INCOMING – Nat’s What I Reckon Book (with easy UK order WITHOUT paying over the odds!)

I am calling it now… I reckon this could be the most sought after “not for kids” year-end gift in a few months.

The book “Un-cook Yourself – A Ratbag’s Rules For Life”, written by Nat from Nat’s What I Reckon is being published at the start of December, as announced in the video below, posted online yesterday.

It is already available for pre-order, but the post on his page is FULL of people outside of Australia struggling to find where they can buy it without incurring massive delivery charges.  It is currently NOT available from Amazon in the UK, nor Waterstones, etc., although I am sure they will want in on this too before long.

The good news is, I have done a little investigation and found an easy and very cost-effective way to get hold of this from one of the big booksellers. £16.29, with FREE delivery from The Book Depository. Continue reading

TMA: Albums Of The Year – 2019

2019 has been an absolutely hectic year for the TMA crew due to the challenges of adult life, so the site has been predominantly inactive, but there have been many significant releases that must be acknowledged.

So here, we present The Modern Alternative‘s Albums Of The Year for 2019: Continue reading

The TMA Top Ten Festival Essential Items

As the excitement mounts for Bloodstock Festival next week, it is time for The Modern Alternative’s alternative must-have items.  We don’t say a lot here, but we think this is worthy of your attention. This list will not be comprised of the absolute essentials like ticket, getting there and something to sleep in (as not all of these are essential before setting off too), but instead we list a few key things and personal recommendations for items that will make a difference to the seasoned Festival-goer. Continue reading

OPETH – “In Cauda Venenum” – Bilingual Preview

Swedish Prog Metal masterminds, Opeth, have released a substantial teaser for their forthcoming album this morning.

The YouTube video visualisation comprises two takes of the third track from the “In Cauda Venenum” album, to be released by their own Moderbolaget Records, in conjunction with Nuclear Blast Records, on Friday, 27th of September this year.

The album is to be released in both English and Swedish language versions, but Amazon is currently accepting pre-orders for a double CD combined release as well.

Continue reading

Incineration Fest 2019 Just Announced First Three Bands

Incineration Festival has just announced three massive names for their 2019 incarnation.

Incineration Fest 2019 will feature UK exclusive performances from Mayhem, Carpathian Forest and Asphyx! Continue reading

Bloodstock Open Air – 2019 Rock Society Memberships Released – Very High Demand, Will Sell Out Quickly!

Festival:                             Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival.

Date:                                  Thursday until Sunday, 8th to 11th of August 2019.

Location:                           Catton Park, Walton-On-Trent, Derbyshire, England.

Post Code:                        DE12 8LN.

Ticket Cost:                       £132.00 (Adult) & £39.00 (Child 4yo – 11yo) EARLY BIRD.

The TMA Collective will keep you up to date with all the announcements, deals and news for one of our favourite Festivals.

The 19th Bloodstock, and the 15th Open Air, the acclaimed annual celebration of all things metal, will take place at the usual Catton Hall site in Derbyshire, England between Thursday 10th and Sunday 13th of August in 2017.

URGENT!   Buy Bloodstock Rock Society Membership for the next year!

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Each year, just 300 sought after Bloodstock Rock Society Memberships are released, giving a whole host of exclusive and VIP benefits to the discerning festival goer, discounted tickets, VIP Bar access, backstage tours, exclusive forums, freebies, competitions, priority access to Signing Tent, etc.. They sell VERY quickly and go on sale at 9am on Monday 31st of October – TODAY!

With an impressive run of early announcements, the bill for next year already includes Scorpions, Sabaton, Queensryche, Dee Snider, Children Of Bodom, Hypocrisy, Skeletonwitch, Soilwork, Rotting Christ, Cradle Of Filth and Eluveitie, with many more to follow across all the genres of metal. 

In the main, these are snapped up by the same group of people each year, a really close and welcoming community, but there are some serious benefits included too.  If you buy your RockSoc Membership bundled with your Early Bird Ticket, you will get 10% OFF the Early Bird Ticket.

For those wanting the absolute best of their festival experience, the first wave of VIP tickets is also available for purchase.

Follow the link to the official site to see full details.

The links on this page are BOA official affiliate links to buy tickets from the official vendors, buying through these links helps support the running of this site.  If you run your own site, you can sign up by clicking here.

 

DE PROFUNDIS (UK) – “Decayed, 2007-2017”

Decayed 2007-2017De Profundis are one of those rare metal bands that, when you first discover them, you realise your folly of not hunting them out sooner and instantly curse those friends of yours that knew about the band already (including having played gigs with them), but had not forced you to listen to them.  They are that good… Continue reading

ANATHEMA – Live @ Glasgow ABC2 (21/09/2014)

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The first of the UK mainland run of dates to promote the latest album “Distant Satellites” from Liverpool’s Anathema, kicks off in Glasgow on the last Sunday night of Summer. The heat inside saw no sign of waning, this was a sweatbox; but it did not matter one jot.  Like much of the rest of the tour, this was sold out well in advance and the demand for tickets to see the enduring masters of melody and melancholy continues to exceed availability and the lucky attendees were thrilled with a magnificent performance.

Anathema2014EuThe crowd flooded in immediately as the doors are opened and many remained steadfast in the preferred positions for both bands.  Support for the tour is Austrian madcap act, Mother’s Cake; both eclectic and seamless, the three-piece instantly draw in the early crowd and lift the expectation of what is to follow even further.  The band meld elements of so many incredible bands with skill and deliver a set of instantly loveable self-penned material with appeal across alternative, rock and metal genres fit to rival many of the greats. Expect to hear more about these guys after this tour.

Anathema have been synonymous with excellence throughout their evolving career, producing album after album of trans-genre perfection and are held in the highest esteem by many from varied backgrounds and tastes.  It almost defies belief that such a brilliant band can easily outshine their compelling studio output on stage, but they continue to prove this time and again.  Of course, they are no stranger to the stage and comfortably make the venue their own.

Innovative and creative, the early doom pioneers have matured and grown so far, but continue to soar higher year after year, their sound increasingly bolstered on each subsequent recent release by the increasing use of Lee Douglas’ enchanting vocals as well as the addition of Daniel Cardoso (having previously worked with Danny Cavanagh in Leafblade and with Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg in Head Control System) on keyboards and drums as the need arises.  Lee’s stunning vocals simply captivate; the live arena is at her complete command, the mesmerised crowd hanging on every note.  This secret weapon is used sparingly, complimenting and harmonising with brother Danny and Vincent Cavanagh, but expands the repertoire significantly.

The set pulls heavily on the new album being promoted, “Distant Satellites”; with over half the tracks being performed, but also with tracks from “Weather Systems”, “We’re Here Because We’re Here”, “A Natural Disaster” and a finale from “Alternative 4”IMG_0975

As a long-standing fan, having seen the band on many occasion since my first time 21 years ago, my expectation are always high; often unrealistically so.

Simply unmissable.

VARIOUS ARTISTS – “MORGUL Scottish Metal Compilation: 2014”

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MORGUL is a society created by the metalheads, punks and rockers of the University of Glasgow, for anyone who wants to join, and have had an online presence on Facebook for around 18 months.

Focusing on bands that play Glasgow and/or Edinburgh often, Morgul spent Fresher’s Week in 2013 handing out free CDs to interested Freshers, Students, and gig-goers that featured some of the very best Scottish metal, in an effort to increase interest in local talent and gig-attendance.

It must have gone well as they are back again this year with another compilation for the 2014 intake, with another great selection of local talent to whet the appetite of anyone looking for decent live music in the North, including some notable TMA favourites like NNGNN, Cnoc An Tursa, Adabroc, Saor, Man Made Origin, Achren and Atragon!   Continue reading

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR / Catton Hall, England / August 2015

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Festival:                             Bloodstock Open Air Metal Festival.

Date:                                  Thursday until Sunday, 6th to 9th of August 2015.

Location:                           Catton Park, Walton-On-Trent, Derbyshire, England.

Post Code:                        DE12 8LN.

Official Travel:                   Big Green Coach.

Ticket Cost:                        £127.00 (Adult) & £39.00 (Child 4yo – 11yo) EARLY BIRD.

The limited early bird price of £127.00 for Adults and £39.00 for now available for next year’s Festival, they are usually on sale each year until the middle of December, or until the allocation runs out.

The TMA Collective will keep you up to date with all the announcements, deals and news for one of our favourite Festivals.

The 15th Bloodstock, and the 11th Open Air celebration of all things metal, will take place at the usual Catton Hall site in Derbyshire, England between Thursday 6th and Sunday 9th of August in 2015.

First announcement is that Opeth and Within Temptation will be playing!