When Napalm Death appeared on the scene in the late 80s, they were one of the most extreme bands ever. Their grindcore assault, delivering uber-short metal numbers with a hardcore punk aggression, made their debut album ‘Scum’ almost impenetrable. It wasn’t just the sheer intensity that made it somehow fascinating, but also the fact that [...]

Early in 2012, folk-punk troubadour Frank Turner announced he would be embarking on a new project which returned to the hardcore roots of Million Dead. In August 2012, the first clip of that new band, Mongol Horde, appeared online, capturing the musicians live in their rehearsal space. At the end of the month, Mongol Horde [...]

US metallers Machine Head returned to the UK in the summer of 2012 to perform a headline set at the Bloodstock metal festival. Sharing a bill with Alice Cooper, Sepultura, Paradise Lost, Nile and Corrosion of Conformity, Machine Head found themselves as one of the headline acts on one of the strongest ever Bloodstock bills [...]

In 2010, Parisian punks The Black Stout released their debut EP. The self-financed release was one of that year’s best DIY punk releases, really capturing the spirit of the band’s influences while mixing it with a hefty dose of talent. Their second release – the eight song vinyl ‘A Pint of Riot’ – branched out [...]

During the weekend of June 23rd/24th 2012, Metallica headlined their own festival,  ’Orion: Music + More’.  In keeping with all of their other festival appearances throughout the year, the second night of the festival featured the metal titans performing the whole of their 1991 self-titled release. The first night, however, featured something rather more special. [...]

For a quarter of a century, Revelation Records have released a string of fantastic punk/hardcore records.  The label was the first home to hardcore legends Sick Of It All, and throughout the late eighties and nineties released unmissable records by Youth of Today, Sense Field, Orange 9mm, Into Another and far more besides. Between June [...]

Whether long or short, Def Leppard’s live sets are often spot on. Their last London show in 2011 was no exception, as armed only with a video screen, great songs and no gimmicks, the Leps had the near impossible task of following Motley Crue’s larger than life show, which came complete with pyros, a revolving [...]

By the middle of 2012, Soundgarden fans had much to celebrate. Not only had the reformed band played a few festival shows and proved they sounded as good as ever, but there was also a new album on the horizon. Although nearing the end of the previous year Chris Cornell had suggested that the new [...]

As the centre piece for their 2012 festival shows, metal titans Metallica have chosen to play their multi-million selling 1991 self-titled release in it’s entirity.  The fact that ‘the black album’ is now twenty-one years old is enough to make many self-respecting rock fan feel the pangs of age, but the album itself has weathered [...]

Following the tragic murder of Dimebag Darrell, nothing will ever bring back Pantera, but the first half of 2012 saw a resonably full calendar for the other band members: Pantera’s classic, career-defining release, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ was given an expanded 20th anniversary reissue; Philip Anselmo has been touring with his band Down with new [...]