Lollipop Magazine

Keep It True – Festival History Book 2003-2008 – Review

January 1, 2009

Cool idea, a whole pile of enthusiastic metalheads getting together to celebrate the hard power “traditional” metal legacy of Germany’s Keep It True Festival.

Bible of the Devil – Freedom Metal – Review

January 1, 2009

Lots to like from Chicago’s own fireplugs of post-NWOBHM retro-luv, but then again, there’s lots to live up to, given the last couple of the band’s four albums.

The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists – Review

December 1, 2008

McIver making that paradigm shift, retiring the old gods for young pups in bands such as Bullet For My Valentine, Dragonforce, and Avenged Sevenfold.

Ye Olde Metal – 1973 to 1975 – Review

November 1, 2008

The second in Martin Popoff’s series of books detailing the early, odd, under-appreciated, or just all around forgotten gems of metal.

Reign In Blood – Review

November 1, 2008

D.X. Ferris did dozens of interviews and wrote a meticulous history of Slayer’s Reign In Blood, with sociological context bios and impact on the metal world.

Big Elf – Cheat the Gallows – Review

November 1, 2008

Imagine if Sabbath circa ’73 drew in a huge Queen influence, and then Ozzy convinced the guys to let fly with their (well, his) love of Beatles’ melodies.

Angel – On Earth as it is in Heaven – Review

October 1, 2008

Angel’s third album has been quite the collectible, and here it is, freshly reissued on an upstart label that also addressed Spread Eagle’s excellent debut.

Amon Amarth – Twilight of The Thunder God – Review

October 1, 2008

Accessible Sunlight Studio death circa grinding Entombed, crossed with In Flames, Six Feet Under, and a bunch of holler-along anthems from power metal.

Spread Eagle – Review

October 1, 2008

Spread Eagle made equal or better scratch ‘n’ claw party metal than Guns ‘N Roses ever did. Now the molten, screechy, hell-raisin’ debut has been reissued.

Sound and Fury – Review

October 1, 2008

Buckcherry juiced by Murderdolls/Wednesday 13. A punk integrity that leans it into Hanoi Rocks/New York Dolls terrain, due to the wild child vocal twang.