DEFENDERS OF METAL

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

DISMEMBER (1990)

Matti Kärki, Fred Estby and David Blomqvist. Photo from the "Death... is just the beginning" compilation album.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Cygnus from the Dominican Republic was born in 1981, but not until 1983 the group was consolidated with the four members of an inimitable style that marked that time. These are Roberto García on drums, Luis José Castillo on guitar, Henry Brito on vocals and Moises Montas on bass. Served as support act to Stray Cats on their spectacular performance at Altos de Chavon, La Romana, and shared the stage through the years with much of the rock scene of the moment. Among their greatest achievements were winning the First Rock Olympics (1984) and then invited to play several times in successive closures of the same event. Winners of the First Spanish Rock Song Festival (1986) and other categories as Best Bassist, Best Drummer and Best Vocalist. Thanks to this prize they were prized with the recording of two songs in the best studio of the time.

The track "Apariencias"

"Estoy Solo" and "Desaparece Ya!" were the songs chosen to be captured on analog tape and they would add their previously recorded song in 1983 "Apariencias". These three were released on cassette tape which would be outstanding for the year 1988. Cygnus was always aware of what was happening musically in the rest of the planet, to incorporate new elements of composition, costume and performance. Seeing this band live was an unique experience. The most legendary concert was the Empiphis VS Cygnus held in the Ruinas de San Francisco, ending in a storm of chairs and stones, caused by the fierceness of their music in public. Among the songs with powerful riffs, we can mention "Psicópata," "Esclavo Del Vicio" and "Réquiem." Unfortunately by the year 1989 they disbanded for university studies and work reasons. Before parting, they did a Rock Opera in Casa de Teatro, something never seen here in the Dominican Republic, Thanks to them, bands like Abaddon RD were influenced in their performance and other aspects. As they are great friends, we hope to see them on stage together someday not too far.

The text above is from the amazing site HMR Forum!

BROKEN HOPE "THE BOWELS OF REPUGNANCE" ALBUM AD (1993)

BEHERIT (FIN)

CARCASS "REEK OF PUTREFACTION" ALBUM REVIEW (MORBID MAGAZINE #4, 1989)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE (GER) (METAL GLORY #5, 1990)

AVENGER (UK) (METAL RENDEZVOUS #12, 1985)

ACCEPT "PABELLÓN DE LA CIUDAD DEPORTIVA DEL REAL MADRID, MADRID, SPAIN" (APRIL 17, 1986)

Monday, February 2, 2026

VIO-LENCE "OPPRESSING THE MASSES" ALBUM AD (1990)

MARVIN FRIEDMAN CARVIN V220

LEE AARON "METAL QUEEN" (1984) [MUSIC VIDEO]

NECRONY "MUCU-PURULENT MISCARRIAGE" [7"] REVIEW (AMPUTATION #1, 1992)

ICED EARTH (METAL GLORY #5, 1990)

RONNY TOO (WITCH, CIRCUS CIRCUS,MAX HAVOC)

MÖTLEY CRUE "MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK" (JANUARY 30, 1984)

ROTTING CORPSE (BLACKTHORN #5, 1987)

Sunday, February 1, 2026

SACRED REICH (EPITAPH MAGAZINE #12, 1990)

GORGOROTH ”BLACK MASS KRAKOW” (2004)

"Black Mass Krakow" is a live concert that was recorded in 2004 and released on DVD in 2008. It's the band's controversial concert that was filmed in a TV studio in Kraków, Poland.

The concert featured sheep heads on stakes, "crucified" nude models, Satanic symbols and eighty liters of sheep's blood. The band was criticized for violating Polish anti-blasphemy laws as well as Polish animal rights laws. A police investigation took place with allegations of a religious offense (which is prosecutable under Polish law) and cruelty to animals. Though these charges were considered, the band was not charged as it was ruled that they were unaware of the fact that what they were doing was illegal, although the concert organizer was eventually fined 10,000zł (about 3000 USD) in 2007, as he knew about it and neither informed the band that it was against the law nor intervened. The whole controversy led to the band being dropped from the roster of the Nuclear Blast Tour and the footage of the concert being confiscated by the police, but later released.