Category: Interviews

By Justin Smulison Kickin Valentina is visiting their second home – the UK – during the release of their new LP, Anthems From the Underground, available from Mighty Music and Target Group DK.  The American hard rock quartet has toured British and European festivals and clubs frequently in the past few years [more…]

Nova Riot Interview  By Lily O’Delia  Nova Riot is an Oklahoma and Texas duo that blends pop hooks, nu metal  synths, and horror spectacle into what they call “bubblegum alternative metal,” and their debut album, Blood, Lies & Lullabies, wastes no time proving it. From the first track, it swings between melody and menace without [more…]

By Lily O’Delia  Multi-instrumentalist Marco Marroni of Eileen Noise has spent most of his life making music. He picked up the bass growing up and never looked back. He spent years in the bands Harshine and Noise Shelter perfecting his craft. Eileen Noise gave him the chance to do something different. He [more…]

By Justin Smulison Masterplan’s maestro Roland Grapow has solidified his reputation as one of the standard bearers of melodic metal for decades. Following his departure from Helloween in 2002, Grapow and former drummer Uli Kusch formed Masterplan, and released their self-titled debut in 2003 with Jorn Lande on vocals. Since then, Grapow [more…]

By Justin Smulison Instrumental music has always relied on its ability to tell stories without words, and Portuguese guitarist Márcio Teixeira is embracing that challenge with Gæa, the latest release from his trio, 7Keys, which is now available from WormHoleDeath Records. Built around soaring melodies, technical precision and cinematic songwriting, the album [more…]

By Justin Smulison It is always a huge rush for me to speak with iconic metal singer, John Bush of Armored Saint (and Category 7). I’ve been listening to him since his time with Anthrax in 1993 and the man constantly delivers both in terms of vocal range and lyrical prowess. And [more…]

Interview BY SMUDGE SMITH There is an old, unwritten rule in the archives of Swedish heavy metal: when the foundations are built on decades of shared history, the resulting explosion is bound to shake the bedrock. To sit down with guitarists Andy and Pete of Lex Legion is to step into a masterclass of [more…]

By Justin Smulison I was so delighted to see that Chris Black of the US high-energy rock band High Spirits had joined German heavy rock outfit Midnight Rider. I was a fan of the latter as well, having loved their third LP, Beyond the Blood Red Horizon, and the band’s founder, Blumi, who [more…]

By Lily O’Delia  Dark pop artist EMM, performing under the moniker BLACK DIAMOND, creates music that directly confronts religious conditioning, systemic patriarchy, and the music industry itself. Raised in a far-right evangelical environment in Traverse City, Michigan, prior to moving to NYC, her work serves as a sonic rejection of purity culture and [more…]

By Justin Smulison Crimson Glory, one of the heralded champions of progressive metal, has returned with their first studio LP in 28 years! Released by Bravewords Records, Chasing the Hydra is comprised of nine epic, polished tracks that are reminiscent of the band’s classic, Transcendance, while also finding ways to break new [more…]