Articles by: Essi Berelian

Whether it’s magazines, books or online, Essi has been writing about rock ’n’ metal for around thirty years. He has been reviews editor for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer, rock reviews editor for lads mag Front and worked for Kerrang!. He has also written the Rough Guide to Heavy Metal and contributed to the Rough Guide to Rock and Rough Guide Book of Playlists, and the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles (13th edition). Most fun interview? Tenacious D – Jack Black and Kyle Gass – for The Pick of Destiny movie book. An avid record/CD/tape collector, he’s amassed more music than he could ever possibly listen to, which annoys his wife no end.

Articles by: Essi Berelian

Steppenwolf: The Epic Years 1974-1979 cover art

Steppenwolf lack heavy metal thunder on three albums of declining in potency

By Essi Berelian published 28 January 23

Steppenwolf box set the Epic Years 1974-1979 is a far cry from the band's million-selling golden era

The Moon City Masters: The Famous Moon City Masters cover art

The Moon City Masters: feel-good rock'n'roll the way they used to make it

By Essi Berelian published 4 November 22

You want classic? You got it: The Moon City Masters mine rock's rich past on joyously upbeat new album The Famous Moon City Masters

Brant Bjork: Bougainvillea Suite cover art

Brant Bjork's Bougainvillea Suite: the sweet spot where The Doors and Iron Butterfly meet

By Essi Berelian published 30 October 22

Son of the desert Brant Bjork goes back in time on the sweet-smelling Bougainvillea Suite

Orianthi falls short on album that feels uneven and unfinished

By Essi Berelian published 16 October 22

Orianthi's strangely short album Rock Candy needs more killer, less filler

The Rataliators Motion Picture Soundtrack cover art

Rock, metal and horror make prefect companions on The Retaliators soundtrack

By Essi Berelian published 17 September 22

Papa Roach, The Hu, Ice Nine Kills, Five Finger Death Punch and more add music to film dialogue and screaming

Supersonic Blues Machine: Voodoo Nation cover art

Supersonic Blues Machine are the sound of modern blues in the ascendant

By Essi Berelian published 24 June 22

Littered with special guests, Voodoo Nation by Supersonic Blues Machine sets the modern blues bar ever higher

Raven's expanded Rock Until You Drop: energetic proof that 'athletic rock' should have been huge

By Essi Berelian published 27 May 22

The flying start of NWOBHM might-have-beens Raven lauded with four disc version of Rock Until You Drop

Dirty Honey conjure up the ghosts of classic Zeppelin and Aerosmith on expanded debut

By Essi Berelian published 25 May 22

Rock doesn’t come more classic than this, as Dirty Honey prepare for debut European dates with a combination CD

Evergrey: A Heartless Portrait cover art

Evergrey: more crunching prog as brutal riff power pounds into the gothic bleakness

By Essi Berelian published 20 May 22

Feel-sad prog metallers Evergrey return with 13th studio album A Heartless Portrait

Stöner's new album is a consummate lesson in High Desert grooviness

By Essi Berelian published 6 May 22

More sun-baked high jinks from Brant Bjork, Nick Oliveri and stoned company

Bonham-Bullick: powerful, immaculately played, and perfectly smoky

By Essi Berelian published 6 May 22

Rock, blues and soul covers done right from John Bonham's daughter Deborah Bonham and Paul Rodgers' guitarist Peter Bullick

Thunder's Dopamine double is super-creative, their most ambitious album yet

By Essi Berelian published 29 April 22

Dopamine is a sprawling but cohesive collection of 16 tracks, exploring what Thunder are and can be

Don't own a Nektar album? ...Sounds Like This might just be the place to start

By Essi Berelian published 29 April 22

Nektar's divisive live in the studio album ...Sounds Like This: remastered, expanded, and still heavy

Aerosmith: 1971: The Road Starts Hear cover art

Aerosmith's early recordings are the sound of legends-in-waiting

By Essi Berelian published 8 April 22

Aerosmith's 1971: The Road Starts Hear shows Tyler, Perry and co. itching to get their wings

HammerFall bring the bombast as Hammer Of Dawn delivers big on action and small on surprises

By Essi Berelian published 11 March 22

It’s hammer time, as Swedish power metal heroes HammerFall deliver album number 12, Hammer Of Dawn

Shaman’s Harvest offer real weight and power on the impressive Rebelator

By Essi Berelian published 11 March 22

Not-in-a hurry Missouri rockers Shaman's Harvest return with their first album in five years

Goodbye June: See Where The Night Goes

By Essi Berelian published 18 February 22

Goodbye June's See Where The Night Goes is a golden opportunity to behold the healing power of rock’n’roll

Long-running Christian alt.rockers Skillet give the fans what they want with Dominion

By Essi Berelian published 14 January 22

Skillet continue to preach to the converted on relentlessly uplifting 11th album Dominion

The spirit of NWOBHM lives on through Eliminator's Ancient Light

By Essi Berelian published 14 January 22

Galloping riffs? Twin-guitar harmonies? They're impressive to behold on Eliminator's Ancient Light

The Temperance Movement - Covers And Rarities cover art

The Temperance Movement's Covers & Rarities: a worthwhile mopping-up exercise

By Essi Berelian published 26 November 21

Top-notch odds and sods from The Temperance Movement assembled on Covers & Rarities

Emigrate: The Persistence Of Memory cover art

Emigrate: The Persistence Of Memory is playfully diverse and enormous fun

By Essi Berelian published 12 November 21

Rammstein's Richard Kruspe dives deep into his unreleased solo career on Emigrate's The Persistence Of Memory

Alcatrazz showcase classic metallic fire and fury on V

By Essi Berelian published 15 October 21

V proves that Alcatrazz still have it after all these years

Tricks On My Mind by Sweet Crisis: a debut of great depth and quality

By Essi Berelian published 20 August 21

Sweet Crisis's free-spirited debut Tricks On My Mind hits the spot big-time

Alice Cooper: Three Temptations From Alice

Alice Cooper classics celebrated on Three Temptations From Alice

By Essi Berelian published 13 June 21

Out now: A tempting trio from Alice Cooper on Three Temptations From Alice, as Trash, Hey Stoopid and The Last Temptation move to a more compact environment

Red Fang's Arrows is a barrage of barely controlled distortion and fuzzy riffage

By Essi Berelian published 4 June 21

Out now: Less-than-serious stoners Red Fang return after half a decade with fifth album Arrows

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