Charlie Griffiths, guitarist for British Progressive Metal band Haken, proudly presents his debut solo album ‘Tiktaalika’. With musical roots still firmly in the progressive realm, Charlie draws from his love of old-school 80s thrash, 90s tech-metal and alternative rock. Running the gamut from melodic to avant-garde to straight-up heavy, you might say Tiktaalika bridges the gap between King Crimson and King Diamond!

“The God Machine” marks another pinnacle in Blind Guardian’s impressive discography by not attempting to pretend it is still the nineties yet instead successfully relying on the muscle memory of this period. It is a gripping, addictive and brilliantly arranged album in the tradition of records with which Blind Guardian reached for the stars in the 90’s; yet, by no means, is it a throwback.

Bridging the gap between traditional European roots and modern American sounds, Sole Syndicate knows well the secret of all the greatest, past’n’present-hard’n’heavy bands: every song counts. ‘Into the Flames’ is a darker and heavier record than its predecessor (the brilliant 2020 classic rock affair ‘Last Days of Eden’): earthquaking riffs & tasty solos, roaring vocals, some great melodies and a thunderous rhythmic background represent the foundation of each track.

Seven years after the release of their last album “Eternal”, Stratovarius once more prove their status as Symphonic Metal flagship and come back with a big bang.