Stryper Throne of Thorns Label: Frontiers Score: 4 ½ / 5 Throne of Thorns is Stryper’s 18th album, and right off the bat, this album delivers: a hammering drum roll and a tight rhythm guitar track, led with distinctive vocals, followed by those harmony vocal lines, and a sense of lived experience lyricism from front man and guitarist
English punk rock band The Damned set a template for many bands to follow. Their ability to entertain and deliver raw, energetic music that crossed genres soon set them on a path to success. Following a recent tour here, and subsequent dates at large venues throughout the world, their return tour of New Zealand and the East Coast of Australia is coined ‘Final Damnation 50’. Fan can expect to hear two set lists, cramming in as many songs from their vast discography as stage time allows.
Shred Fest is nearly upon us, and this year’s edition will see the combined co-headlining of Germany’s technical death metal masters Obscura, with American progressive death metal band Fallujah. Both bands will be providing performances littered with sure to be classics from their most recent Nuclear Blast albums, A Sonication, and Xenotaph, respectively. Joining them on their travels are local bands, Ashen and Anoxia. The show will offer a variety of extreme metal sub-genres, but all involving dedicated musicianship. We caught up with Fallujah front man Kyle Schaefer on the upcoming tour which see them eagerly returning to our shores.
Enmore Theatre, Sydney Friday the 10th of July. Co-headline tours can be tricky but with this 2023 tried and tested double bill of English extreme metal band Cradle of Filth teaming up with pummeling American metal band DevilDriver, Australian audiences were in for a unique blend of metal sub-genres. Both bands have toured our fine land several times,
The impact of Tom Waits’ music across a variety of music genres is difficult to quantify. However, there is no doubt that his ongoing legacy is ingrained in many an artist’s works, be it subliminally, or directly. Many of his notable songs have attained a wider audience, whilst other songs delve in the darker underbelly of the underground music scene. Regardless, his signature raspy vocal delivery is unmistakable.
American progressive metalcore band, Born of Osiris, first rose to prominence in their scene with their debut full album, A Higher Place in 2009. But it was their technically precise 2011 release, The Discovery which aptly described their impact on progressive metalcore. Born of Osiris were last here around six years ago, so on their long-awaited return tour, their fifteenth anniversary of The Discovery will also include deathcore heavy hitters, Signs of the Swarm, along for the ride to wallop audiences into submission. We recently caught up with Born of Osiris drummer and co-founding member Cameron Losch from his home studio to discuss the coming tour, and the legacy of his impressive band.
Finnish heavy metal band, Battle Beast, have been making quite a noise on the international stage, with a steadily growing fanbase, and have created a concise, well produced back catalogue over the last decade and a half. Now, with a new singer, Marina La Torraca, in their ranks, shortly after the release of their well-received latest album, Steelbound, they are about to make their debut tour to our shores. We caught up with long serving bassist, backing vocalist and co-songwriter, Eero Sipilä to discuss the new line-up and the upcoming tour.
American progressive metal band Dream Theater’s legacy is not just built on absurdly incredible musicianship, but on their ability to carry a melody amongst the benchmark setting virtuosity. Having previously graced our shores with and without notable drumming legend, Mike Portnoy, the core writer behind the unofficial “Twelve Step Suite” of songs dealing with addiction, which span across various earlier albums as definitive highlights, Dream Theater reunited was celebrating their vast discography with a 40th anniversary tour.
Musical leaders these days are few and far between but based English songwriter and producer Steven Wilson’s prolific contribution to the musical landscape is not just noteworthy, it is a rare example of artistic integrity. His latest studio venture as a solo artist, The Overview, is unique, and offers a wealth of sonic experiences for the dedicated listener. It is an album to experience with headphones and the themes explored here are presented as two multi-part progressive rock suites, that neatly fit onto either side of the vinyl format.
Possessed emerged from a time in music when a stylistic approach that embraced extreme speed and aggression was well beyond the generally accepted genre bounds of music consumption. The impact was immediate, from the young band, who arguably inadvertently launched an entire genre within metal, known as death metal. Their debut album, Seven Churches remains a landmark measuring stick within metal circles, and they were certainly noticed on various tours with Bay Area Thrash Metal bands who put a definitive stamp on a worldwide genre that continues to flourish today, in various mutations.