Music and Metal

Every Time I Die - King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 7 Dec 2011

Relentless stream of three-minute blitzkrieg salvos

17 Jan 2012

King Tut’s is sold out tonight, and rightly so. US noiseniks Every Time I Die are one of the most engaging bands in the broad church of metal, preaching their inimitable brand of plunging rock ‘n’ roll since way back then in 1998. Trash Talk do a good…

Korn – The Path of Totality

Blistering new dubstep direction from the nu metal overlords

25 Nov 2011

They’ll forever be known as ‘the godfathers of nu metal’, but on Path of Totality Korn have taken a massive side step. Sure the guitars are still heavy as hammers but they’ve gone dubstep. And we’re not talking the odd breakbeat this is a full on…

Opeth - HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, Thu 10 Nov

Mesmerising show from the Swedish prog metallers

16 Nov 2011

Prog metal (from Rush to Mastodon) is an acquired taste but Sweden’s Opeth are at the top of their game and it is in the live arena where you can really appreciate their musicianship. You can watch each musician and really piece together their input…

Various artists - Songs For Dying

Vibrant collection of tunes exploring noise genres from techno to metal

16 Nov 2011

(Pjorn 72) The local Noiserati and associates’ recent reclaiming of their techno and/or metal roots helped their clan avoid a nihilistic dead end. As this bumper fifteen track compendium of clings, clangs, sci-fi slapstick, sepulchral drones…

Alice Cooper - SECC: Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow, Mon 31 Oct

2 Nov 2011

Could there be a more perfect date for Alice Cooper to play Glasgow? And the Halloween freakshow starts early with protopunks New York Dolls still pouting after all these years. A muted response from the crowd in this vast arena lessens the impact but…

Interview - Manowar get ready for their first UK tour in 16 years

Q&A with the most awesome metal act in the world

21 Oct 2011

Manowar are the very embodiment of epic metal excess and they return to the UK for their first full tour in 16 years playing their debut album Battle Hymns in its entirety as well as other thunderous metal classics. We catch up with outspoken bassist…

Corrupted - Garten der Unbewusstheit

Japanese doom metallers' moody follow up to El Mundo Frio

18 Oct 2011

Osaka’s enigmatic Corrupted have been shape-shifting their doom-laden and dystopic sound with each release over the past 15 years, to refer to them as a sludge band in their current phase seems bone-idle. Garten der Unbewusstheit (Garden of Unawareness…

Metal titans Manowar announced their first UK tour for 16 years

22 Jul 2011

The mighty Manowar have announced their first UK tour in 16 years. Where they will be playing their album Battle Hymns in its entirety alongside other bombastic rock classics. Famed for their over the top showmanship, love of swords, sorcery and Norse…

Bon Jovi – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Wed 22 Jun 2011

Polished if unremarkable show from the New Jersey rockers

20 Jul 2011

For many years to even admit a passing love of Bon Jovi lead to ridicule and derision. But the passage of time has been kind to these reformed poodle rockers, nostalgia has meant their hits have been reassessed as cheesy but ultimately life affirming…

GWAR, with Clutch - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Tue 14 Jun

23 Jun 2011

The differences between GWAR and Clutch might be as obvious as they are many, but there was no doubt that the bearded southern destroyers were capable of holding their own with this one. This hour-long set further cemented Clutch's status as a…

Earth, with Sabbath Assembly - Stereo, Glasgow, Tuesday 5 Apr 2011

18 Apr 2011

Sabbath Assembly’s Process Church-inspired occult rock seems appropriate amidst the beards gathered within the confines of Stereo. Lead by Wooden Wand and Jex Thoth frontwoman and conjurer Jessica Toth -- their celebration of both Jesus and Satan evokes…

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light

Growling, heavy, punky goodness from the constantly entertaining Foos

13 Apr 2011

(Roswell/RCA) It’s impossible to talk about a ‘return to form’ when it comes to the Foo Fighters, they’re one of rock’s most consistently steady and constantly entertaining acts. They’ve never had a genuine down-turn. Dave Grohl’s (almost) outgrown…

Rob Zombie - O2 Academy, Glasgow, Sun 20 Feb, 2011

Shock rocker Rob Zombie slays Glasgow with support from Skindred

9 Mar 2011

Roll up roll up the Rob Zombie circus sideshow is in town, it’s been over a decade since the ‘Superbeast’ defiled the UK and all the ragged deadites are howling in anticipation. But before the master of ceremonies grants us with his presence Skindred…

Shock rocker and horror film director Rob Zombie - full interview transcript

Musician and director's first UK tour for 12 years

15 Feb 2011

HN:This is your first UK tour for 12 years. Why it’s taken so long? RZ: Basically it’s taken me a pretty long time to get back to anywhere, I haven’t been outside of the US for a long time, basically the thing that’s got in the way of my world wide…

Rob Zombie returns to the stage after 12 years

Master of schlock rock and horror movies set for UK tour

11 Feb 2011

Schlock rock and horror movies go full circle as Rob Zombie returns to the stage after 12 years, finds Henry Northmore

DevilDriver - Beast

Enough gratifying moments here to see past the raw gristle of ‘rusty chainsaw’ music

11 Feb 2011

(Roadrunner Records) DevilDriver are, for lack of a better phrase, purveyors of what could be called ‘rusty chainsaw’ music. It grinds and grunts at frenzied pace, and when it’s on a bit of downtime, it’s still pretty lethal. Beast may be a cringing…

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Songs From a Zulu Farm

8 Feb 2011

(Wrasse Records) It’s debateable whether the ubiquity of the Ladysmith Black Mambazo sound (once it had graced the baked beans advert which took them into the mainstream) came at the expense of a specialist audience whose expectations might keep them…

Helmet - The Cathouse, Glasgow, Friday 17 Dec 2010

The weight and ingenuity of metal without the cheese and pretension

23 Dec 2010

The outbreak of onstage mild hysteria at the Cathouse tonight can be attributed to a number of things – although the support band playing the first song of the American quartet’s encore is never entirely explained. Mostly, the technical gremlins along…

Deftones - Perfect mix of power and intensity

O2 Academy, Glasgow, Fri 12 Nov 2010

18 Nov 2010

The expansive prog-metal of Coheed & Cambria were always going to be the ideal warm-up for Deftones. Claudio Sanchez’s vocals may be a bit hard for some to take (it can take on a whiny quality in the higher registers) but the heavy instrumental jams and…

Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern

15 Sep 2010

(Souterrain Transmissions) If, come some dull or unfathomable morning, you seek death by blissful, virtuosic metal-pop, then look no further than Marnie Stern: she’ll brutalise your every organ with hyper-melodic axe-mastery and alt-rock. The opening…

Biffy Clyro play secret acoustic gig to 200 at Ross Bandstand, Edinburgh

Intimate acoustic gig from melodic rock trio

26 Aug 2010

There’s an audible intake of breath as Biffy Clyro stroll onto the Bulmer's-sponsored mini-stage opposite the Ross Bandstand. Around 200 lucky competition winners have been granted an audience with a band who regularly command the attention of thousands…

Slash interview - Full transcript

16 Jun 2010

Born in Stoke on Trent, Saul Hudson became Slash after a move to LA at the age of 11. Now one of the world’s most iconic guitarists who gave us the timeless riffs from ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, ‘Paradise City’ and ‘Sweet Child of Mine’. After leaving…

Ozzy Osbourne - Scream

1 Jun 2010

Rock/ Metal Ozzy Osbourne Scream (Columbia) ‘I’m a rock star,’ growls Ozzy at the start of this, his tenth solo album. Well, not really, Ozzy, you’re primarily a global reality television celebrity, something you’re actually better at these days.

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

28 May 2010

(12A) 106min Despite massive success during the Canadian trio’s 35-year career, ‘The world’s most popular cult band’ have always existed alongside the mainstream, never in it. It could be argued that the showy musicianship and lyrical subject matter…

Soulfly

Studio 24, Edinburgh, Wed 19 May

26 May 2010

Since quitting/being thrown out of Sepultura back in 1996 (it’s all still a bit murky), Max Cavalera has been anything but idol, there’s been the short-lived Nailbomb, recent reunion with brother Max for Cavalera Conspiracy and collaborations with…