After the regulation postponement due to the C-word, the UK leg of Sabaton’s long-awaited “The Tour To End All Tours” finally got underway with a packed-out opening night in Leeds. To be honest, perhaps “The Tour To Finally Silence The Critics” might have been more of an apt title, but that …
Read More »Review: Papa Roach – Alexandra Palace, London
When it was first announced that Papa Roach were set to support Don Broco on the UK leg of their world tour, the internet went absolutely crazy – to have such a legendary group support Rob Damiani and co. was a massive prospect, with the four Bedford lads now having …
Read More »Review: Phantom Elite – ‘Blue Blood’
Has it really been six years since Napalm Records unleashed Exit Eden onto an unsuspecting public and in doing so, created one of the best surprises in quite some time? The international symphonic metal supergroup released an album of cover versions of well-known pop and rock songs, and the videos …
Read More »Review: Avatar/Veil of Maya/ Mastiff – SWX, Bristol
SWX, Bristol23rd Feb 2023Review and photos – Rob WilkinsNight three of three gigs in a row and if there was any chance of exhaustion I can think of no band better than the theatrical and exuberant Avatar to shake the synapses and provide musical Red Bull.This was my first visit …
Read More »Review: Beast in Black/Firewind – The Fleece, Bristol
A few years back I was lucky enough to see and shoot Nightwish at the Birmingham Arena. The support that day, which totally owned the massive stage with a huge sound, were a band called Beast in Black. I loved their cheesy Euro style and stage presence and have been …
Read More »Review: Bullet for My Valentine/Jinjer/Atreyu – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Opening nights are important to touring bands. They help set the tone for the shows to follow, as well as give bands the knowledge of what works and what they can improve on. With all that said, it’s to the surprise of literally no one that Bullet for My Valentine …
Read More »Review: Delain – ‘Dark Waters’
Pop quiz, hotshots. Who had Delain down on their 2023 bingo card for producing one of the strongest albums in the first few months of the year? Along with TV personality Carol Vorderman taking the UK government to task for the neverending list of scandals, the return of Delain with …
Read More »Review: Apocalyptica/Epica – O2 Academy, Glasgow
For fans of symphonic metal, the last few months must have seemed as if their lottery numbers came up and it was a triple-rollover. The tail end of 2022 saw both Within Temptation and Nightwish returning to the live arena, and 2023 shows zero sign of letting up on the …
Read More »Review: Tarja – The Garage, Glasgow
Given that Finnish Queen of Metal Tarja last played in Scotland as a member of Nightwish – the band that she departed in 2005 – it’s fair to say that her long-awaited (and delayed by you-know-what) appearance in Glasgow was a tad overdue. Named after 2019’s studio album ‘In The …
Read More »Interview: Martijn Westerholt – Delain
In February 2021 Delain made the shock announcement that four of the band’s five members had left, including longtime vocalist and chief lyricist Charlotte Wessels. The last man standing was Delain creator, keyboard player, and songwriter, Martijn Westerholt, and now after two years Delain are back with a brand new …
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