♦ 8/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο ANRIE – “STORMING” (2026, SELF-RELEASED) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

♦ 8/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο BLACK REUSS – “DEATH” (2026, SELF-RELEASED) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

What I feel when listening to this album is a strong sense of raw underground atmosphere. The production isn’t “perfect” in the modern sense. It has a murky, almost live underground feel, as if you’re buried inside a small, sweaty club with the band playing right in front of you. The guitar duo is absolutely on fire, especially on tracks like “Water Wars”, where their speed-driven heavy metal takes you on a wild ride, while the doom passages carry a truly crushing, mournful weight.

The album’s biggest stumbling block, but also its soul, is Sarah Ann. The woman doesn’t simply sing. She puts on a theatrical performance. Her vibrato is so exaggerated and manic that, at times, I find myself wondering whether she’s taking things a little too far. However, the more I listen to it, the more I realise that this particular kind of madness is exactly what gives the album its personality. It’s not for everyone, but it’s 100% authentic.

If I compare it to their debut, “Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring” (2019), that album had a pure, almost teenage ’80s epic metal spirit. It was love at first listen. “Violent Creed of Vengeance”, on the other hand, was their most mature, cohesive and “properly put together” record. “Witch Wife in an Alien World” is the rebel of the family. It’s darker, more chaotic, and lyrically it turns its attention to a contemporary social nightmare rather than dragons and swords. Even the cover artwork by Ian Miller, replacing the classic fantasy paintings of Michael Whelan, makes it clear from the very first glance that the band has turned a new page.

I won’t tell you it’s their best album, because “Violent Creed of Vengeance” remains my favourite as their most complete work. However, this is an album I deeply respect because it refuses to play it safe. If you’re looking for something easy to digest, it might wear you out. But if you’re after something quirky, rough around the edges and full of underground spirit, it’s worth every second.

♦ 7/10

Frost and Fire

Το άρθρο SMOULDER – “WITCH WIFE IN AN ALIEN WORLD” (2026, CRUZ DEL SUR) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

♦ 6/10

Panos Niko

Το άρθρο PLAYGROUNDED – “A FLOWER TO WATER” (2026, PELAGIC) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

♦ 9/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο FORBIDDEN – “FORBIDDEN” (2026, BLKIIBLK) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

The overall feeling and impression I have had while listening to ‘From the dark’ is that it strongly brings back to me the studio album of Heaven and Hell ‘The Devil you know’ with the great Ronnie James Dio. The specific songwriting, the riffs’ pace and the general ‘setup’ of this record matches in a lot of ways and resembles the sound and outcome of Heaven and Hell back in 2009. The Norwegian Jørn Lande is of course no stranger to Tony Iommi and a connecting link of ‘From the dark’ to that era back at the ending of the 00s. Lande was included – together with Iommi’s friend Glenn Hughes – in the lineup of H&H when they played the one off tribute to RJD at the 2010 High Voltage festival.

‘From the dark’ has a clear and definitive proximity to the Heaven and Hell days of Iommi. The way the songs carry everything from the melodies, the long chorus lines together with the doomy heavy riffs makes the album reflecting Iommi’s late years with RJD. Moreover, the expectations of the fans for someone like Iommi, the founder (to many of us) of heavy metal, in making an exceptional solo album have been met, to my humble opinion. I still and will always worship his s/t album of 2000, which is a brilliant and stand out record, an album very diverse, experimental but also reflecting his unique identity and self-mastery. If you are wondering, I agree, ‘From the Dark’ cannot be compared with that. We talk about 2 (very) different eras, that first one included synergy with so many artists, styles and backgrounds and showcased how much can Iommi excel, when he works together with such varied musicians.

However, I must admit that, this new one still carries the flame, and the artist’s will to give us his best self, and even though years have passed, he’s still got it, and he’s got it for damn good! Every Iommi-esque riff, every melody played in his favorite SG guitar, every second that passes leaves a proof of authenticity and music craftmanship, the same way a legendary human being can leave. This is heavy metal at its best, and some people might argue about the supporting line-up, and it might not seem to their eyes as ‘flashy’ or ‘appropriate’, but let me tell them, that they all kick ass and they all deliver the goods in class! Any argument that, ‘the old man sucks’, or ‘these guys should not be playing with Tony’, or ‘He has made a bad choice, etc.’ can go and … Becky Baldwin (Bass); Karl Brazil (Drums); and Mike Exeter (a friend from old times, Keyboards, Mixing, Engineer, Writer, the list is endless..) provide the necessary depth and charisma on the album, they all work perfectly paced and balanced, without any doubt. Especially bringing their different background and experience, that adds up a lot to ‘From the dark’ being a magnificent record.

As the riff master said it himself in a recent interview, talking about ‘From the dark’: “It’s part of what I have always done. That’s the way I write from day one, I still have the same way of writing. So, it’s going to sound like me”. This is who Tony Iommi is. This is his craftmanship. This is what makes a heavy metal fan crave for, by the sound of a new Iommi album: to immediately connect and relate with what the left hand and the brilliant mind of this man can really create. ‘From the dark’ is a magnificent record carrying all the DNA elements of what the name Iommi stands for. Play it very loud and you will not lose.

8/10

Text by Antonis Mantzavinos

Tracklist:

1. Over The Violent Sun
2. Black Times
3. World Alone
4. Beyond The Dead
5. Stormwatcher
6. Death Wake
7. Return Of The Arbalist
8. Legacy

Tony Iommi on Facebook and Instagram

Το άρθρο IOMMI – ‘FROM THE DARK’ (2026, BMG) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

‘Back from the Grave’ set things straight from the beginning, with the heavy and groovy elements taking over, their trademark entrance. Of course their sound, songwriting and overall ‘modus operandi’ has gone through changes, and this is not the same band we all met back in the mid 2000s, with the unique s/t record. There has been line up changes and they have been through a process to redefine the way they write music.

However, the heart and soul of the band, their passion and individual desire to play vintage, old school rock their own way, has remained at the same spot all those years.
The heavy, fuzzy and distorted riffs come together with the rumbling and rock solid rhythm section, adding to the groove and pace of each one of the songs. The band is on a frenzy creative form, where ‘Fever’ was just a symptom surpassed for good and left behind. This is not nuclear science, but pure delight to the human ear: feeling the constant galloping of the whole song and getting carried away in ‘Tongue Tied’. ‘A Better Cut (Note to Self)’ slows down the pace in a typical Joakim Nilsson performance, the one we have always loved behind the vocals. I just love in this band, the interactive way for the drums and the bass interacting, with pounding drumbeats and the gloomy dominance of the bass lines in a classic, old school manner, but at the same time fresh and modern (e.g.: ‘Time to Tell’).

Make no mistakes: ‘Fever’ is another dark album from Graveyard, which serves as their vehicle to escape to another phase, move on and leave behind this bad chapter, whatever that meant for the band itself, on a personal or not level. ‘Room tempered’ shares the band’s high energy rock n roll and raw feeling which goes across the album and leaves no empty spaces, it just fulfills your soul and proves how charismatic this band has always been.

‘Fever’ closes with ‘Dead note’, a bluesy jewel, that makes you admit how addictive you have become to Graveyard’s tunes, how much we love this band and its doomy-gloomy-melancholic grace, leaving you always thinking what a great band they truly are! It is the perfect ending to an album, which does not reach the greatness of ‘Hisingen Blues’ but is a great album to listen to, due to its unique vintage quality, bluesy approach and unique identity within the Graveyard catalogue.

8/10

Text by Antonis Mantzavinos

Tracklist:

1. Back From The Grave
2. Tongue Tied
3. A Better Cut (Note To Self)
4. Year Of The Horse
5. A Means To An End
6. Time To Tell
7. Don’t Shoot!
8. Room Tempered
9. Dead Note

Graveyard on Facebook and Instagram

Το άρθρο GRAVEYARD – ‘FEVER’ (2026, NUCLEAR BLAST) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

-8,5/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο HOSTILIA – “THE CURSE OF KHAMUN” (2026, HAMMERHEART) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

♦ 8/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο ETHEREAL VOID – “PRIMORDIAL DISSONANCE” (2026, SPINEBUSTER ENTERTAINMENT) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.

-8/10

Dimitris Zacharopoulos

Το άρθρο ETERNITY’S END – “TITANBLOOD” (2026, SCARLET) εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.