This most contemplative of evenings is one of reflections upon over five decades of a hard rocking partnership.

On Friday, January 17, 2025, Lefty's Live Music in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted the "Colder Than Hell Tour," featuring performances by Vampires Everywhere, Priest, and Julien-K, with support by Switchblade Saturdays, a local band renowned for their captivating live shows, dark imagery, and commanding stage presence.

Stepping out and blowing the cobwebs of a quiet festive season, it was time to back into the swing of things and hit the first show of 2025.

First gig of the year and though it’s on a school night, it’s promised to be an absolute immense one! Representing a small corner of Eastern Europe, Moldova’s answer to some truly jawdropping metal kickstarted their Motocultor Across Europe Tour with some special guests in tow on 10th January.

The name Cozy Powell resonates like the thunderous rolls of his own double bass drum across the annals of rock history.

I’ve been very fortunate to have lived through a time when we had music variety at our finger tips. Both the television and the radio provided a veritable smorgasbord of genres to listen to without having to go searching on specialized channels to hear our favourites.

It felt like the end of the world. Sheets of rain lashed down in biblical proportions, drenching everything in sight as fans huddled in queues snaking around the Utilita Arena.

Today is Evergrey mainman Tom Englund's birthday and the mood is celebratory. In truth, the band have a lot to be happy about as their most recent album 'Theories of Emptiness' continues to gather critical and public acclaim and with newly installed drummer Simen Sandnes having brought some Norwegian freshness to the outfit they're full of cocksure energy.

The Captain is, as ever, in a jovial frame of mind, “It’s a nice posh venue tonight! Better than the shithole around the corner!” he observes before adding, sneeringly “Last time there I went to the toilet and got a face full of flies!” Disregarding further discussion upon lavatorial comparisons with other venues in the city Sensible is absolutely spot on.

It’s night three of four for this run of shows at the Sanctuary Theatre in East Belfast, but thankfully it’s not as wild as last night – weather wise that is – Storm Darragh rocked through the province overnight and many of those present this evening have battled delays, cancellations, and the occasional roadblock to attend this special, intimate performance.

It's a cold, wet night in Bedfordshire but it's also a Friday and with South Coast blues rockers Brave Rival providing the soundtrack there's a party going on.

On December 8, 2024, Combichrist took the stage at Da Bar in Milwaukee for a unique performance that promised something special: an "old school set" that paid homage to the band's industrial dance roots.

Somewhat akin to Aerosmith’s rag doll metaphor Midland’s AOR/Prog rockers Magnum epitomise the transient nature of the music industry and those, all too often, fleeting glimpses of success. Criminally underrated throughout the majority of their career Magnum’s stock never truly realised the truest value it should have done.

For over three weeks Scandinavian prog-metallers Vola’s November-long European has snaked its way across the continent and tonight their wagons roll into Bristol.

Rock City, Nottingham, is no stranger to hosting musical heavyweights, and tonight it seemed ready to roar, as I approached this great venue, the queue was already snaking up Talbot rd.

Stabbing Westward delivered an electrifying performance at Chicago's Bottom Lounge on November 30, 2024, showcasing their signature industrial rock sound in a packed venue.