Hotel Hobbies: Rock / Metal News and Reviews

Album Review: Sanguisugabogg - Hideous Aftermath (2025, Century Media) Written: 5th October 2025Ohio brutal death metal quartet Sanguisugabogg have built their name on ugly riffs, dark humour and a love of all things gruesome. Since emerging from the underground, the ban...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥Brutal death metal quartet Sanguisugabogg release their new album on 10th October. Here is my in-depth review. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Interview: Raphael Weinroth-Browne October 2025Ahead of the release of his new album Lifeblood (read my review here), Hotel Hobbies spent an extremely enjoyable hour chatting with cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne. We discussed the new r...

🔥INTERVIEW🔥Canadian cellist (and metal fan) extraordinaire Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous) has just released his new album, Lifeblood. I spent a very pleasant hour talking with him about the album, his influences and his approach to composition. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/intervi...

Album Review: Testament - Para Bellum (2025, Nuclear Blast Records) Written: 4th October 2025When thinking about the most long-lasting and impactful bands in thrash metal, it would be impossible to exclude Bay Area’s Testament from such a list, arguably the most consi...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥Thrash metal veterans Testament release their new album on 10th October. Here is my review. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

News: TesseracT to release 10th anniversary clear vinyl edition of lauded third album Polaris 30th September 2025Released in 2015, Polaris marked a quiet shift for TesseracT - their third album, their first with Kscope, and the return of original vocalist Daniel Tompkins. To celebrate the 10th...

News: TesseracT to release 10th Anniversary version of Polaris www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-te...

Ranking The Albums: Def Leppard Written: September 2025Emerging in the late 1970s and quickly establishing themselves in the world of rock, Def Leppard remain one of the most enduring and best loved bands of all time. With live perf...

🔥RANKING🔥 My article ranking and discussing the studio albums of Def Leppard.
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ranking...

Album Review: Raphael Weinroth-Browne - Lifeblood (2025) Written: 27th September 2025Canadian cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, best known for his work with progressive metal band Leprous, has graced stages from the Royal Albert Hall to Hellfest, and collabo...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 My deep dive into Lifeblood the upcoming album from Canadian cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne, known for his work with Leprous, Woods of Ypres and Suldusk among others. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Album Review: Revocation - New Gods, New Masters (2025, Metal Blade Records) Written: 21st September 2025During the last twenty years, Boston’s Revocation have released a series of high quality albums, most recently the remarkable Netherheaven in 2022. New Gods, New Masters – ...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥Technical death metal band Revocation return with their upcoming album New Gods, New Masters. Here is my review. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Album Review: Deforestation - 50 Days of Rain (2025) Written: 20th September 2025Having followed his incredible but perennially under the radar musical projects for many years, any venture involving Adrian Jones (Nine Stones Close, Jet Black Sea) immedi...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥Enter the beguiling world of instrumental duo Deforestation (Adrian Jones and Brendan Eyre) with my review of their upcoming album, 50 Days of Rain. Part prog, part electronic, part ambient. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Album Review: BEAT - Neon Heat Disease - Live in Los Angeles (2025, InsideOutMusic) Written: 14th September 2025The 1980s lineup of King Crimson - Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, and Bill Bruford - pushed the boundaries of progressive rock with their precise interplay, interl...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 My dive into the upcoming live album from Beat: Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai and Danny Carey playing the songs of 1980s King Crimson. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

News: Legendary Prog Masters Spock's Beard return with their new album The Archaeoptimist on 21st November 11th September 2025Following their recent signing to the Madfish label, legendary prog outfit Spock’s Beard have announced their highly anticipated new album The Archaeoptimist. Set for release on 21s...

🔥ALBUM NEWS🔥Spock’s Beard announce new album due for release in November. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-le...

Tour News: Blaze Bayley confirms 'X Factor 30 Tour', playing The X Factor album in full plus rare B' Side 11th September 2025Metal Hall of Fame inductee, Blaze Bayley, is proud to confirm eleven shows in ten cities / ten countries, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of "X Factor", the 10th al...

🔥TOUR NEWS🔥 Blaze Bayley will play the whole of Iron Maiden’s The X Factor (and associated B’ Sides) on his upcoming tour. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/tour-ne...

Album Review: Between The Buried and Me - The Blue Nowhere (2025, InsideOutMusic) Written: 7th September 2025It has been four years since North Carolina’s Between The Buried and Me released the excellent Colours II, the follow-up to 2007’s Colours. Constructed in a similar way to i...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 My in-depth dive into The Blue Nowhere, the upcoming album from progressive / technical metal(core) band Between The Buried and Me. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Album Review: Toby and the Whole Truth - Look Out! Vol. 2 (2025) Written: 6th September 2025 During 2024, Toby Jepson – under the moniker of Toby and the Whole Truth - announced a trio of mini-albums that would make up a trilogy entitled Look Out! Following the rel...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥A dive into Look Out! Vol.2, the second in a series of mini-albums from Toby and the Whole Truth, featuring Toby Jepson. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Coming this weekend, my interview with cellist Jo Quail and reviews of the new EP (Part 2 of his Look Out! trilogy) from Toby Jepson and the upcoming album from progressive metalcore band Between The Buried And Me.

News: DANHEIM announce new album 'Heimferd’ 29th August 2025Copenhagen‑based producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen—known as DANHEIM—readies Heimferd, his newest full‑length album under Season of Mist. From its rune‑etched title to its resonant percussi...

🔥NEWS🔥 Nordic folk project Danheim announce new album. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-da...

News: Norweigan Prog Masters Gazpacho return with their new album Magic 8-Ball due for release in October 29th AugustFIRST SINGLE ‘8-BALL’ OUT TODAY WITH CULT-INSPIRED VIDEOAfter a five-year break, Magic 8-Ball marks Gazpacho’s return with eight new tracks built around the idea of fate. How it moves witho...

🔥NEWS🔥 Norway’s Gazpacho return with new album in October; single out now…
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-no...

Album Review: Bryan Adams - Roll With The Punches (2025) Written: 27th August 2025Bryan Adams has long been a figure who works on his own terms and Roll With The Punches confirms that he remains firmly rooted in the sound he has developed over decades. Ther...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 Bryan Adams returns with his sixteenth studio albums, the upcoming Roll With The Punches. Here are my thoughts. www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

News: Leprous release digital single of a-ha cover - Take on Me (Musora Session) 20th August 2025While Norwegian Rock outfit LEPROUS continue to promote their 8th studio album “Melodies Of Atonement”, they are now releasing a very special digital single of a cover version of A-HA’...

🔥NEWS🔥Leprous release cover version of a-ha’s Take On Me
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-le...

Album Review: Jo Quail - Notan (2025, Adderstone Records) Written: 19th August 2025Internationally acclaimed composer and cellist Jo Quail has been playing solo since 2010. I first became aware of her music having seen her support Wardruna on more than one o...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 Step into the beguiling world of Notan with review of the upcoming album from cellist extraordinaire Jo Quail. From moments of doom laden heaviness and classical virtuosity to those of exquisite restraint, it is an album that will appeal to many.
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Single Review: Fireheart - Wild Hearts; Wild Nights (2025, Earache Digital Distribution) Written: 9th August 2025UK rock band Fireheart have wasted no time in carving out a distinctive place in the modern rock scene. Formed through shared struggle, mutual respect, and an unwavering love f...

🔥SINGLE REVIEW🔥 UK rockers Fireheart continue their journey with their third single, Wild Hearts; Wild Nights. Here are my thoughts…
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/single-...

Interview: In Mourning (Björn Petterson and Tim Nedergård) Interview: 5th August 2025Ahead of the release of their upcoming album, The Immortal (review here), Hotel Hobbies had the opportunity for an in-depth chat with two members of melodic death metal band ...

🔥INTERVIEW🔥 Björn Petterson and Tim Nedergård of melodic death metal band In Mourning spent time talking with me about the band, their music and their upcoming album The Immortal.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/intervi...

Interview: Steve Rothery Interview: 5th August 2025Ahead of the official release of the new Bioscope album - Steve Rothery's collaboration with Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream - Hotel Hobbies spent some time talking t...

🔥INTERVIEW🔥 I had a wonderful time speaking with Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery about the new Bioscope project, his collaboration with Tangerine Dream’s Thorsten Quaeschning. We also discussed his solo work, Marillion and his work with Steve Hackett.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/intervi...

Album Review: In Mourning - The Immortal (2025, Supreme Chaos Records) Written: 4th August 2025Swedish melodic death metal band In Mourning have quietly become a consistent and compelling act, delivering album after album of intense, thoughtful, and emotionally resonant music. Their 2021 release, The Bleeding Veil, was a standout, topping my album of the year list. I finally had the chance to see them live when they supported Insomnium in London in November 2023 and they delivered a flawless performance. So, when the promo copy of their upcoming album The Immortal

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 My thoughts on The Immortal, the upcoming album from Swedish melodic death metal band In Mourning.
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

Album Review: Bioscope - Gentō (2025, earMUSIC) Written: 3rd August 2025The two members of Bioscope need no introduction to fans of progressive rock and electronic music. This new project finds Steve Rothery of Marillion and Thorsten Quaeschning of...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 Step into the immersive world of Gentō, the upcoming album from Bioscope, the new project from Steve Rothery of Marillion and Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream.
www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

🔥NEWS🔥 Bioscope (Steve Rothery and Thorsten Quaeschning) release title track as second single. Looking forward to interviewing them in August.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/news-bi...

EP Review: Tallboy - House of Glass (2025) Written: 26th July 2025Emerging from Cumbria, England, Tallboy make no attempt to mask their intent with their debut EP House of Glass. Fronted by Brad Crook’s intense vocal delivery, the band’s lineu...

🔥EP REVIEW🔥 An analysis of House of Glass, the new release from genre-blending alt-metal band Tallboy.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ep-revi...

Ranking The Songs: My Top 20 Genesis Songs (1978 - 1992) Written: 20th July 2025On my 14th birthday in July 1986, I received Invisible Touch -  my first Genesis album. Before that, I only really knew the title track, released as a single just a couple of mo...

🔥RANKING🔥 An article ranking and discussing my 20 (plus honourable mentions) favourite Genesis songs from 1978 to 1992.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ranking...

Ranking The Songs: My Top 20 Rush Songs of the 1970s Written: July 2025I first became a Rush fan in the late 1980s, starting with A Show of Hands and quickly embracing the crisp, keyboard-driven sound of albums like Hold Your Fire and Power Windows. Tha...

🔥RANKING🔥Completing my trilogy of ranking articles discussing the different eras of Rush, here is my piece about My Top 20 Rush Songs of the 1970s.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ranking...

Ranking the Songs: My Top 20 Rush tracks of the 1980s I became a fan of Rush at the age of sixteen, when in January 1989, I purchased my first of their albums: A Show of Hands. With very little understanding about the history of Rush at that point, I enj...

Coming soon... my article ranking and discussing My Top 20 Rush Songs of the 1970s. This will complete my trilogy of articles. Link to others below...

My Top 20 Rush Songs of the 1980s: www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ranking...

My Top 20 Rush Songs 1991 - 2012: www.hotelhobbies.com/post/ranking...

Album Review: Steve Hackett - The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall (InsideOut Music 2025) Written: 6th July 2025In recent years, Steve Hackett has been prolific both in terms of studio and live albums. The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall is his second live album of the year, f...

🔥ALBUM REVIEW🔥 An analysis of The Lamb Stands Up Live at the Royal Albert Hall, the upcoming live album from Steve Hackett.

www.hotelhobbies.com/post/album-r...

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