Hirax are one of the pioneers of thrash metal. Formed in 1984 in Buena Park, California, Hirax became a well-known name in thrash metal and their first two albums are great examples of thrash metal from the West Coast. Despite a fairly successful start, Hirax never made it to the top. Instead, the band disbanded... Continue Reading →
Review GINGER EVIL “The Way it Burns”
The roots of Ginger Evil go back to 2005 when the band started as Moonshine Inc. Even though the guys were composing, the search for a singer wasn't successful and the band was put on ice. Fortunately, Tomi Julkunen and Veli Palevaara decided to put the songs out of their hibernation a few years later,... Continue Reading →
Review BRAINSTORM “Plague of Rats”
Brainstorm are among the veterans of German power metal. Back in 1997, the band released their highly acclaimed debut album "Hungry", which served as a springboard for the band, and the Swabian powerhouse continued to build on that positive impression with their next releases. With "Plague of Rats", the band has now completed work on... Continue Reading →
Review ROBIN MCAULEY “Soulbound”
Robin McAuley is a singer with a voice that stands out from any other. The mixture of fine accentuated singing and a rough rock'n'roll voice defines his way of singing. It was the McAuley Schenker Group release "Perfect Timing" that put the singer in the spotlight, after he had also been part of Frank Farian's... Continue Reading →
Review ARION “The Light That Burns the Sky”
Arion is a Finnish melodic power metal band, and the first time I came in contact with their music was when they supported Battle Beast in 2019. At the time, the guys had just released their second album, "Life Is Not Beautiful", and the band delivered a pretty energetic show at the time. Five years... Continue Reading →
Review DARK CHAPEL “Spirit in the Glass”
I didn't have Dark Chapel on my radar and when I received the album I thought more of another metalcore or deathcore outfit. The band name and album artwork at least gave me that idea, but what came out of the speakers after I pressed 'Play' was something completely different. Dark Chapel is the brainchild... Continue Reading →
Review SPIDERS “Sharp Objects”
Gothenburg, Sweden has a pretty vibrant rock and metal scene. Not only melodic death metal has a strong home base in Sweden's second largest city. There are also excellent rock bands coming from there. One of them is Spiders, who debuted in 2012 with an album called "Flash Point", which immediately entered the Swedish charts.... Continue Reading →
Review AVANTASIA “Here By Dragons”
Avantasia started as a side project of Edguy in the late 90's and became a huge success. Today, Edguy is on hiatus while Avantasia has become one of the most successful rock and metal acts. Tobias Sammet, the driving force behind the outfit, found two excellent companions in Sascha Paeth and Miro Rodenberg, who have... Continue Reading →
Review ABDUCTION “Existentialismus”
Abduction is the project/band of solo artist AIV. He started the outfit in 2015 and added four longplayers to the books. Today is the release date of the new album " Existentialismus ", which follows the 2022 release called "Black Blood ". The latest longplayer contains six songs, all blackened compositions with an epic flavor.... Continue Reading →
WALTARI release lead single from the upcoming album
Waltari release "Major Mistake", the first single taken from the upcoming new studio album "Nations' Neurosis", released on May 16th on Metalville Records! "Major Mistake" will please even the most fanatic fans as well as new listeners exploring the band for the first time. The energetic riffs spiral around the eternal story of love, life... Continue Reading →
Review AIRFORCE “Acts of Madness”
Airforce from the UK have a long history that goes back to the year 1987. It was the year that Airforce took off, but the journey ended in 2001. After regrouping in 2008, Airforce released their debut album "Judgement Day" in 2016 and have been around ever since. With founding members Tony Hatton, Doug Sampson... Continue Reading →
Review JASON BIELER AND THE BARON VON BIELSKI ORCHESTRA “The Escapologist”
It was 1991 when a band called Saigon Kick released their self-titled debut album. It was a fusion of rock, metal and a 60's vibe that caused quite a buzz within the metal community and beyond. Guitarist Jason Bieler was one of the founding members of the band and has been releasing solo albums since... Continue Reading →
Live report SAXON, GIRLSCHOOL & GRAND SLAM, Docks, Hamburg – February 17th, 2025
Saxon, one of the metal institutions from Great Britain, is a true legend in heavy metal. Formed in 1978, the band is still active and has been delivering blasting heavy metal for almost 50 years. To celebrate the 45th anniversary of their iconic "Wheels of Steel" album, the band is currently on tour in Europe/UK... Continue Reading →
Review RAVEN “Can’t Take Away The Fire”
50 years in metal is more than a noteworthy achievement. Metal heavyweights Raven are a band that can celebrate half a century of contribution to heavy metal. The band formed in 1974, and after releasing their debut album "Rock Until We Drop" in 1981, the band has been a constant factor in traditional heavy metal.... Continue Reading →
Review ELLIS MANO BAND “Morph”
When I received the new album from the Ellis Mano Band, I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't heard of the band before and was more curious to find out what kind of music would make my eardrums vibrate. What I heard was a surprise, a positive one. The Ellis Mano Band actually... Continue Reading →

