Author: Steve Earles
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Christopher Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015): An Appreciation
It is very sad for me to write this obituary. Christopher Lee was, and still is, one of my great heroes, and his passing has left the world emptier than he found it. But Lee achieved much in his long, well-lived life. His career as a performer spanned almost 70 years (!), encompassing everything from…
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Mad Max: Fury Road – a Hellbound movie review
I knew from seeing the trailers for Mad Max: Fury Road that it was going to be astonishing, but honestly unless you actually see this nitro-injected, mad slice of celluloid majesty in all its three-dimensional glory in the cinema, you are denying yourself two of the best hours of your life. It truly is that…
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May Metal Madness In Limerick!
Planning to be in Limerick this month? Here are a few events to look out for, courtesy of our Irish correspondent… May brings no less than three metal gigs to the famous Dolans venue in Limerick City: Negura Bunget on Friday 8th of May at 8.00pm (tickets 12 Euros). Then… On the 16th of May, Bad Reputation…
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John Carpenter – Lost Themes
There can’t be many metal fans that don’t love the Panavision glory of John Carpenter’s films. The mere mention of the name of John Carpenter makes certain images jump into my mind… Snake Plissken walking through a darkened Manhattan converted into a prison, on an almost impossible quest, in Escape From New York. Vengeful lepers returning…
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Elderoth – Mystic
Elderoth are the brainchild of a certain Collin McGee, and his singular vision has produced a unique metal sound. Many years ago, the great Ritchie Blackmore said a wise thing (this was around the time of the release of the ground-breaking Rainbow Rising album): this was that so few guitarists had taken inspiration from Middle…
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id. – Sagittarius A
If this EP is anything to go by, a full-length album from id. will be an intriguing prospect. The band are indeed masters of their respective instruments and their song-writing is strong. Musically, they are very reminiscent of Opeth on ‘The Greatest Secret Never Told’. ‘Humanity’s Cry’ has a very quirky individual sound, and points…
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Love Becomes A Funeral Pyre: A Biography of The Doors
Book by Mick Wall Published by Orion There can be no doubting the influence of The Doors on our beloved genre of heavy metal. Danzig’s first four albums (i.e The good ones!) are highly influenced by The Doors and thus brilliant (for proof, compare any of these four albums with the vile industrial influenced fifth…
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Callisto – Secret Youth
Sincere and heartfelt, this is not an album for the casual listener; rather it is for the music lover who is prepared to give the music time to plant roots in the mind and appreciate all its nuances. While Callisto are good song-writers, I found this album works best listened to as an organic whole. It…
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Hawk Eyes – Everything Is Fine
I’ve reviewed a lot of albums in my time, and inevitably so many of them have to include lines like ‘sounds like such and such a band’; it’s inevitable. But in the case of Hawk Eyes, I’m happy to report they sound like themselves, which is as it should be. Musically, the band are adroit,…
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Them County Bastardz – Sick Daze
Once upon a time, metal was actually fun, no really. And the splendidly named Them County Bastardz harken back to that era. What you got here are some seriously well-written riff-based tracks (crushing riffs, real’ wall of sound’ stuff) in the vein of Black Label Society and Pantera circa Cowboys From Hell. There’s also something…