Three years after 'Who Mourns for the Morning Star?' it is 'Age of Steel' that provides again hard-hitting Heavy Metal, music with an oldschool spirit and a modern production. Two thumbs up.
CD review CLOVEN HOOF ‘Age of Steel’
CD review THE WIZAR’D ‘Subterranean Exile’
Cruz Del Sur usually has a good sense for well-crafted Epic Metal. The Wizar'd fits surely to the label portfolio but can't entirely live up to other bands the label signed. The Wizar'd hails from Australia and 'Subterranean Exile' is already their fourth album. It took seven long years to create the successor for 'Ancient... Continue Reading →
Hamburg’s rock & metal scene in times of corona – PARAGON
Covid-19 and the taken measures have a big impact on everybody individually, but have also an impact on the music business. Enough of a reason to reach out to clubs, bands,… in the greater Hamburg area to see what the situation is and how everybody can stand together to go though this. Today we continue with... Continue Reading →
CD review CIRITH UNGOL ‘Forever Black’
Cirith Ungol's return ends after glorious 40 minutes with the last tones of 'Forever Black', the title track. I was lucky that I could witness the Cirith Ungol's live show at Rock Hard festival in 2018 and at the time I couldn't imagine, holding a new record in hands. But sometimes dreams turn into reality. Fans of the band and Epic Metal in general will love this album and I can highly recommend it. The underground pioneers and inventors of Epic Metal are back, hopefully for many more years.
Hamburg’s rock & metal scene in times of corona – BLACK HAWK
Covid-19 and the taken measures have a big impact on everybody individually, but have also an impact on the music business. Enough of a reason to reach out to clubs, bands,… in the greater Hamburg area to see what the situation is and how everybody can stand together to go though this. Today we continue with... Continue Reading →
CD review KHEMMIS ‘Doomed Heavy Metal’
Dan, Zach, Ben and Phil, also known as Khemmis, added a new EP to their musical offer. Two years after the latest studio album 'Desolation' has been released the quartet bridges the wait for the next album with 'Doomed Heavy Metal'. The release features songs of which most has been revealed already earlier but there... Continue Reading →
CD review BLOODBOUND ‘Bloodheads United’
Bloodbound stands for Melodic Metal from Sweden, presented by several longplayers but also a significant amount of live shows. Four years ago the first Bloodbound live album has been released and now it is an EP, being the next live coverage from the Swedish steel workers, at least looking at four out of five songs.... Continue Reading →
CD review THE SPIRIT CABINET ‘ Bloodlines’
Already the bandname is unusal and also the sound of 'Bloodlines' isn't mainstream either. Dutch metallers The Spirit Cabinet combine traditional Heavy Metal with Doom Metal, not to forget an underlaying psychedelic vibe that resonates with each of the six songs on the new album 'Bloodlines'. Snake McRuffkin, Johnny Hällström, Erich Vilsmeier and Cromwell Fleedwood... Continue Reading →
CD review KING WITCH ‘Body of Light’
King Witch, that's Laura Donnelly (v), Jamie Gilchrist (g), Rory Lee (b) and Lyle Brown. The four musicians from Scotland formed the band in 2015, premiered in 2018 and have now their sophomore album 'Body of Light' ready for shipping. 'Body of Light' features nine songs, some of the with epical length. The masterpiece on... Continue Reading →
Kurdt Vanderhoof shares details and background of the new METAL CHURCH release
A couple of days ago Metal Church released with 'From the Vault' an interesting longplayer that features new songs as well as cover versions, live songs and other stuff from the archive. Metal Church main man Kurdt Vanderhoof made some time for Markus' Heavy Music Blog to give some insights into the background of the... Continue Reading →
Pitch Black Records donates 100% to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund
In response to the COVID-19 situation, Pitch Black Records has issued a statement encouraging fans to instead of buying from the label to consider buying from bands and underground festival organisers who have been affected by COVID-19. For those that do purchase from the label, 100% of all sales between April 5 and 15 on... Continue Reading →
CD review BLACK HAWK ‘Destination Hell’
Hamburg's Metal veterans Black Hawk deliver with 'Destination Hell' an album that isn't polished neither it's over-produced. It has a solid sound and a lot of edges. The ten songs might not bring that much new to the plate. Still they are authentic and real. No frills, some thrills and a lot of passion, that's Black Hawk's new album. If you like traditional Heavy Metal straight from the underground you should give the album a chance.
CD review TRAVELER ‘Termination Shock’
With 'Terminal Shock' Canadian metaller Traveler add a next album to their discography. The band, hailing from Calgary, premiered a year ago with 'Traveler' and it's the sophomore longplayer 'Termination Shock' unveiling again their passion for traditional Heavy Metal. Being enrooted in the spirit of the NWoHM, the sound of Traveler reflects pure Heavy Metal.... Continue Reading →
CD review METAL CHURCH ‘From the Vault’
A few years ago mighty Metal Church announced the return of Mike Howe as frontman of the Power Metal outfit and since then the quintet found more and more back to old strength. Two excellent studio releases have triggered very positive reactions and now it is 'From the Vault' that combines old and new. Three... Continue Reading →
CD review PALACE ‘Reject the System’
Palace, that's not a new player in Metal, considering the fact of seven releases to date. The guys from Speyer, Germany startet 30 years ago and the fact that they are still releasing records shows willpower and staying power. 'Reject the System' is the newest release that reaches us from Speyer, featuring ten tracks of... Continue Reading →
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