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Metal Chick of the Month – Becky Baldwin

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Play this shit loud and together we’ll scream!

Our metal lady of this very special month of October is not called Melissa, she won’t break the oath, and she’s definitely not an uninvited guest. What she will certainly do is kick your damned ass mercilessly to the sound of her rumbling bass, as she was born to sin in the name of our good old Rock N’ Roll. Her name is Rebecca Baldwin, better known as Becky Baldwin, the unstoppable bass player for British Heavy/Thrash Metal act Fury, for the iconic Danish Heavy Metal coven Mercyful Fate, for British Punk Rock band Hands Off Gretel, and of course one of the most famous members of the IMFC, or the Iron Maiden Fan Club. Having said that, get ready to bang your heads and raise your horns together with one of the most badass bass players of the current metal scene worldwide while The Headbanging Moose celebrates 11 years of existence.

Born on April 6, 1991 in Trowbridge, the county town of Wiltshire, England, Becky used to play the piano when she was a child, later picking up the bass as a teenager and beginning to perform with bands at school. In 2009, she moved from Trowbridge to Bristol to study at BIMM Music Institute and became closely involved in the local music scene. Moreover, she holds a BA Honours degree in Professional Musicianship, and now lives in the birthplace of Heavy Metal, Birmingham, a major city in England’s West Midlands region, where metal titans like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Napalm Death saw the light of day. An energetic live performer and an efficient recording musician who specializes in fingerstyle bass guitar playing, Becky has performed approximately 100 gigs per year since 2012 all over Europe and into the United States, offering her skills for a wide variety of bands including covers and original bands from genres ranging from metal to folk, urban, funk, pop, jazz and more.

At the end of 2017, following a tour where she filled in on bass, Becky joined Worcester, England-based Heavy/Thrash Metal maniacs Fury, having recorded with the band so far the albums The Grand Prize, in 2020, followed by a 2021 live album titled The Grand Prize… Live, and more recently the album Born to Sin, in 2022, as well as several singles including an acoustic version of Dragon’s Song, in 2023, and a re-recording of the song Prince of Darkness, from their 2014 debut The Lightning Dream, earlier this year. Those albums and singles can be found on Spotify or any other streaming platform, and you can also enjoy their official videos on YouTube for the songs Prince of Darkness, If You Get to Hell First, Hell of a Night, and Nowhere To Be Seen, among others. Currently formed of Becky on bass alongside vocalist Nyah Ifill, vocalist and guitarists Julian Jenkins, guitarist Tom Atkinson, and drummer Tom Fenn, the band is always taking stages by storm live as you can see in their official tour page, keeping the spirit of Heavy Metal alive whenever they hit the road.

It was back in 2022, more specifically during Bloodstock, when Becky was waiting to see Mercyful Fate live for the first time in her life, that she was called backstage to meet the band, when she was told that they needed a fill-in bass player for an upcoming North American tour, and that they had seen her bass covers she posts online and thought she would be a good fit for the job. “I had been a fan of Mercyful Fate since my teens, so watching them live, meeting them, and being offered a temporary job with them all in the same day was pretty insane! The tour was unbelievable, definitely a period of time I’m very grateful for!” After that experience playing live with the band in 2022, Mercyful Fate recently announced earlier in 2024 they have officially recruited Becky as a permanent member, making her the first woman to hold the position in the band’s history. “I guess the idea was floating around for a while, but it’s quite recent still, the news that I was going to be permanent in Mercyful Fate,” mentioned Becky in one of her interviews.

Becky also said she’s confident about injecting her own flavor into the basslines for their upcoming album. “I think the songwriting is still gonna be very much King Diamond and Hank Shermann kind of heading up most of that, but definitely writing bass lines. I’ve studied all of Timi’s bass lines very meticulously now, and so I really feel like I can bring some of that into the new bass lines for the next record.” Hence, if you want to take a look at Becky’s playthroughs of classics by Mercyful Fate, you can find on her YouTube channel her videos for Curse of the Pharaohs, A Dangerous Meeting, Black Funeral, Melissa, and Come to the Sabbath, among others, as well as this interview with The Metal Voice where she discusses how she joined the band.

As mentioned, Becky is also the bassist for UK’s own Punk Rock band Hands Off Gretel, and although the band has been on some sort of hiatus since 2021, I believe we can except news from those girls and guys anytime soon, and if you want to enjoy their music while waiting for something new from the band you can check their official YouTube channel, including their fun video for the song S.A.S.S. Apart from Hands Off Gretel, you can find recordings of Becky with her past bands or as a guest musician, some as an online collaborator. For instance, she was part of a Bristol-based Power Metal band named Control the Storm between 2010 and 2016, having recorded with them their 2011 demo and the 2015 album Beast Inside; played bass for a Cardiff, Wales-based Heavy Metal band named Triaxis from 2014 to 2018, recording with them the 2015 album Zero Hour; and played bass with the bands Dorja, from 2015 to 2019, IDestroy, from 2014 to 2018, and Metro 13, between 2013 and 2014 (and you can find lots of videos of Becky playing with those bands on the media page of her official website). In addition, she also played bass live with a band named Proscenium, in 2016, she can be found as a guest bassist for Paul Di’Anno’s Warhorse, or simply Warhorse, having recorded with them the songs Warhorse, Get Get Ready, Go, Stop the War, Here Comes the Night, and Forever Bound, all from their 2024 album Warhorse, and she has also recorded sessions for Total Guitar magazine and the Rockschool exam board (now renamed RSL Awards).

As a renowned member of the IMFC – Iron Maiden Fan Club, Becky was featured on a segment of the website called “Fan of the Week”, where she discussed a little about her passion for the boys. “My family home started getting music channels and Maiden were one of the first classic metal bands I came across. Their music videos for Number of the Beast, Run To The Hills and Can I Play With Madness were on regular rotations on my favourite channels and shows. A few years later I met a friend at school who was a huge fan and showed me more of the back catalogue,” commented Becky, who also said that she saw them live for the first time when she was only 15, in December 2006 on the A Matter of Life and Death tour in Cardiff. “I loved the show, I had never seen visuals and energy on stage like Maiden have. But as a first timer at a Maiden concert I had wished they would play the classics that I had wanted to see for years. Now, I would love to watch them play a full A Matter of Life and Death concert! I guess everyone wants to see their favourites live some time, and when you’re young it’s hard to time it right for your first gig experience!”

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A fan of the band since 2003, with her first album being Fear of the Dark and her favorite song being The Clansman, Becky has already seen them live a few times, including Sonisphere UK in 2010, Hellfest France in 2014, Download UK 2022, and The Future Past Tour in Birmingham this year. Furthermore, she seems to know exactly what makes Iron Maiden so special. “I think it’s the story telling, the history and interesting lyrical subjects that set them apart from every other great metal band. There are loads of bands with equally talented musicians, but something about this formation of people just works. They have a knack for making the lyrics fascinating as well as memorable, and the music catchy enough make you want to join in. And the bass is really loud and has fun parts, which does a lot for me!” Not only that, Becky and her Fury have also played at the Cart & Horses, the birthplace of the band. ” Playing the Cart & Horses ‘The Birthplace of Iron Maiden’ is always a special one for us. It’s a lovely bar full of cool memorabilia, and I love that they have made the basement a dedicated space for live rock music – the area really needed it. The show was completely sold out, and despite some sound issues, everyone seemed to have a great time. I hope the place gets more support as a venue, from both the public and continued support from Maiden themselves!”

A proud endorser of D’Addario Strings, Neural DSP modelers, Darkglass Amps and Alperious Pickguards, Becky owns some really cool equipment, including a Rickenbacker 4003, a Rickenbacker 4001, a Fender Deluxe Jazz V (5 string), a Danelectro Longhorn, a Neural DSP Quad Cortex, a Darkglass AO900 Head + DG212N Cabinet, and D’addario NYXL Strings. “I have six basses altogether, my favourite is my 1977 Rickenbacker 4001, customized with a Seymour Duncan pick up. A lot of people think it’s wrong to modify vintage instruments, but I love that bass and enjoy making it unique in any way that I can.”

She obviously loves Steve Harris, saying he is an iconic bassist and songwriter, and that as a metalhead it’s impossible to escape his influence. “Maiden is one of few bands of their style to keep their bass mixed audibly, and for that I salute them! For a new bass player it can be so hard to figure out what you’re supposed to do, how to play a song when you can’t really hear much. Not a problem for Maiden! Steve certainly influenced my heavy plucking finger style, and I love the chords he does to accent some beats, which most finger style players would avoid. And of course, the occasional bass solo is the icing on the cake!” And if you want to witness her passion for the boys, you can watch this amazing bass playthrough of the classic The Number of the Beast on her YouTube channel, where she uses a Rickenbacker 4001 fitted with Seymour Duncan pickups, strings from ‪D’Addario (NYXL. Gauge 45-105), ​Microtubes X Ultra, and a scratchplate by Alperious Pickguards.

Becky also teaches bass playing and has a few tutorials on YouTube and on her Patreon, saying she has a few online students doing live Zoom lessons. “I love teaching Maiden basslines, recently I was teaching a student Powerslave which is one of my favourites to play,” said our talented metalhead, who’s also a co-founder of a specialist private tuition company called Bristol Rock Centre, which runs a teaching and rehearsal studio in Mangotsfield, leading workshops with that company. Not only that, she has also aided exam board Rockschool in the writing and proofing of tuition and exam books including Let’s Rock Bass, the Popular Music Theory collection and the 2014 Vocal syllabus, also leading workshops with Rockschool, and having given lectures at BIMM Bristol, ACM Birmingham and Access Creative College. Furthermore, she has received tuition from top musicians such as Stuart Clayton (Carl Palmer Band), Damon Minchella (Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller) and Jim Barr (Portishead, Get The Blessing).

And last but not least, for a number of years Becky was an active member of the Musician’s Union Wales & South West England Regional Committee and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, representing female musicians. As you can see, Becky has been living and breathing music for her entire life, always ready to rock and to support new musicians, and with her undeniable talent and charisma she’s definitely going to become one of the references in bass playing in the world of heavy music really soon. In other words, let’s keep enjoying the thunderous bass by Becky (and you can also support her by purchasing her merch on Big Cartel, or by clicking HERE to know more about her career and her music), and may she keep spreading her wings to all four corners of the earth with Fury, Mercyful Fate, or any other band that’s lucky enough to have her as their bassist.

Becky Baldwin’s Official Facebook page
Becky Baldwin’s Official Instagram
Becky Baldwin’s Official YouTube channel
Becky Baldwin’s Official X
Fury’s Official Facebook page
Fury’s Official Instagram
Fury’s Official YouTube channel
Fury’s Official X
Mercyful Fate’s Official Facebook page
Mercyful Fate’s Official Instagram
Mercyful Fate’s Official YouTube channel
Mercyful Fate’s Official X

Metal Chick of the Month – Lady IX

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On the Isle of Vanaheim grant me one last poisoned kiss…

Dark. Mysterious. Delicate. Unique. These are just some of the words that can be used to describe our metal lady of the month of September, and after reading more about her I’m sure several other words related to beauty and darkness will come to your mind. Well, to be honest, there isn’t a lot of information about her personal life anywhere, just to show you how cryptic she is and how she likes to keep her fans curious to know more about her life and her work. No one knows her real name, but we can all call her by her alter-ego Lady IX, the mesmerizing frontwoman and songwriter for Belgian Gothic/Doom Metal outfit Hyldr, who’s also an aspiring writer and the author of the Hyldr Chronicles, a lover of YA books (aka young adult fiction) and audiobooks, and above all that, a lover of your blood. Yes, you read it right, so you better get ready to enter the Stygian realm of Lady IX and her Hyldr here on The Headbanging Moose because, as you might have noticed, there’s no turning back after she sinks her fangs in your jugular.

It’s absolutely unclear if Lady IX was born in Wales, in Belgium or anywhere else, nor if she actually resides in Brașov, a city in the Transylvania region of Romania ringed by the Carpathian Mountains, which would make total sense based on her obscure and hypnotizing persona. What we know is that it was back in 2021 when Lady IX decided to form the Gothic/Doom Metal beast Hyldr, focusing on an emotional approach to morbid themes inspired by her own book, the aforementioned Hyldr Chronicles, using it as a template for the band’s song concepts. By the way, the name Hyldr is a reference to a Valkyrie that one character, a Japanese woman who ends up in the middle of a Viking turmoil, wishes she could become in the book, presenting elements of the supernatural combined with doses of Greek tragedy.

Currently formed of our diva Lady IX on vocals, keyboards, lyrics and songwriting alongside guitarists VI and Jean Dark, bassist Wôde, and drummer Saïko, Hyldr take the listener on an unforgettable musical adventure, bringing to our avid ears a captivating fusion of sounds inspired by both cinematic and operatic works, crafting a realm that fans cannot resist. Having released so far the singles Heart of Soil and Your Frozen Chest, plus their debut full-length opus Order of the Mist, all in 2022, the band conjures a treat for fans of Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Ghost, Draconian, Saturnus, and others who appreciate the ominous beauty of Gothic and Doom Metal. For instance, Order of the Mist (which title refers to rulers of the underworld in Nebelwood Forest where the shape-shifting Huldra folk have the power to bring back the dead) offers our damned souls eight distinguished tracks that are sometimes haunting and hypnotic, sometimes epic and melodic, including the two aforementioned songs Heart of Soil and Your Frozen Chest, as well as Nibelungen and The Blade Of Gold. Furthermore, the band is already gearing up for the future, having already composed the sequel to Order of the Mist while they’re at the same time looking for a label to help them spread their caustic fusion of Gothic and Doom Metal worldwide.

Speaking of the song Nibelungen, where they venture into the depths of their genre to create a truly hypnotic piece and where Lady IX seamlessly blends into the mesmerizing excerpts from Fritz Lang’s cinematic masterpiece Die Nibelungen, it’s not just a stunning fusion of visual darkness and enchanting music inspired by the magnificent work of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, but Lady IX and the rest of the band also hope that the fans connect with the official video for the song in a significant way, especially given its relevance in today’s world. “I hope that our fans and new ones will be curious enough to perhaps go and find the original film and watch it. Such an old movie in black and white must be daunting to a lot of people, but this sort of cinematographic relic really is worth the effort,” commented Lady IX about the song and the video, also offering a playful proposition. “We also would like the fans to crowdfund a remake of the entire film with all Hyldr band members playing the main roles! A worldwide financial success awaits!” Hence, you can enjoy Nibelungen and all other songs and videos from Hyldr directly from Spotify, from BandCamp, or from Youtube.

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Now switching gears a little from music to literature, let’s talk about the inspiration for the existence of Hyldr, Lady IX’s own Hyldr Chronicles, a YA science fantasy horror book fully written by our beloved diva of darkness. In this YouTube playlist, Lady IX reads the ghostly yet relaxing audiobook by the fire, chapter by chapter, and tells the gory folktale of a young woman from Otarunai in Japan who has an uncanny ability to see the dead and sometimes communicate with them. One traumatic day, she is torn from her troublesome coastal village and finds herself trapped in a world where sinister Norse mythology becomes a harsh reality. Before new chapters are read or written, Lady IX will occasionally allow her loyal Huldra listeners of the Hyldr Chronicles to join in interactively by choosing paths for the characters to take. By the way, the specific order of the songs in the album Order of the Mist does not follow the chronology of the Hyldr Chronicles, but slices the story up “like a dissected corpse” as mentioned by the band. “All our songs are connected, distilling a larger story,” said Lady IX about the uniqueness of her book and her band’s new album.

Her official YouTube channel, as well as the official YouTube channel for Hyldr, are actually full of other surprises the likes of Hyldr Chronicles. For example, there’s a playlist called Ghostly Choirs, where you can enjoy the harrowing singing from the Hyldr Chronicles by Lady IX; another one named Order of the Mist Vocal Autopsy, where Lady IX’s vocals are put under a microscope from the album Order of the Mist; and one named Lady IX Songs, where you can enjoy a variety of videos with Lady IX including our diva singing the song My Bones To The Sea, by Harakiri for the Sky. As you can see, despite the fact that there are almost zero details about Lady IX’s personal life available online, her music, her creations and her passion for everything that’s dark and gothic are easy to find, taking you on a one-way journey to the deep and somber lair ruled by our hypnotizing metal lady and her Hyldr.

Lady IX’s Official Facebook page
Lady IX’s Official Instagram
Lady IX’s Official YouTube channel
Hyldr’s Official Facebook page
Hyldr’s Official Instagram
Hyldr’s Official YouTube channel

Album Review – State of Deceit / Stalked by Daemons (2023)

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This Metalcore, Thrash and Groove Metal band with an attitude is ready to attack your senses with their debut full-length album.

A Metalcore, Thrash and Groove Metal band with an attitude founded by guitarist Jonathan Russell in South Wales, UK, and currently formed of Jonathan alongside vocalist Peter Scammell, guitarist Gareth Jones, bassist Davide Santini and drummer Matthew Toner, the unrelenting metal act State of Deceit is about to unleash upon us their first full-length opus titled Stalked by Daemons, following up on their 2019 EP Retribution. Recorded by Tim Hamill at Sonic One Studio, and displaying a modern and captivating artwork by Pierre-Alain D. of 3mmi Design, Stalked by Daemons delivers the best of several extreme music styles, often in stylistic antithesis that is startling and ultimately satisfying, resulting in a must-listen album for fans of Trivium, Pantera, Fit For a King, Machine Head and Killswitch Engage, just to name a few.

The guitars by Gareth and Jonathan will inspire you for some sick headbanging in the opening tune Endure My Fate, while Davide brings the groove to the music armed with his thunderous bass in a great fusion of Melodic Death Metal with Hardcore elements. Then it’s pedal to the metal as the pounding drums by Matthew will hammer your heads mercilessly in Demi-God, with Peter manically barking and roaring for our total delight; and get ready to break your freakin’ neck headbanging like a metalmaniac in Stalked By Daemons, Guarded By Angels, exhaling heaviness and violence to the visceral growling by Peter. It’s time for a darker, more melancholic creation by State of Deceit titled Hate Within, with the band’s stringed trio adding tons of feeling to the music, whereas drinking from the same metallic fountain as Soilwork and Arch Enemy, the band delivers sheer adrenaline in Withered, with the riffage by Gareth and Jonathan piercing our ears in great fashion.

Mark Of The Whale is a decent song, but it lacks the same punch and heaviness of the previous ones, albeit Matthew does a very good job on drums as usual; and back to a more thrilling and vibrant mode, the quintet will drag your soul into the circle pit to the sound of Scorched, a rumbling extravaganza showcasing elements from Death and Thrash Metal added to their core sound. After such demented tune, a slow and sinister start suddenly explodes in more of the band’s crushing Metalcore in Suffer, spearheaded by the venomous riffs by the band’s guitar duo and the always enraged, demented guttural by Peter. Davide’s bass sets the tone in the heavy and groovy At What Cost?, perfect for some vigorous headbanging while Matthew keeps blasting his drums nonstop; while one last round of aggressiveness infused with tons of melody and groove is offered to our ears in Digital Tattoo, with Pater and Matthew making an incendiary duo from start to finish, therefore ending the album on a sensational note.

The guys from State of Deceit are waiting for you on Facebook, on Instagram and on YouTube with news, tour dates and more of their flammable music, and if you want to show them your total support you can purchase a copy of the excellent Stalked by Daemons by clicking HERE. As expected in most debut albums, Stalked by Daemons is daring and inspiring through and through track to track, positioning State of Deceit as one of the most interesting names of the current UK scene and, consequently, fueling their minds and souls for another blast of their solid and captivating music in the coming years whenever the band is ready for their sophomore opus, all of course in the name of heavy music.

Best moments of the album: Endure My Fate, Withered and Digital Tattoo.

Worst moments of the album: Mark Of The Whale.

Released in 2023 Eclipse Records

Track listing
1. Endure My Fate 3:47
2. Demi-God 4:14
3. Stalked By Daemons, Guarded By Angels 4:46
4. Hate Within 4:40
5. Withered 3:41
6. Mark Of The Whale 4:45
7. Scorched 3:57
8. Suffer 4:17
9. At What Cost? 3:52
10. Digital Tattoo 3:08

Band members
Peter Scammell – vocals
Gareth Jones – lead guitar
Jonathan Russell – rhythm guitar
Davide Santini – bass, backing vocals
Matthew Toner – drums

Concert Review – Megadeth (FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, ON, 05/08/2023)

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The unstoppable MegaDave and his henchmen crushed “the Hammer” in another night of first-class Thrash and Speed Metal.

OPENING ACTS: ONI and Bullet For My Valentine

Known to locals as “the Hammer” or “Hammertown” due to its industrial roots, the city of Hamilton has always been a mandatory stop for countless metal bands form all over the world. Names like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motörhead and so on have played at least once in their careers in such important city for the Canadian industry, and one of the bands that always returns to Hamilton to kick some serious ass is of course our beloved Megadeth. That’s exactly what happened last night at FirstOntario Centre when guests ONI and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, together of course with the one and only MEGADETH, took the Hammer by storm as one of the Canadian stops of their Crush the World Tour 2023, and I must say it was indeed another memorable night of heavy music for the thousands of fans at the venue.

The first band to hit the stage, precisely at 7pm, was Windsor, Ontario-based Progressive Metalcore/Djent act ONI, and although there was still a lot of people outdoors those guys put on an excellent concert, properly warming up the fans of both Bullet For My Valentine and Megadeth with their harsh and clean vocals, thunderous and intricate bass lines, sharp riffs and headbanging drums. Still promoting their 2022 album Loathing Light, the band spearheaded by frontman Jake Oni, who’s by the way a fantastic vocalist capable of switching from demonic growls to stylish clean vocals without any actual effort, put everyone to jump up and down with them during their short and sweet performance, already igniting some fun mosh pits for the delight of lovers of such unique sport. I’m definitely going to take a more detailed listen at their music on Spotify, and you should do the same to get to know more about such interesting band of the current Canadian scene.

Setlist
Alone
Chasing Ecstasy
Silhouette
Cyanide
Heart to Stone
The Lie
Secrets

Band members
Jake Oni – vocals
Brandon White – guitars
Martin Andres – guitars
Johnny DeAngelis – xylosynth
Chase Bryant – bass
Joe Greulich – drums

After ONI finished their solid performance, and after a quick bathroom/beer/merch break, it was time for Welsh Melodic Metalcore icons BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE (or just BFMV, if you prefer) to begin their incendiary performance for their several fans at the venue, and I must admit there was a huge chunk of the audience that was there to see BFMV first and Megadeth as a bonus, and not the opposite. Despite not being my cup of tea, I had a good time watching Matthew “Matt” Tuck, Michael “Padge” Paget, Jamie Mathias and Jason Bowld delivering a solid show on stage, mixing their classics with newer songs from their 2021 self-titled album. Songs like Waking the Demon, Knives and the closer Scream Aim Fire worked really well last night while the band had a strong chemistry with the audience during their entire set, and of course although the mosh pits (full of young kids) were not as violent as the ones from Immolation and Obituary the night before, they were still decent enough for a band that lots of people don’t consider metal.

Setlist
Your Betrayal
Waking the Demon
Piece of Me
4 Words (to Choke Upon)
You Want a Battle? (Here’s a War)
Knives
Over It
Shatter
Tears Don’t Fall
Scream Aim Fire

Band members
Matthew “Matt” Tuck – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Michael “Padge” Paget – lead guitar, backing vocals
Jamie Mathias – bass, backing vocals
Jason Bowld – drums, percussion

MEGADETH

The moment most fans in Hammertown were waiting for finally arrived at 9:15pm, when one of the most important names in the history of heavy music, Mr. Dave Mustaine, supported by his henchmen Kiko Loureiro on the guitars, Steve Di Giorgio on bass and Dirk Verbeuren on drums, collectively known as American Thrash/Speed Metal institution MEGADETH, kicked off their performance overflowing classics, heaviness and speed, all spearheaded by our beloved “MegaDave” as usual. The last time Megadeth played in Hamilton was 11 years ago, during their Gigantour 2012, and one of the bands that night was the unparalleled Motörhead, which is why I think the band’s diehard fans ignored ONI and BFMV yesterday and spent all the time prior to Megadeth outside smoking and having some beers.

Anyway, back to the concert, it was simply electrifying from the very first notes of Hangar 18, with flammable hits the likes of Sweating Bullets, She-Wolf, Trust and Tornado of Souls, plus newer songs like Dystopia, inspiring us all to scream the lyrics together with Dave, banging our heads and raising our horns nonstop, and even venturing inside the sick mosh pits formed in the centre of the floor section. I also loved the fact they played Dread and the Fugitive Mind, a very underrated metal classic in my opinion, and I wish they had kept Angry Again in their setlist, but overall it was a lecture in heavy music by Megadeth, with kudos to Kiko once again for revitalizing the band and bringing so much energy, charisma and intricacy to their studio albums and live performances. In other words, Dave knew exactly what he was doing when he invited one of the best metal guitarists of the past 20 years to be part of the Megadeth family.

However, it was when Dave gave a short speech about how Covid-19 and his cancer delayed the release of the breathtaking The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! (and he received a huge shout and a round of applauses from his fans when he proudly said he beat cancer) before playing the incendiary We’ll Be Back, when Vic Rattlehead joined the band onstage during the hard-hitting classic Peace Sells, plus of course his all-time masterpiece Holy Wars… The Punishment Due, that drove all fans mental at the venue, creating a beautiful connection between the band and the crowd. Needless to say, I don’t care if the play in Hammertown, in Toronto or anywhere else in the area, I’ll be there, and based on Dave’s final words they’ll be back to this part of the world sooner than you can say “Wake up dead! You die!”

Setlist
Prince of Darkness
Hangar 18
Wake Up Dead
Dread and the Fugitive Mind
Sweating Bullets
A Tout Le Monde
She-Wolf
We’ll Be Back
Trust
Conquer or Die!
Dystopia
Tornado of Souls
Symphony of Destruction
Peace Sells
Holy Wars… The Punishment Due
Silent Scorn

Band members
Dave Mustaine – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
Kiko Loureiro – lead guitar, backing vocals
Steve Di Giorgio – bass
Dirk Verbeuren – drums

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Album Review – Häxan / White Noise (2020)

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Three Welsh girls are ready to bring the noise armed with their first full-length album, always in the name of our good old Rock N’ Roll.

With an impressive array of live shows and festivals under their belt, including Download Festival, Monsters Of Rock Cruise, Rock The Boat Cruise and Hard Rock Hell, Cardiff, Wales-based all-female Hard Rock trio Häxan is ready to take the world of rock and metal by storm with their brand new album White Noise, a lecture in classic rock tailored for fans of the music by Led Zeppelin, Suzi Quatro, AC/DC and Black Sabbath. Recorded at Stompbox Studios in Wales, the album was produced, mixed and mastered by Todd Campbell (Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons), who’s helped lead singer and guitarist Sam Bolderson, bassist Harriet Wadeson and drummer Jess Hartley reach a higher level with their music, all embraced by a straightforward and strong artwork by Matt Riste Illustration, and if you think the COVID-19 pandemic would stop the girls from embellishing the airwaves with their music you’re absolutely wrong. “We debated postponing the album launch until there was more certainty in our (and your) lives. We ultimately decided that so many of our fans and friends had been asking for this album for so long, that it was only right to continue with its launch and hopefully help to give everyone a little something to look forward to. We want White Noise to be able to mask the sounds of the uncertain outside world that’s around all of us currently, to allow people to escape it. It’s an opportunity to shut everything else out and enjoy the incredible potency of music.”

Let’s cut to the chase as it’s time to rock together with the girls from Häxan in the opening tune Damned If You Do, presenting elements from classic rock with the electrifying punk-ish sound blasted by bands like Volbeat, with Jess sounding fantastic on drums while Sam delivers sheer adrenaline with her spot-on riffs, followed by Killing Time, a mid-tempo headbanging tune led by the pounding drums by Jess accompanied by the crushing bass punches by Harriet, bringing a Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” vibe and, therefore, resulting in a lesson in 80’s Rock N’ Roll for admirers of the genre. After such great start the band offers us all Nine Lives, a Volbeat/Misfits-inspired composition by the trio where Sam and Harriet slash their strings beautifully while Sam blasts her delicate but potent vocals for our total delight. Needless to say, this is an amazing option for their live performances, which is also the case with Grave Digger, where the band ventures through more Blues-ish, Southern Rock lands. Furthermore, Sam poetically declaims the song’s lyrics while Jess keeps the song’s pace smooth and vibrant at the same time, not to mention the thrilling guitar solo blasted by Sam. And they keep smashing their instruments powerfully in the Hard Rock extravaganza Louder Than Words, with Harriet and Jess making the earth tremble with their thunderous bass and drums, also bringing to our avid ears soulful guitar riffs and solos and endless stamina.

In Black Sheep the trio gets back to a darker and groovier sonority, with Harriet hammering our heads with her fiery bass while Sam brings forward more of her charming vocals, sounding almost like a grim, badass rock ballad, whereas uniting the groove of Southern Rock with the old school Hard Rock by AC/DC Häxan offer us all the dancing Crash and Burn, with Sam’s vocals being nicely complemented by some crisp backing vocals, rockin’ guitar riffs and incendiary solos. In the flammable Skeletons, we’re treated to a high-speed, dirty pounding Rock N’ Roll party by the girls where Jess is unstoppable on drums, providing Sam all she needs to scream the song’s catchy chorus flawlessly (“Your skeletons are out to play, you thought you’d take them to your grave / You’ll always be the second best to demons that you’d laid to rest / Your skeletons are running wild, haunting you til the day you die / You believe what’s done is done, but you won’t ever run / From all your skeletons, skeletons”), before Living Dead closes the album in great fashion, albeit not as inspiring as the rest of the album, but still showcasing all the dexterity of the girls with Jess once again kicking ass with her beats together with Harriet’s rumbling bass jabs.

The talented and hardworking girls from Häxan are waiting for you on Facebook, on Instagram and on Spotify to rock your world like there’s no tomorrow, bu of course in order to show them your true support and to prove you deserve a place in the Rock N’ Roll heaven, go grab your copy of White Noise from their own BandCamp page, from Apple Music or from Amazon. In a nutshell, White Noise might not be a revolution in rock music, but that has never been the band’s intention anyway. Sam, Harriet and Jess just want to play pure, unfiltered rock music and give us all a very good reason for smiling, banging our heads and dancing the night away. After two astounding releases, those being their 2017 debut EP Breaking Down the Walls and now the top-of-the-line White Noise, what’s next for the girls from Häxan? Well, only time will tell, but we can all rest assured they will never sell out and will keep bringing the noise to our avid ears for many years to come, always in the name of our good old Rock N’ Roll.

Best moments of the album: Damned If You Do, Nine Lives and Skeletons.

Worst moments of the album: Living Dead.

Released in 2020 Independent

Track listing
1. Damned If You Do 4:50
2. Killing Time 4:07
3. Nine Lives 4:45
4. Grave Digger 5:03
5. Louder Than Words 4:07
6. Black Sheep 5:35
7. Crash and Burn 4:07
8. Skeletons 5:34
9. Living Dead 4:27

Band members
Sam Bolderson – vocals, guitar
Harriet Wadeson – bass
Jess Hartley – drums

Album Review – Eulogy / Memento Mori EP (2020)

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Showcasing a multitude of influences and musical variations, this Hard Rock three-piece unity from Wales is ready to rock with their brand new EP.

Remember (that you have) to die. This is the meaning of the famous phrase Memento Mori, the title of the brand new EP by Welsh Hard Rock three-piece act Eulogy and the follow-up to their wildly popular EP Back To Life, released in 2017. Performing original music with a dark lyrical twist, Eulogy were formed back in 2017 in Cardiff, Wales by lead singer and bassist Neil Thomas, guitarist Mike Williams and drummer Darran Goodwin, aiming at showcasing a multitude of influences and musical variations, with the four track from their brand new EP being written and refined over a period of five months before being recorded, mixed and mastered at Coda Recordings by Neil Garland. “We wanted to create something heavier and darker while maintaining our melodic sound,” stated Neil Thomas about Memento Mori, featuring the band’s most dynamic writing to date throughout its 18 minutes of classic Hard Rock.

And the band kicks things of with Cross To Bare, a song about losing someone close and dealing with loss, presenting a flammable fusion of the music by classic hard rockers like Motley Crüe with the heaviness of Judas Priest and the Rock N’ Roll by Volbeat. Moreover, Darran dictates the pace with his spot-on beats while Neil fires rage and electricity through his vocals and bass, sounding and feeling like a rockin’ hit from the 80’s, whereas You’ll Die Alone, a song that focuses on the consequences of treating someone badly, is a mid-tempo Hard Rock feast of slashing riffs and tons of melody flowing from Mike’s guitar, while Neil and Darran keep the atmosphere dense and sinister with their respective weapons. Then its time to get faster, heavier and more aggressive in Corvid, dealing with the moment before death when your soul is taken. Led by Mike’s razor-edged riffs and Darran’s trademark beats, this is an awesome option to bang your head nonstop or dance with yourself (especially now while quarantined in your place during the coronavirus pandemic). And closing the EP the power trio fills every single space in the air with their melodious and classic rock music in Blood Red Skies, a song of hope presenting the trademark riffs and soulful solos by Mike while Neil passionately declaims its inspiring lyrics.

In summary, Memento Mori, available for a full listen on Spotify, not only points to a bright future for those Welsh hard rockers, but it also positions Wales as a very interesting source of old school Hard Rock for admirers of the genre. Hence, don’t forget to show your support to Neil, Mike and Darran by following them on Facebook and on Instagram, by subscribing to their YouTube channel, and above all that, by purchasing your copy of Memento Mori from their official BandCamp page, from CD Baby or from Google Play, helping Eulogy to proudly carry the flag of British Hard Rock wherever they go.

Best moments of the album: Corvid.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2020 One Eyed Toad Records

Track listing
1. Cross To Bare 3:44
2. You’ll Die Alone 4:18
3. Corvid 5:48
4. Blood Red Skies 4:08

Band members
Neil Thomas – vocals, bass
Mike Williams – guitars
Darran Goodwin – drums