Speaking to RAM in Iron Fist issue #16, who formed in 1999, it’s clear that they were teenage fans of heavy metal but came of age – and started a band – when it was the unwanted guest at the table of the fickle music industry. Their frustrations were enough but spare a thought for the bands who had found fame and success at heavy metal’s height and soon found themselves floundering as the hours counted down toward the end of the century. Many of these bands played catch-up, reinventing themselves to adapt to the ever-changing trends. Many packed away their gear for good (or until big budget festivals goaded them out of retirement). But some, like New Jersey’s thrash titans Overkill, did only what they could; carry on regardless.

Their debut full-length ‘Feel The Fire’ came out in 1985 and subsequent albums ‘Taking Over’ [1987] and ‘Under The Influence’ [1988] helped lay down the thrash metal template. They may not have been Big Four but they were influential none the less. When thrash metal started to enjoy a resurgence in the mid-2000s thanks to younger bands obsessed with the speed and aggression of these elder statesmen, the rock music magazines … Read More

One of our favourite new bands (well, they formed in 2006), Black Oath perfectly meet at the cursed crossroads of misanthropic Peaceville death/doom, ancient NWOBHM and, of course, their Italian homeland’s rich history of occult rock. Obsessed with their latest album, ‘To Below And Beyond’ (just released on cassette by Equinox Discos), we sent Kat Gillham to get the skinny on why and how it’s so fucking perfect from frontman A.th.  Hails! Your excellent third album ‘To Below And Beyond’ was unleashed upon mankind recently, how would you describe it for those who perhaps haven’t heard of you… yet… Thank you for appreciation! I would recommend the album for those into old heavy/rock with a strong passion for occultism and a touch of black metal atmosphere. Most describe us as a typical doom band (due to lack of knowledge about music) but we call it Cursed Rock Musick! We are extremely glad how the album turned out as it represents 100 percent of the band and our feelings.

What formats is it currently available on? As of now it is out on CD but soon we will have both LP and tape. We like all kinds of formats and take care of every … Read More

Gothenburg-based heavy metal maniacs Night Viper are the one of the latest heavy metal exports to come out of Sweden and have released a debut album that is an energetic affair. The up-tempo ’80s heavy metal of early Maiden and Priest collides with the galloping speed metal of ‘Kill ‘Em All’-era Metallica and a duelling twin guitar attack that features the ever-productive Tom Sutton (The Order Of Israfel, Horisont, ex-Church Of Misery). We caught up with Tom to find out more about this exciting new band.

When did the idea for Night Viper first come about? “I have often wished that Metallica and Slayer could have held off from maturing for just one album more each. I love their second albums and what came later too, but I love the freshness of that almost rock ‘n’ roll style of thrash metal that they both had in the beginning. I’d often thought I’d like to do something with that kind of vibe, although I doubted I’d ever get around to it. At one point I was going to ask Sven, the drummer from Antichrist, to just do a single with me so I could get it out of my system. I couldn’t be … Read More

Born out of the West Coast thrash metal scene of the ’80s, Metal Church quickly became one of the standout talents of US metal. The journey started in 1982 and after all these years, countless line-up changes and some of the best US metal albums, singer Mike Howe (1988 – 1995) returns to the Church with new album ‘XI’ and some unmissable live shows. Iron Fist grabs the chance to speak both to Mike Howe (vocals) and Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitars) about the new album, almost hiring Lars Ulrich and going back to being DIY

Welcome back, Mike! When did this famous phone call happen that brought you back to the fray? Mike: “I received a phone call from Kurdt in the fall of 2014. It took many conversations about how we would approach the new album before I would agree to do it and I am very happy that it has worked out and we are incredibly happy with the end result of our collaboration. I hope the fans agree.”

What have you been doing all these years? Mike: “Living a happy life with my wife raising two boys.”

When and why did you decide that you should rejoin Metal Church? Mike: “After Kurdt and I … Read More

Memoriam are a new death metal band from Birmingham, England but the various members involved are no newcomers to the scene. Formed in the wake of Bolt Thrower going on a hiatus after the sudden passing of their long-time drummer Martin “Kiddie” Kearns, Memoriam sees Bolt Thrower vocalist Karl Willetts team up once again with his ex-bandmate and original Bolt Thrower drummer Andy Whale along with Benediction/Sacrilege bassist Frank Healy and live Benediction guitarist Scott Fairfax. According to Karl they’re on a mission to put the old back into old school death metal. 

When did the idea for Memoriam come about? Who instigated the forming of the band? Karl Willetts: “Memoriam was primarily developed to fill the void that was left following the tragic death of Martin ‘Kiddie’ Kearns, the drummer from Bolt Thrower back in September 2015. Bolt Thrower subsequently placed all activity on hold for the foreseeable future which gave me an opportunity to develop a new project with friends that had expressed interest in forming a band for some time. “The intent of forming Memoriam was to rekindle old friendships and reclaim the flame of inspiration that fired us up back in the day. This is happening now at a … Read More

A celebration of all things NWOBHM, BroFest has been one of the significant heavy metal success stories of the last few years. Started back in 2013, initially as a one-off, its overwhelming popularity has seen it return each and every year since. Staged in the well-appointed students’ union building of Northumbria University in Newcastle, it’s a fanatically purist pilgrimage taking place in one of the historical engine rooms of British heavy metal.

Although Malc MacMillan’s go-to bible The NWOBHM Encyclopedia includes entries for over 500 bands, most of them split up half a lifetime ago, many of their members either resolutely retired or long since graduated to the great gig in the sky. The inaugural BroFest, however, clearly demonstrated that there were enough NWOBHM acts still plugging away in pubs and clubs to populate a modest festival bill in a similarly modest venue. And so it was that BroFest #1 brought together the likes of Holocaust, Avenger, Spartan Warrior, Black Rose, Tysondog and many more for a joyous weekend of neck-snapping nostalgia. From the get-go, the organizers also showed an uncanny knack for persuading long-defunct bands to reform specially for the event, some of whom have since stayed reformed and even … Read More

Oscar Karlsson 1976 – 2016

On March 4 the Swedish death metal band Gates Of Ishtar posted on their Facebook page: “It is with much sadness and regret that we have learned that our drummer and friend Oscar Karlsson has passed away at the age of 39. Words cannot express how we feel. Oscar was a fantastic human being and a great friend and he will be dearly missed.”

It is currently unclear and undisclosed what happened but the extreme music scene has lost a great drumming talent at such a young age. Oscar first came onto the worldwide album scene as a teenager with Gates Of Ishtar and played on two of their three albums that were released very close together in the mid to late ’90s; the 1996 debut ‘A Bloodred Path’ and the band’s third and final album before they prematurely broke up, 1998’s ‘At Dusk And Forever’. The band’s debut is regarded by many as one of the finest examples of melodic Swedeath, mixing the razor sharp riffing and melodies much like their countrymen Dissection, At The Gates and Unanimated with the galloping heavy metal and harmonies of classic Maiden with Oscar’s impressive drumming driving the songs along. All … Read More

Did you listen to the radio every Friday Night? So sang Saxon on ‘Denim & Leather’ and it’s without a doubt that the Friday Rock Show and the voice of Tommy Vance is at the centre of the very foundation Iron Fist Magazine is based upon. On the anniversary of his death in 2005, it is fitting that Vintage TV are planning on bringing back the Friday Rock Show with Nicky Horne. Guy Strachan spoke to FRS producer Tony Wilson about this slice of heavy metal history

“The Friday Rock Show was the only education I needed” Shane Embury, Napalm Death

“I knew Tommy from our first album. He helped our career more than people realise. I’ve got many memories of him. He came to see us several times both in the studio and live and was always supportive. The Friday Rock Show was the MTV of the UK – if you were on the show – you’d made it.” Biff Byford, Saxon

It’s been a tough time for the BBC of late, what with scandals, debates about its licence-funded future and costly moves up and down the country, such stories often overshadow just how much of an influence the organisation’s output has had … Read More

The musical spider’s web cast by Black Sabbath 46 years ago has mutated in many directions, and here at Iron Fist we often forget the crawling, deadly, filthy tentacles that became droning, sludgy doom metal. Germany’s Black Shape Of Nexus are here to remind us of the dread and unease that this genre permeates with a cover of Fist favourites, Hellhammer.

From their 1983 demo ‘Triumph Of Death’, this eponymous song reeks of decay and BSON have dragged it even further into the grave.

Featured on their new album, out on March 18 through Exile On Mainstream Records, ‘Carrier’ stinks like hell, as this song dictates. Drenching their songs in atmosphere, aggression and/or even speed, it is described as “a tour de force that will exhaust all but the completely deaf”.

The band said of this cover version: “Chris from Fucking Kill Records asked us if we would be willing to cover ‘Triumph Of Death’ for his ‘A Fucking Tribute To Hellhammer’ sampler 12”. The result was in our opinion so good, that it also deserved to be released on ‘Carrier’. ‘ToD’ (what a perfect abbreviation!) is a typical BSON track, beginning well-structured and ending up in full deconstruction. Our approach to the … Read More

Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Free, The Faces, “but, at the same time Donny Hathaway, Howlin’ Wolf, Dina Washington, Big Mama Thornton and Muddy Waters. Those are the one who taught me a lot of things about music.” That is the leap-off point into discussing ‘The Vision’, the debut album by Italian doominatrix Virginia Monti and her band Psychedelic Witchcraft. Fronted by the bewitching Monti, the only one in the band that “isn’t classically trained”, this Florence-based blues rock group were only formed a year ago but have already played with the likes of The Vintage Caravan and Dead Lord and have been snapped up by Soulseller Records (Spectral Haze/Demon Eye) for their debut album.

“I started alone, just for fun, posting a song on YouTube,” says Monti of how the band begun. “I wouldn’t have ever imagined the reaction the metal community had. I had so many people asking for more! It took me almost six months to find my bandmates because I was looking for guys that shared the vision of style and music I had in mind. I found was my guitar player [Jacopo Fallai]in my hometown, then I met Riccardo [Giuffrè, bass] in Milan and he moved … Read More