BAND FEATURESFEATURESPOWER METAL Fellowship: We’ll be happy metal

The United Kingdom isn’t exactly known for its power metal. You have DRAGONFORCE and POWER QUEST of course, but for the most part the majority of success stories from this popular subgenre are coming from overseas, namely mainland Europe. However a band from England has been rising through the genre to fill that void. What FELLOWSHIP have managed to achieve in their relatively short career would be the envy of many aspiring artists. From a debut show at a leading festival, to a tour supporting power metal royalty in Japan it’s an impressive career for a band to achieve off the back of one album.



Now towards the end of 2024 the band are releasing their anticipated second album The Skies Above Eternity. FELLOWSHIP vocalist Matthew Corry reminisces on where the band have come from. “Every band, when they start, wants to do something that they think is fresh. But, having been in many bands most of the time what you are doing isn’t actually that fresh. With FELLOWSHIP, we lucked into it. We had our core musical songwriter Cal who writes very power metal stuff and I am very musical theatre. This is a marriage that works very well and hasn’t been done somehow.”

Managing to build a cult following early on with a viral cover of a Disney classic, FELLOWSHIP performed to a filled New Blood Stage at Bloodstock Festival in 2021. Despite the positive response to this debut performance, the band took it as an opportunity to work out how to take their live show to the next level rather than focus on the potential success off the back of their show. “That was the beginning of us realising how out of our depth we were in terms of the logistics of performing. Everything in our heads about success went out the window after Bloodstock, we thought ‘we need to fix this, and this, and this,’ and that was all that we cared about for the next year.”

When The Saberlight Chronicles dropped to much praise in 2022, FELLOWSHIP got to work spreading their music as far as they could. Bringing their unique brand of majestic metal to many different countries including: Germany, Denmark, the US, Japan and many more. All this while shows in their native UK were becoming a somewhat rare occurrence. When asked why the band were focusing on shows overseas rather than the UK, Matt explains. “It was less about what was more exciting and about what was more viable. We got these opportunities elsewhere which economically speaking are much more viable for us. People outside the UK know how much it costs to get us there so if they want us there the people bringing us over are ready to part with that much money unlike doing a show in the UK.”


Having proved themselves with their live shows, and with a well received album behind them, FELLOWSHIP found themselves on a tour across Japan with power metal legends TWILIGHT FORCE. Throughout the few years of travelling to many different places, this tour continues to be a career highlight for Matt. “The first moment for me in the band that was truly unforgettable and I will carry with me till the day I day, was after the third show. We were packing all of our stuff and for some reason it took us forever that day everyone was really behind. When we got out of the venue it was half past midnight and as soon as we got outside there were fifty fans who had stayed there the entire time waiting and they acapella sang, with harmonies, The Saint Beyond The River. That was instant tears.”

After all these opportunities and great reception to the debut album, FELLOWSHIP needed to somehow come back down to earth to start work on their long awaited second album The Skies Above Eternity. “We wanted to release an album this year. We’ve toured the first album long enough so it’s time and we have music in us that we want to share with people.” As with the first release, FELLOWSHIP are planning to release a book alongside the album for fans to delve even deeper into its narrative. Matt recalls when he decided to turn his writing skills to the band. “Initially it was a writing tool. We were halfway through the album and I could feel connections between the songs so I wanted to explore that more. It wasn’t intended to be a novel but it started working and I couldn’t resist so I wrote the thing. It just gave an extra access point to the music for people who are more fantasy nerds as opposed to power metal nerds.”

Musically FELLOWSHIP’S second album will be what fans loved from the debut. Despite Matt’s admission that The Skies Above Eternity will be a touch darker than Saberlight Chronicles, the music is still their unique blend of majestic and triumphant power metal that is more joyous than what you would typically expect from heavy metal. “I will die on this hill. Not only can metal be happy, metal should not be something that we put these boundaries on. If we take what metal is, just by what traditionally fits into metal, then metal is not particularly friendly to the LGBT+ community, not particularly happy and doesn’t have the ability to make social commentary in the same way other genres of music do. And yet, we can spend two minutes on Google and find metal that does all of those things better than any other genre. So it’s nonsense that metal can’t be happy or can’t be LGBT+ friendly. If FELLOWSHIP is happy metal, then great. We’ll be happy metal.”

The Skies Above Eternity is out now via Scarlet Records.

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HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Symphonies Of Sickness – Carcass

Rewind the clocks to the closing years of the 1980s and heavy metal was about to change forever. Having enjoyed a period of widespread popularity through the hugely successful NWOBHM movement in the late 70s and early 80s, bands like VENOM, HELLHAMMER and a little band called METALLICA were taking the blueprints of traditional heavy metal and ripping up the rulebook to take heavy music to much darker and more extreme territory. And from Liverpool, England, a band named CARCASS were at the forefront of the expedition.



Having birthed the visceral Reek Of Putrefaction in 1988, despite its primitive production – something the band would later voice their displeasure to – the record had established CARCASS as an explosive name in the blossoming extreme metal scene. Being picked up by the late Radio 1 DJ John Peel certainly added stock to the band’s fledgling reputation, and intending to strike the iron whilst its hot, attention quickly turned to Reek Of Putrefaction‘s successor.

In the summer of 1989, the band bunkered down at The Slaughterhouse Studios in Great Driffield, East Yorkshire to construct their sophomore record. Initial legwork for Symphonies Of Sickness was made for the debut Peel Session earlier in the year, but like any good sequel, album two took the foundations of Reek Of Putrefaction and presented a new and improved version of the CARCASS sound.

The grindcore bedrock of their debut was there, but this time round, the band looked to feature more traditional death metal structures and longer songs. Where Reek Of Putrefaction boasted 22 songs of short and savage grindcore, Symphonies Of Sickness is more refined in its execution. More complex song structures, beefier production courtesy of Colin Richardson, and a more ?? approach to the compositions from the trio helped showcase the growth of the band’s creative spark, all the more impressive given how quickly the band took to crafting album number two.

Released in December 1989, Symphonies Of Sickness was praised by critics and fans alike and instantly reinforced the band as a vital name in extreme music. Ned Raggett of Allmusic praised the album’s depth compared to its predecessor in his four star review and cited Exhume To Consume as “an all-time CARCASS number” and Decibel‘s Greg Pratt cited the same song as a “classic death metal cut”.


But as the years passed, the impact of Symphonies Of Sickness was greater than anyone, let alone the band, first thought. Today, it is now considered a landmark release in helping to establish deathgrind with Decibel inducting the record into their Hall Of Fame in 2018 whilst Loudwire declared the record as the best goregrind record ever made. Here on our shores, the late and great Terrorizer Magazine cited in 2009 ranked Symphonies Of Sickness as number four in their list of essential European grindcore records. Accolades aside, what is even more impressive is just how influential the record has been to some of the heavy hitters in extreme music decades later after its initial release. Just take a dive into the works of EXHUMED, MISERY INDEX or CATTLE DECAPITATION and you’ll find breadcrumbs of the CARCASS DNA sprinkled throughout.

Today CARCASS remain a bonafide extreme metal heavyweight with 2013’s comeback record, Surgical Steel, and 2021’s Torn Arteries both sitting comfortably in their discography. With Symphonies Of Sickness though, the band hold a genuine gamechanger in their arsenal and the fact it still sounds as foul and venomous today as it did when it was first unleashed 35 years ago is testament to CARCASS‘ enthusiasm to push heavy music to nastier depths.

Although material from Symphonies Of Sickness are of trim pickings in the live arena as CARCASS have an extensive back catalogue to draw from, but the likes of Exhume To Consume and Reek Of Putrefaction still often receive airtime to fans’ delight. Often, these throwbacks to their second record come as the standout moments of the band’s live performances, as attested on this summer’s festival run at the likes of Bloodstock, Brutal Assault and Sweden Rock. We can only hope that we receive a full album playthrough tour in the future.

Visceral and rotten to the gore, in the winter of 1989, three young men from Liverpool pushed metal to a more much violent and gory place. Without Symphonies Of Sickness, the world of extreme music in 2024 would be incredibly different indeed.







Symphonies Of Sickness was originally released on December 4th, 1989 via Earache Records.

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BATTLE BEAST Announce European / UK Tour 2025; DOMINUM And MAJESTICA

Finland’s Battle Beast have announced a massive 35-show European tour as the first leg of their upcoming world tour. Kicking off with a bang on October 17th with their biggest German headline show to date at Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena, the tour will keep the band on the road until mid-December.

To complete the bill with melodic metal superiority, the band is thrilled to welcome Germany’s metal sensation Dominum as their special guest, and Sweden’s rising power metal force Majestica as their opening act.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on Wednesday, February 19th at this location.

The Helsinki-based sextet is currently delved deep in studio work, recording their seventh album, set for release before the tour kicks off.


”We are dying to take the new songs out on the road and let everybody see and hear what we’ve been working on. Everything about this tour will be bigger, better, and more than we’ve ever done before. We can’t wait to see all our friends again—and hopefully make a whole bunch of new ones while we’re at it!” comments bassist Eero Sipilä.

With six albums, over 300 million streams, and four consecutive #1 records, the band has spent nearly two decades conquering the metal scene. Now, stronger than ever, Battle Beast is ready to unleash their most grandiose show yet upon the metal-loving masses. The best is yet to come.

Tour dates:


October
17 – Hamburg, Germany – Inselpark Arena
18 – Berlin, Germany – Huxleys Neue Welt
19 – Den Bosch, Netherlands – The Rock Circus
21 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
22 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Bristol. UK – O2 Academy
24 – London, UK – Shepherd´s Bush Empire
25 – Paris, France – Elysee Montmartre
26 – Toulouse, France – Bikini Toulouse
28 – Madrid, Spain – Sala La Riviera
29 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
30 – Lyon, France – Transbordeur
31 – Filderstadt, Germany – FiLharmonie

November
1 – Wiesbaden, Germany – Schlachthof
2 – Antwerp, Blgium – Trix
4 – Hannover, Germany – Capitol
5 – Roskilde, Denmark – Gimle
6 – Huskvarna, Sweden – Folkets Park
7 – Gothenburg, Sweden, Trädgårn
8 – Stockholm, Sweden – Fryshuset Arenan
9 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller Music Hall
28 – Leipzig, Germany – Felsenkeller – Ballsaal
29 – Nuremberg, Germany – Löwensaal
30 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien

December
1 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Majestic Music Club
2 – Budapest, Hungary – Barba Negra Red Stage
3 – Ljubljana, Slovenia – Cvetlicarna d.o.o.
5 – Munich, Germany – TonHalle
6 – Pratteln, Switzerland – Z7 Konzertfabrik
7 – Trezzo sull’Adda, Italy – Live Club
9 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Metropole
10 – Saarbrucken, Germany – Garage
12 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle
13 – Zlin, Czech Republic- Sports Hall Datart
14 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja



Photo by Jaakko Manninen

OZZY OSBOURNE On Performing At “Back To The Beginning” Birmingham Show – “I Am Doing Little Bits And Pieces With Them, Where I Feel Comfortable”

The original Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – will perform together for the first time in 20 years when they take to the stage to headline Back To The Beginning on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

The all-star event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy – who is battling Parkinson’s Disease – play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow.

On a new installmet of his SiriusXM show “Ozzy Speaks”, he revealed “I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath, but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable. I am trying to get back on my feet. When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things.”

Formed in Birmingham in 1968 and going on to become one of most successful metal bands of all time, Black Sabbath have sold over 75 million albums worldwide across their legendary career. Setting the blueprint for the many routes heavy metal took, Black Sabbath’s influence and importance is as vital today as it was in the early 1970s.


Music Director Tom Morello said: “This will be the greatest heavy metal show ever.”

Back To The Beginning will feature sets from Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice In Chains, Lamb Of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.

The all-day event will also feature a supergroup of musicians. Artists announced so far include Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde.


More names will be announced shortly.

Tickets are on sale at LiveNation.co.uk.

All profits will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.



A message at the Aston Villa FC website reveals:


The concert is part of Aston Villa’s broader strategy to establish Villa Park as a world-class live events venue, combining the excitement of football with year-round entertainment.

The Club recently underwent a strategic redevelopment of Villa Park, designed to generate new revenue streams and reinforce Aston Villa’s position as an economic driver for West Midlands and beyond.


This project includes the recently announced North Grounds redevelopment and opening of The Warehouse, a new multi-use venue set to become a centrepiece of the matchday experience, a hub for year-round entertainment, and a must-play music venue for touring artists.

Chris Heck, President of Business Operations at Aston Villa FC, said: “We are delighted to host Birmingham-born legend Ozzy Osbourne at Villa Park.

“Live music events have and will continue to play a major role in our strategic plan for Aston Villa. They drive additional revenue streams that allow our Club to comply with stringent Premier League regulations, while ultimately solidifying our position as a world-class organisation capable of continually competing and winning at the highest level.

“By drawing in new audiences and keeping them engaged for longer, events like Ozzy Osbourne’s concert will play a key role in our continued success, on and off the pitch.”

This music event builds on a legacy of collaboration between Osbourne and Aston Villa. In July 2024, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler played an integral role in Aston Villa’s first-ever Adidas kit launch for the 2024/25 season.

Then, in October 2024, Aston Villa announced another exciting collaboration with Osbourne, with Adidas launching a limited edition Predator football boot and a specially-designed Villa shirt that paid homage to the ‘Prince of Darkness’ and his legendary band, Black Sabbath.

Most recently, Aston Villa and its supporters paid homage to Osbourne by displaying an awe-inspiring tifo depicting the Prince of Darkness at its Champions League game against Celtic.

Osbourne’s upcoming concert at Villa Park promises to be an extraordinary event, combining his unparalleled musical legacy with his undying love for the club. As a lifelong Villa supporter, this performance will be an emotional homecoming for the Prince of Darkness, who has always been vocal about his support for Aston Villa.

For full details on the show, including on tickets – and to register your interest for hospitality – click here.



Says Metallica: “We are beyond honored and humbled to be invited to perform at Black Sabbath’s final show, back where it all began in Birmingham, England. On July 5 at Villa Park—home of Aston Villa—Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward will reunite to play their first show together in 20 years. Tickets go on sale at 10 AM, GMT on Friday, February 14, via Ticketmaster UK and Live Nation UK.

“As part of this huge celebration of nearly six decades of Black Sabbath, we’ll hit the stage just before a short solo set from Ozzy Osbourne, followed by the mighty Sabbath closing the show. Anthrax, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Halestorm, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Pantera, and Slayer will also be a part of the massive night.

“An incredible lineup of musicians from around the globe will also be on hand to pay tribute, including Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns N’ Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), K.K. Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), II (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen, and Zakk Wylde.

“All profits from the night will go to the following charities: Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice, a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

“Our admiration for Black Sabbath runs deep, and we cannot wait to be a part of this historic event! We’ll see you in Birmingham!”



(Top photo – Ross Halfin; Insert photo – Aston Villa FC)

LIVE REVIEW: Cattle Decapitation & Shadow Of Intent @ The Marble Factory, Bristol

Death metal isn’t just mindless low end guitar chugging and lyrics full of horror movie cliches. Some death metal bands use the extreme foundations of that sound but find ways to elevate it into something as epic as they possibly can. Two of the prime examples of this, CATTLE DECAPITATION and SHADOW OF INTENT are jointly bringing their own flavours of monolithic death metal to Bristol.

Vulvodynia live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

With an earlier than normal start it’s an impressive turnout for opening band VULVODYNIA. Hailing from South Africa their pounding take on deathcore was an immediate hit with the crowd kicking of the first of many pits only a matter of minutes into the night. Lwandile Prusent taking on vocal duties since 2023, after firing original vocalist Duncan Bentley, has clearly been the right move as his multiple vocal styles bring most of the fury in the music and his command of the crowd is admirable for the first band of the night. It’s fair to say VULVODYNIA would have left with a few more fans than when they came.

Rating: 7/10Revocation live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

REVOCATION has managed to rattle Bristol before. This is even commented on by vocalist David Davidson as he reminisces with the crowd about their previous show at The Fleece the year before. The American tech death band return like they never left, bringing the audience a masterclass of frenetic music. In the rather short set they pull mostly from their newest effort Netherheaven but manage to sneak in 2012’s Teratogenesis in there as well and even treated fans to an early preview of their new track titled Confines OF Infinity to be released a week later.

A year on from REVOCATION’s last appearance in Bristol and they are once again potential show stealers tonight with a crowd that would clearly love to have them back as soon as possible.

Rating: 8/10Shadow Of Intent live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

Often regarded as one of the originators of symphonic deathcore there is much anticipation for SHADOW OF INTENT tonight with their name being chanted before the band had set foot on the stage. However when the show begins proper some of that enthusiasm seems to lessen slightly. The sound for SHADOW OF INTENT was frustratingly lacking. The grand and epic orchestration, which is a key component of their music, is barely audible.

Only when the band themselves drop out can the additional elements be made out at all. The energy in the room does resurface slowly as the show continues owing to how ferociously the band perform with particular highlight to Ben Duerr and his monstrous low end vocal chops. There is minimal crowd interaction between songs but every guttural roar before every breakdown is met with equal reverence from the crowd. Shadow Of Intent live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

While the symphonic element is missing the same cannot be said for the live music. The band, especially the rhythm section, sound crystal clear and every member is full of energy. Most of their career is represented all the way back to their debut album Primordial to their latest single Flying The black Flag so avid fans of SHADOW OF INTENT had much to enjoy.

So the set wasn’t a complete let down; rather it’s a game of two halves. Fortunately the aspect right in front of the audience, SHADOW OF INTENT themselves, are firing on all cylinders. However to have a core part of their sound be let down by the sound is admittedly disappointing. A well performed set with full commitment from the band, but the show as whole could have been more.

Rating: 6/10Cattle Decapitation live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

There were no such issues for the clear winners of the night CATTLE DECAPITATION. Not having to rely on orchestras to achieve an epic sound, CATTLE DECAPITATION manages to sound huge just with the five of them. That’s all they had tonight and it’s all they needed. It has been made evident in recent years that CATTLE DECAPITATION are distancing themselves from their pre Monolith Of Inhumanity eras, at least in the live setting, playing exclusively from the last four albums. If there were any old CATTLE DECAPITATION fans that had any ire about this, they kept those opinions to themselves as every song tonight is met with carnage from the crowd.

They begin with the three song assault of The Carbon Stampede, The Prophets of Loss and We Eat Our Young, three strong statements of intent for a brutal set to come, and proceed to give each of their last four albums fairly even representation tonight. The new album Terrasite is the most featured one of course with the aforementioned We Eat Our Young being received as well as any of the band’s classics, such as the clear crowd favourite Forced Gender Reassignment.Cattle Decapitation live @ The Marble Factory, Bristol. Photo Credit: Stu Rowles Photography

With the audience in the palm of his hand Travis Ryan’s twisted demeanour pairs perfectly with his frenzied and sinister vocals, often twisting and convulsing as the music becomes more unhinged.

Any extreme metal band that chooses to conclude their set with an over nine minute song deserves some respect. But when CATTLE DECAPITATION has Death Atlas’ title track in their repertoire it’s hard to imagine them closing with anything else. The epic scope of the song changes the vibe of the room immediately. Instead of nonstop chaos there is now a crowd in complete awe.

You’d be hard pressed to find a show in this style ending with impact on this scale. It’s another win in Bristol for CATTLE DECAPITATION and no doubt will have fans counting down the days until they return once more.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Stu Rowles Photography here:






























































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