Vicious+rumors

Taking a different direction from his standard neoclassical shred style, Vinnie Moore's eighth album, "Aerial Visions," shows the guitar virtuoso riffing over classic rock genres spanning from southern rock and jazz fusion to '80s power ballads…

For most heavy metal fans Helstar of course needs no introduction. With albums such as ‘Burning Star’, ‘Remnants Of War’, ‘A Distant Thunder’ and ‘Nosferatu’ has delivered a few classic albums and has reached a legendary status in the worldwide heavy and power metal scene. The band fronted by vocalist and metal veteran James Rivera (also known from Vicious Rumors, Destiny’s End and Seven Witches) reached its thirtieth anniversary this year. To celebrate this event the band gave a special concert for their hometown audience in Houston, Texas, and filmed and recorded it for a live DVD and double live album that appeared in August.

Black Hawk are back with Straight To Hell. First class German Heavy Metal with a guest spot from Jan Bunning (Paragon). 30 years, these guys still got it! For fans of Lizzy Borden, Sabaton and Vicious Rumors.

The third album from this French power metal band is a tour de force of excellence, easily the album they've been striving to make all this time. Coming in a digipak and featuring a cover of Dio's "Night People," the album is further bolstered by an impressive array of guest performers, including Ricardo Confessori (Angra, Shaman), who drums on all but two songs, plus Chris Caffery (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Rob Love Magnusson (Dynazty) and Mark McGee (Vicious Rumors).

Metal Blade Records has released "Just Highs No Lows (12 Years Of Persistence)", a two-disc "best-of" collection from German melodic metallers BRAINSTORM. According to a press release, the set will contain all of the band's "memorable hits as well as rarities, covers, Japanese-edition songs and live tracks."