WARMACHINE – Left For Dead

I’ve been following this Canadian classic traditional metal band with power and thrash nuances since early 2001, when hearing a 3 song demo that blew me away at a time where a lot of the newer bands didn’t seem to have that fire and brimstone to achieve something. 5 years later their debut album “Beginning…

NUMBNUTS – Smokey The Salmon And The Horny Mermaids

Ten years in the making, the debut album from Denmark’s Numbnuts is an amalgam of metal, punk, hardcore and power groove. Re-engineering a Dire Straits’ classic to heavier formation as “Satans Of Swing”, the other 8 songs showcase a sense of humor lyrically even if the music is full throttle upon impact – especially “Modern…

VOODOO HIGHWAY – Broken Uncle’s Inn

Throwback hard rock with this Italian act. Voodoo Highway love the deep organs, Blackmore-infused guitar licks and bluesy vocals all around with these 10 songs. Recording an EP in 2010, they quickly move into full length ranks and certainly promote their affection for Deep Purple circa early to mid 70’s on standouts like “The Fire…

WASP – Jevnaker – Glassheim

Untouchables Hardrock Club på Jevnaker har hatt besøk av W.A.S.P. før, 10. november 2007 for å være nøyaktig, den gang med Triosphere som oppvarming. Denne gang var det Babylon 2011 turne med svenske Badmouth på slep, med Jevnaker som siste konsert på turen. For dem som aldri har vært på Untouchables Rock Club Jevnaker så …

TEXTURES – The Future Shape Of Music

(…this article is in English…)Noen musikere er fornøyd med å lytte til sine helter, etterligne dem, og forsøke å overbevise publikum at det de gjør er originalt, unikt og 100% sitt eget. Hvem er det vi lurer folkens? Mange av oss kjenner strømmen av kloner og sound-a-likes som forpester scenen i alle sine former for mutasjon og heavy metal musikk har ikke vært noe unntak fra regelen. Heldigvis for oss, det nederlandske bandet Textures er et band som aldri vil godta noe mindre enn å streve for en progressiv og ikke minst en original sound.

VIRTUAL MIND – Shattered Silence

Without reading any background information about this progressive metal quintet before pressing play, something didn’t strike me right about “Shattered Silence”. All the components are there for appeal – a dynamic, forceful singer in Titta Tani (ex-DGM, ex-Astra, Ashent), the requisite guitar maestro in Francesco Fareri, and songwriting that moves between darker, heavier moments like…

DYING FETUS – History Repeats…

It seems that it’s gone sports in releasing EPs/albums containing cover songs only. Exhumed has done it, Caliban has done that, now Dying Fetus does it. The EP is called "History Repeats …" and includes a self-composed song in addition to 6 cover songs of famous bands such as Cannibal Corpse, Pestilence, Bolt Thrower, Broken…

RAGNAROK – Hamar – Sebs Hotel

Mange har møtt opp på Sebs Hotel i Hamar for å få med seg Ragnarok og Allsvartr. Sebs Hotel er ikke stappfullt, men en god del har møtt opp nede i kjellerlokalet. Ute er det en regnfull og grå augustkveld. Kanskje noe som passer godt til Ragnarok sin brutale form for black-metal (ant. Norges svar…

POWERWOLF – Blood Of The Saints

Dark, epic power metal gains little fanfare in my native North American landscape. I struggle to understand why, as Powerwolf possess much of what I desire and have long been into for my heavy tastes – emotionally charged vocals with a classical, traditional base, guitars that deliver jaw dropping hook riffs and solos that sometimes…

WHITESNAKE – Live At Donington 1990 DVD

If I had to give out two grades for this live performance, the rating would be higher on the actual song output versus the video production values. There are too many late 80’s/early 90’s effect tricks employed (slow motion, black and white shots, too many individual close ups from odd camera angles) that render the…

TORCH – Trondheim – Blæst

Det å komme til et konsertlokale uten noen form for forhåpninger eller forventninger er en sjelden sak. Normalt har en i hvert fall gitt bandet som skal spille noen runder i platespilleren på forhånd, men denne gangen var jeg helt blank. Ikke hadde jeg hørt dem før, og ikke hadde jeg sett dem live, og…

TIL DOVRE FALLER 2011

TIL DOVRE FALLER tilhører ungdommen i vår festivalfamilie. Dette er kun det andre året festivalen blir arrangert og dermed er det ikke mye historie man klarer å finne frem til. Festivalen arrangeres på Dombås Hotell med en max publikumsbeholdning på 100 og fjorårets festival ble gjennomført på en dag. 5 band stod på scenen og man kan trygt si at alle bandene alle har røttene sine godt plantet i undergrunnen. Årets TIL DOVRE FALLER går over 2 dager med hhv 4 og 5 band. Fortsatt er bandene hentet fra undergrunnen og det er fortsatt plass til max 100 personer.

ABHOR – Ab Luna Lucenti, Ab Noctua Protecti

Italian act Abhor play a strange brand of Black Metal. While the drums, guitars and vocals are pretty conventional in BM terms, there is a heavy reliance on keyboards, including synths and clean piano, which are used to provide key melodies while the guitars are lay down a backing rhythm. It is an approach that…

DEEP PURPLE – Phoenix Rising (CD/DVD)

No one can deny the influence of Deep Purple on the music scene. “Smoke On The Water” contains the most recognizable riff in the history of rock. Think of all the great vocalists. Jon Lord’s insane keyboard and organ escapades. “Phoenix Rising” captures the live aspect of the final Mark IV lineup in 1975 when…

BLOOD RED THRONE – Sandnes – Tribute

Harm var midt i settet sitt da jeg ankom Tribute en varm kveld i mai. Men det jeg fikk med meg fra bandet, som var ukjent for meg, var absolutt tøft og ga mersmak. Av sangene jeg vet jeg hørte var det uten tvil «(My) Demon» og «Demonic Alliance» som satt på hjernen da jeg…

AURA – Deliverance

We’ve seen it coming for a few years. Record label models are changing as fast as the weather. Physical product sales are becoming arcane and more of a collector’s market. The newest generation of music followers prefers instant connection and desire music in digital formats – portable for access anywhere they are in their lives.…

MANILLA ROAD – Playground Of The Damned

I’ve been fortunate to gain the chance to see a lot of the early pioneers in the metal business through the years. Especially when you are willing to trek to other parts of the country for 2-3 day festivals such as Powermad or the Classic Metal Festival as I did in the late 90’s and…

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