West coast metal veterans Metal Church will release their 12th full length studio album ’Damned If You Do’ via Rat Pak Records on December 7, 2018 and will also be available in Europe via Nuclear Blast and Japan via KING Records. The latest release is the follow up to their highly successful 2016 album ‘XI’,... Continue Reading →
CD review HEIR APPARENT ‘The View From Below’
(10/10) Seldomly it happens that what you wish to happen also becomes real. It seems to stay a dream that never unfolds its beauty. One of these things is a new album of no less than Seattle-based prog metal legends of Heir Apparent. The quintet from the Amercian West Coast had two awesome releases during... Continue Reading →
Classics: RUFFIANS ‘Ruffians’
With this classic, we go back in time even further than with the latest 'Classics' posts. The Delorean brings us back to 1985. In a phase when metal gained momentum and many bands pushed into the market, it was Ruffians from San Francisco that unveiled a brilliant six-track album. Simply entitled 'Ruffians' the debut EP of... Continue Reading →
Classics: MORTAL SIN ‘Mayhemic Destruction’
Who can remember Mortal Sin? The quintet from Sydney, Australia isn't top of mind of everybody, but the ones of you that started their metallic journey in the 80's are familiar with this five-piece powerhouse from down under. Mortal Sin started in 1985 and was described as the 'Australian Metallica'. This gave already a clear idea... Continue Reading →
CD review BRAINSTORM “Midnight Ghost’
(8/10) September 2018 is an important month when it comes to heavy metal music, hailing from the greater Heidenheim area. The German city in the south of Germany is the hometown of two metal acts that are well-known in metal. Undertow will release their new album “Reap the Storm’ on September 21st and it’s know... Continue Reading →
CD review HAMMER KING ‘Poseidon Will Carry Us Home’
(8/10) Even though Kaiserslautern, Germany has no geographical connection to the sea, it’s Hammer King that got inspired by the ocean. The band, consisting out some Ivory Night members, is fronted by former Ross The Boss singer Titan Fox V. In contrary to the assumption of a Manowar copycat and in contrary to the debut, Joey... Continue Reading →
CD review STRATOVARIUS ‘ENIGMA: Intermission 2’
(8/10) I guess that most of you are familiar with Stratovarius' 'Intermission' album from 2001. The record was a compilation that mainly featured live recordings, B-sides and bonus tracks of the Finnish powerhouse. 17 years later, Stratovarius reveals a new album and it's called 'Enigma: Intermission 2'. As with part one, also volume 2 comprises... Continue Reading →
CD review ETHERNITY ‘The Human Race Extinction’
(8/10) Good female-fronted metal bands can’t be found in The Netherlands only. Looking across the borders towards Belgium brings Ethernity on the radar. The band was founded in 2000 by two brothers, Julien and Nicolas Spreutels, and their cousin Francois Spreutels. This family teamwork was enriched by two more members and the band began with... Continue Reading →
CD review THE UNITY ‘Rise’
(8/10) It was a year ago when German-Italian metalers The Unity debuted with a self-titled album. The Unity is the brainchild of two Gamma Ray members, Henjo Richter and Michael Ehre. The debut received very good feedback, from media and fans, with some touring activities helping the band to establish themselves in the German metal... Continue Reading →
CD review BLACK MAJESTY ‘Children of the Abyss’
(7/10) Black Majesty, hailing from Australia, is a band that releases albums on a very regular base. The guys provide new melodic metal songs in a three years pattern and since the latest longplayer ‘Cross of Throns’, has been launched in 2015 it’s time for a new longplayer in 2018. That's the math an here... Continue Reading →
CD review MANIMAL ‘Purgatorio’
(8/10) Gothenburg is known for a vital metal scene. Death metal and especially the melodic version of this extreme metal genre has a solid homebase in Sweden’s’ second biggest city. But the epicenter of Swedish metal has more in the offer. Also more traditional based metal is hailing from Gothenburg and one ambassador in Manimal.... Continue Reading →
CD review OMNIUM GATHERUM ‘The Burning Cold’
(8/10) Finnish metallers Omnium Gatherum didn’t sit around doing nothing during the last years. After having released the well-acclaimed ‘Grey Heavens’ album in 2016, the sextet went on tour and afterwards back to the studio for recording their eight longplayer. ‘The Burning Cold’ will be unleashed late August this year and it might become the... Continue Reading →
HEIR APPARENT unveils a new song
The eagerly awaited next Heir Apparent album is just a few glimpse away from being released. The legendary band from Seattle has only two albums on their track record, but it is these two longplayers that contain excellent progressive metal. 'Graceful Inheritance' as well as ' One Small Voice' are milestones and the third album,... Continue Reading →
CD review METAL ALLEGIANCE ‘Volume II – Power Drunk Majesty’
(9/10) Metal Allegiance is nothing less than the who is who in metal. The all-star project, that in the meantime evolved to a band setup, is built on the core band itself with the four founding members, Alex Skolnik, Mark Menghi, Mike Portnoy and David Ellefson. Things began with a performance on the Motörboat Cruise in... Continue Reading →
CD review SOURCE ‘Source’ – re-issue
(9/10) Don’t get confused while thinking about Source from Sweden. There are two bands with this moniker, while this one here is the epic metal powerhouse. Source is the brainchild of former Portrait axeman Richard Lagergren. After having left Portrait in 2012 the guitarist immediately started to work on an own band – Source. To... Continue Reading →









