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Author Andrew Doherty

I’ve been obsessive about music since the late 60s and early 70s when during my childhood in Grimsby I used to watch Top of the Pops and bought 7” singles after saving up my pocket money. I really switched to metal when I first heard Dimmu Borgir. The ambience intrigued me, and through magazines and concerts I discovered new territory in the late 90s. For preference I now listen to black metal, heavy progressive music, Scandinavian-style melodic metal and any style which has an edge, or is downright unusual or bizarre. I managed the band Devillish Impressions, which was an exciting time as we had an album but no label or distribution method. We got the label and a European tour with Aeternus, and as the promoter’s plane was delayed, I finished up setting up the band’s first concert in Hamburg on 28th November 2006. I wrote for a while for Live 4 Metal but switched to Metal Team UK in 2007. Like any real music lover, I enjoy going to concerts and meeting people with the same interest and commitment.

Interview – Hybrid

“Angst” is the second album release from the Spanish band Hybrid. Having been captivated by the mixture of the extreme, experimental and progressive and technical metal styles which all feature in this work, Andrew Doherty interviewed Iván Durán, the band’s… Continue Reading →

Isis – Celestial (Ipecac)

This is a re-mastered version of the original album which was released in 2000. From a personal point of view, “Celestial” is the least played of the three Isis albums that I have in my collection. So the first job… Continue Reading →

Humiliation – Turbulence from the Deep (Deepsend)

For their latest representation of warmongering, Humiliation take us to the depths of the sea. The themes of this latest album by the Malaysians are distinctly nautical. From the Bukit Kepong incident of “From Strength to Strength”, the previous album,… Continue Reading →

GrandExit – The Dead Justifies the Means (Lifeforce)

This band has been around for 13 years, having previously operated under the names of Vicious, Rage Anthem and Wargasm. It sounds like an identity crisis but I guess they have their reasons. The identity in any case is clear… Continue Reading →

Impiety – Vengeance Hell Immemorial (Hells Headbangers)

Listening to Impiety is the musical equivalent of going large. Extremity is not enough for this band. Once again I lock blasphemous horns with these monsters from Singapore, having exposed myself to harm on many occasions over their 20 years… Continue Reading →

Kirlian Camera – Black Summer Choirs (Out of Line)

Some bands run out of creative steam after a period of time. This isn’t the case with Kirlian Camera who have been developing their ideas over 33 years and through umpteen albums. I often receive albums which are described as… Continue Reading →

Bruce Soord and Jonas Renske – Wisdom of Crowds (Kscope)

The progressively-orientated Kscope label has an impressive roster of bands, including Anathema, Porcupine Tree and The Pineapple Thief. The latter’s main man Bruce Soord has now entered into collaboration with Katatonia’s Jonas Renske for “Wisdom of Crowds”. When I heard… Continue Reading →

Kave – Dismal Radiance (Eibon Records)

Imagine that you are standing in total blackness. There are no people. It’s as if you are standing in a large, cylindrical hall of emptiness where the echoing sounds around you are endless. Haunting shapes whistle by quietly and ominously…. Continue Reading →

Abnormal Thought Patterns – Manipulation under Anesthesia (Lifeforce)

Ah, there’s a familiar strain here. Is that the technical prog wizardry of the Tipton brothers, they of Zero Hour and Cynthesis? It certainly is. There’s no nonsense here. I don’t have to worry about lyrics complementing or contrasting with… Continue Reading →

Master Musicians of Bukkake – Far West (Important Records)

This is a work of the imagination for the imagination. “What happens when you travel so far east looking for enlightenment that you’re your destination and are headed west again?” they ask. Inspired by the Wicker Man soundtrack, “Far West”… Continue Reading →

Power Trip – Manifest Decimation (Southern Lord)

“Steel, speed and destruction” is the summary given on Power Trip’s own page. Taking old school thrash metal values and combining them with punk hardcore seems to be about where this Texan band is at. Although I’m familiar with the… Continue Reading →

From the Vastland – Kamarikan (Indie)

A solo artist from Sina is the inspiration behind this black metal band from Iran. After ten years behind the scenes, he released “Darkness vs. Light, The Perpetual Battle” (2011) and has now followed it up with this one. The… Continue Reading →

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