Author Andy Pountney
I have witnessed Baptism’s live ritual twice, both times in Norway amongst a rabid crowd, and have been blown away on both occasions by their ferocity and precision. To say that I was looking forward to this release, their first… Continue Reading →
Day Three Having been kept awake most of the night by an almighty thunderstorm I approached day three somewhat bleary eyed as I trudged into the amphitheatre for Motorhead covers band, Motorgang. Their performance was poignant on the background of… Continue Reading →
Day Two As we were walking into the amphitheatre it was clear that this was going to be a swelteringly hot day, and with some gems on the line up it promised to be a good day. Opening things were… Continue Reading →
Day One There seems be an exponentially increasing number of festivals to choose from each year, with every conceivable gimmick used to tempt in the discerning metalhead. Metalfest Open Air has no need for such gimmicks and in some ways… Continue Reading →
The extreme metal genre is pretty well saturated, and all too often a new release can leave you with the feeling of having heard it all before. Somehow, that makes it all the more satisfying when you come across a… Continue Reading →
In Norse mythology Ragnarok is a concept which has many interpretations, although a common theme is that it represents the ultimate destiny of the Norse gods, including their final battle with the giants resulting in the death of many of… Continue Reading →
This gig marked the end of an era, having been announced as the farewell show for Sheffield’s own Northern Oak, purveyors of English Folk Metal since 2006. The evening promised to be an emotional affair for the band and fans… Continue Reading →
Having released ‘The Human contradiction” in 2014, and toured the globe seemingly non-stop since, selling out their own shows and supporting the likes of Sabaton, Within Temptation and Nightwish along the way, Delain have gone from strength to strength and… Continue Reading →
“Let us wander to the worlds beyond ours……” I opened the review of Forndom’s 2015 EP “Flykt” with a quote from the media blurb and feel obliged to do so again since it seems apt for the musical experience on… Continue Reading →
French extreme metal is in a rude state of health at the moment, and one of the brightest stars comes in the form of black metal maestros Deathcode Society, who released debut “Eschatonizer” towards the end of 2015, causing a… Continue Reading →
Achieving a balance between aggression and orchestration in the form of symphonic black metal can be challenging, and even well established bands have struggled at times in their career. “Kings” may be Images at Twilight’s debut album, but it’s fair… Continue Reading →
When I was offered to review this album, I wasn’t sure what to expect…..but it wasn’t this! The album is sung entirely in Latin and takes the form of a Requiem Mass, following the structure of Mozart’s Requiem Mass in… Continue Reading →