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Selected Reviews/Interviews

Cronos – ‘Dancing In The Fire’ (DISSONANCE) – RPM Online

Originally released, or UNLEASHED as I’m sure Cronos (Conrad to his mates), would say, in 1990, Dancing In The Fire was the first solo album from the Venom frontman/bassist. There’s no black metal on display here, though. I would compare the material on Dancing In The Fire to ‘80s W.A.S.P. or Armoured Saint. The opening track Fantasia has a glam metal feel. Cronos did a glam metal album? Umm… yes, he did. He even tries to be melodic, or as melodic as Cronos could get. There are lots of chuggy ri...

Mantas – ‘Winds of Change’ (Dissonance) – RPM Online

Those lovely people at Cherry Red Records have put together a rather swanky reissue of the 1988 Mantas LP, ‘Winds of Change’. We all know Jeff ‘Mantas’ Dunn as the guitarist in black metal pioneers Venom. ‘Winds of Change‘ was released when Mantas had left Venom, and he almost left the music business completely.


We all know the influence that Venom had on the speed/thrash metal genre. The band were cited by Metallica, Slayer, etc., and their influential power helped form the Norwegian black m...

Smith/Kotzen – ‘Better Days…And Nights’ (BMG) – RPM Online

One of the first reviews I did for RPM online was for the self-titled Smith/Kotzen album that was released in March 2021. A great album it is too! Fast forward to November last year and the boys released an EP called Better Days which was a limited edition 12” vinyl for Record Store Day. This was more of the same blues driven rock with the edge that you would expect from two of metal’s most prestigious guitarists.


Fans weren’t too happy about it being a vinyl/streaming only release though. Wo...

Smith/Kotzen – ‘Smith/Kotzen’ (BMG) – RPM Online

Adrian Smith is best known as the most tasteful (in my opinion!) guitarist in a band you may have heard of, Iron Maiden. He has written some of the band’s best material (also in my opinion!), and when he left Maiden in 1990 to pursue a solo career with his band Adrian Smith and Project (A.S.A.P.), Maiden’s downhill trajectory soon followed. When he returned to the Maiden fold in 1999 (along with vocalist Bruce Dickinson) they became the biggest metal band on the planet again.
Before he took Denn...

Nigel Planer – Interview Exclusive – RPM Online

People of a certain age know Nigel Planer as Neil from the iconic tv series The Young Ones, and Den Denis from Bad News. His list of roles in Comic Strip Presents is also impressive. As well as a host of film and TV roles way too many to list here. Check out this video exclusive interview with Kenny.

Kenny sat down and shot the breeze with Nigel Planer on the eve of his latest book launch ‘Jeremiah Bourne In Time’ Nigel played the famed Hammersmith Odeon and Donnington Monsters Of Rock, not...

Ken Mary Video Interview – RPM Online

Ken Mary’s long standing music career has placed him center stage in a wide spectrum of genres that have required an equally wide ranging and demanding set of skills. He is not only a drummer, but also an engineer, writer, vocalist, and an award winning producer. Combined, his body of work has sold over 5 million albums worldwide, and includes an extremely diverse, eclectic, and influential group of artists. His drumming can be heard on recordings from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Alice C...

Chris Holmes Interview Exclusive – RPM Online

Kenny caught up with the enigma that is Chris Holmes just before he hit the stage on his recent performance in Crymlin as part of his UK Tour. Sit back relax and have a giggle its the one and only Chris Holmes.


Thanks so much for taking the time to have a chat with me Chris!


 ‘No problem’


 Welcome back to Wales. Can you remember the last time you were here?


‘I’m not sure if I’ve ever been here’


I saw you in Cardiff with W.A.S.P. back in the day.


‘Oh yeah, I’ve played there, is...

Dane Campbell Interview exclusive – Drums and Being a Bastard Son – RPM Online

Check out the video Interview that Kenny recently had with Dane from Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons. Dane is the powerhouse in the engine room of one of the best albums that was released last year so it was down to Kenny to pin down his mate and get into talking all things Rock n Roll – Hit the YouTube line and check out this video and what makes Dane one of the nice guys in Rock n Roll.

Check out the video Interview that Kenny recently had with Dane from Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons. Dan...

Geoff Tate – Patti Pavilion, Swansea (08 05 22) – RPM Online

Swansea on a beautiful sunny May evening is a great place to be. The historic Patti Pavilion is where I was heading to see the legendary Geoff Tate perform not just Queensryche’s 1986 album Rage For Order in its entirety, but also their most successful album, 1990s Empire. Much has been said over recent years regarding the seemingly never-ending drama regarding Queensryche and ex-members. It does seem, however, that Tate has settled into his stride with his current band and is more than happy to...

Geoff Tate – Interview Exclusive – RPM Online

Hi Geoff, welcome back to Wales.


“Thank you”


Have you got good memories of being in Wales?


“The first time we came to Wales was with Ronnie James Dio in 1984. I have a distinct memory of being in Cardiff on a day off, being in a nice hotel, and being in the bathtub. A fire alarm got set off by some of Dio’s crew members, this was a tour of pranksters. They thought it was great fun, I had to get out of the bath, go all the way downstairs in my bathrobe, go outside and stand in the street...

Black Spiders – ‘Can’t Die, Won’t Die’ (Spinefarm Records) – RPM Online

Sheffield-based hard rockers Black Spiders are ready to catch us all in their biggest web yet. It’s a big sticky one called ‘Can’t Die, Won’t Die’, and it’s guaranteed to get the party swinging. (That’s enough spider references…or is it?).


If you’ve heard Black Spiders before then you know what to expect from this latest release and you won’t be disappointed. The band’s influences are obvious, and you can hear elements of them all here. Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Kiss, and even a touch of grunge cree...

Saxon – ‘Hell, Fire and Damnation’ (Militia Guard Music) – RPM Online

It doesn’t seem like five minutes ago that I was reviewing Saxon’s last fine collection of Heavy Metal tunes ‘Carpe Diem’ for this fine online publication. That was a bloody great album. I caught the band live twice in 2022 too, firstly when they stepped in and saved the day at the Steelhouse Festival after a certain American guitar player decided to pull out, and then at St David’s Hall in Cardiff with Diamond Head doing a great job in the support slot…. More about them shortly.


Much has hap...

Saxon – ‘Eagles Over Hellfest’ (MILITIA GUARD MUSIC) – RPM Online

The mighty Saxon continues their journey as one of the UK’s most well-known metal bands. Their output still comes thick and fast, but never compromising on quality. They know what their rabid fan base wants and deliver every time. They are still a formidable live act even though original member Paul Quinn decided to step down recently. Never fear, though; Diamond Head founder Brian Tatler stepped up and is a fantastic addition.


Eagles Over Hellfest is an epic documentation of Saxon’s blisteri...

Trespass – ‘Wolf At The Door’ (From the Vaults/Target SpvTrespass) – RPM Online

Ah, the good old New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). It conjures up such names as Saxon, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard (Yes, them as well), Angel Witch, Diamond Head, Samson, Tygers of Pan Tang, Demon etc. How many of you remember Trespass though? I vaguely remember them being name checked by Lars Ulrich of Metallica a few times (love him or hate him, Lars has helped a lot of those bands out over the years).


Trespass were formed back in 1979 in Sudbury, Suffolk by Mark Sutcliffe (...

Valhalla Awaits – ‘Reckoning EP’ (Self Release) – RPM Online

South Wales has always been well known for producing serious talent. If you think back to the 90s, bands like Dub War, Flyscreen, 60-foot dolls, and of course Stereophonics and the Manics put South Wales on the musical map. We then had the likes of the Blackout, the Guns, Ruby Cruiser, Kids in Glass Houses etc who were also very successful.  Now we have established acts like Bullet For My Valentine, Skindred, Phil Campbell & the Bastard Sons, and brand-new talent such as Florence Black and Those...

Valhalla Awaits – ‘Perdition’ (Self Release) – RPM Online

South Wales based noise mongers Valhalla Awaits are back with a bang. This latest EP: ‘Perdition‘ builds on the rock-solid foundations of their previous offerings: Condemned and Reckoning.


As we all know, South Wales is firmly on the rock and roll map again with bands such as Florence Black, Those Damn Crows & Sister Morphine dominating the UK scene, and stalwarts such as Tigertailz still releasing great material. The boys from VA have their own distinctive sound though, think Alice in Chains...

Skid Row – ‘The Gangs All Here’ (Absolute Records) – RPM Online

We all know about Skid Row’s past. I’m not going over old roads that’s been run over a million times because there are way too many potholes to avoid. All we need to focus on is the fact that Skid Row have put out their strongest album since the Slave to the Grind days. New vocalist Erik Gronwall has stamped himself all over the album and this means that there is a huge step up in quality. I really can’t emphasise enough how good he is.


This new opus is called The Gang’s All Here and the albu...

Iron Maiden – ‘Senjutsu’ (PLG UK Frontline) – RPM Online

Iron Maiden are one of THOSE bands that need no introduction. I was a huge Maiden fan as a teenager but anything after 92’s Fear of the Dark album has left me mostly cold. I never listened to the Blaze Bayley era albums and only got interested again when the band got the classic line up back.  Don’t get me wrong, there have been some great moments after the 1999 reunion with vocalist Bruce Dickinson and guitarist Adrian Smith, such as the underrated A Matter of Life and Death album. I freely adm...

Ghost – ‘Impera’ (Spinefarm Records) – RPM Online

Ghost first appeared on my radar when I saw them live at a festival, it may have been Download, or it may have been Sonisphere? Anyway…I didn’t really get them. I thought they were a little bit like Kiss, the image and the music don’t sit well together. I heard the odd song here and there; I loved the track Ritual from their debut ‘Opus Eponymous’ but didn’t really explore them much further at the time. It was with the release of the Rats video from 2018’s Prequelle that I really started to sit...

Sergeant Thunderhoof – ‘The Ghost of Badon Hill’ (Pale Wizard Records) – RPM Online

I became aware of the wonderful Sergeant Thunderhoof when I reviewed their superb last LP This Sceptred Veil back in 2022. That album was in my top ten of that year and has been on heavy rotation at Kendrick towers ever since. I love the band so much that I bought all their material up to that point.


To say I’ve been looking forward to the follow up to TSV is very much an understatement. The band released a single: ‘Blood Moon’ recently and it’s a superb taster of what’s to come on their late...

Megadeth – ‘Megadeth’ (BLKIIBLK) – RPM Online

We all know the Metallica story… I’m not going to talk about that, well, maybe later. Megadeth has been a constant in the heavy metal story since back in 1983, when Dave Mustaine swore that he would put together a band faster and heavier than that other band that I said I wasn’t going to talk about.


Since then, there have been many lineup changes and some history-making music. The one constant is, of course, “MegaDave” himself. The controversial guitarist/vocalist/lead songwriter has made sur...

My Ruin – ‘Declaration of Resistance’ (Magick Room Recordings) – RPM Online

My Ruin are back, and they are not fucking around… After a decade-long break, their latest release, ‘Declaration of Resistance’ is a damning statement on the right-wing agenda that’s engulfing US politics (the UK is not far behind!). The album is ferocious and grabs you by the bollocks from the start. Opening track (and first single) Compromised pins you to the floor. Mick Murphy’s monstrous riff, combined with Tairrie B’s spitting vocals, set up the rest of the album perfectly. Declaration of R...

Saxon – U.D.O. – Cardiff University Great Hall. 16.11.25 – RPM Online

The mighty Saxon’s Hell, Fire and Steel tour has been rolling through the UK. The final date is here in Cardiff; there’s a definite chill in the air as I queue to get in with the rest of the sold-out denim and leather-clad audience. By the time I get in, U.D.O. have already started their set. I catch most of the opening track – ‘Balls to the Wall’ (complete with giant inflatable balls), and I’m reminded of how much I love that song. I find myself headbanging (gently these days!) along to the mon...

Brainmaze – ‘When Your Demons Come’ (Self Release) – RPM Online

Brainmaze is a groove/thrash metal project from Bulgarian musician Ivan Shishkov. Apparently, it has taken him a decade to put this album together. It’s pretty darn good! If you love a bit of technical thrash and power groove – think Annihilator meets Prong and you will get an idea of the huge sound of Brainmaze.


I have no idea who the other musicians are or if there are any. The album still sounds very cohesive, as if there has been some genuine collaboration. I could be completely wrong tho...
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