I can’t say I was very happy to hear back in 2007 that Matt Barlow (then former Iced Earth front man) had stepped into Lance King’s shoes as the new vocalist for Power Metal outfit Pyramaze, one of my favorite bands from Denmark. The reason was that I was really keen on the idea of […]

Oh for the love of Dio… Who the hell thought this was a good idea? A decade ago, this would have made a big splash, but as far as I can tell, it’s 2008 and nu-metal is long dead, thankfully. The last thing we need in the metal world is another band of this ilk […]

With the first martial drumbeats and solemn horns of the opening title track, it seems as if Italian melodic black metal act Stormlord have taken this, their fourth album, back to the epic battle-hymns of their early work. And indeed they have, as the song crests into a seagoing epic worthy of Moonsorrow. Rousing melodies […]

grew up in Lillian Axe’s Louisiana stomping grounds, checking them out regularly at local clubs once I was old enough to get in (and, truth be told, a few times before). So, even though it’s been a lot of years since they’ve released a new record, and even more since they’ve really been relevant, I […]

Finally, we have a winner. I’ve been mowing through the latest batch of Locomotive releases and each has been more uninteresting than the last when finally I hit the debut solo release from former Praying Mantis singer Tony O’Hora. The record came about when O’Hora started exchanging musical ideas via the Internet with guitarist and […]

This one came out of nowhere. I had never before heard of Tierra Santa when I got Sangre De Reyes. After spinning the record many times now, I am not sure whether I am sorry for that or not. I mean, these guys can play! That goes without saying. This record is brimming with top-notch […]