Rainbow

Joe Lynn Turner – Belly of the Beast Review

Joe Lynn Turner – Belly of the Beast Review

By Huck N Roll on November 1, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 75 comments

“If someone were to ask me for my favorite classic-era vocalist that doesn’t get enough credit, for sure I would say Joe Lynn Turner. I absolutely love his voice, and the three Rainbow albums he sang on are, to me at least, underrated hard rock gems. So it is with great shame I admit that I haven’t listened to a single minute of his post-Rainbow work. Being apparently out of the loop, when I heard Turner was releasing his eleventh (!) solo album this month, I jumped the queue and grabbed it.” Head turner.

Mirror – The Day The Bastard Leaders Die Review

Mirror – The Day The Bastard Leaders Die Review

By Itchymenace on April 28, 2022 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, NWOBHM, 30 comments

“Mirror plays a NWoBHM-inspired brand of retro metal. They also reflect a variety of influences from 70s prog to early 80s metal. Their third album, The Day Bastard Leaders Die, offers up a 44-minute tour back to the time when class was stained, and killers were running free. The band is a passion project for Greek bassist, Tasos Danazoglou – most famously known for his short stint in Electric Wizard. Here he’s under the influence again paying tribute to the music he clearly loves.” Faded reflections and bad luck.

Rachel Mother Goose – Synra Basho Review

Rachel Mother Goose – Synra Basho Review

By Itchymenace on December 9, 2021 in Reviews, 41 comments

“Yes, Rachel Mother Goose is an odd name and no, I don’t know why they chose to call themselves that. Given that RMG is a Japanese band and given many of the curious lyric choices (all in English), I imagine something was lost in translation. I had never heard of this band before Steel Druhm handed it off, but the mention of Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen as primary influences had me intrigued. How would a band of young Japanese shredders update the bloated neoclassical metal genre? Would it be full “Speed King” ahead with epic Blackmorean riffs? Or a neoclassical wank fest of Rising Forced arpeggios?” Duck, duck, Yngwie!

Yer Metal Is Olde: Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

Yer Metal Is Olde: Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell

By Huck N Roll on July 18, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, British Metal, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, Yer Metal Is Olde, Doom Metal, Heavy Metal, 98 comments

“Hello, controversy! In all of metal, one of the most controversial topics is Black Sabbath with and without Ozzy. Passions are inflamed and regrettable words are spewed in both directions any time this debate comes up. Being a human completely lacking in emotion or empathy, I don’t care about it. I want good albums period, and let’s be honest, this record’s predecessor was Never Say Die!, undoubtedly one of the band’s least finest moments, with or without their infamous leading man. No matter what came next, it was a low bar.” Vintage evil.

Greyhawk – Keepers of the Flame Review

Greyhawk – Keepers of the Flame Review

By Holdeneye on June 16, 2020 in Reviews, Heavy Metal, 68 comments

“The other day, I was eating lunch with my 6-year-old son Ezkaton, and I swear to God, he gazed out the window with a thousand-yard stare and said the following without any prompting and without any music playing in the background: “Dad, I don’t know why I like Greyhawk so much. I don’t even try to like them, but they just make me like them.”” Sons of iron.

Black Sites – Exile Review

Black Sites – Exile Review

By Angry Metal Guy on April 19, 2019 in 2019, American Metal, Heavy Metal, Reviews, Unsigned Bands, Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, 113 comments

“Chicago’s Black Sites is the brainchild of guitarist and singer Mark Sugar, formerly of underrated modern thrashers Trials. It could be that Sugar and I are roughly the same age, both grew up on shitty post-glory-days ’90s thrash metal and/or are both from the Midwest, but whatever it is he seems to speak my language. Trials’ final album ended up on my Top 10(ish) in 2015 and Black Sites’ debut found similar acclaim in 2017. A songwriter with two albums that placed at #2 in my Top 10(ish) lists in the year they were released is about as close to a direct highway to “elevated expectations” as it gets. And when Mark sent me Exile, I can say that I was very excited.” Makin’ bacon (and metal).

Northern Crown – Northern Crown Review

Northern Crown – Northern Crown Review

By Steel Druhm on October 8, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, Reviews, Doom Metal, Progressive Metal, Progressive Rock, 44 comments

“A band’s sophomore album is the make or break moment in many a career. We all know the story: A young band cobbles together a set of original compositions then spends years honing and retooling them in live settings, finding what works and what doesn’t. Those carefully polished, time-tested chestnuts become the grist of their debut and if they’re good, all that sweat equity pays big dividends. After that they’re forced to write a whole new set of tunes much faster to meet a label’s release cycle so as to keep the unwashed masses fed and engaged. Can the rushed material equal what came before? Can two-man doom act, Northern Crown solve this riddle?” We’re going through changes.

Hypnos – Set Fire to the Sky Review

Hypnos – Set Fire to the Sky Review

By Huck N Roll on September 27, 2018 in 2018, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Retro Metal, Reviews, Swedish Metal, The Sign Records, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Retro Metal, 77 comments

“In the vanguard of the retro rock/metal movement are High Spirits, Gygax, Audrey Horne, and Night Flight Orchestra: bands that wear their influences not only on their sleeves, but on their entire bodies. They pay loving homage to the sounds of the 70s and 80s, but their songwriting prowess sets them apart from the crowd. Rather than making a mockery of Thin Lizzy or Toto, they revel in the sound and chart their own path forward – either in earnestness or in ultimate cheese. Sweden’s Hypnos aim to join this exalted group with their third album, Set Fire to the Sky.” Fly to the past.