If you enjoy grinning like an idiot while banging your head and playing all manner of air instruments then that probably means you’ve already discovered the mighty Battle Beast. Twenty years into their career, and the Finnish Power Metallers are still delivering instantly enjoyable records chock full of riff-heavy anthems designed for maximum Metal enjoyment. Continue reading
Despite the unwavering presence of founder member, composer, and keyboard player Tuomas Holopainen, the Nightwish of today is very different to the Nightwish which began in 1996. From a three-track demo to multi-million dollar selling albums featuring full orchestras and huge production values, the band has grown from three Finnish musicians to becoming a multinational enterprise. Continue reading
Dark Waters (Napalm Records), the seventh record by Dutch group Delain is met with quite a few lineup changes – a new vocalist and bassist in Diana Leah and Ludovico Cioffi, and the return of the long-term guitarist and drummer Ronald Landa and Sander Zoer. People may have come and gone but the symphonic quintet’s sound is still the same – operatic metal with liberal amounts of bombast and pomp. Continue reading