RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/RonnieAtkinsOfficial/ The exceptionally skilled and charismatic Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids fame has recorded some of his finest work ever these past few years – both as a solo artist and with Nordic union. His third solo offering, which is rather appropriately titled Trinity, is a musically strong and incredibly well-written…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.dimmu-borgir.com/ Well-known Norwegian symphonic black metallers Dimmu Borgir came upon the idea of recording and releasing an album consisting entirely of covers, which immediately piqued my interest simply because the idea of these guys doing something like that seemed like a fun thing to listen to. Clocking in at roughly 32…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/kingscrowntheband/ The Swedish hard rockers known as Kings Crown recently released this deftly executed and well-written opus of theirs titled Closer to the Truth, and the actual truth is that this album rules from top to bottom. Boasting a loud and crisp sound that is quite heavy thanks to the solid…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/ignis-fatuus-remastered This remastered re-issue of White Willow’s legendary debut offering titled Ignis Fatuus is a most welcome addition to the prog rock collection. What a joy and thrill it is to relive this eclectic mixture of symphonic rock, prog, and inspired folk music again given that it sounds better than ever…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/utter-human-annihilation By Odin, this is fucking intense and hateful stuff. Misanthropic War’s take on black/death metal is of the most violent and destructive kind, and listening to Utter Human Annihilation and its thirteen hyper-aggressive tracks is akin to having one’s face torn right off. Everything is there in the title of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://jordsjo.bandcamp.com/album/salighet Adorned by wonderfully evocative artwork and sporting a most intriguing title, the uniquely skilled Norwegian prog rockers known as Jordsjø are back with a new masterpiece. Just when I thought that it would be impossible for them to top the outstanding and flawless Pastoralia LP (2021), they have in fact…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.datarockmusic.com/ Norwegian synthpop/new wave/indie rock eccentrics Datarock are back with a lovely new slice of memorable music that is bound to make you dance and think at the same time. With its infectious sense of enthusiasm and energy not to mention its quirky lyrics and pristine-sounding production, Media Consumption Pyramid shows…
VENUE: Troon Concert HallDATE: 25.11.2023 ORGANIZER: WinterStorm Festival (Plan B Events)PHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The ever reliable and renowned Scottish vocalist Doogie White and four of his talented musical compatriots had the early Saturday…
VENUE: Troon Concert HallDATE: 23.11.2023 ORGANIZER: WinterStorm Festival (Plan B Events)PHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. Welsh vocalist and melodic hard rock sensation Chez Kane played the main stage at the brilliant WinterStorm festival on the…
VENUE: Troon Concert HallDATE: 24.11.2023 ORGANIZER: WinterStorm Festival (Plan B Events)PHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. It is fair to say that the career of former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno has been a somewhat bumpy and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/blood-oaths The American black metal combo known as Vein specializes in raw, claustrophobic, and downright oppressive music of the most loathsome and sinister kind. These twisted fucks manage to weave a thick and nasty atmosphere together by means of simple yet efficiently dark riffs, sick effects, and demented vocals, and the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/and-it-started-there-from-punk-to-pulp-published-28-september-2023 The renowned purveyors of quirky pop and art rock known as Pulp surely need no introduction and to many of us, their Different Class LP from 1995 provided a lovely soundtrack to our youth and teenage years. Drummer Nick Banks recently published this warm-hearted, humorous, and engaging autobiography of his…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://badrainmusic.bandcamp.com/album/room-to-breathe-ep-pre-order The German/British outfit Bad Rain turned out to be a mighty fine surprise and a most welcome listen to these ears in that this skilled constellation of musicians dabbles in melodically strong and potent hard rock that sounds current while simultaneously paying respect to some of the greatest bands of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/traumatic-putrefaction What a gloriously disgusting and most brilliant of things this slime-soaked opus by the Polish horde known as Abominated is. Rooted in old-school death metal of the most vicious and catchy kind, this half-hour journey into horror-filled territory where crushing riffs, morbid vibes, and punishing vocals reign supreme is an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/thunderstickofficial/ Reviewing a new record by Thunderstick, i.e., the underrated purveyors of NWOBHM, is always a treat and these guys rarely fail to disappoint me. There is an undiluted sense of honesty and purity to their outputs that totally works for me and always manages to pull me in and keep…
The brilliant yet underappreciated purveyors of classic heavy metal known as Thunderstick recently released the hook-laden and muscular-sounding opus titled Lockdown via Roulette Records, and its content is as fiery and memorable as it is diverse and organic. One could easily argue that this is indeed the group’s finest effort to date. We caught up…
The latest full-length offering by the demented peddlers of haunting dark ambient drones and lo-fi post-rock soundscapes is out now and contains three tracks with a rather loose concept and theme to them. From the industrial revolution in Britain to the strangely unsettling works of painter Walter Sickert and further on to the cinematic quality…
VENUE: ForumDATE: 16.11.2023 ORGANIZER: Bergen LivePHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. American rockers Rival Sons were back at the Forum in Bergen on a dark and cold Thursday night – and what a night it was!…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/what-have-we-got-the-turbulent-story-of-oi What Have We Got? by author Simon Spence is a most illuminating, thought-provoking, and perfectly balanced overview of the origins and evolution of the Oi! music genre and the whole scene revolving around that both in the UK and abroad. In some ways highly controversial and infamous yet also underappreciated…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://lnk.to/shrineofblackfire This is my first encounter with the ceaseless barrage of occult black metal spawned by the horde known as Infernal Angels, and having explored its content for the umpteenth time I must say that I find the unsettling offering a cohesive, sufficiently layered, and intriguingly dark piece of work that…
