Tag Archives: Annihilator

Randy Rampage, Former Member Of Annihilator And D.O.A., Dead At 58

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The reaper has struck again as metal and hardcore legend Randall Desmond Archibald, a.k.a. Randy Rampage has passed away. He was 58 years old. Randy came to fame as the lead singer on Annihilator’s debut album, Alice In Hell, He was also a founding member, bassist and sometime vocalist for hardcore band D.O.A. The news of Randy’s passing was confirmed by the Facebook page of the documentary “Bloodied But UnBowed”, a historical look at the evolution of punk rock on the West coast of North America during the 1978-1983 timeframe. Randy made an appearance in the documentary, which was narrated by Billy Hopeless (formerly of The Black Halos) and released in 2010. We send our condolences out to Randy’s family, friends, and family at this time. Continue reading →


Ultra-Violence – Operation Misdirection

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Ah, thrash metal, perhaps the one sub-genre within metal that garners forth the most nostalgia and good feeling. Flashback to a couple of decades ago and this little offshoot contained some of the biggest bands on the planet. Goliath-sized acts such as Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax were so highly regarded they even had their own gimmick, that being ‘The Big Four’.Continue reading →


Metsatoll Added to 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, More Bands To Be Announced

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70000 Tons of Metal Cruise 2015, by MasterPhelps Photography

Estonian folk metallers Metsatoll have been added to the upcoming 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise, setting sail in less than a months time. As of now 46 of the 60 bands have been announced for the cruise, which is sold out but has a wait list that makes it possible to get a last-minute ticket. Continue reading →


Dynamo Metal Fest 2018 Books Ghost, Ministry, Overkill, Sons Of Apollo And More

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Long-running Dynamo Metal Fest has made its first announcement for the 2018 edition, booking Ghost, Ministry, Overkill, Sons of Apollo and more. Additional details below. Continue reading →


Annihilator – For the Demented

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Though some of their post-millennium releases have been sketchy, Canadian thrash outfit Annihilator have been largely reliable in churning out decent thrash records at a reassuringly reliable clip. For The Demented (Neverland Music/Silver Lining) is the sixteenth album during a thirty-odd year career, and the second album in a row where band founder and guitarist Jeff Waters takes on vocal duty, after Dave Padden’s departure following the release of 2013’s Feast [UDR]. Waters has said he wanted to return to the band’s earlier days, and have a heavier, less hook and chorus-driven sound this time around. By and large, he’s succeeded.Continue reading →


Cradle Of Filth – Cryptoriana, The Seductiveness Of Decay

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The world of Extreme Metal (at least in the UK) experiences a strange phenomena whenever Cradle of Filth prepare to release a new album. Thousands of inexplicably angry internet voices all join in unison with pre-prepared mantras of, “just another watered down Cradle album”, “they’ve been shit since Principle/Dusk/Cruelty/Midian” (delete as applicable), and “Dani sounds fucking terrible these days”. Sometimes after only hearing one song, or on occasion, none at all.Continue reading →


Bloodstock Open Air 2017 – Part 2

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Day 3.

SATURDAY

If you were one of the first hundred people to enter the New Blood tent on Saturday morning, then first band of the day Ward XVI (8/10) would reward you with a goodie bag full of stuff like CDs, stickers and t-shirts etc. I strolled over to the tent a good half an hour before they were due on, only to find that half the festival was already in there. It’s amazing how people, no matter how tired or hungover, will always drag themselves out of bed on the promise of free stuff. Goodie bags aside, Ward XVI were a great way to start the Saturday fun. Eclectic and fun, they combined chuggy metal riffs with bouncy Psychobilly, creepy gothic melodies, and at one point, what appeared to be Russian folk. The band’s costumes and make-up were interesting, but like vocalist Psychoberrie‘s strait-jacketed ballad (Alice Cooper and ‘The Ballad of Dwight Frye’ anyone?) they all felt a little too familiar.Continue reading →


Bloodstock Open Air 2017 – Part 1

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Thursday

For anyone looking for early indicators that Bloodstock 2017 would be as ridiculous and over the top as usual, then surely the sight which would have greeted many – a group of people in the field acting as the event’s main car park, cheering on a Red Power Ranger as he gyrated and danced on top of a car – would have been as good a first sign as any.Continue reading →