Road Warrior – Power (Gates of Hell)
My first experience of this Australian band was their two track demo tape ‘Ignition’, this jumped out of the review list so I went for it. As expected, they’ve stuck to their traditional metal influences and laid them bare. For me I find this an.. Read More
Deathhammer- Chained To Hell (Hells Headbangers)
What is Metal? In general that is, no longer can one refer to Black Sabbath as the sound of Metal because there are simply too many offshoots (and being a totally anal loser Black Sabbath are actually Doom Metal). For me it’s almost totally impossible.. Read More
Hypnos – Set Fire to the Sky (The Sign Recordings)
Well after the initial play through, this album pretty much writes its own review. These Swedes, now into album number three, take a modern stance on classic rock. Wow, does this deliver. I found them only recently via a 7 inch single, so I was.. Read More
Brainstorm – Midnight Ghost (AFM)
Surely Brainstorm are a true example of a Metal band that found a style, pushed it to its ultimate and stuck with it, accumulating and keeping fans with every album. On the menu is always heavy, intense powerful Metal every time and it’s why their.. Read More
Black Viper – Hellions of Fire (High Roller)
I first came across Black Viper by random selection on an internet music platform and subsequently bought their ‘Storming with Vengeance’ cassette. Black Viper are Norwegian, from Oslo specifically and bridge the balance between classic heavy and speed metal. Drummer Cato Stormoen recorded some instrumental.. Read More
Hitten – Twist of Fate (High Roller)
Well, what a difference a fresh line up makes. Having taken hold of the Hitten mantle, new vocalist Alexx Panza really sets the bar high for traditional metal. This Spanish band, now on their third album, produce real metal taking in influences as far reaching.. Read More
Hessian – Mercenary Retrograde (Urtod Void)
This Portland, Maine band came out with their ‘Bachelor of the Black Arts’ a few years back now, this is their second release. I remember feeling there was room for improvement when I bought the last album, namely the vocals and the production. When I.. Read More
Manimal – Purgatorio (AFM)
Impressive Swedish Heavy/Power Metal band Manimal may have a bit of a silly name, but there’s nothing particularly comical about the delivery of their particular blend of high energy, no-nonsense Metal. Not for them the symphonic noodlings of Sonata Arctica or Kamelot (though they clearly.. Read More
Axe Steeler – On the Run (Iron Shield Records)
Columbia’s Axe Steeler plays their own brand of Teutonic heavy metal (by their own description), akin to the European scene mixing elements of the UK’s own Toledo Steel and the US band Savage Master. Essentially, this release does exactly what is expected with such an.. Read More
U.D.O. – Steelfactory (AFM)
From the outset I have to point out that I wasn’t planning on reviewing an U.D.O album. It’s just that it was looking a little unloved and neglected on the Ave Noctum review pile, and after a career striding through forty years of metal our.. Read More
Doro – Forever Warriors / Forever United (Nuclear Blast)
Ok, so; When is a double album not a double album? When it’s actually two albums except that they are not sold separately. Yeah, ok..so that implies that there is a difference between them somehow, but they are supposed to go together yeah? I guess... Read More
Haunt – Burst Into Flame (Shadow Kingdom)
Delving amongst the underground gems, Haunt have reached a level of response that spreads across the globe, rather than merely in their country of origin. Their recently released short EP ‘Luminous Eyes’ was a good taster, this first full length album subsequently takes that release.. Read More
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