Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-Black Swan, Gotthard, Iron Savior, Crimson Glory, & Asia

Index

I have always enjoyed the Black Swan albums. This is a truly great band with some very talented musicians with Robin McAuley, Reb Beach, Jeff Pilson and Matt Starr. This particular record could be my favorite so far. I feel like everyone was really at their peak on this release in terms of musicianship and delivery. Songs are very well written and there is a good amount of flash here, especially with the guitar work and solos. It is balanced well where the flash doesn't distract from the music, but rather enhances it. I also felt that the album was fairly uniform in terms of quality. In a nutshell, it's a real banger of an album. The album starts off strong with 'When The Cold Wind Blows'. McAuley absolutely kills it on this album. Still belts it out like it's the 80's. Other favorites include 'Carry On', 'The Fire And The Flame', and 'I'm Ready'. A very complete listen!

Release Date: February 27, 2026

Gotthard has really been doing great things as always recently. Really liked the music of 'Stereo Crush' and was definitely interested at the prospect of 'More Stereo Crush'. The basis of this EP is 5 songs that were part of the 'Stereo Crush' recording sessions that didn't make the album. These songs are of the same quality as 'Stereo Crush' in general so it is nice to see them released. You also get 'Mayday' which was previously a video only track. 'Burning Bridges gets a radio edit, and the final track features Marc Storace from Krokus with the song 'Liverpool'. This album is all A+ stuff. This is not filler material or a cash grab. Those recording sessions were very good and this is the perfect way to get these songs out there. Gotthard has always been a personal favorite band of mine. Albums like 'Stereo Crush' and 'More Stereo Crush' are good reasons why. Excellent!

Release Date: March 13, 2026

I Gotta be honest here. This album is an absolute blast. This is not your typical covers album. With Iron Savior being a power metal band, you wouldn't expect them to cover 80's pop, but guess what? They do it and it kicks a lot of ass to be honest. Metal versions of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Relax' and the Pet Shop Boys' 'Suburbia' work so well with Iron Savior's treatment. There is an element of being respectful to the original songs here, but they definitely made these songs their own. I really miss the 80's. Things just seemed so much simpler back then and hearing some of this stuff, even when it has an added edge just makes you feel better. 80's fans will know what I'm talking about and will relate. Search this one out. I think it is all in good taste and the album is just a very fun ride start to finish. Kudos to the band for doing something different!

Release Date: March 27, 2026

This was a surprise! It's been something like 26 years or so since the last Crimson Glory album. I guess I never expected a return from the band. We lost Midnight back in 2009 and the band had just been very quiet. Well, fast forward to 2026 and the band are back with a revamped lineup including new vocalist Travis Wills. Musically, this is every bit a Crimson Glory record. It feels pretty vintage to me in many ways and I think Wills absolutely nails what made the early records with Midnight special. The progressions in the music are evident and I feel a very important element in this band's songwriting. The album is heavy, but still maintains that familiar tempo of the earlier stuff. Expect 9 tracks clocking in around 48 minutes. If you are a Crimson Glory fan or a progressive metal fan, you are going to dig this one a lot. Been a long time coming and worth the wait!

Release Date: April 17, 2026

I was surprised that when I went back and looked, we had never covered Asia. I love Asia. I know that they have been through quite a few lineup changes and we are now also missing John Wetton, but this recording just works. New vocalist Harry Whitley really does a superb job with the lead vocals. It just sounds great overall. This album is classified as night one. I have heard that there are a couple more nights coming. They definitely have the catalog for it. This is similar in ways to what Blue Oyster Cult did recently with Frontiers. The band played their brilliant self titled debut album from start to finish on this live release. You also get a few bonus tracks including a cover of The Buggles 'Video Killed The Radio Star' which Geoff Downes was also a part of. Overall, a very satisfying live release. 'Asia' was a heavy hitter and sounded great in 2025!

Release Date: March 13, 2026