Thunderstick is a British drummer who has been involved in legendary New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Samson in the late seventies and early eighties. He also had his own band that released an extended play followed by a full length in the eighties only to split up and never be heard of again in the late eighties. He has recently been resurrecting the band and released a first record in thirty-three years with Something Wicked This Way Comes. Some of the material on this album had been written for a shelved second studio record in the eighties while other tracks are completely new. The release obviously has a nostalgic vintage spirit and could have been released three decades earlier. Old and new song material sound surprisingly coherent.

Still, this release isn't your ordinary traditional heavy metal record. The release also ventures into hard rock and blues rock territories at times. The drum play is obviously quite domineering, dynamic and versatile as the band leader shows off his skills and tricks without ever taking too much space. The bass guitar supports the drums appropriately but could be more domineering. The guitar play is versatile and serviceable without being too extravagant or outstanding. Just like in the eighties, this album also has a female lead singer with Lucie V and she sings with grounded energy that suits the instrumental work really well. She has the attitude, feeling and skills of a hard rock singer that entertains us from start to finish.

Among the record's greatest cuts, one has to cite gloomy mid-paced rocking epic ''The Shining'' that brings more atmospheric and elaborate hard rock music of the late seventies back to life. ''Lights (Take Me Away)'' shows another side of the band and is quite upbeat, melodic and catchy as it would have made for a great single in the early eighties. ''Blackwing'' is the most experimental track instrumentally as each instrument has the occasion to shine in seven and a half moody minutes with the drum play being particularly outstanding.

There aren't too many negative elements to mention regarding this release. Sadly, the least convincing track on the release is opener ''Dark Night Black Night'' as the lead vocals sound pressured because they are unable to find the steady pace of the rhythm section. Don't get fooled by this first negative impression as the chemistry between the band members evolves significantly throughout the other nine tunes.

In the end, Thunderstick's Something Wicked This Way Comes is a welcome comeback record after almost three decades of silence and sounds as if time had stood still for all those years. One could criticize the band for being stuck in the past but one should rather enjoy a vibrant record on the thin line between hard rock and heavy metal. This album has the liberating pioneer spirit of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and easily beats most juvenile traditional heavy metal bands these days.

Final rating: 75%

It took Italian power metal quintet Trick or Treat four years to come around with the second and last part of its Rabbits' Hill concept based upon influential adventure and survival novel Watership Down by Richard Adams. Was the record worth the wait? Yes, it was. Would I recommend this album to power metal fans? Yes, I would. Is it as great as its predecessor? No, it isn't. While the first part was extraordinary, this second part is only very good. That's still good enough for me but it could have been even better. If one takes the two parts together, Rabbits' Hill might still be the best conceptual power metal duology since the first two Avantasia records one and a half decades earlier.

Let's start with the positive parts. The cover artwork is as beautiful, intriguing and memorable as the predecessor's. The clear production still does the epic concept justice. The lyrics still stay true to the novel and retell it very entertainingly. Alessandro Conti's melodic clean vocals are still gripping. Most of the guests on this release can convince and Tim Owens' energetic performance on the gripping ''They Must Die'' is particularly outstanding. The album includes other extraordinary songs such as the dynamic, fast and powerful opener ''Inle' (The Black Rabbit of Death)'' that flirts with speed and thrash metal influences and even includes some vivid death metal growls.

On the negative side, the song writing on this record is less concise than before. The predecessor offered twelve sharp songs with a running time of forty-six minutes. This output only features eleven tunes but has a running time of one hour. Especially the epic ''The Showdown'' overstays its welcome with a running time close to eleven minutes and the concluding ''Last Breath'' could have also been more focused. Not all guest vocalists can fully convince on this release. Sara Squadrani's vocals in the ballad ''Never Say Goodbye'' don't match Alessandro Conti's soulful performance and are quite exchangeable. Tony Kakko's participation in ''United'' is good without being spectacular as he performs in a way recalling early efforts in his career but neglecting his more dynamic, experimental and versatile side that he has been developing over the past decade.

In the end, Rabbits' Hill Pt. 2 is a very good power metal record but not as extraordinary as its excellent predecessor four years earlier. Still, if you have listened to the first part, you deserve listening to this conclusion to the story. Trick or Treat has developed from a Helloween cover band to one of the most exciting groups in the current power metal scene. The band's storytelling is epic without being pretentious, the instrumental work is diversified, energetic and inspired and the vocals are melodic, soulful and strong. Despite a few minor flaws, this record is still a very good European power metal effort.

Final rating: 80%

Every few years, an energetic group of newcomers comes around with a traditional heavy metal release that sets the underground scene on fire only to end up losing steam and not to be heard of again. At least half of these bands seem to come from Canada where traditional heavy metal, speed metal and thrash metal are still alive and kicking. Traveler is another band of this kind and the quintet in its early twenties hails from Calgary. One could immediately roll its eyes and claim this band is boring but that would be quite unfair. Even though the band doesn't offer anything new, the five young men play with enthusiastic passion that works splendidly as the record progresses and should work even better on stage. Since the band's particular style is all the rage in the metal underground these days, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this album were to become the record of the year on many lists.

The band has several positive elements going for it. The technical execution is very good and especially the guitars find the perfect balance between speedy riffs and melodic solos that don't only honour the British bands of the late seventies and early eighties but surprise with a quality one would normally expect from genre veterans. The vocals are also quite charismatic. They are melodic and at times high-pitched but filled with husky energy and conviction at the same time. The song writing is tight without any lengths and especially the record's second half delivers the goods. ''Fallen Heroes'' might be the greatest track on here as it varies between epic mid-tempo passages and passionate up-tempo sections and comes along with particularly passionate and expressive vocals. ''Mindless Maze'' starts with psychedelic and smooth melodies before it evolves into a steady heavy metal song that represents the spirit of the early eighties best in my opinion as it transmits a melancholy feeling of nostalgia. Album closer ''Speed Queen'' appropriately concludes thirty-eight minutes of energy with pace, melody and ecstasy as it finds the right balance between traditional heavy metal and early speed and thrash metal.

On the negative side, the band's songwriting is obviously quite repetitive, predictable and nostalgic and can't quite reach the pioneer quality of albums released four decades earlier. Instrumental track ''Konamized'' is somewhat useless as it simply sounds like a shorter version of any other song on the record without vocals and one has to wonder what the point of this song might have been. The underground production is something fans of this genre call authentic but I think a more organic sound would have made the album even more energetic.

Traveler's self-titled release is a sympathetic traditional heavy metal record brought to you by five enthusiastic men in their early twenties who know their roots very well. The quintet would be a perfect candidate to open shows for its idols like Diamond Head, Grim Reaper and Judas Priest. If you like similar contemporary bands like Gatekeeper, Striker and Visigoth, you can't go wrong with this album. However, the final result isn't anything to get too excited about as we have heard this type of music over and over again for the past ten years that have marked the renaissance of traditional heavy metal. Traveler leaves a positive impression thanks to its vocals, skills and passion but the band still has a long way to go to develop its own unique approach to the genre in order to assure longevity.

Final rating: 75%

Hansen & Friends is a one-off project by famous German power metal guitarist and singer Kai Hansen who underlines his thirty years in the music industry with ten new songs he has recorded with numerous past and present collaborators. Most of them are obviously related to the most popular bands Kai Hansen has been involved in as former Helloween singer Michael Kiske and former Gamma Ray singer Ralf Scheepers make their appearances. One can also hear more surprising collaborators such as Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider and Heaven Shall Burn vocalist Marcus Bischoff to only name two specific examples.

Stylistically, this is overall rather a heavy metal record than a typical power metal effort. The different songs also have power metal, gothic metal and even melodic death metal influences depending on the numerous guest vocalists. While the record's first half is more streamlined and homogeneous, the second half is mellower and more experimental.

The lyrics mostly deal with Hansen's personal life and talk about his childhood as in ''Born Free'', the influence of greedy managers in ''Contract Song'' and the obsession with fame in ''Making Headlines''. These lyrics make this album Kai Hansen's most personal release in his career and give interesting insights into his career but they seem a little bit forced and stereotypical at times.

The shorter tracks are generally the better ones on an overall good average output. Straight heavy metal opener ''Born Free'' starts the record with a bang thanks to dynamic heavy metal riffs, tight rhythm section and gritty vocals. ''Left Behind'' is a surprisingly airy tune with slow pace and epic atmosphere close to alternative rock and gothic rock stylistics. ''All or Nothing'' is a melancholy ballad with modest symphonic rock elements. ''Follow the Sun'' ends the album with epic power metal stylistics without neglecting a healthy dose of speed and grit recalling Kai Hansen's early years.

The only longer track that is passable is mid-paced gothic metal track ''Fire and Ice'' that recalls Helloween's works about twenty years ago but goes even further with harmonious female backing vocals and sinister male growls. The slow middle section overstays its welcome quite a bit but the song compensates its length with coherent atmosphere and courageous song writing ideas. This is definitely one of the most unusual tracks ever written by Kai Hansen.

Other songs are overlong and unfocused. The worst offender in that regard is ''Enemies of Fun'' with its forced vocals and overtly repeated lyrics that sound as if Avantasia attempted to cover Iron Maiden's ''The Angel and the Gambler''. The song is only eight minutes long but feels as if it were twice as long.

In the end, Three Deacdes in Metal will please the numerous fans of Kai Hansen with familiar and new soundscapes. One has to admit that the guitarist and singer continues to experiment and explore in his career instead of repeating himself and delivering tired old tropes. One also has to admit that the material is quite hit and miss and Hansen's vocals aren't as versatile as they used to be. The final result is mostly entertaining but truly outstanding songs are missing on this release. If you like heavy and power metal, you can pick this record up for a fair price but it certainly isn't a mandatory release.

Final rating: 70%