What is left to say about Slayer? For nearly four decades the LA foursome have been the pure embodiment of thrash metal, unrelenting and at the same time - reliable. Even in the 1990s when thrash seemed like nothing more than a memory, Slayer entered the decade on the still stunning Seasons In The Abyss..
Anchor Lane – Casino (R7 Records)
Anchor Lane are a young Scottish band in the Classic rock mould, hailing from Glasgow and continuing a proud tradition of cracking bands from that city. They’ve been together since (I think) 2017, having released a 4-track EP New Beginnings that year. Since then, they’ve plied their trade in the time-honoured manner, touring constantly and..
Patrick Moraz/Syrinx – Coexistence (Esoteric/Cherry Red)
Esoteric Recordings might be my favourite current label. Their attention to detail with regard to each of their reissue series is unmatched, and they fearlessly dive in to the back catalogues and long forgotten titles by artists who weren't always million-sellers (even if some of them deserved to be). Legendary keyboardist Patrick Moraz is one..
THE ELECTRIC BANANA – THE COMPLETE DE WOLFE SESSIONS (Grapefruit / Cherry Red)
The complete works Of The Pretty Things' alter ego, collected for the first time this is a fascinating artifact from the rarely encountered underbelly of the great ‘60s / ‘70s UK music scene A word of explanation is almost certainly in order here, for any of those people who may have scratched their heads and..
Marillion – Afraid Of Sunlight deluxe edition (Warner/Parlophone)
Ask ten Marillion fans what the band's best album is, and it's possible that you'll get ten different answers. By now, I think I've heard every one of their eighteen albums proclaimed to be the height of their mammoth career (even the sometimes maligned marillion.com, once staunchly championed to me in a concert lineup by..
ALAN PRICE – BETWEEN TODAY AND YESTERDAY (Esoteric)
Many people still cite this album as the high point of Price's solo career, and who can argue with them? Concept albums can be a funny sort of beast. Logically, the idea of putting out a set of songs as an album linked together thematically should be an obvious one whatever the genre, and indeed..
Cloak – The Burning Dawn (Season Of Mist)
I have often wondered why we need categorization of the music we are listening to and reviewing. I can agree that, sometimes, all is needed is to know if the music is good or not, but, on the other hand, even if listening to music is a deeply personal experience (headbanging among thousands of maniacs..
ATOM WORKS – THE LIFE OF SPICE (Mauste Records)
This is 'concept' writ large, deep, wide and imposing. Straight away when looking at this album we had better get one word introduced into the mix : 'concept'. You'll be hearing that a lot over the course of this review. The album is not only a concept album in and of itself, but it also..
DOCTORS OF MADNESS – DARK TIMES (Cherry Bomb Records)
(The album) is quite magnificent in its cowl of self-enforced bleakness. Okay, first thing to start off with here is a little history lesson I think, as not everyone will be aware of the strange wonder which is/was the Doctors Of Madness. Formed in 1974 by vocalist/guitarist Richard 'Kid' Strange, and featuring the distinctive violin..
Helloween – United Alive In Madrid (Nuclear Blast)
There should be a constant reminder as to what Germans Helloween have brought to metal. With their beginnings as a speed metal Iron Maiden gallop and complete with Kai Hansen’s raspy vocals, the band made an auspicious start but it was when Kai felt that he was better suited to just playing the guitar and..