It was on January 12, 2020 that Epica, on their way back from the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise, stopped in New York City to play a show at the venerable Webster Hall. The author of these lines was fortunate enough to see the concert in person, and at the time no one thought it... Continue Reading →
CD review EVERGREY ‘Escape of the Phoenix’
Next to Stockholm, Gothenburg is certainly the epicenter when it comes to metal from Sweden. One of the bands based in Gothenburg is Evergrey. In contrast to the melodic death metal wave that rolled over the city in the 90s, Evergrey have dedicated themselves to the more complex worlds of metal right from the start.... Continue Reading →
CD review ALICE COOPER ‘Detroit Stories’
The master of shock rock, Alice Cooper, has a level of popularity that many can only dream of. Far beyond the rock/metal scene, Vincent Damon Funrier, the real name of Alice Cooper, is known not only as a musician but also as an actor. The "we are not worthy" scene with Wayne and Garth from... Continue Reading →
CD review MOONSPELL ‘Hermitage’
After the first single release, which was the title track, curiosity for Moonspell's new album was aroused. But step by step. The first time I ever listened to Moonspell was when the Portuguese opened for Tiamat in 1995. Impressed by the intensity of their music, the band's sound has stuck with me to this day,... Continue Reading →
CD review LONG DISTANCE CALLING ‘Ghost’
Relatively soon after the release of 'How Do We Want To Live' it was apparent that Long Distance Calling would have to postpone the planned 'Seats & Sounds' tour one more time. It was however possible for the band to play a few live shows towards the end of summer 2020 before concerts became impossible... Continue Reading →
CD review SIGGI SCHWARZ ‘The Fire Inside’
The name Siggi Schwarz is most probably not known to the broader public, but experts of refined guitar music should have heard the name at least once. The musician, who is based in Heidenheim an der Brenz, already has a significant number of solo releases to his credit. In addition, Schwarz also works with greats... Continue Reading →
CD review BLAST BOMB ‘Rock’n’Roll Junkie’ – EP
Hamburg-based explosive rockers Blast Bomb have made good use of the Corona days and have been working on a new EP. 'Rock'n'Roll Junkie' is the promising title of this EP which will be available at the end of February. The title song is already unwrapped and can be enjoyed HERE. Blast Bomb, that stands for... Continue Reading →
CD review RICKY WARWICK ‘When Life Was Hard and Fast’
The Almighty, Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders and his solo albums, Ricky Warwick has an impressive musical history which will be enriched by a new chapter this year. 'When Life Was Hard and Fast' is the new record that is going to be a highlight of the year for fans of hard rock. Fans had... Continue Reading →
CD review WIZARD ‘Metal in My Head’
Wizard is one of those bands that have been on the scene for decades, have built up a loyal fan base and have never really made the big breakthrough. Eleven albums, however, demonstrate their passion for heavy metal and everything that goes with it. Founded in 1989, the guys had their first release in 1991... Continue Reading →
CD review INGLORIOUS ‘We Will Ride’
The artwork of the new 'Inglorious' album promises a lot of horsepower. The cover adorns 'We Will Ride' which is the title of the fourth Inglorious longplayer that reaches us these days from the UK, despite Brexit. There have been a lot of changes at Inglorious over the last years. With Danny Dela Cruz, Dan... Continue Reading →
CD review JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 ‘Running Games’
Guitarist Joel Hoekstra is known for his work with Nightranger, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Whitesnake. In addition, the axe wizard from Iowa City, Iowa also recorded three solo albums before releasing the first Joel Hoekstra's 13 album. 'Dying to Live' was launched in 2015, followed six years later by 'Running Games', the sophomore offering. The total... Continue Reading →
CD review LAKE OF TEARS ‘Ominous’
Compared to the colorful cosmic trip of 'A Crimson Cosmos', the newest Lake Of Tears album appears dark and gloomy. It seems like a gigantic black hole absorbed all the colors and what remains is a cold and dark universe. It has been rather quiet about Lake Of Tears for the last ten years. 'Illwill'... Continue Reading →
CD review THE RUINS OF BEVERAST ‘The Thule Gromoires’
'The Thule Grimoires' is the new album from Aachen's death/black metal outfit The Ruins Of Beverast. In tradition with the previous albums, five in total, the new longplayer is also not a burst of joyfulness but a gloomy delight. The dark adventure of The Ruins Of Beverast has its beginning in 2003 and after a... Continue Reading →
CD review THE PRETTY RECKLESS ‘Death by Rock and Roll’
It was in 2009 when a band was founded in NYC, which quickly grew from a newcomer to an established rock act. We are talking about The Pretty Reckless. With 'Light Me Up' the quartet released a very solid debut album rather quickly and already at the time The Pretty Reckless were nominated for the... Continue Reading →
CD review CORONARY ‘Sinbad’
Flea markets are generally not a bad thing, especially when they have a section for second hand viny. It was at such a flea market in Tampere, Finland where Aku Kytölä and Pate Vuorio met and realized that they had a very similar musical taste. Plans for their own band were quickly sparked and after... Continue Reading →









