Some bands promise much but deliver little, music history littered with hyped-up artists whose glossy veneer soon wore off when put to the test.

Since they first came over here, there's been a mutual love affair that's blossomed between the UK and Black Stone Cherry, the Kentucky quartet winning hearts and minds with their brand of high kicking, ass whippin' high octane rock 'n' roll.

Ireland’s Spearside have lobbed a pint glass of punk-laced hard rock straight into our ears with their latest EP and it’s a short, sharp, swaggering delight.

It's not been an easy birth for Fireheart, the quintet having found and then quickly lost a lead guitarist before the right piece of the puzzle fell into place.

Trivium’s ‘Struck Dead’ EP is a thunderous, three-track masterclass in staying true to your roots while still punching holes in, well, just about anything you want. It’s heavy, it’s honest, and it’s got more bite than a Bloodstock mosh pit.  

If you thought Kris Barras had turned his back on the blues to follow a heavier and much grittier path then Hollow Souls have just slapped your stupid mouth shut with the force of one of 2024s riffs from "Halo Effect".

Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts is an American rock band from Nashville founded and fronted by former Biters leader, Tuk Smith, from Atlanta.

Quarter of a century. Let that sink in for a moment. Twenty-five years since four young Canadian women from London, Ontario burst onto the metal scene like a Molotov cocktail through a church window, delivering their landmark debut Spit and forever altering the landscape of heavy music.

Well, well, well. What have we here? The intergalactic scumdogs are back with another helping of their trademark absurdist brutality, and this time they've brought along their favourite crack-addled Tyrannosaurus Rex for the ride.

Häxan return with an EP follow up to their debut album, `White Noise’. The band, Sam Bolderson (vocals and guitar), Harriet Wadeson (bass guitar) and Jess Hartley (drums) enlisted Romesh Dodangoda, known for his work with Motorhead and Bullet For My Valentine to produce the EP.

One of the very great joys of writing for Metal Planet Music is occasions such as this when one gets sent music by a band that one has never heard of before and it turns out to be really good

Drawing influence from the distinctly more frantic end of the hardcore spectrum, Chaos Reigns are back with an offering of brutally honest reflection on the fine line between pain and pleasure, life, and death for latest EP – Sweet Violence

Formed back in 2008 Sol Invicto, until this debut public release, have remained an intriguing underground project. Founded by guitarist / producer Richie Londres, percussionist Eric Bobo (Beastie Boys, Cypress Hill) and guitarist Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) have kept their cards relatively close to their chest that is until now.

To celebrate 40 years the three brother collective Balaam and the Angel return with their first taste of new material in over three decades with latest EP Forces of Evil

When Delain mainman Martijn Westerholt declared in February 2021 that the band would now become a solo project, following the parting of the ways with the rest of the line-up many wondered how this would be achieved, the magic of the ensemble lost.

Making some big noise from the Valleys, Welsh outfit Yaki Dah are the latest in a long and illustrious line of musicians from that part of the UK who have plans to conquer the world.