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Japanese Power Metal Quintet LOVEBITES Signs With NAPALM RECORDS; 'The Castaway' Music Video Released
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TWILIGHT FORCE Signs With NAPALM RECORDS, Shares New Single 'Magic Of A New Dawn'
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After staggering off four crazy days at sea for the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise, my ears and brain are fried unto merciless death. Luckily, I anticipated this contingency and left myself a fairly easy bounce-back to reality with the sophomore album from England’s classic metal rockers, Tailgunner. I was a fan of their 2023 Guns for Hire debut and found their modernized take on NWoBHM antics to be an entertaining ride. They slot into the same category as acts like Enforcer, Wolf, and Skullfist, and they have enough talent to sell traditional metal thrills like they’re something new. On Midnight Blitz, they rock a slightly more polished variant of what we heard last time with less of an obvious NWoBHM core, but their basic attack plan is still there. It’s all high-flying dual-guitar assaults, soaring vocals, and thundering drums, forced through an anthemic stadium-metal filter to create catchy, crunchy little metal nuggets ready to dip in shitty beer. It’s as cutting-edge and innovative as a stick, but sometimes brainless is better anyway. Now shut up and get in the gun seat!
Things open up effectively with the exuberant title track, which delivers all the classic metal goods and recalls Iron Maiden’s “Aces High” in subtle and unsubtle ways, especially in the lusty guitar noodling. The chorus is immediate and hooky and works as intended, and you will suffer involuntary fist-banging disorder as you prepare to strike at something at midnight. They manage to keep things in this winning window for much of the runtime with catchy tidbits like “Tears in the Rain,” which pays homage to the coolest lines from Blade Runner in appropriately big ways with a huge chorus, and the stupidly infectious “Dead Until Dark,” which rocks hard and rides free with a big Euro-power chorus that sticks like peanut butter mixed with Gorilla Glue. Some of the tracks punch above their weight and really win you over, like “Barren Lands and Seas of Red” and “Blood Sacrifice,” which thread that tiny needle between 80s metal and Euro-power to deliver hot guitar work and larger-than-life choruses.
Elsewhere, “Night Raids” reminds me of something off Human Fortress’s immortal Defenders of the Crown album, so that’s a win. Even the big, overwrought power ballad “War in Heaven” hits harder than you’d expect, sounding a bit like Primal Fear, though it does blunt the album’s momentum somewhat. Not every song is as clutch as the top dogs, and there is a minor bloat factor on a few songs, but no track feels like filler or an afterthought, and at 44 minutes, Midnight Blitz flies by like a gloaming onslaught. The production is a bit too clean, and I’d prefer more bite on the guitars, but you can hear everything the band does clearly.
Craig Cairns leads the air attack for Tailgunner, and he sounds more polished and professional here than he did on Guns for Hire. He no longer reminds me of Blaze Baley or Brian Ross of Satan, and his clear, commanding vocals skew more to a Euro-power style now, but there’s still enough grit to get the job done well. Much of the impact comes from guitarists Zach Salvini and Rhea Thompson. They rob the vaults of 80s metal wantonly while dabbling in various levels of Euro-cheese making, but never go too far down that rabbit hole to find the pirate shirts. There are ripping riffs, melodic harmonies, and overblown solos aplenty, and they keep the energy levels sky high for much of the runtime.
Midnight Blitz is a successful evolution of the Tailgunner sound. I might prefer the slightly more raucous sound of their debut, but what these cats do is still in the wheelhouse of Steel, and I eat it up like fruit leather and old Twinkies. If you like high-energy 80s metal designed to get the head nodding, Tailgunner is the caliber of act you should load up and blast. Fun will be had, and planes will be felled. It’s it’s a Midnight Blitz!
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Fucking Stream
Label: Napalm
Websites: tailgunner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/tailgunnerhq | instagram.com/tailgunnerhq
Releases Worldwide: February 6th, 2026
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Heathen Sign to Napalm Records, Release New Single “Never A God”
https://www.metalsucks.net/2026/02/03/heathen-sign-to-napalm-records-release-new-single-never-a-god/
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HEATHEN Signs With NAPALM RECORDS, Shares New Single 'Never A God'
https://blabbermouth.net/news/heathen-signs-with-napalm-records-shares-new-single-never-a-god
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Review: Tailgunner- Midnight Blitz
Release date: 2/6/26
Label: Napalm Records
Greg D.
The NWOTHM. The New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal. Not just the name of a website, but a musical movement, obviously. When did this movement begin? That answer is in the eye of the beholder, however, there was a moment for me that precipitated it coming back as such a force that it ultimately warranted a familiar acronym to describe it. That moment is Enforcer’s 2008 album, “Into The Night”. It just seemed like it set something off, and suddenly more & more bands of that ilk had a presence that elicited greater awareness. That was eighteen years ago.
2026. February 6th. Eighteen years after the NWOTHM, arguably, kicked off, the movement may finally have an album, and a band, destined for larger pastures. Tailgunner, England formed in 2022, have kicked up quite a storm in an alarmingly short period of time. Debuting with the EP “Crashdive”, (oddly enough, produced by Olaf Wikstrom of Enforcer) also in 2022, and following it with their first full length “Guns For Hire” in 2023. Admittedly, “Guns For Hire” didn’t garner much of a look from me. Is it good? Yes. Did it hold my attention? Not really. Enter their newest album, “Midnight Blitz”.
First of all, the promotion for this album has been unavoidable. Music/lyric videos, tours, Metallica tribute albums. They’ve been everywhere. Getting a seal of approval from a bonafide heavy metal legend (album producer, K.K. Downing) is sure to get a few extra looks their way as well. With all that in mind, and with eyes and ears open and pointed at Tailgunner, they have stepped up to the plate with an album that is, simply put, arena ready. Anyone coming here expecting blatant Judas Priest, or Iron Maiden, worship, will leave either surprised or disappointed. This album probably has more in common with Euro Power Metal than classic British heavy metal, but they definitely have more muscle than your average Euro Power Metal band.
Like ginormous choruses? If you do, you’ll be pleased to know that Tailgunner does as well. Every song has sing-a-long qualities to it, which are no doubt great in a live setting. Singer Craig Cairns’ tone is PERFECT for this kind of metal. Good range without getting screetchy, and delivered powerfully. “Tears In Rain”, & the title track, surge with all the glory and anthemic splendor that you’d want from steamrolling heavy metal. Dig burning guitars? The guitar work throughout the record is all right on the money. Check out “Barren Lands And Seas Of Red”, it swings a little riffier to let axefolk Rhea Thompson & Zach Savini stretch their legs more aggressively. Now, it’s one thing to be able to blast forth and kill, but the song “War In Heaven” is where Tailgunner really backs up their bark and shows they’re not fucking around. Subduded, Savatage level dramatic, & epic, this song should probably be the next single as it reveals the band’s ability to downshift seemlessly.
“Eulogy”. This song is a helluva way to end an album. Storming, speedy, and y’know how we were talking about choruses earlier? This is the biggest and best one yet. The kind of thing that says, “stick around for the next album”. A great piece of post production in the sequencing putting it last, very well done. It’s hard to find any fault with this record. If I was going to imagine this kind of metal album, this is exactly what it would be. The band has delivered, & it’s hard to ask for more than that, innit?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnsTQq_8mR8&list=RDnnsTQq_8mR8&start_radio=1
Conclusion
Now, I don’t know how this works with other styles of music, but in hard rock/heavy metal there seems to be a time honored tradition of baton passing. I have a tendency to say: “If you want to know what the future is going to sound like, pay attention to who’s riding in on the backs of the present.” Van Halen with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden with Kiss, Metallica with Ozzy Osbourne, and a handful of others, are all examples of this. Now, with this second album from Tailgunner, I don’t know that the saying I mentioned applies to them in the same way it did for Van Halen, Iron Maiden, or Metallica. Tailgunner is not shaking things up, or taking the sound into another dimension. They’re simply reinforcing things that are already great. However, that aforementioned saying might apply to Tailgunner in a much simpler, and direct way.
People generally seem to want their own heroes, they don’t always want the heroes of their older siblings, parents, etc. While Tailgunner are legend approved, they have a long way to go to become legends themselves, and it’s looking like they have a lot of things lining up for them. They are young, they are talented, they appear committed, & it sure seems like they have strong backing on the business end of things. All of those things are VERY important. That said, the most important thing is if this album sucked, none of that would matter. This album does not suck. Get into it.
TheNwothm Score: 10/10
Links
Bandcamp:https://tailgunner.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-blitz
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/tailgunnerhq/
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/tailgunnerhq/
Label:https://napalmrecords.com/english
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNrUYShK_38&list=RDiNrUYShK_38&start_radio=1
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Winterfylleth Sign with Napalm Records and Announce New Album ‘The Unyielding Season’
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It is well-established at this point that Mongolia is metal as fuck. Who would have thought that a landlocked country with a population of approximately 3.5 million people would have such a significant impact on culture? From the legends surrounding Genghis Khan to the fact that major IPs like Dune and Predator are incorporating throat singing to enrich their soundscapes, Mongolia has had a lasting impact that far surpasses its relatively small footprint. While Mongolian metal isn’t storming the charts consistently, bands like The Hu have seen massive breakthrough success, with hits listened to by a fanbase that dwarfs the population of their native country. Jumping in on the train is a new band from those storied steppes, UUHAI, mixing a similar style of modern music trappings with native instruments like the horsehead fiddle and zhangu drums. With their debut album Human Herds, are they too late to the party? Or do they have just the right amount of originality to differentiate themselves from other breakthrough bands like Nine Treasures, The Hu, and Tengger Cavalry?
UUHAI sits in a space somewhere between the groovy, folksy sound of The Hu and the heavier trappings of Tengger Cavalry. The seven-piece utilizes native instrumentation but implements guitars and modern drums alongside their incredible string work and throat-singing. Human Herds plays out like a Mongolian hard rock hits playlist infused with the spirit of the steppes. UUHAI’s debut focuses on protecting sacred nature and preserving the planet. “Ancient Land” stirs imagery of yawning grasslands and imposing mountains, while “Khurai” has the rhythm of a story told around a fire that leads into an epic adventure. Human Herds is rich with the sounds and emotions of UUHAI’s native land. Juxtaposing the natural aesthetics are the warping riffs on the title track, or the infectious backing rhythm guitar on “Dracula.” The band combines these anachronistic sounds with aplomb, although Human Herds begins to sag towards the back half as UUHAI returns to draw from the same well one too many times.
Human Herds by Uuhai
UUHAI has something special when it comes to crafting Mongolian anthems, and tracks like “Human Herds,” “Dracula,” and “Uuhai” epitomize the best of what Human Herds has to offer. While the theming of the album remains strong throughout, and the quality consistent, it does little to differentiate itself from one end to the other. Songs tend to feature similar chorus stylings, prefaced by throat-singing and bolstered by incredible native instrumentation, but the same formula grows apparent across the album. The production generally captures the richness and quantity of instrumentation on display, but some of the best elements, like the backing riff on “Dracula,” are lost in the mix. “Paradise” shows up towards the end of the album and stands out in a back half that bleeds together. The track’s upbeat, poppy, and borderline saccharine sound is a fun and oddly radio-friendly experience that wouldn’t feel out of place playing in the background at a country bar.
Human Herds is hampered by its repetition, and despite the strength of UUHAI as a unit, it becomes difficult to parse out the differences between certain tracks. Alongside that, some of their sound comes dangerously close to what The Hu has already established, and can feel more like a direct copy than inspiration at the worst of times. While The Hu never quite goes as hard as UUHAI (not that either band is particularly heavy), they have varied and unique song structures in a way that Human Herds can’t contend with, making the comparison even less flattering. With such a unique sound, the genre gets crowded quickly, and bands like Nine Treasures and Tengger Cavalry present more variety, and in the latter’s case, a much heavier sound. Human Herds is cohesive if tired by the end, but it makes for wonderful ambient music, which I mean in the most positive way. While it won’t wow you from moment to moment, it accurately captures the mood and aesthetic of UUHAI’s native land in a way that is unique to them.
Human Herds is a solid debut from a promising band, and there is a lot to like here, especially for fans of hard rock and Mongolian music. While the album strains in the back half, I imagine I will still be spinning it as mood music in the weeks to come, and UUHAI’s hard rock stylings help make a space, however small, for themselves alongside similar bands. It won’t have you storming the Great Wall, but it may leave you pondering your place on Mother Earth.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: A STREAM DAMMIT
Label: Napalm Records
Websites:uuhaiband.com | instagram.com/uuhaiofficial
Releases Worldwide: January 9th, 2026
Recensie: Alter Bridge – Alter Bridge
https://writteninmusic.com/albumrecensie/alter-bridge-alter-bridge/
Het was ooit als een Zwitsers uurwerk, het releaseschema van Alter Bridge, maar waar tot het vorige album er steeds een periode van 3 jaren tussen twee albums zat, noteren we nu, in ieder geval in jaargangen, een verschil van 4 jaren tussen deze langspeler en voorganger Pawns And Kings. Dat is ongeveer ook het […]
🔥 Conciertos de Alter Bridge en España: Myles Kennedy y Mark Tremonti traen a España su gira más ambiciosa con Daughtry y Sevendust como aliados
Toda la info en 👉 https://www.guitarcalavera.com/conciertos-de-alter-bridge-en-espana/
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