It was as close to “6 O’Clock on a Christmas morning” as you can get at the start of February when the review copy of Dream Theater’s new album “Parasomnia” dropped into my inbox.

Sheffield’s The Heavy Souls, sight their influences as “from the Giants of rock and blues” which is a great foundation to build a debut album on. The band consists of Clark Vaughan on vocals, Ben Boswell on guitars, Ryan Jones on bass and Charlie Morris on Drums.

Having released nine albums in nineteen years, Canadian outfit The Veer Union are nothing but reliable in their output, their work rate of new material every couple of years admirable especially when compared to the glacial speed some of their contemporaries.

Modern metal sensations Jinjer return with their highly anticipated fifth studio album Duel.

With a career as distinguished as Lacuna Coil's, each release has always been like journeying through a different realm, growing and evolving with time and craft. 

Music reviews. They’re an odd concept. As is any kind of review of artistic work, right? Let’s just pause before we get into the weeds here. Art, is by it’s very nature, artistic (the clues in the title if you were unaware).

The name of Mark Tremonti requires no long-winded introduction to readers of this website. Closing in on 30 years as a recording artist; his regular day job as ¼ of Alter Bridge, ¼ of the recently resurrected Creed, and in a solo capacity with his project Tremonti has saw him amass a catalogue of 17 rock/metal album releases plus an album of Frank Sinatra classics for Down Syndrome charity NDSS totalling approximately 60 million album sales.

The man over here on the guitar, I’ve been working for for the last fifty years my goodness me for want of a better word. His name is Mr Tony Clarkin himself!” As the last notes of closing number ‘Sacred Hour’ reverberate so dramaturgic Magnum frontman Bob Catley introduces the creative force that has been a constant and cherished presence at his side.

Juliet’s Not Dead are a relatively new band, although those familiar with the NWOCR scene will be well aware of the band Twister, a popular and regular name on the gig and festival circuit.

Swiss Savage purveyors Paleface Swiss return with third album Cursed.

One of the nicest guys in the business, Mark Tremonti is also one of its busiest. Never content to rest on his laurels, the guitarist has seen the revival of the massively successful Creed take up much of his time but manages to juggle this with metal behemoths Alter Bridge, his Sings Sinatra project and his always fertile solo career.

Landfall hail from Curitiba, the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Southern Brazil. Their style of blending elements of melodic rock, metal, and pop creates a unique sound that captivates audiences both in Brazil and abroad.

Swedish melodic death metal supergroup The Halo Effect continue to demonstrate their ever-evolving artistry while staying true to the melodic death metal roots that their fans have come to love for striking new release March of the Unheard

Perfect Plan is a Swedish melodic rock band formed in 2014, hailing from the coastal town of Örnsköldsvik, which also happens to be the home town of Meshuggah’s Tomas Haake and Mårten Hagström.

As one year comes to an end, here is my Top ten Albums of 2024

Crazy Lixx: Aah, c’mon Dude, your Melodic Hard Rock is just the absolute BEST! We just wanna show all the kids today just how utterly awesome, kick ass and ‘partaaayyyy’ you actually were!