Mick Birchall Reviews

Some combinations in music just go together so seamlessly. Certain subjects match certain tones so well. I think that the subject of swords, sorcery and medieval knights blend so well with symphonic and progressive rock. Something about the folky yet grandiose sounds of the genre matches the setting so well. I’ll tell you something, there are so many bands and artists out there that are so imaginative and creative when it comes to this. When I first came across the band Knightfall , the latest project from Keith Dombrowski and is something that is completely within my taste of music. I love this high-concept heavy metal that allows for imaginative ideas to flow and you, as the listener, can just take in the lyrics and music combined and just become lost in the sound. The album Destiny Calling is a fun and engaging album with lots of interesting concepts, ideas and themes that I have been enjoying. It’s been an album that I’ve been able to put on and go and walk through my local park a...

There are those times as an independent music journalist that just feel surreal. This is definitely one of those times. In the run-up to their massive new double-album, Afterlifelines this heavy metal fanboy actually got the opportunity to chat with the legendary Peter “Peavy” Wagner of the German power metal godfathers, Rage ! This was a fun conversation as I got to talk about their new record and Peavy told personal and interesting stories. Rage has been one of those bands that have been ever-present during my entire life. I’ve always known their music and this was such an amazing opportunity. Their new album is an epic double feature comprising of the first half, titled Afterlife and the second part, titled Lifelines and has been an album I’ve had blasting for the last few weeks.  This was a cool experience and I hope you, dear reader, enjoy this interview! Also, I’d like to thank the subreddit, r/PowerMetal for some questions from the wider fan community, I hope you apprecia...

It was a good few years since I discovered the amazing sound of the Australian rock heavyweights, The Neptune Power Federation . I remember first hearing their music in 2019 with their album, Memoirs of a Rat Queen and just being completely blown away by their sound. The precise riffs, the eclectic influences, the gut-busting solos, everything just works in their sound. I guarantee that if you like that 70’s style hard rock or the new wave of British heavy metal sound, then this band really do have something for you. I have been keen to listen to them over and over, whenever I’m out for a walk their music is usually one of the first things I think to listen to. So you bet I was super excited to know that they would be releasing a new album, Goodnight My Children in 2024. Now that their sixth album is out and I’ve had the chance to listen to it I thought I would put my thoughts out there. The album is mostly your standard rock fare with a healthy dose of grandiosity. I think this albu...

There aren’t many things in life that get me quite as hyped as a new album from one of my favourite bands. So it brings me great pleasure that we’re getting a new record from Sonata Arctica . A band that I’ve held very dearly to my heart for a long time. Their amazing blend of overly-bombastic richness and intense power metal usually results in a masterclass of the genre. So, now that my expectations are through the roof, let’s allow the Finnish power metal titans blow my mind once again. Clear Cold Beyond is just simply that damn good. No, I’m not just saying that and this is not bias. This is absolutely a gripping and mesmerising record filled to the brim with music that will make anybody’s head explode. Not only do I think this album is great, I think this may be the best Sonata Arctica album in the last 10 years, and that’s saying something! The album opens up as it means to go on. It seems like the band have made it clear they wanted to do one thing, and one thing only… Go fast. ...

Sonata Arctica  has been one of my favourite bands for a long time. So it really excites me that in the run up to the release of their 11th studio album, Clear Cold Beyond,  I got the opportunity to chat with bass player, Pasi Kauppinen . In this interview we chat about the new album and its production, working on their acoustic duology and going back-to-basics with this record!  Mick: How did it feel to work on a full metal album again after the 2 acoustic albums? Pasi: It feels really good. Yeah. A lot has happened. When we were working on the last studio album Talviyö in 2018 (released in 2019) it became a much softer record than we thought when we were recording it. We felt that the album was a little too soft. Then we only had a couple of months touring with that album before the pandemic hit.  After that, we had time to record the two acoustic albums and then we toured with the acoustic albums. So yes, we’ve not had a real heavy metal feel for a while. So it w...