Moonspell – 1755 (2017) – Review

Listen on Apple Music
RockmusicRaider - Spotify Logo
RockmusicRaider Review - Moonspell - 1755 - Album Cover

Do you know what I really had to get used to? A Moonspell record all in Portuguese – with some Latin thrown in for good measure. But then, it fits the theme, doesn’t it?

The record tells the story of the massive 1755 earthquake that ravaged Lisbon that same year. And – believe it or not – this still resonates with parts of the Portuguese population to this day. As to the RockmusicRaider sprawling officescape, we do like a theme-based album at any time of the day. Because – usually – those get us the juiciest metal dishes to taste from. … [...] Click to raid more!

Sorcerer – The Crowning of the Fire King (2017) – Review

Listen on Apple Music
RockmusicRaider - Spotify Logo
RockmusicRaider Review - Sorcerer - The Crowning of the Fire King - Album Cover

I am transfixed by sounds pouring out of my earphones. Staunch, epic metal sounds. The culprit is the Swedish band Sorcerer and their newest album The Crowning of the Fire King. Their second full-length studio album. 

You will surely remember their 2015 come-back epic In the Shadow of the Inverted Cross. This one got some serious acclaim for a band that over long stretches of their (almost non-existent) career produced nothing more than a few demos and compilations. But then – bang – came this first full-length record. A totally unexpected artillery volley out of the left field some [...] Click to raid more!

Train – A Girl A Bottle A Boat (2017) – Review

Listen on Apple Music
RockmusicRaider - Spotify Logo
RockmusicRaider Review - Train - A Girl A Bottle A Boat - Album Cover

Portents, portents. They usually are legion when things start to go South seriously and are very visible to those willing to see. It is no different with Train, the formerly snarkily cheeky Californians, now seriously on their quest for cool, giddy happiness in all its sugary forms.

Their very own portents already came home to roost in their 2014 edition Bulletproof Picasso. Now that album got them some important flak – and deservedly so. Ironically, it actually blatantly missed the cool boat and ended up on some whitewashed beach in nowhere land.

This obsession with coolness is nothing [...] Click to raid more!

Scorpions – Blackout (1982) – Review

Listen on Apple Music
RockmusicRaider - Spotify Logo
RockmusicRaider Review - Scorpions - Blackout - Album Cover

The avalanche of new music and – for sure – new styles that became available in the ’70s and ’80s, to the early ’90s was absolutely tremendous. Metal found itself strongly on the upswing from the early ’80s onwards. Whereas Hard Rock already started to lose a lot of its shiny luster by this time.

Many of today’s well-known metal genres were in full development mode back then. This led to this crazy and fragmented metal multiverse we (do not quite) enjoy today.

The culprits?

A number of major rock bands – some still fully in action today. Names like [...] Click to raid more!