Category: All Exclusive

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Who says classic metal is dead in America? This year we’ve had more than a few albums from American bands offering traditional metal. Here’s Invasion from New Jersey’s Fiakra, signed to Pure Underground Records, an imprint of Germany’s Pure Steel Records.

By way of clarity, Invasion is the first album under this moniker. The band was formerly known as Hexen, releasing one album, Dark Crucible, an EP, and a demo. They changed their name since there was a Hexen already established in California. ‘Fiakra,’ they say, is a variation for ‘raven’ in ancient Gaelic.

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On the heels of last years long-player, The Second Time Around, singer songwriter Tony Desimone offers an EP of five songs, As We Go ‘Round the Sun. I almost took a pass on the EP until I noticed he was covering one of my favorite Elvi songs, Suspicious Minds. More on this in a moment.

The other four songs are original to Desimone. The offer his traditional excellent lyricism and easy light melodic rock sound. The title track is lighter fare. The Rapture and The Line on My Horizon more electric, with great female vocal accompaniment. Of the originals here, the former is likely my favorite track. U & I has some odd vocal intonation from Desimone.

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German heavy metallers WIZARD will release their 14-track digital compilation, Taste Of Wizard, on August 3rd via Massacre Records. The compilation will be available for a special price on iTunes, Amazon, Musicload and other digital music stores.

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Progressive Metal aggressive, decisive and sharp sounds and melodies well delineated. And ‘the sound of Metaphysics, influenced by ’90s prog metal and prog rock of the ’70s and ’80s.The album sees Andrea De Paoli of the Labyrinth as a special guest on keyboards.

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Gorgeous guitar with new material, exclusive as usual

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This 7 track CD is very unique because it contains 6 songs never heard before. The band intended on recording them in the studio later for a new album but broke up instead. This album documents just how ass kicking Vamp Le Stat was live. Includes a live version of “She’s Not In Love”

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Power metal would not exist if it wasn’t for the beautiful touch of the keyboard and a band who definitely embraces this instrument into their line-up are the amazing Leeds based symphonic power metal band Dreamcatcher. Concentrating their sound around computer generated noises, these power metal prodigies have released one of the finest debut power metal albums, and the best bit is that they are British. Dreamcatcher are flying the flag nice and high for British heavy metal, and their astounding debut album Soul Design is a must have in any power metal fanatics collection. Let loose the high pitched vocals, release the shredding guitar lines and last but no means least…… CRANK UP THE KEYBOARDS!

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For me, there are two types of great guitarists. Those I would classify in the category of technicians. Real pros of the six strings (or 12 …) that have a technical unstoppable. And then there are very large, you know, those who flirt with genius. And Cyril is LEPIZZERA thereof. The difference? The first play masterfully, but the compositions are often displays of pure technique. Do you remember “the man who plays faster than his shadow”? The latter have the same qualities guitaristic but they put their technology for a brilliant inspiration.
The sound is powerful, clear and always emotionally charged. Like what the guitar heroes are not just demonstrations which, apart from their pedagogical virtues quite razors, if I may … Cyril LEPIZZERA offers us an enchanting journey through the maze of his inspiration, always bright, despite a title of album that would not disgrace a CD of Death Metal … No, the metal of the Marseille artist is pure, bright and straight as a blade.

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Homicide Black’s debut CD arrived with a business card slipped under the plastic shrink wrap. Nothing unusual about that, I thought. Then I looked a little closer. Underneath band name there’s a statement, ‘Salvation for an ailing metal world.’ Really? That’s a bold statement from this Pittsburgh power trio.

One clue to Homicide Black’s influences and sound comes from the one cover song on the album, Black Sabbath’s Fairies Were Boots. I always liked the song and the band does a decent job with it. This debut follows in that vein of traditional heavy metal, sometimes with touch of doom metal.

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NIGEL DUPREE – son of JACKYL frontman Jesse James Dupree – will release his new album, Up To No Good.

In live news, catch The Nigel Dupree Band featuring Nigel on vocals and guitar, Alex Foretich on bass, David Buchanan on guitar, and Sebastian Anderson on drums at the following shows: