ALBUM REVIEW: Traveler – Prequel To Madness


It’s no secret that Canada has a long and storied history of producing quality Heavy Metal. From classic bands such as Anvil, Annihilator, and Exciter to more recent acts like 3 Inches Of Blood, Cauldron and Unleash The Archers, Canadians always seem to hit the traditional Metal mark. Continue reading


Annihilator to Celebrate the 35th Anniversary Of “Alice In Hell” with a Special Set a Topfest 2024


Thrash and Heavy Metal legends Annihilator will celebrate 35 years of the release of their Alice In Hell album, exclusively at Topfest 2024 in Slovakia next June. Former Iced Earth frontman and fellow Canadian Stu Block will sing the entire Alice In Hell album playthrough, along with the return of original drummer Ray Hartmann. The set will also feature some “best of” tracks picked by fans. Watch a trailer for the festival event here and read a statement from the band below.Continue reading


Annihilator, Kataklysym, Vile Creature, Unleash The Archers, and Protest The Hero are Nominated for The 2021 Juno Awards


Annihilator, Ktaklysym, Vile Creature, Unleash The Archers, and Protest The Hero have been nominated in the best metal album of the Year category for the 2021 Juno Awards. The Juno Awards are the annual award show celebrating excellence across all musical genres and often called The Canadian Grammy Awards.” Last year’s winner for The Metal AOTY was Striker for their album Play To Win (Record Breaking Records/Independent). In the Rock AOTY category Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Silverstein, JJ Wilde, Crown Lands, and Sam Roberts are fighting it out in that category. The 50th Annual Junos will take place on May 16th, 2021.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Portrayal of Guilt – We Are Always Alone


Who decided to file Portrayal of Guilt under Screamo? Where should we file them? I don’t know, that’s for folks who spend their time and energy in the endless heavy music genre debates and on websites like Encyclopaedia Metallum to decide. You know, the type of people that will insist that Annihilator isn’t a Thrash band as they really fall under Speed Metal. They are truly doing the Lord’s work. But to slap the screamo tag on Portrayal of Guilt, particularly on We Are Always Alone (Closed Casket Activities) seems a bit simplistic.

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Ghost Cult Albums of the Year 2020 – Part 1 (75-41)


It feels rather redundant to preface this year’s celebration of the music that got us through what was annus horribilis maximus unprecedentius with much of a narrative of 2020 because we were all affected. We all lived through it. Some of us in un-splendid isolation. Some of us irreversibly overhauling the way we live, work, and support our dependents. Some of us welcomed changes we had to make while mourning the root cause behind them and that each and every person on this planet we call home was affected, impacted, and touched in a negative way by the events of a global pandemic and high-profile political situations.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Victor Smolski’s Almanac – Rush Of Death


Speed and heavy metal tend to go hand in hand, so it comes as no surprise that Almanac guitarist Victor Smolski (formerly of German legends Rage) also has a sideline in motor racing. A runner-up in the Supercars division of German Rallycross in 2018/19, Smolski has taken his love of burning rubber and hit the accelerator on the band’s latest album Rush of Death (Nuclear Blast Records).Continue reading


NEW MUSIC FRIDAY: January 24th New Music Releases


 

Purchase And Stream All The New Music Released Today!

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ALBUM REVIEW: Annihilator – Ballistic, Sadistic


If Ballistic, Sadistic (Silver Lining Music), the new album by Canadian speedsters Annihilator, is anything to go by, then relocating to the UK is probably the best move the band’s mastermind Jeff Waters has made for years. Consistency has been an issue with Annihilator for some time, but since the recruitment of English bassist Rich Hinks, the band have not only rediscovered their classic sound but a new lease of life in the process.Continue reading


FESTIVAL REVIEW: Badgerfest 2019 Live at The Breadshed, Manchester


2019 see’s the third installment of what’s becoming an important event in the calendar for the discerning Heavy Metal connoisseur, BadgerFest. The brainchild of the undeniably hardest working man in the Manchester metal scene John Badger, If any qualification of that were needed, aside from it being reiterated by every band of the weekend, as well as their gratitude as to the smooth running, he’s also running the Drumming up Change in November whereby he’ll be playing the drums for the full sets of all ten bands. There’s hard-working and then there’s John Badger. Continue reading


Randy Rampage, Former Member Of Annihilator And D.O.A., Dead At 58


The reaper has struck again as metal and hardcore legend Randall Desmond Archibald, a.k.a. Randy Rampage has passed away. He was 58 years old. Randy came to fame as the lead singer on Annihilator’s debut album, Alice In Hell, He was also a founding member, bassist and sometime vocalist for hardcore band D.O.A. The news of Randy’s passing was confirmed by the Facebook page of the documentary “Bloodied But UnBowed”, a historical look at the evolution of punk rock on the West coast of North America during the 1978-1983 timeframe. Randy made an appearance in the documentary, which was narrated by Billy Hopeless (formerly of The Black Halos) and released in 2010. We send our condolences out to Randy’s family, friends, and family at this time. Continue reading