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Album of the Week 51-2025: Stratuz – Osculum Pacis
Being one of the first extreme metal bands in Venezuela would have been enough to cement Stratuz’ legacy. A testament to their artistry is the fact that they kept evolving. Granted, there were nearly twenty-two years between ‘Osculum Pacis‘ and its direct predecessor ‘Spirit Seduction‘, and such a long time…
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Interview Joad Manuel Jiménez (Sexto Sonar, Arkangel, Centurion): Finding Magic in Music
Joad Manuel Jiménez possesses one of the strongest voices in the South American metal scene, and he has sung with the likes of progressive metal titans Sexto Sonar and heavy metal pioneers Arkangel. Jiménez looks back on his development from a young, rock-loving kid to the expressive frontman of multiple…
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Interview Alejandro Londoño Montoya (Cultura Tres, Agresión, Epitafio): Always Trying to Get Better
Though born in Colombia, Alejandro Londoño Montoya was an important part of the Venezuelan rock and metal scene with death/thrashers Epitafio and rap-metallers Agrésion. For the last two decades, however, his main focus has been his sludge/doom metal band Cultura Tres, which is a little more international in character. “Cultura…
Latest Interviews
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Interview Dani Löble (Helloween): “I Have Never Drummed as Much as for This Album”
Swiss drummer Dani Löble has been the engine of Helloween for the past twenty years. Hearing him talk about the recordings of ‘Giants & Monsters’ gives the impression of a veritable playground for him as a drummer, and it has become the most elaborate drum recording of his career. “For…
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Interview Markus Grosskopf (Helloween): The Pulse and the Heartbeat
Bassist Markus Grosskopf is one of only two members who has survived all the member shake-ups Helloween has endured through the years. Through the years, Grosskopf has developed from a melodically strong bassist with a great stage presence to a surprisingly prolific songwriter. And although the regular edition of ‘Giants…
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Interview Rick Bouwman (Martyr): Full of Creativity
‘Dark Believer’ finds Dutch heavy metal veterans Martyr at an impressive peak, forty years after the release of their debut album ‘For the Universe’. Founding guitarist Rick Bouwman gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of the band, the influence that Japanese metal had on Martyr’s music, and the…
Latest Reviews
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Album of the Week 21-2025: Inglorious – V
Like so many Frontiers bands, Inglorious is built around a fantastic singer, in this case Nathan James, whose fantastic hard rock voice I personally discovered when he was elevating old Scorpions songs in Uli Jon Roth’s band about a decade ago. When they announced a hiatus after the departure of…
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Album of the Week 20-2025: Cryptosis – Celestial Death
Four years ago, Cryptosis’ debut album ‘Bionic Swarm‘ completely blew me away. The sci-fi inspired thrash metal with prominent symphonic elements of the Dutch trio sounded unlike anything I had ever heard before, making it breath of fresh air that a scene full of Voivod and Vektor soundalikes needed. The…
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Album of the Week 19-2025: Hedvig Mollestad Trio – Bees in the Bonnet
Hardrockers trying to get into jazz in the twenty-first century should go straight to the music of Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen. In my opinion, no one is more proficient at blending the raw power and compositional backbone of rock music with the harmonic richness and adventurous chord work of…
Kevy Metal 