It’s been twenty-one years since John Schaffer of Iced Earth and Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian joined forces to create Demons and Wizards. It’s been nineteen long years since they released their self-titled debut album, and it’s been fourteen years since its successor, Touched By The Crimson King (Steamhammer), but after one of the longest prick-teases in metal, the Iced Guardian supergroup has finally arrived to play their first ever show in the UK. Continue reading
Hot on the heels of the release of their latest album, Demons (Century Media), London based Savage Messiah are wasting no time in getting out on the road and promoting the hell out of it. Of the nine songs the band tears through in front of an excitable Coventry crowd, ‘The Fateful Dark’ is the sole representative of any of their previous releases, the others culled exclusively from the new record.Continue reading
Unless you keep one eye permanently fixed on the European power metal scene, the chances are you might not have heard of Swedish act Majestica. You’ll have probably have heard of ReinXeed though, and – no matter what your opinion of them might be – you’ll definitely have heard of Sabaton. The link between them all? Guitarist Tommy Johansson. Continue reading
Although they were only formed in 2007, it feels like London’s Savage Messiah have been around for a lot longer than just over a decade. Regular album releases and frequent appearances on the touring circuit give the impression the band are old hands when they’re actually still relative newcomers. And with only eighteen months or so having passed since their last studio outing, the band are already preparing to unleash their fifth album, Demons (Century Media) into your lovely listening orifices. Continue reading
Gobsmacking. That’s the first word that came to mind and I wasn’t even a minute into Winter Eternal (Metal Blade Records). Arch / Matheos deliver everything people like about heavy metal. The music is imbued with headbanging fury. The guitar riffage is sublime. Winter Eternal is that perfect storm of a heavy metal album. It’s a wicked mixture of classically awesome Iron Maiden, heady powerful Dream Theatre, and has the story-telling prowess of Queensryche. Listening to the album makes you go, “Grrrrrrrrrr!”Continue reading
Hardcore music, and its derivatives, are going through something of a renaissance. With the release of 2017’s Forever (Roadrunner Records), Code Orange astonishingly brought a fresh ideation to a genre already brimming with brilliant bands. It wasn’t so much a reinvigoration as it was a rewriting of the rulebook in a manner that has seen many bands attempting to play catch up or ape the style. Not every Hardcore influenced band is trying to rip off the Pennsylvanians however, and one such example is New York quartet, The Machinist.Continue reading
Black Metal: Metal’s most infamous subgenre. The bastard son of Sabbath’s breed, Black Metal has always traded on evil and infamy. Where Black Sabbath made passing mention of Lucifer, Black Metal worships at Satan’s blood-stained altar in reverence. With this infernal DNA coursing through the genre there comes a weight of devilish expectation. Black Metal ought to terrify and perturb, it should scare the more conservative listener into a stupor. Can Wormwitch rise to this legacy?Continue reading
Here in the UK, a power metal tour of any capacity is a cause for mass celebration due to their relative infrequency. Generally speaking, a power metal act will make a sporadic appearance in London alone, and possibly a major summer festival here and there, meaning that unlucky Richards like yours truly in the north or the Midlands will miss out on the action. However, if you happen to live in Mainland Europe, the possibilities and combinations of acts are endless.Continue reading
Long-running Heavy Metal legends Queensrÿche recently released their excellent new album The Verdict on Century Media Records. We caught up with founding member Michael “Whip” Wilton at their sold-out show at Irving Plaza in New York City and talked about the new album, the loyalty of their fans, working with Chris “Zeuss” Harris, the bands’ approach to music videos, their tour plans for the rest of 2019, some key upcoming milestone album anniversaries in their career, and much more. Interview by Keefy and videography by Omar Cordy of OJC Photography.Continue reading
Another long trip down to London sees me taking in Sonata Arctica, with a single support in the form of Witherfall, both playing an acoustic set in a fairly intimate setting. The beautiful surroundings of the Islington Assembly Hall look quite akin to a theatre in days of yore, a fitting scene for when promises to be an intimate evening of laid back entertainment.Continue reading