Papa Roach was the first band that was announced for Hamburg's Elbriot festival 2025. With Kreator, Kissin' Dynamite and Future Palace a second wave of bands have been unveiled a few weeks ago and today Kerry King and Smash Into Pieces have been aded to line-up of the legendary festival at Grossmarkt, Hamburg. Elbriot 2025... Continue Reading →
Review ATHENA XIX “Everflow Part 1: Frames Of Humanity”
Athena XIX might be a band name that some of you still remember. The progressive metal outfit was formed in Pisa, Italy in 1991 and released three full length albums before disbanding in 2002 after the band's 'Twilight of Days' longplayer. More than two decades later, Athena XIX return with "Everflow Part 1: Frame of... Continue Reading →
Review NECKBREAKKER “Within The Viscera”
Wohoo. This album doesn't allow you to slowly slide into the songs and sounds, because it's a brutal blast that starts "Within the Viscera". But let's start from the very beginning. Neckbreakker is the band releasing their debut album "Within the Viscera". The guys started in 2020 as Nakkeknaekker, which is the Danish equivalent of... Continue Reading →
Review TAK MATSUMOTO GROUP “TMG II”
The Tak Matsumoto Group released a debut album called "TMG I" in 2004. The project was a collaboration between Japanese guitar wizard Tak Matsumoto, Eric Martin and Jack Blades. The result of this teamwork was a stunning melodic rock release, but things ended rather quickly after the release of the debut and a few live... Continue Reading →
SAVATAGE announced some shows in Europe in 2025
The news of Savatage playing some live shows in 2025 spreads quickly. After having announced some festival shows in South America the legendary metal outfit also revealed some dates for shows in Europe: Saturday, June 14, 2025 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle Monday, June 16, 2025 – London, UK – Shepherds Bush EmpireWednesday, June 18, 2025... Continue Reading →
Live report ALCEST, SVALBARD & DOODSESKADER, Gruenspan, Hamburg – December 3rd, 2024
A package of three bands started a European tour in Zagreb, Croatia on October 21, 2024, and it is 1.5 months later when Alcest and support bands stop at Gruenspan, Hamburg. It is a typical Hamburg evening - dark and wet - when a long queue of fans line up in front of the venue... Continue Reading →
Review HELLOWEEN “Live at Budokan”
German metal heavyweights Helloween played a show in Japan in September 2023 as part of their "United Forces 2022-2023" tour. The show at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo was recorded and will be the basis for the new live album of the metal kings. The album, "Live at Budokan", will be released in different formats,... Continue Reading →
Review TARJA “Rocking Heels – Live at Hellfest”
Finnish singer Tarja played a show at Hellfest 2016, a concert that was recorded and now is released as a live album. Tarja played 10 songs and with the exception of "Shameless" all songs are on the new record. As expected, the chosen songs reflect the harder and heavier aspect of a singer who can... Continue Reading →
Review THE GATES OF SLUMBER “The Gates of Slumber”
The Gates of Slumber might be a band that not everyone has on their metal radar. Formed in 1998, the trio has released some really good albums, starting in 2004 with their debut, "…the Awakening". "The Wedge" marked the end of the first era of this doom behemoth from Indianapolis, Indiana, and the band disbanded... Continue Reading →
Review DEWOLFF “Muscle Shoals”
DeWolff is a band that is slowly starting to gain attention outside of The Netherlands. In their home country, however, the trio is quite popular and had their breakthrough with the "Orchards/Lupine" album. From then on, the van de Poel brothers and Robin Piso were regular guests in the top 10 of the Dutch album... Continue Reading →
Review VOODOO CIRCLE “Hail to the King”
It was in 2008 when guitarist Alex Beyrodt founded Voodoo Circle and debuted with the self-titled album that same year. After the positive response to the debut album, a second album was only a matter of time. It was in 2011 that "Broken Heart Syndrome" saw the light of day and marked another peak in... Continue Reading →
Review ULVER “Liminal Animals”
One of the most unpredictable bands today is Ulver from Norway. Founded in 1993 as a harsh and wild black metal outfit, the band has been constantly on the move when it comes to sounds. Ulver, the wolves, have continually reinvented their own brand, making innovation and transformation the hallmark of the Norwegian sound innovators.... Continue Reading →
Review SUNSTORM “Restless Fight”
Sunstorm is a project or more accurately a collective founded in 2006. The debut album featured guys like Joe Lynn Turner and Dennis Ward. In the course of time the line-up changed and the album "Afterlife" from 2021 was the first Sunstrom release with Ronnie Romero at the mic. With "Restless Fight" the eighth studio... Continue Reading →
Live report WHILE SHE SLEEPS, MALEVOLENCE, THROWN & RESOLVE, Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg – November 24th, 2024
Tonight there is some metalcore on the agenda as While She Sleeps will be playing at Hamburg's Grosse Freiheit 36. It was almost ten years ago that I saw the band for the first time when While She Sleeps opened for In Flames at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands. And as it was then, so it... Continue Reading →
Review MARILYN MANSON “One Assassination Under God”
The enfant terrible of rock and metal, Marilyn Manson, releases "One Assassination Under God Chapter 1", his first new album in four years. It's his twelfth studio album in total and contains nine new songs. With "As Sick as the Secrets Within" the lead single from the new record was released in August and it... Continue Reading →









