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Iron Maiden live in Warsaw

Posted in Gig, Interview with tags , , , , , on 27th July 2022 by izaforestspirit

Lord Of The Lost, Within Temptation, Iron Maiden
PGE Narodowy (National Stadium),
Warsaw, Poland
24 July 2022

It’s been a long while since I’ve written anything for this site. I’ve been busy with other projects. I’m about to release my debut book, an anthology of fantasy short stories inspired by Tolkien and mythology on Amazon this autumn. I’m also writing a new novel set in the same universe and a sequel is already at the editing phase. With a bit of luck I can release it next year.

I recently went on holiday with my family to Poland. As well as to visiting the zoo in Łódz; an interactive science museum; a military museum and lots of fun stuff for kids, the undisputed highlight of the holiday for me and my husband was the Iron Maiden gig at the stadium in Warsaw.

We arrived there a little early, with plenty of time to grab some cold beers and a zapienkanka (one of my favorite vegetarian snacks) which is an elaborate form of cheese on toast with mushrooms and a generous amount of ketchup. Then it was time to check out the first band, German Gothic metal band Lord of the Lost. I’m a big fan of their work but this time their set had a little too many ballads for my liking. Luckily they played some of my favorites including ‘Dry The Rain’, ‘Loreley’, ‘Die Tomorrow’ and ‘Born With A Broken Heart’. So, a decent show but I’ve seen better from these guys.

I never understood the hype behind Within Temptation. As far as Gothic metal goes, for me they have always been in the ‘solid but nothing groundbreaking’ -category. No match for bands like Nightwish or Epica. At least they played ‘Stand My Ground’ as that’s the only song I recognized.

Then it was finally time for the headliners. Iron Maiden started out slow with some ballads from the new album ‘Senjutsu’. Then after ‘The Writing On The Wall’, they began a cavalcade of hits including most of the crowd favorites such as ‘Run To The Hills’, ‘Fear of The Dark, ‘Hallowed By They Name’ and ‘Number of The Beast’. Their show had an impressive range of pyrotechnics and stage props including a samurai Eddie, sword-fighting Eddie and a fighter plane replica for ‘Aces High’.

In summary, both me and my husband had a great time. It was one hell of an evening and a great way to celebrate the end of a good holiday.

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Iron Maiden – Senjutsu

Posted in Featured, Review with tags , , , , , , , on 7th September 2021 by Mickelrath

Iron Maiden

Senjutsu

Heavy Metal

Released: 3rd September 2021

via Parlophone

Like a lot of metalheads worldwide, my music taste was heavily shaped by Iron Maiden and the influence they’ve had on the metal world since. I feel safe in saying the majority of British metal bands were influenced by the iconic titans. Yet, like any other massive cultural media phenomena, the internet discourse seems to be rife with opinions about their output in recent years. I’ve met fans of the band that haven’t listened to them since Somewhere In Time, some stopped coming back to the band from Brave New World and others, like myself, have always stuck by the band and all their releases all the way to this latest release. Senjutsu is the seventeenth feature length album from Iron Maiden and, like all their releases of recent years, appears to have split the fanbase down the middle. Some proclaim this is a disappointing follow to 2015’s The Book Of Souls, some saying this is their best work in years and some dismissing the fact that they actually have put out a new album as they stopped coming back to Iron Maiden some time ago. So, what do I think?

I found Senjutsu to be a pretty pleasant listening experience. There’s that special quality to it that only Iron Maiden can seem to bring to an album. The lyrical themes that run through the course of the entire album. Music that complements the subject matter they’re singing about and guitar solos that still blow my mind in how they find complexity in simplicity. Obviously, the album is really well produced, at this point they have been through the album making process so much that you really can’t point to any glaring flaws. Also they brought Kevin Shirley back to produce, who has been working with them since Brave New World in 2000. So, obviously the album sounds amazing. Also, Steve Harris is behind all of the songs from a writing standpoint, and if anyone should know what Iron Maiden should sound like, Harris is really the guy. So for all things technical, this is, for lack of a better term, an Iron Maiden album. Yet, this album feels like such a different world from The Book of Souls, not bad, different.

To be honest, on first listening, not a lot feels that different. It feels like the grandiose music that they have been famous for so long. Yet, I couldn’t keep my enthusiasm going for the entire 80 or so minutes of the run time. Sure, there are a couple of standout songs. My personal favourites being “Days of Future Past”, “ Lost in a Lost World” and “Stratego”. However, I don’t think it comes together as an album that well. All of the songs run the same themes, concepts, and ideas, the songs are well written, but when put all together in an album the songs don’t feel like they naturally fall into place. That can really be blamed on the opening track, which is the title track “Senjutsu”. It’s a meandering plodding song that wears off it’s welcome pretty quick. Where I feel a song with a little bit more energy like the aforementioned “Stratego” would have worked better to hype you up for the rest of the album. And it keeps going like that for a little while. The whole album has some pacing issues and to listen to the album for the full run time, if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself dropping off it a little.

Still, I feel the song quality is there. Put some of the harder hitters into a live set mixed with some of the other Maiden standards and I think they’ll work pretty darn well. The powerful command of “The Writing on the Wall” would sound a lot better following something like “Wasted Years” and I think that’s ultimately the way I’m choosing to look at this album. More songs that they can interweave into their set lists rather than an individual listening experience unto itself. Iron Maiden has been in my life since I was a little kid and listening to them will always transport me back to being a little kid excited to discover their music. I will probably always get excited to hear new music from them because they always deliver that one special new song into my life that no other band will ever bring and for that, I will always love them. As for Senjutsu… Well, I can’t say it’s my favourite, nor can I fully dismiss it. It shows that even seventeen albums in, music is always a work in progress and no one has the formula fully nailed. Not even a band as immortal as Iron Maiden.

7/10

Mick Birchall

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Iron Maiden return with ‘Senjutsu’ this autumn

Posted in Misc., News, Studio Report with tags , , , on 22nd July 2021 by izaforestspirit

It’s been six years since their last album ‘The Book of Souls’, now the world renowned British heavy metal band Iron Maiden have returned with their last studio effort. Bruce Dickinson and co are happy to announce that their new album will be entitled ‘Senjutsu’. Here’s the track-listing and cover art:

  1. Senjutsu
  2. Stratego
  3. The Writing on the Wall
  4. Lost in a Lost World
  5. Days of Future Past
  6. The Time Machine
  7. Darkest Hour
  8. Death of the Celts
  9. The Parchment
  10. Hell on Earth

Iron Maiden - Senjutsu

‘Senjutsu’ will hit the shops worldwide in both digital and physical formats on 3rd September 2021 via Parlophone Records. The band have also released a video for the title track called ‘The Writing on the Wall’.

For more information go to:

https://www.facebook.com/ironmaiden

https://www.ironmaiden.com/

https://www.youtube.com/ironmaiden

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Thorium – Thorium

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on 17th November 2018 by izaforestspirit

Thorium
Thorium
Released 9th November 2018
Heavy Metal/Melodic Power Metal
Released via Rock N’ Growl Records

Thorium - Thorium

‘Thorium’ is the debut album from the Belgian heavy metal band of the same name. Thorium was formed two years ago and their line-up includes former members of Ostrogoth.

Just in case the connection to the band Ostrogoth was not obvious, this album includes a song called Ostrogoth. It’s an entertaining, albeit a little cheesy, piece of melodic power metal with powerful vocals and good guitar work. I like how they managed to get the guitars to mimic the sound of galloping horses towards the latter half of the track. Watch out, the Ostrogoths are coming!! Some of the songs reminded me of early works of Helloween, mostly due to the pace and the similarities in the vocal style.

There are also elements of traditional heavy metal and thrash metal on here. This is evident in tracks such as Godspeed with its catchy chorus as well as more varied but no less cheerful-sounding guitar melodies. They continue with the same mixture of heavy metal and power metal for the rest of the album. The final track Four by Number, Four by Fate is one of those that listeners are either going to love or hate. It definitely stands out on here for numerous reasons. Let’s start with the length – it’s just short of sixteen minutes which is very long even for a ballad. The style is a mish-mash of everything ranging from acoustic guitar instrument parts, progressive guitar riffs, power metal, heavy metal to some thrash metal thrown in just to keep you on your toes. Personally I think this might have worked better if it was broken up into two separate tracks.

Overall, Thorium’s debut album has a lot of things going for it. They have created a good balance of catchy and melodic heavy metal with enough variety to keep the listener entertained. I think that fans of power metal and heavy metal will enjoy it, especially those who are into Helloween and Iron Maiden.

3.5/5
Iza Raittila

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The Raven Age announce European tour with Killswitch Engage

Posted in Misc., News with tags , , , on 26th April 2018 by izaforestspirit

It’s busy times for The Raven Age. They recently completed their UK tour with Savage Messiah and gained a new singer. Now the British groove metal  band have announced that they will be joining Killswitch Engage on their European tour this summer starting in Sweden late next month.

In addition to this, they will also be supporting Iron Maiden as well as playing a show with Shinedown and another date with Tremonti.

Here’s the full schedule:

MAY
Thur 31st – Gothenburg Pustervik, Sweden (w/Killswitch Engage)

JUNE
Sat 2nd – Olso Rockefeller, Norway (w/Killswitch Engage)
Sun 3rd – Tronhelm Rocks, Dahis Arena, Norway (W/ Iron Maiden)
Wed 6th – Hamburg Gruenspan, Germany (w/ Shinedown)
Thu 7th – Solvesborg Sweden Rock Festival (w/ Iron Maiden)
Sat 9th – Munich Rockavaria, Germany (w/ Iron Maiden)
Sun 10th – Hannover Expo Plaza, Germany (w/ Iron Maiden)
Mon 11th – Cologne Live Music Hall, Germany (w/ Killswitch Engage)
Thu 14th – Krakow Kwadrat, Poland (w/ Killswitch Engage)
Sat 16th – Budapest Akvarium, Hungary (w/ Killswitch Engage)
Sun 17th – Nickelsdorf Nova Rock, Austria (w/ Iron Maiden)
Tue 19th – Warsaw Proxima, Poland (w/ Killswitch Engage)
Wed 20th – Prague Letnany Airport, Czech Republic (Iron Maiden)
Fri 22nd – Dessel GMM, Belgium
Sun 24th – Clisson Hellfest, France
Mon 25th – Luxembourg Den Atelier (w/ Killswitch Engage)
Tue 26th – Zwolle Hedon, Holland (w/ Tremonti)
Thu 28th – Sopron Volt Festival, Hungary
Sat 30th – Freiburg Messegelaende, Germany (w/ Iron Maiden)

JULY
Thu 5th – Paris AccorsHotel Arena, France (w/ Iron Maiden)
Fri 6th – Paris AccorsHotel Arena, France (w/ Iron Maiden)
Mon 9th – Milan Ippodromo San Siro, Italy (w/ Iron Maiden)
Thu 12th – Resurrection Festival, Spain
Fri 13th – Lisbon Altice Arena, Portugal (w/ Iron Maiden)
Tue 17th – Trieste Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia, Italy (w/ Iron Maiden)
Fri 20th – Athens Rockwave Festival, Greece (w/ Iron Maiden)
Sun 22nd – Plovdiv Hills of Rock, Bulgaria

AUGUST
Wed 1st – Dublin Academy, Ireland (w/ Killswitch Engage)

In the meantime you can check out their new video here:

For more details visit:

https://www.theravenage.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheRavenAge/

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Iron Maiden comic book series ‘Legacy of the Beast’ coming soon

Posted in Misc., News with tags , on 2nd October 2017 by izaforestspirit

Iron Maiden are about to launch their won comic book series entitled ‘Iron Maiden Legacy of The Beast’. The series is based on their popular mobile role-playing game ‘ Iron Maiden: Legacy Of The Beast’ and it will focus on the band’s mascot Eddie as the main protagonist. The story has been written by Llexi Leon and Ian Edginton and illustrated by Kevin J. West, Jason Gorder, and Santi Casas.

Here is a more detailed outline of the plot:

The comic book series expands on the video game narrative. As dark forces conspire to corrupt the fabric of reality, Eddie’s immortal soul is shattered and strewn across the cosmos – leaving a weakened, primal Eddie to battle across space and time facing off against the twisted legions of The Beast, seeking out the lost shards of his soul, and bringing order to the realms. With each victory, and with the aid of old friends, Eddie will restore his fearsome powers as he draws ever closer to facing the Unholy foe behind his fall… and thwarting a plot to unravel all of Creation!

There will be five issues of the comic in total, the first of which is due to hit comic shops worldwide via Heavy Metal Publishing on 11th October 2017.

You can check out the cover here:

For more information visit:

http://ironmaiden.com/

http://www.heavymetal.com/

 

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Iron Maiden continue The Book of Souls tour in 2017

Posted in Misc., News, Uncategorized with tags , , on 27th October 2016 by izaforestspirit

Iron Maiden will be continuing the European leg of The Book of Souls World Tour in the spring of next year. The support for all the dates will be the American hard rock band Shinedown. The first show will be in Antwerp, Belgium on 22nd April 2017 followed by a few shows in Germany before moving on to The UK and Ireland.

Here’s an official statement from their bassist and founding member Steve Harris:

“As it’s been so long since our last full UK arena tour, we really wanted to get to our fans in as many cities as possible. We’re really looking forward to it, especially visiting places we haven’t been to for a very long time like Leeds where we haven’t played since 2005 and Liverpool where we haven’t played since 1990. The whole band is really enjoying this tour and although we love playing festivals and stadiums, it is terrific to return to the intimacy and atmosphere of arenas. The songs from The Book Of Souls album and the new Maya-themed Eddies and stage sets have gone down really well and fan reaction has been amazing. And of course we know our fans appreciate us playing a lot of the older songs too, which we will continue to do.”

Here is the full tour schedule for 2017 along with a poster for the UK Tour:

Apr 22              Belgium                        Antwerp, Sportpaleis
Apr 24              Germany                      Oberhausen, König-Pilsener-Arena
Apr 28              Germany                      Frankfurt, Festhalle
May 02             Germany                      Hamburg, Barclaycard Arena
May 04             England                       Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
May 06             Ireland                         Dublin, 3arena
May 08             England                       Manchester, Arena
May 10             England                       Sheffield, Arena
May 11             England                       Leeds, First Direct Arena
May 14             England                       Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
May 16             Scotland                      Glasgow SSE Hydro Arena
May 17             Scotland                      Aberdeen, AECC GE Oil & Gas Arena
May 20             England                       Liverpool, Echo Arena
May 21             England                       Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena
May 24             Wales                           Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
May 27             England                       London, O2 Arena

For more information visit:

https://www.facebook.com/ironmaiden/

http://ironmaiden.com/

 

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Existance – Breaking the Rock

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on 22nd October 2016 by izaforestspirit

Existance
Breaking the Rock
Released 15th October 2016
Heavy Metal
Released via Black Viper Records


‘Breaking the Rock’ is the second album from the French heavy metal band Existance. The band was formed back in 2008 by Julian Izard (son of Didier Izard from the speed metal band H-Bomb). Existance expressed their aim to “keep the spirit of the 1980s heavy metal alive”. Their music has been compared to the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Saxon.

First off is Heavy Metal Fury with a deceptively slow and melodic guitar intro paving the way to some classic heavy metal in which most of the emphasis is on the guitar riffs and Izard’s melodic vocals. The 80s heavy metal influences are fairly easy to detect; the guitar patterns, riffs and vocal style reminds me of the more prominent bands from the NWOBHM movement such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. If it’s retro-style, heavy metal guitar riffs you’re after, you will find them in abundance on tracks such as All Is On Fire, Pain In Paradise.

As with most classic heavy metal albums, there’s usually at least one slow ballad to show the band’s ‘softer’, more melodic side and (hopefully) underline the skills and vocal range of their singer. On here we get Sinner of Love in which it’s definitely the vocals that enter the spotlight. Izard’s vocals are a good match to the guitar melodies giving the song a pleasant vibe. By contrast there’s the adrenaline-packed title track which really speeds things up in the riff department.

Overall, ‘Breaking the Rock’ is more than just a homage to 80s heavy metal. Existance did a great job of replicating the sounds of that era in metal music and their influences are fairly evident. It’s practically a genre-defining album. This is classic heavy metal in its purest form.

3.5/5

Iza Raittila

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Helstar – Vampiro

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on 18th August 2016 by izaforestspirit

Helstar
Vampiro
Released 26th August 2016
Heavy Metal/Power Metal with Speed Metal elements
Released EMP Label Group

 Helstar are veterans of the American heavy metal scene. The band was originally formed back in the early ’80s and they have released a number of albums including the critically acclaimed ‘Nosferatu.’ Their latest opus ‘Vampiro’ sees them return to the vampire theme with more tales of Dracula and other blood-suckers.

First they lure you in with a deceptively melodic intro to Awaken the Darkness – an eerie tale of Gothic horror brought to you with the aid some thrashing guitar riffs and high-pitched vocals. So that was the bait and now the real hunt begins. For what follows is Blood Lust – a much faster song with pummeling drums and aggressive guitar melodies reminiscent of the band’s early days back when they played speed metal. As for the vocals, singer James Rivera has an impressive range which incorporates all of the following: the clean, story-telling variety akin to the likes of Dio and Iron Maiden, the high-pitched style and the somewhat less pleasant screams.

From The Pulpit to The Pit is a slightly more complex track; featuring a progressive-style bass and drumming intro followed by some viciously fast guitar riffage and more pummeling drums. Yet it’s not all just thrashing and pummeling, this song also has some melodic parts to it, which are mostly audible in the guitars. Then there’s the Repent in Fire – a catchy power metal song packed with playful guitar riffs and powerful vocals which reminded me of Iron Maiden at times.

Overall, it’s great to see a band that’s been around for so long who can still produce something new and exciting. Rather than taking a stab in the dark in an attempt to produce something different or experimental; they have stayed true to their roots. ‘Vampiro’ is classic Helstar but with a new, modern spin on it.

4/5

Iza Raittila

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New Iron Maiden album hitting worldwide stores in September

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 19th June 2015 by Pieni

“We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them, I think. I’m very proud of ‘The Book Of Souls’, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!” is what Steve Harris has to say about “The Book Of Souls”, Iron Maiden‘s 16th studio album and first ever in double format, given its 92-minute running time. Recorded in Paris with producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in late 2014, the band had to delay its release to the 4th September 2015 due to Bruce Dickinson‘s illness (the singer was diagnosed with a tumour but is now totally recovered).

Bruce himself says: “We’re really excited about ‘The Book Of Souls’ and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillame Tell Studios in Paris, where we’d done the ‘Brave New World’ album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double it’s going to be!”

photo book of souls_zpsnbvadlki.jpg

Tracklist:
Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (8:28)
2. Speed Of Light (5:01)
3. The Great Unknown (6:37)
4. The Red And The Black (13:33)
5. When The River Runs Deep (5:52)
6. The Book Of Souls (10:27)

Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (5:13)
8. Shadows Of The Valley (7:32)
9. Tears Of A Clown (4:59)
10. The Man Of Sorrows (6:28)
11. Empire Of The Clouds (18:01)

Formats:
2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition
2CD standard edition
Triple heavyweight black vinyl
High res audio (24-bit Mastered for ITunes and non-Mastered for iTunes)
Standard res audio (16 bit/ 44.1 kHz)

More information on the band’s usual places:

https://www.ironmaiden.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ironmaiden

https://twitter.com/ironmaiden

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Darkest Era set to release Severance via Cruz Del Sur Music

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 6th March 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Cruz Del Sur Music are pleased to announce their recent inking of a deal with former Metal Blade artist Darkest Era. As such, the band will be releasing their next album Severance via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Since their formation in 2005, Darkest Era have progressed their special and original ‘Celtic Heavy Metal’ formula, with epic compositions influenced by the darker side of Irish folklore as well as the classic, double twin-guitar duelling of bands like Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden.

Darkest Era guitarist Ade Mulgrew comments:

We are excited to be working with Cruz Del Sur to finally get this beast uncaged. The label has put out some amazing records in recent years and we feel we are in very good company.

Severance will be released 13th June in Europe and 3rd June in the US digitally and physically (CD/Vinyl).

Darkest Era are also confirmed for a headlining appearance at this year’s North of the Wall Festival in Glasgow, which will take place on 29th March. Further information on the North of the Wall Festival can be found here.

Darkest Era online:

http://darkestera.net
http://facebook.com/darkestera
http://twitter.com/darkestera

 

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Sonisphere 2014 announce Dream Theater and more

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on 6th March 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Sonisphere 2014 is celebrating 40 years of rock and metal at Knebworth and has so far announced some stellar acts such Iron Maiden, Alestorm and Carnifex amongst others. Yesterday, Sonisphere 2014 announced a handful of more bands for what could be the biggest weekend in the UK this year.

Dream Theater, Devil You Know, featuring former Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, Yashin, The Cadillac Three, Glamour Of The Kill, Palm Reader, Broken Hands, Fort Hope, The One Hundred and Collibus are the latest additions to this year’s Sonisphere Festival. The full line-up can be seen on the above poster.

Weekend tickets for Sonisphere 2014 are on sale now priced at £170. The highly popular deposit scheme is available until 1st April, meaning fans have less than a month to reserve their tickets for an initial payment of just £50. Check the Sonisphere website for further details. All Campsites open Thursday. For further information please visit this location.

 

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Sonisphere Festival announce more bands

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , , , on 6th January 2014 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Sonisphere Festival have proudly announced more bands for its return to Knebworth in July later this year. The first to be announced who will be joining the event’s headliners The Prodigy, Iron Maiden and Metallica are Australian hard rockers Airbourne, who have amassed a legion of fans over their decade-long existence, with a high-octane live show featuring lead singer and guitarist Joel O’Keefe’s outrageous showmanship. Joel O’Keefe comments:

Us four guys are seriously fired up and chomping at the bit to bring the ‘Black Dog Barking’ Tour to Knebworth. With monumental metal juggernauts Iron Maiden and Metallica coming to shake Knebworth to the core along with Bruce Dickinson also announcing it will be the last concert of the ‘Maiden England’ tour this is a rock’n’roll event in time that can’t be missed. We are deeply honored to have the green light for an Airbourne/Knebworth assault, to get out there on Knebworth’s hallowed ground in front of that sea of heavy metal maniacs and give them every ounce of blood sweat and energy we got… And afterwards we’ll grab a case of ice cold Trooper ale’s and watch the best heavy metal bands of all time! See ya there!

US rock group Alice In Chains, Swedish pop-doom act Ghost, French progressive metal lords Gojira and Australian five piece Karnivool are also amongst the list of bands to be announced for Sonisphere 2014. Alice In Chains lead vocalist and guitarist William DuVall comments:

We’re very excited to be playing once again at Sonisphere, particularly as this year has us joining our longtime friends in Metallica. It should be a fun ride for everyone – both on and off the stage.

And last but not least Mastodon are scheduled to make their first Sonisphere appearance since 2011 alongside a band that need no introductions: Slayer, as they bring their ferociously demonic live show back to Sonisphere, following their 2011 performance as part of the Big 4 line-up alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax. With their 11th studio album due for release in 2014, Slayer will be delivering their brand of skull-crushing heaviness louder and heavier than ever before. As guitar-god Kerry King says:

Great to be back at Sonisphere this year!! Always a giant party!!!

As previously announced The Prodigy, Iron Maiden and Metallica headline Sonisphere 2014, in an historic bill guaranteed to make Knebworth’s 40thAnniversary one of the most memorable events ever staged in the grounds, especially as it is the first time ever that Iron Maiden and Metallica have appeared together on the same bill in the UK.

Sonisphere 2014 marks the return to Britain of the Sonisphere Festival, which for the past five years has been the biggest pan-European festival, playing to audiences of over 1.5 Million fans. Early Bird Weekend tickets for Sonisphere 2014 are on sale now priced at £170 (limited availability). The highly popular deposit scheme will also be running from now until April, meaning fans will be able to reserve their tickets for an initial payment of just £50. Check the Sonisphere website for further details.

 

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Voodoo Six announced as support at Iron maiden’s O2 Arena show

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , on 16th July 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Voodoo Six have been announced as support to Iron Maiden at their sold-out O2 Arena show next month in London. The band are currently on the road with Iron Maiden, trekking throughout Europe as main support on the Maiden England Tour which kicked off in Spain back in May. Since then the tour has them to France, Italy, Germany, Poland and a whole load of other countries, as well a number of festivals including the UK’s Download Festival where Iron Maiden headlined and Voodoo Six took on the Red Bull Stage. The other festival shows included Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting, SeeRock in Austria and Spain’s, Italy’s and France’s Sonisphere Festivals.

Voodoo Six founding member, Tony Newton, commented:

It’s been such an amazing experience, the reception each night has been simply overwhelming. Maiden and their crew have treated us so well. This tour has become the best and most exciting time of our lives so far. We’re absolutely thrilled to be added to the London show, having been so busy constantly touring all of Europe, it’s a great feeling to give the UK a chance to see what we’ve been up to.

Having also penned a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records, Voodoo Six are now touring in support of latest studio album, Songs To Invade Countries To, which consists of 11 tracks – including the current single Your Way – which was produced by Voodoo Six bassist Tony Newton and mixed by Tony Newton and Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness, Enter Shikari, Therapy?). It follows 2010’s Fluke? outing, released through Classic Rock’s Powerage label and mixed by renowned studio engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica); Fluke will see an enhanced re-issue via Spinefarm later in the year.

Voodoo Six are planning a headline UK and Europe tour for later this year – stay tuned for dates.

Voodoo Six online:

http://www.voodoosix.com
http://www.facebook.com/VoodooSixBand

 

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Download 2014 dates announced

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 17th June 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

The biggest weekend in the UK rock calendar took place this weekend as 90,000 people rocked out in Donington Park to headliners Slipknot, Iron Maiden and Rammstein plus a host of other bands across the weekend, which included acts such as Amon Amarth, Huntress, Black Dogs, Heaven’s Basement and more. Crowds of rock, metal and hardcore fans packed out Donington Park as the opening day of Download saw Asking Alexandria, Papa Roach, Architects, Korn and Bullet for My Valentine all perform, what were described as, mind blowing sets throughout the day, while bands like Fearless Vampire Killers, Fidlar and The Algorithm ripped up the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Stage.

Download Festival promoter Andy Copping commented:

It’s been an amazing weekend. We’ve had over 150 bands across five stages and a trio of ground breaking, world class headliners. Having Iron Maiden back 25 years after they first headlined Donington was an incredible moment. Slipknot as usual delivered an unforgettable set, and Rammstein tonight will be the first time the band have played Donington.

Fans don’t need to be too down about the fact that the weekend is almost over, as the festival organisers have announce the dates for next year and a special early bird offer as a thank you to fans. Download Festival 2014 will take place 13th – 15th June, and as a thank you to fans for a limited time Download is offering £10 off the current 2013 prices for 5-day camping tickets, 3-day camping and weekend arena tickets. All tickets go on sale at 9am on 21st June with the offer closing on 1st July. There are only 5,000 available, so visit the official Download website to get yours.

 

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Amon Amarth – Deceiver of the Gods

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , , on 11th June 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Amon Amarth
Deceiver of the Gods
Released 24th June 2013
Melodic Death Metal
Released via Metal Blade Records

Amon Amarth have been raiding, plundering and pillaging their way through the metal scene since 1998, making a name for themselves with their melodic riffs and Viking-themed lyrics, as well as some truly epic artwork. Deceiver of the Gods is the band’s ninth chapter in their metal renditions of the Norse myths.

The chilling guitar passage of the title track, Deceiver of the Gods, opens up the album before unleashing the fury of the Norse with faster, heavier riffs and Johan’s signature growls. The track is made complete by a near majestic solo. The second track, As Loke Falls, sounds bipolar – switching from roaring guitar sections and heavy vocal lines to monumental, dulcet guitar passages. The album from heavily grandiose pieces to the semi-brutal tracks with memorable choruses and poignant hooks. Johan’s vocals are as gruff and Nordic as they can be, whilst the drums have a certain liveliness to them, given the album a new feel that’s not so familiar within Amon Amarth’s studio material. The bass work thunders down like Thor’s Mjollnir crushing the head of a jotun.

There are more than a few bland songs on the album that fail to entice the ears, Under Siege being the most lacking song – Whilst it’s not a bad track, it misses a lot of the daring excitement and raw energy as found on previous releases. Blood Eagle, the track that follows Under Siege, begins interestingly enough with cries of pain and the sound of body parts being severed but as the track progresses it sounds more like a repeat episode of the previous track. Hel, named after the apparent goddess of the dead and daughter of Loki, has a completely different sound to the rest of the album, using haunting backing vocals and a slower pace for the music. The guest vocals, as provided by Candlemass’s Messiah, also add to the cold and foreboding atmosphere of the song that one would associate with a grim deity like Hel.

Warriors of the North, despite being the final track on the album, is a breath of fresh air on an otherwise stale album. Everything seems to have been taken up a level, from the sharp melodies of the guitars to the titanic bass lines and crushing drum passages, combined with the commanding and bloody vocals and the Iron Maiden-esque riffs. Whilst Warriors of the North is an anthemic way to end the album, one does have to wonder why most of the album isn’t in the same vein as it.

Amon Amarth have become predictable in their sound and their work and Deceiver of the Gods is solid evidence of this. The tracks are good and are typically of Amon Amarth’s style but at the same time they point to how repetitive the band’s music has become. Hopefully this isn’t an indicator to the future sound of Amon Amarth.

2.5/5

Nico Davidson

Amon Amarth online:

http://www.amonamarth.com
http://www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth
http://twitter.com/amonamarthband
http://deceiver.amonamarth.com

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Voodoo Six set to release new album via Spinefarm and announced as main support for Iron Maiden

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 24th April 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

British modern hard rockers Voodoo Six are now set to release new studio album, Songs To Invade Countries To, having penned a worldwide deal with Spinefarm Records.

The much-anticipated release will be available from May 27th, coinciding with the first date of the band’s European tour with UK metal legends Iron Maiden. The tour will include major festival appearances, including Download Festival, Graspop, SeeRock and TopFest, plus several Sonispheres (Barcelona, Madrid, Milan and Amneville).

The new album consists of 11 studio tracks produced by Tony Newton, mixed by Tony Newton &Pedro Ferreira (The Darkness, Enter Shikari, Therapy?) and mastered by Ade Emsley (Iron Maiden, British Lion). It follows Voodoo Six’s 2010 Fluke? outing, which was released through Classic Rock’s Powerage label and mixed by renowned studio engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica). At some point, Fluke? will see an enhanced re-issue via Spinefarm

Songs To Invade Countries To track list is as follows:

1.Falling Knives
2.All That Glitters
3.Lead Me On
4.Sink Or Swim
5.You Don’t Know
6.Your Way
7.Sharp Sand
8.Stop
9.Brick Wall
10.Waiting In Line
11.Higher Ground

The band have gained a loyal following from their impressive portfolio of live activity, which has included several performances at Download, Sonisphere and Bloodstock, as well as touring with Adrenaline Mob, Edguy, Extreme, Michael Monroe and the legendary UFO.

Voodoo Six guitarist Chris Jones comments:

The album title was something that came about ages ago, but took on another dimension when we heard the news that we’d be going out with Iron Maiden on the ‘Maiden England’ tour. It’s about taking our music further afield, and into new territories. We can’t wait to play to overseas audiences on this tour!

Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris adds:

I’ve been keeping an eye on Voodoo Six for a while now, and they’ve produced a cracking new album with real promise. It’s great to support true British up ‘n’ coming talent such as theirs, and it will be a pleasure to have them out with us on tour.

Steve Harris isn’t the only advocate of the band.  After touring with Adrenaline Mob last summer, V6 caught the attention of original Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, who has stated:

Voodoo Six are a great band with a bright future – cool guys, great players!

Songs To Invade Countries To is released worldwide via Spinefarm Records on May 27.

Voodoo Six tour dates w/Iron Maiden

27 May Bilbao BEC Bilbao, Spain
29 May Atlantic Pavilion Lisbon, Portugal
31 May Sonisphere Madrid, Spain
01 Jun Sonisphere Barcelona, Spain
05 Jun The Bercy Paris, France
08 Jun Sonisphere Milan, Italy
09 Jun Sonisphere Amneville, France
11 Jun Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
12 Jun Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
15 Jun Download Festival Donington Park, UK
18 Jun Berlin O2 World, Germany
19 Jun Hamburg O2, Germany
21 Jun Graz Seerock Festival Graz, Austria
22 Jun Zurich Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland
25 Jun Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Holland
29 Jun Singen-Aach Open Air Arena, Germany
30 Jun Graspop Festival Dessel, Belgium
03 Jul Atlas Arena Lodz, Poland
04 Jul Ergo Arena Gdansk, Poland
06 Jul Open Air an der KoPi-Arena Oberhausen, Germany
10 Jul Malmo Stadium, Sweden
13 Jul Friends Arena Stockholm, Sweden
24 Jul Piata Constitutiei Bucharest, Romania
26 Jul BJK Inonu Stadium Istanbul, Turkey
27 Jul Topfest Piestany, Slovakia
29 Jul Synot Tip Arena Prague, Czech Rep
31 Jul Zagreb Arena, Croatia

The band are also streaming a new taster track; Waiting In Line, at this location.

Voodoo Six online:

http://www.voodoosix.com
https://www.facebook.com/VoodooSixBand/

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DragonForce complete writing of the follow-up album to 2012’s The Power Within

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 15th April 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

UK metal icons DragonForce have completed writing the follow up to last year’s release The Power Within album, which was their first with vocalist Marc Hudson. Since his live debut with the band in July of 2011, Marc has gone on to front over 100 shows with the band in 32 countries across the globe, including arenas with Iron Maiden as well as a mammoth headlining world tour to support the album.

With a new found wealth of experience for the new singer and two years of playing together, the DragonForce machine will be at it’s most powerful when they enter Fascination Studios in Sweden in May with Jens Bogren to start laying down tracks. Known for his work with the likes of Opeth, The Devin Townsend Project, Amon Amarth, Katatonia, Soilwork and Symphony X to name a few, a killer-sounding album will be the inevitable result.
Dragonforce’s own shredmaster Herman Li says: “Right now, everyone in the band is itching to get into the studio to record probably the most epic DragonForce music ever written. With so many ideas flying around and songs already written, we decided to team up with producer Jens Bogren to help us take the DF sound to the next level and beyond!”

The band will perform at Download Festival at Donington Park June 14th – 16th.

 

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Local band announced for MFVF

Posted in News with tags , , , , , , , on 23rd March 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Local act Hell City have been announced for this year’s Metal Female Voices Festival at Oktoberhallen in Wieze, Belgium. The five piece classic metal outfit, whom are influenced by the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica and Led Zepplin, will join the likes of Tarja Turunen, Stream of Passion, Delain and more for the three day festival from 18th – 20th October, later this year. Tickets and further information are available from the festival’s official website, which can be accessed by clicking the image below.

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Enforcer – Death By Fire

Posted in Review with tags , , , , , , , on 28th January 2013 by Nico Solheim-Davidson, the North Sea Poet

Enforcer
Death By Fire
Released 1st February 2013
Heavy Metal
Released via Nuclear Blast

Dominating the Swedish metal scene for almost a decade, Enforcer have proven that old school metal isn’t dead yet. With two albums already under their belts, Death By Fire, which is the band’s latest album, is due to be released through Nuclear Blast next month.

I’m not familiar with Enforcer’s previous material and I’m not going to pretend that I am either. Death By Fire really did take me by surprise as the last “old school” Swedish metal album I listened to was basically a copycat version of Iron Maiden. Passing on from the eerie introductory track that is Bells Of Hades, Enforcer’s Death By Fire takes you on a rollercoaster ride of neck breaking tracks and 80’s styled metal, in the same vein as bands like Judas Priest and Saxon, only with more speed and fury. Some of the tracks have infectious choruses and melodies which feature prominently while some of the other tracks take a slight change in musical direction but still wail out the old school influences. Take Me Out Of This Nightmare is definitely a favourite of mine on the album due to the memorable hook and catchy lyrics. Crystal Suite offers a break from the vocals and instead offers up a palate of fast and furious musicianship. Another track that I find to stand out is Death Rides This Night because of the typically classic sounding vocal work and the violent onslaught of percussion and guitars that would no doubt causes faces to be melted at the right volume.

Sacrificed has a gentler yet more majestic approach in the opening few bars before the fierce snarling guitar playing kicks in like a bulldog with anger management issues. Another track that caught my attention was Satan, not because of the name but because of howling fiery energy that just explodes with each lyric, each riff and each hit of the drums. Seven the solo has a vehement turbulence that just wants to burst out and smash things up. The album finishes with A Break From Tradition and it is quite literally a break from the band’s traditional sound. The melo-death sound of the song really is a wake up call for the listener – in this case, a damned brutal one.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not familiar with Enforcer’s previous material but after hearing Death By Fire, I really wish I was familiar with their music now. The album offers up a grand feast of truly classic riffs and hooks, as well as vocals that rival the likes of Judas Priest’s Rob Halford or Manowar’s Eric Adams and has enough thrills to keep your ears on the edge of the proverbial seat.

5/5

Nico Davidson

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