Author: Rick

I’m a married father of 2 humans, a rescue cat and a royal python. Not nearly enough tattoos or piercings, enjoys reading, Marmite and lots of coffee.

Danish deliverers of groove-laden decadence Volbeat return with their ninth studio album, God of Angels Trust. With four years between albums—and mastermind Michael Poulsen taking a year out to recover from throat surgery—it truly feels like the planets have aligned with this new offering. Not only does opener "Devils Are Awake" feel like a huge … Continue reading Album Review: Volbeat – God Of Angels Trust

Death metal titans Vader resurface with three-track EP – Humanihility. It’s been about five years since Vader last unleashed new music, but 2025 looks set to mark a ferocious return for the legendary death metal band. With their heels firmly dug in, they’ve been chosen to perform this year’s Mystic Festival anthem—proof that they’re not … Continue reading EP Review: Vader – Humanihility

UK thrash pioneers Onslaught return with a retrospective selection of re-recordings and covers on Origins of Aggression. Four decades on from their debut album—and recently g a long-term record deal—Onslaught have put together this release in what will hopefully lead into a new studio album in the near future. Consisting of 22 tracks, Origins of … Continue reading Album Review: Onslaught – Origins of Aggression

UK death metal legends Cancer return with their highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Shadow Gripped—the brutal and uncompromising Inverted World. Brooding, groove-laden opener "Enter the Gates" is a refreshing, no-nonsense creation that welcomes the band into the listener's psyche with a wave of blast beats and swirling riffs, with follow-up, bassline-dominant "Until They Died" providing … Continue reading Album Review: Cancer – Inverted World

Master of the Macabre Wednesday 13 returns with more gore-drenched glam on latest offering Mid Death Crisis. Opening intro segment "There's No Such Thing as Monsters" sets the tone perfectly with a visceral yet woeful narrative—a blood-soaked homage to a '70s slasher—before erupting into a horror-fuelled rock show with the follow-up track "Decease and Desist." … Continue reading Album Review: Wednesday 13 – Mid Death Crisis

Once again bringing spellbinding choirs and theatrical symphonic metal elements, the multi-talented mastermind Tobias Sammet returns under the guise of Avantasia with his 10th studio album, Here Be Dragons. The theatrical presentation begins with the uplifting opener, "Creepshow," before sweeping into the album’s title track, "Here Be Dragons," which features the first of eight guest … Continue reading Album Review: Avantasia – Here Be Dragons