Author: Team Uber

Power Paladin – ‘With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel’ (Atomic Fire Records)

Power Paladin – ‘With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel’ (Atomic Fire Records)

Posted by | Dec 30, 2021 | ,

When one thinks of Icelandic metal acts, one’s mind is perhaps drawn to bands at the more extreme end of the spectrum, bands inspired by the country’s deserted volcanic wastelands, freezing winds and the all-embracing darkness of the long winters, as well as the darker aspects of the island’s history and mythos. The happy-go-lucky, smile-inducing shred fests of power metal would probably be the last aspect of the musical canon to come to the forefront of our thoughs… Well, these six paladins of all things gloriously OTT are out to change that perception with this, their debut offering (which is also the first album to be released on the newly constituted Atomic Fire label).

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Shotgun Facelift – ‘Dakota Blood Stampede’ (Eclipse Records)

Shotgun Facelift – ‘Dakota Blood Stampede’ (Eclipse Records)

Posted by | Dec 29, 2021 | ,

Preparing to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a musical entity – although only lead guitarist Damien Goulet has lasted the intervening years to drive the project forward to this, their second full-length album – Shotgun Facelift took the approach of recording live in the studio to its ultimate limit: every one of the ten tracks was laid down with the band all playing together – and if one of them fucked up, then they merely started from the beginning again…

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Feuerschwanz – ‘Memento Mori’ (Nuclear Blast)

Feuerschwanz – ‘Memento Mori’ (Nuclear Blast)

Posted by | Dec 28, 2021 | ,

When it is at its best, power metal, by its very nature, is gloriously bombastic, gloriously OTT, gloriously pompous – and gloriously cheesy. And, in terms of current purveyors of the genre, they don’t come any more gloriously bombastic, gloriously OTT, gloriously pompous – and gloriously cheesy – than Teutonic titans Feuerschwanz, who have become firm favourites here at ÜRHQ since our paths first crossed a little more than 18 months ago – during which time they have twice won our coveted ‘Video Of Week’ title with their equally glorious, and massively tongue-in-cheek, visual presentations.

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At The Movies – ‘The Soundtrack Of Your Life – Vols 1 and 2’ (Atomic Fire Records)

At The Movies – ‘The Soundtrack Of Your Life – Vols 1 and 2’ (Atomic Fire Records)

Posted by | Dec 28, 2021 | ,

There’s a massive giveaway in both the name of the band and this double package of albums, one being re-released, the other a new infliction on our aural senses, as to what to expect when you press play. Yes, this Scandinavian supergroup, the brainchild of Pretty Maids keyboardist/guitarist Chris Laney, specialize in rocked up versions of songs from the movies that we all grew up watching, and either loving or hating, in the Eighties and Nineties. The first volume concentrates on the former decade, the second on the latter.

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Kontact – ‘First Contact’ (Temple Of Mystery Records)

Kontact – ‘First Contact’ (Temple Of Mystery Records)

Posted by | Dec 28, 2021 | ,

Hailing from the wilds of the Alberta plains, Canadian new wave of thrash metallers Kontact quote Eighties-period Judas Priest as one of their major musical tropes, alongside fellow countrymen, and likeminded sci-fi enthusiasts VoiVod. If anything, however, their sound harkens back even further, reminding more of the psychedelia-tinged ‘Sad Wings…’ era Priest than their punchier later period, coupled with classic doom, space rock and stoner tinges which root the retro sound of this debut five-track mini-album more in the Seventies than in later eras.

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