Reviews: Wolfsbane, Electric Wizard, Shadow Of The Sun
Wolfsbane: Down Fall The Good Guys: Remastered (Self-released)So on goes the re-issue campaign from Blaze and co Down Fall... is the band's second album and continues in the same vein as there EP and...
View ArticleLive & Dangerous: Devin Townsend Project, Fear Factory
Devin Townsend Project, Fear Factory O2 Academy Bristol 16/12/12Tesseract were the openers but due to some timing 'problems' I missed them, which does seem to be a recurring problem with this band as...
View ArticleReviews: Absolva, Pig Iron, Dave Kilminster
Absolva: Flames Of Justice (Rocksector/Code 7)When a band splits because a member leaves there is usually some trauma, when a band splits and the member who leaves is your brother you might be...
View ArticleLive & Dangerous: Limehouse Lizzy
Limehouse Lizzy The Globe Cardiff 22/12/12One last gig to end the year, I'm not usually one for tribute acts but I have seen Limehouse Lizzy a couple of times and this seemed like a good way to get...
View ArticleBest Of The Year 2012
These are in no particular order and I'm doing 20 because...well I can so there. This has been a good year with some cracking albums. These are my top 20 that I have enjoyed numerous times some I have...
View ArticleReviews: Babylon Fire, Kreator, Walking Papers
Babylon Fire: Dark Horizons (Rocksector Records)Babylon Fire are from Manchester and mix classic metal of Maiden with lots of modern thrash and groove of Five Finger Death Punch or Machine Head. This...
View ArticleReviews: Katatonia, Cannibal Corpse, The Algorithm
Katatonia: Dead End Kings (Peaceville)Swedish doomsters Katatonia come back with the follow up to their world beating 2009 Night Is New Day which brought Katatonia out of their Doom metal roots into...
View ArticleReviews: Wintersun, Phillip H. Anselmo & Warbeast, Vanlade
Wintersun: Time I (Nuclear Blast)Jari Maenpaa formed Wintersun in 2003 as a side project away from his band Ensiferum and swiftly released a debut album comprising of him on every instrument and vocals...
View ArticleReviews: Enslaved, Holy Grail, Mutiny Within
Enslaved: RIITIIR (Nuclear Blast)Norwegian Black Metal is one of those genres that divides opinion with a lot of criticism aimed at how much of it is generic but with Enslaved that is not a problem,...
View ArticleReviews: Hatebreed, Beholder, Immortal Guardian
Hatebreed: The Divinity Of Purpose (Nuclear Blast)Described by frontman Jamey Jasta as "all pit, no shit" the sixth Hatebreed album had to live up to this proclamation. Happily the Connecticut ragers...
View ArticleZZ Top, In Solitude, Aeon Zen
ZZ Top - La Futura (American Recordings)So 'The Little Ol' Band from Texas' return fresh with a new beard in the form of Super-producer Rick Rubin, and the man with the Midas Touch has done it again...
View ArticleReviews: Coheed & Cambria, Miss May I
Coheed & Cambria: The Afterman: Ascension (Hundred Handed/Everything Evil)So the story of Armory Wars continues on this the first part of a double album from prog rockers Coheed & Cambria....
View ArticleThe View From The Back Of The Room: Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin, Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovell, The Earls Of Mars & Lifer: Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, 30/01/2013 LiferInto the Clwb we go for another night of metal. Heavy Welsh metallers were first...
View ArticleReviews: Helloween, Enforcer, Hatriot
Helloween: Straight Out Of Hell (Spinefarm)German Power Metal originators are now on their 14th album and this one follows on from previous effort 7 Sinnershowever this has a noticeably lighter mood...
View ArticleOut Of The Beyond 23
Chris Caffery: Faces (Black Lotus/Warner Chapell) 2005Chris Caffery was/is the guitarist for Savatage (still one of the most underrated bands ever) and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This was his first...
View ArticleReviews: Bullet For My Valentine, Stratovarius, Vandroya
Bullet For My Valentine: Temper Temper (RCA Records)So Welsh metal boyos BFMV return with a new album and this one follows on from previous effort Fever, which tried to re-capture the aggressive...
View ArticleReviews: Snakecharmer, Alpha Tiger, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
Snakecharmer: Snakecharmer (Frontiers)So serpent referencing name and an album cover that features an amp with the guitar lead coiled like a cobra. No guesses that Snakecharmer are linked with old...
View ArticleOut Of The Beyond 24
I AM I: Event Horizon (ZeeTeePee Records)When ZP Threat left Dragonforce to peruse his own career many wondered what he would do next, many were expecting prime cheese ridden power metal. Threats...
View ArticleThe View From The Back Of The Room: UFO
UFO & 4Bitten, Coal Exchange CardiffInto the bowels of the magnificent Coal Exchange for a night of classic Hard rock from a band that have always been quoted as Iron Maiden's main influence and...
View ArticleThe View From The Back Of The Room: Grand Magus
Grand Magus & Primitai, Bogiez CardiffSweden's premier trad metal trio Grand Magus again return to Cardiff to bring the noise to Bogiez. They brought with them speed/thrashers Primitai and...
View Article