HOT NEW REVIEWS
| LUCA TURILLI 'DEMONHEART' (LIMB
MUSIC/SUBURBAN) This EP of LUCA TURILLI contains a few songs that will not be included on his new full-length CD that will be released on the 28th of October. 6 songs are included on the EP, and the real interesting non-album tracks are the fast uptempo Power Metal piece "Black realms majesty", the short instrumental "Rondeau in C Minor", the edited version of "Home of the Nordic twilight" (from his solo-debut) and closing track "I'm alive" (HELLOWEEN cover, also released on the 'Keepers of Jericho' tribute compilation CD). The other 2 songs, "Prophet of the last eclipse" (edited version) and titletrack "Demonheart" can also be found on Luca's upcoming 2nd full-length solo CD 'Prophet of the last eclipse'. This EP however is still a must for the fans of Luca and Rhapsody! Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 SHADOWKEEP 'A CHAOS THEORY' (LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN) SHADOWKEEP is one of the few British Melodic Metal bands, and with 'A chaos theory' they have managed to release a wonderful album that is as good as (for example) THRESHOLD. No other than Karl Groom, guitarist from THRESHOLD, produced the CD, and he gave this CD a really HUGE sound! Although sometimes the band sounds a bit like THRESHOLD, SHADOWKEEP has a sound of their own that sounds like an updated version of 80s US Power/Prog Metal (early QUEENSRYCHE, CRIMSON GLORY, SYRIS, early FATES WARNING). The 10 included songs (not counting the few short intro's) are all very good sensational melodic Power/Prog Metal pieces in the style of mentioned bands, yet with an own twist. Highlights are "Seventeen" (Classic 80s US Metal meets THRESHOLD), "Beware the signs" (great melodic prog metal), "Thorns and a rose" (lovely semi-ballad with beautiful melodic chorus) and "Chaosgenesis" (hello 80s QUEENSRYCHE, fantastic midtempo Prog Metal). This album is a must for fans of melodic prog metal and anyone who thinks real Metal is dead in the UK must listen to SHADOWKEEP's new album 'A chaos theory'! Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| CRY HAVOC 'FUEL THAT FEEDS THE
FIRE' (CHAVIS RECORDS) For several years the UK band CRY HAVOC has tried to release a full-length CD on a decent label. I have reviewed lots of demotapes of them, but now they finally have released their first CD. The album is titled 'Fuel that feeds the fire' and it has been released on the American label CHAVIS RECORDS. It has been sometime ago since I last discussed a sensational melodic rockalbum from the UK, but this debut CD of CRY HAVOC can easily be called a high quality melodic rock release that can compete with the likes of TYKETTO, SHY, HARDLINE and HAREM SCAREM. The album contains 11 tracks, of which my favourites are "I'll be there" (lovely midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock), "Forever once again" (good strong uptempo melodic hardrock), "Rescue me" (beautiful semi AOR ballad a la PROPHET and WHITE SISTER), "No way out" (great midtempo melodic hardrock), "Heart on my sleeve" (nice uptempo melodic rocker) and closing track "Fuel that feeds the fire" (very good midtempo melodic hardrock). All fans of melodic rock/aor can easily buy this release, because it's as good as most MTM, FRONTIERS, ESCAPE and Z RECORDS releases. More info at: http://www.chavisrecords.com Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| MANTICORA 'HYPERION' (SCARLET
RECORDS) 'Hyperion' is the third CD of the Danish Progressive/Power Metal band MANTICORA. The band is playing your typical Power Metal, but one thing sets them apart from other bands. The lead vocals are not always that perfect. It's not that lead singer Lars Larsen is singing badly, but he's one of those vocalists you either love or hate. Anyway, the new CD of MANTICORA contains mostly high quality melodic Prog/Power Metal, somewhere between ROYAL HUNT and HAMMERFALL. Highlights are "Flaments of armageddon" (fast uptempo melodic power metal with very melodic prog metal parts), "Cantos" (great uptempo melodic power metal a la HAMMERFALL, with a nice keyboardsolo), "A long farewell" (another great uptempo power metal piece) and closing track "Loveterna-loveternal…" (fast power metal with guest appearance by a fantastic singing female vocalist). In the world of Power Metal there are many new releases nowadays and I wouldn't say this MANTICORA has released the best one, but for die-hard fans of the genre it's an easy target, but if you're only interested in simply the best, then you might better first listen to this record before purchasing it… Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 JEFF SCOTT SOTO 'PRISM' (FRONTIERS
RECORDS)JEFF SCOTT SOTO is the lead singer who has the reputation of being the lead singer on so many records, ranging from the early albums of MALMSTEEN, AXEL RUDI PELL, KUNI, TAKARA, EYES, TALISMAN to HUMAN CLAY and HUMANIMAL more recently. He also sang on moviesoundtracks ('Rock star' and 'Rich girl") and did a lot of backing vocals on many records. Besides all the bands he sang with, he also was able to build up a solo career. His first solo-CD 'Love parade' was released 7 years ago, and now there's 'Prism'. His new solo-CD is filled with high quality AOR/Melodic Rock a la TALISMAN, EYES and TAKARA, with a strong AOR influence. All songs were written by Jeff himself, and the list of musicians is quite extensive, although most of them are also members of Jeff's bands and projects. The album contains 11 tracks and a great video of the song "Eyes of love". "Eyes of love" is also the opening track of Jeff's new solo-CD. This first song is a fantastic classy 80s super catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker, and maybe one of the best songs I've heard Jeff singing the past few years. Although the rest of the CD is also very good, "Eyes of love" remains to be the best song, and is also the only uptempo rocker. The videoclip is very professional and if it was up to me, it would be played all day on MTV! Anyway, other highlights on the CD are the semi AOR ballads "Heaven knows", "Holding on", "Till the end of time" and "Don't walk away" and the midtempo AOR song "Don't come easy". I also must not forget to mention the cover "I want to take you higher" which features Glenn Hughes as guest singer. Without any doubts, this album is a must for all AOR/Melodic Rockfans, and of course the fans of JEFF SCOTT SOTO. I only had hoped for more uptempo rockers like that fantastic opening track "Eyes of love". Nevertheless, this is a recommended high quality release! Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| MARK BOALS 'EDGE OF THE WORLD'
(FRONTIERS RECORDS) MARK BOALS is best known as lead singer on a couple of MALMSTEEN albums, but he also released great records under the moniker RING OF FIRE and his solo-CD 'Ring of fire'. Now Mark has released a fantastic new CD entitled 'Edge of the world'. The album is slightly different than all his earlier work, because 'Edge of the world' is a very melodic Progressive Metal record that reminds me of ARTENSION. This is partly due to the musicians appearing on the new CD of Mark. No other than ERIK NORLANDER (the keyboardhero from LANA LANE's backing band), drummer VINNY APPICE (DIO) and guitarist TONY MACALPINE are playing the instruments on the CD. 12 songs are included and with a playing time of more than 1 hour you really get worth your money. My favourite tracks are "Fly" (great strong midtempo progressive melodic rocker with many keys), "World on fire" (very impressive prog metal), "Lady Babylon" (again many great keys by Erik Norlander, song itself is an excellent melodic prog metal piece with a lot of pleasant melodies) and the progressive melodic rocker "Garden of pain". Last track "Hold on to your love" is different than the rest of the CD, as this is a great typical 80s uptempo melodic rocker a la SHY! Furthermore this is a highly recommended Progressive Metal album that will be loved by fans of ARTENSION, LANA LANE, MALMSTEEN… Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 ANARION 'THE JOURNEY
BEGINS…' (INDEPENDENT)This band is coming out of Dallas and then I am not talking about the American City, because ANARION hail from Australia where there's also a place called Dallas. Anyway, some time ago I reviewed the Australian band BLACK STEEL, a sensational melodic power metal band, well, this ANARION is as good as BLACK STEEL. They play a similar style and their first full-length CD 'The journey begins…' is also very sensational. Not only the included 9 songs are quite excellent, it's also lead singer Riccardo Mecchi who actually steals the show here with his fantastic melodic voice. The production is also quite good for an independent release, so nothing will stand in my way to give this band a big recommendation. Now let's talk about the songs, because they need to be mentioned here. Like I said, ANARION reminds me a lot of BLACK STEEL, but also comparisons to PEGAZUS can easily be made. The band is playing a mixture of typical traditional Euro-Power Metal and 80s type of US Power/Progressive Metal (early QUEENSRYCHE, CRIMSON GLORY). Unlike many other Prog/Power Metal bands, ANARION doesn't have a keyboardplayer in their line-up, but the music is still very melodic, although some songs feature heavy guitar riffs. Highlights on the CD are "Space-time" (great uptempo melodic Power Metal, very European style), "My own" (fantastic prog/power metal, very melodic!), "Kingdom of stone" (excellent uptempo melodic heavy rock/metal with super strong melodies), "Hidden mind" (great semi prog metal a la early FATES WARNING, QUEENSRYCHE, SYRIS, CRIMSON GLORY…) and "Life of descent" (very good fast uptempo Euro-Power Metal). This is a very impressive band. Highly recommended to fans of quality power metal! More info at: http://www.anarion.musicpage.com and e-mail them at: anarion_metal@hotmail.com Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 PYRAMID 'GAUDI'S LEGACY' (LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC/BERTUS) Out of the fantastic city of Barcelona comes PYRAMID, a great progressive metal band. They have just released their new CD 'Gaudi's legacy'. This CD is a concept album about the legendary artist Antonio Gaudi, who created all those beautiful buildings in Barcelona. The music of PYRAMID is quality Progressive Metal with high-pitched lead vocals (a la TNT) and catchy melodic choruses, although the songstructures are sometimes quite complex and very progressive. The band reminds me a lot of ELEGY and CONSORTIUM PROJECT. Like I said it's a concept album, and so the themes are all based around Gaudi. The best songs are "Sons of Gaudi" (fantastic uptempo melodic prog metal, 12 minutes playing length), "La pedrera" (great Prog Metal with a very melodic chorus) and "Welcome to the community WTHC" (lovely prog metal with stunning melodic chorus and influences from pure 70s Progressive Rock in the instrumental part). This is a high-class prog metal release with a HUGE sound, comparable with ELEGY, TNT and CONSORTIUM PROJECT. Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| CENTURION 'NON PLUS ULTRA'
(SCARLET RECORDS) This Italian band has already released 2 albums, and so this 'Non plus ultra' is their third album, but after hearing the new album I did not become interested in hearing the previous albums of the band. CENTURION is playing pure Heavy Metal like a mix between JUDAS PRIEST circa late 1980s and ACCEPT. At times, it sounds a lot like these bands, but the band's lead singer Germano Quintaba can't sing a decent note, which sets them apart from those bands (although Rob Halford and Udo Dirkschneider also aren't really good singers, but don't sing false like this guy of CENTURION does). Besides, the songs are also very average and sometimes a pure copy of original JUDAS PRIEST or ACCEPT songs. Maybe a fan of pure Metal like PRIEST/ACCEPT/GRAVE DIGGER might like this, but I must warn you that this is more like a Metal record without a face! Rating: 6/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| REQUIEM 'THE ARRIVAL' (SOUND
RIOT RECORDS) REQUIEM is another new Finish band playing quality Power Metal in the style of STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA… However the band has sometimes an own approach of the traditional Power Metal, which you can hear on the first song "Revival". This song is nice uptempo melodic power metal, but has some vocal changes during the song (high and low/raw). Happily, most of the other songs on the CD showcase the good melodic high-pitched vocals of singer Jouni Nikula, instead of the few growls he does on that first song. The real highlights on the debut CD of REQUIEM are "Broken alliance" (great uptempo melodic power metal a la STRATOVARIUS), "Whispers" (uptempo melodic prog metal with nice keyboardwork) and the superb "The invisible touch" (the best song by far, fast and catchy, although very much like STRATOVARIUS). A few ups and down on the first CD, but nevertheless, this REQUIEM is one of many young new quality Finish Power Metalbands. Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| SYLVAN 'ARTIFICIAL
PARADISE' (POINT MUSIC) The German Progressive Rockband SYLVAN has already released 2 CD's, and with every release they become better. This new CD is another great record of the band, although I must add the band has clearly made some changes in their music approach. The lead vocals are pretty good, and sound better than on their earlier records. The music however is calmer than before, and there are even some 'modern' touches here and there. The band sounds like a mix between modern MARILLION and JADIS. Most of the songs are quite modest in the beginning, but develop into strong melodic prog/aor songs with beautiful melodies. There aren't any rockers on the album, except maybe the semi-rocker "I still believe". Basically what you get is a good laid-back album that combines soft AOR with modest Progressive Rock. The first 5 songs are definitely the strongest songs on the album. Songs like "That's why it hurts", "Strange emotion" and "Human apologies" are good calmer epic melodic (semi) progrockballads like JADIS meets modern MARILLION. My favourite track is definitely the song "Timeless traces" with its strong AORish chorus. Fans of SYLVAN can easily purchase the band's new CD 'Artificial paradise'. More info at: http://www.sylvan.de Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| METHARIA 'DEMO CDR' (DEMO
CDR) Out of Italy comes METHARIA, and their CD is filled with music I would like to define as a mixture of progressive Metal and Nu-Metal. Especially the lead vocals are more in the Nu-Metal style, so not everything is interesting on their demo. However, the semi-ballads "Come un' oasi", "Il buio della tempesta" and "Di notte" are quite good, a bit reminding me of PAIN AND SALVATION. On the other hand, songs like "Il risveglio delle idee" and "Bestia deul ro" are pure Nu-Metal songs. I don't know what to do with this band, but if they drop the NU-Metal influences and continue making Prog Metal (like on opener "Wakiny an Tauka") it could become more interesting. Now they are only interesting for fans of Nu-Metal. More info at: http://www.metharia.net and e-mail them at: infoband@metharia.net Rating: - (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| AFTERSHOK 'UNFINISHED
BUSINESS' (DEMO CDR) I don't have much into on this American band AFTERSHOK, but what I do know is that their independent CD 'Unfinished business' is a high-class melodic metal record. The 10 songs on the album are pure 80s US Melodic Metal pieces with a high-class sound and production. The music reminds me of VIRGIN STEELE, TWISTED TOWER DIRE, DIO, IMPELLITERRI, KEEL, LEATHERWOLF, but most of all the legendary US Metalband WARRIOR on their debut LP 'Fightin' for the earth'. If you like that last mentioned record, then AFTERSHOK is a total must for you to check out. Highlights on the album are the midtempo melodic heavy rocker "Remember", the uptempo metal of "Beware of the night", the fantastic uptempo melodic hardrocksong "Yesterday's gone" (a la LEATHERWOLF) and the strong opener "Armed and dangerous". There are also some ACCEPT influences notable (such as on "War machine"). Anyway, fans of classic 80s US Melodic Metal can easily buy this album. More info at: http://www.aftershok.com Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| NERONIA 'PROMO CDR' (PROMO
CDR) This German band has an interesting back-up story, because they were formed in 1993 and under the moniker ULYSSES managed to release an album that was produced by KARL GROOM (THRESHOLD, SHADOWLAND ) and CLIVE NOLAN (PENDRAGON, ARENA). After the release of the album on INSIDE OUT MUSIC, it became quiet and now many years later, the band has changed their name into NERONIA, and hired a new lead singer (Falk Ullmann from TIPSY SLUT). The CDR they sent me contains 4 tracks and can easily be seen as a quality record. The music is a mixture of progressive rock and melodic rock a la SAGA and early RUSH, with high-pitched vocals a la AXXIS. Songs like the midtempo progressive rocker "Snow angels", the uptempo melodic rocker "In the mirror" and the melodic rockballad "Frost" are very nice. Good band, and definitely a promise for the future, more info at: http://www.neronia.net and e-mail them at: info@neronia.net Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| PROMISED LIE 'EPISODE TWO'
(ANDROMEDA RECORDS) The Italian band PROMISED LIE sent me their new CD. The CD has a great big sound and especially the first 2 songs are sensational high quality Progressive Rock/Metal songs. Opener "09" is a great midtempo melodic progressive metal song like early DREAM THEATER. And next track "Call it life" is a lovely semi melodic progressive rockballad with a very strong chorus. Those first 2 songs are really great and I expected the whole CD to sound like this, but unfortunately the following 3 songs are nothing special. "Supperman" is a weak song, while "me and the turtle" (groovy) and the ballad "Sometimes it hurts" are also quite average. Happily, the songs "The show goes on" (uptempo melodic rocker) and the QUEENSRYCHE cover "Operation mindcrime" are pretty good again. Still, it's a pity why the band didn't continue the high level of the first 2 songs, because those tunes deserve 9 out of 10 points if you ask me the score! Nevertheless, you can still check out the new CD of PROMISED LIE, but I hope next time for some more Progressive Rock/Metal like the first 2 songs. Check out their site at: http://www.promisedlie.it Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| KINGDOM COME 'INDEPENDENT'
(ULFTONE MUSIC/BERTUS) I have never been a big fan of this band, but they always came up with decent quality releases. Their new CD however is a change in musicstyle, as the band is now playing pure 'modern' rock. The only good song is closing track "Easy talkin' hardline", an uptempo rocker. The CD will be released soon, but apart from the KINGDOM COME fans, I can hardly recommend this average rockalbum. Rating: 4/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 VIRGIN STEELE 'VIRGIN STEELE' (T&T RECORDS/SANCTUARY RECORDS/SUBURBAN) The first two albums of the American band VIRGIN STEELE were always 'collector's items', but now finally both have been re-issued onto CD, and both include lots of bonustracks, making these 'new' CDs of VIRGIN STEELE a must for all fans of the band. After listening to both albums, I realised that in the beginning VIRGIN STEELE had a style of their own. The mixed Heavy Metal, Pomprock, NWOBHM, Melodic Hardrock and Progressive Metal into one exciting style. The 2nd album 'Guardians of the flame' is probably their best effort, but their same titled debut album from 1982 (originally released on MUSIC FOR NATIONS as the first release on that back then newly founded 'Metal' recordlabel) is the start of VIRGIN STEELE. The CD version includes the 10 original tracks and 8 unreleased bonustracks. It was pretty clear that JACK STARR decided how VIRGIN STEELE would sound like those days, because the music on 'Virgin steele' is only a cry away from what JACK STARR later did on his solo records. The best songs are "American girl" (great 'Commercial' uptempo Melodic Hardrock), "Still in love with you" (fantastic pure 80s uptempo melodic Hardrock) and "Virgin steele" (great Progressive Metal a la early FATES WARNING). Especially that last track showed that VIRGIN STEELE was ahead of it's time, because the closest thing to Progressive Metal back then was RUSH! From the bonusmaterial on this CD I urge you to check out the song "The lesson", a fantastic uptempo Pomp Metal song (a la RAIL), with a very catchy chorus and even a keyboardsolo! The 2nd album 'Guardians of the flame' however is the best VIRGIN STEELE record, so read the review of that re-issued album below… Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 VIRGIN STEELE 'GUARDIANS OF THE
FLAME' (T&T RECORDS/SANCTUARY RECORDS/SUBURBAN) 'Guardians of the flame' is one of the best VIRGIN STEELE records ever, but it also marked the end of the collaboration between the two original members, JACK STARR (guitarist) and DAVID DEFEIS (lead vocalist/keyboardist). The album had a much better production than their debut, which can clearly be heard in the big sound of the included songs of the album on this CD. Besides the original songs of the album 'Guardians of the flame', this CD also included 5 bonustracks (also counting an interview and blues metal experiment). The album itself contained very impressive strong Melodic Hardrock/Metal that reminds me somehow of RAIL! Highlights were "Don't say goodbye (tonight)" (awesome commercial high quality uptempo melodic hardrock), "Guardians of the flame" (very good midtempo epic progressive/pomp melodic metal with keyboardsolo), "Metal city" (uptempo melodic heavy rock) and "A cry in the night" (great semi melodic rockballad). From the included bonustracks I really liked the uptempo melodic hardrocksongs "I am the one" and "Wait for the night". This re-issue is a total must for all VIRGIN STEELE fans, but also if you never heard the first 2 albums of this band from New York then do check 'em out, as they contain totally different Hardrock/Metal than the stuff they later released! Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| LILLIAN AXE 'LIVE 2002' (RED AND
GOLD ENTERTAINMENT/BERTUS) I always liked the melodic hardrockband LILLIAN AXE. They had a sound of their own, and this new Live-CD proves they were (and still are) one of the best pure Melodic Hardrockbands. Their sound was somewhat in the style of DOKKEN, ICON, LION, TESLA and LEATHERWOLF, yet with an own approach. With a back catalogue of 6 studio-CDs, it was definitely time to do a live record, and so LILLIAN AXE recorded a concert they gave in Houston, Texas on May 4th, 2002 and released it as a double-CD. The CD contains 21 tracks, and clearly shows a strong band performing catchy rough melodic hardrocksongs with clean hooks and choruses, exceptional brilliant lead vocals (Ron Taylor) and a big guitarsound (Steve Blaze and Sam Poitevent). From the first few seconds until the very end of this double-CD its all quality stuff what we hear. Highlights are uptempo melodic rockers like "Misery loves company", "All's fair in love + war", "Dream of a lifetime" and "True believer", and semi melodic rockers such as "Innocence", "The world stopped turning" (beautiful hooks and chorus), "Waiting in the dark" and "Ghost of winter". Also worth mentioning is the ballad "Nobody knows", a crowd-favourite which also teaches us how good lead vocalist Steve Blaze can sing. What more can I say! This CD is a must for all LILLIAN AXE fans, but also recommended if you want to hear how good solid melodic hardrock should sound! Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 THE FLOWER KINGS 'UNFOLD THE FUTURE'
(INSIDE OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC)Swedish Progkings THE FLOWER KINGS return with a new CD, their 8th album since their start in 1995. This time they produced a double CD with a playing length of more than 140 minutes! Although at some points you might think this is more quantity than quality, THE FLOWER KINGS getaway with such long playing lengths. The Progressive Rock of the band is going a step further than their earlier recordings with the introduction of other music styles into their music. Especially the 2nd CD is introducing musicstyles like Jazz, Blues and Latino rhythms into the songs of the band. I rather hear the pure Progressive Rock on CD1 that is just pure THE FLOWER KINGS. That first disc also contains the highlights of the new album, such as opener "The truth will set you free" (30 minutes counting song! A great classy Progressive Rocker that combines the best of YES and THE FLOWER KINGS) and good Progressive Rocksongs such as "Monkey business", "Black and white" and "Silent inferno". Fans of THE FLOWER KINGS will most love that first CD, because the 2nd CD shows a very different and experimental side of the band. For example, songs like "Grand old world", "Soul vortex" and "Man overboard" are very Pop orientated pieces, while the instrumental "The devils danceschool" is pure Jazz. On the other hand a song like "Rollin the dice" is a bit early 70s Psychedelic Rock with a LED ZEPPELIN flair. Most notable song on disc 2 is the closing track "Devils playground", a 25-minutes counting epic Progressive Rocksong. Conclusion is that the new CD of THE FLOWER KINGS has two faces, the typical FLOWER KINGS Progressive Rock on CD1 and the experimental sound on CD2. The fans of the band will probably love the new album a lot, but if you're a progrockfan not all songs will appeal to you, but why complain, because with more than 2 1/2 hours of new music FLOWER KINGS are spoiled once again! Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| TOMAS BODIN 'PINUP GURU' (INSIDE
OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC) It is a busy time for fans of THE FLOWER KINGS, because the band just released a 2-CD set with more than 140 minutes of music. Furthermore there is a CD of a side-project called KARMAKANIC that features 2 FLOWER KINGS members. And also the keyboardplayer has released a solo-CD. Tomas Bodin is his name and the CD he has released is called 'Pinup guru'. Unlike KARMAKANIC, Tomas didn't release a record in the style of his own band. The music on 'Pinup guru' is instrumental progressive rock with some experimental movements (with Arabic and Spanish influences), ending up sounding a bit like EMERSON, LAKE and PALMER. The best songs are the uptempo pieces "Harlem heat" and "The last eagle". A nice album, but not as good as the new releases of FLOWER KINGS and KARMAKANIC. Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| RYO OKUMOTO 'COMING THROUGH'
(INSIDE OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC) RYO OKUMOTO is the keyboardplayer of SPOCK'S BEARD, and now he has released his third solo-CD. The album features lead singers like NEAL MORSE, GLENN HUGHES and BOBBY KIMBALL, and furthermore musicians like STEVE LUKATHER (guitar) and SIMON PHILLIPS (drums). With such musicians included on an album, you're certain about the quality of the record. However, it is not really a sensational CD, because the groovy progressive rock of most of the songs is just nice to hear, but nothing more. Songs like "Godzilla vs. King Ghidarah", "Slipping down" and "Highway roller" are examples of this groovy prog. rocksound. "Slipping down" is one of the better tracks, with Bobby Kimball on vocals, this song reminds me of TOTO. The best songs however are the AOR ballad "Coming through" (a la RICHARD MARX/TOTO) and the 19-minute epic "Close enough" (prog rock with many keyboardsolo's). Fans of SPOCK'S BEARD might want to check this CD out… Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| MENIKETTI 'MENIKETTI'
(DREAMCATCHER RECORDS/SUBURBAN) Guitarist/Vocalist Dave Meniketti, formerly Y AND T leader, has finally released his first solo-CD. The album is definitely much better than the last couple of Y&T albums. In fact, on his first solo-CD, Dave grabs back to the 80s sound of his former band, so we get to hear good quality bluesy melodic hardrock with balls and a lot of clean melodies in the chorus lines. The album sounds like a mixture between Y&T's album 'Ten' and JEFF PARIS, so there's also some AOR on this record. There are 13 tracks on the CD, and with a playing length of 60 minutes you get worth your money. The album starts with the straight-ahead rough rocker "Messin' with Mr. Big", a pure 80s song like AC/DC meets SAMMY HAGAR. Next track "No lies" is a slow bluesy melodic (semi) rockballad with a great AORish chorus. Then comes the fantastic "Hard as I try", a melodic rockballad with a very strong chorus in the Classic Y&T style ("I believe in you"). The midtempo melodic rocker "Tough luck avenue" follows, and sits nicely in a JEFF PARIS style. One of the highlights of the disc has got to be the pure 80s uptempo melodic rocker "I remember", a classy tune reminding of the good old Y&T days (like "Don't wanna lose your love"). If Dave had put more songs in this style on the CD, this album would have been a near classic. Nevertheless, this is still a surprisingly great record, because further we can hear an additional 4 sensational (semi) melodic rockballads, namely "It's over", "I can't take it", "Lay me down" and "Take my time". I really had not expect anything good from Dave, because Y&T hasn't released a decent record since the late 1980s, but with this new solo-CD, former Y&T lead singer/guitarist Dave Meniketti proves he can also make good music on his own. Highly recommended to fans of classic Y&T! Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| KARMAKANIC 'ENTERING THE
SPECTRA' (REGAIN RECORDS/SUBURBAN) KARMAKANIC is a new
project formed around FLOWER KINGS members Jonas Reingold
and Roine Stolt and one of the best Swedish lead singers
ever, Goran Edman, who sang with MALMSTEEN, STREET TALK
and many others. The music on their debut 'Entering the
spectra' is clearly Progressive Rock with a definite 70s
approach, ending up sounding like SPOCK'S BEARD,
TRANSATLANTIC, YES and THE FLOWER KINGS ofcourse. Some of
the songs are very complex, while others are a bit more
straightforward prog. The highlights on the disc are
"The spirit remains the same" (excellent
melodic prog rock with superb lead vocals and a lovely
melodic chorus), "Is this the end?" (great
melodic prog rock, HUGE SOUND!) and the Progressive AOR
rockers (a la SAGA) "Space race no. 3" and
"The man in thee moon cries". Fans of THE
FLOWER KINGS and YES will totally love the 12-minutes
counting titletrack that opens the CD. Basically, this is
a quality progressive Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| CRISIS DE FE 'EN COMPANIA DE
LOBOS' (METAL GATEWAY) Out of Valencia, Spain comes CRISIS DE FE and their debut (?) CD 'En compania de lobos' is a very sensational melodic metal record (with Spanish lyrics) that is as good as fellow bands like TIERRA SANTA, AVALANCH, SARATOGA… The band has a great lead singer (Juampo), and the CD has a powerful melodic sound that has clear 80s references (MAIDEN guitarstyle). This is definitely a high quality release! Most of the songs are uptempo melodic metal pieces, of which my favourites are "Esquiz ofrenia", "Deja vu", "En compana de lobos", "Mares de ambicion" (excellent chorus), "El hijo del sol" (song with beautiful calmer parts and an uptempo classy 80s melodic metal sound a la MAIDEN) and closing track "Tiempos de gloria". From the first seconds until the last bits of this CD it's all high quality melodic metal what we hear, so people who like bands such as TIERRA SANTA, AVALANCH, RATA BLANCA, SARATOGA etc. will love this band as well. More info at: http://www.metal-gateway.com or http://www.crisisdefe.com and e-mail them at: informacion@crisisdefe.com Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| EDEN SPIRIT 'DEMO CDR' (DEMO
CDR) Out of France comes yet another
sensational band. The band is called EDEN SPIRIT and
their 3-track CDR contains high quality super melodic
progressive metal (a bit like MANIGANCE). The 3 songs are
all around 7 minutes long, and besides being impressive
songs, also the production is quite good for a demo CDR.
The songs are titled "Another world" (uptempo
progressive melodic heavy rock), "A never ending
story" (excellent guitarwork in this uptempo prog
melodic rocker) and "Cleomedes" (great melodic
prog metal). The band also has a very good melodic lead
singer (guitarist Nicolas Godefray), so Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 ARILYN 'TOMORROW NEVER
COMES' (QUIXOTE MUSIC) ARILYN comes out of Ludwigshafen, Germany, and their CD 'Tomorrow never comes' was quite an experience for me, as it contains many various rock/metal styles, but from start to finish it's all excellent and impressive. The band is playing a mixture of AOR, Sympho, Melodic Rock and Progressive Metal. On the first 4 songs they sound very much like FOR ABSENT FRIENDS, while the following songs (5-8) are pure melodic Progressive Metal a la TIME MACHINE, ARTENSION, 80s QUEENSRYCHE, and the last 5 songs are then again calmer AOR/Melodic Rock Ballad orientated. Nevertheless, all included 13 songs are very good, and I enjoyed listening to this album that has a playing time of more than 1 hour, so definitely value for your money. The band has a good lead singer (bassist Christian Kulbs), and all these various styles result in an own style for ARILYN, and believe me, a very good rockstyle that combines the best of the genres we believe in! 'Tomorrow never comes' is a high-class release that is recommended to fans of both AOR/Sympho and Prog Metal! The best songs are "Far away" (fantastic Symphonic AOR, very much like FOR ABSENT FRIENDS, with a superb catchy melodic AOR chorus), "Adventurer" (great melodic prog metal a la TIME MACHINE, BALANCE OF POWER, ARTENSION), "Nameless" (very good semi prog metal with after 4 minutes a great uptempo melodic chorus, song sounds like SYRIS, CRIMSON GLORY and 80s QUEENSRYCHE), "Mindeater" (catchy 80s uptempo melodic rocker) and the melodic rockballads "Return", "Rescue me", "Reach you" and "Foreign shores" (nice keyboardsolo). It is clear that this is a recommended CD, so go to the band's website for more info at: http://www.quiXote-music.de and e-mail them at: info@quiXote-music.de Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| GLASS HAMMER 'LEX REX' (ARION
RECORDS) The American Progressive Rockband GLASS HAMMER returns with a new CD entitled 'Lex rex'. Just like their earlier albums, also this new CD is filled with high quality non-American Progressive Rock. Again GLASS HAMMER prove also bands outside the UK can make pure 70s Progressive Rock. Of course there are clear links to YES, but the band has an own identity. Just listen to songs like "Tales of the great wars", "One king", "Further up further in" and "When we were young" and you'll understand why GLASS HAMMER is one of the best American Progressive Rockbands ever. This is how pure Progressive Rock should sound like! In fact, I think this album is stronger than the recent YES CD, so you know what to expect when purchasing this record. More info at: http://www.glasshammer.com and e-mail them at: Audio111@aol.com Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 SHAMAN 'RITUAL' (NTS
RECORDS)SHAMAN is a new Brazilian band, with none-other than lead singer ANDRE MATOS in the line-up. Andre used to sing with ANGRA, but has now found a new band. And I must say that SHAMAN has released a fantastic CD. Musically it is not that far away from ANGRA, although SHAMAN sometimes is going into a more Melodic Rock sound. Happily, it all sounds perfect and we can conclude that this is a strong album by SHAMAN. There are some guest appearances, including Tobias Sammet (EDGUY/AVANTASIA) who sings on 1 song a duet with Andre. Anyway, my favourite tracks of the 10 included are "Here I am" (great catchy uptempo melodic Power Metal a la ANGRA), "For tomorrow" (fantastic melodic Progressive Metal a la VANDENPLAS, with a very strong chorus), "Fairy tale" (very nice epic ballad), "Blind spell" (superb uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker), "Ritual" (uptempo Progressive Metal) and closing track "Pride" (fast Power Metal). I can easily recommend this CD to anyone who likes typical quality Euro-Power Metal with a strong melodic approach! harrag.nts@wanadoo.fr Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 VARIOUS ARTISTS 'TRIBUTE TO BOSTON'
(ESCAPE MUSIC)BOSTON was one of the first real melodic rockbands. They started in the early 1970s and their debut from 1976 became a multi-million megaseller. It was the start of melodic rock, as BOSTON had developed a style that combined the heaviness of KISS, the melodies of STYX and URIAH HEEP and some of the Bluesy Hardrock of BAD COMPANY and LED ZEPPELIN. But most of all it was the creativity of bandleader TOM SCHOLZ who decided in his own basement how BOSTON would sound. He created the BOSTON sound that actually sounded like no other band at that time and still it has a sound of it's own. It is Rock, it is melodic and it is BOSTON! But it is also clear that without BOSTON, the melodic rockscene would never have brought us so many other great bands. ESCAPE MUSIC has now released a tribute to the legendary BOSTON, and I have to say I am very impressed. Without a doubt, this is by far one of the best Tribute albums ever released. This is a real quality tribute release! Musicians involved are guitarists VINNY BURNS, RONNIE LE TEKRO, TOMMY DENANDER, STEVE MORRIS, drummer Frank Baker, bassist Tim Hewitt and keyboardplayer DON AIREY. These are all professional well-known musicians and they have done a great job. But also the list of vocalists is quite impressive, because none other than STEVE OVERLAND (FM), TERRY BROCK (STRANGEWAYS) and newcomer TIMOTHY LEWIS are singing 1 or more songs. Other singers include Peter Sundell, Chris Ousey, Sean Harris and Tony O'Hara. 12 songs are covered, and of course you can hear all the BOSTON classics, such as "Amanda", "Rock'n'roll band", "More than a feeling", "It's easy", "Peace of mind", "Can'tcha say" and "Don't look back". This is the ultimate BOSTON tribute, and like I already said the best tribute ever! Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 BAD SISTER 'LIVE' (MINI MUM
RECORDS)In the late 1980s there were many bands in Germany playing AOR/Melodic Rock. I could easily mention a few hundred, but among others I must mention bands like AIDEAN, KARO, CRAAFT, DOMINOE, BONFIRE, VICE, LAOS, ROUGH and also the female fronted AOR band BAD SISTER. This band released 2 great LPs, and then vanished into obscurity. But now in the year 2002 the band is back with a new release. It's not really a new release, because the live concert on 'Live' dates back to 1990, but still it's a new CD release of BAD SISTER. 12 songs are included, and all their great songs are included, with as highlights the uptempo AOR rocker "Catriona" (with such a catchy chorus and keyboardwork), the semi-ballad "Desperate heart" (HEART meets VIXEN) and "For you" (another stunning uptempo fun 1980s type of AOR). 6 years ago they split up, but now BAD SISTER is back, and this 'Live' CD is probably only the beginning. If you missed their first 2 releases, then get yourself a copy of this Live CD as it contains fantastic female fronted AOR/Melodic Rock a la WITNESS, LAOS, HEAT… More info at: www.badsister-rock.com Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| STAR QUEEN 'FAITHBRINGER' (LION
MUSIC/BERTUS) STAR QUEEN is the brainchild of Stella Tormanoff, a singer/songwriter from Yugoslavia. On her debut CD she is helped by musicians from Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden and Greece, so it has a strong international approach. LARS ERIC MATTSSON produced the album. Although the included songs are mostly nice Prog/Power Metal pieces with a Gothic influence, kinda like NIGHTWISH, I am afraid this isn't the strongest release on LION MUSIC. Stella has a voice you either love or hate, because she changes singing high and low every few seconds, with an accent (like DORO), but also screams sometimes (a la NINA HAGEN!). After a few songs her vocals are getting annoying and comparisons to NIGHTWISH and WITHIN TEMPTATION are then unacceptable, because those are 2 high quality bands, and STAR QUEEN is just an average band. The instrumental sections are perfect, but Stella's vocals are not suitable for this type of music, but there's hope, because her lower vocals sound much better. Anyway, this is only recommended to die-hard fans of female fronted rock. Rating: 6/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| KING OF DARKNESS 'TRIPLE WHAMMY'
(LION MUSIC/BERTUS) KING OF DARKNESS is a Japanese band and 'Triple whammy' is their debut CD. This is definitely a quality record with good performed solid melodic hard/heavy rock like a mix between RAINBOW, KEEL, ICON and ROUGH CUTT. Highlights on the CD are "Strange neighborhood" (good uptempo melodic hardrock a la DOKKEN/ROUGH CUTT), "Long way" (lovely melodic rockballad a la 80s DEF LEPPARD, HUGE song with great lead and harmonyvocals), "Terminal condition" (great uptempo melodic hardrock) and the RAINBOW/DEEP PURPLE/HUGHES/TURNER PROJECT orientated melodic heavy rockers "None of your cheers", "Road to madness" and "Turbine". Fans of mentioned band need to have a listen to this great debut CD of the Japanese band KING OF DARKNESS. Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| MARTONE 'A DEMONS DREAM'
(LION MUSIC/BERTUS) Dave Martone is a highly skilled guitarist and his CD 'A demons dream' shows the qualities of the man. The CD is filled with instrumental groovy hardrock, but there's also some poppy stuff on the record. Best songs are "Big church", "Do da" and "Code red", but I am afraid this album will only be interesting for die-hard fans of instrumental rock/hardrock. There are much better releases in this genre, although I must admit that Dave can surely play the guitar very well. Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| EDWARD BOX 'PLECTRUMHEAD' (LION
MUSIC/BERTUS) Out of the UK comes EDWARD BOX, and his debut CD 'Plectrumhead' is a great instrumental melodic hardrockalbum with clear EDDIE VAN HALEN orientated guitarwork. Best songs are the uptempo rockers "Plectrumhead" and "13or" and the midtempo rockers "Stratosphere" and "Assegai". This is clearly one of the best instrumental hardrock releases in a long time. Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| RUNNING WILD 'THE BROTHERHOOD
LIVE 2002' (GUN RECORDS) The legendary German Rock'n'Metal band RUNNING WILD have been releasing records on and off ever since the mid 1980s. Now they have released a Live CD recorded on the 30th of March 2002 in Osnabruck, Germany. Fans of the band will totally love this double CD, but I have never been a fan of the band. If you like simple typical German/Teutonic 80s Metal then you're glad to hear RUNNING WILD has a new double live-CD out, otherwise please leave this disc alone… Rating: 6/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
 HIRSH GARDNER 'WASTELAND FOR
BROKEN HEARTS' (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)Multi-instrumentalist HIRSH GARDNER is best known as leader of the legendary Pomprockband NEW ENGLAND who managed to release 3 LPs in the early 1980s. 20 years after that band split up, Hirsh has released his first solo-CD 'Wasteland for broken hearts'. The album contains classy 80s AOR/Pomprock a la TOUCH, ARC ANGEL, HOBBIT, NEW ENGLAND. Especially the first 3 songs are really impressive and bring back memories of the early 1980s when AOR/Pomprock was the big thing in the USA. Opener "Wasteland for broken hearts" is a classy 80s uptempo AOR rocker a la RUSS BALLARD (1984), ALDO NOVA, 8084 and ARC ANGEL (very much!). "Don't you steal" follows, and is a terrific strong uptempo late 70s/early 80s Pomprocker that combines the best of TOUCH, NEW ENGLAND, THRILLS and HOBBIT. Also the semi-ballad "She is love" is very good and is just pure NEW ENGLAND! Unfortunately not the whole CD is pure AOR/Pomprock like those first 3 tracks, because songs like "Thunder in her heart" and "Bad cowboy" are weak Hardrocksongs, and the THE OUTFIELD cover "Your love" is quite needless. Happily, most of the included songs are quite good, because later on the CD we can hear a few more sensational tracks, such as "When the sky cries" (good calmer AOR ballad), "Never love" (beautiful keyboard ballad a la TOUCH) and the POMPROCK HEAVEN song "More than you'll ever know" (pure ARC ANGEL). Maybe not the whole CD is sensational, but still there's a lot to enjoy on this record. 'Wasteland for broken hearts' is highly recommended to fans of classy late 70s/early 80s AOR/Pomprock (TOUCH, ARC ANGEL, ZON, STYX, ROADMASTER). Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| VARIOUS ARTISTS 'MTM MUSIC VOLUME 8'
(MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN) The German label MTM MUSIC has released volume 8 of it's compilation discs. This disc is filled with 16 songs, of which 12 have already been released on the CD by the performing artist/band. Nevertheless, this CD is a nice collection of great songs by bands like BILOXI, HIRSH GARDNER, RADIOACTIVE, ETERNAL FLAME, LOUD'N'CLEAR, TOKEN and STREET TALK. But the real interest goes out to the 4 unreleased songs. XYZ is featured with the song "Tango", a weak groovy Hardrocksong, I hope their new CD scheduled for early next year is better. Much better are the songs by the Swedish bands IGNITION and CRYSTAL BLUE. IGNITION's song "Fire with fire" is a great strong semi melodic rockballad a la JADED HEART. CRYSTAL BLUE has already released 2 CDs about 10 years ago, but is now working on a re-start with a new CD release on MTM early next year. The previewed song here is the great semi AOR ballad "Someone". Last but not least is the Swedish performer MIKAEL ERLANDSSON, and his song "Excuse me baby" is a good midtempo melodic poprocker that sounds a bit modern (not unlike BON JOVI/BRYAN ADAMS). So, a few promising releases for next year (IGNITION and CRYSTAL BLUE) and further another nice compilation of great quality AOR/Melodic Rock from MTM MUSIC. Rating: - (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| EVERON 'FLESH' (MASCOT
RECORDS) Just a few months after the release of the fantastic CD 'Bridge', there is another new EVERON album released. The difference is that on this CD the band used guest musicians and the songs are more epic and even reveal some modern influences. The band sounds on this new record like a mix between modern MARILLION and PALLAS. Most of the songs on this CD are slow and semi-ballad orientated, but all with a strong melodic chorus. 8 songs are included and most of them are pretty good, except the titletrack "Flesh" which is an experimental progressive metal song with even some Industrial Metal influences. This 14-minute counting track is happily the only non-EVERON sounding track, because the other 7 songs are mostly in the typical EVERON style. The best songs are "Picturss of you" (good calmer semi-ballad, bit AORish), "The river" (another great semi-ballad, with great guest female lead vocals by Judith Stuber), "Half as bad" (strong Neo-Prog semi-ballad a la PALLAS) and closing track "Back in sight" (great AORish ballad). Although 'Flesh' is not as good as 'Bridge', EVERON fans can easily also purchase this great record. More info at: http://www.everon.de Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
| WARNING SF 'AFTERMATH'
(MAUSOLEUM RECORDS) Not to be confused with the legendary French Metal band. This WARNING comes out of San Francisco and they have been active since 1982. However, 'Aftermath' is their debut CD and besides 7 new songs, there are also 3 old songs included. Musically they remind me a lot of LAAZ ROCKIT, so they play a mixture of Melodic Metal and Thrash. Lead singer Torre Carstensen has got both a melodic and a raw voice. The best song is the faster uptempo melodic metal piece "Thunderhead" with its melodic chorus. Also notable is the Progressive Metal song "Aftermath". However, the melodic metal fan will mostly love the last 3 tracks that were recorded back in the 1980s. The songs itself ("Fall upon your knees", "Not a chance in hell" and "Metal maniac") are a total must for fans of classic 80s melodic metal (not unlike RIOT). But be aware that some of the new songs also contain clear Thrash influences… Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
SUGARCREEK 'LIVE AT THE
ROXY/FORTUNE/ROCK THE NIGHT AWAY' 
LUCA TURILLI 'PROPHET OF THE LAST
ECLIPSE' (LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
HEIMDALL 'THE ALMIGHTY' 
JOURNEY 'RED 13' (FRONTIERS
RECORDS)
BILOXI 'RIGHT THE MUSIC'
(MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)