DEVIN TOWNSEND – Lightwork (Album Review)
The curse of crafting monuments is having to outdo them. I suppose we can’t blame Devin Townsend for following the career-defining “Empath” (and let’s be…
Author Gonzalo Pozo
Stratovarius – Survive (Album Review)
I had a torrid but brief love affair with power metal in the late 90s. Like most flings one has in their late teens and…
CONCERT REVIEW: SCORPIONS Prove to Houston They Still Have Tons of “Gas In The Tank” (September 17th, 2022)
Words by Samantha Buckman There are numerous indomitable musical giants staring down the beast of aging and giving a firm middle finger to any talk…
A-Z – A-Z (Album Review)
Full disclosure: I am not a fan of 80s AOR, 80s hard rock, or the 80s retro pastiche that briefly birthed the unwelcome return of…
MARK ZONDER and RAY ALDER Talk Chemistry During Creation of A-Z Debut Album: “This Album Was an Open Palette, Yet We Stuck with the Mentality of Focusing on the Hooks and the Songs”
“Beer commercials, car commercials, and Cobra Kai.” I straight up thought that legendary drummer Mark Zonder’s reference point for his new band would have been…
Oceans of Slumber – Starlight and Ash (Album Review)
Houston’s Oceans of Slumber have carefully broadened their sound with each record and have reliably crafted some of the most exciting and forward thinking extreme…
STRATOVARIUS Singer TIMO KOTIPELTO on Upcoming “Survive” Studio Album: “The Biggest Difference Is That We Composed This Album Together, In the Same Room”
“This whole trip was chaos,” confides a visibly exhausted Timo Kotipelto. The reserved but charismatic Stratovarius front-man and I are tucked away in a corner…
CONCERT REVIEW: BORKNAGAR Serve Up Seamless Combination Of Black, Death and Prog-Metal Anthems (May 14th, 2022)
Words by Sumeet Dandekar My introduction to Borknagar came all the way back in 1997, with their sophomore release, “The Olden Domain.” I was intrigued…
CONCERT REVIEW: PAIN OF SALVATION Kicks Off US Tour “On A Tuesday,” Because Of Course They Would (May 10th, 2022)
On a night of many firsts, set skipped most of band’s discography but still obliterated its audience “Bad news,” I texted. “I’m gonna be right…
CONCERT REVIEW: Blues Queen BETH HART – Badass and Beyond (April 21st, 2022)
It’s been a long two years. My hyper-cautious ass has been all too happy to stay away from crowds, and I only started tiptoeing my…
