The first two Iron Maiden albums belong undoubtedly to the milestones of heavy metal. However, my first Iron Maiden album was their third release 'The Number of the Beast' which had a fascination for me because of the sound, artwork and lyrics. AC/DC were cool, Kiss were special with their make-up, but Iron Maiden was... Continue Reading →
Classics: WHITESNAKE ‘Slide It In’ (UK release)
'Slide It In' is Whitesnake's sixth longplayer and depsite the fact that I like the first four albums the most, it is 'Slide It In' that features some really good songs too. Furthermore the album kind of stands for a move into a new era and at the same time is the springboard for the... Continue Reading →
CD review ALTA REIGN ‘Mother’s Day’
Alta Reign is the new project of an old acquaintance. Jeff Plate, drummer for TSO and well known from his time with Savatage, launched with Alta Reign a new band that includes next to Plate also TSO keyboard player Jane Mangini, vocalist & guitarist Tommy Cook, vocalist & guitarist Collin Holloway, as well as bassist... Continue Reading →
CD review MAGNUM ‘Dance of the Black Tattoo’
Magnum released three years ago with 'The Valley of Tears - The Ballads' a very successful compilation which focused on the calmer moments of the Magnum discography. Now the veterans of melodic rock have decided to revisit the idea and re-entered the archives to compile a continuation of 'The Valley of Tears - The Ballads'... Continue Reading →
Classics: VENGEANCE ‘Take It or Leave It’
One of Holland's flagship rockers in the 80s was certainly Vengeance from Waalwijk and it is not surprising that the band from the carnival capital in Noord Brabant also delivered feel-good music. However, Vengeance were already back then more than just a party music outfit. Their songs were varied and for a hard rock band... Continue Reading →
CD review FROZEN SOUL ‘Crypt of Ice’
During the winter months, a fresh breeze from the North can certainly transport colder temperatures to Dallas. Whether these served as an inspiration for Frozen Soul's debut album is unknown. However, what the quintet delivers on their first longplayer is certainly noteworthy and comes from and icy soul. Frozen Soul began two years ago. It... Continue Reading →
Classics: STORMWITCH ‘The Beauty and the Beast’ – re-issue
Every now and then, especially during the Holiday season, Markus' Heavy Music Blog is featuring some classics, some well-known and some not so much. This time we go to Germany, more precisely, Gerstetten on the Schwaebische Alb. We go back to the year 1987 and the band we are talking about is Stormwitch. "The Masters... Continue Reading →
CD review FURIOUS TRAUMA ‘Decade at War’
New to me but not new to business, that is Furious Trauma from Denmark. The starting point for Furious Trauma was back in 1988 when the guys released two demo that paved the way for the 'Primal Touch' debut in 1992. After having released the third longplayer, 'Roll the Dice', the end was near and... Continue Reading →
CD review ELLEFSON ‘No Cover’
Megadeth founding member and bass-ace David Ellefson signed a deal with earMUSIC and the first delivery is available at the record stores. It’s an album with cover versions which was also done in cooperation with Combat Records. ‘No Cover’, so the title of this longplayer, builds on an 19 songs featuring tracklist with covers versions... Continue Reading →
CD review ICED EARTH ‘Iced Earth (30th anniversary edition)
It was in summer 1989 when a demo tape arrived at my mailbox with music of a band that was a newcomer from Tampa at the time - Iced Earth. The name of their demo was 'Enter the Realm' and in times without YouTube, Facebook and others, I had no idea of what to expect... Continue Reading →
CD review IRON MASK ‘Master of Masters’
Iron Mask started as a side project of Magic Kingdom about two decades back in time and it was Dushan Petrossis who founded the band with a moniker being based on the novel of Alexandra Dumas. Iron Mask released their first album ‘Revenge is My Name’ in 2002 and a few more longplayers followed over... Continue Reading →
CD review GALCIER ‘The Passing of Time’
A glacier doesn’t form just like that. It takes a lot of time for a glacier to grow, becoming a mighty landscape in ice. Translated to heavy metal means having a look at Glacier, the heavy metal outfit that started in 1979 in Portland. As a glacier in its icy habitat also Glacier in metal... Continue Reading →
CD review PALACE ‘Rock and Roll Radio’
If I counted correctly, 'Rock and Roll Radio' is Palace's third longplayer. It follows the 2018 release 'Binary Music' and brings for a next time some melodic rock to your private palace. Palace, that's basically Michael Palace, who started his collaboration with Frontiers Music with First Signal. This contact was the springboard for Palace to... Continue Reading →
CD review VANDEN PLAS ‘The Ghost Xperiment – Illumination’
Germany's progressive metal flagship Vande Plas unleash with 'The Ghost Xperiment - Illumination' the eagerly-awaited second part of the 'The Ghost Xperience' story. It was 'The Ghost Xperiment - Awakeing' from 2019 that started the storyline and 12 months later the second chapter takes over. After having premiered in 1994 with 'Colour Temple', a time... Continue Reading →
LP review SLAUGHTERDAY ‘Ancient Death Triumph’
Leer in Germany is the homebase of Slaughterday, a band the premiered in 2013 with 'Nightmare Vortex'. Being deeply rooted in the Frisian metal scene, the band added a second album to the shelves in 2016, these days followed by the newest strike of Slaughterday. 'Ancient Death Triumph' is the third longplayer from Slaughterday and... Continue Reading →









