Reviews

Metal band The Lightbringer of Sweden teams up with German vocalist Herbie Langhans, of Avantasia and Firewind fame, to create a fab 1980s metal-influenced album.

The seasoned gentlemen in Deep Purple are still at it. Their new Bob Ezrin-produced album “Whoosh!” is a solid album of grown-up bluesy rock but with some nuanced twists and turns.

Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea have reunited in a fab new line-up of Alcatrazz. “Born Innocent”, the band’s first studio album since 1986, is a rather exquisite album of melodic hard rock.

Sweden’s Band of Brothers offers us catchy and radio-friendly melodic rock on its new single.

Dusty Swedish rockers Electric Feel Good are back and they have a new full-length studio album in their backpack. Let’s have a barbeque because this is smoky meat-and-beers music.

Greek guitar wizard Gus G makes a fresh start with a splendid new Firewind album.

Sweden’s Camp Marshy is back with a punky party-rock EP. I love the simplicity and catchiness of this band.

Sweden’s Naglfar combines fierce black metal with melodic death metal touches on “Cerecloth”, its first studio album in eight years.

Sweden’s Chugger is back with a new album filled with groovy extreme metal.

Tuomas Holopainen and Nightwish are back with a splendid new double album. On “Human. :||: Nature.” the band continues on a journey further away from its metal roots.

Yes! The Bay Area heroes in Testament are back with an album that oozes uncompromising old-school thrash metal.

German melodic hard rock band Bonfire is back with a new studio album filled with 1980s-inspired music with riff-happy guitars, plenty of keyboards and great melodies.

Swedish doom masters Candlemass return with an EP of unused tracks from the band’s “The Door to Doom” recording sessions. It is doomy awesomeness.