Interviews · January 07, 2020
Last year, November, was the two year anniversary of my first interview with Anette Olzon, vocalist of duo project The Dark Element. On November 10 I got to interview Anette again, this time about The Dark Element’s sophomore album ‘’Songs The Night Sings’’.
Album Reviews · January 07, 2020
After releasing two well received EP – “Scarlet Stories” (2013) and “Resurrection” (2015) –, and appearing at a number of festivals, Dutch progressive metal band Scarlet Stories have independently released their debut album “Necrologies” this September. What started out as mainly an acoustic project by guitarist Bram te Kamp and vocalist Lisette van den Berg, who created melancholic songs heavily influenced by progressive metal, in time Scarlet Stories...
Urgent · January 01, 2020
A small update for everyone that has asked us to review their music in 2019.
Album Reviews · December 11, 2019
Nightwish are master storytellers. If that wasn’t obvious enough with their latest albums and concerts, then “Decades: Live in Buenos Aires” will put any doubts to rest. Their newest release with powerhouse vocalist Floor Jansen and drummer Kai Hahto was filmed on September 30 while on their tour through South America and it is meant to show not necessarily the best of Nightwish, but definitely the quintessential Nightwish songs, those songs that have defined the band at various points in...
Portraits · November 20, 2019
Black Prince. Or in Finnish – Musta Prinssi. That is how guitarist Esa Pulliainen described Ville Valo when the collaborative tour across Finland between Ville and iconic Finnish rock band Agents was announced in October 2018. And considering not only his clothing choices along the years, but also the music he created with love metal band HIM, and his inherent elegance and style, this description fits Ville Valo perfectly.
Album Reviews · November 20, 2019
Our journey through time with Ex Libris is almost over, from England's monarch Anne Boleyn, to the daughter of the last Russian Tsar, Anastasia Romanov, we now travel with the band who now takes us to the 1940s during the period of World War II, where we'll here the story of Anne Frank, famously known for her diary that records her days of hiding from the Nazi Germans in their attic apartment in Amsterdam.
Album Reviews · November 11, 2019
Boosted by the success of their 2017 debut, ‘’Letters To Myself’’, Swedish bashers CyHra are using that momentum and pushing forward with a new album, ‘’No Halos In Hell’’, and Nuclear Blast fully behind them. Founded by vocalist Jake E and guitarist Jesper Strömblad, CyHra has gone from being reminiscent of the duo's former bands to having an identity all its own. In fact, ‘’No Halos In Hell’’ is one of those rare albums that defies being placed neatly in a boxed-up metal genre coming...
Album Reviews · November 11, 2019
Polish heavy metal outfit Crystal Viper, founded and led by guitarist and composer Marta Gabriel, are preparing to release their new album “Tales of Fire and Ice” on November 22, via AFM Records. Regular touring and festival appearances in more than 15 countries, 7 studio albums, and a bunch of singles and EP releases the band did since 2007, established their position, and made them known as one of the most hard working and most determined bands of their generation.
Album Reviews · November 11, 2019
This year symphonic metal icon Epica have celebrated 10 years since the release of their seminal record “Design your Universe” with the release of a remixed and remastered version of the album (by none other than Joost van den Broek) under the moniker “Design your Universe (Gold Edition)”, as well as the bonus EP “The Acoustic Universe” containing newly-recorded acoustic versions of selected tracks. To cap it all off in style the band also went on a special tour, playing songs from this record.
Interviews · November 11, 2019
With the release of Edge of Paradise’s new album “Universe”, Lyrical Spell Magazine writer Andrea caught up with Margarita Monet to discuss the themes and ideas that led to the creation of this record, the band’s upcoming tour with Sonata Arctica, stage clothes and other interesting details.