Mick Birchall Reviews

I think one band that has remained a constant in my life is Within Temptation . Ever since I discovered them in 2007 I think I’ve been on their hype train. I remember it being a quick turnaround to fandom. As a kid and well into my teen years I watched music video channels on TV—specifically, Kerrang . For you kids out there, it was probably the best way to discover new music before the advent of YouTube, social media and streaming platforms. Even in 2007, two years after YouTube’s release, it was still some of my favourite programming. The level of effort that went into music videos was amazing, you’d get some duds, but for the most part, it was a valued way of presenting your new singles. Being on TV, artists only had a few seconds to grab your attention with their video before audiences chose whether to leave a song on or not. It was like the wild west and I think this is where I started to cultivate my music taste. I distinctly remember sitting in my living room one afternoon and b...

It’s 2007 and I was enveloped by a music-sharing and news site; PureVolume.com . It was my paradise. As a teenager, this website made me feel like I had the whole music industry at my fingertips. I would spend hours of my days scrolling through artists. I would discover so many artists on that site. Hell, this very blog has its foundations in that website. I would go on to set up a listener account and the site used to have a section where you could make posts to discuss the music world. It was a cosy little section of the internet, where I first learned to express my thoughts and feelings about music. In this blissful little world, I would discover some of my favourite artists. Honestly, it was my first real go at attempting to form my own music taste. I was the youngest of three children, so for the longest time, if my older siblings said that a band or artist was cool, I would too. If they disliked them, I would equally follow suit. I will say for the purposes of this article. That ...

2023 has been a crazy year for me. My life has not been the most exciting but this is a music blog and the music has been amazing this year! I’ve got myself to a bunch of gigs, even getting to do a whopping three gigs in other countries. I know that’s not a lot for some people, but for me it was huge! I’ll get to those later in the blog. It was a year of new discoveries, rediscovered favourites and all new experiences. Whether it be my brain melting when I found out about Villagers of Ioannina City , the maddening catchiness of Kontrust or infectious charisma that Project Renegade exude. It’s been a wild year. Also, it’s been a decent year for the blog. Though I haven’t cranked out as many posts as I would have liked, I think I’ve still put out some good content for you, my fantastic readers. Plenty of reviews and interviews for the year. It’s also been a year where I have made a bunch of new contacts that I hope will allow me to give you more interesting content. It’s been 12 years...

It’s pretty fair to say that, at one point in time, I was a colossal fan of the modern blues-rock legend, Joe Bonamassa . I fell in love with his seventh studio record The Ballad of John Henry and became enthralled with his music. I’ll never forget going to the Sheperd’s Bush Empire in London for my 21st birthday to see him live. That show was recorded for a concert DVD, so I have that day forever immortalised on film. Not a bad memory to have I must say! However, over the years I became distant from Joe’s music. For no real reason, I just seemed to lose touch with my passion for his records and stopped waiting for the releases. It’s just one of those weird things in life. Well, circumstance has returned me to the joy of listening to Mr Bonamassa. I have had a chance to catch up on his recent discography, particularly his 2021 record, Time Clocks . This record is an absolute marvel my jaw was on the floor. Everything just fits together; each riff, each solo, the tight rhythm and the b...

Sometimes you hear a band and they immediately grab your attention. It’s a feeling of ecstasy like no other. Music that interacts with your soul on a level incomparable to anything else on this plane of existence. I recently had that feeling hit me. The Greek band Villagers of Ioannina City have captured my imagination. There’s just something magical about their music. It’s bold, it blends subgenres and the overall tone just encompassed my mind on the first listen. I’ve been introduced to them thanks to Napalm Records releasing their live album Through Space and Time (Alive in Athens 2020) this year. As soon as I watched the first video, I was immediately filled with joy. I instantly wanted to share it with my friends and I started writing this blog.  Firstly, who are they? The band consists of Alex Karametis on guitar and lead vocals, Akis Zois on bass guitar, Aris Giannopoulos on the drums, Konstantis Pistiolis playing the clarinet and other wind instruments and Konstantinos La...