Saturday 19 September 2020 saw the passing away of drummer Lee Kerslake, with the principal cause of death being prostate cancer. He had already confounded doctors' predictions for himself twice over, so his demise does not come as a surprise. It does, however, come as a profound sadness to all of those who had known..
Interview- Heathen guitarist Kragen Lum
It has been a decade since bay area thrashers heathen released their last album the evolution of chaos. guitarist kragen lum talks to velvet thunder about the band's reformation in the new milennium and brings us right up to date with the story of the astonishing new album empire of the blind. Heathen (L-R): Jim..
(c) Lori Linstruth
Arjen In Transitus
It's been a busy few years for Arjen Lucassen since the release of the last Ayreon studio album The Source in 2017. Firstly, the colossal Ayreon Universe was a lavish stage production, a star-studded retrospective that spanned a quarter century's worth of music. Not to be outdone by his own opulence, Lucassen bravely upped the..
Interview with Geoff Thorpe (Vicious Rumors)
Vicious Rumors have been carrying the flag of US power metal for more than 4 decades now and Geoff Thorpe, as the only original band member remaining, knows the story best. The perseverance this band has soldiered on with through personal tragedy (the loss of legendary frontman Carl Albert in 1995) and the grunge dominated..
Photo: (c) Lee Wilkinson
Rick Wakeman – From The Centre Of The Earth To The Red Planet
Those of us who teethed musically in the '70s were blessed to witness the flourishing of a triumvirate of amazing keyboard players: Tony Banks, Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. All three were in their prime and playing in bands also at their musical peak. Yes were my favourite band in those years, and while Jon..
Kim Simmonds – Savoy Brown Ain’t Done Yet
We had a very American sound, and when we came over, bang, it just fitted... A common theme with articles about classic European bands is their failure to ‘crack America’. It seems strange that bands that are household names over here, or even part of the British or European psyche, are virtually unknown to our..
Rikard Sjöblom: Somewhere In Between Alone And Together
I don't know what they put in the drinking water in Sweden, but I wish they'd share their secret. The ever burgeoning music scene there has been a rich source of top shelf progressive bands for well over five decades. The 1970s brought us legends like Samla Mammas Manna and Kaipa. The second wave of..
Off on another one with Andy Tillison
I have no objection to music that makes you want to head-bang, as long as it remembers that you dance with your legs and feet.Andy Tillison, july 2020 The Tangent are one of the most skilled and interesting bands of modern times. Like all naturally gifted musicians, band leader Andy Tillison seems wholly incapable of..
Maidens of Mercury – Matt Young’s new project comes to Life
One thing right now is certain - 2020 managed to turn the world on its ear. Nothing is the same as it was on New Year’s Day. Masks are no longer the purview of thieves and surgeons. “Social distancing” doesn’t mean feigning a headache to avoid a dinner party - to be fair, dinner parties..
Interview with Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear)
Nuclear Blast have welcomed back the prodigal sons Primal Fear after a 15-year break in partnership, and the first product of the renewed team speaks for itself. We have grabbed to opportunity for a short talk with band founder and heart – Ralf Scheepers. Ralf is a great, down-to-earth guy, even if he already owns..