursed the first time around, so this reissue from Paleface Swiss is a welcome second chance—and what a slab of darkness it is. This is...
View ArticleReviews: Turnstile, Buckcherry, Earl Of Hell, Dahuz (Rich Piva & Matt Bladen)
Turnstile - Never Enough (Roadrunner Records) [Rich Piva]Turnstile is a hardcore band. For some reason this seems to be a debate online. No matter how many synth interludes you have, no matter how many...
View ArticleReviews: Cryptopsy, Ravine, 1968, Patristic (GC, Rich Piva, Matt Bladen & Joe...
Cryptopsy - An Insatiable Violence (Season Of Mist) [GC]If you are reading this then there is probably no doubt you have heard the name Cryptopsy and know that None So Vile is one of THE all-time great...
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A View From The Back Of The Room: Mclusky (Dean Palmer)
Mclusky, Electric, Bristol 31.05.25A rare Saturday gig in a big city centre venue in Bristol meant, of course, that the show started pretty early and (sadly) meant that I walked into the venue just in...
View ArticleReviews: Malevolence, Nad Sylvan, Death Pill, The Medea Project (Spike & Matt...
Malevolence - Where Only the Truth Is Spoken (MLVLTD/Nuclear Blast) [Spike]This one hits hard.Malevolence aren’t exactly newcomers to the scene, but Where Only the Truth Is Spoken feels like a step up...
View ArticleReviews: Sleek, Panic Alarm, Explosive Aggression, Faceless Envoy (Matt Bladen)
Sleek - Still Hurts (Good Time Music)Sleek are a hard rock band from Athens and they take a 90's approach to the style with influences stated as Dokken, Bon Jovi and the UK's own Thunder, you can hear...
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A View From The Back Of The Room: Foxing (Alex Swift)
Foxing - Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 06.06.25Foxing is associated with the Midwest emo movement. And yet, they have long since surpassed the label in terms of experimentation. Their new album acts as a...
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A View From The Back Of The Room: Lung, Thrakian & Hora (Llyr Williams)
Lung, Thrakian & Hora, Fuel Rock Club, Cardiff, 14.06.25A long day spent at Bute Park’s Tafwyl Welsh music festival had me craving something closer to my heavy preferences when the summer evening...
View ArticleReviews: Leverage, Professor Emeritus, Byonoisegenerator, King's Hammer (Matt...
Leverage - Gravity (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]Leverage have been a name on the melodic metal scene since 2002, they've got five albums behind them at this point and their fair share of turmoil...
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A View From The Back Of The Room: SatchVai Band (Duncan Everson)
SatchVai Band – Wolverhampton Civic Hall 18.06.25** HEADLINE – Wolverhampton Police want to speak to two men in regard to alleged public displays of extreme Tremolo abuse ** I had a few preconceptions...
View ArticleReviews: Helms Deep, Deciduous Forest, Kokeshi (Matt Bladen, Spike & Mark Young)
Helms Deep - Chasing The Dragon (Nameless Grave Records) [Matt Bladen]They're called Helms Deep. They. Are. Called. Helms. Deep. So it's battle metal, but the early days of battle metal as 70's...
View ArticleReviews: Reflection, Black Path, Hand Of Fate, Kokkinià (Matt Bladen)
Reflection - The Battles I Have Won (Pitch Black Records)Eight years and there are new battles to be fought as the veterans of the Greek heavy metal scene Reflection come back with fifth studio album...
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A View From The Back Of The Room: Savatage (Matt Bladen)
Savatage, Madness Reigns Tour, Shepherd's Bush Empire London 16.06.25I've been very lucky to attend some 'once in a lifetime' gigs but there are still a few active bands to tick off the old bucket...
View ArticleReviews: Spider Kitten, Goblinsmoker, King Potenaz, Aceves (Matt Bladen &...
Spider Kitten - The Truth Is Caustic To Love (APF Records) [Matt Bladen]Everyone's favourite hard to classify doom(?) metal cats Spider Kitten return with their new album The Truth Is Caustic To Love,...
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A View From The Wreckoning: Day Of Wreckoning 2025 (Simon Black)
Day Of Wreckoning – Patti Pavillion, Swansea, 21.06.2025It’s hot. Correction: it’s really fucking hot!Even here with the Swansea sea front overlooked by the Mumbles nearby, there is precious little...
View ArticleReviews: Heaven Shall Burn, Deadguy, Electric Citizen, Transcendence (GC &...
Heaven Shall Burn - Heimat (Century Media Records) [GC]When it comes to metalcore/deathcore royalty, Heaven Shall Burn are easily in the top 5 and they have released some of the most intense and at...
View ArticleReviews: Jakko M. Jakszyk, Perpetual Paradox, Serpent Corpse, Organic...
Jakko M. Jakszyk - Son Of Glen (InsideOut Records) [Matt Bladen]What do you do when the band you have been a member of since 2013 calls it a day. Well most would go back any other band they have a or...
View ArticleReviews: California Irish, Grace Hayhurst, Lord Belial, Inhuman Condition...
California Irish - The Mountains Are My Friends (7hz Recordings/ADA) [Matt Bladen] When he’s not rocking up a storm with The Answer, Cormac Neeson can be found delving into the roots of American music...
View ArticleReviews: Black Majesty, Warlord, Fer De Lance, Iron Echo (Matt Bladen)
Black Majesty - Oceans Of Black (Scarlet Records)Aussie power metal veterans a Black Majesty return with Oceans Of Black. It's their eighth album and doesn't stray too far from their tried and tested...
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A View From The Bowl: Forever Now Festival (Tony Gaskin)
Forever Now Festival - The National Bowl, Milton Keynes 22.06.25Today's adventure saw us travel down to the National Bowl in Milton Keynes for the inaugural Forever Now Festival. He was described as...
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A View From The London Stadium: Iron Maiden (Spike)
Iron Maiden – Run For Your Lives Tour, London Stadium 28.06.25The evening kicked off with The Raven Age (6), technically tight and ambitious, the guitars and timing were spot-on. Yet, they seemed...
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