CD REVIEWS

KATE'S ACID-Hellbender (High Roller Records)
The first ACID albums are the very best speed metal releases of all time, as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately, ACID is history, however it's good to see that there is KATE'S ACID now, in which Kate is the only original member from the good old days. They have already released a live album from their show at Keep It True, where the band played a set of classics from their first three albums. This CD contains nine brand new songs and is worthy of about thirty five minutes. The speeding red car on the cover must be the 'Hellbender' they refer to in the title track. I guess, it's the pimped, 2026 version of the 'Black Car' from their 1983 album "Maniac". This is a classic track to be, in my opinion. It's fast, it's energetic, it's heavy and it rocks like hell. Kate's voice is still very powerful and it didn't change a bit. The power goes on in the next song, called "Taking Back My Wings", which got that old school metal vibe, yet it's slower and has got a more DIO type of approach. The pedal is pressed to the metal again in "The Lightning Conductor". This speedy track proves that musically nothing has changed, as far as the sound of ACID concerns. Some influences of old school IRON MAIDEN could be recognized as well in the guitar work. "Riding Out" is a dynamic song that will make your head move up and down. The guitar solo cries, which is the cherry on the cake here. I actually really loved the next track "Do Not Burn The Witch" because of the great guitar solo. The mysterious and more growling voice of Kate is not my cup of tea though. However, the opening riff originates from the big book of heavy metal and so does the double bass drum beats that sound heavy and really fantastic. "Valkyrie" is another great fast head banger and one of the best songs on this album. It's one of my personal faves in fact. The Valkyries were the messengers of the God Odin and they are racing through the sky here. They are associated to death many times. "Buccaneers" is next and once again you will get the feeling that all the songs here are very much linked to the latter ACID material. The band doesn't let you down. "Stormchaser" starts with a short a-cappella part, which will hopefully blow in the right direction. It's rather catchy and I think it will do very well in a live situation. In closing, the band finishes off with "Air Raid" as the obligatory ballad. Not that ACID is flirting a lot with ballads, but the eighties vibe that hangs around this album simply asks for it. It's a good way to round off this amazing new album. The guitar work in the beginning sounds rather bluesy, yet it gets heavier along the way. KATE'S ACID consists of Kate de Lombaert on vocals, Geert Annys on guitars, Camillo 'Thunder Screamer' Ortega on bass and Ashley 'Ash' Ysewyn on drums. Website: https://www.facebook.com/KatesACID. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

BEHIND THE VEIL-Betrayed By Shadows (independent/Hard Life Promotion)
These days, I see more bands in the scene that have two or even three female singers in their line-up. The Belgian alternative, melodic metal band is one of them. They just released a five track EP, after two independent singles in the past. The future is looking bright for them by listening to the twenty minutes of music on this silver disc. They are playing the metal sound of the new millennium, which is what the youngsters want to hear. Let's go through the several tracks now, before we will be betrayed by shadows as well. Opener "Renegade" sounds fast and furious. Loud riffs, hard drum beats and some rather impressive vocal parts are entering my room. Brutal growls, screams and regular singing voices, it's all there. At the end, the pace is going down and the growls are getting dark and deep. This mighty switch will keep the listener focused. "Carry On" is next up and this wild anthem sounds really amazing. The drummer goes berserk and also lead guitarist Pedro is constantly soloing throughout this cacophony of notes. Towards the end, I can't stop propelling my head to the fast rhythm of it. What a big contradiction to the next song "Twisted Games", which starts off with soft piano tones that are much darker than the previous two songs. Of course there is still some wild screaming and heavy riffs in here and I guess the average doom metal fan will definitely like this side of the band. It's still metal core or deathcore for that matter and I really enjoyed the guitar solo here. "Wildflower" marches on through your speakers next. FEAR FACTORY couldn't do it any better. Listen to the insane fast drum beats and the aggressive growls here. You'd better wear gloves, when you want to pick a 'wildflower' like that. Title track "Betrayed By Shadows" closes this five tracker and once again the two lady singers prove that their different vocal styles sound magic together. The first drum beats refer a little to RAINBOW's "Lost In Hollywood", but only for a couple of seconds. It's far more evil than RAINBOW would ever sound. BEHIND THE VEIL consists of Delphine de Vusser on vocals, Sofie Foster on vocals, Lennert de Ketel on drums, Dominique 'Impy' Himpe on rhythm guitar, Pedro Naeye on lead guitar and Jasper Degryse on bass. https://www.facebook.com/BehindTheVeilBE. [8 points] (Toine van Poorten)

BLACK SWORD THUNDER ATTACK-Black Sword Thunder Attack (No Remorse Records)
I was diving for pearls and found this little gem. The cover is showing a warrior with a sword in his hand, ready to attack. Plenty of reason to check out this Greek heavy metal band, fronted by Mareike on vocals. The band's name is already a mouthful. The ten songs on this amazing debut album will keep you focused for forty minutes and it will also make you jump from excitement at the same time. If you like the sound of WARLORD or LORDIAN GUARD, then you will be fine. "The Black Sword" will start off with riffs, that will remind you of mastermind William Tsamis for sure. The voice of Mareike fits like a glove and if you like this combination, then the next ten songs will receive a special place in your heart for sure, like it did with me. Her voice is higher than Vidonne Sayre-Riemenschneider of LORDIAN GUARD, yet the magic is also there. The subtle use of church bells here is only one small detail that will turn this track into a fabulous opener. "Don't Hear The Sirens" has got that epical feeling all over again. The sound of warriors and the dreamy keyboard intro in combination with the acoustic guitars will probably make the heart of fans of WARLORD beat faster. The guitar licks in this song are really overwhelming. The guitar is the main focus in the next song, called "On The Way To Acheron". Acheron is the name of a river in the underworld of Hades. The way, that Mareike is flirting with the guitars, is really breathtaking. The beginning of the song might remind you a bit of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT as well in a way. "Evil Sorcery" continues and the bass and keyboards team up together in the intro of this fast banger, in which the main focus is on the music this time. "Through The Fires Of Hell" is next up and this particular song refers more towards the heavy side of HEAVY LOAD. Obviously, this band has many faces. Sometimes, they are sounding epic, then heavy or acoustic and always with loud and fiery riffs. I really love this! "Anvils Of War" is another true heavy metal anthem. It will catch you by surprise. Once again, there's a subtle use of sound effects with swords crossing as well. I will really ask myself, if "Last Flight Of The Eagle" is the obligatory ballad on the album? The lyrics are letting me believe it is, yet the guitars are riffing so loud here and the solo is truly outstanding, too. It's not the typical kind of ballad, although the medieval sound and the song topic will give you that feeling. References to WARLORD will come to mind again, because of those amazing guitar riffs and sounds. At least that’s what I think. The next song "Master Of Hell" will bring you in an euphoric state of mind. This is more or less a wild assault of furious rhythms. Just listen to the terrific vocals of Mareike in here. Next up is "Song In The Night", which starts off with some great galloping riffs. I bet your neighbors won't be happy at all! I guess the best is saved for last. The ominous intro of "Gates Of Fire" will catch your attention right away. Just wait until the guitars are taking it over. Don't you just love that gorgeous riff here? I know that I did and it made my opinion about this debut album shoot up high, because there is a lot happening and every song has something special, which makes you want to push the 'repeat' button over and over again. Vocalist Mareike stands proud in every song and it makes you want to win the war and fight the battle under all circumstances. BLACK SWORD THUNDER ATTACK consists of Chris on guitar and keyboards, Stelios on bass, Marios on drums and Mareike on vocals. The Greek teutonic, epic black sword thunder attack really makes my day, how about you? For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/p/Black-Sword-Thunder-Attack-100063726451063/ [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

BREAKKER-Breakker (Heaven & Hell Records)
Somebody is pushing the circuit breaker and sparks are flying all around. That's what you see on the cover of this six track CD by BREAKKER from Philadelphia. The album is worthy of a bit over twenty-five minutes and will knock you off your feet right away. Drummer Ben is starting off like a madman in opener "Time's Not Gonna Wait" and doesn't stop. The band is playing a good mix of eighties heavy metal with influences from WARLOCK, BITCH (vocal wise) and JUDAS PRIEST with great guitar riffs and solos, fronted by Clare Mairead, who stands proud on vocals. She could have been a younger singer of the aforementioned bands for that matter. The band stays true to their roots, because if you would say that the album was recorded in 1984, I would have believed you, too. "Tight Leash" continues in a slow and more melodic music style and so you can add a band like for example DOKKEN to their influences as well, in my opinion. The solo in this song is nicely introduced by a short guitar and drum part. I must say that I wasn't too keen about the male shouts in here, although that's just a minor detail. I really loved the powerful track "Under The Overlords", that brings out the best in this band. The heavy and vicious riffs, ditto drum beats and especially the amazing vocals of Clare, who is sounding like a true heavy metal vixen, ready to steal your metal heart. References to ACID's Kate would be very much appropriate here, too. Just check out her final vocal pull outs, doesn't she sound just fabulous to you ?!? "Fever" on the other hand has some references to WASP, as far as I'm concerned. "Animal (F*ck Like A Beast") must have been the blueprint for this song for sure. The vocals are truly amazing and it would be perfect live on stage. For those metal heads, who like a more modest kind of approach: there is the melodic song "Lipstick Trace", which includes some harmony vocals and would be just great for radio airplay, I guess. Towards the end, the lady that left the lipstick traces on your shirt, will disappear in the dark night. The final song, "Stick To Your Guns" is another excellent heavy metal tune in the best JUDAS PRIEST tradition. The original was recorded by WILD DOGS on their "Man's Best Friend" album. It is also one of the two singles by the band. The second one is a raw live rendition of the non-album track "Cast The Stone". BREAKKER is indeed a band to keep in mind, when you are hungry for old school heavy metal. Philadelphia can be proud of their citizens. BREAKKER consists of Clare Mairead on vocals, Ben Brower on drums, Stevie Lang on bass and Teagan Edsell on guitar. For more info, go to: https://www.facebook.com/breakkerphl. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

BRONZE-In Chains And Shadows (Walkyries Records)
This band from Greece is called BRONZE (formerly called KRAMP) and they are fronted by vocalist Mina Walkure. The nine songs on this album are worthy of about thirty-five minutes of heavy metal and it rocks out very loud. The album cover is showing a faceless and chained up spooky monster, that is offering you a lightning ball. Would you grab it from him? I definitely would have my doubts, I can assure you that much. This is the band's second full-length album, as their debut album "Gods Of Death" was released under the name KRAMP. It starts off with the traditional metal track "Fool", which is a very good start indeed. Furious drum beats are flying from everywhere. The next song "Time Covers No Lies" is a bit louder and faster and the guitar work reminded me of the mighty WARLORD. The title track "In Chains And Shadows" is a true speed monster in the best early GAMMA RAY and HELLOWEEN tradition. There are some Teutonic elements here, which make me draw this comparison. "Maze Of Haze" is also fast, yet in a more traditional way. "Tale Of Revenge" contains some epical and slightly folky medieval elements in the beginning of this song, while in "Jackals Of The Sea", I also hear some Eastern influences. "Samurai" is very epical, so grab your sword and fight the good fight. "Realm Of The Damned" is coming to you at full force again. The album closes with "Tyrant's Spell", which contains some very tasty YNGWIE J MALMSTEEN type of guitar work. Not only in the riffs, but also the amazing solo part breaths his signature . I must admit that this album is strictly for the true metal adepts among us. I really liked the drawings in the CD booklet, that were put by the lyrics here. BRONZE consists of Mina Walkure on vocals, Cederick Forsberg on guitar, Billy Qvarnstrom on drums and Lap on bass. Website: https://www.bronzeofficial.com or https://www.facebook.com/krampmetal. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

BURNING WITCHES-Inquisition (Napalm Records)
Twelve songs are being captured on the new BURNING WITCHES album, worthy of almost fifty minutes of their most recent brew, that will get you in their spell right away. The artwork will add greatly to this. The witches seem to rise out of the ashes, surrounded by fire, snakes and knife blades, which urges you to have a listen to the album as loud as possible. On the back cover, you will find a white snake curling around the neck of a guitar. It's part of the inquisition, which happens next. The CD starts off with a short intro, called "Sanguini Hominum", which is merely a singing choir, before "Soul Eater" explodes from your speakers at full blast. It contains some powerful vocals and loud riffs and the guitar solos are being fired at you in a rhythm, your neck muscles have to work overtime. What a killer track! "Shame" is on next, which is very energetic and powerful and it feels like the witches are shouting out that you ought to be ashamed. It is part of their spell and you can't escape it. "The Spell Of The Skull" marches on right thereafter. And after a rather overwhelming start, this spell will put your mind at ease a little bit more. The song is firm and heavy, yet the pace is much slower. The actual "Inquisition" takes place after this. BURNING WITCHES will take over your life and they do it with a rather stunning force. Wild screams are accompanying this violent attack, which is completed by a hard drum beat and giving you a feeling that the earth is shaking. Clearly, it's even more ominous because of thunder and lightning part at the end. After that, your life will never be the same. "High Priestess Of The Night" is up next. This perfect headbanger also has some very catchy moments to sing along to. An icy high scream, a haunting rhythm and a stunning beat are part of the next attack, which is called "Burn In Hell". However, there is more to it than just the brutal riffs and loud shouting, because this spell is on you. The only thing that you want to happen is that you will get out of it. The ballad on this album reflects this feeling in "Release Me", which is a tender moment to take a deep breath. Of course your mind will directly go out to the guitar parts, which show some references to "Nothing Else Matters" of METALLICA. Anyway, that was your moment of rest and after that the band continues in their best JUDAS PRIEST tradition in the song "In For The Kill". The guitar solo will really blow you away, if you are not already down on the ground gasping for air. The high screams of Laura Guldenmond are very impressive here as well. "In The Eye Of The Storm" shows the band raging on and it has got an impressive instrumental part. There is some bad weather ahead. The CD closes with a fast PRIEST kind of headbanger, called "Mirror, Mirror". Be aware, because there are some thundering drums in here, more screaming vocals and some quite dazzling guitar riffs. Next to the PRIEST elements, you will also hear some IRON MAIDEN influences in the instrumental part near the end. "Malus Maga" is a very dark and ominous closing of an album that will creep up on you and keep you in its spell from the beginning until the very end. A great way to celebrate ten years of BURNING WITCHES, I must say. A decade in which the band has grown immensely to a headlining band status, that no one can go beyond. These ladies have been born to rock and they prove it on this sixth album. BURNING WITCHES is Lala Frischknecht on drums, Romana Kalkuhl on guitar, Jeanine Grob on bass, Courtney Cox on guitar and Laura Guldenmond on vocals. Don't get into their spell, these ladies are evil and they only want to eat your soul alive. Website: https://www.burningwitches.ch or https://www.facebook.com/burningwitches666. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

CASTLE RAT-The Bestiary (Blues Funeral)
If there is one band that makes the most progress in their career, it must be CASTLE RAT. Their new album is called "The Bestiary" and it contains thirteen songs, worthy of almost fifty minutes. Let's check out this album, on which animals are also playing a giant role. Not only do we see The Rat Queen on a unicorn on the cover of the album, it also starts with a fuzzy intro, called "Phoenix I". "Wolf I" is next up, which is a mix of doom and traditional metal and references to bands like BLACK SABBATH, COVEN, CANDLEMASS and LUCIFER, to name a few. "Wizard" thunders on and the vocals of The Rat Queen, Riley Pinkerton matches perfect with the syrupy grooves, which are being spread around by the band. It has got that perfect combination of a dark and spooky atmosphere with a doomy and heavy sound. Riley is definitely the face of this band. Her voice is dark and it will put a spell on you, whereas the band tends to sound innovative by adding strong aspects to the songs, which makes it outstanding above the rest. The drum beats in “Siren” are hammering into your head, like machinegun shots in the dark night. The speed change here is such an innovative part, which appears when you didn't see it coming. It knocked me off my feet for sure. Anyway, now it's time to have a more quiet moment. "Unicorn" will take care of it. It will bring you back to earth and land softly. This is a true and honest tribute to this fantasy animal....or do they really exist?!? "Path Of Moss" is a short instrumental piece on guitar. It connects the first impressive part of the CD to the second one and starts off with "Crystal Cave", where Riley speaks out her ominous spells. "Serpent" is another vicious animal the band adds to their collection. It's very doomy and the guitar solo has got a slightly neo classical feeling over it. "Wolf II" on the other hand is more laid back and dark. It may not be a real metal song, yet it has got that dark and mysterious horror type of atmosphere to it. "Dragon" is a lot groovier and faster, while "Summoning Spell" really feels like a spell put upon you by The Rat Queen. You are going to get afraid of what will happen to you after she is ready to speak it out. "Sun Song" gives the band some space to take a deep breath. The instrumental part sounds rather impressive and lifts itself up to a burst out climax. What a trip! It's vicious, threatening and ominous and it will surely please the doomsters among us. The short instrumental "Phoenix II" closes this mighty fine album, which goes on from dreamy to spooky to ultra-heavy and to doomy. It will bring you in a trance for sure and into a sort of parallel universe created by the band itself. CASTLE RAT is not an image or a gimmick, it's the real deal and they are coming to get you with their new sound of doom metal. CASTLE RAT consists of Riley Pinkerton as The Rat Queen on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Franco Vittore Dutlo as The Count on lead guitar and backing vocals, Charley Ruddell as The Plague Doctor on bass and synths and Joshua Strmic as The Druid on drums. Website: https://www.castlerat.com or https://www.facebook.com/castleratband. Try it, if you dare. [8 points] (Toine van Poorten)

CLAYMOREAN-Eternal Curse (Stormspell Records)
A curse has been pronounced upon us. It's the "Eternal Curse" by Serbian based metal band CLAYMOREAN. Their brand new nine track album will provide you with some new heavy metal songs for almost fifty minutes. On the cover I see some blood dripping fangs of a lady vampire, who is wandering around at a graveyard at night. This sounds very promising indeed, doesn't it?!? The CD starts off with a short instrumental intro, called "Overture 1914". I don't know, if this has got anything to do with World War I or not, which is very epic and dark. The anthem "By This Sword We Rule" is next up. These warriors like their music epic and very energetic. I don't know if the public is mixed in or it's been recorded live, but it gives this opener a special boost for sure. This epic feeling continues in "Under The Sign Of The Cross", which will touch you right in your epic metal heart. The opening riff is truly magical. In "Battle Born", I hear some rather impressive vocals, mixed with loud and aggressive guitar riffs that will tear you apart. This song makes you proud to be a metal head. The next song is called "300" and it has got some gang shouts. It's lifted up by an impressive instrumental part and more great vocals by singer Dejana and it's about 300 Spartan warriors. The fast riffs will introduce you to the guitar solo. "Wind Before The Storm" is another epic anthem with a leading role for the guitar solo, which is really outstanding. The guitar work in title track "Eternal Curse" even leans towards the mighty PINK FLOYD. It's a fast track with a thundering drive and some galloping beats. This standout song easily becomes my personal favorite on this album for that matter. "Bannockburn" is a lengthy track, which brings out the best of this band. This is the sound that you would like to hear, when you’re going to the battlefields. You know, that you are marching to victory. The guitars cry on and on and it has got some innovative drum parts as well. The intro is referring to the heydays of MANOWAR and obviously, this is another winner in my book. Well, throw your fist in the air for these mighty warriors. You will surely recognize the final track, I guess. It's the CLAYMOREAN version of the KISS classic "The Oath". Maybe it's not the biggest fish in the pond, but it's definitely a fine catch for all the die-hard metal fans out there. It's also performed very well, if I may say so. It marks the end of this brilliant album though. Time flies, when you’re having fun. I must admit, that I like the powerful energetic sound of CLAYMOREAN, that consists of Dejana 'Betsa' Garcevic on vocals, Vladimir 'Vlad' Garcevic on guitars and backing vocals, Vladimir 'Vlajko' Novakovic on guitars and backing vocals, Goran Garcevic on bass and backing vocals, Marko Novakovic on drums and backing vocals. Website: https://www.facebook.com/claymorean. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

CRYSTAL VIPER-The Live Quest (Listenable Records)
I just loved the fantasy drawing on this live CD by Polish metal heads CRYSTAL VIPER. They recorded their show at Keep It True and these nine songs are worthy of forty minutes of true heavy metal. The intro, on which the band takes possession of the stage is called "Return To Providence". It feels like it's from another planet. HAWKWIND could have done this for example. The real action is from the energetic opener "Fever Of The Gods". This is full power at high speed. Sometimes you will hear thrashy rhythms or haunting drum beats and there are even some brutal growls here. "The Silver Key", the title track of their 2004 album, sounds very epic and heraldic and much slower. Think of MANOWAR, VIRGIN STEELE or MANILLA ROAD. They even added a short sing-along moment at the end. "The Cult" (not the band) is next. This killer track has got a true metal vibe and a great guitar solo. It's also the first single taken off of the album. Marta introduces "Metal Nation" after that. Her message is clear: no matter what metal you listen to, we are one 'metal nation'. The guitar intro contains some Celtic metal influences or am I the only one hearing this? Of course there is an opportunity for the fans to shout along at the end of this song. The hungry audience exactly follows the instructions of teacher Marta. "Night Of The Sin" is another speedy and fiery song, which will get those fists in the air. The true CRYSTAL VIPER warriors, and there are a lot of them, take their chance to sing along to it at the end. The audience participation is always great at Keep It True. I have witnessed that for myself many, many times before. The metal heads that go there have all got heavy metal and hard rock building blocks in their DNA. "The Witch Is Back" is next and it's time to stretch those neck muscles with some serious head banging. The guitar solo is again rather impressive. The band doesn't give you any time to breathe after this though, because it seamlessly goes over into "Still Alive", which is another fast metal song. Clearly, the audience is showing their appreciation for this energetic performance. The best is saved for last, the knock-out punch so to speak with "The Last Axeman" finishing this whirling and exciting set. The CD booklet contains some amazing pics. All in all, this is a must have for every devoted metal head out there. CRYSTAL VIPER consists of Marta Gabriel on vocals and guitar, bass and piano, Lukaz 'Andy Wave' Halczuch on guitars, Kuba Galwas on drums and Eric Juris on guitars. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/crystalviperofficial. [8 points] (Toine van Poorten)

THE DONNAS-The Atlantic Years 2002 - 2005 (Cherry Red Records)
Whatever happened to Brett, Torry, Maya and Allison? Once, these four hot rocking ladies travelled all around the world and played many gigs, Then unexpectedly, they fell from the edge of the world, just like that. Gladly, they have not been forgotten and Cherry Red Records from the UK released a compilation box with three CD's, containing two albums with bonus material and a third CD packed with live stuff, singles and B-sides. This will make the fans of THE DONNAS their mouth water. The package is worthy of forty-eight songs and almost two and a half hour of DONNAS excitement. The first CD is their debut album "Spend The Night", released in 2003. If you're not familiar with the music by those four ladies, then I would like to refer to the RUNAWAYS, RAMONES or JOAN JETT for that matter. They know how to rock and prove is given in the fast opener "It's On The Rocks". Sometimes their music is very punky, while at other times it's more rocking and kind of sleazy, yet it's always of a very high quality, as far as I'm concerned. "Take It Off" has got that well-known GIRLSCHOOL type of gang shouts and some mean guitar work by Allison Robertson. "Who Invited You" contains more heavy guitar licks and Torry Castellano's cowbell sound. "All Messed Up" is not messed up at all, because you can say whatever you want about these ladies, their music has always been hot and rocking and especially very catchy. This is the ultimate start up for a late night party. "Dirty Denim" is a fast rock song with more gang shouts. The raw guitar sound of Allison roars in "You Wanna Get Me High". I love the loud riff in "I Don't Care (So There)"! "Pass It Around" is another great rock song and I just love their massive sound. It really gets me going. "Too Bad About Your Girl" starts off a bit numb, but that's only to focus more on the louder parts later on. "Not The One" is about not being the right girl for you and a lot of songs are about relationships and boyfriends of course. "Please Don't Tease" is a typical JOAN JETT song from the early days, while "Take Me To The Backseat" simply asks to be played loud. It may sound a bit provocative, yet these ladies don't care. They just do what they want and they do it in the best way possible, which is rocking out loud. "5 O'Clock In The Morning" closes this first album. Check out the filthy guitar part, that Allison cranks out at the end of this song. It will make you melt from excitement. The album contains two bonus tracks. At first, there's "Big Rig", which was a bonus track on the original Japanese album and the other track is "Backstage", which was on the flipside of "Who Invite You" and also a Japanese bonus track. Clearly, these girls are ready for a loud pajama party and you're invited in their backstage area. If you take a good look at the backside cover, you can see how this will end up. Well, let's move on to the 2004 released "Gold Medal" album, which also contains one bonus track. The drawing of the four ladies is perfectly done. The album starts off with "I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)", in which they sound a bit more mature and serious. The pace is a bit slower, yet they still rock firmly. "Friends Like Mine" is a nice example of this style switch. You won't hear a completely different band, but if you compare those two albums, you will hear some significant changes. "Don't Break Me Down" sounds a bit darker than the previous two songs. It's the serious side of these ladies and more focused on the music, instead of their teenage rock girl image. "Fall Behind Me" rocks out firmly again. "Is That All You've Got For Me" is a slower track and once again the lyrics are more sober and depressed. It feels like these ladies have all witnessed their first breakup with their boyfriend. No more party all night long and instead they are feeling a bit down after a lost love. The vibe is different, yet the song remains the same, to use a well-known album title. "It's So Hard" blows out of your speakers after that. The amps are fully open again. Title track "The Gold Medal" is a song for by the campfire at night, including the acoustics. "Out Of My Hands" contains some nice guitar work again, yet it's slower than we of know from this band. "It Takes One To Know' contains some harmony choirs from these ladies. The first riffs of "Revolver" are very promising indeed. Although it's a nice song, I miss the fire they once put in their music. "Have You No Pride" brings back a bit of this power, which closes with the digital bonus track "Lost And Found". It brings back some power on this "Gold Medal" album. After this album, the band released one more in 2007, called "Bitchin'" and then they quit and vanished into thin air. Such a shame! We have arrived at the final album in this box and the most interesting one, in my opinion. Singles, B-sides and live stuff, it's all there. I must admit, that I like the old, raunchy, sleazy and dirty stuff of THE DONNAS the most. Their RAMONES type of rumbling sound with the perfect vocals of Brett is what I dig the most of these teenage rocking ladies. The third CD starts off with the raunchy and fast "Hyperactive", which is exactly what I want to hear. Same goes for "Rock 'N' Roll Machine", both songs are B-sides taken from the "Take It Off" single. The B-side of the "Who Invited You" single also consists of two songs, which is on next. First up, there's "Mama's Boy" and after that "Play My Game", which are catchy punky rock songs with a groove. What a huge contrast there is, when we arrive at the next section of acoustic versions of songs, like "Don't Break Me Down", "Fall Behind Me" and "I Don't Want To Know (If You Don't Want Me)". That last one contains some nice guitar work. "Done With You" is another B-side and "Too Bad About Your Girl" is included here as radio remix. This is all stuff that fans of the band will find very interesting. "Dancing With Myself" is a great BILLY IDOL cover, that they performed for the "Mean Girls" soundtrack. "From The “New York Minute" soundtrack comes another fine rock song, called "Please Don't Tease". It's the band at their very best. But hey wait, the very best is yet to come. The live section is from a show recorded in Boston on August 2nd in 2003. We will hear the sweaty and hot rocking versions of "Do You Want To Hit It", "Take Me To The Backseat", "Hyperactive / Too Bad About Your Girl", "All Messed Up", "Take It Off", "5 O' Clock In The Morning" and "Who Invited You". The last two songs in particular are including the steaming guitar work by Allison. The final three songs are taken from a radio broadcast on XFM on October 3rd, 2003 and successively "On The Rocks", "Take It Off" and "Who Invited You". The live songs are truly amazing and I realize that the band actually never released a proper live album. THE DONNAS, what has happened to them?? I guess, we will never know. All that's left behind is the legacy of these sweet four ladies. THE DONNAS are Brett Anderson on vocals and piano, Torry Castellano on drums, Maya Fora on bass and Allison Robertson on guitar. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/thedonnas. [9 points] (Toine van Poorten)

EPINIKION-The Force Of Nature (independent / Hard Life Promotion)
The second album of symphonic metal band EPINIKION contains a full hour of epic symphonic metal, divided over twelve songs. On the album cover, I see a woman sitting on a horse. She is riding through stormy weather and holding a flag. She seems to be defying the force of nature, which is attacking her one way or another. At least, that's my interpretation. The album starts off with the beautiful and instrumental opener, called "The Sun, The Moon And The Stars", followed by the full speed ahead title track "The Force Of Nature". Fast riffs, haunting drum beats and some beautiful, clear female vocals are the main ingredients here, covered up with a melodic sauce. This is definitely metal, yet with a sound that has many different faces. "Lessons In Life (Are For Free)" has some very fast drum parts. The positive vibes that have been spread around here are very easy on the ear. And the happy song "Come Into My World" will easily put a big smile on your face. "Your Ultimate Joy" is next up and as a reference I would like to mention bands, such as DELAIN, AMARANTHE and EPICA without the soprano vocals of Simone. The vocals however are easy on the ear and the band has positively surprised me on this beautiful ballad. The slower track "I Thought You Were On My Side" is a moment of relaxation after the aforementioned up tempo tracks. I would like to refer here to the early material of LEAVES EYES for example. It also contains a nice guitar solo. "Don't Wake Up The Dead" is a fine warning for those who were about to try such. What appeals me the most are the thundering drum parts in this one and the fine string arrangements that they used. My personal favorite song on this very varied album however is "Monsters In My Head", which starts off with an extensive instrumental part and contains many nice mood changes and some bombastic and operatic vocal parts. It proves that the band is capable of writing great and lengthy compositions, that keep you focused for the full length of it. "Two Hearts" is a beautiful love song with ditto emotional vocals, which makes it very special. In "Run With The Wolves", the tempo goes up again. You will even hear the wolves cry, so you'd better start running for your life as well. The vocals have more operatic elements, like later on the album. "What Comes Up Must Come Down" is another exciting track, that will easily get on your priority list, once you've heard it. Once again, it has some nice soprano vocals, which shows the magic touch this Dutch band likes to give to each track. "Eyes Will Glow" closes this album, which is stuffed with musical surprises and easy on the ear symphonic metal songs. EPINIKION is on its way to get in the premier league of the most outstanding Dutch symphonic metal bands. The band consists of Robert Tangerman on guitar, Renate de Boer on keyboards, Rutger Klijn on bass, Maarten Jungschläger on guitar, Kimberley Jongen on vocals and Michal Gis on drums. Go to: https://www.epinikion.org or https://www.facebook.com/epinikion. [8 points] (Toine van Poorten)

FURY-Interceptor (Mighty Music)
Are we turning back the clock to forty plus years ago or what? Definitely not, this is the sound of FURY in 2026. The ten new songs are worthy of forty-five minutes and you feel that they have been written in the NWOBHM years of the eighties. The CD cover displays a dazzling sports car, which is driving through the city with the five band members standing in the street light. The many colors are screaming to have a listen to the album and I'm glad that we did. The furious opener and title track "Interceptor" takes off in the fourth gear. Fast drums, loud riffs and the sound of heavy metal is what you get, when the band is blasting away at full force. They are burning a lot of gasoline here for sure! Their old school metal sound continues with "What's It Gonna Be?", which is more accessible for the average listener, I guess. It also has some nice mood changes, where you can take a deep breath, if you want to. The female vocals are taking the lead here. "On The Town" contains a lot of wild rhythms, harmony choirs and some exciting musical interaction. The choirs in "Don't Lie To Me" are easy to sing along to in a live situation. Just hum to the first part and you will get the idea. It also asks for some audience participation and I would like to refer to the band KISS here. "In Pursuit Of Destiny" is very catchy, while in "Can't Resist (Gimme What I Need)", there's a duet between the two singers in the band. And again this takes care of the very catchy character of the song. "Walk Away" starts off in a more BON JOVI type of approach with acoustic guitars. There's nothing wrong with that, I think. "Look At Us Now" shows the band at full steam again. All in all, there's a lot of variation on this album, which gives it the perfect flow. "DTR" stands for Down To Rock and that's exactly what this album is all about. It's there to rock you. The album closes with a love song, which has a nice twist and it's called "Undistilled". What a nice closure of a very varied album, which covers many different ranges of the hard rock and heavy metal scene. The new generation rockers and metal heads will definitely like what they hear on this album. FURY is Julian Jenkins on vocals and guitar, Nyah Ifill on vocals, Becky Baldwin (also in MERCYFUL FATE right now and playing on the new Tony Iommi album, alongside Jorn Lande!) on bass and backing vocals, Tom Fenn on drums and Tom Atkinson on guitar and backing vocals. Website: https://www.furyofficial.co.uk and https://www.facebook.com/furyofficial. [8 points] (Toine van Poorten)