Slayer left a big hole in the metal world with their break-up in 2019. But guitarist Kerry King knew that it wasn't the end for him.
From Hell I Rise is the debut album under the Kerry King banner and features other well-known musicians besides King. Its contributors include Mark Osegueda of Death Angel on vocals, former Vio-lence and Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel, Hellyeah bassist Kyle Sanders, and Slayer and former Testament, Forbidden and Exodus drummer Paul Bostaph.

Positively intense and powerful music showing off Devin Townsend's aggressive guitar, skills at production and mixing, and perhaps his most up- front vocal performance ever. Despite the overall excellent sound of the album, it lacks the unpredictability in songwriting of Devin's most popular releases, which might make it come across as deceptively simple; after all, there are some big hooks and sing-along melodies throughout this album - which may actually make it the most accessible offering in DT's entire library. However, after a few careful listens it will be evident to fans that "Accelerated Evolution" has Townsend's mighty signature all over it, and there isn't anything simple going on here (scream along if you can!). Recommend to those interested in exploring Devin Townsend's music for the first time - it is easy to listen to and will more than likely hook you to this very talented musician's unique sound.

Aaron Randall advises his listeners to prepare for attack, but by then the battle has already commenced, as guitarists Jeff Waters and Goldberg roll out the usual power chords and the rhythm section of Wayne Darley and Mike Mangini piledrive every beat. Annihilator bring a certain efficiency to garden-variety speed metal, never wasting time, which, in a genre defined by excess, gives them a certain elegance.

An album title that fits perfectly in two respects: "Silver Romance" is the name of the latest release by southern German melodic power metal act Freedom Call. The moniker not only stands for the band’s 25th anniversary - referred to by singer/guitarist and band founder Chris Bay tongue-in-cheek as "our silver wedding anniversary" - but also applies to the content of the recording.

Strapping Young Lad's guitarist leader embarked on a solo career with the enigmatic "Ocean Machine", an album of encompassing, thrilling atmospheres in which pop, metal, progressive metal, trash and nuances of electronic blended together in a very balanced way. This atmosphere somewhat recreated the best from the 80's decade: from the mainstream heavy metal scene to the dark atmospheres of The Cure or the frantic energy of Queen. To his virtuous and somewhat prolific guitar work in the vein of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani, Devin Towsend added his inspired gift for creating remarkable melodies and outstanding choruses, while his dynamic voice and obtuse lyrics gave the album the necessary melodic profoundness…

Annihilator's brand of technical, thinking man's thrash metal garnered many fans with this fine debut, arguably the best release of the band's career. A brief acoustic guitar piece called "Crystal Ann" introduces the excellent title track: a psychological murder thriller supposedly based on a disturbed young girl's true story. Leader Jeff Waters takes himself a little too seriously at times (see the Edgar Allan Poe-influenced "Ligeia" and his ridiculously erudite commentary on each song's lyrics), but he is equally prone to refreshing flashes of humor on "Word Salad" and "Schizos Are Never Alone." The spectacularly named Randy Rampage proves himself to be a versatile vocalist on "Wicked Mystic" and "Burns Like a Buzzsaw Blade" (seriously). The careening closer "Human Insecticide" is magnificent for its sheer speed.

In 1989 big line-up changes occurred within Dio. Guitarist Craig Goldy was replaced by 19-year-old Rowan Robertson; keyboardist Clive Schnell - in the group since 1983 – gave way to Jens Johannsen; founding bassist Jimmy Bain left and the role was filled by Teddy Cook; and most surprising of all, Ronnie’s old mate from Black Sabbath, VinNy Appice, went, with former AC/DC drummer Simon Wright filling his shoes. But, after a brief Sabbath re-union in 1993, which saw the album Dehumaniser released, Appice came back, alongside more new members: guitarist Tracy G, keyboardist Scott Warren of Warrant and bassist Jeff Pilson of Dokken. During this era, the band abandoned fantasy themed songs and focused on modern issues As a result, some fans regard the albums made during this period – notably 1993's Strange Highways - as somewhat lacking, while the majority view them positively, as a step away from the outdated sound of the 1980s. While out touring and promoting Strange Highways, Dio performed at The Edge in Palo Alto, California on October 2nd, 1994. Putting on a solid and hugely enjoyable show, the entire event was recorded for live radio broadcast along the West Coast.

Although the two aren't musically alike, Neil Young and Devin Townsend follow a similar approach to making music. Young uses his hard-rocking band Crazy Horse to recharge his batteries, so that he can go off and pursue other musical areas of interest as a solo artist. And Townsend has the same setup - returning time and time again back to "the band thing" (heavy metallists Strapping Young Lad) before tackling other styles as a solo artist. While Townsend's 2006 solo outing Synchestra does let quite a few headbanging elements slip through the metal detectors, Townsend's quirkiness continues to bubble to the surface throughout. Since Townsend first broke on the scene as a member of Steve Vai's band (1993's Sex & Religion), it's understandable that a few obviously Vai-ish bits should be detected, such as the track "Babysong"…

Death metal legends Deicide mark their devilish return with their new album, Banished by Sin, through Reigning Phoenix Music. Provacateurs by trade and dominant by nature, the Floridians, featuring founders Glen Benton (bass/lead vocals) and Steve Asheim (drums), as well as notables Kevin Quirion (guitars) and Taylor Nordberg (guitars), have yet again uncompromisingly splayed and slayed the genre's holy trinity of brutality, intensity, and aggression for the world to witness. Just as classic cuts like "Sacrificial Suicide" (Deicide), "Once Upon the Cross" (Once Upon the Cross), and "Homage for Satan" (The Stench of Redemption) elevated the firebrands to death's metal's apex, new songs "Bury The Cross…With Your Christ," "From Unknown Heights You Shall Fall," and "Sever the Tongue" usher in a new chapter in Deicide's storied, 35-year legacy.

"Infamous metal pirates Alestorm return with another batch of mischief on their new EP, entitled Voyage of the Dead Marauder, out March 22, 2023 via Napalm Records. The EP arrives as the successor to their epic seventh studio album, Seventh Run of a Seventh Rum, which peaked at #7 on the German Album charts and #5 on both the US Current Hard Music and Top New Artist Albums charts. Once more, Alestorm collaborated with producer Lasse Lammert (LSD-Studios), who produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the new EP and is known for his work with fellow genre greats Gloryhammer and Wind Rose…

"King of the Kill" is the 4th full-length studio album by Canadian thrash/heavy metal act Annihilator. The material on the album is a combination of thrash metal riffs and rhythms and traditional heavy metal elements such as anthemic hooks and hard rock/blues influenced riffs and guitar solos. The album also features a couple of more melodic oriented tracks with non-distorted guitars. The song structures are generally a bit formulaic vers/chorus based and while that works pretty well on the most memorable tracks, it doesn´t work as well on the least remarkable tracks. If the hooks aren´t strong enough a formulaic song structure can often feel a bit tedious. The overall quality of the material is decent enough though, and "King of the Kill" is an album which is relatively enjoyable while it plays…

Iron Maiden Known for such powerful hits as "Run to the Hills, "Two Minutes to Midnight," and "The Trooper," and landmark albums like Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind, Powerslave, and Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Iron Maiden are one of heavy metal's most prolific and influential bands. They're also one of metal's most enduring and distinctive acts, thanks to their dual-lead guitar melodies, ambitious songwriting, powerhouse vocalist Bruce Dickinson, and iconic mascot Eddie. One of the first groups to be classified as "British metal," Iron Maiden helped set the table for the hard rock/heavy metal scene of the '80s and inspired generations of subsequent bands, including Metallica, Dream Theater, Slipknot, In Flames, and Avenged Sevenfold.

Marilyn Manson American rock band which has gained notoriety for its extraordinary and outrageous contents, performance and media exposure.Originally formed as Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids in 1989 in Florida, USA. It is commonly considered to be active as a solo project since 2007.

Humanoid is the seventeenth studio album by German heavy metal band Accept, released on 26 April 2024. It is the band's first studio album on Napalm Records, with whom Accept had signed with in February 2022, and also marks the first time since 2017's The Rise of Chaos that they had recorded as a five-piece band rather than a six-piece. Humanoid has received positive reviews from critics. Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net gave the album a rating of seven-and-a-half out of ten, writing, "For those who enjoyed the previous five, there is absolutely nothing here that fails to live up to expectations.

As far as tribute albums go, this homage to seminal Canadian rockers Rush is hard to beat. For one thing, Magna Carta has made an inspired decision to have each song recorded by an all-star lineup rather than letting one band handle all the chores (with one exception - Fates Warning get sole credit for "Closer to the Heart"). Often projects of this magnitude are doomed to failure from the start as a result of inadequate rehearsing, a shoestring budget, and sometimes a lack of talent capable of handling the songs with the respect they deserve. Working Man is a rare instance of everything going right. Terry Brown has done an incredible mixing job considering nearly all of the songs were recorded in different studios. The musicianship rivals the original versions - occasionally besting them, particularly where the vocals are concerned…