Markus' Heavy Music Blog

(7/10) "Road Worn" is the new live EP from Austrian alternative rockers Midriff. The songs have been recorded on October 9th, 2015 in the VZ Komma in Woergl, Tyrol. The show was part of the "Doubts and Fears" promotion, the second album of the band that...

(7/10) For some of you metal from Japan means bands like Loudness, but there is more to explore in the land of the rising sun. One of those bands that never really made it on the radar is Church Of Misery. Actually this isn't totally right, since the...

(8/10) Los Angeles, California based Black Cobra is a two-piece band that was initiated by guitarist and singer Jason Landrian back in 2001. Landrian found with drummer Raphael Martinez a partner in crime and both are - Black Cobra. During the first decade...

(9/10) Redemption can already look back on a rich history that covers quite some excellent longplayer. It's five full-length records that have seen the light of day since the beginning of the new century and number six is now out in the record stores....

(7/10) Beseech said goodbye in 2006 when the guys announced the end of the band. And like it is from time to time, being disbanded brings people together after a while, recognising that they are missing something. In Beseech's case it was in 2015, almost...

(*/10) The idea isn't new, the result is fun and some people love it while others can't deal with it at all. I'm talking about acoustic pop/rock bands, re-arranging metal tracks which gives the songs a totally new and different expression. Hellsongs from...

(8/10) What Australian Deströyer 666 releases on their new album "Wildfire" is jaw-dropping. Seven long years after having released "Defiance" the guys are back with their new record that is a real winner. "Wildfire" is fed by nine brutal thrash anthems...

German metal dinosaurs Scorpions released a few month ago their pretty successful new album "Return to Forever". The record was well received and the band is still on tour all over the planet. March 2016 is the month where the Scorpions are back in their...

(8/10) Introducing Anvil would be like carrying sand to the beach. If you haven't heard of Anvil before you either navigated to the wrong blog or you're really young or you missed the legendary documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" ... or all together....

(8/10) In case you're looking for thrash metal that's inspired by the early Kreator, during their "Pleasure to Kill" phase and Possessed, here you go. "Experiment of Existence" delivers exactly this sound, thrash metal which is raw and uncompromising....

(7/10) This album is confusing, at least it confused me when I heard it the first time. The name of the band, the name of the album, the cover ... all this made me think about a Southern rock influenced classic rock album - the soundtrack for a bike ride...

(7/10) Almost two years after having published their latest longplayer "Shadows" German power metal command Sinbreed is ready for a new release. "Master Creation" is the name of the new album which is third one of the four-piece band (guitarist Marcus...

(*/10) Japanese Coffins and Ilsa from Baltimore release a split 7", The A-side contains Coffins' "Tyrant" while Ilsa contributes with "Cult of the Throne". Both songs are brutal. "Tyrant" is grooving death metal with an immense riffing and raging leads....

It was 25 years ago when Mikael Akerfeldt started an impressive career with Opeth, a good moment to stand still and look back on all those thrilling years. "The Book of Opeth" is this retrospective in which Akerfeldt tells the story of Opeth in first-person....