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Author Martin Harris

Rock and metal have been in my existence for about 30 years and saw me go through a rapid weaning period that covered AC/DC, Maiden, Saxon, Whitesnake, Motorhead, etc from about 1982 to 1984 before shifting to thrash in the summer of 1984. At that point my only mission was to find the fastest, most violent music on the planet resulting checking out every genre in extreme music from death metal and grindcore to crust punk and hardcore all of which I still adore today and buy albums from and go see live. During the 80s I grew up in the infamous Bradford thrash scene, a time I still dearly miss such was the inventiveness and great camaraderie it held. I’m a bit of phase metaller, going from one style to another, through sheer investigation of finding something new, but always sticking with them all. I’m a total sucker for double bass and blast beats and always will be no matter what genre it comes from. I absolutely detest people that have joined the metal scene because it is trendy or their mates like it, likewise I detest people who are shallow and think this music is a fad of growing up. Most of us are extremely well educated and articulate individuals who prefer freedom of self expression than indoctrination by mass media organisations hell bent on artistic sterilisation. Much of my cash is spent on following metal and I wouldn’t change a thing about it because it is the best music scene in the world.

Rhapsody Of Fire – The Eighth Mountain (AFM)

So the Italian cinematic power metal maestros are back with their 11th album, some three years after the awesome “Into The Legend” release. I am discounting the “Legendary Years” album as a full length because it is a re-recorded compilation,… Continue Reading →

Demon Head – Hellfire Ocean Void (Svart Records)

I must admit I was curious about this Danish band, mainly because I like their band name (no they are not some sort of bastardised Diamond Head in case you’re thinking that) plus the description of their music hooked me… Continue Reading →

Lost Society, Empusa, Thrashsquatch – Sheffield Corporation 17/2/19

Lost Society are trekking around the UK on their own employing local supports as they lay waste to various towns along the way as this Sheffield gig was supported by two Chesterfield acts Thrashsquatch and Empuser, both of whom were… Continue Reading →

Obscura, Fallujah, Allegaeon & First Fragment – Manchester, Rebellion Bar 7/2/19

After the brutalising five band tornado that hit the Rebellion Bar the previous night it was the turn of a different touring package to obliterate Manchester, as this four band bill was far more technical oriented than the bludgeoning I… Continue Reading →

Praying Angel – The Judgement (Boersma Records)

I often feel for upcoming metal bands dealing with the constant wrangling of genre tagging and the inevitable pigeon holing that that stigma attaches to a band whether in a positive or negative light. For some that negativity can stain… Continue Reading →

Psycroptic, Aversions Crown, Within Destruction, Hadal Maw, Hollow World Manchester – Rebellion Bar 6/2/19

When I saw this five band bill I couldn’t believe the brutality yet variation as four of the bands are from Australia (and came on the back of seeing the Aussie duo Parkway Drive and Thy Art Is Murder the… Continue Reading →

Refusal – Epitome Of Void (Great Dane Records)

Out of all the Scandinavian death metal scenes Finland has always seemed to have the most violent, the vilest and most repugnant bands to ever come out, and whilst I am new to this Finnish act (they’ve been around since… Continue Reading →

Beast In Black – From Hell With Love (Nuclear Blast Records)

For those that need some back history to this Finnish band, it was formed by Anton Kabanen when he left Battle Beast in 2015 and on the back of that brought in a raft of talent that resulted in the… Continue Reading →

Ysengrin / StarGazer– D.A.V.V.N (Nuclear War Now! Productions)

NWN have a series of split releases that started in 2015 that have been thematically linked as this split represents the third in that series which follows an alchemical concept that I won’t go into here, predominantly because I have… Continue Reading →

Myrkur & Jo Quail – Manchester Gorilla 22/12/18

My final gig of the year couldn’t have been better, an intimate night of sumptuous musicality in the company of two of the finest proponents of soulful, ambient and passionately intense performances even though headliner Myrkur did a black metal… Continue Reading →

Cntmpt – Towards Neglect (Into Endless Chaos Records)

All three band members of this German black metal act are prolific in a number of other bands such as Evil Warriors, Division Speed, Vidargängr, to name a few and within this project they are simply named as B, M… Continue Reading →

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