(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 →
NAILED TO OBSCURITY talks about ‘Black Frost’ and the upcoming European tour
Markus’ Heavy Music Blog: Hello guys. First of all thank you for taking some time for MHMB. The new year starts extremely exciting for you and with 'Black Frost' you have your 4th longplayer ready to be released. Can you tell us a little about the new album. What can the fans expect? Volker Dieken:... Continue Reading →
GAMMA RAY confirmed for ROCK HARD FESTIVAL
Two additional bands are confirmed for this years Rock Hard Festival. After having toured the world with Helloween on their 'Pumpkins United' tour, Kai Hansen will put more focus again on Gamma Ray in 2019. Gamma Ray will play at this year's Rock Hard Festival. Furthermore Carnivore A.D. is confirmed for the festival too. Rock... Continue Reading →
CD review NAILED TO OBSCURITY ‘Black Frost’
(8/10) 'Black Frost' with all its blackness fits perfectly into the dark month of January. Nailed To Obscurity's debut for Nuclear Blast is a seven-track trip into melancholy and greyness,a journey you should joi. The quintet from Northern Germany adds with 'Black Frost' an album to their discography that shows the band on a next... 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 →
Classics: LIEGE LORD ‘Master Control’
If you're a regular reader of Markus' Heavy Music Blog you probably read sometimes about a band called Liege Lord being a reference when it comes to power metal. This quintet started in 1982 (as Deceiver) and belongs to the pioneers of US Metal. The powerhouse, hailing from Stamford, CT, premiered in 1985 with an... 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 DAMIAN WILSON / ADAM WAKEMAN ‘Stripped’
(*/10) You could question why this album gets an review on MHMB. The release has nothing to do with metal and it's not even rock you get offered by this delivery. But hey, it's Damian Wilson and Adam Wakeman that worked together and already this is reasons enough for listening to 'Stripped' and writing about... Continue Reading →
Classics: AGENT STEEL ‘Mad Locust Rising’
In the second half of the '80s, Agent Steel was one of the candidates for becoming a really big metal act. The debut 'Sceptics Apocalypse' was critically acclaimed and also the sophomore album 'Unstoppable Force' was very welcomed in the '80s metal scene. Furthermore, the band was part of the legendary Metal Hammer Road Show,... Continue Reading →
Live (Photo-) report HANK VON HELL, VIRGINIA HILL / TYLER LEADS, Melkweg, Amsterdam – 16.12.2018
Hans Erik Dyvik has many names and one of them is Hank Von Hell. The former frontman of legendary Turbonegro recently released a debut under the banner of Hank Von Hell, a hardrock comprising album with good hooks and an Alice Cooper-like sound. With this album in his back pocket, Hank Von Hell gathered a... Continue Reading →
JON SCHAFFER’S PURGATORY available as vinyl
Jon Schaffer's Purgatory is a release that features five songs of Schaffer's first band, called Purgatory. More information can be found HERE. The Ep is also available as vinyl with all 5 songs being put on the A-side while the B-side features a nice etching. Furthermore we're talking about a 180gr. vinyl and a 4-page... 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 MAGNUM ‘Live at Symphony Hall’
(8/10) Although legendary UK rockers Magnum have released already quite some live albums and compilations, the moment of a next live album is always a treat. It was the final show of Magnum’s ‘Road to Eternity’-tour that was recorded and acts as a base for this live record. Magnum played in total 42 shows on... Continue Reading →









