Reviews
VENOM – Assault! (Dissonance)
The ‘Assault’ series soon took on quasi-legendary status amongst fans as must-have items, not because they offered anything particularly new but because they had novelty value and, as imports, they were so damned collectable. - Read More
DREAMGRAVE – Monuments I – The Anxious (Independent)
...it’s worth pointing out that ‘Monuments I - The Anxious’ is an extremely good body of work and one which it would pay anyone with an interest in contemporary progressive metal to add to their collection. - Read More
AGUSA – Agusa (The Laser’s Edge)
Rich in texture and undeniably urbane, Agusa’s latest offering is a sublime collection of beautifully crafted and exquisitely executed compositions. - Read More
HALLATAR – No Stars Upon The Bridge (Svart Records)
‘No Stars Upon The Bridge’ is an engaging and challenging album, devoid of mawkish sentimentality yet imbued with a sense of urgency and longing. - Read More
GIN LADY – Electric Earth (Kozmik Artifactz)
Following on from last year’s highly-acclaimed ‘Call the Nation’ ‘Electric Earth’ is another grandiose slice of good, old-fashioned hard rock. - Read More
VARIOUS – British Steel – The Rising Force Of Heavy Metal (Dissonance/Back On Black)
‘British Steel…’ is not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s gritty and exciting, and that’s what counts. - Read More
DAYDREAM XI – The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn (Sensory/The Laser’s Edge)
Unashamedly progressive in both outlook and delivery, ‘The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn’ is an exciting and grandiose offering from a youngish band with masses of talent and truckloads of potential. - Read More
ALPHA TIGER – Alpha Tiger (SPV)
Those who feared that Alpha Tiger would become an endangered species when their vocalist Stephan Dietrich left in 2015, just after the release of their previous album ‘iDentity’, can breathe a sigh of relief once more. - Read More
FOR THE SAKE OF HEAVINESS – THE HISTORY OF METAL BLADE – Brian Slagel and Mark Eglinton (BMG)
Most metal fans have an epiphany, and for Slagel it was hearing ‘Machine Head’ as an eleven-year-old living in southern California, followed swiftly by ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’. - Read More