Mad About Rock

  Swedish metal band Sabaton's "The Tour To End All Tours" concert film aired in theatres in Europe, the UK and Australia on October 11, 2024. As a huge Sabaton fan, I visited my local UK cinema to check out this heavy metal concert experience. I was fortunate enough to attend the London date of "The Tour To End All Tours" last year on April 15, 2023. It was a spectacle, especially since it was my first time seeing Sabaton. It was a memorable and fantastic show with fire, guns and dramatic theatrics. It is one of my favourite shows so far, so I was excited to relive that experience in this cinematic experience. The concert aired was filmed during their European part of the tour at Amsterdam's iconic Ziggo Dome Venue in 2023 on May 3. If, like me, you attended the tour, this was essentially the same show, but I can see why they picked the Amsterdam crowd for the unique recording, as they were a particularly impressive and lively crowd that exceeded expectatio...

  Photo Credit – Abbi Draper-Scott Bloodstock festival continues to grow each year, with 2024's event being their biggest yet. This was evident by selling out weekend tickets and Saturday day tickets, a mighty achievement that was well deserved and expected considering the magnitude of the line-up. Thursday 8th August Tailgunner - Photo Credit - Abbi Draper-Scott New traditional metallers Tailgunner only launched in 2022 and released their debut album, 'Guns For Hire,' in July last year. They have already made a name for themselves. I was very impressed with their performance at a rammed-out tent on the Sophie Lancaster stage, which was the first band on the festival's opening day for me, and what a way to kick things off. The crowd and energy were insane, with constant mosh pits and crowd surfers for the entirety of their 40-minute set, showing just how much support the band have and making them an unstoppable force that is only surely going to rise in the ranks. It ...

  Midlands melodic metallers The Black Hounds return with the release of their sophomore album titled, 'All Kingdoms Fall', which explores the concept that everything, whether good or bad, comes to an end. The band have hit the decade milestone and, since their inception, has had several line-up changes, but the new release and follow-up to their debut 'Colossus' is a testament to the band expanding their sound and finding their groove. The opening track, 'Foundations, ' is a melodic, powerful track with soaring guitars and varied, clean and fierce vocals, which leaves you eager to hear more. The crushing 'Tyrant', although bleak lyrically as it is about confronting abuse and heavier in stature, remains vibrant and tuneful and stomps throughout with some great headbanging moments. The melancholic instrumental 'Unrest' is dynamic and progresses intensely as it unfolds, leading us abruptly into the third swift and charging single 'Breaking The ...

  The biggest metal band in the world, Metallica, took their M72 World Tour to a new level by streaming the two live shows from Arlington, Texas on August 18th and August 20th via Trafalgar Releasing to audiences worldwide in cinema screenings. The band played two completely different setlists, with songs from across the group's 40+ year career, ranging from 1983's debut 'Kill' Em All' to 2023's new release '72 Seasons'. Audiences who attended both nights wouldn't have witnessed the same song twice, presenting Metallica fans with a unique opportunity to experience - or relive - the band's acclaimed M72 World Tour and offered an excellent opportunity for those who couldn't make their tour in person or attend both nights of their World Tour. As I wasn't in Texas for the in-person event, I attended my local cinema in South East England, UK, for night two on Monday, August 21st, due to the time differences worldwide. It was great seeing Metal...

THE UNDAUNTED are a Brighton-based, four-piece electronic metal band that take inspiration across a variety of genres (drum n bass, dubstep, punk and metal) to fuse their own creation of 'loud, angry music for an unbalanced society' with their debut track, 'Chihuahua', smashing through over 7K spotify streams and their second release, 'Intoxicated', reaching over 2K. They're considered something of a mystery; having only formed as of August last year, but with all of them having an abundance of previous experience in other bands prior, certain individuals even cutting their teeth on the mainstage of Download Festival…  Their new single, R.I.P., tells a story of two best friends burning their friendship to the ground, re-opening the wounds of a final melody of a musical journey they embarked on together from the very first note. Expect rageful notes of betrayal with countering synth melodies screaming at each other and melancholic undertones expressing a deep...

  Thrash metal quintet Mur.Doc 104 from Malta was formed in 2015 and is heavily influenced by the Bay area Thrash metal such as Exodus and Death Angel, giving them an old-school thrash sound. Their debut EP offering, "The Undying", asserts this sound and comprises four main songs and an extra bonus song if you get the physical CD. To kick things off, the punchy title track roars into action with heavy and crushing riffs and pounding drums and shows Luke Debono's distinct and varied vocals, adding more attitude and power to the weighty backdrop. The second track is named after the band's name and is more sinister, featuring winding, ominous melodic riffs and more powerful group chants, making it a standout track.  The dynamic "Ignorant Masses" is mighty and memorable, keeping the thrash metal force ablaze.  The final blow, "Thrashing The Boat", is a thunderous and extensive way to end, being the longest and most diverse track to leave a lasting impr...

  Progressive Slovenian metal quartet originally started out as a one-man project by Slovenian musician Matic Blagonič but has now evolved into a collective group of musicians keen to thrive in the Slovenian metal scene. They describe their sound as post-progressive-metal, effectively balancing heavy moments with tranquil sections. This is evident in their upcoming debut album 'imago' which will take you to dreamy and enthralling metal soundscapes. The concept album is about a journey through a man's inner hell and the challenge of overcoming inner demons and trauma, so it touches on themes such as depression, loss, and addiction and takes the listener through the circle of trials but endeavours to emerge with a hopeful and positive message through its lyrics and sounds. The opening atmospheric track 'semita tenebrarum' sets the scene and concept with a dramatic despairing spoken voice intro that starts out in a normal voice and then gets more sinister before instru...

Living in the South East of England, I would usually have to go to Brighton or London to see a metal show. So it was an unexpected and pleasant surprise to see that Diamond Head and Saxon, two very influential metal bands, were playing in the small seaside town of Bexhill. Diamond Head has already played at the venue in the past (something not many metal bands can claim!), in 2019, supporting Uriah Heep. Although a relatively small venue, the De La Warr Pavilion is a great venue with brilliant sound, and it was good to see a sizeable turnout for this rare occasion. We need more rock/metal bands to play at this venue, but we have been fortunate to have bands such as Bullet For My Valentine with While She Sleeps and Enter Shikari play in the past, and next near Devin Townsend and Joe Satriani are playing, so let's hope this continues to increase! The powerful Diamond Head  formed in 1976 and played a massive part in the new wave of the British heavy metal movement, and legendary ban...