#nwobhm — Public Fediverse posts

The year was 2008. The place is Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Four brave souls were about to form Iron Kobra. Yearning for an era with less sheen and more grit, the band honed their craft with early demo Cult of the Snake and EP Battlesword. Their debut full-length, Dungeon Masters, wouldn’t descend upon the masses until 2012. While a little rough, it showed promise and ambition; the band clearly understood the fundamentals of hard rock and classic heavy metal. 2015 would see them return with Might & Magic, a higher-octane affair with tighter musicianship. But for a single here and there, Iron Kobra has remained quiet in the 11 years since. The metal snake returns now in 2026, promising louder, faster, and better.

I’m gonna do this review a little backward, starting with my chief complaint. Eternal Dagger feels more like a playlist than an album. There’s awesome musicianship and band cohesion on display here—the call and response antics of “Trembling Dungeons,” the stair-stepped riffs of “Fliehen,” the band’s perfect punctuation of Ela’s lyrics on “Forbidden Fruits,” Matze’s bass carrying the melody through the end of “Silver Strings and Iron Wings”—but nothing really ties these tracks together. It’s all undeniably the work of Iron Kobra, but the band careens—quite competently, at least—from searing speed metal (“Unchained & Untamed”) to Priestly NWoBHM (“Shibuya Nights”) to epic heavy metal (“Mountains of Madness”), making the album feel a bit unfocused. The great part about a criticism like this is that it has absolutely no bearing on how fucking hard these Germans rip.

From the first moments of “Trembling Dungeons”—a trash can opening, a sick divebomb, and soaring cleans—it’s clear Iron Kobra came here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and they’re all out of bubblegum.1 Eternal Dagger is a rager written for all those who still blast Saxon on the reg. Whether burning barns (“Forbidden Fruits,” “Treacherous Tyrant”) or stomping out anthemic bangers, Iron Kobra plays with wanton abandon. This riotous and free energy never lets up, largely thanks to drummer Bjӧrn, even when the tempo drops a gear. “Silver Strings and Iron Wings” takes me back to Di’Anno-era Maiden, and “Trembling Dungeons” could’ve been an Angel Witch b-side. “Eternal Dagger” ventures into progressive territory, and although it doesn’t quite stick the landing and ends a little awkwardly, it’s intriguing, and I’d like to see them explore this narrative style more on future releases.

Eternal Dagger is a vast improvement over Iron Kobra’s back catalog, most notably stemming from its superior production. Mixed and mastered by Stefan Castevet, Eternal Dagger feels full and fleshed out. Bjӧrn’s kick drum moves some serious air, and Matze’s bass sounds absolutely incredible. It’s lush, vibrant, and responsible for some of my favorite moments on Eternal Dagger (“Shibuya Nights,” “Silver Strings,” “Unchained & Untamed”). The other major improvement of Eternal Dagger is the band’s synergy. While previous efforts felt like four talented musicians playing together, Eternal Dagger feels far more cohesive. This is best shown in the way lead guitarist Steffen dances beautifully around Ela’s rhythm guitars like variations on a theme. His leads and solos always feel like an extension of the rhythm section, rather than a standalone element (“Trembling Dungeons,” “Forbidden Fruits,” “Treacherous Tyrant”). Licks and fills from every member of Iron Kobra decorate the larger compositions, and as a result, Eternal Dagger feels like the work of a band at the top of their game.

Iron Kobra has got the goods. Front to back, Eternal Dagger is infectious and riotously fun. Whether you wanna howl at the sky while driving a bit too fast down the highway or pump your fist and bang your head in a crowd of sweaty, late-middle-aged men, Iron Kobra will get you there. I do wish Eternal Dagger had a more singular identity, but at the end of the day, I still had a blast working with this album over the past couple weeks. Unless you won’t settle for anything less than earth-shattering and paradigm-shifting masterpieces, Eternal Dagger will give you a sore neck and some involuntary stank face just fine.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 19th, 2026

Manilla Road, Motörhead, and Megaton Sword walk into a bar—Lemmy’s pick, if that helps you picture the place. Someone yells, “cops outside!” The word “cops” clears the room faster than napalm ever could. Stampede. The bands are swept up in the deluge of bodies, bewildered and sweaty. Amidst the chaos, several shuffle into a nearby van. Driving off, they realize that 1) these aren’t their bandmates, 2) this is Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden’s van with their keys and all their equipment left inside, and 3) they picked up Dropkick Murphys somewhere along the way. If this hypothetical group decided to run with it, they would sound like Chariots Overdrive. Hailing from Beijing, China, and currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, these adherents of the NWoBHM sound old as dirt on their debut, The End of Antiquity, injecting fantastical lyricism inspired by Chinese history and folklore into their mix. But can this van/chariot go the distance, or has this ride seen its last mile?

The End of Antiquity is driven by allegiance to metal in the purest form, and Chariots Overdrive wield it with punk-like tenacity. Speed and belligerence rule The End of Antiquity, embodied in the full-band gang vocals of “Marching Maniacs” and the Dead Kennedys-like discordance of “Parasite.” The belts and snarls singer G.H.Z uses on “A Taikonautic Alchemist” and “Chariots Overdrive”1 would fit as well with Rancid as they do here, and their guitars and bass evoke the aforementioned early Maiden years in the punkish bite (“The End of Antiquity”). Bassist Z.Z.Y lays down aggressively clicky, highly melodic lines across The End of Antiquity, giving Chariots Overdrive a burly-yet-catchy streak akin to Steve Harris’ playing and bolstering G.H.Z and Y.Z’s gnarly dual guitars and W.R.C’s punchy drums into a full-bodied declaration of victory. Chariots Overdrive feel rooted in the simple joy of throwing ragers with the boys, and The End of Antiquity is, if nothing else, a rager.

Chariots Overdrive don’t overcomplicate anything, which is a boon and bane to The End of Antiquity. Most songs play around simple melodies over two to four chords. Guitar solos aren’t flashy on The End of Antiquity, but they’re incisive. When the outcome is exhilarating like “Chariots Overdrive” or Judas Priest-levels of catchy like “Marching Maniacs,” it’s hard to argue. But it also puts the onus of The End of Antiquity’s success on Chariot Overdrive’s performances, which can falter. G.H.Z isn’t a powerhouse vocalist and sounds downright rough at times, especially where Chariot Overdrive attempt harmonization, such as the chorus of “A Taikonautic Alchemist.” It also means that, despite the album’s lean runtime, The End of Antiquity sounds somewhat exhausted by the time “Nomadic Warfare” and the title track appear, as their hooks are comparatively weaker to the rest of the record. I’m all for simplifying something for the sake of effectiveness, but what’s left has to be as tight as you can make it. In this regard, Chariots Overdrive can improve.

What Chariots Overdrive need is a more refined identity. Like early Iron Maiden, Chariots Overdrive seem to strive towards a dirty-yet-sophisticated sound and theming, evidenced by the fingerstyle guitar and serene bass-and-piano interludes of “Where Dust Reigns” and “Sunken Throb,”2 but these instrumentals’ moods aren’t matched or mirrored by the rest of the album and feel tacked-on as a result. The standout, 12-minute song “A Bizarre Pilgrimage to the Cubik Mansion” hints at what Chariots Overdrive can do, as the band navigates artfully between Motörhead’s hyped-up rock n’ roll and Black Sabbathian gloomy doom.3 But the track buckles a bit under its weight by the end and feels done a few minutes before it’s over. Chariots Overdrive are engaging by grit and energy, but without a solid grasp on what exactly they are doing, The End of Antiquity can only be a fun-but-flawed work when taken as a whole.

The End of Antiquity has some flaws, but I still like where the Chariots Overdrive van is going. If you like any of the bands mentioned above it’s a safe bet you’ll get something out of this. There’s obvious chemistry between the band, and their debut has plenty of good moments throughout that are both fun in the present and hint towards a stronger future. I don’t want Chariots Overdrive to give up on what they’re doing, but if they can merge their punk hooliganism with the finesse they aspire towards in the next album, it’ll be a hit. There’s a lot of highway ahead, but this chariot’s got tread to spare yet.

Rating: Mixed
DR: 84 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
Label: Gates of Hell Records
Websites: chariotsoverdrive.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/chariotsoverdrive
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 20265

Aquilla – Sentinels of New Dawn Review

By Baguette of Bodom

The Polish metal scene is much better known around these parts for its bludgeoning death metal than for classic metal worship, and Aquilla is looking to change that. Formed in Warsaw in 2015, their debut Mankind’s Odyssey was unleashed on the masses in 2022, delivering NWoBHM with a dose of ”80s–’90s speed/power metal influence. Sophomore album Sentinels of New Dawn promises a similar but more epic brand of sci-fi thunder. With a couple EPs and a full-length already under their belt, how does Aquilla navigate this set of space war stories?

Aquilla’s authentic sound immediately makes it clear they’re not messing around. Since the last time they heeded the call, they’ve been through some lineup shifts, vocalist Captain Paradox and rhythm guitarist Jaspar de Phaser both joining in 2023. The resulting shift in sound is both obvious and a major positive. Captain Paradox is the star of the show, his vocals thoroughly combining the best of the ’80s and wailing wild and free like Kai Hansen (Helloween debut, Gamma Ray) or Michael Knoblich (Scanner debut). But the speed and power metal elements in Sentinels of New Dawn don’t stop at the vocals, they are firmly present in the dueling guitar work of Jaspar de Phaser and Kris Invader as well (“Creed of Fire,” “Technocrats’ Tyranny”). The bouncy and varied drum patterns, together with an ’80s Helloween-coated bass performance (“Technocrats’ Tyranny”), round out the rock-solid, energetic foundation of the album.

The greatest strength of Sentinels of New Dawn is its potent, to-the-point songwriting. Mankind’s Odyssey was at times charming, but had a fairly narrow scope and often forgot the ‘speed’ half of speed metal. Here, Aquilla dedicate much more of the album’s runtime to an all-gas, no-brakes approach, something sorely missing from many others of its kind. The record has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, with dual-harmonized NWoBHM leads (“Plunder & Steel,” “Mountains of Black Sleep”) and fun classic-sounding gang vocals (“Plunder & Steel”) increasing the anthemic factor further. But the band also shows songwriting maturity and variety by dipping into Queensrÿchean melodic segments (“Mountains of Black Sleep,” “Battalion 31”). While the combination isn’t seamless—the middle of the album unevenly packed with most of the slower bits—it suits Aquilla well and makes for an entertaining and multifaceted album. Furthermore, relying less on Iron Maiden worship and being more German speed/power metal-informed (“Creed of Fire,” “Battalion 31”) has improved their songcraft significantly. As a result, it feels like the band has now found their element and figured out their sound, combining aspects of old and new(er).

Aquilla is having fun, and it translates into a frenetic and inspired album. At just under 50 minutes—45 minutes omitting the intro and outro—Sentinels is a brisk and empowering experience. Even the 10-minute epic “The Prophet” flies by; a great combination of an Iron Maiden and Gamma Ray epic, with the second half having some of the best and most triumphant guitars of the bunch. The dramatic intro and synthy outro fit in oddly well, too, neither one overstaying its welcome. That being said, there are still some quirks to iron out. The harsh vocals at the start of “The Curse of Mercurion” aren’t too damaging, but they are a rough listen and feel unnecessary. “Bound to Be King,” though competent, lacks a hook that the other barn burners feature. Nevertheless, every song here is a good time at least, and many of them show signs of brilliance at best.

Sentinels of New Dawn shows a young band developing into form. Aquilla is here to kick ass and take names, and their mix of old and new is lively and exciting to listen to. The songwriting has made major strides in the span of three years; their speed and energy has only grown, and the Polish metal scene is all the richer and more varied for it. I hope Aquilla fleshes out their craft even further for the next one—with this lineup, they’re on the cusp of greatness.

Rating: Very Good!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: High Roller Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 31st, 2025

#2025 #35 #Aquilla #GammaRay #HeavyMetal #Helloween #HighRollerRecords #IronMaiden #NWOBHM #Oct25 #PolishMetal #PowerMetal #Queensryche #Review #Reviews #Scanner #SentinelsOfNewDawn #SpeedMetal

RIP 🖤

Kev „Skids“ Riddles: ist letzte Woche verstorben – Time For Metal – Das Metal Magazin & Metal Podcast
https://time-for-metal.eu/kev-skids-riddles-ist-letzte-woche-verstorben/

#metal #tytan #angelwitch #nwobhm

Wytch Hazel – V: Lamentations Review

By Steel Druhm

The Lords of easy-breezy 70s/80s metal return to the chapel of riffs once more to pay their respects. Over the course of 4 albums, Wytch Hazel have perfected their stripped-down, bare-bones take on 70s rock and infused it with just enough metallic oomph to make it stick. Their music is more about joyous worship of nature and higher powers than despair, anger, and hostility, and it feels like a breath of fresh air from a sun-kissed meadow. Albums like III: Pentecost and IV: Sacrament were loaded with power rockers full of riffs, vocal harmonies, and choruses that hit just right and burned into the memory. There was no reason to expect anything different on V: Lamentations, and surprise, surprise, nothing much has changed. It’s still the same infectious, upbeat sound that Wytch Hazel owns completely, but this time it’s even more laid back and restrained. Call it pastoral NWoBHM or 70s-centric “white” occult rock, it makes no difference. The Wytch is in, and you will be seen in the order that your sins necessitate.

Lamentations comes out swinging with one lively hit after another. Opener “I Lament” is the quintessential Wytcher: it’s got a buoyant energy with slick, smooth guitar work that reeks of Thin Lizzy as much as it does Angel Witch, and there’s still a touch of Blue Öyster Cult in the brew too. The song is instantly memorable and goes down as easily as cold (cheap) beer water on a hot day. “Run the Race” is every bit as instantaneous and hooky, with a simple but invigorating energy and a deceptively humble song structure that packs a big wallop. Lead single “Elements” is the best example of the Wytch formula on offer, with a straightforward, vibrant rock style that carries you along, making it impossible to resist. It’s not flashy, nor heavy; it just feels like classic rock with a thin undercoating of proto-metal and an ear for melody.

With all the A-list material on the front half, Lamentations stumbles a bit as it powers to the end. Songs that feel a bit less essential at first, like “Woven,” do grow on you quickly and soon become earworms, but “Heavy Load” fails to leave a big impression. Closer “Healing Power” is better, but not as killer as the stuff packed up front. Ups and downs aside, the album’s 46-plus minutes go by in a flash, leaving you ready to hit replay. This is Wytch Hazel’s most mellow, dialed-back album yet, and though much of the languid rock is tasty and has a ton of cheerful charm, there’s little metal zing in this batch of mead. As their least “metal” release, it’s possible they went a bit too far in the other direction, losing the ability to fully tickle the fancy of the fickle metal masses.

The Wytch Hazel sound relies on the interplay of Colin Hendra’s pleasantly understated, folksy vocals and his and Alex Haslam’s period-perfect 70s guitar wizardry, which drifts just close enough to the earliest days of NWoBHM to absorb a small electric charge. The guitars are very warm and 70s-centric, full of old-timey appeal and memorable bits. The similarity to 80s British metal is more extenuated than before, but it’s still present, and though things never get sharp or edgy, they do still orbit the hard rock/metalverse. Colin Hendra sings in a kind of joyous, expressive way that imparts a slight Christian rock sheen to the material. He’s not the most versatile frontman, but his voice is so compelling that it almost seems supernatural, and he effortlessly guides the songs along with passion aplenty. They have a style that truly works, even when toned down as it is here.

I doubt we’ll ever get a bad Wytch Hazel release, and there’s something so appealing about their intrinsic sound that it ends up tough to resist. That said, Lamentations is a bit less sticky than the past few albums, and the hooks aren’t quite as skin-snagging at times. The good stuff is very good, though. If you loved their prior outings, you will likely eat this up like beer-battered brisket bits. It’s an easy spin, a great palate cleanser, and pairs well with beers on a warm summer day. I just want a bit more heavy metal thunder in my Wytch coven. Godbless.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 258 kbps mp3
Label: Bad Omen
Websites: wytchhazel.com | wytchhazel.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/wytchhazel | instagram.com/wytchhazel
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AngelWitch #BadOmenRecords #HeavyMetal #JethroTull #Jul25 #NWOBHM #Review #Reviews #ThinLizzy #VLamentations #WytchHazel

A final note. The Fallen Angels Entering Pandemonium was formerly attributed to John Martin. But look at the detail! (There isn’t as much, is there?) That’s one reason the attribution is now doubted.

It’s still amazing. I got to know it as the cover of the 1980 debut album by #nwobhm metal band #AngelWitch. It captured the sense of doom, isolation and exile just right.

They did a comeback in 2012, and used a John Martin painting there too - a bit of his 1845 triptych, ‘The Last Judgement’.

From today’s #aiart project: An autumnal woodcut set of folk-horror tarot cards.

Designed in #midjourney and taking inspo from sources such as British folklore, ‘70s Hammer movies and NWOBHM bands like AngelWitch and modern ones like Green Lung.

#pixelart #nwobhm #greenlung #angelwitch #HammerHorror #tarot #tarotdeck #woodcut #AI