Mick Birchall Reviews

Sometimes a great band just sneaks up on you and slaps you in the face! The Night Flight Orchestra, have 100% fully captivated me. Formed in 2007 by Björn Strid and David Andersson while they were touring in the USA with their band Soilwork, they have managed to create something fresh yet at the same time fantastically nostalgic. Something that feels classic from its first moments. Admittedly, diving in four albums in, yeah, I'm a little late to the party on this one but better late than never. Their fourth album, Sometimes The World Ain't Enough, is a glorious pick n' mix of hard rock, progressive rock and in some way....  old school funk. I was just so taken back by a refreshing change of pace. Their sound is a so tight and well constructed it just put a big old smile on my face. The album is a nice fresh take on old rock staples and feels bright and colourful. The verses are these weird, interwoven melodies, whereas the choruses are big, over the top 80's style h...

After really enjoying the new album from Master Sword . I take some time to chat with them about their music, gaming and mixing the two worlds. Also you can read my review of the album, Shadow And Steel here - ( REVIEW ). Could you tell me a little about your band? Matt: Master Sword was formed in 2013 to create inspired, original rock/metal themed around The Legend of Zelda video game series. We just hit the 5 year mark and are going stronger than ever with the release of our first full album 'Shadow and Steel'! What do you think drew you to playing and writing music in the first place? Matt: I think most serious musicians just hear a calling. I realised pretty young that it was the music in games like Ocarina of Time which really pulled me into these imaginary worlds. Combine that with a strong love for rock music and voila! Shawn: I always enjoyed creative outlets, but mostly, it was a way to rebel against my parents, who at the time, had very negat...

When I first heard of, Master Sword I was incredibility excited. I was randomly web surfing and I saw the words "The Legend of Zelda inspired metal band". I thought to myself, I like metal music and I adore The Legend of Zelda series so this was a match made in heaven for me, and I'm sure that's the case for a lot of us metal and gaming fans. So I picked up a copy of their new album, Shadow and Steel and I was really happy with what I heard. Not only was it filled to the brim with all sorts of power metal goodness. The lyrical content is actually quite excellent, making reference to the gaming series here and there but also I feel it's vague enough that you don't need to know of the Zelda franchise to enjoy it. Taking familiar themes and melodies from the games and turning them into really nice riffs and licks, it makes for very grandiose and interesting song-writing and I felt that it was well implemented into the songs. There are a lot of parts that I ...

If you were reading my reviews last year you will know that I adored the previous album from,  NateWantsToBattle , Sandcastle Kingdoms. It was a great effort and I even ended up putting it on my best of 2017 list. Ever since, Nate himself has been full force with his music career, playing shows and recording new music, announcing that he had a new album in the works. Fast-forward to now and his new album, Paid In Exposure is out and... I have mixed feelings about it. After listening to it a few times, I'm slowly getting more into it. Yet, after enjoying Sandcastle Kingdoms almost instantly, it's a little disappointing that the follow-up isn't as gratifying. Although, it's not without its merits and there some genuinely good songs on here. I will say that the production on the album is good. Everything is solid and tight, so the songs sound decent and the performances are well done, with the vocal performance standing out really well. Although at times there'...