(*/10) Steelheart will get all the credit for being a successful rock outfit in the early '90s. The guys released with 'Steelherat' and 'Tangled in Rain' to formidable hardrock albums that scored good success in the era of an upcoming grunge hype. Unfortunately, a drastic line-up change led to a new situation and the band... Continue Reading →
CD review SOILWORK ‘Verkligheten’
(9/10) 'Verkligheten' is not only the title of Soilwork's newest delivery, it's also the Swedish word for 'reality'. Now, why am I telling this? The thing is that if you have a hard time and went through changes, you have to face reality at a certain moment. In such a context Swedish Soilwork couldn't have... Continue Reading →
CD review DUST BOLT ‘Trapped in Chaos’
(8/10) 'Trapped in Chaos is the fourth strike of German metallers Dust Bolt and it's the most mature release of the quartet to date. Dust Bolt, that means thrash metal from Bavaria and the new longplayer doesn't deviate from this general direction. Nine songs made it on the tracking list of 'Trapped in Chaos', standing... Continue Reading →
CD review METAL INQUISITOR ‘Panopticon”
(8/10) Koblenz-basedMetal Inquisitor might not be the band with a high-frequent release pattern, but every album so far for sure provided quality. It takes between 4-5 years for the band to come with a next longplayer, beginning with the debut ‘The Apparition’ from 2002. Good things come to those who wait, seems to be the... Continue Reading →
CD review DEVOUROR ‘Slay For Satan’ (EP)
(8/10) This EP comes from a band, based in Asia. Singapore, that's where Devouror has their home base and it's Malaysian Metal Zone Records that releases a first EP of this exotic powerhouse. Devouror plays blackened death metal that finds its roots in bands like Possessed, Death and partially Sodom. 'Slay For Satan' is a raw... Continue Reading →
CD review ALL GOOD THINGS ‘Machines’ (Deluxe Edition)
(8/10) All Good Things began is a studio project with longtime friends creating music based on their passion for good rock music. Maybe it was this approach that led to music that was well-received. All Good Things reached many rock fans via streaming platform such as Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube. This success motivated the... Continue Reading →
CD review FLOTSAM AND JETSAM ‘The End of Chaos’
(8/10) In 1986 Internet wasn’t existing and the main source of information when it comes to metal were fanzines and partly radio.Especially the latter dealt with metal as being a side note in music and therefor it was even more appreciated that Swiss radio station DRS3 dedicated 2 hours to metal on a weekly base.... Continue Reading →
CD review RAVEN ‘Screaming Murder Death From Above: Live In Aalborg’
(8/10) Not to know is sometimes not a bad thing at all. So how is this related to Raven’s new live album? The metal pioneers have been on tour in Europe towards the end of 2017. After having gone through a tough time with the band’s longtime drummer Joe Hasselvander suffering from a heart attack... Continue Reading →
CD review FLEDDY MELCULY ‘ Live @ Graspop Metal Meeting ’18
(8/10) I’m not sure how many of you heard of Fleddy Melculy earlier. The band is well-known in the Benelux and the moniker is already a hint that things aren’t be taken that seriously, at least when it comes to the lyrics. Fleddy Melculy started a few years ago and is the brainchild of De... Continue Reading →
CD review BURNING WITCHES ‘Burning Witches + Burning Alive’ – re-issue
(8/10) Swiss-based Burning Witches debuted in 2017 via BW Records. The self-titled album was a wow moment. Eleven songs showed that there is the next generation of metal bands in Switzerland, following the legendary Krokus. Destruction's Schmier as well as VO Pulver, known from e.g. Gurd, were already involved in the production of the powerful premier,... Continue Reading →
CD review THE NEAL MORSE BAND ‘The Great Adventure’
(9/10) The announcement of a next The Neal Morse Band album is always an exciting moment. The combination of musical savvy and a sense for great melodies led to great records in the past and the new longplayer ‘The Great Adventure’ doesn’t take a different route. The 22 songs comprising album is an exquisite release... Continue Reading →
CD review JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY ‘Purgatory’
(9/10) Jon Schaffers Purgatory is releasing a new EP which isn’t that new either. Purgatory, the US metal band, was the founded in 1985 and was the predecessor of Iced Earth. Jon Schaffer was part of Purgatory, as well as singer Gene Adam and bassist Bill Owen. The guys published three demos and it's this... Continue Reading →
CD review LAST UNION ‘Twelve’
(8/10) Sharp before Christmas a new impressive metal album from Italy hits the shelves. The name of the band is Last Union, a powerhouse being the brainchild of singer Elisa Scarpeccio and guitarist Cristiano Tiberi. With a lot of ambition and passion, the duo started into the endeavor of a new band and what was... Continue Reading →
CD review ALCATRAZZ ‘Parole Denied – Toyko 2017’
(*/10) It was in 2017 when singer Graham Bonnet together with the Graham Bonnet Band toured in Japan, promoting the latest release ‘The Book’. Since Bonnet is the founding member of the legendary Alctarazz the idea was born to add three Alcatrazz reunion shows to the Japan tour. What started as a thought became reality.... Continue Reading →
CD review JASON BECKER ‘Triumphant Hearts’
(*/10) 'Triumphant Hearts' is an album that's much more than only another release that hits the record stores. The pure existence of 'Triumphant Hearts' is a statement that includes far more than merely great songs. Jason Becker started as 19 years old. The talented six-string wizard became in no time one of the most respected... Continue Reading →









