Author Andy Barker
We find ourselves basking happily in Viking/Folk Metal territory with Grimner’s third full-length offering “Frost Mot Eld”…and I’m a sucker for a bit of well executed Folk Metal! These mighty Metal marauders mix harsh and clean vocals, over heavy guitars,… Continue Reading →
Well it appears Metal Church really do go up to Eleven! …And how many reviews of this album are going to use THAT line?? Anyway, to enable them to go up to “XI”, they welcome back Mike Howe, their vocalist… Continue Reading →
There’s certainly an early 90’s vibe about Red Eleven’s sound. The soulful mid-range vocals and inimitable groove that runs throughout their third album “Collect Your Scars” is very indicative of that era, but Red Eleven are from Finland…and that means… Continue Reading →
Welcome Back Beseech! Beseech, for those who are unfamiliar with the band, they were Gothic Metal before it really became Gothic Metal. Before Evanescence flirted with the charts and Nightwish appealed to the masses there was a bunch of bands… Continue Reading →
Re-reading my gushing review of Sinbreed’s previous release “Shadows”, it seems I did get rather enthusiastic about the whole thing, and to be honest time has not dulled the enjoyment that I found when discovering this full-on Power/Speed Metal band… Continue Reading →
I admit that I’ve not really had anything to do with Magnum for a long, long time. I’ve heard bits and bats over the years but I just wasn’t a fan of the direction they went in from the 90’s… Continue Reading →
Anyone with a heart who saw the film “The Story Of Anvil” knows the endearing story of this band’s main personnel, their 35 year and recording history, their countless tours, their loyalty and their struggles. There are many long-suffering musicians… Continue Reading →
It’s the next installment of Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia folks, so expect lots of symphonic epic songs performed by top notch guest vocalists and teeth-out-jaws-locked-won’t-let-go melody lines. It’s Avantasia, yes, yes, you know what to expect…but let’s face it the interest… Continue Reading →
Austria’s Serenity are on album number five. Even their debut was top class Symphonic Power Metal (if you’ve not heard them think Sonata Arctica leaning slightly more towards Symphonic, rather than Power Metal…though Serenity certainly still have their moments!), so… Continue Reading →
It’s not really important to me what a band used to sound like, where they started or the genre that they were classed as – it‘s more about where they are now and just interesting (though not essential) how they… Continue Reading →
I’ve begun to think of German Power Metallers Brainstorm as the Sheepdogs of Metal. Look, bear with me – they are quick, powerful, energetic, reliable, resilient, occasionally unpredictable, but generally spending time with them is ultimately rewarding. See? OK, the… Continue Reading →
Zak Stevens (Circle II Circle/Savatage), Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas) and Tom Englund (Evergrey). Just three of the prolific singers not on this release. Nope, none of them…but they’ve all said they’ll be on the next one! Why tell you this?… Continue Reading →