RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.music-merchant.shop/en/balance-of-power/ The long-running British outfit named Balance of Power will unleash their next batch of songs via Massacre Records in April, and if aggressive and melodic metal with countless cool and interesting layers to it is your particular brand of vodka then you need to make sure that you check this…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/LynchMobBand/ Renowned hard rockers Lynch Mob are responsible for some utterly cool and well-written records but their line-up has always appeared somewhat fluid and unstable, which is not necessarily a bad thing per say, but Babylon is the first time in a while that the band has gelled to such an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ The previous output by this group, namely Seminole from last year, was a fantastic and cohesive slice of epic melodic metal that ticked a lot of the right boxes for me, and this latest LP of theirs is just as vital-sounding and catchy as its predecessor was. These gents have…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/JAMESROBLEDOOFICCIAL/ ROBLEDO – Broken Soul I was and still am quite fond of James Robledo’s previous album, the one named Wanted Man, and I am pleased to announce that his latest solo effort titled Broken Soul sounds like the natural successor and follow-up to the 2021 release. Broken Soul is very…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/FollowingTheSignsCork/ Cork natives Following the Signs released this groove-laden, pummeling offering of theirs just a few days ago, and it turned out to be a rather interesting and cool listen packed to the rafters with juicy riffs, crushing breakdowns, and some inspired vocals. Although it would be easy to compare the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/smackbound/ This Finnish act’s previous album from three years ago was a bit of a mixed bag to these ears, but I was looking forward to this new one of theirs titled Hostage as I was curious as to how they had developed their brand of modern-sounding hard rock/melodic metal. The…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.webbofficial.com/ Melodic metal with progressive overtones and a huge amount of groove that works like a charm – how could I not love this well-written and inspired output by the British act named Webb?! The riffs are meaty and pack a lot of punch, there is finesse and sophistication to the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/ArchonAngelBand/ This International constellation of musicians was completely new to me and I had never come across their name prevoiusly, but they play and sound like veterans, which makes me curious as to what their previous album named Fallen from 2020 is like. Anyway, we shall focus on the latest effort…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/MAGNUSKARLSSONOFFICIAL/ Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) is undoubtedly a gifted musician and an experienced songwriter with a knack for crafting huge-sounding, epic, and positively bombastic tunes with a symphonic edge to them. This pretty much applies to every band and project of his, not least the interesting Free Fall endeavor whose previous…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/mantricmomentum/ An epic and melodic heavy metal opus by an act featuring the talented Christer Harøy (Divided Multitude, Crossnail) and Terje Harøy (Pyramaze) sounds like just the thing to keep me entertained today, so let us spin this visually appealing release a handful of times and see what happens, shall we?…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMifUtcBLBs The two skilled vocalists that are Anette Olzon (ex-Nightwish) and Russell Allen (Symphony X) have teamed up with multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer Magnus Karlsson for another epic slab of melodic metal full of grandeur and lofty ideas. Army of Dreamers is essentially huge-sounding symphonic metal swathed in sweeping keyboards, soaring…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://taboo.band/ Taboo is a sparkling new hard rock/melodic heavy metal outfit from Denmark that includes one legendary guitarist named Ken Hammer (Pretty Maids) in its ranks, and this is a crunchy, modern-sounding opus that packs a serious punch and contains some stellar compositions. Sharp as a razor and as heavy as…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/GinevraRock/ What a wicked surprise this potent slab of melodic heavy metal/hard rock is. Featuring the talented singer Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal), renowned guitar-slinger Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, The Ferrymen), kick-ass bassist Jimmy Jay (H.E.A.T.), and drummer Magnus Ulfstedt (Nordic Union), it is safe to say that these dudes know exactly…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: http://stratovarius.com/ Renowned power metal stalwarts Stratovarius are back with their first new album in seven years, and if you are a sucker for technically dazzling yet catchy music then you might fancy giving this majestic opus of theirs a whirl. All the band’s trademarks are firmly in place here, and there…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/NordicUnionMusic/ I fell head over heels in love with the near-flawless Second Coming (2018) by the wicked constellation that is Nordic Union as that was a fabulous slab of melodically strong and muscular hard rock that ticked all the right boxes for me. Needless to say, I was truly excited about…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://facebook.com/janiliimatainenofficial/ Guitarist Jani Liimatainen (Insomnium, The Dark Element) recently released this melancholy offering of his via Frontiers Records and it is essentially a melodic heavy metal record with depth, substance, and emotional weight to it. Liimatainen is supported by a stellar cast of vocalists including Renan Zonta, Timo Kotipelto, and Anette…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://label.atomicfire-records.com/project/at-the-movies/ Do you like 90s American movies, such as “Pretty Woman”, “Notting Hill” or “Doc Hollywood”? If so, chances are you also like the songs that made them famous. And now, Pretty Maid’s guitarist Chris Laney, along with bandmates Allan Sørensen (drums) and Morten Sandager (keyboards) teamed up with one…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://label.atomicfire-records.com/project/at-the-movies/ Do you like 80s American movies, such as “Dirty Dancing”, “Beverly Hills Cop”, “Back To The Future”, “Rocky” or the last James Bond flick with Roger Moore, “A View To A Kill”? Well, who doesn’t? If so, chances are you also like the songs that made them famous. And…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ This neat triple-CD set containing remastered versions of the first three records by Edge of Forever is an enjoyable listen and a pretty cool collection of well-written heavy metal/hard rock tunes with plenty of good vocal melodies, epic-sounding keyboards, and tasty riffs scattered across it. While some of their musical…
