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 →
ROCK HARD FESTIVAL 2019 – first bands announced
First bands are announced for the 2019 edition of Rock Hard festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Bands that are confirmed already are promising. Death metal pioneers Cannibal Corpse are part of the festival, as well as US metal legend Fifth Angel and prog metal heroes Heir Apparent. Furthermore it is German instrumental postrockers Long Distance Calling, NWoBHM icon... 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 →
ARCH/MATHEOS re-signs with Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records has re-signed ARCH/MATHEOS for a worldwide deal! ARCH/MATHEOS began as a reunion between founding Fates Warning members John Arch (vocals) and Jim Matheos (guitar), who hadn't collaborated since John Arch's solo EP, 'A Twist Of Fate' (2003) - and hadn't fully collaborated for a whole album since Fates Warning's 'Awaken the Guardian'... Continue Reading →
CD review AXE STEELER ‘On the Run’
(8/10) Axe Steeler has a bit of an exotic bonus. The band is from South America, from Columbia to precise. The foundation of Axe Steeler goes back to 2015 with an EP that was unveiled in 2016. Two years later the first longplayer will hit the shelves and it’s worth to check it out. Axe... Continue Reading →
LP review CHASTAIN ‘The 7th of Never – 30 Years Heavy’ – re-release
(8/10) A bit more than 30 years ago Chastain released with 'The 7th of Never' an excellent US metal record that's built on Chastain's exquisite guitar play. The album followed the brilliant 'Ruler of the Wasteland' release from a year earlier and includes furious US metal. Roaring riffs and filigree solos are a substantial element... Continue Reading →
CD review ARTIZAN ‘Demon Rider’
(8/10) Jacksonville, Florida is the homebase of Artizan, a US metal powerhouse that has its fourth longplayer in the pipeline. 'Demon Rider' follows the 2015 release 'The Furthest Reaches' and features, in the standard version, 5 songs. A limited version includes, next to the 5 songs, the title track with no less than Jag Panzer's... Continue Reading →
New HEIR APPARENT album in October
HERE comes a first teaser for the upcoming Heir Apparent album 'View From Below', which will be released on October 15th via No Remorse Records. Stay tuned for more. Tracklist: 1. Man in the Sky 2. The Door 3. Here We Aren't 4. Synthetic Lies 5. Savior 6. Further and Farther 7. The Road to... Continue Reading →
Jim Bacchi and Dirk Kennedy talk about HITTMAN, the KIT show and a new album
Over the last few months some activity at the Hittman camp was noticeable. The band played an highly acclaimed show at the Keep It True Festival in Germany, new songs have been played there and the debut has been re-issued by No Remorse Records. Enough reasons to reach out to Jim Bacchi and Dirk Kennedy... Continue Reading →
CD review FATES WARNING ‚Live Over Europe‘
(9/10) Fates Warning belongs to the real pioneers of progressive US metal. Jim Matheos and band mates never reached a status of playing huge arenas which is probably one secret of the band‘s excellent music. Fates Warning is a band that achieved a lot. Twelve full–length studio albums speak a clear languages and the fact... Continue Reading →
CD review NECRYTIS ‘ Dread en Ruin’
(6/10) After having released the debut in 2017 US metal band Necrytis worked on a next album. The work’s accomplished and ‘Dread en Ruin’ is ready to be shipped to the record stores. Some of the tracks on this album are done quite well. One of them is the eight minutes long ‘Call Us Insanity’.... Continue Reading →
CD review LIZZY BORDEN ‘My Midnight Things’
(4/10) The first Lizzy Borden record that crossed my way was ‘The Murderess Metal Road Show’ release from 1986. It was the mix of metal, horror and rock’n’roll circus that caught the attention of an 18 year old and it was the sophomore studio album ‘Menace to Society’ that intensified the positive impression. Metal lost... Continue Reading →
John Macko of FIFTH ANGEL talks about new album
Fifth Angel was one of the most exciting melodic metal band in the 80’s. Their two albums, ‘Fifth Angel’ and ‘Time Will Tell’ are timeless classics, including great songs like ‘Cathedral’, ‘In the Fallout’ and ‘Fifth Angel’. Unfortunately band members went their separate ways in 1990. After a long time without Fifth Angel some... Continue Reading →









