“Don’t be worried, new material is on the way.” Phew! That’s in response to our constant harassing of Jack MacMichael, lead guitarist with Lancaster bombers, Eliminator, who have only put out one single and a split since their EP ‘We Rule The Night’ in 2011. The five-piece are set to rule the night once again, as they’ve been hand-picked by Brofest to represent the UK’s new tribe of traditional heavy metal heathens. “We’re currently putting the finishing touches to an album’s worth of new songs, which we’re currently rehearsing with a view to record as soon as possible! We’ve been taking a lot of time with this, as we had a line up change early in 2013. It’s been tricky finding the time to get the new material penned, we also don’t want to release a load of crap just for the sake of getting a release out quickly. We require your patience, the end result will be worth it. You’ll hear a few of these new numbers at Brofest.

“We’re happy to be playing Brofest,” Jack continues of the golden ticket he was handed by Stu Bartlett and the Bro boys. “A couple of us attended last year’s edition and … Read More

FULL MOON DOG FESTIVAL LEEDS COCKPIT Once again held in memory of Asomvel founder and frontman Jay-Jay Winter, the second annual Full Moon Dog Festival also honours the spirit of the ’80s, or as the organisers themselves put it: “The days when hordes of metal fans would cram into local venues to see their favourite bands for a meagre couple of quid and ‘social networking’ meant actually getting off your backside and leaving the house!” I’m sure we all raise an iron fist to that.

In what’s a less than ideal start to the day, last-minute ‘logistical difficulties’ prevent your humble correspondent from witnessing either Mercenary or Screaming Eagles in what was surely their unfettered glory. It falls instead to West Midlands trad metallers Dark Forest to open our account and, as one of the most promising UK newcomers of recent years, they do not fail to deliver. Decked out in some choice old-school clobber and armed with a luridly-hued and suitably spiky selection of vintage axes, they launch into a scintillating set of heavy/power somewhere between the NWOBHM and the European trad scene of the same era. There are touches of contemporary power metal too, but they steer well clear of anything … Read More