Tim Tronckoe.

Finland's back in the house, with the new release of Shear, offering a decent bunch of progressive (power) metal fronted by a charming lady.

Lately, tons of people have been worrying about the future of hard rock and metal. Some think it's on the verge of extinction because of a lack of big names within the genre. They realize that the 'golden oldies' will one day have to be replaced with other major headliner-worthy names. However, these people should not fear, because with Five Finger Death Punch, we have one of these names! Take some Slipknot, add some Killswitch Engage and even some Metallica and what you get is the perfect sound that these American guys produce.

Lately, tons of people have been worrying about the future of hard rock and metal. Some think it's on the verge of extinction because of a lack of big names within the genre. They realize that the 'golden oldies' will one day have to be replaced with other major headliner-worthy names. However, these people should not fear, because with Five Finger Death Punch, we have one of these names! Take some Slipknot, add some Killswitch Engage and even some Metallica and what you get is the perfect sound that these American guys produce.

Since Nightwish released End Of An Era, a lot has changed, mainly at the front side of the band. Tarja got replaced with Anette and some years later, it was ReVamp's Floor Jansen to give it a go. She's only just been announced the new front lady of Nightwish and the band already decided to record the Wacken concert for a dvd, which goes by the title Showtime, Storytime.

Leaves' Eyes are one of these bands that have come a long way to be where they are now. In my opinion, this band still deserves a ton more respect, definitely after the release of their new release, entitled Symphonies Of The Night.
The album title is just perfect for the music it contains. All songs are bombastic, mysterious and the band shows some of the best variety every heard within the genre.

Ladies and gentlemen, Deadlock is back with a new album, which goes by the name of The Arsonist! These melodic metallers from Germany have been making music since 1997 already. It was only with the addition of vocalist Sabine Scherer in 2004 that the band achieved its current status, stepping back a bit from the pure hardcore metal influences and adding some more melodic parts to the music. Sabine's soft voice stands in grand contrast with the brutal male vocals, but this is the best trump the band has.

Floor Jansen must be one of the busiest women in metal at the moment. Not only is she now taking all live duties with Nightwish, she's been working her ass off with her own metal band ReVamp. All this work might get to you and Floor knows this better than anyone. Fortunately enough, her illness hasn't stopped her creative vibes and Floor and her band are now ready to treat us with Wild Card, the second full length album of ReVamp.

Xavier Rudd might sound familiar to your ears. He's a multitalented Australian singer-songwriter and a strong environmental activist. As a direct consequence, the songs he produces are mostly society bound. He uses his music as a tool to stand up for the Aboriginees he cares so much about and to prevail our vulnerable Mother Earth. Also on his latest piece of music, which goes by the name of Spirit Bird, these elements are clearly present and thoroughly worked out.

The Winter Sounds is an indie rock band from New Orleans. These guys must be some of the hardest-working bands out there at the moment, having played a rough amount of 500 shows over the course of the past five years. Their hard work has brought them where they are today, releasing their third album, which goes by the fast title of Runner. Let's first of all put it straight that this album is definitely not an eye catcher within the genre.

Sirenia are back with a brand new gothic metal album, which goes by the name of Perils Of The Deep Blue. It's almost impossible to compare Sirenia to any other band in the world of female fronted metal. They've had a handful of singers throughout the past twelve years of their existence, but finally they seem to have found the true pearl in the metal ocean.