Blacklore is a new hard rock/power metal band from Hungary which formed in 2019 with the intriguingly titled Legend Of The Lich Pirate I being the band's debut release. It seems that the band came together out of a mutual love of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden with a view to being something of a..
Power Paladin – With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel (Atomic Fire Records)
With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel is the debut release by Power Paladin, a power metal band which formed in Iceland in 2017 initially with the name Paladin which they then changed to Power Paladin in 2020. Of course, Iceland is a spectacularly beautiful country of myth, legend, fire and ice which are all subjects..
Alive – Turned Up To Destroy (Sliptrick Records)
Well, what a surprise this album was. Again, I'm guilty of judging an album by its cover and the rather gaudy comic strip art cover told me to get ready for some 100mph glam/sleaze derivative which is fine by me but I was totally unprepared for the cultured yet aggressively hard hitting old school rock..
Steve Dalton – Primitive (Pride & Joy Music)
Steve Dalton is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Sheffield but he has now relocated to Sölvesborg in Southern Sweden. He released a demo several years ago called Steel City which was most appropriate for the City of Steel on which he played everything with the man who gets everywhere, Alessandro Del Vecchio, supplying the vocals..
Sonata Arctica – Acoustic Adventures – Volume One (Atomic Fire Records)
I have a confession to make which is also a spoiler alert for this review. I have never understood the need for rock bands to make acoustic, stripped back or unplugged albums as it seems just such a pointless exercise. I am and always will worship at the Altar of the Scorpions being true metal..
DeVicious – Black Heart (Pride & Joy Music)
DeVicious is a quality heavy melodic rock band from Germany with Black Heart now being the band's fourth album since its formation in 2016. They have steadily built up a solid reputation for quality melodic metal but, strangely, the first three albums all featured different singers but Black Heart now sees all of the musicians..
Nocturna – Daughters Of The Night (Scarlet Records)
Nocturna is a new Italian Gothic/Symphonic metal band put together by the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Federico Mondelli (Frozen Crown, Volturian, Be The Wolf) and the vocalists Grace Darkling and Rehn Stillnight. For some reason, Mondelli is credited on the album as Hedon and supplies the guitar work as well as the sublime piano throughout even..
Re-Machined – Brain Dead (Pride & Joy Music)
Re-Machined released a real contender for hard rock album of the year with Wheels Of Time in 2020 which was just so supreme, confident and assured for a debut release. It is amazing just how many fine metal bands have come out of Germany these days and the number seems to be ever increasing. The..
Flames Of Fire – Flames Of Fire (Melodic Passion Records)
Here we go with yet another new band coming out of Sweden but the musicians making up the band are not a set of hopeful newcomers but a team of skilled and very well established names with a wealth of quality music already in their back catalogues. Flames Of Fire is a power metal outfit..
Powertryp – Midnight Marauder (Rafchild Records)
Powertryp is a German metal band out of Erlangen in Bavaria which formed in 2010 and it has taken quite a while for the debut album to be released with Midnight Marauder although the band did put out the demo Endless Power which came out in 2015. The band is an old school hard rock/heavy..