Sad Iron, Black Knight, Angelic Forces and Reviver

Reviver is back – and how!

Since the 1990s, Reviver has been serving up pure power metal, with Purmerend as their home base. No frills, just raw power.

They have three full-length albums to their name: their debut Reviver (2005), A Thousand Lives (2022) and Carnival of Chaos (2024).

On vocals is the impressive voice of Michel Zandbergen, backed by the guitar duo Fred Mantel and Tom Heemskerk, who make the strings scream mercilessly. The line-up is rounded off by Leon Noë’s pounding drumming and Stefan Brederode’s rock-solid bass.

The band has already performed at venues such as Heavy Metal Maniacs (NL), Dokk’em Open Air (Friesland) and Metal Bash (Germany).

And now? Reviver are back on stage!

Angelic Forces

Formed in 2015 with a single mission: to conquer the world with a hefty dose of ’80s metal. Their debut single, ‘Angelic Forces’ (2016), immediately set the tone – screeching solos, dual guitar harmonies and high-pitched vocals, followed by countless shows brimming with energy and catchy hooks.

In 2018, the tracks ‘Thunder and Lightning’ and ‘Never Fade’ followed, released alongside the debut single on their eponymous EP. To this day, the EP continues to receive praise from magazines, radio stations and podcasts worldwide.

December 2022: their first full-length album, *Arise*, via No Dust Records (NL) and Animated Insanity Records (US). In 2024, the single *Force to Fight* followed, alongside a limited reissue of the EP – just 20 copies.

Following some line-up changes, the band is stronger than ever:

Joey van Kempen (Mandator) – Vocals
Harm ten Hoove (Metal Bats/Burning) – Guitar
Maurice Gijsman – Guitar
Marcel Verheij (Steel Shock) – Bass
Rudie Kingma – Drums

The band are currently back in the studio working on their second album, due for release in 2026. Angelic Forces have built up a loyal fanbase and have played alongside well-known metal acts on stages across Europe.

Time for a dose of pure heavy metal. THE SOUND OF TRUE METAL!

Sad Iron

The Netherlands’ first speed metal band, active since 1981. After a band competition, the verdict was unanimous: Sad Iron belonged among the best. Their first tracks appeared on the split album *Holland Heavy Metal Vol. 1*, which earned the band a day’s studio time – the result: their debut album *Total Damnation*.

Often compared to Raven and Exciter, and with good reason: Sad Iron were among the pioneers of the New Wave of Dutch Heavy Metal. The follow-up, *The Antichrist*, was recorded as early as 1985, but due to record label complications, it didn’t hit the shops until 2016. At the time, *De Volkskrant* described it as “a feel-good record in a class of its own”.

This success caught the attention of the Italian label Wormhole Death, leading to a worldwide contract and the album *Chapter II: The Deal* – recorded in 15 days in Italy, featuring nine tracks brimming with speed, energy and melody.

In 2023, the band joined forces with Burning for the collaborative album *Back To Back*, which was released worldwide and received an enthusiastic reception.

Marcel Paardekooper – Vocals
Bernard Rive – Guitar
Björn Hylkema – Bass
Cor Bolt – Drums

Since then, the band has once again made its mark at events including Heavy Metal Maniacs, Mario’s Metal Meeting, Very Eavy Festival and Schollenpop, and shared the stage with acts such as Raven, Tokyo Blade, Praying Mantis and Satan. No nonsense, just playing – that remains their motto.

More than 40 years on, and still killing it on the metal scene.


Black Knight – 44 Years of Dutch Metal Mastery

Formed in 1982, and a fixture on the Dutch heavy metal scene for over four decades. It all began with pure passion and two demos in the 1980s and early 1990s, culminating in the long-awaited debut album *Tales From the Darkside* (1998, Aeon Records).

Following this success, Black Knight conquered stages across the Benelux, Germany and Bulgaria, followed by the darker and more intense *The Beast Inside* (2007) – an album that cemented their status as Dutch metal pioneers.

Over the years, the line-up changed, as is the case with any band with such a long history. However, drummer and founder Rudo Plooy remained the unshakeable backbone and creative driving force.

2020 saw the release of *Road to Victory*, put out by the German label Pure Steel Records and enthusiastically received by the press and fans alike. The accompanying tour was delayed until 2021 due to the pandemic – the year in which singer David Marcelis left the band to pursue other projects. One of the final performances with this line-up is captured on Black Knight’s first official live DVD.

In 2022, during the German MISE Open Air festival, Henk Overbosch took over as the new frontman. That same year, the band also celebrated its 40th anniversary with the live album *40 Years Live!*.

In July 2025, *The Tower* was released: the heaviest and most progressive album in the band’s history, featuring crushing riffs, compelling melodies and the uncompromising spirit that has defined Dutch heavy metal for decades.

44 years on, and Black Knight is still going strong