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HEAVY PETTIN`
'PRODIGAL SONGS' (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS)
'Prodigal Songs' is not a new album of HEAVY PETTIN' after 20 years of silence, but an album filled with unreleased tracks from the band`s classic years (early-mid 1980s). The sound quality is very good and although the songs itself are not as good as their original albumtracks, it will surely please the fans of HEAVY PETTIN' whom have been waiting for some new material on CD for years. Now there is a CD, of a high quality and definitely not out of place between the band's first 3 albums. OK, so this is not as good as their 'Rock ain't dead' classic, but still the 80s Melodic Hardrockstyle of this 'new' HEAVY PETTIN' CD is very nice to hear. (Points: 8.2 out of 10) TOBRUK 'WILD ON THE RUN' (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) 'Wild on the run' was the debut album of the UK band TOBRUK 20+ years ago. The band's sound was very close to 1984 BON JOVI sound, which was catchy hookladen Melodic Rock. The band's lead singer SNAKE was definitely a shouter in the style of MARC STORACE/KEVIN DUBROW. Sadly he died last year, so this re-issue, with bonus live CD, is a nice tribute. Songs like "Goin' down for the third time", "Wild on the run", "Breakdown" and "She's nobody's angel" are very strong Melodic Rockers that BON JOVI would have loved to have written. Good to see this re-issue, sounding up-to-date, although this is a recording that took place 20+ years ago. (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
TWO OF A KIND is a new Melodic Rockband formed around members of TERRA NOVA, with Fred Hendrix, better known as main songwriter and singer of that band, as the leader now of TWO O A KIND. However, he does not sing this time, because TWO OF A KIND features 2 female singers (Esther Brouns and Anita Craenmehr). Both singers have gathered extensive experience singing and performing with various bands from the Dutch scene. Most notably Anita was part of NIGHT SHADE (one single recorded on MCA) and FAST FORWARD, while Esther played in various covers bands. Musically we are listening to pure high class AOR/Melodic Rock in the style of COASTLINE, ALYSON AVENUE, DANTE FOX, WITNESS, THE BOX, LAOS... This is big time 80s influenced with huge choruses, catchy hooks and a mostly straight-ahead rocksound. Fans of the classic female aor/melodic rocksound will love this record for sure. Songs like "Light in the Dark", "The Longest Night" and "Into the Fire" are very catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocksongs, but the band also throws in some AOR Ballads here and there, such as the amazing “Unbearable” that sounds like the best of RACHEL RACHEL, BURNS SISTERS, WITNESS, LAOS, HEAT…. Definitely an awesome release and with so many great new Dutch Rock/Metal releases this first part of 2007 alone this is surely a great year for Holland! (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
The first album 'The battle' of the Swedish multi-instrumentalist/songwriter MAGNUS KARLSSON (STARBREAKER, LAS TRIBE) project ALLEN/LANDE with lead singers JORN LANDE (MASTERPLAN, MILLENIUM, ARK, THE SNAKES) and RUSSELL ALLEN (SYMPHONY X) was a sensational release and one of the highlights in 2005. Now 2 years later the 2nd album is released and of course it is hard to top such a classic release as ALLEN/LANDE's debut. Happily it is a very good album that musically is completely following the guidelines of the debut record, so once again high class Melodic Metal with superb vocalwork, catchy hooks and memorable choruses. Although there are no surprises this time, because the songs have the exact same construction as the songs on the first album, this CD is still featuring some superb high class Melodic Metal, with as highlights the songs "Gone Too Far", "The Revenge", "Wake Up Call" and "Victory". With beautiful cover art designed by Rodney Matthews (DIAMOND HEAD, MAGNUM, ASIA etc.) and mixing of the CD by Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, ANGRA, PLACE VENDOME), this is one of those CD you must own if you're keen on strong melodies and catchy hooks put in a classic Melodic Metalsound! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) MARTIN POPOFF 'THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO HEAVY METAL: VOLUME 2 – THE EIGHTIES' (COLLECTOR’S GUIDE PUBLISHING) It took Rockwriter MARTIN POPOFF a long time, but finally there is a follow-up to his book 'The Collector's Guide To Heavy Metal: Volume 2 – The 70s', which is the 1980s part of the triple part dedication to Heavy Metal as seen through the eyes of Martin, as the final part (Volume 3: The Ninieties) will be released in the near future (probably giving Martin another challenge, dedicate a book to the 2000s part of the metal history!). Anyway, the 80s book is of course very interesting, because this was the decade in which the most diverse styles within the Metal genre were developed, ranging from the early 80s NWOBHM/Pure Metalsound to the Speed in the mid 80s, Glam/Sleaze in the later 80s as well as genres like Doom, Death, Thrash, Black and even the alternative genres to be further developed in the 90s (Grunge/Metalcore/Industrial). However, Hardrock was the mainstream genre in the 80s and then in particular AOR/Melodic Rock in the USA, but that's not really the genre Martin covers here, because this is a Metal book and what you basically can expect is 528 album reviews spread on 428 pages, focused on both well-known as well as very underground related metalbands from all over the world, although UK and US bands are getting the most credit here. Obscure and well-known go hand in hand, which is a good thing, because after all this is a sort of encyclopedia to the 80s Metal decade. Big difference with the 1970s book is that this time Martin is not given a rating for the heavyness of a record, but a real rating of what he thinks about a reviewed album and this is not always something everyone will agree. I think that this fact makes this encyclopedia a very critical one and maybe even not an encyclopedia, but more a view of a rockwriter on the 80s metalscene. For example giving zero or very low points to classic records of SHY, Y&T, STRANGEWAYS, STRYPER, STRATUS, EXPORT, etc. etc. and such is of course unthinkable. Martin's hating of the 80s label productions that all sounded too clean and safe becomes very clear after reading this book and it is easy to see he is more into the obscure stuff than the polished albums on the major labels in the 80s. Especially AOR/Melodic Rockfans will absolutely disagree with most of the things said in the book. On the other hand fans of True Metal will be absolutely interested in reading all about these obscurities from the 80s, because I am sure not many people are aware of acts like SADWINGS, MAX HAVOC, MAX LYNX, MALACHIA, FULL MOON, EXIT, EVIL SINNER... and that alone makes this book a highly recommended piece, because there are way too few resources to check out such rarities and this book covers a lot for sure. Martin made another well-written book, although I feel personally his criticism is not always right and I am afraid the upcoming 90s book will see Martin appreciating and focusing the alternative more than all the underground hardrock/metal released in the decade, when 'our' kind of music went from major label to independent releases. The 90s book will also become one of the most interesting ones, because not only this was the decade I started writing, but I have never seen a book covering real (Melodic) Hardrock/Metal (no Grunge/Alternative/Industrial) released in the 1990s, but we shall wait for that one. In the meantime check out Martin's 80s Metalbook. Prices including shipping cost are as follows: Ordering info: US orders: $34.00 US funds. Int'l SURFACE mail orders: $39.00 US funds. Int'l AIR mail orders: $50.00 US funds. Canadian orders: $38.00 Cdn. funds. All books will be signed by Martin to you - Send payment to (personal check in US funds also accepted): Martin Popoff, P.O. Box 65208, 358 Danforth Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4K 2Z2 PayPal payments gladly accepted at martinp@inforamp.net Email martinp@inforamp.net if further questions. (Points: 8.9 out of 10) IRON SAVIOR 'MEGATROPOLIS' (DOCKYARD 1/ROCK INC) The German Melodic Power Metalband IRON SAVIOR returns with their new CD 'Megatropolis', which is the follow-up to 'Battering Ram'. IRON SAVIOR was formed back in 1996 by Piet Sielck, singer, guitarist, producer, engineer, and keyboardist who was part of HELLOWEEN back in the early 80's, but left the band and went on becoming one of the major Metal producers, but also managed to continue IRON SAVIOR. They already have released quite a few albums and 'Megatropolis' is the latest effort. Musically no changes, so still straight-forward Melodic Metal in the best German tradition of HELLOWEEN/GAMMA RAY/FREEDOM CALL...). Songs like "Megatropolis", "Cybernatic Queen", "Cyberhero" and "Farewell And Good Bye" are fine examples of the big German Melodic (Power) Metalsound of IRON SAVIOR. The songs vary in tempo, midtempo, uptempo and very fast Power Metalish, making this a very pleasant album to listen to and a must for the fans of this genre! More info at: http://www.myspace.com/iron_savior_usa and http://www.iron-savior.com/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10) KNIGHT AREA 'UNDER A NEW SIGN' (THE LASER'S EDGE) 3 years after the release of their debut 'The Sun Also Rises', the Dutch Progrockband KNIGHT AREA makes a comeback with their new CD 'Under a new sign', which seems to be, after repeated listening to the record, a very sensational album that will absolutely be loved by the fans of the genre. Mark Smit is a very strong lead singer, while instrumental the band is reaching the high level of bands like IQ, SAGA, ARENA, PALLAS, PENDRAGON... The 7 long songs that are included on the new KNIGHT AREA CD are very impressive and belong to the best Neo-Prog any Dutch band has offered the past 5 years. Hard to pick a favorite, because each and every song is a masterpiece and without any doubts, this CD will be one of the Neo-Prog highlights of 2007 at the end of the year! More info at: www.knightarea.com and http://www.myspace.com/knightarea (Points: 8.7 out of 10) BLASDEAD ‘GROUND FLARE’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) In the 1980s the Japanese had a real full-blown metalscene with bands like LOUDNESS, EARTHSHAKER, VOW WOW, X-RAY, X, DED CHAPLIN, EZO EZO, 44 MAGNUM, MARI HAMADA, etc. etc. During the 90s there were sill new bands rising up and playing real J-Metal, such as SABER TIGER, NIGHT HAWKS, RABBIT, GRAND SLAM, SEX MACHINEGUNS, CONCERTO MOON… however the whole scene was not as big as in the 80s and in the 2000s even mentioned bands all went away. The J-Metal scene was announced dead around 2003, but MAJESTIC ROCK found a bunch new bands playing the old LOUDNESS/NWOBHM style again. Last year there was HELLHOUND and now there is BLASDEAD. Musically indeed pure 1981 NWOBHM meets Japanese Metal, sounding quite strong actually, with good vocalwork and excellent guitarwork. Without a doubt, the band’s debut CD is a must-have for fans of mentioned bands! (Points: 8.0 out of 10) JAGUAR ‘ARCHIVE ALIVE VOLUME 1’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) JAGUAR is one of the ultimate and favorite bands of MAJESTIC ROCK, because this new CD is the first of 3 new CD releases of JAGUAR, which contains unreleased demo material of the legendary UK band that started as a regular Hardrockband, developed themselves as being a superfast almost Speed Metal type of band during the NWOBHM movement, but in their later years they changed their sound like so many UK bands around 1983/1984 to an Americanised AOR sound. The difference between the 2 official albums this band has released is as big as the distance between Earth and another planet in the galaxy where life is possible! Anyway, most of the releases on MAJESTIC ROCK will be focused on JAGUAR’s rare harder edged Metal stuff and this first CD of their archives does indeed contain such rare NWOBHM stuff, such as “Feel the heat”, “Piledriver” and 14 more songs that never were officially released (although a few songs ended up on their debut, these are the demo versions). Although the sound quality is not always 100%, this CD is a must-have for NWOBHM collectors and long-time JAGUAR fans! (Points: 8.0 out of 10) DIZZY ‘BANG BANG BANG’ (WARNER MUSIC FINLAND) Back to Finland again where can find yet another great new band. They are called DIZZY and are an almost all-female band. The band already has scored a hitsingle in Finland and I am sure the band will become pretty big, because their debut CD ‘Bang bang bang’ is a very catchy Melodic Rockalbum that sounds like a mix between the American female fronted poprock, the Finnish Melodic Gothrock and some classic aor/melodic rock choruses thrown in for good measure. KELLY CLARCKSON meets THE RASMUS meets TONE NORUM and you have another HANNA PAKARINEN/AGNES sounding album, radio-ready and with fantastic catchy uptempo melodic rockers like “One good reason”, “Lies”, “I’ll be there” and “This time” definitely a must-have for any fan of female fronted melodic rock! More info at: http://www.dizzy.fi (Points: 8.5 out of 10) HERMAN RAREBELL ‘I’M BACK’ (MAUSOLEUM RECORDS) With an expected great new upcoming album of SCORPIONS, the ex-drummer of the band, HERMAN RAREBELL, throws a new CD on the market. Sadly the 13 songs on the CD have nothing to do with the classic SCORPIONS Melodic Rocksound, with even the cover of “Rock you like a hurricane” sounding completely different. The CD is a mix of all sorts of rockstyles, with a blues and jazzy tone as well, even a lot of sax. Not sure if this is the album everyone has been waiting for and it surely is not better than his past solo-records, but for a die-hard SCORPIONS fan an album to add to the collection, although it is nowhere near spectacular what we get to hear on ‘I’m back’. (Points: 7.1 out of 10)
Not sure if I read it correctly, because what the heck is this band doing on FRONTIERS RECORDS. MELDRUM is a very average all-female metalband and their latest CD ‘Blowin’ up the machine’ has been released on the AOR label FRONTIERS RECORDS. Of course this label releases almost constantly high quality releases, but this MELDRUM is their weakest in ages. “Hang ‘em” and “Miss me when I’m gone” are 2 songs which are ok for what they are, uptempo melodic heavy rockers, but further this CD is a very average affair I’m afraid, only for people who enjoyed the later PHANTOM BLUE albums. (Points: 6.8 out of 10)
The Christian American Rockband BUILDING 429 is pretty big in the USA and their new CD ‘Iris to iris’ will probably make them even more popular, because this album is filled with typical American Rock that has a lot of melodies with a groovy guitarsound most of the time, kinda like HINDER/HOOBASTANK/NICKELBACK, yet a bit calmer here and there. Best song is definitely the uptempo catchy melodic rocker “Incredible”. Most of the other songs are mostly midtempo or even ballad-orientated, but very good in it’s approach and very melodic with good BRYAN ADAMSish lead vocalwork. ‘Iris to Iris’, released May 1, 2007, and produced by Brown Bannister, does take the band in a different direction compared to their earlier releases, because the 11-tracks counting ‘Iris to Iris’ is a collection of original worship songs and two hymn reworkings ("Grace That is Greater" and "Search Me O God"), making for a mellower and more ethereal-sounding record than past recordings from the group, but like said it still is a rockalbum for sure. Building 429 also saw a change in writing as band members Michael Anderson and Jesse Garcia joined Jason Roy in the songwriting process, as well as veteran Christian songwriter CHRIS EATON (Amy Grant, Point of Grace, Jaci Velasquez) co-writing with the band a lot of songs. One way or the other, the band still has put out a good melodic rock sounding album, a little mellower than mentioned comparisons, but for the open-minded melodic rockfan a CD to check out, because a song like “Taken” is one of those modern sounding American AOR rockers, different than the past AOR sound, but like so many other new American bands definitely good rock with strong melodies and sounding like refreshed 80s AOR/Poprock in a modern approach. More info on the band at: http://www.building429.com and http://www.myspace.com/building429 (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Pop-punk exploded in the USA after GREENDAY hit big time in the mid 90s. Millions of new bands started playing the genre and major labels were very keen. Through the years Emo was developed, an even more melodic yet darker sounding Poppunk splitgenre. The Christian rockscene did not had much punk, but last year we saw a band called STELLAR KART releasing an album that perfectly reflects the typical catchy melodic American Poppunksound. OK, so we have heard it a thousand times before, but STELLAR KART is a Christian band, so lyrics about God are the main difference and their CD ‘You can’t stand sitting down’ is really a very good catchy Punkpopalbum, also reminding me a lot of THE CLICK FIVE, just listen to the lovely “Activate”, a song you indeed can’t stand sitting down and will be singing for the rest of the day for sure. It’s not all uptempo, because there are also some midtempo tunes included, kinda like MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (“Me and Jesus”). In the end however, this album is one to check out if you want to hear typical happy American melodic Punkpoprock (with melodic guitarsolo’s by the way!). More info at: http://www.stellarkart.com and http://www.myspace.com/stellarkart (Points: 8.4 out of 10) KYRBGRINDER ‘DEFIANCE’ (MAUSOLEUM RECORDS) JOHANNE JAMES is in real life the drummer for THRESHOLD, but he also has his own side-project called KYRBGRINDER, where he shows he can also sing very well (a la JEAN BEAUVOIR and a bit GLENN HUGHES). He now released an album as KYRBGRINDER, which musically is a sort of groovy Hardrock meets Progressive Metal sounding album with a modern touch and soulful vocals, like KING’S X meets GLENN HUGHES meets DEAD SOUL TRIBE. Done very well, although not as good as THRESHOLD. Nevertheless, be sure to check this release out if one of the mentioned bands is your favorite act. (Points: 8.0 out of 10) GARBO ‘MAGIC’ (CMI RECORDS) MATT GARBO has come a long way, releasing excellent AOR demos in the 1980s, experimenting during the 1990s and now 2007 has a new CD in the shape of ‘Magic’. 30 minutes, 8 songs, of which some of them being instrumental 80s soundtracks type of keyboard driven rockers, but also vocal tracks are included here, rocking for sure, but very diverse in rock approach. Happily, MATT also found some space to put on a real 80s AOR rocker on the album called “I’m alive and I’m free”, a real STAN BUSH AND BARRAGE type of song! If Matt would record a full album with such uptempo AOR rockers, then it could be one of the best AOR albums of the year! Also “Frozen highway” is a nice uptempo 80s aor/poprocker a la very early JOHN FARNHAM/ZAPPACOSTA. Although not as good as his 80s demos, this man still has a soft spot for 80s AOR/Poprock, be sure to check it out if you’re interested in hearing a few aor type of songs on this new mini-CD of MATT GARBO. Very much recommended to fans of THE BRYAN HUGHES GROUP/BEAU GESTE, although it is not that good, but sometimes very much in the same style, especially the song “Frozen highway”! More info at: http://www.mattgarbo.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) HYBRID ‘THE WILL TO CREATE’ (SECRET PORT RECORDS) Quite a surprise from Greece, because the band HYBRID (not to be confused with the UK based progrockband) has released a very strong album that musically contains high quality technical progressive metal with attention for some raw Thrash riffs, aggressive screams here and there, but also a lot of superb melodies. Opener “Institutionalized” is one of the heavier songs here, kinda like NEVERMORE and TESTAMENT, ok for what it is, but the rest of the CD is much better, because next song “Ruins of mine” is a superb Melodic Progressive Metal song with excellent lead vocalwork (the singer shows from this song he is really amazing, a guy called TASSOS K, fantastic Metal singer!), high class guitarwork and lovely melodies, like ICED EARTH meets BALANCE OF POWER! Happily, the band continues in this style and so in the end we can conclude that this first CD of the Greek band HYBRID is a highly recommended piece to the fans of Melodic Progressive Metal! ICED EARTH is a close comparison and I am sure the fans of True Melodic Metal will love this band for sure! Check ‘em out for yourself at: http://www.secretport.com and http://www.myspace.com/hybridgr (Points: 8.5 out of 10) ELEPHO ‘AUTONOMY’ (BNS RECORDS) Just 2 songs on this advance CD of the New Zealand based band ELEPHO, but they both sound pretty good and promising for the upcoming album that will be mastered by DAVID MIKAEL of MPG/DAVID fame. Band is playing a bit 80s type of melodic rock with modern touch, but both songs (“Strangers” and “Let go”) contain catchy choruses and remind me of the band SURE CONVICTION somehow. More info at: www.elepho.com and email at: ccardwell@bnsrecords.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10) RISE TO ADDICTION ‘A NEW SHADE OF BLACK FOR THE SOUL’ (MAUSOLEUM RECORDS) A new UK based band and they are pretty good, although at first sight I honestly thought this was going to be another average rockband, because with a producer like ANDY SNEAP (MACHINE HEAD, OPETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) you don’t expect anything that melodic, but happily the band has a very melodic sound. “Cold season” is the album opener and this song sounds a bit raw at first, but the chorus is very melodic and very strong for sure. The band has a sort of own sound, TRIVIUM’s last CD might be a good comparison during the choruses, but then this band is much calmer and more melodic classic rock based. Also RISE TO ADDICITION is not a Metalband, but a Rockband with classic groovy guitar riffs and vocalwork in the old Classic Rock style, which can be heard very well on a song like “Moth to a flame” that also has a melodic rock chorus. So the band should actually be compared to THE ANSWER, WOLFMOTHER and such, but then again RISE TO ADDICTION is way more melodic rock based, especially the catchy melodic choruses make them different than those bands, because during the choruses it’s like you’re listening to ENCHANT suddenly, although HINDER also comes to mind here and there, so a very diverse rockalbum is what we have here and pretty good if you ask me! After having listened to their album it becomes clear that the British media have another band to shout about! More info at: www.risetoaddiction.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) CYPHER SEER ‘AWAKENING DAY’ (SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS) Another album produced by FREDRIK NORDSTROM of DREAM EVIL/HAMMERFALL fame. This time the debut CD of US Power Metalband CYPHER SEER, whom are delivering a Melodic US Power Metal masterpiece in the style of JAG PANZER, JACOB’S DREAM, SEVEN WITCHES, 80s QUEENSRYCHE, CRIMSON GLORY, 80s FATES WARNING, DESTINY’S END and some SYMPHONY X. The melodies of the included songs are sometimes very sensational, especially during “"On chained down", "Haunted visions" and "Final encounter", all uptempo Melodic Power Metal masterpieces with great vocalwork of singer MICHAEL GRANT, who goes up quite high sometimes and also excellent twin-guitarwork as well as keyboards. ICED EARTH meets SYMPHONY X is the description in the band’s bio and it is indeed quite close, but I would rather call it a typical classic American Melodic Power Metal record, with some really superstrong melodies. Highly recommended to the fans of mentioned bands! More info at: http://www.sentinelsteel.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) DOOMSWORD ‘MY NAME WILL LIVE ON’ (DRAGONHEART RECORDS/SPV) 4th CD of the Italian band DOOMSWORD, which musically is pure underground 80s Melodic Doom Metal in the style of CIRITH UNGOL, MANILLA ROAD, OMEN, WARLORD and such obscure bands. Their new CD ‘My name will live on’ took them 4 years to finish, but the result is a very strong album that will please all fans of traditional Melodic Doom Metal. Fans of CANDLEMASS will enjoy this new DOOMSWORD for sure too, in fact any Doom fanatic will love this band and their new CD. Band was formed in 1997 and in the 10 years they have built quite a large reputation. This new CD is the living proof they now have released their finest CD so far! (Points: 8.2 out of 10) SACRED OATH ‘DARKNESS VISIBLE‘ (SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS) During the 1980s the US band SACRED OATH released a couple very strong Melodic US Power Metal albums, which SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS re-issued a couple years ago. Now the band has finally released a real new CD titled ‘Darkness visible’. Without a doubt, this is a very sensational album and perhaps the band’s finest release, very MAIDENish, very early QUEENSRYCHEish… The vocalwork as well as the guitarwork is superb and songs like “Words upon the stone”, “Calm before the storm” and “The golden dawn” are terrific Melodic Metal pieces. Just like the CYPHER SEER release, this is another album on the SENTINEL STEEL RECORDS label which any fan of classic 80s US Melodic Power Metal should own! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
It seems like every female fronted Gothic Metal band is releasing a new CD in 2007, because with new CDs of AFTER FOREVER, AUTUMN, WITHIN TEMPTATION, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, EPICA’s upcoming CD and perhaps NIGHTWISH releasing a new record soon, 2007 is another great year for fans of this genre. Also XANDRIA is releasing a new CD. Album is titled ‘Salome – the seventh veil’ and although absolutely no surprises compared to the band’s 3 earlier records, which by the way charted in Germany and South Korea, the band’s new record is still a great Melodic Gothrockalbum that is really not far away from a NIGHTWISH, a WITHIN TEMPTATION or a VISIONS OF ATLANTIS. A little bit on the safe side, because the 12 included songs are not too far away stylish from each other and all feature catchy choruses, while the songs (just like all their tracks on their previous albums) are not containing any outside influences, so just basically from start to finish this is mid to uptempo Melodic Gothic (Heavy) Rock/Metal with some great tunes for sure like “Save my life”, “Vampire”, “Beware” and “Sleeping dogs lie”. Concluded, a good strong album, but nothing new is brought here, so only interesting to the absolute die-hard fans of the ff melodic gothrock/metal genre. More info at: www.xandria.de (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Just 1 year ago the Italian band THE DOGMA Released their debnut CD ‘Black roses’ and already a follow-up has been released. The first CD was a real strong Melodic Euro Power Metal release in the EDGUY style, but this new record clearly shows a change in style, because somehow they added a lot of late 80s US Party Metal to their sound, SKID ROW influences can be heard all over the place, although the songs are still very strong, but it is all sounding less Power Metalish. Not sure if this an improvement, because ‘Black roses’ was a really great Melodic Power Metal record, but on the other hand, there is more diversity on this new record compared to the debut CD. “In the name of Rock” is as Cliché 80s Metal sounding as the title predicts, but after listening to the album a few times, the comparisons to EDGUY are still there, but also PINK CREAM 69 and SKID ROW come up here and there, a nice mixture of classic US Hardrock, Melodic Heavy Rock and some traditional Euro Melodic Metal. More info at: www.thedogma.net (Points: 8.2 out of 10) SOUL TAKERS ‘FLIES IN A JAR’ (DRAGONHEART RECORDS/SPV) ‘Flies in a jar’ is the second CD of the Italian band SOUL TAKERS. They were formed back in 1998, so are already 10 years active and their debut ‘Tides’ from 2005 I actually never heard, although I remember reviewing one of the band’s demos back in 2004. Anyway, the band’s new record was produced and mastered by LUIGI STEFANINI (LABYRINTH/VISION DIVINE/DOMINE). Of course the sound quality is very impressive, but musically SOUL TAKERS is playing the pure Italo Power Metal style with a sidestep to Melodic Rock here and there, like a better version of SKYLARK or a weaker version of VISION DIVINE. Songs like “Belied”, “The silent empire” and “Chasing clouds” contain some very nice melodies for sure. Fans of Italo Power Metal will absolutely love this record, although nothing new is brought here. EDGUY fans might also find something in here. (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
The Italian band DGM was formed in 1994 and in the 13 years that followed the band had a lot of line-up changes and released 5 records. ‘Different shapes’ is their 6th CD and without a doubt, this is a very strong album that musically is pure Neo-Classical Progressive Power Metal with superstrong melodies that mixes the best of SYMPHONY X, ELDRITCH, DREAM THEATER and such bands. 10 songs are included and especially the beginning with songs like “New life”, “The alliance” and “Some day, one day” is showing that DGM is reaching the upper level of Progressive Metal by now, definitely passing ELDRITCH, the Italian band that started around the same time as DGM, but have been going downhill with their albums since the turn of the decade, while DGM keeps getting better and better and now with ‘Different shapes’, DGM has defined their sound, resulting in this highly recommended Neo-Classical Melodic Prog/Power Metalalbum! More info at: http://www.dgmsite.com (Points: 8.8 out of 10) STORMAGE ‘SUDDEN AWAKENING’ (STF RECORDS) ‘Sudden Awakening’ is the 2nd album of the German Power Metal band STORMAGE and without a doubt, this is a huge sounding album in the style of PRIMAL FEAR. Not only the sound and production is very impressive, but also the included 13 songs are all very big sounding Power Metal songs like only the German can make ‘em. PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, GRAVE DIGGER and a little touch of US Power Metal a la ICED EARTH, it all can be heard on the new STORMAGE CD. “Hiding the damned” is a perfect example of True Teutonic Metal, but the band also has some diversity in styles, because a song like “Inner state of mind” is a very nice semi-melodic prog/heavy rockballad with some slight CRIMSON GLORY influences. Anyway, most of the time STORMAGE is doing the uptempo straight-forward Power Metal stuff and therefore fans of PRIMAL FEAR, IRON SAVIOR, with Gang vocals during the choruses to make this a really Teutonic Metal sounding record (with still an updated sound), will absolutely love this record! More info at: www.stormage-metal.de (Points: 8.2 out of 10) SOPHIA RAMOS ‘HER MAJESTY’ (PLAY RECORDS/THE IFIRM) This Californian singer/songwriter has been getting quite some attention lately, especially through the legendary Podcast-MTV-Hair Metal dude ADAM CURRY, who apparently has been playing her music through his PODCASTING radio on the internet. Anyway, Sophia has released a strong album and the reason why people praise her is clear when you put on the CD, because her voice is very impressive, raw and really upfront, like JANIS JOPLIN and TINA TURNER mixed into one voice, although musically it reminds me a lot of SASS JORDAN. So basically what we get hear is bluesy rock and roll, with a lot of heavy groovy guitarwork and the passionate soulful vocals of SOPHIA RAMOS. She is a talented girl, who could easily become the next big thing for sure. Check out her site at: http://www.sophiaramos.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Quite a surprise to see MASS signed to ESCAPE MUSIC. This Boston based band was formed way back in 1980, released a couple major label releases during the 1980s, of which the ‘Voices in the night’ album from 1988, their 4th album, produced by MICHAEL SWEET, was a real strong album, despite being a STRYPER copy. Anyway, the 1990s were a hard time for the band and the demo I received a few years ago was not really that good, but well it’s 2007 and a new CD of MASS is released on ESCAPE MUSIC. Musically back-to-back Melodic Hardrock, sounding quite good. Opener “It’s you” is a great start, a very catchy uptempo Melodic Rocker with a huge sound, kinda like their old records. The following couple of songs are not that strong, because they go in style to the very early 90s groovy mainstream American arena hardrockstyle of let’s say TESLA/WINGER/EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE… Happily, the melodic rocker “Hello” picks up the FIREHOUSE/DANGER DANGERish uptempo fun cheesy melodic rockstyle again. However, most of the CD is really pure early 90s groovy American Hardrock, you know the kind BULLET BOYS, EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE, EXTREME and a lot PERRIS RECORDS signed acts are still bringing us, very groovy big sounding. I had rather heard some more uptempo melodic rockers like the opener, but bad it ain’t, because a song like “Leaving you” is a damn catchy modern sounding 80s Partymetal track RATT forgot to write after ‘Invasion of your privacy’. Nice comeback of MASS, although I also need to inform you that some of the songs included here have been written over a longer period, but for the music that does not matter, because it rocks and is highly recommended to fans of mentioned bands! (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
More than 12 years ago when we started our magazine we reviewed the fantastic debut CD of LION’S SHARE, a Swedish band with a Classic Melodic Rocksound back then, kinda like RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, EUROPE, which in the mid 1990s was very rare and due to the fact it was done very well, this was one of the highlights back in 1995. Years went by, LION’S SHARE released a few more albums, but clearly weaker than their classic debut. ‘Entrance’ was their final effort in 2001, because after that it became very quiet and all hopes vanished when the bandmembers left and search for a new singer took a long time. Now 6 years later LION’S SHARE returns with a complete new CD, with new singer PATRIK JOHANSSON on board. Patrik is known for singing with WUTHERING HEIGHTS, ASTRAL DOORS, SPACE ODYSSEY, etc). Anyway, Patrik is a great singer and released some very strong albums with his other projects, but sadly this new LION’S SHARE is not the album I personally had hoped for. Surely it ain’t bad, but the band now sounds like DIO, doing some Power Metal stuff and we have heard such a lot before. No more catchy hooks, strong choruses and melodic vocal lines like LION’S SHARE did in their early days, but instead Power Metal with raw vocals. The True Metal fan will like this album for sure, but this does not sound anything like the LION’S SHARE from the past. The guest appearances of Glen Drover of MEGADETH and BRUCE KULICK of KISS are not making this album standout between the countless other Power Metal releases. If you want to hear some really great Power Metal with Patrik Johansson on vocals, then you should check out his ASTRAL DOORS releases, because this new LION’S SHARE is a disappointing release I am afraid. Whatever happened to that amazing singer on the LION’S SHARE debut? Together with such catchy songs like “Nothing’s free”, “Taking on the world”, etc. that made LION’S SHARE such a great band once, but now this has all vanished and the band sounds like just another Power Metal band… (Points: 7.8 out of 10)
The German band AT VANCE was formed in the mid 1990s and they have already released a whole string of albums, but also several changes in especially the lead vocal department. Musically it never did matter, because they have always brought us very catchy chorus driven Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock with some fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal tunes here and there as well. Excellent singers like OLIVER HARTMAN and MATS LEVEN came and went, but happily new lead singer RICK ALTZI of TREASURE LAND is also a great new addition. Also the 10 included songs on AT VANCE’s latest effort ‘VII’, their 7th CD. The songs are super melodic, with strong vocalwork and very catchy choruses. Diversity in styles is also clear on this album, ranging from fast uptempo Melodic HELLOWEEN Power Metal (such as the SUPERB “Golden leaves”, “Victory”, “Breaking the night” and “Friendly fire”) to more WHITESNAKEish Melodic Hardrock (including the lovely midtempo “Shiver”). This new AT VANCE album is best comparable with ALLEN/LANDE, very much in the same classic Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal style, so better get it asap if you like that style! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) SEVENTH CALLING ‘MONUMENTS’ (MELISSA RECORDS) MELISSA RECORDS is a new Dutch Metal label and their first 2 releases are coming from a couple US bands, starting with this SEVENTH CALLING, a band formed way back in the late 80s by vocalists/guitarists LANCE C. LANGE and STEVE HANDEL. Musically we get to hear pure American Power Metal in best 80s style, like METAL CHURCH, SAVATAGE, KING DIAMOND, VICIOUS RUMORS, FATES WARNING, NEVERMORE and such, yet with a slight touch of late 80s TESTAMENT ish Thrash Metal to make it sound a bit raw around the edges. Together with the bassist of SEASONS OF THE WOLF and the drummer of IMPALER, this 4-piece Minneapolis based band is bringing some great traditional melodic US Power Metal which will absolutely be loved by fans of mentioned bands. More info at: www.melissarecords.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) BEYOND FALLEN ‘MINDFIRE’ (MELISSA RECORDS) Together with the CD of SEVENTH CALLING, the new CD of the US band BEYOND FALLEN belongs to the first couple of releases on new Dutch Metal label MELISSA RECORDS. BEYOND FALLEN is also playing pure raw US Pure Metal in the style of ICED EARTH, NEVERMORE… although quite close to True Metal sometimes as well. Faster than a bullet guitar axework, pure Metalish vocals and a mostly uptempo based sound is what makes this BEYOND FALLEN’s 2nd full-length CD a must for any fan of ‘real’ Metal! The BEYOND FALLEN CD is somehow better than the SEVENTH CALLING, due to stronger vocalwork and some really impressive guitarwork as well as stronger tunes. I think even MANOWAR fans will like this release a lot! More info at: www.melissarecords.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) BLACK SAND ‘COME ON’ (BLACK SAND RECORDS) The Austrian band BLACK SAND has a new CD out titled ‘Come on’. 10 songs are included and musically we get to hear Hardrock like KROKUS, FARGO and such 70s/80s type of straight-forward Rock. Unfortunately the vocalwork is a bit weak and also the songs are not making such a big impact. Only for the die-hard collectors I am afraid, sorta reminds me a lot of the weaker later albums of bands like DOMINOE and DAYTONA. More info at: http://www.blacksand.at and e-mail at: richard@blacksand.at (Points: 7.4 out of 10) BLACK SUCCUBI ‘DEMO 2007’ (DEMO) Formed in 2005 in Denmark, the band BLACK SUCCUBI released a strong demo with 2 songs that musically contain very impressive Rock and Roll/Melodic Heavy Rock with fantastic vocalwork of singer JAN LUNDSTROM. Both included songs (“Time to get even” and “Blood and flames”) are quite strong and showing the Melodic Hardrock/Heavy Rock/Metal of BLACK SUCCUBI should easily find it’s way to the labels in order to release a full-length CD. More info at: http://www.blacksuccubi.dk and e-mail at: berglid@yahoo.dk (Points: 8.4 out of 10) HELLYEAH ‘HELLYEAH’ (SONY MUSIC/EPIC) Already high in the US Charts, this new band formed around PANTERA and MUDVAYNE members is bringing typical American modern Metal, which is loud, groovy, distorted, raw with a lot of screaming, not far away from METALLICA’s disaster ‘St. Anger’ and any of the 90s PANTERA releases, Metal without melodies, typical American, huge over there, but absolutely of no interest for the Melodic Metalfans from Europe and Japan. Check out their sites at: www.hellyeahrocks.com and www.hellyeahband.com to make up your own mind about this over hyped band. (Points: 7.7 out of 10) 66 CRUSHER ‘TRUTH UNMASKED’ (MISANTHROPICA ENTERPRISES) Norwegian band formed in 2000 and for the past 5 years they have been working on their first full-length CD, which is now being released with the title ‘Truth unmasked’. Musically they play underground traditional sounding classic melodic metal, reminding me of WARLORD, but also of EVERGREY. They sound quite dark, yet very melodic and powerful, thanks to a very strong lead singer guitarist Jari Olsvoll. 10 songs are included and with a playing time of 66 minutes, there is enough to enjoy here for a fan of classic underground melodic metal. More info at: www.66crusher.com and e-mail at: mail@66crusher.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) HALFORD ‘METAL ESSENTIALS VOLUME 1’ (FRONTIERS RECORDS/ROUGH TRADE) I have no clue why FRONTIERS RECORDS has suddenly signed ROB HALFORD, but apparently it did happen and now there is a first CD release of HALFORD. This is a compilation or so to speak, a best of the man’s other recordings besides PRIEST, with most of the tracks being remastered, taken from original HALFORD and FIGHT recordings, as well as a couple of new songs and if that is not enough, besides the CD there is also a full-length DVD included! Musically we get to hear some great pure Metal, so fans of PRIEST/HALFORD will surely be delighted with this CD/DVD release and more will follow soon I guess… (Points: 8.2 out of 10) BOARDERS ‘THE WORLD HATES ME’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS/NON STOP MUSIC/MICRO PHONICS GERMANY) Formed a long time ago, the Italian band BOARDERS now releases it’s debut album and it is like time stood still, because their album sounds like one of those German 1985 releases on SCRATH/HOT/GEMA records, you know the kind of Teutonic Heavy Metal of bands like STRANGER, TOX, NOISEHUNTER and especially GRAVESTONE! This is mid 80s German Teutonic Melodic Heavy Metal at it’s very best and it might sound dated to some, it has been done very well. Opener “True rebellion” is a deadringer for fans of GRAVESTONE and such. Some of the other songs are a bit heavier with some MEGADETH influences here and there. Check out more on this band at: www.boarders.it (Points: 8.2 out of 10) ELECTRIC EARTH ‘VOLUME 2: WORDS UNSPOKEN’ (MAUSOLEUM RECORDS) Swedish band with a strong traditional Doom/Stoner Rock/Metal sound owing a lot to BLACK SABBATH, KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, real raw dirty mean groovy rock and roll. In 2005 they released their debut and now on MAUSOLEUM RECORDS, the legendary Belgian label we can welcome their 2nd CD release ‘Volume 2: Words unspoken’. 12 songs are included and with a strong production by the band themselves with a little help of Roberto Laghi of MUSTASCH/HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, FREAK KITCHEN…, this new CD of ELECTRIC EARTH CD is a real winner for fans of edgy guitar orientated Rock and Roll. A must for fans of mentioned bands! (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
CIVILIZATION ONE is a new band featuring Chitral "Chity" Somapala (vocals; AVALON, FIREWIND, FARO, RED CIRCUIT), Aldo Lanobile (guitar; SECRET SPHERE), Luca Cartasegna (drums; ex-SECRET SPHERE, MORTUARY DRAPE), Vivian Lalu (keyboards; LALU, SHADRANE), and Pierre-Emmanuel Pélisson (bass; ex-HEAVENLY, MALADAPTIVE), so sort of a supergroup we have here. Their debut album ‘Revolution Rising’ has been released on METAL HEAVEN. Musically we get to hear high quality typical Northern European Melodic Metal that reminds me a lot of DIONYSUS, DESTYNATION, NOSTRADAMEUS, EDGUY, BLOODBOUND and some SCORPIONS here and there too. There are catchy hooks, melodic choruses to sing-a-long and classic twin-guitarwork, basically all the ingredients to make this a winner for fans of high class Melodic Metal. Basically nothing new is brought here, but songs like “Legends of the past”, “Welcome to paradise” and “Time will tell” still show this is a highly recommended Melodic Metal release! (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
A couple years ago we reviewed the first 2 albums of the Swedish band STONELAKE. This band was formed in 1999, but the musicians already played in and around bands since the early 1980s. It seems like the band has toughened up their sound, because their independently released first 2 albums showed a WHITESNAKEish sound, while the new CD, their first official label release ‘World entry’ is more Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal like EDGUY, PINK CREAM 69, AXXIS… The first couple of songs left me a bit cold, but the second half of the disc is much better, with some very strong Melodic Heavy Rocksongs like “Rest my eyes on you”, “Before I go” and “Cold blood” (best song, very strong). The European bonustrack “One love one heart” completely changes the style of the CD, because this is classic 80s midtempo Scandi AOR/Melodic Rock, like 220 VOLT/TREAT/SKAGARACK with much more laid-back vocalwork instead of the high-pitched TNT/PRIEST ish vocals on the rest of the CD. Anyway, fans of EDGUY will love this CD for sure, although I like the reference to WRABIT in the band’s bio a lot, because there are indeed some similarities, but STONE LAKE is way heavier and really a band of the present day… (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The Australian Power Metal band BLACK MAJESTY returns with a new CD titled ‘Tomorrowland’. Musically absolutely nothing has changed and the new record follows the steps taken on their excellent first 2 records, which means we get to hear BRUCE DICKINSON ish MAIDENish 80s Melodic Metal. Anyone with a heart for real True Metal in which high-pitched vocals, catchy choruses, twin-guitarwork and a mostly uptempo sound go hand in hand, well they should go out and get this new BLACK MAJESTY record. This time a DEEP PURPLE cover is included (“Soldier of fortune”), but it is all about the band’s own compositions, which are all (9 tracks) very strong traditional melodic power metal pieces, very typical 80s US based, but with a big updated sound! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The Dutch band XYSTUS returns with their new CD ‘Surreal’, on which they take a huge leap into the scene, because on this 2nd CD (follow-up to 2004’s ‘Receiving tomorrow’) we get to hear a band playing as good as the big boys. The music is very diverse Neo-Classical Melodic Progressive Power Metal that sounds like a cross between KAMELOT, ROYAL HUNT and ARTENSION, really high-class stuff. The vocals of singer/guitarist BAS DOLMANS are amazing, top-of-the-bill and sounding like he is one of the best Dutch singers at the moment! Production and mixing was done by Ivo Severijns (THE WILD ROMANCE/POWERPLAY) and OSCAR HOLLEMAN (WITHIN TEMPTATION/AFTER FOREVER/KREZIP), so all has been done to make this XYSTUS CD sound perfect and indeed it does, because also the included songs are really superb Neo-Classical Melodic Prog/Power Metal with as highlights “R.O.C.”, “End of the line”, the 20 minutes counting epos “Surreal” and the ballad “Holding on to better days”. The band is reaching almost KAMELOT level with this new record and at the end of 2007 this new XYSTUS album might well be the best Dutch album of the year. Definitely as good as the recent new records of SUN CAGED, AFTER FOREVER, WITHIN TEMPTATION, AUTUMN, so for the Dutch this is a great year! (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
2 years ago the German band EVIDENCE ONE released a fantastic 2nd CD, which contains some of the best Melodic Hardrock recorded in 2005, as good as JADED HEART and FRONTLINE in their heydays. Now a 3rd CD has been released and although musically nothing has changed, still pure Melodic Hardrock, production is perfect, yet the songs are not as strong as their previous record. Especially the first couple of songs are missing the catchy hooks and melodic choruses of songs from their 2nd album. That does not mean this is a bad release, because songs like "Won't Sleep Alone", "Propaganda", "Can't Fight The Past" and "Gallery Of Broken Glass" are still very strong Melodic Hardrocksongs. However, I miss some of the sensational stuff like on their 2nd album. More info at: http://www.evidenceone.de and http://www.myspace.com/evidenceoneofficial (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Guitarist Michael Thompson has played virtually with everyone and his credits include: Michael Bolton, Great White, Cher, Shania Twain, Leann Rimes, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Marx, Faith Hill, Celine Dion, Madonna and several others, but this New York born musician also managed to do some solo stuff in between all his recording sessions. In 1988, after working to try and get a deal with his band SLANG for several years, he finally got signed by Geffen Records to release one album entitled 'How Long', under the Michael Thompson Band (M.T.B.) moniker. The singer for this group was Rick 'Moon' Calhoun, previously front man for the AOR cult band THE STRAND. Rick is an outstanding vocalist with a killer soulful voice and together with Michael's guitarplaying, which was quite 'jamming' style on this MTB record, the album became a much appreciated album. Sadly it was the only album of the MTB, because it did not bring that much success, although the album has been well regarded as an AOR classic for almost 20 years now, hard to get, but now FRONTIERS RECORDS has re-released the album, with the addition of some bonustracks. 'How Long' also features session musicians like drummer-maestro Terry Bozzio, Pat Torpey (of Mr Big), bassist Jimmy Haslip, ex Kansas vocalist John Elefante, Toto's Bobby Kimball and Great White associates Michael Lardie and Wyn Davis (who also produced the album) as well as songwriters like Jeff Paris, Mark Spiro, Bill Trudell and Brett Walker. In fact the song "Never Stop Falling" was also recorded by JEFF PARIS in the early 1990s. The MTB album was not the typical 80s uptempo AOR Rock, but instead it showed a mature Hi-Tech AOR/Westcoast sound that had a lot of long guitarsolo's as well as some fantastic vocalwork, the 2 main ingredients of the album instead of catchy hooks/choruses like most other AOR albums at the time. Therefore it did not turn out to be a huge success, but on the other hand it still sounds up-to-date and refreshing listening back to this classic, because basically this MTB album is an AOR CLASSIC, with such excellent songs like "Secret Information", "Give Love a Chance", "1000 Nights", "Stranger" etc. sounding like a cross between TOTO, LE ROUX, a heavier MR. MISTER and a calmer JEFF PARIS. Among the bonustracks are "Right To Be Wrong", "Love Goes On" and the first fruit of a reunion between Michael, Moon Calhoun and songwriter Jeff Paris entitled "Wheelchair", which is a preview for the upcoming brand new album to be expected sometime in 2008. The new song is pretty good, bit more modern AOR and quite different than the classic tunes, but still interesting. Hopefully the next MTB album will follow the same style as their classic debut from 1988, which is now available through FRONTIERS RECORDS, so easier to get than the original out-of-print 1988 release on GEFFEN RECORDS. (Points: 9.1 out of 10) ALLIANCE 'DESTINATION UNKNOWN' (ESCAPE MUSIC) In the mid 1990s the band ALLIANCE was an all-star-AOR Band formed around Alan "Fitz" Fitzgerald (keyboardplayer for NIGHT RANGER), Guitarist Gary Pihl (SAMMY HAGAR, BOSTON) and lead vocalist ROBERT BERRY (HUSH, GTR, AMBROSIA, 3), with 2 releases that featured some great modern AOR Rock. Now ESCAPE MUSIC has combined these 2 releases, remastered them and added a bunch of bonustracks (8), with as result this digipack release 'Destination unknown'. I would not call this a classic, but for sure songs like "Turn Around", "Endless Nights", "You've Changed", "Young Blood" and "Hurts So Bad" are very strong AOR tunes. Especially if you did not purchase the ALLIANCE albums some 10 years ago, well then this is a nice doublepack to check out. A third album will be released later in 2007 on Escape music, but in the meantime check out this release asap! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Swedish multi-talented guitarist TOMMY DENANDER has done it again, releasing a sensational AOR record, this time together with legendary LE ROUX/TOTO singer FERGIE FREDERIKSEN. Although nothing new is brought here and similarities to 80s TOTO and RADIOACTIVE are very clear, still the mostly uptempo AOR Rock orientated album is a must-have for any AOR fan out there! Songs like "Let Him Go", "Silver Lining", "Written In Stone" and the SUPERB AOR CLASSIC "Never Try To Love Again" are high class AOR tunes like a mix between TOTO, JOURNEY and SURVIVOR. Like I said, not original, but the AOR fan will not care as he/she can easily add this one to his/her collection! (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Hot on the heels of the MTB re-issue comes MICHAEL THOMPSON's new project release TRW. Sadly this is quite a disappointing release, as this turns out to be a very average rockalbum. Opener "Rivers of Paradise" (melodic hardrock) and midtempo AOR song "Only a Letter" are quite nice, but overall this is a very bluesy rock affair, quite groovy and heavy and not much to with the AOR of the MTB record, but therefore it of course has been released under TRW, which by the way stands for the 3 musicians involved in this project, which are Michael Thompson (guitar), Mark Williamson (vocals and bass) and John Robinson (drums). Basically this is a Classic Rockalbum with a touch of British Bluesy Hardrock of the 1970s like BAD COMPANY, FREE, LED ZEPPELIN and I even smell some THUNDER in here, so do not expect anything like the MRB AOR record re-released at the same time, as this is quite a different affair! (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
In the late 80s thousands of bands in the USA were trying to secure a record deal. Hair Metal was really big and a bunch were indeed signed by the major labels, actually a lot, but most of them never made it as big as bands like WARRANT, WINGER, POISON, FIREHOUSE, SLAUGHTER, etc. etc. Some got stuck somewhere along the way, thanks to poor promotion or just unlucky with the timing of their debut release and AMERICAN ANGEL was one of those bands that released one major label record, but then was dropped and disappeared into obscurity. However, now more than 15 years later AMERICAN ANGEL makes a comeback with a very strong STEVE DEACUTIS (SHOTGUN SYMPHONY guitarist) produced CD titled ‘Vanity’. Musically pure late 80s mainstream US Melodic Hardrock like a mix between WHITESNAKE, PINK CREAM 69, TESLA and GOTTHARD, yet sounding up-to-date and not dated at all. Everything sounds pretty much perfect and with 14 killer songs a definite must for anyone missing out real strong Melodic Hardrock. Songs like “End of the night”, “Turns to grey” (very catchy tune, a la DOKKEN/FIFTH ANGEL), “When I’m away”, etc. are very strong songs that rock hard and sound like the good old US Hair Metal days, yet with a sound of today. Check out this band asap if this is your kinda style, more info at: www.americanangelrocks.com and www.chavisrecords.net (Points: 8.4 out of 10) SONIC X ‘THIRTEEN’ (CHAVIS RECORDS) ‘Thirteen’ is the 2nd CD of the Canadian band SONIC X. Musically they have a very early 90s US groovy Melodic Hardrocksound that reminds me of TESLA, GUARDIAN, EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE… The band features musicians whom played with TRIUMPH, ALANNAH MYLES, FINAL FRONTIER and FROZEN GHOST, so we are dealing here with a professional band with a sound on their new CD that recalls the good old days, so therefore I recommend it to anyone into classic late 80s/early 90s American groovy Melodic Hardrock. More info at: www.thesonicx.com and www.chavisrecords.net (Points: 8.1 out of 10) BISHOP ‘STEEL GODS’ (BISHOP MUSIC) The 3-piece New York based band BISHOP is playing high class Classic Rock and Roll, not too far away from ROADSTAR, THE ANSWER, WOLFMOTHER, but also owing a lot to TWISTED SISTER, THIN LIZZY, BAD COMPANY and even T-REX, very 1970s orientated Hard Rock and Roll with biting groovy guitarwork. The production is very impressive and so are the 10 included songs. The CD only has a short playing length, but nevertheless the music is really Classic Rock and Roll at it’s best. Highlights are “Burnout Bitch”, “Dancin on my grave” and the fantastic “Got the fever” (a bit UFO/RAINBOW/SCORPIONS type of classic hardrocksound mixed with WOLFMOTHER). Definitely a band to check out asap at: www.bishopmusic.com and http://www.myspace.com/bishopmusic and e-mail them at: info@bishopmusic.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
BLOODPIT is very popular in Finland and their latest CD ‘Off the hook’ is definitely another strong album of this band. The band has a typical Finnish sound, which combines elements of Gothic Rock, Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock and True Metal with a bit of American Emo. OK, so there are similarities to HIM, LOVEX and such, but BLOODPIT is rawer and heavier for sure.; Their new album is a good album that has the typical BLOODPIT sound if you are familiar with that of course, which is mostly uptempo Melodic Heavy Rock with a dark approach in the vocal department, while still featuring some very catchy choruses such as the catchy “Rotten to the core” and “Wise men don’t cry”. The band was formed 10 years ago and has since their debut CD ‘Mental circus’ in 2005 become more and more popular, scoring no. 1 hitsingles and with this new album forcing a breakthrough in the rest of the world. The CD is out in Finland, but the rest of the world will have to wait until Autumn 2007. In the meantime check out their site at: www.bloodpitband.com and www.myspace.com/bloodpit (Points: 8.3 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
TWO OF A KIND
'TWO OF A KIND' (FRONTIERS RECORDS) 
ALLEN/LANDE
'THE REVENGE' (FRONTIERS RECORDS) 
MELDRUM
‘BLOWIN’ UP THE MACHINE’ (FRONTIERS RECORDS/ROUGH TRADE) 
BUILDING 429
‘IRIS TO IRIS’ (CURB RECORDS/WORD/WARNER MUSIC) 
STELLAR KART
‘YOU CAN’T STAND SITTING DOWN’ (CURB RECORDS/WORD/WARNER MUSIC) 
XANDRIA ‘SALOME
– THE SEVENTH VEIL’ (DRAKKAR RECORDS/FOCUSION/SONY BMG) 
THE DOGMA ‘A
GOOD DAY TO DIE’ (DRAKKAR RECORDS/FOCUSION/SONY BMG) 
DGM ‘DIFFERENT
SHAPES’ (SCARLET RECORDS/SPV) 
MASS ‘CRACK OF
DAWN’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) 
LION’S SHARE
‘EMOTIONAL COMA’ (AFM RECORDS) 
AT VANCE ‘VII’
(AFM RECORDS) 
CIVILIZATION
ONE ‘REVOLUTION RISING’ (METAL HEAVEN/ROUGH TRADE) 
STONE LAKE
‘WORLD ENTRY’ (METAL HEAVEN/ROUGH TRADE) 
BLACK MAJESTY
‘TOMORROWLAND’ (LIMB MUSIC) 
XYSTUS
‘SURREAL’ (THE ELECTRIC CO./UNIVERSAL MUSIC HOLLAND) 
EVIDENCE ONE
'THE SKY IS THE LIMIT' (AFM RECORDS) 
MICHAEL
THOMPSON BAND/MTB 'HOW LONG' (FRONTIERS RECORDS) 
FREDERIKSEN
DENANDER 'BAPTISM BY FIRE' (FRONTIERS RECORDS) 
TRW 'RIVERS OF
PARADISE' (FRONTIERS RECORDS) 
AMERICAN ANGEL
‘VANITY’ (CHAVIS RECORDS) 
BLOODPIT ‘OFF
THE HOOK’ (SONY BMG FINLAND)