New York, NY (Top40 Charts) This year is a serious let down for music lovers -
festivals and concerts have been largely cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19. However, all isn't quite lost. There are more than a few fantastic new online slots that are themed around music and musicians. They're nowhere near as good as being down at the front watching your favourite band but at least it's something!
The Monster of Rock Megaways Slot Brings the Noise to Online Casinos
Relative newcomers to the iGaming industry Storm Gaming Technology released Monsters of Rock Megaways in October last year. As the name suggests, the game is themed around a stadium rock band's performance. You can expect plenty of big riffs, a wild crowd, and even some pyrotechnics to boot!
As well as being a suitably rocking affair, the game is loaded with special features. These include a Free Spins mode and "pick-me" feature. As a Megaways slot, Monsters of Rock doesn't feature win lines along which players must match symbols. Instead, any matching symbols landing on consecutive reels will result in a pay-out. The reel set itself changes dimensions on each spin too. It can be any number between two and seven symbols deep! This create potentially tens of thousands of different ways to win.
As Storm Gaming Technology's second effort at a Megaways slot, we were suitably impressed by the title. We look forward to seeing what other rocking slots the firm might have up its sleeve. If you want to learn more, the playable demo is available at DogSlots and is worth a go.
The Best of the Rest (or More Appropriately Play 'n' Go!)
Sabaton by Play 'n' Go
From classic rock to heavy metal we go, courtesy of the Sabaton online slot. Now, unless you're a metalhead or a Swede, you might not have heard of Sabaton before. Let's quickly bring you up to speed. Sabaton is a five-piece power metal band from Falun, Sweden. The band doesn't focus on dragons and kings like other power metal bands often do. Instead, it's all about modern historical warfare.
The Sabaton slot came as something of a surprise but being fans of all music, we thoroughly welcome it! Play 'n' Go's homage to the popular metal group looks, plays, and most importantly, sounds great!
During the action, we get treated to some of the big solos from the band's insanely talented guitarists, as well as a massive crowd chanting for the rockers. We also hear some excerpts from the group's sizeable back catalogue. Loaded with special features, this one is a must play for all heavy metallers who enjoy a punt on the slots.
Annihilator by Play 'n' Go
Annihilator is a heavy metal and horror themed slot that was released in 2020 by Play 'n' Go. The game features loads of rocking soundbites from the Canadian thrash band Annihilator. Fans of the group are treated to the hit track "Set the World on Fire" from the band's album of the same name.
As well as being loaded with a lot Annihilator imagery, some of the game's special features take place around a spooky haunted house. Heavy metal and horror movies often go hand in hand - they're both pretty satanic at times! The mix of the two pop cultural phenomena goes perfectly here too. Top marks Play 'n' Go!
Testament by Play 'n' Go
We're really not sure what's got into Play 'n' Go in recent years but it seems obvious that there's a heavy metal fan calling at least some of the shots at the company!
Along with Annihilator and Sabaton, US thrashers Testament have also become the subject of one of the firm's casino games. The action on the Testament slot takes place across an unconventional reel set and the artwork is suitably dark and mysterious. Special features include Free Spins, frozen Wilds, and expanding reels.
Like some of the other music-themed slots on our list, the game features original music from the band it's dedicated to. Fans will be pleased to learn that the game has the tune "Rise Up" from the band's 2012 record Dark Roots of Earth, amongst other ripping excerpts on the Testament slot.
Black Mamba by Play 'n' Go
From real life rockers to fictional ones. Black Mamba by Play 'n' Go is another great music-themed slot that follows the antics of a young rock band hoping to make it big. Different members represent various features during the game and a non-orthodox collapsing dynamic makes the action feel really fresh - even on repeat visits.
The gameplay might be an absolute winner here but unfortunately, the soundtrack is more from a warmup act that one of the headliners above. The fictional Black Mamba rely on generic riffs and lyrics, and to be honest, their vocalist really isn't up to much. That said, for a novel and unique slot experience, we strongly recommend giving this title a go.
Banana Rock by Play 'n' Go
The final musical slot that's come out in the last year or so worth mentioning is Banana Rock by Play 'n' Go. This one is another fictional musical group only this time they're primates!
The star of the show here is a monkey with a large grin and a set of Kanye glasses on. We can only presume this character is the band's vocalist with style like that. The title's higher value symbols are each represented by a different musical monkey - there's the guitarist, bassist, drummer, and keyboard. Overall, the original artwork for the game is absolutely great and gives it a real feel of its own.
The soundtrack to Banana Rock isn't as heavy as the noises on either Testament, Sabaton, or Annihilator, but the tunes are suitably funky. It's much more likely to get your head nodding along to the beat than the Black Mamba slot is too!
Special features on Banana Rock slot include a Free Spins mode (with multipliers), the Rock 'n' Roll Respin, and massive stacked high value symbols. Play 'n' Go gives it an RTP rating of almost 97% too!
More Rock Slots Please!
Outside of the frankly great Monsters of Rock Megaways slot, all the new musical slots we've come across recently have been by Play 'n' Go. We're not complaining because the company does make some fantastic slot and aren't afraid to try something new. However, in the interest of balance (and just more rock slots), we'd love to see a few other slot developers offer some new musical slots too.
Until this last year or so, the musical slot offerings serving the iGaming market were pretty limited. Although great games, the likes of Guns 'n' Roses, Motorhead, and Jimi Hendrix slots do get boring after a while. We're ecstatic to have some more options to get stuck into - particularly with no sign of the return of live music in sight yet!
