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Author Andy Barker

I guess I got into Metal by accident at 7 years old when I was given my brother's old record player with ONE record. His mates had told him that Black Sabbath sounded just like Status Quo...he didn't agree so Black Sabbath's debut was that one record. I never looked back. Got a battered old 4 piece drumkit when I was Ten years old and by 14 I had vowed to make my fortune as a Rock Star.
The next fifteen years included a few years as the drummer in Holosade, plus stints in Company Of Wolves, Dominion, Diamond Dogs and Intense, eventually dispelling that ambition, so I ended up running a specialist Metal CD/Record/T-Shirt shop in York for 7 years. £40 grand a year in rent for a shop in York means I am now solely an online trader...
I still turn up every now and again playing drums, bass or guitar in the odd band, be it live or in the studio, because once you have been a musician...or a drummer...it's difficult to stop that creative urge.
When I write a review I remember what it was like to read a review of something I had been a creative part of. My opinion is just my opinion, and I try to be constructive. I believe that if a musician has taken the time to record his or her ideas then it has merit to someone and deserves respect. Music is all about personal taste, and if someone has taken the time to create it, the least I can do is take the time to listen.

Axenstar – Chapter VIII (Inner Wound)

Just over 20 years since Swedish Power Metal mainstays Axenstar released their impressive debut “Perpetual Twilight” the band has racked up a number of equally attention-grabbing and unapologetically bombastic Metal albums, arriving in 2023 with their eighth offering (if only… Continue Reading →

Skiltron – Bruadarach (Trollzorn)

I really didn’t used to like Scottish Bagpipes. Actually, to say I merely didn’t like them is a bit of an understatement, they were probably my least favourite instrument ever, disliked even more than trombone or saxophone, such was my… Continue Reading →

Eldritch – Innervoid (Scarlet Records)

Personally I think of Eldritch as one of the shining lights of the European Progressive Metal movement that happened in the 1990’s. Displaying their mighty calibre right from the outset in 1995 with debut album “Seeds Of Rage”, already showcasing… Continue Reading →

Draconicon – Pestilence (Inner Wound)

Draconicon are not a band who stand still. After a very impressive debut back in 2021, this Italian Power Metal band have ditched the fantasy realms, costumes and dragons. However, they do retain their not-so-mysterious pseudonyms and have come thundering… Continue Reading →

Vansind – Mørket (Mighty Music)

Although Danish Viking/Folk Metal band Vansind have been active since 2019, this is actually their debut full-length offering. Whilst the core of the band’s founding line-up remains (current Panzerchrist/Detest drummer Danni Jelsgaard, Mindmare vocalist Joachim Asmussen, bagpipe/whistle player Rikke Klint… Continue Reading →

Angra – Cycle Of Pain (Atomic Fire)

30 Years. Thirty whole years have somehow passed since Brazil’s premium Progressive Power Metal band Angra released their excellent debut album “Angel’s Cry”. Three years later the stunning follow-up “Holy Land” set the bar even higher. Then, Andre Matos’ tenure… Continue Reading →

Jord – Tundra (Hammerheart Records)

Jord are a Swedish Atmospheric Black Metal band who started out as a one-man project back in 2020, but after two previous albums have expanded into a 3 piece, been picked up by Hammerheart and are really starting to define… Continue Reading →

Sorcerer – Reign Of The Reaper (Metal Blade)

When Swedish Epic Heavy/Doom Metal band Sorcerer reformed for 2015’s “In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross” it was to all intents and purposes a new band with a new start, ready to make their own mark on the modern… Continue Reading →

Elegy Of Madness – XI (Scarlet Records)

This is actually Italian Dark Symphonic Metal band Elegy Of Madness’ fifth full-length album since their debut emerged back in 2009, but it’s their first in their new home at Scarlet Records and also their first with new vocal force… Continue Reading →

Iron Savior – Firestar (AFM)

It seems like just last year that there was an Iron Savior album released…and it was, but that was re-recorded versions of some of their older tracks whereas this is a shiny new offering, the first since “Skycrest” in 2020…which… Continue Reading →

Blackbriar – A Dark Euphony (Nuclear Blast)

One quick search for Blackbriar on youtube and a swathe of videos, clips and posts might make you think that this can’t possibly be only their second album. But a prodigious social media presence does not mean a wealth of… Continue Reading →

Never Obey Again – The End Of An Era (Scarlet Records)

Never Obey Again are an Italian Modern Heavy Metal band, jumping in at the deep end with this, their impressive debut album – an accomplished and attention-grabbing start to any band’s career. It’s always nice to be in at the… Continue Reading →

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