Mick Birchall Reviews

Ever since I first heard the incredible talent of Wille and The Bandits , I have been completely captivated by their music. I am particularly interested in their unique songwriting style and their remarkable ability to hold the audience’s attention throughout their performances. As they prepare for their massive headline tour and a short run of opening dates for Beth Hart , I had the opportunity to sit down with frontman and bands namesake, Wille Edwards . In this candid interview, we discuss their approach to live performances, their major musical influences, their fans, and Wille’s deep appreciation for music. Mick: You've got a pretty lengthy tour upcoming, so what's involved in your preparation for touring? Wille: Funny you should say that actually, because it's exactly what I've been doing running around. Just working out what guitars I'm going to take out, working the setlist. We always record our rehearsals, listen back to them and try and sculpt the set in a...

Björn Strid is an icon of the rock and metal world. His work in metal bands like Soilwork and Act Of Denial is incredible. However, he also fronts the AOR band, The Night Flight Orchestra . On the day of the release of their new album, Give Us The Moon , I sat down with Björn. We discussed this new record, the first album recorded and released since the passing of guitarist, David Andersson and the challenges in making a new record without him. He also tells stories that inspired songs for the new record and more. Mick: The new album, Give Us The Moon , is out today and I've already published my review . I think it's great. Could you tell us a bit about the production and the mentality going into this album? Björn: Yeah, I mean, a lot of things happened. We had to go through the grieving of the passing of our guitarist, David Andersson . So we needed time to grieve and then, you know, regroup and try to find the joy in the music again try to turn that into something empowerin...

This year has been incredibly eventful for the Italian heavy metal band  Virtual Symmetry . After countless miles travelled on tour and the much-anticipated release of their latest album, Veils of Illumination , they are now taking a well-deserved breather as 2024 draws to a close. I  had the pleasure of sitting down with the charismatic frontman, Marco Pastorino , who shared insights about the creative process behind the new record, the exhilarating yet challenging life experience on the road, and how he juggles his myriad of diverse projects while maintaining his passion for music. Okay, so you've been on the road with this new record, Veils of illumination . How do you feel the general audience response has been to the new songs? The feedback so far has been great. I mean, we just released the album a couple of weeks ago, but since the tour at the beginning of November the couple of tracks from the new album we have played have been received well. We’ve started to sell the ...

The stand-out band of this year for me has been a small independent southern-rock band from North Carolina called Old Heavy Hands . I found their album Small Fires and instantly fell in love with their sound and it’s been in my rotation a lot this year. Their distinct style drawn from many influences made for a fantastic listening experience. I went back and listened to their first two records and I loved them even more. I wanted to get to know them and take a look under the hood of one of my favourite records of 2024. ( read my full review here ) In this blog, I got to sit down with one half of the dual vocalists, Nate Hall , and talk to him about the new album, his influences, the band's origins and learning to find balance in a busy life. MB: So, this year we had the release of your third album Small Fires , which I completely fell in love with. So, what was the thought process going into this one after Mercy ? NH: Well, we had the time to just write and focus on the songs. So,...

Recently, I discovered the wonderful music of Greek heavy metal titans InnerWish . I've really enjoyed discovering their music and loved their upcoming album, Ash Of Eternal Flame , so when the opportunity came to sit down with their drummer, Franki Samoilis , you better believe I jumped on it. In this interview, we talk about the new record, Franki's influences, and getting to work with Hansi Kürsch of the legendary Blind Guardian . Mick: So, this has been your first album since 2016, the self-titled one. How does it feel to have a new InnerWish album finally coming out? Franki: It's a relief. To finally have the new album out is a massive relief as we’ve been waiting for it for a while. It was supposed to be released in 2020. However, after COVID everything went downhill. In the end, we were very happy. It felt like a sign of good things to come. Maybe we wouldn't have been signed to Rising Phoenix Music if it had been released in 2020. So, with this timing and eve...

Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down with the incredibly talented vocalist Giada "Jade" Etro and the versatile guitarist/vocalist Federico Mondelli of the Italian power-metal band Frozen Crown . Our conversation revolved around their highly-anticipated fifth album, War Hearts , scheduled for release in October. During our interview, they provided fascinating insights into their creative process, the inspiration behind their lyrics, and shared compelling stories about their journey as heavy metal artists in Italy. As a result, I am now eagerly counting down the days until the album's release and eagerly anticipating the opportunity to witness their electrifying live performance in November! Mick: So we've got the new album War Hearts coming in October, it's your fifth album in seven years, how do you have so many ideas locked and ready to go? Jade: Yes, so we are a very creative band. We were born to be composers more than musicians, so we love music, wr...