One of the first white metal bands were Stryper. The California-based group started in the 80s and there were several things that made them the talk of the town. First, there were the yellow and black striped stage clothes and the fact that a band threw bibles into the audience was also rather unusual. Calculated... Continue Reading →
Review AVANTASIA ‘A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society’
After the success of Edguy it was to be expected that Tobias Sammet's next project Avantasia would also find many friends. It all started in 1999 when Sammet began working on a concept album which was released in 2001 as 'The Metal Opera'. What makes this album a great starting point for Avantasia, besides the... Continue Reading →
Review JADED HEART ‘Heart Attack’
The Swedish/German formation Jaded Heart was already founded in 1994 and delivers new albums with consistency. The quartet could impress with 'Stand Your Ground' in 2020 and these days it's the new album 'Heart Attack' which is on its way. A total of eleven songs have found a place on the longplayer and manifest a... Continue Reading →
Review KINGS OF MERCIA ‘Kings of Mercia’
A band or project that features Jim Mateos on guitar is always a sure thing. You can count on getting quality rock and metal. Matheos is the brain of the legendary Fates Warning, but there are also countless other projects that the guitarist started and refined with his exquisite guitar playing. With Kings Of Mercia... Continue Reading →
Review STRATOVARIUS ‘Survive’
'Firefly', 'Survive' and 'World on Fire', these were songs Stratovarius fans already got to hear live at the Wacken Open Air 2022 and the entire album is now available. Seven years after their last album 'Eternal' the Finns have recorded eleven new songs and continue the series of high quality releases. Not only musically Stratovarius... Continue Reading →
Review BLIND GUARDIAN ‘The God Machine’
The futuristic artwork of the new record makes it quite clear; Blind Guardian are heralding a new chapter. But one thing after the other. The band from Krefeld released one of the best debut albums of German heavy metal in 1998. Battalions of Fear' is the title of this masterpiece, which found a decent successor... Continue Reading →
Review MAD MAX ‘Wings of Time’
Mad Max belongs to the spearhead of German melodic metal since the beginning of the 80s. The band was founded by guitarist Jürgen Breforth and with 'Heavy Metal' the guys released their debut album in 1982. After the band had to face several line-up changes, Mad Max released 'Night of Passion', an album that helped... Continue Reading →
Review DYNAZTY ‘Final Advent’
Even if the new album of Sweden's melodic metal band Dynasty is called 'Final Advent', the record has nothing to do with Christmas and Advent. Rather, the five Swedes do everything they can to request an entry into the record collection of their fans through musical art. 'Final Advent' is the eighth album of the... Continue Reading →
Review SOILWORK ‘Övergivenheten’
Melodic death metal from Sweden's west coast is not just music from Gothenburg. A few hours driving south of Gothenburg is Helsingborg, the home of Soilwork. It all started in 1996 and since then the sextet with frontman Björn Strid has become one of the most established acts of this genre. The debut album 'Steelbath... Continue Reading →
Review A-Z ‘A-Z’
Often it is singer and guitarist who come together to create music. In the event of A-Z, however, the story has a different beginning. A-Z is the brainchild of drum legend Mark Zonder, known from bands like Warlord and Fates Warning. At the beginning of 2020 Zonder had the idea to create a band that... Continue Reading →
Review H.E.A.T. ‘Force Majeure’
When Erik Grönwall left H.E.A.T. in 2020 the question arose how the melodic rockers would continue their so far successful journey through the world of melodic rock. The quintet had just released a very good album called ' H.E.A.T. II' and the search for a new singer was suddenly the most important thing that had... Continue Reading →
Review NORDIC UNION ‘Animalistic’
The first time I heard the voice of Ronnie Atkins was back in 1984 when I listened to 'Cold Killer' from Pretty Maids. No doubt, the guitars impressed but Atkins with his unique voice was a wow moment. In the meantime many years went by and the devastating news of Atkins fighting cancer was a... Continue Reading →
Review SINNER ‘Brotherhood’
Mat Sinner has been integrated into many bands and projects for decades. Mostly he is even the driving force, fueled by an unbridled passion for rock and metal. It all started in the '80s when Sinner debuted with 'Wild'n'Evil'. Slowly and steadily Mat Sinner and his band built up a solid base of fans and... Continue Reading →
Review JORN ’Over the Horizon Radar’
I guess, that if you are interested in hard rock and melodic metal, the name Jorn isn’t a stranger to you. The Norwegian singer enriched already many bands and projects with his voice. Avantasia, Masterplan and Allen-Lande are just some of them. Next to all these engagements, Jorn Lande found always empty spots in his... Continue Reading →
Review BLOODY HEELS ‘Rotten Romance’
The front cover of Bloody Heels’ newest release ‘Rotten Romance’ reminds a lot of bands like Lillian Axe and Dokken. Thus might not be a coincidence. Especially the early might belong to the favorite bands of the four Latvian hard rockers. ‘Rotten Romance’ is the third album of the quartet and the second one the... Continue Reading →




