BAND VARIOUS ALBUM WINDS OF TIME - THE NEW WAVE OF BRITISH HEAVY METAL 1979-1985 LABEL CHERRY RED OUT 2018 - June 29th OUR RATING 90/100 I'm honest..usually I don't like compilations but in this case I have a different opinion. Cherry Red was able to made a fancy box of three cd, enriched by a 20 pages- colour booklet, where we can find several uncommon "underground" names as LAUTREC, RACE AGAINST TIME, HERITAGE, COLOSSUS and not "same old songs" for most famous bands. This s

BAND SATAN'S EMPIRE ALBUM RISING LABEL 3MS MUSIC OUT 2018 - June 22nd OUR RATING 85/100 One year ago on our pages (https://www.hardrockheavymetal.info/single-post/2017/05/11/SATANS-EMPIRE), we were just talking to SATAN'S EMPIRE, NWOBHM underground cult heroes, about new album RISING..and now it's time to listening to it! Available now on cd (and next on vinyl) via 3MS MUSIC, RISING is a brilliant album! They start with a kick in the teeth as SLAVES OF SATAN, an anthem so dir

BAND TRAITORS GATE ALBUM FALLEN LABEL NO REMORSE RECORDS OUT 2018 - May 25th OUR RATING 87/100 After the appetizer ONLY THE STRONG, the EP of the last year that signed the return of another great cult NWOBHM name, TRAITORS GATE are ready now with a new full-length called FALLEN, available for a few days via NO REMORSE RECORDS. This new platter is composed by ten songs, of which five are taken from abovementioned ONLY THE STRONG and five are really new. Firstly we can say tha

BAND OMEN (UK) ALBUM DRAGON FLIGHT LABEL OBSCURE NWOBHM RELEASES OUT 2018 OUR RATING 80/100 We're honest: among other cult NWOBHM names, we didn't know this band, only homonimus of better known US epic metal band. But looking down members we can find a young WILL PHILPOT, guitarist of MILLENIUM and MICK THOMPSON, known as bass player of BLACK ROSE. The band, formed in 1981, played live regularly, supporting, among others, BLACK ROSE. Only one demo was recorded during these ti

BAND PRAYING MANTIS ALBUM GRAVITY LABEL FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL OUT 2018 - May 11th OUR RATING 83/100 With GRAVITY PRAYING MANTIS return with a new great platter. A fancy album, in the best tradition of the band, born in NWOBHM movement, but surely closer to melodic hard rock. GRAVITY is the smart follow up of LEGACY, the previous job, once again through FRONTIERS MUSIC. The feeling listening to this album is happyness, self-confidence and tasteful elegance. This line up, enhan

BAND MYTHRA WHERE LIVE IN LONDON - FROST AND FIRE FESTIVAL - The Black Heart WHEN 2018 - May 11th "Farewell to the mighty Vince High. He became the Face of Mythra in 1978 and will be greatly missed. Our last gig with Vince was on 11th May 2018 - 40 years of history. Good luck brother you are always in our hearts" (From band's FB) (Pics @Hardrockheavymetal) #nwobhm #MYTHRA

BAND BLITZKRIEG ALBUM JUDGE NOT OUT 2018 (APRIL 27th) LABEL TARGET OUR RATING 84/100 BLITZKRIEG, the classic NWOBHM of iconic singer BRIAN ROSS, also vocalist of other legends as SATAN, are back with a new platter called JUDGE OR NOT, out through danish label TARGET GROUP. LET'S START FROM THE END: A SMART COMEBACK, FRESH AND WELL PRODUCED! ANOTHER RIGHT SHOT IN THE HISTORY OF THE BAND!! After the intro called HERETIC, this album starts with WHO IS BLIND, with its strong riff

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal Rich Rutter, vocalist of TOLEDO STEEL! Welcome!! Hi there! 💿 Can you tell us something about your early days? Which bands have influenced you and what’s the matter of your moniker? Prior to forming the band, myself and Matt Dobson obviously already big fans of rock and heavy metal and our influences were already pretty broad within the genre. The big name bands of the 70’s and 80’s like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, D

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal ROB TIDD of BASHFUL ALLEY! Welcome!! Thank you! It’s a pleasure to hear from you, too! 💿 Can you tell us somethin’about your early days of your career? When is this all begun? Which bands have influenced you and What’s the matter of your moniker? It all began at Lancaster University, in the North-West of England, in about 1980. That’s where I met bassist Truff and we decided to form a band. I wasn’t doing the voca

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal ADRIAN JENKINSON and SIMON SAXBY! Welcome! Thank you very much for having us! 💿 On 23rd February 2018, when new album of SALEM, well-known NWOBHM band, was out, SIMON SAXBY and ADRIAN JENKINSON, singer and bass player, were sacked from the band, through a letter from other three members.. A real thunderbolt..Without going into the details (we imagine that there may be legal issue) can you tell us what’s happened? It

BAND SALEM ALBUM ATTRITION OUT 2018 (Feb 23rd) LABEL DISSONANCE PRODUCTIONS OUT 86/100 After 2 year from the well-received DARK DAYS, SALEM return with a new platter called ATTRITION. Starting from the amazing cover, we can find a fancy album, able to make us happy from the first notes; the usual high class music of Salem enhanced by a well-groomed production, in addition to all songs, within which we can't find degrees of intensity. This platter starts with the title track,

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal VIIXEN, new singer of THUNDERSTICK! Welcome! Hi there, it’s a pleasure to be here! 💿 Can you tell us somethin’about your early days of your passion for music? When is this all begun? Which bands have influenced you? I grew up in the 1980’s in the small Shropshire town of Ludlow. I was quite isolated from Hard Rock and Metal; it didn’t get to Ludlow until I was much older. The first album I owned was Kate Bush on cas

BAND SAXON ALBUM THUNDERBOLT OUT 2018 (Feb 2nd) LABEL SILVER LINING MUSIC OUR RATING 91/100 Let's start from the end: Another masterpiece in the amazing history of SAXON!! Produced by the magic touch of ANDY SNEAP, THUNDERBOLT has no fillers and keeps highest the attention of the listeners from OLYMPUS RISING to ROADIE'S SONG! OLYMPUS RISING is the classic instrumental intro, right to building the right environment, before the title track, well known as first single of the pl

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal DAVE WILKINSON, founding member of iconic NWOBHM band SPARTAN WARRIOR ! Welcome! DW: Hi, thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be able to speak to you guys. 💿 Can you tell us something about the early days of the band? When is this all began? DW: Sure. I joined a band called Deceiver in the late summer of 1979. I was 17. Deceiver played some or their own songs which were quite blues based with a lot of Blac

BAND SPARTAN WARRIOR ALBUM HELL TO PAY LABEL PURE STEEL RECORDS RELEASE 2018 (Feb 23rd) OUR RATING 86/100 SPARTAN WARRIOR, another top signing at Pure Steel, are one of the best band born in NWOBHM movement. The debut album “Steel n‘ Chains“ and their self-titled second album, released during 1983 and 1984,  were full-lenght of great quality well known from all classic metal fans. In 2009 the band reunited and released the “Behind Closed Eyes”, all the same with the ban

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal DAVID COOKE of NWOBHM cult band ROBESPIERRE! Welcome! Great to be here. We are flattered that people are so interested in us after all these years in obscurity. 💿 Can you tell us about the early days of the band? When is this all begun? And what kind of bands have influenced you? Gordon and I were in other bands in Liverpool – all of a rock/punk/metal nature – before we got together in a band called One On One. We s

BAND TRESPASS ALBUM FOOTPRINTS IN THE ROCK OUT 2018 (JAN 12nd) LABEL MIGHTY MUSIC OUR RATING 87/100 For a few days is out the new album by TRESPASS, another underrated band born in in NWOBHM movement, via MIGHTY MUSIC, label of danish TARGET GROUP. This well-done job starts with ‘Momentum’, the first single that begins with a catchy drum intro that keeps that beat throughout riffs and rumbling power chords that make it a nice start. Thin Lizzy's twin guitar lines are clear th

BAND THUNDERSTICK ALBUM SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES OUT 2017 LABEL SELF RELEASE OUR RATING 85/100 Barry Graham Purkis a.k.a. THUNDERSTICK is a legendary name for all our many NWOBHM fans. Early days of IRON MAIDEN, SAMSON, the iconic mask..everything was written about it. But THUNDERSTICK is also a band with a new album smart and brilliant out! This album is able to mix their roots with today and next! It starts with DARK NIGHT/BLACK LIGHT and it feels all right! A throbb

💿 Hi, it’s a pleasure for us to have on Hardrockheavymetal Paul Macnamara, guitarist of iconic NWOBHM band SALEM! Welcome! Hi Giovanni. Great to talk with you! 💿 We’re in waitin’ for your return with a new album called “ATTRITION”, out from February 23rd. Can you tell us somethin’ about this platter and its composition process? What should we expect in terms of sound? “Attrition” has overall, a slighter harder and darker edge. As with our previous albums, there are a vari

Our readers know that we don't love charts and scores, so we want simply talk about of some best news in NWOTHM's scene throughout this ending year, with the certainty of forgetting somebody or somethin. .and we apoligize for this!. The new names in traditional metal's world are several, clear sign of vitality of whole movement. We begin from Europe and, particularly, from SWEDEN with a lot of acknowledgements as AIR RAID, in best shape with ACROSS THE LINE, RAM with ROD saga