Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

RITUAL KING stream new album, The Infinite Mirror

Manchester heavy psychedelic blues trio RITUAL KING team up with It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine to present their sophomore album, The Infinite Mirror, in full, celebrating its November release on Ripple Music. “This intense-sounding journey is surprisingly meditative and elegant. (…) Exciting, immersive, and spellbinding songs that go beyond the confines of stoner rock.” – Distorted Sound Magazine“A heavy blues creation that straddles psychedelic rock magnificently. (…) Utterly enchanting.” – Headbanger Reviews From the enigmatic corridors of Manchester’s underground stoner rock scene emerges RITUAL KING’s latest magnum opus, The Infinite Mirror. A journey that transcends the traditional boundaries of stoner psych […]

Album Review: Woe – Legacies Of Frailty

I felt a not a small trepidation when the PR info for WOE’s fifth mentioned “many layers of overdubs”, given founder/songwriter Chris Grigg’s propensity for scaled back and tightly wound blackness just this side of primitive, but when ‘Fresh Chaos Greets The Dawn’ rose slowly in the sable sky, only to be wound in multi-tracked guitars and rhythmic pulses, I wanted to be sold. I really, really wanted to be sold. There are moments when things sounding out of control and deranged is ideal, is not only welcomed, but vital. This just sounds slipshod and unbalanced, containing very little to […]

TERROMANIA stream debut album, Nyctophobic, in full

Finland’s melodic death/groove metal unit TERROMANIA premiere their debut album, Nyctophobic, exclusively on Metalheads Forever, celebrating its official release this November on Ripple Music. Stream TERROMANIA’s debut album HERE Watch new videos ‘Disturbingly Beautiful’ ‘Demon In The Rain’ ‘The Pain Makes You Feel Alive’ This sonic bulldozer was formed in the summer of 2018 in Jyväskylä, Finland and recently signed to US label Ripple Music to deliver their ambitious and face-melting brand metal to the world. Naming Ghost, Devin Townsend or Lordi as major influences, this young and talented five-piece creates a sharp and modern combination of melodic death and […]

DISILLUSION announce 2024 tour dates

DISILLUSION have announced a European tour, mostly in the German language area, for spring 2024. The German avant-garde metal pioneers will hit the roads to celebrate the 20 years anniversary of their debut album “Back to Times of Splendor”, which was released in April 2004. We recommend to secure tickets early. Please find all confirmed dates below. DISILLUSION comment: “Friends, we are beyond excited as our debut album, Back To Times Of Splendor, will turn 20 next year in 2024″, singer and guitarist Andy Schmidt enthuses. “To celebrate this wonderful occasion with you, we have set up a tour on […]

Album Review: Blazoner – Escape To Electric Land

My home state trio, BLAZONER arrive with their debut full length offering in the form of Escape To Electric Land but, to be honest, I’m a little concerned when any bio references the likes of BLACK SABBATH and adds “with a few electronic twists”. So, here goes. Well, no sense in not getting right down to the business of a fully electronic intro track that sounds as if it’d be more at home on an ‘80s Windham Hill Records sampler. I’m actually fine with this, however what I’m expecting is some absurd veering into heavier realms soon enough. I’m not […]

SHERPA stream new album, Land Of Corals, in full

Stream new album Land Of Corals Four years after their sophomore record, Tigris & Euphrates, and an acclaimed performance at Roadburn Festival, the creative duo of Matteo Dossena and Franz Cardone (aka SHERPA) take us on yet another singular and immersive aural journey with their new album, Land Of Corals. Their hybrid marriage of shoegaze, atmospheric doom/post-metal and electronics blossoms in lush textures and slow but rewarding build-ups, with Dossena’s airy vocals making for a highly tantalizing ride. Darkness and light coexist seamlessly throughout the album’s 40 minutes — either through the trip-hop-meets-drone vibe of intro track ‘Silt’ and the […]

Album Review: Martyrdoom – As Torment Prevails

I often lament the utter lack of individuality and originality amongst modern death metal bands, but now and then an act arrives that is in such total mastery of the genre’s basics that such concerns are irrelevant. That brings us to Poland’s MARTYRDOOM and As Torment Prevails…these gross motherfuckers just plain plow you under the rancid Earth with this pulsating pustule of doom-tinged rottenness. Two things help elevate MARTYRDOOM; the quality of their riffs, which is outstanding, and the true feeling of morbid sickness, which is something that just can’t be faked. If you like greasy, oozing riffs drenched in […]

JASON BLAKE: Sonic Perspectives Premieres ‘An Aversion To Fervor’ From Slightly Different Paths Instrumental Solo Album By Warr Guitarist

Sonic Perspectives is hosting the premiere of ‘An Aversion To Fervor’, the latest preview from Chicago-based progressive Warr guitarist JASON BLAKE preceding the release of his Slightly Different Paths album. Through both his playing in progressive/instrumental trio Aziola Cry and his own solo work, JASON BLAKE has been establishing himself as one of the most distinguished technicians on the Warr guitar; a unique twelve-string instrument incorporating the range of a guitar and bass that is played by tapping the strings in a touchstyle technique. Through a rapidly prolific succession of varied records in recent years, JASON BLAKE been building an […]

Album Review: Cirith Ungol – Dark Parade

Along with MANILLA ROAD, MANOWAR and BROCAS HELM, Ventura, California’s CIRITH UNGOL is one of the first bands that comes up (or should) in any discussion of American power/epic/heavy metal. With the passing of Mark Shelton of MANILLA ROAD any album released by the above becomes more important as not a teary-eyed trip through the “glory days”, but as confirmation of metal’s warrior spirit. After a triumphant return to record in 2020’s Forever Black, we join Dark Parade, the band’s sixth studio album. ‘Velocity (S.E.P.)’ bursts from shattered gates, a twin guitar attack and vocalist Tim Baker’s “Stretch your soul […]

ARMORED SAINT Announces North American Tour With Queensrÿche; Tickets On Sale Now

Iconic heavy metal outfit ARMORED SAINT will return to the stage this Spring supporting Queensrÿche! The trek, which commences on March 27th, 2024 in Anaheim, California and runs through May 21st, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada, includes several ARMORED SAINT headlining shows scattered throughout. Comments ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush, “Hello SAINT fans, We are happy to announce that we will be hitting the road again in March 2024 to team up with our good friends and one amazing band, the mighty Queensrÿche! Playing shows with Eddie [Jackson], Michael [Wilton], Todd [La Torre], Casey [Grillo], and Mike [Stone] is always […]