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The Review

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The Review

HELLOWEEN "Live At Budokan" 2024, a celebration of their legacy in Japan with over 2 hours of metal music!

The Review!

 

By Darkzen

12/01/2025

 

It is the first German band to record a live show at the Tokyo Budokan venue in Japan. The band is also working on a new album for 2025. The live setlist is excellent, with surprises! The selection of songs is a great tribute to the most loyal fans as well as to the vast musical career of the band, with a remarkable evolution of HELLOWEEN and presenting more than two hours of pure energy and clear power metal.

 

Country: Germany

Tracklist

Orbit

Skyfall

Eagle Fly Free

Mass Pollution

Future World

Power

Save Us

Kai's Medley

Forever And One (Neverland)

Best Time

Dr. Stein

How Many Tears

Keeper Of The Seven Keys

Perfect Gentleman

I Want Out

My Recommendation

Divided into two parts, these great songs each leave us with a great set list, excellent and cult! With full-length songs such as Skyfall and Keeper Of The Seven Keys, among others! With pure old-school Power Metal! Although I think more iconic songs were missing, but with that total of fifteen live hits, this is what this new live release of HELLOWEEN collects, who seem to be living one of their best moments in these years, since currently their name occupies the head of the event on the posters of the main festivals, you can see on their website for this 2025, in addition to two super voices from Michael Kiske and founding member Kai Hansen!

Sincerely a great presentation for the end of 2024 and that you can enjoy for this 2025!

 

Score

100/100

Info

https://www.helloween.org/helloween

https://www.instagram.com/helloweenofficial/

https://www.facebook.com/helloweenofficial

https://www.youtube.com/user/helloweenorg

"Requiem For A Damned Love"

The Review!

 

By Darkzen

12/01/2025

 

Rockshots Records is excited to announce that RISEN CROW has officially released their debut single and music video for "Risen Crow", the first track from their highly anticipated album "Requiem For A Damned Love" due out February 2025. The single is now available on all major streaming platforms, accompanied by an evocative video that captures the dark, melodic essence of the band’s unique sound.

Formed in 2020 in Rome, Risen Crow stands out in the Italian metal scene with their distinct fusion of power metal and gothic elements. Drawing inspiration from iconic bands such as Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, Kamelot, and Lacuna Coil, Risen Crow’s music blends powerful riffs, haunting melodies, and atmospheric soundscapes, creating an emotional journey for listeners. The single "Risen Crow" embodies the band’s artistic vision, showcasing their signature mix of powerful metal energy and dark, gothic atmospheres.

The upcoming album, "Requiem For A Damned Love" delves into themes of obsession, damned love, and sacrifice, taking listeners through an intense narrative filled with emotion and depth. The track "Risen Crow" sets the tone for the album, offering a glimpse into the band’s compelling storytelling and dynamic musical approach.

Risen Crow invites fans to experience their dark, melodic journey and immerse themselves in their debut single's evocative atmosphere. With a strong lineup and a unique blend of influences, the band is ready to make their mark on the international metal scene.

Country: Italy

Style: Power Metal

Risen Crow Line Up:

Antonella Della Monica: Vocals

Claudio Vattone: Vocals

Giuseppe Longo: Guitars

Francesco Menale: Guitars

Alessandro Bernabei: Keyboards

Flavio Cicchetti: Bass

Filippo Martini: Drums

Track Listing:

Never surrender

Black Widow

Funeral Jack

Risen Crow

Revelation

Dark In my life

Believe in me

Black Rose

My Recommendation

We start with Never Surrender, an excellent atmospheric/dark sound with that gothic touch that opens us with an instrumental background sound! Next, excellent, melodic and forceful riffs and chords make their presence felt, then we have Black Widow with the guitar line in front and Antonella's beautiful melodic voice making a great duet with Claudio, great melodic power metal! In Funeral Jack we have another atmospheric/gloomy entrance, laments and cries in the background that later with an evil laugh the harmonic, light and slow line of the guitar chords makes its presence felt in front, then with the homonymous song of the band's name Risen Crow with a melodic, harmonic, clean power metal in a duet of both voices! We have a good album by the band made in a fiery, forceful and classic way! I think that for fans of bands like Nightwish, Within Temptation, Kamelot, Helloween, etc ... power metal with dark gothic influences, formed in 2020 in Rome, will catch you, also with a beautiful voice like Antonella's, she has a modern singing technique and a penchant for the dark atmospheres that we can hear, you can hear a very notable melodic dimension and with a technique for powerful and complex riffs. always with a solid foundation in power metal and gothic dark.

Score

90/100

Info

https://www.instagram.com/risencrow/

https://www.facebook.com/risencrowband/

Promo (3).jpg

Resist!!

The Review!

 

By Darkzen

27/01/2025

 

Finnish melodic death metallers Admire the Grim will release their debut album ‘Resist’ via Inverse Records in January 2025. The album, which was crafted for two years, consists of familiar Admire the Grim tunes and acoustic surprises. Antti ‘Hyrde’ Hyyrynen of Stam1na visits as a guest vocalist on the single ‘Resist’. Album debut gig will be held at the legendary Nuijamies venue in the band’s hometown of Lappeenranta, Finland. Afterwards Admire the Grim is heading for gigs around Finland.

Admire the Grim was formed in 2021. The band released its’ well received ‘Rogue Five’ debut EP via Inverse Records in 2022. After the release the band followed up with a Finnish tour and their first gig abroad at Bloodstained Metal Fest in Estonia.

Style: Melodic Death Metal

Members

Katri Snellman (vocals)

Jani Loikkanen (guitar)

Sirja Ojaniemi (guitar)

Petri Hänninen (bass)

Tommi Vante (drums)

Admire The Grim - Resist (album 2025)

Track list:

Crescent Moon

Resist

Revolutions

Rivers to Surge

Acoustic Melodies from the Past and Present

Choke on Your Words

Hypocrite

Mad Queen of the Second Sun

No Limits

 

My Recommendation

Our friends from Admire the Grim leave us their new album! With a lot of energy, power from the start! With a lot of Death! From the first track of Crescent Moon a huge scream from Katri great! Melodic, rhythmic and fast chords that will make you feel the fresh and new vibe of this album, then we have the homonymous song from the album Resist that starts with the line of guitars and challenging and heavy drums! A melodic and rhythmic song, with that classic characteristic melodic death and in that powerful voice of Katri defiant in every minute of the song! Power and Heaviness everywhere in this new album! Now in Revolutions we have a song a little slower at the beginning of the track, with the guitar and drum line handled in a harmonical and well-coupled way, we have a song with the distinctive seal of the classic style of melodic death without a doubt, later with Rivers to Surge we have a song a little more relaxed where the guitars and drums are the main protagonist, led by the strong voice of Katri! And so we continue until the last song which is No Limits where it closes in an explosive, fast and forceful way, without losing the musical intensity, in the voice without a doubt Katri handles the changes of rhythm very well without modifying her vocal range, but it does fit quite well in the times that we can hear.

A good album is given to us by the Finnish band with a distinctive and classic stamp of Melodic Death! The guitar line and drums make up the main body of the album and that is a good job.

Score

95/100

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/admirethegrim

https://www.facebook.com/admirethegrim 

https://admirethegrim.bandcamp.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChaWXJ8S_pUzrKH0fywCI1Q

“Tales from the Dark”

The Review!

 

By Darkzen

27/01/2025

 

Serpentyne are a symphonic metal band from the UK.

Their music blurs the lines between Symphonic, Folk and Power Metal, creating a diverse and kaleidoscopic sound.

The band combines symphonic elements with female lead vocals and aggressive, down-tuned guitars. The lyrics are centred around myths, legends, historical figures and folklore. 

Each song is an immersive listening experience, where the lyrics, music and attitude of the performers come together to perfection.

In addition to the band’s cinematic penchant for engaging storytelling, the quality of their productions is undeniable. The sound is crisp, direct and in the same class as the world’s most celebrated symphonic metal bands.

Maggiebeth, the lead singer, has a unique way of enticing the audience, showcasing a fantastic dynamic range, as well as matching the band’s intensity to perfection.

From hard-hitting and raw, to melodic and highly nuanced, Serpentyne are a metal band with a unique allure to their sound, and their quickly rising reputation speaks for itself.

Style: Symphonic Metal/Folk Metal/Rock

Members:

Maggiebeth Sand - Lead Voice

Lee Willmer - Guitar

Nigel Middleton - Bass Guitar / Vocals

John Haithwaite - Keyboards

Marco Biagini – Drums

 

Track list:

Prophetess of Dreams

Into The Night

Dangerous Mind

Ghosts of Times Past

Run for your Life

Evil from Within

Dreamer

Seance

March of Death

Promised Land

My Recommendation

The new album starts with Prophetess of Dreams dynamic, powerful and with powerful chords, Maggiebeth's beautiful voice gives it a beautiful medieval/power/epic and symphonic touch, then in Into The Night with a change in rhythm and speed, hard chords and slow time passage, in a great combination of voices that we can hear accompanied by a heartbreaking riff, in Dangerous Mind we have a more melodic sound! Harmonious and that epic and fantastic atmosphere returns! In Ghosts of Times Past we have a more medieval atmosphere, with more operatic aesthetics starting with a very well interpreted chorus that later gives us that melodic, harmonic and very dynamic part! Now in Run for your Life we ​​have a heavier, stronger sound with that medieval and epic atmosphere! With that Folk rock metal touch that we can hear in all the tracks! And from there to the end with March of Death with an underworld sound, dark and intimidating from the beginning of the track, the strong chords and drums that take us with that melodic Symphonic/power metal style and finally with Promised Land that closes with an atmosphere with the ocean in the background with bird sounds and singing in a soft, rhythmic, melodic and forceful way!

It's an energetic, dynamic, melodic album, with strong guitar arrangements that go ahead, with a continuous, forceful and discreet drum, in the great voices! The combination of both gives it that epic atmosphere, with mysticism, folk and fantasy! Lots of musical dynamics! With this new album!

Score

90/100

Social Media and Website links:

https://www.serpentyne.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Serpentyneofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/serpentyneofficial/

https://www.youtube.com/serpentyne

https://www.tiktok.com/@serpentyneofficial

https://serpentyne.bandcamp.com/

https://x.com/serpentynemusic

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