Ah, Scotland. Home of the highlands, tartan kilts, bagpipes, haggis, and whisky; Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, the deep-fried Mars bar, the Loch Ness Monster, Outlander, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and an instant aversion to anyone from England who casually reduces the country to a series of stereotypes for the sake of a quick laugh. Not to mention its thriving metal scene, of course, with folk metal being one of the country’s most popular exports.Continue reading
Names are everything in Death Metal. So choosing one to best reflect the preferred brand of pneumatic skullfuckery can be just as important as the music itself at the beginning. Continue reading
Masks, secret identities and scary pseudonyms are nothing new but Oakland horrors Ghoul clearly aren’t here to rely on gimmicks. Formed in 2001, the Californian act comprises four members who go by names like Digestor, Cremator, Fermentor, and Dissector. Continue reading
Covering Slayer is a tricky business. Many bands have tried and failed, and despite displaying obvious reverence to the Californian Thrash legends, only a handful have ever really been able to do real justice to the source material. And of those, it’s the ones who arrive from left field that remain in the memory the most.
From Finnish cellists Apocalyptica to LA rap-metallers Body Count, it’s US singer/pianist Tori Amos who produced arguably the most innovative cross-genre take back in 2001 when she gave the world a very different version of “Raining Blood”. And now it’s the turn of Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch, the stoner metal legend getting the idea after teaching a student how to play “South of Heaven” in a different tuning and, well… Slower.Continue reading
With a distinctly American sound and name, you might believe South of Salem hail from sunnier US climes rather than from right here in the good old UK. Only really notable for its beaches and a football team of intermittent quality, Bournemouth might not be a seething hive of metal activity but it is home to one of the best up and coming bands of the last few years. Continue reading
As the old saying goes, change is the only constant, and when you’ve been around as long as NWOBHM legends Saxon, then some form of adjustment – enforced or voluntary – is usually never too far away. For the last eighteen years, the Yorkshire veterans have enjoyed their lengthiest spell ever of an unchanged line-up. This impressive run came to an end earlier this year when guitarist and co-founder Paul Quinn declared a hiatus.
Arriving from suitably prestigious stock, Quinn’s replacement (for this record) is none other than fellow NWOBHMer Brian Tatler, axeman for Midlands metal pioneers Diamond Head. Settling in with unerring ease, Tatler strikes up an instant rapport with co-guitarist Doug Scarratt, the pair going hell bent for leather on their first record together.
Right from the moment a certain band from Birmingham adopted the title of a 1963 Boris Karloff movie as their name, metal has gone hand in hand with horror.Continue reading
Ah, Eurovision.
That strangest of competitions where coming last can be as much of a badge of honour as winning. Continue reading
Every band has an origin story. Some are interesting, a few amusing, but most are just routine tales of auditions, acquaintances or simple geography. Continue reading
While entertainment of any description is clearly the very least important thing to be mentioned with regards to the Middle East at the moment, Israeli progressive folk metal act Orphaned Land couldn’t have landed on a more suitable time to deliver a further message of hope and unity.