Rebel Extravaganza

Heavy Metal And Other Occasional Musics And Cultures

Massacre Records

Album Reviews

Album Review: Warrant – The Speed Of Metal

No, this isn’t the California hair band that topped the charts in the late ’80s…this is the older, harder WARRANT out of Germany, who released some speed/thrash albums in the early ’80s. Like almost any metal band that has ever put out a record, they’ve reformed after decades out of commission and are back in action with The Speed Of Metal. The thing that struck me about this version of WARRANT is that they don’t seem to exclusively be a speed-oriented band. Early tracks like ‘Cut Into Pieces’ and ‘Demons’ really cut loose with a blitzkrieg of thrash metal, but […]

Music News

HELSTAR announce their new studio album, The Devil’s Masquerade, out September 12th, 2025 via Massacre Records

US Metal legends HELSTAR return with their long-awaited 11th studio album, The Devil’s Masquerade, set for release on September 12th, 2025 through Massacre Records. The album will be available as a limited Mediabook, Ltd. Vinyl LP in various colors, and digital formats. The Devil’s Masquerade marks a powerful return to the band’s roots, bringing back the classic creative chemistry between James Rivera (vocals) and Larry Barragan (guitars). The album was produced and mixed by Barragan at Hombre Malo Studios, and mastered by Robert Colwell at Colwell Mastering. Lyrically, The Devil’s Masquerade dives deep into tales of vampirism, demonic possession, and […]

Album Reviews

Album Review: Holy Mother – Face This Burn

HOLY MOTHER and their charismatic singer, Mike Tirelli, have been cranking out the metal since the early ’90s. This is another one of those bands like VICIOUS RUMORS or LEATHERWOLF that has all the tools but just can’t crack the glass ceiling. I can’t give a “one size fits all” description of the kind of metal HOLY MOTHER plays because they can almost play it all. Face This Burn has got elements of PRIEST/DIO/MAIDEN classic metal, QUEENSRYCHE progression, the heavier side of hair metal and even touches of grunge and nu-metal if you dig hard enough. The common denominator of […]