If you described Attic as a traditional heavy metal band from the famous Ruhr area (Kreator, Tankard, Sodom), obsessed with occultism and dripping in late 19th century gothic atmosphere, their guitar player and main composer Katte would be chuffed. Always a stronghold for any kind of back-to-basics subgenre, Germany has lately had an extremely healthy underground scene, where black/thrash (Desaster, Nocturnal, Cruel Force) and heavy metal (Iron Kobra, Alpha Tiger, Serpent) collide. But no matter how hard he tries to defend himself in the wake of their first European tour, opening for The Devil’s Blood, he knows too damn well about that gigantic elephant in the room.

The man knows all about the business of living in someone’s shadow: in 2006, he founded Erazor, which owed more than a large debt to Dissection. Around the same time, he briefly played in Warhammer, Germany’s answer to Hellhammer. Still, it seems impossible now not to have the names Attic and Mercyful Fate in the same sentence and Katte acknowledges it, even if he says that he’s always been more into “obscure heavy metal” the whole time and that he had a secret plan to form an occult band in this vein for a … Read More

There’s a particular type of scream in heavy metal that sends shivers down the spine. It’s a key signifier – like a yell from beyond that acts like a clarion call to all heavy metal heathens. If you have the scream all is good in the world. Halford had it – he was the king of the sustained “yeaaaahhhhh”. Dio, Kiske, Adams – hell, even Deceptor who are featured elsewhere in this issue have the scream. It’s up there with the Tom G “OOH”. The “yeah” in ‘Number Of The Beast’ takes some beating, but 27 seconds into brand new single ‘Mesmerised By Fire’ by Swedish leather boys Enforcer and we’re won over. We’re home. There’s something so comforting about that high-pitched cry of determination. Fuck the world. We are heavy metal. We are strong.

There’s always that fear of the new. It’s not a worry that’s left only to the metal tribes, all groups of music fan have it we’re sure, but it’s maybe moreso in heavy metal because it’s a love born of passion and, yes, we’ll admit it, ownership; so when a band you’ve loved since you heard their demo in 2006, and who you’ve made a pact … Read More

The demise of the local record shop is saddening on many levels, but the pinboards consigned to the skip out back is maybe the most heart-breaking. For where else can you find notices about crates of NWOBHM 7”s for sale, weed-smoking/doom-loving room-mates needed and most importantly little tabs of scrawled phone numbers asking if anyone wants to start a band. For that is exactly how the ’80s obsessed metal nerds of Alpha Tiger met. “I saw a notice on a board in our local music store. Someone was searching for another guitar player so I called him and we met,” explains guitarist Peter Langforth. “It was Alex [Backasch, guitars] and fortunately we had a similar taste in music.” That similar taste is music encompasses everything from “Metallica, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Crimson Glory, Fates Warning and Riot,” which is alright in our book! The band formed as Satin Black in 2007 and were quickly snapped up by Karl Walterbach, he of Noise Records fame, for his new imprint Sonic Attack, but a line-up change and name change later and the band found themselves on the stages of Keep It True and Hellfest festivals and on Century Media Records for their new … Read More

Forming in 1993, it took Yorkshire, UK’s traditional metal mob ASOMVEL 16 years to put out their debut full-length, but 2009’s ‘KAMIKAZE’ was the attack British metal needed. Four years on and the band are not resting and in the wake of the death of founding frontman JAY-JAY WINTER they are fired up and ready for their next onslaught. 

Forming in the early 1990s and almost adopting the name The Hairy Mary’s, Songs Of Praise were never really on the agenda for this Yorkshire outfit. Luckily the band conceived by Lenny Robinson and Jay-Jay Winter chose the less hirsute moniker of Asomvel and another classic UK heavy metal group slowly emerged. Asomvel, which actually has no significant meaning, saw a band with no real goals or direction forming from humble origins as Lenny reflects: “I asked Jay if he wanted to start a band, ‘cos I got on with him. He was the coolest bloke in town and we seemed to have the same attitude to things. I was gonna play bass (‘cos I had one) and Jay was gonna sing and we were gonna have two guitarists. Of course, nobody else was interested, so Jay ended up with the bass … Read More

“Twin guitar harmonies,” is what Hakim, lead vocalist and guitarist replies when asked what prompted the foundation of Dead Lord, a new revelation in hard rock from Stockholm only founded in January of this year and currently entrenched in Sun Studios in Dublin recording their debut album, slated for an early 2013 release through Germany’s High Roller Records. Stylistically Dead Lord have it down, completely, bringing into the 21st Century all that made classic rock so interesting, vital and vibrant with a slick amalgamation of Thin Lizzy, Scorpions and Kiss as well as The Hellacopters, who upon further prodding certainly come out as being somewhat of a standard bearer and ‘go to’ reference point for a whole younger generation of Swedish hard rockers. “Yeah, Nicke Anderson would certainly be a big influence on us when it comes to exploring deeper into music and he has generally been a measure for good music,” is Dead Lord drummer Adam’s view on the matter, which is reinforced by a collective of nodding heads.

So what then of the emergence of a whole new wave of bands rooting deeper into the recesses of rock’s turbulent history, particularly in Sweden? “There’s a much better situation now … Read More

Famously previously for being home to the first spinning frame, which we can tenuously link to the mass production of heavy metal t-shirts (okay, so not really) and a thrash cover of the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme Preston has hardly given us much of worth. So no wonder that Alex Varley, bassist of steel warriors Ascalon told us that, “We started as an answer to the lack of proper metal in our area. It really is worrying how neglected the glory era of metal has become outside of the capital.”

Since forming the band with Vince Scott (drums), Chris Marsh (guitars) and Matt Gerrard (vocals, guitars) Preston, however, has acquired a record label, Flash Of The Blade, whose first release was the recent four-way split between Ascalon, Asomvel, Eliminator and fellow Prestonians Wytch Hazel.

A metallic triumph for the North then? All four bands on that limited 12” are mighty indeed. “I find it difficult to describe our sound beyond classic metal,” Alex continues. “I’d like to think we’re quite a ballsy band that have a sound not too different from the best British bands like Saxon and Diamond Head. The band is an important tool to preach our elitism. On a serious note, … Read More

You know life has taken a surreal turn for the better when you’re at an invite-only Iron Maiden party and Doro has just cadged a fag off you (“I don’t normally smoke,” she whispers conspiratorially). Doro is regaling us with tales about her travels. She’s an incredible raconteur, she holds court making us howl with stories about fans bringing her beetles to eat in South East Asia – and all I’m thinking is, wow, this is Doro. She was in Warlock, she was the first woman to front a band at Monsters At Rock. She’s a legend. That was years ago now, we’ve met many times since, but I’ll never shake the feeling of being a “fan”. The dictionary describes being a fan as “a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal (as in religion or politics)”, but I think they’re missing the words “as in music”, because that extreme enthusiasm manifests itself in an uncontrollable manner when you press play on a new album or watch a musician in the live arena. A piece of music or concert can conjure up the time and place when you first saw or heard that particular artist and take you … Read More

Keep It True Festival, Germany, 2011. The storm is coming thick and fast and whenever there’s a flash of lightning some guys start singing ‘Lightning Strikes Again’. Suddenly there’s a crash of thunder and another group of guys on the opposite side of the field started singing ‘Thunder On The Tundra’. It’s a moment we’ll never forget, and proves how much THOR has become a heavy metal legend. Once we heard he was working on a new album Dave Sherwood tracked down the hero to talk movies, music, comics and hot water bottles.

I can’t honestly think of any other acts hailing from Canada during the early to mid-’70s who were playing heavy rock and metal; do you think you were the first? Were you aware of any other bands playing with such force back in the day? “There was no one else in the world who not only played heavy rock/metal with such force but also performed the concept of the superhuman frontman who could bend steel in his bare hands in the arena while singing and performing theatrics on stage. I started the first Muscle Power Gladiator rock band ever. There were other rock acts in the ’70s as the tag … Read More

Indisputably one of the first ever heavy metal bands in Finland, if not the world, SARCOFAGUS and their leader KIMMO KUUSNIEMI were always pushing the limits of rock ‘n’ roll, even becoming one of the first metal bands to make a full-length music video. But after 30 years they’re back with a new album and tell IRON FIST how it pays respect to a legacy they thought was dead and buried.

Sarcofagus was laid to rest in 1982, when did you realise that there was an interest in the band again? Kimmo: “I think it was around 2000, because [legendary Finnish rock radio DJ] Klaus Flaming wanted to find the ‘Motorbirds’ film. That’s when I realised on the internet there was so many stories about Sarcofagus and that these albums had become cornerstones of Finnish metal. Of course back in the day, when I started to make films I never showed the ‘Motorbirds’ video to any places that I was looking for a job because I was embarrassed by it. And I was embarrassed by Sarcofagus for probably the whole of the ’80s. Metal was like a bastard, all the progressive bands thought it would die and it’s a joke, so in the … Read More

“I met Bill through mutual friends getting wasted at various metal fests in 2010 and we resolved to be mates and start a band.” As the current Internet meme goes, no good story starts with “we had a salad” and in the tale of Amulet, London’s enfant terribles of heavy metal worship, it begins with some serious drinking. Heathen Steven, along with bassist Bill Dozer, Dave Sherwood On Drums, Jamie Elton and Daragh Markham have just nailed their first 7” on Mordgrimm and have already flown to Oslo to ply their British Steel to the Northmen. “It was very easy from the start and very easy it remains. Good wholesome heavy metal is the name of the game,” Heathen continues. “ Bill Dozer is the cool guy and the beating heart of the band. He came up with names and song titles and he does all our artwork and comes up with a lot of the key riffs,” he admits. “Jamie runs Amulet, writes the lyrics and comes up with lot of additional riffs and ideas. Unusually for a singer he is completely unflappable in any situation. Dave is our mascot and provides the ultimate heavy metal opinion whenever needed. … Read More