When we thought never will see again classic hard rock / metal albums pressed on superb physical format SHM-CD Universal Music Japan has started a new 2023 reissue campaign, and we have in exclusive MEGADETH‘s 1986’s “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” reissued in a miniLP replica, remastered and with bonus tracks.
Simply put, ”Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?” is a classic and an album that gave prominence to thrash metal. The anthemic title track and “Wake Up Dead” are the two major standouts, but the entire album knock your socks off.
From the get go, it’s clear that on ”Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” in 1986 MEGADETH were a new beast. Maybe not as unhinged or fierce sounding as its predecessor debut, ‘Peace Sells…’ still sounds muscular and commanding, due to a much better songwriting and a serious improvement in musicianship.
”Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?” has hints of the band’s refined future sound while still retaining the filth and mercilessness of their early material. It’s the perfect blend of everything MEGADETH…

When we thought never will see again classic hard rock / metal albums pressed on superb physical format SHM-CD Universal Music Japan has started a new 2023 reissue campaign, and we have in exclusive MEGADETH‘s 1988’s “So Far, So Good… So What!” reissued in a miniLP replica, remastered and with bonus tracks.
The success of “So Far, So Good… So What!” (managed to enter the top-30 of the Billboard 200 although it received no commercial radio play) indicated Megadeth’s forthcoming emergence from the underground scene.
While isn’t polished sounding as previous LP ‘Peace Sells…’ or the next ‘Rust In Peace’, for many fans this is MEGADETH finest hour, raw, with a sort of sloppy, rugged charm to it. “In My Darkest Hour”, the catchy “Hook In Mouth”, “Mary Jane”, “Set The World Afire” are killers tracks.
Every heavy metal album wishes it had the fury that seethes in these tracks. Only a few come close…

When we thought never will see again classic hard rock / metal albums pressed on superb physical format SHM-CD Universal Music Japan has started a new 2023 reissue campaign, and we have in exclusive MEGADETH‘s 1990’s “Rust In Peace” reissued in a miniLP replica, remastered and with bonus tracks.
For “Rust In Peace”, enter excellent lead guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza into the line up, and MEGADETH created one of the best thrash metal records of all time according to Decibel and Kerrang!, and listed in the reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album even was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.
“Rust In Peace” is a killer LP without a single skippable song. The lead guitar work is second to none, the drumming is always popping off, and the bass sounds so thick and juicy. The riffs are nasty too, even rivals Metallica’s. Dave Mustaine vocals sound great on this record, despite them being sort of an acquired taste for some casual listeners…

BMG and Niji Entertainment Group Inc. have partnered to issue Limited Edition Deluxe CD & LP box sets of Ronnie James Dio’s final 4 studio albums on September 22nd. Titled ”DIO – The Studio Albums: 1996-2004”, the set include Angry Machines (1996), Magica (2000), Killing The Dragon (2002), and Master of The Moon (2004).
Wendy Dio says, “I am very excited to be working with BMG, a label that still has a passion for rock music. They will be making the complete Dio catalogue available again with some interesting surprises.”
Each of the four albums on offer here have been remastered housed in a sideloading box with newly created artwork especially designed for the box-set release.
“DIO The Studio Album Collection: 1996 – 2004” kicks off with ‘Angry Machines’. Recorded in 1996, the album features Tracy G on guitars, ex Dokken Jeff Pilson on bass, skin basher Vinny Appice and Scott Warren on…

BY FIRE & SWORD from Boise, Idaho, USA, present the debut full-length album “Glory“, and if the band’s name or album title makes you think of epic metal and endless battles, you’re wrong. BY FIRE & SWORD aren’t about the kinds of glory attained by disdaining fortune and splitting skulls. Imagine instead Stryper’s bigger, meaner brother, who’d fallen to drinking and drugging and left the faith only to suffer frightful visions and start an apocalypse cult. And now he wants you to join with him. In Jesus. Forevermore. Welcome to the other kind of ‘Glory’.
Yes this is a Christian metal band, but on “Glory” they’re so disturbingly mocking of Christianity.
Musically, BY FIRE & SWORD are quite unique, some kind of a mix between Wytch Hazel, Blue Öyster Cult and Iron Maiden. And they add a dash of weird catchiness and proto metal.
Yes folks, “Glory” is way more interesting and brave than the vast majority of trad metal releases this year…

Hailing from Germany, RISING WINGS is pretty much a one-man band with founder Florian “Flo” Bauer contributing in every way to this album outside of drums. According to the bio, Florian released two EPs over a decade ago but has not released anything since.
This makes me wonder what took him so long for this Pride And Joy Records full debut album “Reach” and why the public has been deprived of what turns out to be a CD with some of the best songs I’ve heard from any band this year.
The album opens with a bang. ‘Ride On’ starts out with a cool build up until the riff kicks in and grabs you with both hands at it rockets you towards the sky. The type of song that is so well constructed you feel as if you can fly through the air.
There are several songs on this album with the theme of breaking free and each one hit home with me. This is exactly what I want to hear when I need rock music to temporarily take me away…

Swedish band DOMINO DRIVE will release their debut album entitled ‘Smoke and Mirrors‘ on September 22, 2023 via PRIDE & JOY Music. And what a wonderful piece it is; a massively keyboard-dominated Melodic Rock / AOR stuff inspired by the golden era. But DOMINO DRIVE are able to rock as well; powerful guitars and roaring vocals are the key here. Frontman Jonas Tyskhagen (WINDING ROAD) does a great job on all respects, from harmonies to high notes. Among the highlights “Starlet Queen” and “The Girl Who Never Was” are winners on this finaly produced effort
A few guest appearances by JJ Marsh (Glenn Hughes / Hughes Turner Project), Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed) and Tina Gunnarson (Hexed) complete the picture here in a really pleasant way…

Legendary rock and roll vocalist PAUL RODGERS is ready to rock with a new album of original music. ”Midnight Rose”, his first solo studio release in nearly a decade, arrives September 22 on Sun Records. A celebration of a storied career and a feel-good, hopeful look towards the future, ”Midnight Rose” features Paul’s quintessential larger-than-life vocals in a whole new chapter of his career.
Named one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, Rodgers powers through all original, new tracks like “Living It Up,” “Take Love,” and “Photo Shooter.”
Recorded in Canada, this album does its best to satisfy hardcore Bad Company fans. Overall it’s a good example that Rodgers still has the ability to produce great material after years of playing his greatest hits.
His back-up band is excellent too. With Bryan Adams’ lead guitarist into the line up and legend Bob Rock producing, the album sound and feels fantastic…

If you were to dream up the ultimate spandex wearing Glam Metal band in your mind, then that band would be STARBENDERS. Listening to their upcoming album ‘Take Back the Night‘ is like taking a journey back to the days when rock stars looked like rock stars and behaved like rock stars. It makes such a refreshing change to see and hear something so retro yet so cool and unashamedly Rock’n’Roll in these otherwise sterile times we currently live where everyone is simply afraid to do or say anything out of a fear of offending someone.
”Take Back the Night” is a superbly crafted album with a whole bevvy of different themes running through it from start to finish whilst also managing to remain completely faithful to its rock’n’roll roots. Sit back and prepare to be entertained by Starbenders.

Since more than 35 years, BONFIRE are the embodiment of “Melodic Hard ‘n Heavy made in Germany”. September 22, 2023 will see the band reissue their most iconic albums “Point Blank”, “Fireworks” and “Don’t Touch The Light” as MMXXIII / 2023 re-recording versions with an entirely new artwork.
As one of the group’s founding members and its main composer, Hans Ziller came up with an ambitious idea: How would the songs from those now slightly dated releases sound if they were re-recorded in contemporary studio conditions? This concept was particularly exciting because the band’s current line-up. As Ziller comments: “What we wanted to do was to record the songs as if Bonfire had been a metal band in the Eighties!”
Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious, re-recording undertaking, and that’s precisely what BONFIRE mark 2023 have: Young Greek singer DYAN has recently joined the BONFIRE fold. The 30-year-old vocalist is a big BONFIRE fan since his teens, so it was easy for him to cut all the 35 songs from the three cult albums in less than two weeks.
”Don’t Touch the Light (MMXXIII Version)” just kills!!!
It’s pretty exciting to hear all of that classic songs done by a fresh, younger version of Bonfire, with modern recording/production values really making the songs shine…

Since more than 35 years, BONFIRE are the embodiment of “Melodic Hard ‘n Heavy made in Germany”. September 22, 2023 will see the band reissue their most iconic albums “Point Blank”, “Fireworks” and “Don’t Touch The Light” as MMXXIII / 2023 re-recording versions with an entirely new artwork.
As one of the group’s founding members and its main composer, Hans Ziller came up with an ambitious idea: How would the songs from those now slightly dated releases sound if they were re-recorded in contemporary studio conditions? This concept was particularly exciting because the band’s current line-up. As Ziller comments: “What we wanted to do was to record the songs as if Bonfire had been a metal band in the Eighties!”
Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious, re-recording undertaking, and that’s precisely what BONFIRE mark 2023 have: Young Greek singer DYAN has recently joined the BONFIRE fold. The 30-year-old vocalist is a big BONFIRE fan since his teens, so it was easy for him to cut all the 35 songs from the three cult albums in less than two weeks.
With the current Bonfire line-up, including the band’s new singer Dyan, the songs from ‘Fireworks‘ feels more metallic, with the dynamics increased which, together with a powerful sound, makes this re-recording to a good time travel back into the 80s.

Since more than 35 years, BONFIRE are the embodiment of “Melodic Hard ‘n Heavy made in Germany”. September 22, 2023 will see the band reissue their most iconic albums “Point Blank”, “Fireworks” and “Don’t Touch The Light” as MMXXIII / 2023 re-recording versions with an entirely new artwork.
As one of the group’s founding members and its main composer, Hans Ziller came up with an ambitious idea: How would the songs from those now slightly dated releases sound if they were re-recorded in contemporary studio conditions? This concept was particularly exciting because the band’s current line-up. As Ziller comments: “What we wanted to do was to record the songs as if Bonfire had been a metal band in the Eighties!”
Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious, re-recording undertaking, and that’s precisely what BONFIRE mark 2023 have: Young Greek singer DYAN has recently joined the BONFIRE fold. The 30-year-old vocalist is a big BONFIRE fan since his teens, so it was easy for him to cut all the 35 songs from the three cult albums in less than two weeks.
The songs from “Point Blank” are perhaps which better suit Bonfire’s current sound / line up, and the remakes feel natural, more metallic with dynamics increased but still melodic. ”Point Blank (MMXXIII Version)” just kills!

When a group reaches their fifth decade like FIREFALL has, they develop deep roots with their fellow musicians, whether it’s from sharing touring bills or the shuffling of band members. On ”Friends & Family” (arriving September 22 on Sunset Blvd Records), Firefall celebrates these relationships by performing songs from bands whose histories are intertwined with Firefall’s.
These 13 cover tracks, representing multiple Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, rock pioneers, Southern rock superstars, and Top 40 hit-makers, create an album that stands – in the words of Firefall’s remaining founding member, guitarist Jock Bartley – “as a tribute to the great music of the 70s.”
Firefall certainly contributed their share to the 70s great music. They lit up both AM and FM airwaves with a string of hits, starting with their 1976 smash “You Are the Woman” (their first LP sold over a million copies, certified platinum) and touring with such acts as Fleetwood Mac, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Doobie Brothers.
While the band’s melodic, country-flavored rock is present throughout ”Friends & Family”, Firefall also show their deep respect for these songs that they, and millions of others, love. We find classic songs from Heart, Loggins & Messina, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. done with a lovely, crisp Classic Rock feel…

After twelve years of band history, it was time to take the power metal outfit WINTERSTORM to a new level. The band‘s fifth studio album, entitled ”Everfrost”, will be their first offering since 2016 and their debut on AFM Records. Winter stands for nordic viking and folk metal, Storm for fast-paced power metal, all combined with epic and orchestral metal facets.
It’s the melodic grandeur that clearly marks the foreground of Winterstorm, reflected in heavily catchy choruses and huge polyphonic vocals. Striking elements of different metal styles merge with each other and get a completely new impression that Winterstorm’s forthcoming record may be their most versatile and powerful album to date.
There are some excellent guitar riffs on ”Everfrost”, the drumming is strong, and the bass lines are thick and heavy. The atmospheric keyboard parts and the big backing vocals help to create a joyful mood that works well with the band’s inventive Power Metal sound.
As example, “To the End of All Known” is a terrific song with a lot of melody and it’s very moody. It goes back and forward from being a fast-paced rocker to a symphonic, orchestrated piece…

The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal (NWOTHM) movement is one of the best things that has happened to metal in history. Young bands not only emulating the sound of metal when it was in its heyday but also employing the sound techniques of the ’80s. From the analog recording process to the atmosphere created by the music itself.
Not all bands pull it off in a way that seems authentic but some bands can; and one in particular is Germany’s KERRIGAN. Formed in 2020 their back catalog is just a demo, which anyway attracted High Roller Records to sign them immediately.
They are about to release their debut full length, ”Bloodmoon”, a pure old-school metal / hard rock album capturing the magic (and sound) from the glorious ’80s. Oh yeah, the way that sname sounds, the guitar riffs amps, the vocals… this is pure Eighties trad metal.
The album has a persistent stomp to it, mostly sitting at a mid-paced level and an overall bright feel.