REVIEWS Mai 2025 -

ROXXCALIBUR - NWOBHM From The Vaults

Veröffendlichung: 09.05.2025

Ten years after: ROXXCALIBUR are back! Album number four “NWOBHM From The Vaults” delivers even more nugget bits and pieces of an unbroken dedicated journey. A classy follow-up to “Gems Of The NWOBHM”.

This fivepiece represents a hell way more than just being a keen tribute band playing historic tunes and keeping up the spirit of an era alive and kickin’.

ROXXCALIBUR has a clear-cut definition being “a band with external songwriters”. These guys again and again dig out lost NWOBHM pearls, awarding them a fully deserved second chance. A metal on metal win-win package …

Rare items, created by pioneers
2008 the idea putting together a NWOBHM tribute band had been welcomed with wide open arms by many underground voices. The project focused both almost unknown and rare songs that did not make it throughout the pioneering years.

Their debut “NWOBHM For Muthas”, produced by Uwe Lulis (Accept, ex-Grave Digger) and released 2009 via Limb Music, has been appreciated by insiders for its sublimly set up cover versions. Regular metal heads were impressed as well, experiencing the material as something fresh and new.

“Lords Of The NWOBHM”, 2011 produced by knobwhiz legend Chris Tsangarides, did evoke pretty much the same impact. Especially Japanese fans cheered the official album release in the far east.

Impressive live performances
ROXXCALIBUR played Rock Hard festival, Headbangers Open Air, Rocktower und Bang Your Head, let alone three thunderous gigs at the renowned Keep It True festival, supported by various guest musicians, representing Iron Maiden, Samson, Girlschool, and Tygers Of Pan Tang.

ROXXCALIBUR always appeared like a band unit on stage, blending the original spirits with a skilful distinctive personal touch. Their excellent reputation as solid live performers provoked a beautiful side effect: Requests for various projects started rushing in.

Scintillating characters
2009 the band merged with scintillating character Chris Logue to reform US speed metal legend Savage Grace. 2010 they went on without Logue as Masters Of Disguise.
Collaborating with lead singer William McKay, American cult act Griffin found its way back to life, resulting in two more performances at Keep It True.

2011 ROXXCALIBUR skinsman Neudi joyned the likes of US act Manilla Road, and subsequently Trance in 2016. Vocalist Alexx Stahl completed Bonfire’s line-up in 2016, followed by White Spirit, who had been impressed by ROXXCALIBUR’s version of “Midnight Chaser”.

At this stage the band’s activities were set aside for a while, since the other members took their parts in various musical projects as well.

2020 they played with Jameson Raid their first show after a long while, but Covid restrictions cancelled any ambitions of a containing restart.

ROXXCALIBUR inspiring reunions
ROXXCALIBUR’s impact on the scene has been tremendeous from the start. Even obscure NWOBHM bands were rediscovered and susequently re-released by dedicated record companies after realizing the weight of ROXXCALIBUR’s cover versions.

In many cases the ressurections inspired reunions of original line-ups like Quartz, Sparta, Oxym, Jameson Raid, Bleak House and others.

Truly heavy, truly filigree

ROXXCALIBUR’s task for album number four did have a distinctive order: digging even deeper than ever before. This particular mission has been fulfilled in style, consequently celebrated by Rock Hard magazine as “true truffel pigs”.

The majority of numbers goes back to ultra rare 7” discs or regional compilation records. It seems both tragic and amazing, how many musical pearls never really got the attention or even appreciation they deserved. One example, representing the lot: “Cecil B. Divine” by Blazer Blazer, originally produced by Tom Allom (Judas Priest) never made it anywhere back in 1979, receiving a second chance in 2025. 15 Tracks have been recorded, representing a wide dynamic range. Truly heavy stuff like Denigh’s “Lean On 'Em Hard” meets truly filigree moments like Liaison’s “Only Heaven Knows”.

Classical design
“NWOBHM From The Vaults” sounds as natural as a recording session being cut in the womb of a living room. Conducted by guitarist Kalli Goldsmith as producer, the songs do sound authentically organic, thankfully lacking modern elements or any artificial “retro” atmosphere.

Icing on the cake is one more stunning cover artwork by Rodney Matthews. The renowned artist not only illustrated many records of rock icons during the seventies but also coined the sleeves of NWOBHM household names with Diamond Head, Praying Mantis and Tygers Of Pan Tang among them.

“NWOBHM From The Vaults” contains a lush booklet with liner notes illuminating the heritage of every single song.

Line-up:
Mario Lang – bass
Holger Ziegler – guitars
Alexx Stahl – lead vocals
Neudi – drums
Kalli Coldsmith – guitars

Link:
www.facebook.com/Roxxcalibur

THEN COMES THE NIGHT - Metal World

Veröffendlichung: 30.05.2025

IN STEIN GEMEIßELT

THEN COMES THE NIGHT wurden 2019 im schönen schwäbischen Riedlingen gegründet und sind eine der interessantesten Bands des deutschen Heavy Metal Underground. Ihr Debütalbum „Chapter 1", welches sie 2022 in Eigenregie veröffentlichten, sorgte für offene Münder und heiße Ohren. Ihre lebendige Mischung aus Power Metal, traditionellem Hard Rock sowie klassischen Rock'n'Roll-Elementen und Klassik-typischen Komponenten und Strukturen erzeugt eine Klangvielfalt, die man nicht oft zu hören bekommt. Veredelt wurde das Album durch Gastbeiträge von Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR) und Tim „Ripper“ Owens (KK‘S PRIEST, ex ICED EARTH & JUDAS PRIEST) und schon damals zeigte sich, dass sich Sänger Selin Schönbeck (WE ARE LEGEND) absolut nicht hinter diesen Szenegrößen zu verstecken braucht. Das zweite Album „Start The Change“ folgte Ende 2023 und war eine konsequente Fortsetzung des Debüts. Es eröffnete THEN COMES THE NIGHT auch die Chance viele Shows im In- und Ausland zu spielen und ihre Fanbase weiter zu vergrößern. Dazu brachte es der Band den Deal mit Metalapolis Records ein.

Die zwölf neuen Songs auf „Metal World" folgen wieder dem bewährten Rezept der Band. Man weiß wie man sich und die Songs bestens in Szene setzt. Qualitativ wie immer auf höchstem Niveau, sind die neuen Songs eingängiger als ihre Vorgänger. Trotzdem präsentiert sich das Album härter und dunkler. Dazu sind die Jungs und Mädel um Songwriter, Produzent und Ausnahmesänger Selin Schönbeck inzwischen auch so selbstbewusst, dass auf Gaststars und Coverversionen verzichtet wurde. Nachdem THEN COMES THE NIGHT mit der Hymne „Bis Ins Alter“, einer Hommage an ihre Lieblingsbrauerei Zwiefalter Klosterbräu, gute Erfahrungen gemacht hat, ist man sogar so mutig, mit „Wie In Stein“ einen Song mit deutschem Text nicht nur auf das Album zu packen, sondern auch als zweite Single auszukoppeln.

War „Start The Change“ erst der Anfang, so zeigt THEN COMES THE NIGHT mit „Metal World“, dass für sie keine Grenzen nach oben gesetzt sind und ihnen definitiv die Zukunft gehört!

KICKIN VALENTINA - Raw Trax, B-Sides, and Bootlegs

Veröffendlichung: 02.05.2025

Bored with the rock music landscape of the time - dominated by overproduced fluff or bro-rock bands - KICKIN VALENTINA set out to play rock‘n’roll the way they wanted to hear it: loud, unapologetic, and 100% live, with no backing tracks and a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

Fast forward to May 2025, and the band is set to release their fifth album, “Raw Trax, B-Sides, and Bootlegs” worldwide via Mighty Music/Target Group. Once again produced by Andy Reilly (UFO, Bruce Dickinson, Cradle of Filth) at Muse Productions in Atlanta and mastered by Joel Wanasek, the album is a collection of unreleased songs, demos, and live recordings from the Bang Your Head Festival in Germany.

“We had a few songs left over from the “Star Spangled Fist Fight” recording sessions and knew we wanted to eventually release them,” says bassist Chris Taylor. “We thought it would be fun to package them together with a couple of live tracks and some demos of older songs. I always enjoy when bands release live recordings or demos, where you get to hear the raw, unfiltered versions - what the songs sounded like in the demo stage with alternate lyrics, guitars, etc. I hope our fans will enjoy this as well”, he concludes.

Kickin Valentina formed in 2013 and quickly gained attention in the US and abroad. They released their debut EP the same year and later signed with Danish label Mighty Music, going on to release four successful albums: “Super Atomic”, “Imaginary Creatures”, “Revenge of Rock”, “Star Spangled Fist Fight”, and the EP “Chaos in Copenhagen”. Their album “Imaginary Creatures” charted on Billboard, while “Revenge of Rock” reached #6 on the Danish vinyl chart.

The band has toured extensively across America and Europe, opening for acts like Buckcherry, Queensrÿche, Skid Row, and Sebastian Bach, while also playing major festivals such as Bang Your Head, Call of the Wild, Nordic Noise, Monsters of Rock Cruise, and Rock Fest. Their music has been featured in prominent European and Japanese publications, including Burrn!, Classic Rock, and Metal Hammer. Kickin Valentina won the GA Music Awards for Rock Band of the Year (2014) and Video of the Year (2015) for their single “Wrong Way”.

“Raw Trax, B-Sides, and Bootlegs” will be released on gatefold LP (red vinyl limited to 300 copies), CD and digital on 02.05.2025, via Mighty Music. It will be followed by a tour in the Spring - dates below.

Lineup:
D.K. Revelle - vocals
Heber Pampillon - guitar
Chris Taylor - bass
Jimmy Berdine - drums

Webshop:
https://bit.ly/kick-targ

Further links:
Official site
Tidal
Qobuz
Deezer

STATEMENT - Sinister Thing

Veröffendlichung: 09.05.2025

With their fifth studio album, “Sinister Thing”, to be released via Mighty Music in May, Danish hard rock/metal band STATEMENT embarks on a darker and heavier musical journey while staying true to their signature melodic sound. This album represents a significant evolution for the band, striking a balance between their established identity and a newfound intensity that elevates their music to new heights.

Creating “Sinister Thing” was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences for Statement. Determined to craft an album that felt distinct from their previous four releases, the band revisited their entire discography - not for inspiration, but to reflect on their musical growth and evolution. This introspection helped them refine their direction, ensuring the album maintained the essence of Statement while incorporating fresh, powerful elements.

Musically, the album started in drop D tuning before transitioning to drop C, allowing for a darker and heavier sonic landscape. To fully immerse themselves in the creative process, Statement took a week-long retreat, dedicating themselves entirely to songwriting. This intensive period resulted in tracks like “The Hive”, “Raised in Hell”, “The Right Kind of Love”, and “My Last Goodbye”. The experience not only strengthened their artistic vision but also reinforced their bond as a band.

Lyrically, “Sinister Thing” is deeply personal, drawing inspiration from real-life experiences, opinions, and stories shared by friends and family. Each track underwent multiple rewrites to ensure the perfect balance of emotion, melody, and heaviness, leading to some difficult but necessary creative decisions.

To achieve the album’s bold new sound, Statement collaborated with renowned producer Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio. Having previously worked with Madsen on their first two albums, the band knew he was the ideal choice to bring their heavier vision to life. His expertise helped shape “Sinister Thing” into a record that maintains Statement’s melodic foundations while embracing a more intense metal influence.

With “Sinister Thing”, the Danish collective pushes their musical boundaries, offering fans an album that is both familiar and refreshingly bold. The combination of powerful riffs, emotionally charged lyrics, and a darker, heavier atmosphere ensures that this release will captivate listeners and solidify Statement’s position in the hard rock and metal scene.

“Sinister Thing” will be released on LP (black vinyl limited to 200 copies and transparent red vinyl limited to 100 copies), CD and digital on 09.05.2025, via Mighty Music.

Lineup:
Jannick Brochdorf - vocals
Niels Alex Larsen - lead guitars, backing vocals
Lars Ulrik Le Fevre - guitars, backing vocals
Martin Poulsen - bass
Daniel Nielsen – drums

Webshop:
https://bit.ly/state-shop

Further links:
Official site
Tidal
Deezer
Qobuz