Phil Pountney, Author at Backseat Mafia

album review: megadeth, megadeth

Megadeth’s latest album arrives carrying a sense of gravity that’s impossible to ignore. Decades into a career defined by volatility, reinvention, and sheer stubborn survival, the band sounds acutely aware…

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amaranthe, epica, charlotte wessels. o2 apollo, manchester. 23/01/2026

The O2 Apollo in Manchester has long been a proving ground for metal bands, a venue whose intimate yet expansive layout allows both technical virtuosity and emotional resonance to shine.…

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live review: beyond the black, setyøursails & seraina tellis. o2 ritz, manchester 15/01/2026

The O2 Ritz has long been one of Manchester’s most dependable venues for heavy music, and tonight it once again proved why it holds such a special place in the…

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album review: alter bridge ‘alter bridge’

Alter Bridge’s self-titled eighth studio album feels deliberately chosen, not just as a name but as a mission statement. More than two decades into their career, Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti,…

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album review: senser ‘sonic dissidence’

Senser’s ‘Sonic Dissidence‘ arrives not as a cautious reintroduction, but as a bold and confident reaffirmation of everything the band represent. After more than a decade without a full-length album,…

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live review: chelsea grin, signs of the swarm, mugshot & crown magnetar. leeds project house 03/12/2025

There are nights when Leeds seems to thrum with a very specific electricity, when the air itself feels preloaded with expectation, vibrating long before the first note hits. On this…

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live review: lacuna coil and nonpoint. the stylus, leeds. 25/11/2025

There are nights when a venue feels restless before anything even happens, humming with a kind of low-voltage anticipation that seeps into the walls. Leeds Stylus had that charge the…

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live review: levellers and grace petrie. manchester academy 16/11/2025

Some gigs feel like routine stops on a tour. Others feel like communal events with their own emotional gravity. Tonight falls undeniably into the second category. Long before the first…

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live review: volbeat, bush and witch fever. nottingham arena 05/11/2025

While fireworks exploded across Nottingham’s skyline, inside the Motorpoint Arena a different kind of spark was flying. On a cold, clear 5th of November, Danish Rock heavyweights Volbeat brought their…

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more names added to the 2026 incineration festival line up

Incineration Festival adds even more names to the already brutal 2026 line up From the scorched earth of Texas, Tribal Gaze brings primal death metal to London, England in May 2026,…

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