album review
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ELEGANT WEAPONSEvolutionExciter Records Forward thinking!Progress!Watching the beat!….and how many album covers has that robot appeared on now, including this one? Don’t let the new album cover fool you otherwise. ELEGANT WEAPONS are far from being a bunch of daft punks who just got lucky. Their current all-star lineup of guitarist Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST), vocalist…
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CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIXSceaduhelmSeason of Mist England’s CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX (or CBP, if you will) is more of an itinerate/mercenary collective than a band in the classic sense. Creative director Justin Greaves, ex-of IRON MONKEY, has been the lone constant in the ensemble’s 20-plus year existence, assisted by a veritable army of musicians, vocalists and various…
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MICHAEL SWEETThe Master PlanFrontiers Musichttps://www.facebook.com/TheMichaelSweet If you blinked then you might have missed the release of ‘The Master Plan’, the latest solo album by STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet. The album was released on April 3, 2026 through Frontiers Music, but as is the case with the music industry as of late, the label and Sweet…
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NEUROSISAn Undying Love For A Burning WorldNeurot Recordings Metal’s evolution has branched off in so many directions over the decades and while its many branches over recent years can hardly support any weight, the roots of this giant tree will forever remain strong. New bands recycling the sounds created ages ago as a particular style…
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SEVENDUSTOneNapalm Records For weeks, I anticipated the arrival of SEVENDUST’s fifteenth full-length studio album, ‘One’ via Napalm Record. Not knowing whether I’d get an early listen or endure the wait with everyone else until its May 1, 2026, release was agonizing. As a longtime fan, finally receiving an advance copy felt almost like Christmas morning.…
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HARDLINEShoutSPV/Steamhammer Loud love!Animal magnetism!And giving a voice to man’s best friend! It’s impossible to tell the full story of HARDLINE’s new studio album ‘Shout’ without mentioning their 1992 breakthrough classic ‘Double Eclipse’. After all, that was the moment when this exceptional hard rock act’s unique artistic DNA was created, its first draft already done to…
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WAGE WARIt Calls Me By NameFearless Records There is something fitting about WAGE WAR returning to the swamp. Not just geographically, but sonically. ‘It Calls Me By Name’ feels less like a stopgap release between album cycles and more like a band wading back into the dark water that first made them dangerous. These five…
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THE SWEETReincarnationMetalville Records As time marches ever onward and the people and family members in your life sadly pass on, so do the movie stars, athletes and your musical icons that held a special place in your heart. That especially holds true for the ‘Classic Rock’ bands that I grew up on. Let’s call them…