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Metal Chick of the Month – Marlene Muñoz, Elizabeth Castillo & Caro Saturni

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Ruling the night of women’s rites with their dark lullabies!

I think the month of May needs an extra kick, and there’s nothing better than some first-class Mexican spices to turn up the heat considerably, right? That’s exactly why we’re not going to have only one metal lady this month, nor even two. We’re going to feast your eyes and ears with nothing more, nothing less that THREE metal ladies hailing from Mexico, a country known for the passion their metalheads nurture for all types of heavy music. Our three breathtaking metal divas are vocalist Marlene Muñoz, bassist Elizabeth Castillo, and guitarist Caro Saturni, who together with drummer Nicolás Garza form the ruthless Death Metal squad known as Spit On Your Grave, and I’m sure you’ll have a very good time knowing a bit about this triumvirate of absolute female power in Heavy Metal.

Before talking about each one of our chosen metal ladies, let’s do a quick introduction on their amazing band Spit On Your Grave. Formed in 2012 in Monterrey, the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, Spit on Your Grave are a no shenanigans, visceral Death Metal entity with three full-length albums and one EP released to date, always dealing with topics such as madness, serial killers, death and isolation, among others, having already shared the stage with metal titans the likes of Carcass, Sepultura, Nervosa, Cattle Decapitation, Cannibal Corpse, Brujeria and Dark Tranquility, just to name a few. All the information you need about the band is available HERE, and don’t forget to also stream their creations on Spotify, on YouTube, and other streaming services.

Furthermore, although we’re paying our humble tribute to the three girls that are currently part of the band (there are other women who are former members of Spit On Your Grave, but those might be our metal ladies in the future as part of their current bands), only Elizabeth is featured in all of their albums. As a matter of fact, she’s the only remaining member of the original formation of the band, and therefore she deserves to be the first one we’re going to talk about here on The Headbanging Moose. It’s all about seniority, right? But before that, how about a short and sweet overview of each of the albums released by Spit On Your Grave?

Released in 2014, their debut full-length album Existential Murderer consists of ten tracks that refer to raw old school Death Metal, basing its lyrics on situations of revenge, perversions, death, and only Elizabeth from our three metal ladies played in that album as aforementioned, while vocals and guitars were done by two other great female musicians, Zitlalic Gómez and Cecilia Cárdenas, respectively. Then in 2015 the band introduced a more melodic sound to their core essence with the EP Unblessed, the watershed that led the band to a variety of events and concerts making their way to the big stages with international bands, showcasing the same lineup from their 2014 album.

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In 2018, after a few lineup changes, those being newcomers Kharen Guardiola on vocals, Aldo Guerra on drums, and one of our metal ladies Caro Saturni (aka Carolina Ampersand) on the guitar, the band released their sophomore opus The Night Of The Women’s Rites, incorporating a more melodic sound where guitar solos stand out, while the album’s lyrics talk about goddesses and female deities from different cultures that somehow changed the course of history, including for example The Whore Queen (Cleopatra), Aphrodite and Cihuacóatl (these three song also released in 2018 as a single named Cihuacóatl), showing the courage, personality, attitude and the leadership of those women.

In between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and their newest opus Arkanum, the band released the single Ixik Uh in June 2022, which actually serves as a connection link between The Night Of The Women’s Rites and Arkanum, talking about an ancient Mayan ritual to Ixchel, a Mayan deity known as the Goddess of the Moon, in addition to fertility, childbirth, pregnancy, medicine, rain, womanly crafts, and war. The single was already recorded by the current lineup, including not only Elizabeth but also Marlene and Caro, making it the first ever song to feature all of our three metal ladies of the month.

And lastly, on the second week of April, Spit On Your Grave returned with their third studio album, the pulverizing Arkanum, a conceptual album that tells the process of a mental detox, which draws thematically on mystical elements, and with each track inspired by a different tarot card.“It talks about an internal struggle to restore your inner self,” the band said, “where your demons surface, and everything you believed in is questioned. That moment when you realize that for years you have followed someone else’s lead. You’ve had enough and decide to leave everything behind. It’s about losing yourself by being influenced by someone else and the struggle to wake up from that reality. Centering the lyrics in this inner fight with yourself, involving depression, anxiety, mistrust, feeling unfairly judged by everyone and having no help around.” Moreover, there’s a nice interview (in Spanish) to a YouTube channel called The Chill Dude On A Couch, where they talk about the album.

Elizabeth Castillo

Having said all that about the band’s discography, it’s time to focus on each of their amazing women, starting with the remaining founding member of the band, Elizabeth Castillo. Born and raised in Mexico, she’s not only the bassist for Spit On Your Grave, having recorded all of their albums, EP and singles, as already mentioned, but she’s also responsible for the bass duties with Mexican Black/Doom Metal band Hagel since their reactivation in 2014, having recorded with them the album Veneration of the Black Light back in 2021, featuring some insane songs such as Decalogue of Misery. Not only that, you can also find Elizabeth in a distinct folk band named Sandunga, playing traditional Mexican and Latin American music while also dealing with the Mexican folklore; however, Elizabeth is not the bassist for Sandunga, but their guitarist, and she also plays an instrument called “requinto jarocho” or “guitarra de son”, a four- or five-stringed instrument that has originated from Veracruz, Mexico, played usually with a special pick. If you want to know more about the band, simply click HERE, and don’t forget to also enjoy their official video for the song Maclovia, as it’s an amazing song outside of the metal realm. and how about watching her blast her bass in great fashion in the official YouTube channel for Spit On Your Grave, playing the classic Hammer Smashed Face, by the almighty Cannibal Corpse? That’s a really cool video, my friends!

Caro Saturni

The next metal lady of this month of May is the band’s guitarist Caro Saturni. Born on January 18, 1996 in Mexico, she joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2016 and released with the band so far their 2018 album The Night of Women’s Rites (as Caro Ampersand) and their 2024 album Arkanum (already as Caro Saturni), becoming the lead guitarist of the band, and you can check all her dexterity in a video from the band’s official YouTube channel where she plays the song Adjusting the Sun, by Hypocrisy. She’s also the guitarist for an all-female rock and metal band from Monterrey named Sister Sinyster, and although there isn’t much online about the band (as they just started in November 2023), you can enjoy this recent interview to Metalhead Inter Radio, and keep an eye on their Instagram for news as I’m sure we’ll hear a lot about those girls soon.

Marlene Muñoz

And last but definitely not least, we get to the she-wolf Marlene Muñoz, who joined Spit On Your Grave back in 2020 and has recorded with them so far their breathtaking new album Arkanum. Her harsh screams and guttural gnarls are fantastic, adding an insane dosage of brutality to the band’s core Death Metal, therefore elevating the band’s status in the local Mexican scene as well as worldwide. Apart from Spit On Your Grave, you can find Marlene as the vocalist for a Monterrey-based Melodic/Progressive Thrash Metal band called Judgment since 2019, having released with them a self-titled three-track single back in 2019, plus a standalone song named All I Have, in 2022, and let me tell you that all four songs released so far are amazing, leaving us eager for a full-length album by those Mexican metallers in the near future.

In summary, fi you’re looking for some fresh metal music with a powerful feminine touch, you must check the creations by all bands featuring Marlene Muñoz, Elizabeth Castillo and Caro Saturni, because those three multi-talented women definitely put their hearts and souls into making high quality music for us fans, and if you’re near them in Monterrey keep an eye on their social media because you don’t want to miss the metal attack provided by their bands live, in special the fulminating Spit On Your Grave. Hopefully the band will keep growing and reaching new horizons, playing all across the US and Canada, participating in multiple European festivals, bringing their music to places like Brazil, Japan, Australia and so on, because they play ass-kicking Death Metal, and we always need ass-kicking Death Metal with a feminine touch to make our lives way better, right?

Elizabeth Castillo’s Official Instagram
Caro Saturni’s Official Instagram
Marlene Muñoz’s Official Instagram
Spit On Your Grave’s Official Facebook page
Spit On Your Grave’s Official Instagram
Spit On Your Grave’s Official YouTube channel
Spit On Your Grave’s Official TikTok
Spit On Your Grave’s Spotify
Spit On Your Grave’s Linktree

Concert Review – Raven & Artillery (Hard Luck Bar, Toronto, ON, 04/20/2024)

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All hell broke loose at the Hard Luck Bar in Toronto thanks to a massive night of pure metal music with seven insane bands, spearheaded by the iconic Artillery and Raven.

OPENING ACTS: Potential Threat, Vapor, Wicked, Lutharo and Vicious Rumors

As mentioned in the two previous concert reviews here, I wasn’t able to attend the absolute metal party at the Hard Luck Bar on Saturday with the bands POTENTIAL THREAT, VAPOR, WICKED, LUTHARO, VICIOUS RUMORS, ARTILLERY and RAVEN (yes, all those amazing bands played on the same night at the same venue) on a co-headlining extravaganza during Raven’s All Hell’s Breaking Loose Across North America Tour 2024 and Artillery’s 40th Anniversary North American Tour 2024, a mega event once again organized by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. However, although I couldn’t be there due to my trip to New York and Newark to see the almighty Judas Priest, my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi was there on a double duty, taking care of all photos and also of the review, sending me a quick summary of all the metal madness going on at one of the most famous pubs in Toronto.

The first band to hit the stage, precisely at 6pm, was San Francisco, California’s own Thrash Metal veterans POTENTIAL THREAT, who despite being formed back in 1986 only have three official albums released, the latest one being Threat to Society, from 2019. Formed of vocalist and guitarist Mike Noble, guitarist Daniel Sheridan, bassist Damien Sisson, and drummer Kenny Noble, the band was on fire during their entire concert, leaving Keith eager for more of their music. I don’t think they’re on Spotify, though, but you can find some of their albums on BandCamp and probably on other streaming services, so if you love some mosh pits, just go for it as you’re in for a real treat (or maybe I should say a real “threat”).

Band members
Mike Noble – vocals, guitars
Daniel Sheridan – guitars, backing vocals
Damien Sisson – bass, backing vocals
Kenny Noble – drums, backing vocals

After a short break it was then time for Geyserville, California’s Thrash/Groove Metal band VAPOR to kick some ass on the small but incendiary stage of the pub, getting the crowd going inside the mosh pits and, of course, driving the temperature up considerably at the Hard Luck Bar. It was another excellent round of thrashing songs for the fans at the pub, and you can get to know more about Vapor and their music and go check their wicked creations on BandCamp and on Spotify in case you’re curious to know how those great musicians sound when they get together in the name of our good old Thrash Metal.

Band members
Nate Klug – vocals, guitars
Tom Barrett – lead guitars
Nick Altenburg bass, backing vocals
Edgar Canaan – drums

The third band of such an extensive night of rock and metal was American Glam Metal/Rock N’ Roll squad WICKED, whose last release was the 2022 album Sunburn (available on Spotify, as well as their previous albums), and according to Keith they brought a more Guns N’  Roses-inspired vibe to the venue, with their long blond hair waving around nonstop. I would say a weird choice after two devastating Thrash Metal bands, but the fans enjoyed their songs a lot and the energy at the venue kept flowing in an amazing way, so kudos for the organizers for adding them to the bill. Hence, if you want to know more about this electrifying Rochester, New York-based band, you can find all information you can imagine about them by clicking HERE.

Band members
Danny – vocals, guitar
Scotty V – guitars, backing vocals
Chad Michael – bass, backing vocals
Gunnar – drums, backing vocals

Perhaps the band I regret missing the most from Saturday’s party is Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s own Melodic Death Metal beast LUTHARO, as they’re by far one of the driving forces of the current Canadian scene. Having just released the breathtaking album Chasing Euphoria, the band led by the stunning Krista Shipperbottom delivered a breathtaking show to an even bigger crowd, which was huge by then, inspiring everyone to slam into mosh pit after mosh pit. Go check more of the amazing music by this Canadian institution for the “Hammer” on Spotify, or click HERE for all things Lutharo. On a side note, Keith mentioned Krista should be one of our metal ladies of the month, and as I love Lutharo I think that will happen still in 2024, so stay tuned for an overdose of Krista sooner than you can scream “born to ride”!

Setlist
Gates of Enchantment
Reaper’s Call
Ruthless Bloodline
Wings of Agony
Born to Ride
Lost in a Soul

Band members
Krista Shipperbottom – vocals
Victor Bucur – guitars, backing vocals
Jeff Wilson – guitars
Chris Pacey – bass
Cory Hofing – drums

The very last of the opening acts of such an amazing night of heavy music in Toronto was Santa Rosa, California-based Heavy/Power Metal masters VICIOUS RUMORS, who are celebrating their 45th anniversary by performing their critically acclaimed first album, Soldiers Of The Night, in its entirety for the first time in North America. Keith mentioned a lot of people were there to see them, elevating their status to maybe what we can call the ” third headliner” of the night, and that by the time they hit the stage the venue was so jam packed that he had a really hard time taking photos of their show as the crowd was not letting the photographers go up front to do their job. Sometimes people get way too excited with heavy music, and I gotta say I love that.

Setlist
Premonition
Ride (Into the Sun)
Medusa
Soldiers of the Night
Murder
March or Die
Abandoned
Replicant
Digital Dictator
Minute to Kill
Don’t Wait for Me

Band members
Brian Allen – vocals
Geoff Thorpe – guitars, additional vocals
Gunnar DüGrey – guitars
Robin Utbult – bass
Larry Howe – drums

ARTILLERY

The first headliner of the night was Danish Thrash Metal institution ARTILLERY, playing 44 shows in 26 states during their 40th Anniversary North American Tour, and according to Keith they kicked some ass Saturday night in Toronto. No idea why, but Keith said that Edgar Canaan of Vapor played drums for Artillery on Saturday in Toronto as their regular drummer Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen wasn’t there, but also that such minor detail didn’t take any energy from their demolishing performance. Quite the contrary, they killed it, and in my opinion Artillery are one of those bands that are mandatory to see live at least once in your lifetime if you consider yourself a true metalhead.

Setlist
The Devils Symphony
The Almighty
Turn up the Rage
By Inheritance
The Face of Fear
Bombfood
Legions
10.000 Devils
Khomaniac
Deeds of Darkness
Terror Squad

Band members
Martin Steene – vocals
Michael Stützer – lead guitars
René Loua – guitars
Peter Thorslund – bass
Edgar Canaan – drums

RAVEN

And last but not least, the jam packed Hard Luck Bar was destroyed by ruthless Heavy Metal veterans RAVEN, during their All Hell’s Breaking Loose Across North America Tour 2024, obviously promoting their 2023 opus All Hell’s Breaking Loose. As soon as they hit the stage, it was an avalanche of Heavy Fuckin’ Metal from Great Britain right in the faces of everyone who was in the front row, with John Gallagher, Mark Gallagher and Mike Heller bringing the best heavy tunes you can think of for the total delight of the massive crowd that took over the Hard Luck Bar. Don’t forget to keep an eye on all things Raven by clicking HERE, in special their amazing live concerts, because once they take the stages of your city you know that all hell will break loose.

Setlist
Destroy All Monsters
Hell Patrol
The Power
Surf the Tsunami
Turn of the Screw
All for One
Rock Until You Drop
Guitar Solo
Faster Than the Speed of Light
Inquisitor
Bass Solo
All Hell’s Breaking Loose
On and On
Break the Chain
Rock Bottom (UFO cover)
Supernaut (Black Sabbath cover)
Symptom of the Universe (Black Sabbath cover)
Victim of Changes (Judas Priest cover)
Chain Saw

Band members
John Gallagher – lead vocals, bass, 12-string bass
Mark Gallagher – guitars, backing vocals
Mike Heller – drums

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Concert Review – Judas Priest (Prudential Center, Newark, NJ, 04/19/2024)

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The one and only Metal Gods raised the invincible shield in Newark this Friday night in a celebration of pure Heavy Metal magic.

OPENING ACT: Sabaton

Exactly 546 days after seeing Iron Maiden at Prudential Centre, I had the utmost pleasure of visiting the city of Newark, New Jersey again this past Friday to see one of the other pillars of my personal “metal triumvirate”, the almighty Heavy Metal institution JUDAS PRIEST (by the way, the other pillars are the aforementioned Iron Maiden, and Slayer, in case you’re curious about that), supported by the good SABATON, during their undisputed, visceral and absolutely hypnotizing Invincible Shield Tour USA 2024. And just like what happened in 2022, I met with one of my good friends from the IMFC before the show at Bello’s Pub & Grill for some quality chat and drinks. Well, that’s becoming a tradition for me, so maybe next it will be Slayer there?

Anyway, after getting to the venue and grabbing some merch (and let me tell you, the Metal Gods are offering some amazing shirts this tour), we got to our seats to enjoy the warlike performance by Falun, Dalarna, Sweden’s own Power Metal brigade SABATON as the more-than-special openers of the night. Although I’m not a huge fan of their music, I must admit they sound amazing live, and Friday night in Newark was no exception to that. Spearheaded by the charismatic frontman Joakim Brodén, Sabaton killed it with a solid and very entertaining show, each song having its own special war-inspired background story, with their setlist encompassing songs from their 2022 album The Symphony to End All Wars, like Stormtroopers and Soldier of Heaven, plus some classic bangers such as Shiroyama (my favorite of their setlist) and To Hell and Back. Everyone who was already at the venue loved their show, and I bet Sabaton will return to Newark soon headlining their own tour based on the warm reaction from all concert goes this Friday night.

Setlist
The March to War
Ghost Division
The Last Stand
Swedish Pagans
The Red Baron
Bismarck
Stormtroopers
Carolus Rex (Swedish)
Shiroyama
The Attack of the Dead Men
Primo Victoria
Soldier of Heaven
To Hell and Back
Dead Soldier’s Waltz

Band members
Joakim Brodén – lead vocals, keyboards
Thobbe Englund – guitars, backing vocals
Chris Rörland – guitars, backing vocals
Pär Sundström – bass, backing vocals
Hannes Van Dahl – drums, backing vocals 

JUDAS PRIEST

It was only 9pm when the main attraction of the night, my beloved, unparalleled, undisputed Metal Gods JUDAS PRIEST took the city of Newark by storm with one of the most metallic, headbanging and intense concerts I’ve ever witnessed. I’m not kidding, it was one hour and forty five minutes of nonstop Heavy Metal magic, courtesy of Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner, Andy Sneap, Ian Hill and Scott Travis, who was by the way phenomenal on drums as usual, taking their heaviness and power to a whole new level Friday night. From the moment the giant banner with the Invincible Shield tour “poem” went up, plus the awesome Invincible Shield tour anthem, until the very last second of the show, it was pure heavy music for the delight of a jam packed Prudential Centre, proving the Metal Gods still got it and that “they’re gonna rock us all ’til our metal hunger’s fed” (if you know what I mean, of course).

Having recently released the majestic opus Invincible Shield, the Metal Gods delivered an ass-kicking mix of timeless classics the likes of Rapid Fire, Love Bites and Sinner, with the brand new songs (which by the way sound like classics too) Panic Attack, Crown of Horns, and my favorite song of the night, the title-track Invincible Shield. Moreover, let’s say that the 72-year old Metal God Rob Halford didn’t want to waste too much time talking, focusing on a stellar vocal performance that made me (and most concert goers) wonder if he’s actually 72, because he sounded decades younger when blasting his soaring, high-pitched vocal lines. Seriously, Halford was flawless, sensational, and so on, making it hard to describe his performance in just a few words. Hence, don’t miss the chance to see him kicking some serious ass on stage this tour, as it’s worth every penny.

One thing I gotta say about the fact that the floor section had seats instead of general admission is that, if you’re going to have seats, make sure people will respect their seats. The crowd was simply rowdy and wild during the entire concert, no one was respecting the seating map, people were standing anywhere they wanted, beer was flying all over people, security was absolutely useless, plus a few minor incidents. That’s why I hate seats. Why not giving everyone the pleasure of standing wherever they want, instead of charging high prices for upfront tickets if no one was going to obey that, right? It was the purest form of “breaking the law, breaking the law” you can think of, so maybe next time in places like Newark the band could avoid offering the seated floor section and just let the crowd go wild.

Anyway, back to the concert, after the band smashed our damned souls with the pulverizing Painkiller, where once again Scott Travis sounded monstrous, I was really hoping for Glenn Tipton to show up during the encore for a couple of songs, which unfortunately didn’t happen. Well, if Glenn was not feeling well enough to do so, that’s more than fine, as long as one of the most important guitarists in the history of heavy music stays strong and keeps fighting against his disease with all his power. No surrender, Glenn! Also, that doesn’t mean the encore wasn’t a real banger, as everyone had the time of their lives enjoying Electric Eye, Hell Bent for Leather, and Living After Midnight, three songs that transpire Heavy Metal, plus of course Richie and Andy made sure they brought Glenn’s energy and passion to the stage during the entire show.

As I mentioned before, there wasn’t a lot of talking during their performance, apart from Halford reminding everyone that the band was celebrating 50 years of Heavy Metal as they released the cult album Rocka Rolla back in 1974, and five decades later here they are still rockin’ hard with Invincible Shield. Damn, time flies, and so did I back to Toronto (pun intended) after an amazing visit to New York and Newark, with my only regret being not having bought tickets for more Judas Priest shows during this awesome tour. Hopefully they’ll announce a new leg soon including Toronto and other Canadian cities, then I’ll make sure I’ll attend multiple concerts to worship the one and only, headbanging, unstoppable Metal Gods. This metalmaniac loves you, guys! Thank you once again for an unforgettable show, and see you on the road!

Setlist
War Pigs (Black Sabbath song)
Invincible Shield Tour Anthem
Panic Attack
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Rapid Fire
Breaking the Law
Lightning Strike
Love Bites
Devil’s Child
Saints in Hell
Crown of Horns
Sinner
Turbo Lover
Invincible Shield
Victim of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Painkiller

Encore:
The Hellion
Electric Eye
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight
We Are the Champions (Queen song)

Band members
Rob Halford – vocals
Richie Faulkner – guitar
Andy Sneap – guitar
Ian Hill – bass guitar
Scott Travis – drums

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Concert Review – Anvil (El Mocambo, Toronto, ON, 04/06/2024)

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And Toronto had a night of incendiary old school Heavy Metal and Rock N’ Roll, courtesy of the most iconic metal band in the history of Canada.

OPENING ACTS: Devilwitch and Buffalo Bill

On a chilly but very pleasant Saturday night in Toronto, the city’s own Heavy Metal legends ANVIL returned for a night of classic heavy music at the old school venue El Mocambo, with supporting acts DEVILWITCH and BUFFALO BILL, inside their excellent main room curiously named “Under the Neon Palms”. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were there as usual to cover the whole night, and I gotta say that even after 40 years on the road the most iconic Canadian metal band of all time still sounds sharp, heavy and melodic, proving why they are a must-listen for anyone worldwide who considers him or herself a true metalhead.

Although due to traffic I had to miss the first couple of songs by the opener of the night, Toronto-based Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act DEVILWITCH, as soon as I stepped into the venue they started playing the very first notes from Iron Maiden’s all-time classic Hallowed Be Thy Name, which of course won my heart instantly. Born and raised in Toronto, Mike Carbone (aka Ceebz) is an independent artist with a deep love for all things creative, especially musical composition and live Rock N’ Roll performances, and that passion was definitely translated to the stage Saturday night with a tight and inspired band supporting Ceebz (and I’m sorry, but I have no idea who those fantastic musicians are*), properly warming up a very good crowd for the upcoming bands. There’s some original stuff by Devilwitch on BandCamp and on Spotify; however, when Ceebz and his henchmen play live, they surely add some amazing covers to their setlist, including the aforementioned Hallowed Be Thy Name, Deep Purple’s Highway Star and, closing their show, a beautiful version for Ozzy Osbourne’s Mama, I’m Coming Home, dedicated to the memory of the undisputed, most badass, biggest metal fan in the history of Toronto, Walter Froeberich (RIP), with the back screen showing a sweet photo of Ceebz together with Walter. Simply amazing, and I’m sure if one day you have the chance to see Devilwitch live, you’ll love it.

Band members
Mike Carbone – vocals, guitars
Evil Tim – 7-string bass
Anthony Pannozzo – keyboards
Aaronik – drums

*Edit: Thanks to Keith and to Ceebz himself, I was able to get the band’s full lineup. Next time I promise I’ll do an even deeper research before publishing the reviews.

After a short break where everyone at El Mocambo (and I literally mean everyone) went for some drinks, another Torontonian attraction, Hard Rock trio BUFFALO BILL, began blasting our ears with an overdose of classic beer drinking, hell raising, Blues-infused Rock N’ Roll. Formed of Jorge Sousa on vocals and guitars, Will Shannon on bass, and Jeff Mastronardi on drums, the trio didn’t waste a single second and delivered the sheer power of the riff on stage, playing some amazing songs which, despite not knowing the name of any, sounded killer live, plus the fact they played everything at top volume. Well, as Manowar said one day, all men play on ten, right? You can listen to some of their creations on BandCamp and on Spotify, and keep an eye on their live concerts because they’re certainly a band that drives the energy of any venue up through the roof, always in the name of our good old Rock N’ Roll. And after Devilwitch and Buffalo Bill finalized their incendiary warmup, we were all more than ready for some “metal on metal”.

Band members
Jorge Sousa – vocals, guitars
Will Shannon – bass
Jeff Mastronardi – drums

ANVIL

As the stage was ready to be hammered by the one and only Canadian Heavy Metal institution ANVIL, you could sense a different feeling in the air, something absolutely old school, fun and vibrant, taking us back in time to the glory of the 80’s. And the whole concert by the iconic Steve “Lips” Kudlow on vocals and guitars, Chris “Chirst” Robertson on bass, and Robb Reiner on drums was majestic, playing songs from their early days like Oooh Baby, from their 1981 debut Hard ‘n’ Heavy, and 666, from their 1982 masterpiece Metal on Metal, to present day tunes like Take a Lesson, from their 2022 opus Impact Is Imminent, all available on Spotify, by the way. Well, they kicked off the show with Lips getting down from the stage into the floor section during March of the Crabs, playing his guitar in the middle of the crowd (and right by my side, which was awesome), a very cool touch to their show proving how much they love playing live to their fans.

A few other songs stood out among their ass-kicking setlist, inspiring all concert goers for some vigorous headbanging and horns raising. For instance, before playing Legal at Last, Lips talked about the legalization of marijuana being the only good thing Justin Trudeau did for Canada. Do you agree with that? There was also a very nice story about one of his interactions with the unparalleled Lemmy Kilmister (RIP) during a Motörhead and Anvil tour back in the 80’s, and while Lips was telling the whole story (and sorry, you’ll have to see Anvil live if you want to know all details), I kept thinking how cool it must have been to tour with a brilliant gentleman like Lemmy. Also, during the amazing Mothra, Lips got a vibrator out of his back pocket and used it to play his guitar in three different ways, something only a band like Anvil can provide us with in Christ’s own words. And what can I say about the breathtaking On Fire? By far one of the best songs of the night, I must say.

In addition to the mesmerizing performance by Lips, I must say their bassist Christ was also insane on stage, with his crazy looks and wicked facial expressions, plus of course his first-class bass playing technique, putting a huge smile on everyone’s faces. And let’s not forget the stone crusher Robb Reiner on drums, who delivered a soulful, powerful drum solo for our total delight, also pounding his drums nonstop during all songs, of course. The trio’s undeniable talent and energy made my favorite Anvil song, Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll, sound even more electrifying live, not to mention I think Lips should have renamed it “Bad-Ass Rock N’ Roll” and dedicated it to an unknown piece of shit who was farting his rotten soul out of his body during the entire night. Seriously, that guy or girl must have eaten an explosive burrito full of tainted refried beans and overloaded with rancid bell peppers, because his or her ass was definitely putrid. I told Keith I was about to call 911 because that person needed to go to ER to check if he or she was still alive. Anyway, back to the concert, of course an Anvil party is not complete without their all-time hit Metal on Metal, which again ended with Lips on the floor section (and again by my side) playing his guitar to his loyal fans, and after that he stayed among us to sing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” together with us while the house DJ played it. Really, Lips is one of the coolest dudes in heavy music, period. And whenever Anvil take your city by storm, you know what to do.

Setlist
March of the Crabs
666
Oooh Baby
Legal at Last
Take a Lesson
Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll
Winged Assassins
Free as the Wind
On Fire
Forged in Fire
Mothra
Bitch in the Box
Swing Thing
Ghost Shadow
Metal on Metal

Band members
Steve “Lips” Kudlow – vocals, guitars
Chris “Chirst” Robertson – bass
Robb Reiner – drums

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Concert Review – Ültra Raptör, The Scepter & AMMO (Bovine Sex Club, Toronto, ON, 03/28/2024)

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A celebration of Canadian Heavy and Speed Metal offered by three of the must-see names of the current scene, setting one of the most iconic venues in Toronto on fire for our total delight.

OPENING ACTS: Ültra Raptör and The Scepter

What a night at the Bovine Sex Club this Thursday with the bands THE SCEPTER, ÜLTRA RAPTÖR and AMMO, celebrating the strength, quality and energy of Canadian Heavy and Speed Metal before the Easter long weekend during their Supersonic Steel Tour 2024. As a matter of fact, if the Friday before Easter is called “Good Friday”, then the whole night at the Bovine could have been named “Awesome Thursday”, a night of classic heavy music debauchery and shred from across Ontario and Quebec. The main reason my buddy Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I were invited to cover such an amazing event was due to our coverage of AMMO when they opened for Gloryhammer two weeks before at The Phoenix Concert Theatre, and I’m extremely happy the guys from AMMO invited us for their show on Thursday as I had to miss them opening for Gloryhammer because of work and traffic that day.

Also, I honestly didn’t think that the venue was going to be so jampacked Thursday night, not because of the quality of the bands, but because it was the night before the Easter long weekend as already mentioned, when most people have travel plans to meet their families in other cities, provinces, or even countries. Well, let’s say everyone who attended the gig on Thursday IS family, the united and healthy metal family of Toronto, and when Quebec City, Quebec-based Heavy/Speed Metal outfit ÜLTRA RAPTÖR began their incendiary concert, blending songs from their 2018 self-titled EP and their 2021 album Tyrants the likes of Missile (Metal Warrior), Gale Runner and Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, plus a brand new song titled Fossilized, from their upcoming album (to be released later this year), it was total anarchy, chaos, and mosh pits, with all fans at the venue having an amazing time while the band delivered fire and electricity (and dinosaurs) on stage. You can check more of their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, and please go see them live whenever you have a chance because they’re simply awesome (for instance, their drummer also plays with the fantastic Métal Noir Québécois horde Délétère), and as a bonus they have some ass-kicking merch for a very, very reasonable price. Merci pour ce concert incroyable, Ültra Raptör!

Setlist
Missile (Metal Warrior)
Highways of Ice
Under the Claw
Nightslasher
Gale Runner
Fossilized
The Quest for Relics
Cadillacs and Dinosaurs
Caustic Shower

Band members
Phil T. Lung – vocals
Criss Raptör – guitars
Zoltan Saurus – guitars
Dick Van Heuß – bass
Tony Bronco – drums

Then after a beer, bathroom and chat break (and by the way, the house DJ did a superb job playing what was probably his own 90’s mixtape, blowing the house speakers with classics from Sepultura, Slayer, Anthrax, White Zombie and several other metal giants), it was time for Ottawa, Ontario’s own Heavy/Speed Metal act THE SCEPTER to deliver another breathtaking show for the total delight of everyone at the venue. The ONLY issue with their performance was that I couldn’t get the name of any of the songs played*, except for the amazing Shadows in the Tower, available on BandCamp and on Spotify. There was another song about drinking, but I have no idea how it is actually called (maybe just “Drink”, but I’m not sure). Apart form that, it was another incendiary feast of heavy music, with frontman Jesse Harvey having a stellar performance as well as guitarists Josh and Morgan, again igniting some fun circle pits and inspiring everyone to raise their horns and headbang together with the band. Hopefully they’ll get back to Toronto in the near future for another blast of Heavy and Speed Metal, and next time I promise I’ll get their setlist.

*Update: Thanks to Keith, we now have their setlist! Hell yeah!

Setlist
Riding Out
Road to Mayhem
Where Art Thou?
Dunes
Taarakian Blood
Drink On
Protector of the Skies
Shadows in the Tower

Band members
Jesse Harvey – vocals
Josh – guitars
Morgan – guitars
Stew – bass
John – drums

AMMO

No one at the Bovine seemed to care about the late start to the shows, as the main attraction of the night, Toronto, Ontario’s unstoppable Heavy Metal warriors AMMO kicked off their shredding feast when it was already close to midnight. Spearheaded by frontman Alex Zdarvkovic, and showcasing the flammable guitar duo formed of Brett Hexx and Matt Lewis, AMMO put on another fantastic show as the icing on the cake for the night, with songs like Street Metal Werewolves and Taking the Throne sounding amazing live. I don’t remember exactly when, but Toronto’s own super fan William Yum threw a pack of cheese curds on stage, and the band not only laughed about it, but they actually ate the cheese. Anyway, back to the music, which is what really matters, the last two songs of their setlist were simply flawless, starting with the metallic hymn Too Metal for Metal, which chorus was sung I full force by almost everyone at the venue, followed by their rendition of Manowar’s classic Hail and Kill, and apart of course from the cover song you can enjoy all of their awesome creations on BandCamp and on Spotify. As I mentioned before, I’m extremely happy I was able to see AMMO live after missing them opening for Gloryhammer, and I believe everyone who attended the show is eager for another killer show by those amazing musicians sooner than you can say “too metal for metal”.

Setlist
Into Death
Street Metal Werewolves
Doomsayer
Taking the Throne
Empire
Too Metal for Metal
Hail and Kill (Manowar cover)

Band members
Alex Zdarvkovic – vocals
Brett Hexx – guitars, backing vocals
Matt Lewis – guitars
Necro Hippie – bass
Struan Robertson – drums

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Album Review – Rage / Afterlifelines (2024)

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One of the pillars of German Power Metal strikes again with an intense and unforgettable musical experience in the form of a double album  presenting their broad artistic range, from hard, fast and thrashy to anthemic, symphonic and lavish.

In addition to a new band biography to celebrate their 40th anniversary, to be released in October, the year of 2024 sees German Power Metal legends Rage unleash a majestic 94-minute double-album titled Afterlifelines, the 26th opus in their impressive career consisting of regular recordings by the trio on the first album, ‘Afterlife’, while a classical orchestra performs the second album, ‘Lifelines’. Produced by Rage at their own Lucky Bob Studio, mixed and mastered by Manuel Cohnen, and displaying a striking artwork by Karim König, the new album by the iconic Peter “Peavy” Wagner on vocals and bass, Jean Bormann on the guitars, and Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos on drums is an intense and unforgettable musical experience blending Heavy, Speed and Power Metal with orchestral elements, presenting Rage’s broad artistic range, from hard, fast and thrashy to anthemic, symphonic and lavish.

A melancholic, cinematic intro titled In The Beginning kicks off the first album ‘Afterlife’, setting the stage for the trio to crush our souls with the metalized End Of Illusions, with Jean shredding his axe in great fashion while Lucky hammers his drums nonstop, offering Peavy exactly what he needs to roar like a beast; followed by the first single of the album, Under A Black Crown, which sounds like classic Rage (and sounded even more incendiary when they played it live at Lee’s Palace here in Toronto on March 4, by the way), with their melodic riffs and rumbling bass matching perfectly with Peavy’s boisterous vocal lines. Sean doesn’t stop slashing his strings in the title-track Afterlife, another headbanging tune by Rage that will inspire all fans to raise their fists together with the band, whereas Dead Man’s Eyes couldn’t have sounded more Rage than it already does, with Peavy sounding awesome with his potent voice as usual while Lucky keeps blasting his drums in the name of Power and Thrash Metal; and they keep delivering sheer heaviness and melody in Mortal, with the song’s pounding drums and dark riffage being perfect for some evil headbanging.

Toxic Waves is a more generic song that albeit sounding well crafted and harmonious, doesn’t add much power to the rest of the album; then get ready for a hurricane of Teutonic Power Metal titled Waterwar, offering classic Rage with hints of Thrash and Speed Metal for our total delight, spearheaded by the visceral roars by the one and only Peavy. It’s pedal to the metal with another fast-tempo tune titled Justice Will Be Mine, where the trio keeps the speed and energy levels truly high in a breathtaking ode to Power Metal; and those three fantastic musicians don’t show any mercy for our necks in the also rockin’ feast titled Shadow World, where Sean steals the spotlight with his sick riffs and solos. Finally, following a similar pattern as the previous song, Life Among The Ruins is a straightforward Rage extravaganza where Lucky once again sounds thunderous on drums, as well as Peavy armed with his metallic bass, putting a beautiful ending to the first album.

It’s time to switch gears to ‘Lifelines’, starting with the symphonic yet extremely heavy Cold Desire, reminding me of some of Rage’s old songs where they played together with the Lingua Mortis orchestra, followed by Root Of Our Evil, another striking fusion of the band’s raw, unfiltered Heavy Metal with background orchestrations where Peavy is on fire with both his raspy vocals and rumbling bass, resulting in a true metal hymn. In Curse The Night the orchestrations sound even more imposing, adding an extra touch of epicness to Rage’s sonority, whereas more of the trio’s galloping sounds is offered to our avid ears in One World, albeit not as exciting and feeling bland at times. They continue to blend the savagery of old school Power Metal with the melody of Heavy Metal in It’s All Too Much, a guitar-infused feast led obviously by Jean.

Dying To Live offers a smoother side of Rage, with Peavy hypnotizing us all with his passionate vocals supported by the whimsical, enfolding sounds crafted by Jean and Lucky; and an epic start gradually evolves into a fusion of orchestral music and Rage’s trademark Power Metal sounds in The Flood, perfect for singing along with Peavy, who delivers deep, intense vocals during the entire song. Be prepared to be dragged into Rage’s lair for all eternity to the sound of the nine-minute aria Lifelines, a multi-layered, bold creation by Peavy and the boys overflowing deep emotions amidst a powerful sound full of classic riffs, pounding drums and killer vocal lines. Moreover, this is another Lingua Mortis-like composition where metal meets classic in a stunning way, while the cinematic Interlude offers longtime fans of the band some “Easter eggs” from their old orchestral creations such as “From the Cradle to the Grave”, preparing us all for one last musical voyage titled In The End, an introspective, climatic song that closes the album on a high note with Jean kicking ass with his riffs and solos, while Peavy once again declaims the song’s lyrics with endless passion.

RAGE Afterlifelines Limited Edition Deluxe Boxset

Two weeks after the arrival of the album, Rage will embark on a major European tour starting April 13, with shows and festival appearances in Japan and European countries and regions such as Germany, Austria, Greece, Poland, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Spain and Scandinavia, meaning 2024 is set to be a real Rage year. Hence, don’t forget to follow one of the pillars of German Heavy and Power Metal on Facebook and on Instagram to keep track of all of their upcoming shows, stream all of their amazing albums on Spotify, and above all that, grab a copy of Afterlifelines by clicking HERE, including the limited edition deluxe boxset containing tons of amazing items such as a nine-track bonus CD titled “Live At Summer Breeze 2023”. There’s no better way to celebrate 40 incredible years on the road than with over 90 minutes of kick-ass Heavy Metal like what Rage have to offer us all in Afterlifelines, and if it’s not too much to ask, I really wish the band keeps embellishing the airwaves with their powerful music for at least another 40 years.

Best moments of the album: From ‘Afterlife’, the songs End Of Illusions, Under A Black Crown and Waterwar, while from ‘Lifelines’, the songs Cold Desire, Root Of Our Evil and Lifelines.

Worst moments of the album: Both albums are amazing, but maybe the songs Toxic Waves and One World sound and feel a little tiresome compared to all others.

Released in 2024 Steamhammer/SPV

Track listing
CD 1 Afterlife
1. In The Beginning 1:31
2. End Of Illusions 3:48
3. Under A Black Crown 4:00
4. Afterlife 3:45
5. Dead Man’s Eyes 3:24
6. Mortal 4:04
7. Toxic Waves 3:36
8. Waterwar 3:42
9. Justice Will Be Mine 4:35
10. Shadow World 3:22
11. Life Among The Ruins 4:06

CD 2 Lifelines
1. Cold Desire 3:59
2. Root Of Our Evil 4:02
3. Curse The Night 3:34
4. One World 4:24
5. It’s All Too Much 5:11
6. Dying To Live 4:51
7. The Flood 3:56
8. Lifelines 9:54
9. Interlude 2:43
10. In The End 3:23

CD 3 “Live At Summer Breeze 2023” Limited Edition Deluxe Boxset Exclusive
1. Resurrection Day
2. Solitary Man
3. End Of All Days
4. Great Old Ones
5. Straight To Hell
6. Nevermore
7. Refuge
8. Higher Than The Sky
9. Don’t Fear The Winter

Band members
Peter “Peavy” Wagner – vocals, bass
Jean Bormann – guitars
Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos – drums

Guest musician
Marco Grasshoff – string quartet arrangements, orchestrations, strings, wind instruments, piano

Album Review – Bruce Dickinson / The Mandrake Project (2024)

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After almost 20 years, the one and only Bruce Dickinson returns with his new solo offering, a concept album full of highs and lows that might be more appealing to fans of mellow rock music.

Almost 20 years later, British Heavy Metal legend Bruce Dickinson returns with his new solo offering, titled The Mandrake Project, his seventh studio album and the follow-up to his 2005 opus Tyranny Of Souls, marking the longest gap between two studio albums in his solo career. Produced by world renowned guitarist Roy Z, and mixed and mastered by Brendan Duffey at Fuel Music Studio, the album features the aforementioned Bruce Dickinson on lead vocals (and a bunch of other instruments here and there), Roy Z on the guitars and bass, Mistheria on keyboards (although she plays bass live with the band), and Dave Moreno on drums, but despite such stellar lineup the music is fairly basic and monotonous at times, full of highs and lows, and if it wasn’t for the always majestic vocal lines by Bruce I personally think The Mandrake Project would have been a huge flop.

A sinister, cinematic intro sets the stage for Bruce and his crew in Afterglow of Ragnarok, with the guitars by Roy Z dictating the song’s pace, resulting in a solid start to the album and to the story that’s beginning to be developed. Many Doors to Hell sounds like a toned-down version of some of the songs from Bruce’s old albums, with the keys by Mistheria adding an extra touch of delicacy to it, not to mention his always flawless vocals; followed by Rain on the Graves, one of the most theatrical of all songs. One thing that I can say for sure is that Bruce needs a better drummer, but in the end the song works quite well, whereas Resurrection Men is another solid creation by Bruce, blending Heavy Metal with classic Rock N’ Roll and even Stoner Rock thanks to the top-notch work done by Roy Z on the guitars. On the other hand, Fingers in the Wounds is a very basic and monotonous song where the guitars are not very audible and drums are the most boring you can imagine.

Eternity Has Failed, which is pretty much his own version for Iron Maiden’s “If Eternity Should Fail” (to be fair, Bruce’s version was created first, and Steve Harris asked him if it could be used as a Maiden song), is by far my favorite song of the album for obvious reasons, sounding a little bit more folky than metal also for obvious reasons, with Bruce kicking ass on vocals as usual. Then low-tuned bass lines ignite the rocking Mistress of Mercy, where Roy Z and Dave are in total sync, offering Bruce all he needs to shine on vocals; followed by Face in the Mirror, too mellow and not enough rock or metal, or in other words, one of the weakest songs of the album if not the weakest one. Fans of ballads might enjoy it, but due to the lack of more energy in the rest of the album this one ends up falling flat. Moreover, if one very slow ballad wasn’t enough the band offers another one that goes on for seven minutes titled Shadow of the Gods, which would have been a good idea in Accident of Birth, but again it’s too smooth and doesn’t add any extra kick to The Mandrake Project, picking up at the end albeit nothing really outstanding. On the other hand, Sonata (Immortal Beloved) has the punch we expect from a guy like Bruce, with Roy Z and Mistheria supporting him with their classy riffs, bass and keys. It’s not a marvelous ending to the album, but at least it has its good moments.

I’m a diehard fan of Iron Maiden, and I love everything Bruce Dickinson had released prior to The Mandrake Project, but I don’t see myself returning to this album in the near future because, at least for me, the music is way too bland, with most songs sounding way too low, mellow or uninspired. There are some excellent moments throughout the album, of course, but nothing that hasn’t been done before or that’s truly impactful. Let’s say that if it wasn’t for Bruce, I wouldn’t be able to listen to it more than once (and you can listen to it yourself in full on YouTube and on Spotify). The album will surely be very attractive to several fans worldwide, as music taste is a personal thing as you all know, so if The Mandrake Project appeals to you, you can purchase a copy of it from The Mandrake Project’s own webstore, from Bruce’s webstore, from Apple Music, or by clicking HERE. Now please excuse me as I’m going to go back to the new albums by Judas Priest, Blaze Bayley, and Saxon, as those sound much stronger and exciting to my taste.

Best moments of the album: Resurrection Men, Eternity Has Failed and Mistress of Mercy.

Worst moments of the album: Fingers in the Wounds, Face in the Mirror and Shadow of the Gods.

Released in 2024 BMG

Track listing
1. Afterglow of Ragnarok 5:45
2. Many Doors to Hell 4:48
3. Rain on the Graves 5:05
4. Resurrection Men 6:24
5. Fingers in the Wounds 3:39
6. Eternity Has Failed 6:59
7. Mistress of Mercy 5:08
8. Face in the Mirror 4:08
9. Shadow of the Gods 7:02
10. Sonata (Immortal Beloved) 9:51

Band members
Bruce Dickinson – lead vocals, acoustic guitars on “Resurrection Men” and “Face in the Mirror”, bongo drums on “Resurrection Men”, additional keyboards on “Eternity Has Failed” and “Mistress of Mercy”, percussion on “Eternity Has Failed”
Roy Z – guitars, bass
Mistheria – keyboards
Dave Moreno – drums

Guest musicians
Chris Declercq – guitar solo on “Rain on the Graves”
Gus G – guitar solo on “Eternity Has Failed”
Sergio Cuadros – woodwinds on “Eternity Has Failed”

Interview – Peter “Peavy” Wagner (Rage)

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Let’s fly higher than the sky in this exclusive interview with Mr. Peter “Peavy” Wagner, the mastermind behind German Power Metal institution Rage, where he talks about his first-ever tour in Canada, the band’s 40 years on the road, their upcoming new album, and more.

Peter “Peavy” Wagner (Rage)

The Headbanging Moose: Thanks a lot for your time, Peavy! My first question will be very straightforward, and I bet it’s exactly what every Rage fan in Canada wants to know. How excited was the band to visit Canada for the first time ever, how was the planning of this mini-tour, and why did the band take so long to come to Canada? Also, why didn’t you play in the US this time?

Peter “Peavy” Wagner: Well, we liked it very much, thanx to the fans for a great time. I don´t know why it took so long to do that, that’s a question for our bookers and the Canadian promoters. Touring the US is very difficult and immensely expensive nowadays, just the working permissions cost a fortune, that makes businesswise not really sense for us…

THM: It’s always a pleasure seeing an amazing band like Rage celebrating 40 years on the road, and of course your setlist during your current festive tour is beyond fantastic. You mentioned during your show in Toronto that you had to choose the setlist from over 100 songs, so what was the process or idea behind the final setlist on this tour?

Peavy: We simply tried to bring material from the different time Eras and from the most popular albums. Of course its hard to satisfy everyone, I just hope we found a good mix…

THM: Since the band’s inception in 1984, Rage have got used to playing in giant European festivals like Hellfest and Wacken Open Air, but also in smaller venues like Lee’s Palace in Toronto. How does it feel to play in small venues as compared to festivals? What are the things you love the most about those more intimate places?

Peavy: The most important thing about gigs is the exchange of that amazing energy, no matter what situation you play. It felt great to have such enthusiastic fans, they gave us a fantastic time!

Rage @ Lee’s Palace

THM: You also mentioned during the show in Toronto you’ve known your amazing drummer Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos since he was a little kid. Could you tell us more about that friendship, and how he finally ended up becoming the drummer for Rage?

Peavy: Lucky was 15 when he started to take drum lessons with Rage’s drummer Chris Efthimiadis in 1988, later he became his drum technician, he toured with us through the world for some years, we always kept our friendship alive. When I needed help to rebuild the band in 2015 I asked him, firstly for management support, later also to be the band’s drummer.

THM: I honestly can’t wait to listen to your upcoming album Afterlifelines, which as far as I know is going to be a double album where the first half is made up of more direct metal songs, while the second half has some orchestrations involved. What details could you tell us about the album, and once it’s released, are you going to replace any songs from your current setlist with new ones like you replaced From the Cradle to the Grave with Under a Black Crown this year?

Peavy: Yes, it´s 21 new titles in about 94 minutes of music, we span a line between heavy stuff to some epic and orchestrated longtrack, finding a climax to the end of the album. Surely we will integrate more new stuff to our future setlists.

Rage Afterlifelines BandCamp

THM: I love the fact that the lyrics to all Rage songs have a deeper meaning, like for example End of All Days and Back in Time. What can we expect in the lyrics from Afterlifelines? Are you going to talk about any specific topics in the album, will there be a concept behind any of the parts of the album, or is it going to be a more straightforward Rage release this time?

Peavy: There’s a red line going through all the songs. On our last release “Resurrection Day” I told the story of mankind’s cultural evolution from stone age to now, causing several problems we have to face today. On “Afterlifelines” I continue the story as a fictional, dystopic view in the future of the next hundred years. Still I believe that man has the abilities to solve those problems, so it must not come like in that story.

THM: What are your best memories from this short but sweet Canadian tour? Are there any new Canadian bands and artists you just got to know, and what are your top Canadian bands of all time?

Peavy: Yes, we had really good supporting bands this time! Thanx to all. My all time faves from Canada are of course Rush, I love their music since my teenage days. Also there’s of course a lot of other great bands, like for example Annihilator…

THM: You’ve been playing with only one guitarist for quite some time, maybe since Unity was released back in 2002. Why have you decided to “get rid” of a second guitar in the band’s formation, and do you think one day you’ll get back to having four band members with a second guitarist added to the band?

Peavy: Actually Stefan Weber is not really out of the band. Due to some serious personal problems he is taking a break from working with us for some time. The door is open for him to join in again, as soon as he’s ready…

THM: What does the future hold for Rage? I mean, you have a killer new album out soon, you’ve been kicking ass on stages worldwide for the past 40 years and so on, but what’s next for the band after reaching such an important milestone in your career?

Peavy: Besides of continuous touring an Festival Appearances this year we will release a band biography, that´s planned for October this year.

Rage

THM: Let’s play a fun game before the end of the interview called “The Time Capsule”. Please list 10 songs from 10 different bands or artists to be saved in a time capsule for all future generations, and let us know why you selected those.

Peavy: 1. Toccata and Fugue in D minor/J.S.Bach, 2. Free Will/Rush, 3. I Saw Her Standing There/The Beatles, 4. Ace of Spades/Motörhead, 5. Temple of the King/Rainbow, 6. You Really Got Me/The Kinks, 7. Prophet´s Song/Queen, 8. Blue Suede Shoes/Elvis Presley, 9. Ballad of Easy Rider/The Byrds, 10. Speed King/Deep Purple. Because I like those!

THM: Thank you very, very much again for the interview, Peavy! Please feel free to send your final thoughts and considerations to our readers, and of course, your final message to all Canadian fans who attended your concerts in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City!

Peavy: Thanx to all of the fans for their true support! See you again, Metal forever!

Links
Rage Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | BandCamp | Linktree

Album Review – Judas Priest / Invincible Shield (2024)

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Nothing can stand in the way of the Metal Gods as they raise the invincible shield of Heavy Metal.

Faster than a bullet, the unstoppable Judas Priest are back in action stronger than ever, raising the invincible shield in the name of Heavy Metal in their nineteenth studio opus, the masterpiece titled Invincible Shield, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2018 album Firepower. Produced by Andy Sneap at Backstage Recording Studios, and displaying an incendiary artwork by Mark Wilkinson (Marillion, Fish, Iron Maiden), Invincible Shield offers the listener 11 breathtaking tracks of pure, unfiltered Heavy Metal (or 14 if you go for the deluxe edition of the album) masterfully brought into being by the Metal God Rob Halford on vocals, Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner on the guitars, Ian Hill on bass, and Scott Travis on drums, positioning it as a must-listen for any fan of heavy music, and as the most serious contender for album of the year. Well, to be honest, it will be the album of the year, and yes, Invincible Shield is THAT good.

Panic Attack, the first single released back in October, kicks off the album on a high and metallic note, with Halford sounding tight as ever with his high-pitched, soaring screams while always supported by the crisp and incendiary instrumental pieces from his bandmates. Then we have the pulverizing The Serpent and the King, and I honestly don’t know how a 72-year-old vocalist can still deliver these pure metal lyrics with such a high level of power (“Idols to their worlds / Manifesting anger, / Conjurers of evil times! / We can sense the danger! / They claim every soul, / Show you who’s the leader! / Bow before iconoclasts, / Creators of disaster!”), resulting in a lecture in classic Judas Priest offering us all endless heaviness, fire, epicness, speed and fury; whereas the title-track Invincible Shield takes us back to their Ram It Down, Painkiller and Defenders of the Faith times, or in other words, it’s another flawless blast of razor-edged riffs and solos by Glenn and Richie, while Scott hammers his drums as usual for our total delight. Devil in Disguise is an imposing, heavy-as-hell metal hymn where Halford keeps distilling his unparalleled vocals while Ian and Scott make sure the earth trembles with their massive bass and drums, respectively; and the party has no time to end as their rockin’ vein pulses harder than ever in Gates of Hell, where Richie sounds majestic on the guitars as usual (as well as throughout the entire album), followed by Crown of Horns, another one of the singles released prior to the album launch, a more cadenced Hard Rock composition focusing on the melodic vocals by Rob.

Their metallic engine keeps roaring loud in As God Is My Witness, where Scott takes the lead with his classic beats accompanied by the slashing riffage by Glenn and Richie, and I would definitely love to see them playing this one live, whereas in Trial by Fire the band offers more of their darkly poetic lyrics (“Burden of guilt / Branded a liar / Falsely accused / Trial by firе / Committed no crime / In my innocence / I have endured / Trial by fire”) amidst a somber, headbanging sound perfect for their live performances. It’s then time for Ian to smash his bass in Escape from Reality, generating a reverberating atmosphere before Rob comes ripping in a song that reminds me of his time with the awesome Fight. In Sons of Thunder the name of the song says it all, blasting our ears with a Heavy Metal extravaganza led by Richie and Glenn’s blazing riffs while Rob continues to hypnotize us all with his purely metal vocals, sounding like a song taken directly from the 80’s; and closing the regular version of the album we have the horn-raising tune Giants in the Sky, again presenting their trademark riffs and beats, therefore providing Rob with everything he needs to shine on vocals. And if you’re a true metalmaniac and go for the deluxe edition of the album you’ll be treated to three amazing bonus tracks (also released on a bonus 7″ EP sold separately and included in promotional bundles), with all three songs being great and making the extra investment in the special edition totally worth it, with an honorable mention to Fight of Your Life for being the most emotional of those.

Judas Priest Invincible Shield The Complete Bundle

This flawless hurricane of Heavy Metal is available in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course you can purchase your favorite copy of it and put a huge smile on the faces of the Metal Gods by clicking HERE (including the insane Invisible Shield The Complete Bundle). Also, don’t forget to follow the Metal Gods on Facebook and on Instagram for all things Judas Priest, including their unmatched live concerts, which is something every decent person on earth should experience at least once in their lives. Nothing can stand in the way of Judas Priest as they raise the invincible shield of Heavy Metal in their brilliant new album, a masterpiece that in my humble opinion is their best effort since Painkiller, and an album that will surely reverberate to all four corners of the earth, spreading some Heavy Metal magic for the absolute delight of us all, mere mortal metalheads, as we praise the Metal Gods for all eternity.

Best moments of the album: The Serpent and the King, Invincible Shield, Gates of Hell, As God Is My Witness and Sons of Thunder.

Worst moments of the album: None, of course.

Released in 2024 Sony Music

Track listing
1. Panic Attack 5:25
2. The Serpent and the King 4:19
3. Invincible Shield 6:21
4. Devil in Disguise 4:44
5. Gates of Hell 4:37
6. Crown of Horns 5:45
7. As God Is My Witness 4:35
8. Trial by Fire 4:21
9. Escape from Reality 4:24
10. Sons of Thunder 2:58
11. Giants in the Sky 5:03

Deluxe Edition / 7” bonus tracks
12.Fight of Your Life 4:15
13.Vicious Circle 3:00
14.The Lodger 3:46

Band members
Rob Halford – vocals
Glenn Tipton – guitar
Richie Faulkner – guitar
Ian Hill – bass guitar
Scott Travis – drums

Concert Review – Rage (Lee’s Palace, Toronto, ON, 03/04/2024)

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One of the pillars of German Power Metal took the city of Toronto by storm for the first time ever to celebrate their headbanging, hellraising 40 years of career.

OPENING ACT: C.O.P. UK

Monday night was simply perfect in Toronto, with no snow or rain, lots of sunshine with temperatures above +10oC, very little traffic, and of course a lecture in Heavy and Power Metal at Lee’s Palace as C.O.P. UK and RAGE kicked off the Canadian leg of their 40 Years in RAGE – 4 Decades of Heavy Metal Tour 2024, celebrating four decades of one of the most important bands to ever arise from the German Power Metal scene. Brought to Canada by Lucky Bob Music Agency, it’s somehow weird that Rage are only playing in Canada and not in the US (which is why there was even a guy from Michigan who drove eight hours to see the show here in Toronto), and I don’t know exactly how the promotion of the tour was done because the crowd was much smaller than expected. Maybe because it was a Monday, the worst day in the world for anything as Garfield would say, or maybe tons of fans had zero idea Rage was playing in the city for the first time ever (and I saw some comments online from fans in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec complaining about the lack of information about the tour). Anyway, the concert was fantastic, as well as the sick photos taken this time by my friend Ryan Miles Leblanc.

After a HUGE delay for the doors to open due to some technical difficulties, as apparently they didn’t have an adapter to convert something from EU to Canada, Sheffield, England-based Heavy Metal/Hard Rock act C.O.P. UK, or Crimes Of Passion if you prefer, hit the stage at around 9:30pm for a solid performance to warm up the fans at the venue for Rage. Formed in 2005, the band led by the charismatic vocalist Dale Radcliffe distilled a traditional blend of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock with hints of Glam and Hair Metal, with songs like Love Is To Die For and Catch Me If You Can sounding amazing live, plus their electrifying cover version for Journey’s classic Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), which in Dale’s words, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know them, everyone loves a little bit of Journey. I was impressed with the band and just wish they had more releases available for streaming everywhere, because for example on Spotify you can only find their 2018 EP Keep on Moving. Their music is awesome and they deserve more attention from all of us metalheads not only in Canada, but anywhere where good music is appreciated.

Setlist
The Core
My Blood
Love Is To Die For
Body & Soul
Stranger Than Fiction
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Journey cover)
Catch Me If You Can
God Made Me Your Angel

Band members
Dale Radcliffe – vocals
Jean Bormann – guitars
Henning Wanner – keyboards
Scott Jordan – bass
Kev Tonge – drums

RAGE

It was already 10:30pm, which is really late for any show to start in Toronto by the way, when German Power Metal titans RAGE kicked off their flawless performance on stage, obviously led by the iconic Peter “Peavy” Wagner on vocals and bass, supported by Jean Bormann on the guitars (and yes, he’s the same guitarist from C.O.P. UK, but I think he was just supporting C.O.P. UK as his main band is Rage), and Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos on drums. And let me say it was a dream come true for all Torontonian fans of the band who attended the concert because their celebration of 40 years indeed included songs from their entire and vast career, kicking things of with the excellent Resurrection Day and going through all of their albums, with songs like Solitary Man, Black in Mind, Back in Time and My Way inspiring everyone for some good headbanging and fist raising. I personally think Peavy’s microphone was a bit low, but even so it was amazing to see his raspy, loud vocals permeating the air at Lee’s Palace Monday night.

One of my favorite songs of the night, and probably also of most fans at the venue, was undoubtedly End of All Days, and it was visible how some dudes in the crowd were having the time of their lives while the trio kept kicking some serious ass on stage during such masterpiece. My only “complaint” about their setlist was not seeing the darkly beautiful “From the Cradle to the Grave” live, as it was replaced with their new song Under a Black Crown (from their upcoming album Afterlifelines, to be released on March 29 this year), but the new song is also amazing, you know what I mean? Well, Peavy even mentioned during the show that they had over 100 songs to create their setlist (all available on Spotify, by the way), a tough job for them, but a pleasure for all of us when the setlist comes together. An when you end a concert with the pulverizing Don’t Fear the Winter and the all-time classic Higher Than the Sky, you know how happy your fans will be. Hopefully the lower-than-expected attendance won’t stop Rage form coming back to Toronto in the near future, because after seeing what Peavy and the boys are capable of Monday night, I must say the city of Toronto needs another blast of their Teutonic Power Metal.

Setlist
Memento Vitae (Overture)
Resurrection Day
Great Old Ones
Solitary Man
Nevermore
Black in Mind
Refuge
Back in Time
Shadow Out of Time
My Way
End of All Days
A New Land

Encore:
Under a Black Crown
Don’t Fear the Winter
Higher Than the Sky
Tomorrow’s Yesterday (Instrumental)

Band members
Peter “Peavy” Wagner – vocals, bass
Jean Bormann – guitars
Vassilios “Lucky” Maniatopoulos – drums

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