Tag Archives: NWOBHM

ALBUM REVIEW: Tygers Of Pan Tang – Bloodlines

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One of the stalwarts of the early NWOBHM scene, like many others in the genre, Whitley Bay rockers Tygers of Pan Tang were signed – albeit briefly – to celebrated Geordie label Neat Records along with the likes of Venom, Raven, and Saracen. However, while many of those acts were to remain on Neat a while longer (original vocalist Jess Cox even left the band to run the label), the commercial potential of Tygers… had not gone unnoticed, the band being signed almost straight away by prominent international label MCA.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Tanith – Voyager

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Tanith have perfectly the sound and feel of seventies Hard Rock and Heavy Metal with their latest album, Voyage (Metal Blade). Imagine traveling in a VW bus that is painted with brightly colored dragons and wizards with plenty of magic smoke billowing out the windows. Tanith would be the soundtrack of choice as you travel back in time.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Metallica – 72 Seasons

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And so the Metallica riff machine rolls on! forty years after their debut album Kill Em All (1983) laid the blueprint for the Thrash Metal genre, they return with record number … well that’s kind of up for debate depending on how you view their discography, and whether you count live albums, covers album and erm collaborations. But 72 Seasons (Blackened Recordings Inc) is here, their latest artistic statement four decades into a career that has seen them rise from the US West Coast underground, to become the most successful Heavy Metal band of all time. Continue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Green King – Hidden Beyond Time

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Helsinki-formed outfit Green King’s debut album, Hidden Beyond Time (The Sign) encourages you to Travel Back In Time, to the NWOBHM – in a good way. It’s all expertly done, all great fun, and, as a long-playing calling card, introduces a quality band that obviously have a grasp of several genres while strongly suggesting there is much more still to come.

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ALBUM REVIEW: The Riven – Peace and Conflict

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I’ve always pictured the Stockholm-bound The Riven as the Swedish version of Thulsa Doom – similar vibes, similar undertones, and similar upbeat resonances. The RIven, as far as I observe, has always been influenced by the sounds from the golden age of classic rock; the 1970s and 1980s. Their sounds are genuinely hard-hitting, sharp-shooting, and they appear to be the kind of sounds that would make you want to headbang as the exciting memories in your head replay themselves in retrospect whilst you listen to them. In terms of genre classification, they might pass as heavy blues rock with progressive, psychedelic, and classical influences and a strong emphasis on menacing riffs as well as vigorous vocals. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Venom Inc – There’s Only Black

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It’s probably fair to say that when Venom Inc. released full-length “debut”, Avé in 2017, expectations weren’t too high. Formed by guitarist Mantas (aka Jeff Dunn) and frontman Tony “Demolition Man” Dolan in the wake of the duo’s former band M:Pire of Evil, Venom Inc. appeared to some as a simple rebranding. A change of name with little hope of successfully rekindling past glories. They were wrong.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Battering Ram – Second To None

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A Hard Rock quartet from Sweden, Battering Ram’s sound is straight to the point, uncomplicatedly big rock and roll – with their aptly titled second album Second To None (Uprising Records) full of sizable riffs and choruses, with a Volbeat, Judas Priest, and nineties era Metallica flavour to it. 

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ALBUM REVIEW: Moon Tooth – Phototroph

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Bizarrely named Long Island quartet Moon Tooth’s new record Phototroph (Pure Noise Records) is a wonderfully eclectic one that mixes many disparate influences into one cohesive, and thoroughly absorbing, whole. From prog, rock, NWOBHM, and grunge to name but a few, Phototroph is a sprawling, unique and engaging offeringContinue reading →


ALBUM REVIEW: Tysondog – Midnight

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From escaping their leash and running amok in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene of the early eighties to being put to sleep just five years later, Tysondog may have only had a short life but still managed to make a name for themselves in a highly competitive scene. A packed Neat Records roster including the likes of Raven, Saracen, Avenger and Venom, plus a proliferation of compilation albums available at the time helped the band attain a level of prominence, their song ‘Eat the Rich’ featuring on the likes of British Steel, Metal Killers Vol 2, and Axe Attack.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Saxon – Carpe Diem

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With the heart attack suffered by frontman Biff Byford back in September 2019 and the global pandemic which followed shortly after, NWOBHM legends Saxon have had a rough old ride the last couple of years. Therefore, Carpe Diem (Silver Lining Music) – translated from Latin into English as “sieze the day” – stands not only as an album title but as a clear and heartfelt message to all.

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