For six years it was rather quiet about Swedish power metallers Persuader who released with 'The Fiction Maze' their fourth album in 2014. After a long absence the four Swedes are back, equipped with a new deal with Frontiers Music. 'Necromancy' is the name of the new CD, a longplayer that contains seven songs, which... Continue Reading →
Classics: THUNDERHEAD ‘Behind the Eight-Ball’
It was the Scorpions who made Hannover famous, at least when it comes to music of a harder kind. However, other interesting metal bands of the late 80s and early 90s came from the capital of Lower Saxony. Victory was one of them and also Thunderhead came from Northern Germany. Thunderhead started in 1988 and... Continue Reading →
CD review EDENBRIDGE ‘The Chronicles of Eden Part 2’
Edenbridge, that stands more than 20 years of Symphonic Metal from Linz, Austria. The quintet from Upper Austria has established itself in the music scene with ten released albums to date, even if the big breakthrough has remained unachieved. Nevertheless, Edenbridge, with the two still active founding members Lanvall and Sabine Edelsbacher, have established a... Continue Reading →
CD review CHALICE ‘Trembling Crown’
Chalice is certainly a very common band name. You can find bands with this moniker from heavy metal to metalcore. The Chalice we are talking about here are from Helsinki, Finland and started in 2016. After a demo in 2017 and an EP called 'Silver Cloak' it is now time to present a debut album.... Continue Reading →
CD review VOODOO CIRCLE ‘Locked & Loaded’
The most compelling line-up of Voodoo Circle was certainly the one from 2011 that recorded 'Broken Heart Syndrome'. Bandleader Alex Beyrodt, singer David Readman, bassist Mat Sinner and drummer Markus Kullmann were the key players for Voodoo Circle's second album and a decade later, the quartet has now teamed up again. The four-piece worked on... Continue Reading →
Classics: W.A.S.P. ‘The Headless Children’
At a time when the Internet seemed to be nothing more than a surreal science fiction vision, people had to rely on other media to keep up with the latest news. Radio was one of the channels that had at least something to offer to rock and metal fans. A pioneer was certainly the weekly... Continue Reading →
CD review SKELETHAL ‘Unveiling the Threshold’
Skelethal, that stands for brutal death metal since 2012. The guys, based in Lille (France) released a split and two EP's before they debuted with 'Of the Depths…' in 2017. Three years went by before Skelethal brought their furious sophomore album 'Uveiling the Threshold' to the record stores. At the end of November the time... Continue Reading →
Classics: IRON MAIDEN ‘Piece of Mind’
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 →









