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22ND CENTURY ‘WHERE’S HOWIE?!!’ (BUGNUT
RECORDS/TWO BIT THUG PRODUCTIONS/CANADA IMPORT)
22ND CENTURY is a band from Vancouver, Canada playing good old fashioned fun Rock and Roll, with slightly rawish vocals. Everything looks and sounds pretty professional and yes, there is some of the Vancouver/Canuck Melodic Rock influences to be heard as well. However, it’s all done with a sort of semi-modern rock and even punkpopish approach (listen to “Human race” for example). If it would be possible to combine let’s say APRIL WINE, THIN LIZZY and TEAZE with SIMPLE PLAN, add some BRYAN ADAMS rock and roll, with also a bit of VAN HALEN to finish it off, then it could sound like 22ND CENTURY! It’s both traditional and modern sounding and at best this can be heard during the songs “California” and “Echo beach” (best song, very catchy chorus). Classic Hardrock meets traditional Rock and Roll and some modern Punkpop, that’s what 22ND CENTURY is all about and on their CD ‘Where’s Howie?!!’ it actually sounds pretty good. Go check them out at: http://22ndcenturyofficial.com/ (Points: 8.2 out of 10) THE WILLING ‘ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS’ (RAVE SONG RECORDS/USA IMPORT) Recently we reviewed the debut CD of the Illinois, USA based band THE WILLING ( http://strutterzine.angelfire.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS159.htm ) and now there’s a CD-single of a song called “Ancient astronauts”, which is a new song of the band. Without a doubt, this new song makes a bigger impression than their full-length CD. That record was not that bad actually, but perhaps a bit too light and acoustic Westcoast-friendly somehow. However, with this song THE WILLING deliver a lovely AORish ballad featuring strong vocals, so who knows the next CD of them (to be released in 2012) will be a little more Rock and going for an AOR touch. Nevertheless, ORLEANS fans will love this band, more at: www.TheWillingBand.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) MAD TRAFFIC ‘UNREPORTED’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) The Californian band MAD TRAFFIC was formed back in 2008 and now they have a CD available, which is titled ‘Unreported’. Musically it is typical modern day Pop/Rock with a strong typical retro-1980s approach. Here and there, they remind one of bands like NEON TREES and KINGS OF LEON, although MAD TRAFFIC is less rocking and perhaps better comparable to legendary British 80s Alternative/Post-Rockbands such as ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN, THE SMITHS and even THE CURE comes to mind here and there (listen to “Sleep before dawn”). There’s some saxophone added to the overall sound of the band, which gives them more or less a Ska influence here and there, although the music is pop/rock based. They are one of those bands that could have a big break, because it all sounds pretty professional. Find more info at: www.MadTrafficBand.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10)
Fresh sounding, straight out of the UK, the foursome AUDIOCALM delivers some great radio-ready melodic material on their EP ‘Polarity’. The 5 included songs are laid-back and clearly situated around the semi-high pitched vocals of singer ANDY HUNTLEY. The material is lightweight pop/rock of the COLDPLAY/TRAIN/TRAVIS kind, yet with better vocals and also a more melodic pop/rock approach, which makes AUDIOCALM quite a pleasure to listen to. Actually this is the kind of music we should call AOR nowadays (the song “Bulletproof” by AUDIOCALM is actually a hidden AOR gem if you ask me!). It has no relation to the 1980s AOR sound, but it sounds modern and fresh, yet with super melodic catchy songs and a ‘clean vocals’ singer who can actually sing very well and ever since Grunge took over 20 years ago that became something quite rare in the rockworld! The past few years however this kind of melodic pop/rock has been done by a lot of bands and AUDIOCALM can easily compete with most of the other acts. It should be no problem for them to secure a major deal, because everything sounds very impressive on this EP. Be sure to check out these guys at: www.audiocalm.co.uk and e-mail them at: admind@audiocalm.co.uk as they sound like the next big thing! (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
FASTLANE FLOWER is a Norwegian Metalband formed 5 years ago and now releasing their first full-length CD titled ‘Deadline’ on NORDIC RECORDS. Musically they are a little bit different than the rest of the world, which is due to the female lead singer of the band. She (ELINE STOLAN) has a very typical unique voice that is not very common in the Melodic Metal genre, because it reminds me a bit of the early 80s kinda female fronted quirky poprock (think of SHANDI, SUE SAAD, JAYNE AIRE, ROBIN LANE, HELEN SCHNEIDER, JODIE TZUKE and even a tiny bit of NINA HAGEN or KATE BUSH can be heard). Her way of singing is giving FASTLANE FLOWER definitely an own sound, although the music itself is typical present-day Melodic Metal and also some of the catchy melodic choruses are in the EPICA/AFTER FOREVER style). Eline sings crystal clear and is able to go everywhere with her voice (even some near-grunts can be heard!), which is making the songs on this very well-produced and impressive sounding debut-CD quite interesting to sit-out from start to finish. The highlights are “Monkey husiness”, “Blue moon” and “Before I’m gone” (with a very nice guitarsolo at the end!), 3 excellent catchy uptempo Melodic Metal pieces with the extraordinary but pure clean singing of Eline. Recommended band for sure! More info on this band at: http://www.fastlaneflower.no/index.html (Points: 8.4 out of 10) EASTER ‘EASTER’ (MARTINI ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT) 23 years ago the Californian band EASTER had a few MTV video smash hits with their songs “Manhattan boy” and “Lights out”. Between 1988 and 1995 they toured the USA quite extensively, but sadly never managed to secure a major record deal or an official album. Although they reunite every now and then, the band is not officially doing anything regarding new recordings, but there is now a CDR available that contains the old material for everyone to enjoy. The music of EASTER is Powerpop with some Punkpop touches and they were clearly influenced by the British early 80s Post-Wave/Powerpop movement. THE JAM and THE BUZZCOCKS mixed with some of the mid 1980s more Poprock orientated material is what you get to hear throughout the 14 included tracks. Pity this little band could not become a much bigger act, which should have been possible 20 years ago, but now you can check out their music. Available through: martinientertainment@msn.com and for more info go to: www.myspace.com/easter (Points: 8.2 out of 10) LOVEDOG ‘LOVEDOG’ (MARTINI ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT) Former member of the somewhere else reviewed band EASTER is now playing in the female fronted punkrockband LOVEDOG. This band is sounding like a raw/punky version of THE RUNAWAYS/JOAN JETT. A little rough around the edges and vocally not that strong, I do think live this band is able to give a good old rock and roll show. The record they sent me contains 11 typical raw Rock and Roll/Punkrock tunes that sound like a mix between NEW YORK DOLLS, DEAD BOYS and THE RUNAWAYS. More info at: www.myspace.com/martinientertainment (Points: 7.7 out of 10) LICK AND A PROMISE ‘COME TOGETHER IN THE MORNING’ (HOFA RECORDS/TSM SLW PROMOTIONS) LICK AND A PROMISE is a German band formed 6 years ago and they are now releasing their 2nd album titled ‘Come together in the morning’. Musically we are in the semi-acoustic groovy rock direction that reminds a lot of THE BLACK CROWES and LED ZEPPELIN. What they are doing here is of a high level, although some more rock wouldn’t hurt, because a lot of tracks are based around the acoustic tingled guitar. They are actually also more going for a Folk/Bluesy Roots Rock direction and should really be compared to the calmer material of mentioned bands. Nevertheless, it does sound quite impressive and stands out between most releases nowadays, as there is some original stuff happening here. More info at: www.lickandapromise.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10) BACKSTAGE HEROES ‘TOO RUDE TO BE COOL’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM SLW PROMOTIONS) Good old fashioned Hardrock is the deal here and then you must clearly think about bands such as AC/DC and KROKUS, although the band also has a Sleazy Hardrock injection coming straight out of the NASTY IDOLS, LA GUNS direction, but comparisons to current active bands such as VEINS OF JENNA, CRAZY LIXX and such are also possible. The band is called BACKSTAGE HEROES and they hail from Torino, Italy. ‘Too rude to be cool’ is their first full-length album and although some further improvements are necessary in the future (especially in the vocal department, which sounds a little strained), fans of Hardrock/Sleaze will appreciate this. Check it out for yourself at: www.myspace.com/backstageheroes (Points: 7.8 out of 10) KING LIZARD ‘VIVA LA DECADENCE’ (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT) Hailed by some as the British hope for Sleazy Hardrock, but the London based KING LIZARD is not really convincing on their first record ‘Viva la decadence’. The production was done by the mighty CHRIS TSANGARIDES (OZZY, PRIEST, ANVIL, THIN LIZZY…) and it is thanks to him this CD is still listenable, because KING LIZARD is really the typical British Sleazy Hardrockband, sounding like a second rate LOVE/HATE meets GUNS’N’ROSES meets LA GUNS. It takes right up to track number 7 before we can hear a memorable tune, which is “Never be mine”, but most of the time, this CD is filled with by-the-numbers Sleazy Hardrock. It’s not that bad of course, because nowadays most music sounds listenable, but sadly this is one of those albums that goes in one ear and out the other ear, so perhaps on a future record there’s hope for this band. More info at: http://www.facebook.com/kinglizardmusic (Points: 6.7 out of 10)
TEN YEAR VAMP is a female fronted rockband from New York, formed back in 2003 by lead singer/guitarist Debbie Gabrione and guitarist Mark Rose. Although they did release a couple of CDs in the past, ‘Don’t act like you know me’ is their official first full-length debut CD. Musically we are in the typical catchy modern American (female fronted) radiorockstyle, although TEN YEAR VAMP also recalls a bit of the early 80s Classic Rocksound of PAT BENATAR (“Pleasures” sounds like the follow-up to Pat’s “You better run”), but on the other hand comparisons to DAMONE and PARAMORE are also quite clear. Debbie has got an excellent strong rockvoice and the material on this album truly rocks from start to finish, so no sloppy ballads like a KELLY CLARCKSON or AVRIL LAVIGNE is doing. TEN YEAR VAMP is a real Rockband and this album contains some great material, easily beating the material of the 2 mentioned so-called rockvamps! Highlights are the uptempo rockers “Never know”, “One night ticket” and “Another try” as well as the midtempo “Say that you made love to me”. For an independent release, the sound is huge (mastered at the famous MASTERDISK in New York) and musically speaking TEN YEAR VAMP has got all the ingredients to become bigger in the music world. The record has been out for a while and it is ready to pick up for anyone who likes good rock with strong vocals and catchy melodies. More info at: http://www.tenyearvamp.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Straight out of New York City we received the debut CD of singer/songwriter EVAN RUSSELL SAFFER, who musically is mixing all kinds of rockstyles, including classic 80s Popmetal, Euro Power Metal, Melodic Rock, modern Rock, Progrock, some Industrial Metal, etc. etc. The description on his website learns that he calls it “Schizophrenic good and evil, rock opera that makes you dance; moves like Niagara Falls, both flowing and flying”, so-called Schizo/Rock Opera/Hobo-chic, whatever that means! Anyway, his first CD is titled ‘Neon gas’ and when we listen to the opener “Chemical marketplace” it’s like we are listening to the latest European Melodic Power Metal sensation, because this tune sounds like a cross between EDGUY, PINK CREAM 69, HELLOWEEN and DIONYSUS, which means this is a superb catchy little uptempo Melodic Metal tune with a chorus fans of mentioned bands will be dancing all night long to and also featuring classy DRAGONFORCE meets MALMSTEENish guitar shredding! In total 8 tracks are included and apart from that uptempo opener, the rest of the material is more diverse and here and there quite experimental actually, although songs like “Dream of love’s last dying breath” and especially “DYRWLSLM” as well as the Melodic Rockballads “Just one day” and “So far away” are very catchy and super melodic. Those ballads are actually quite sensational and picture-perfect late 80s inspired Power Ballads, feeling like we are back in the times when bands like SKID ROW/SLAUGHTER/WARRANT/WINGER’s were America’s mainstream! On the other hand, the CD also has a sort of HIM/LOVEX/TO DIE FOR/CHARON kinda dark melodic rock approach, especially during a song like “With you alone” and do I hear some GUNS’N’ROSES during “Alienator” (Terminator déjà-vu?). Evan is a very good singer by the way, reminding me a lot of Tobias Sammet of EDGUY/AVANTASIA mixed with a little MICHAEL SWEET of STRYPER, DEE SNIDER of TWISTED SISTER, SEBASTIAN BACH of SKID ROW and some bits and pieces of THEOCRACY, so all together he sounds like a sort of semi-Metal God! The guitarwork is by the way also quite impressive, very much in the Classic Metal direction, while the overall production/sound is clearly giving it a modern approach. Quite a surprise this CD and hopefully we will be hearing a lot more from Evan in the future. Check it out for yourself at: http://evanrussellsaffer.com/ (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Holy mama… now this is more like it! CELLESTE is a Canadian female singer who has got the voice of a new Rock Goddess and without any doubts, she can be ranked alongside all the other great female rocksingers from Canada, such as ALANNAH MYLES, SASS JORDAN, LEE AARON, DARBY MILLS, HOLLY WOODS, etc. etc. Musically it is a mix of heavy blues/hard rock a la JOE BONAMASSA with some monster guitar riffs and calmer more laid-back melodic ish pop/rock with a more acoustic tingled approach. The voice of CELLESTE is clearly the main focus and it is quite a joy to listen to such a ‘goldmine’. Highlights are opener “Real love” (a real heavy groovy big stompin’ rocker straight outta the 1970s Classic Rock book), the semi-ballad “Drive”, “Watcha doing to me” (a deadringer for fans of let’s say SOUL SIRKUS, CHICKENHAWK, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and the ballad “Beyond words”. CELLESTE is helped out on her album by multi-instrumentalist ERIC DICK, who is actually also her business partner, because the two did not only start only a music relationship, but also a business relation in the shape of MIGHTY MUSIC, the label that also backs up this release. That is quite a challenge nowadays, but if the material is of such a high level that should not be a problem I guess… The other release on the label is by SHELI STEVENS, which is also reviewed. Besides the voice of an angel, CELLESTE is also a beautiful looking woman, so nothing stands this lady in the way to become the next big thing! More info at: www.celleste.com and www.mightymusic.ca (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Another great Canadian female singer is SHELI STEVENS, who released her debut CD ‘Come home’ on the MIGHTY MUSIC label of the somewhere else reviewed CELLESTE and multi-instrumentalist ERIC DICK. Eric also helped out big time here and I must say that this CD sounds very impressive as well. Less rocking than the CELLESTE record, still the album offers some beautiful almost AORish Pop/Rock material that is very much focused on really catchy melodic choruses that are quite radio-ready and of cours Sheli’s voice is the main key for the melody provided here. It reminds me a bit of the early 90s ff aor/poprock of for example ROBIN BECK and LENITA ERICKSON, which means a nice mix of AOR melodies and the use of a lot of acoustic guitar. If you like one tune, you will love them all for sure, because this is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of instant memorable melodies! The highlights here are “Still the one”, “Come home” and “Where does it go?”, but any tune will go down well here. Make sure not to miss this great female singer at: www.shelistevens.com and www.mightymusic.ca (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The Swedish A.O.R. band OSUKARU returns with a new CD, which also brings quite some line-up changes and compared to their previous album, this ‘Never too late’ sounds a lot more professional. The band is clearly focusing on pure A.O.R. this time, with huge improvements on the vocal department, because it has a soulful touch this time, thanks to their new lead singer CARL ‘CJ” JOHAN. The keyboards are a great contribution to the overall sound, which by the way has a classic 80s major label approach. The guitarlicks and solo’s of bandleader OZ OSUKARU are quite superb actually, as he’s really belting out some wonderful AOR melodies. The 4 songs (not counting the radio edit and karaoke versions of some of the tunes) on this mini-CD remind me a lot of ROX DIAMOND, although not yet at that incredible high level and perhaps better comparable to H.E.A.T. The finest one is definitely “Driven by love”, a cracking uptempo AOR rocker with some nice hooks and melodies. Back in 1985, this OSUKARU would probably be the latest AOR sensation and who knows on a future length-record (which will be titled ‘Salvation’ and is planned for release later this year) they will show the world there are still new quality AOR bands out there! Maybe nothing new is brought here, the AOR fans will definitely have to keep their eyes open for OSUKARU at: www.osukarutheband.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MARK DEAN’S CALDERA ‘NO MAN IS AN ISLAND’ (AMETHYST EDGE PRODUCTIONS/USA IMPORT) Multi-instrumentalist MARK DEAN from California recorded his CD ‘No man is an island’ through the past 5 years and now releases the full-length CD. The production and sound is quite impressive and Mark shows he is a very talented musician. His singing isn’t too bad either and musically he combines several rock and metal genres, although a mix of Dark Doom Metal, Progressive Rock, some SOUNDGARDENish Alternative Metal and 1990s Melodic Hardrock is probably the best way to describe the music on this disc. “Love in vain” sounds like a cross between HAREM SCAREM circa ‘Voice of reason’, SOUNDGARDEN, mid 1990s TALISMAN and TROUBLE/CANDLEMASS. Quite original actually this album, because it offers something for everyone, although you have to be open-minded and not look for any easy straight-ahead rockers, because you won’t find em here! This CD is quite dark, very heavy, proggy and doomy at the same still, but also melodic (great guitarsolo and midtempo groove during “Across the way” for example and do I hear some SAVATAGE/TRANSIBERIAN ORCHESTRA during “Climb the cliff”), so fans of the later HAREM SCAREM sound crossed with some of SOUNDGARDEN and a healthy dose of Progressive Rock might be very interested in checking out MARK DEAN at: www.amethystedgeprod.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Every now and then from out of nowhere a new band pops up with quite a stunning album release. In this case it is a band from Las Vegas, USA whom sent us their CD ‘Blood and red wine’, which happens to be a very impressive instrumental album that contains superb high quality Progressive Rock/Progmetal that can easily compete with the instrumental parts of let’s say RUSH and DREAM THEATER. No keyboards in the band’s line-up, so mainly guitar focused and I must admit that the guitarsound is very sensational, thanks to their 2 guitarists, ANDY HEILMAN and DARRIN PAPPA. Opener “Fighting Hydra” sets the record immediately at a very high level, because what we get to hear on this first song alone is really amazing. Happily, the rest of the CD continues this way and who knows the CD of this little band from Las Vegas might end up as the finest instrumental album of 2011! Must-have for anyone who likes good clean quality instrumental ‘melodic’ guitar orientated prog/hardrock/metal and yes for an independent release it sounds picture perfect regarding the sound/production, so nothing stands in my way giving it a high rating! More info at: www.dinnermusicforthegods.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
The Swiss band SAHARA RAIN returns with a new CD entitled ‘Eternity’, which was produced by the mighty MICHAEL BORMANN at his own studio in Duisburg. His influences can clearly be heard here and there, such as during the uptempo melodic rocker “Will I ever be”, a catchy little tune. Comparisons to the old JADED HEART and BONFIRE are very clear all throughout the CD. The first few tunes the vocals of singer RICCI DOMENICO are a little bit struggling, but especially during the semi-melodic rockballad “Miss you” he sounds stronger than ever. 11 songs are included and the fans of good typical German style Melodic Hardrock will definitely find a lot to like on this new SAHARA RAIN CD, which has been released independently by the way. Other highlights besides the already mentioned tunes are the sing-a-long midtempo anthem like rocker “Holy warrior”, the uptempo “Shout it out’ and the ballad “Dreams die young”. More info on the band can be found at: http://www.sahararain.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
‘Shattered lines’ is the 2nd CD of the Italian band ATTO IV and without a doubt, this album is a very sensational release. Musically it is balancing somewhere between classic Italian Prog of the PFM and LE ORME kind, the more modern prog of a PORCUPINE TREE and BLACKFIELD, mixed with a tiny bit of melodic Progmetal of a VANDENPLAS, PAGAN’S MIND and THRESHOLD, while overall RUSH and RIVERSIDE are not too far away either. The production and sound is crystal clear and besides an excellent instrumental back-up, the lead vocals of guitarist VALERIO RIZZOTI are really good and definitely contributing a lot to the overall sound of ATTO IV. The whole package deal here is making this album a true winner for any Progfan. ATTO IV has a sort of own style, although still very recognizable for the progfans as you can hear a bit of everything here, so this band will appeal to any progfan out there, no matter if you’re a fan of PORCUPINE TREE, VANDENPLAS, PAGAN’S MIND or RUSH… Check out all info at: www.attoquarto.it (Points: 8.7 out of 10) TERRAPLANE/MAX VOLUME ‘VARIOUS RECORDS’ (TADZHIQ MUSIC GROUP/USA IMPORT) Now this is really rare… the Nevada/USA based TERRAPLANE released an awesome mini-record titled ‘Arrives’ way back in 1981, so that is 30 years ago! Anyway, one of the ex-members was kind enough to sent me a sort of remastered CDR version of that record and I must admit that this sounds incredibly well. TERRAPLANE added a quirky approach to the then legendary US AOR/Pomprocksound and ended up sounding like a mix between THRILLS, MPG, AVIARY and BENTWOOD ROCKER. The album cover looked like a STARCASTLE record and what makes this record stand-out is the lovely guitar and keyboardwork, while the catchy choruses of the songs “Sexual fantasy” and “Jack the Ripper” do impress as well. The quirkiness is clearly coming alive in the lyrics of the material, with a very humoristic approach way of singing them by JOHNNIE G. BLUE OYSTER CULT would therefore be a very good comparison for this TERRAPLANE, which by the way should not be confused with the same named UK band from the 1980s. Sadly only 5 songs are available from this band and boy what I would have loved to get my hands on an original vinyl record of this release. On this CDR a cool bonustrack is included, which is a great bombastic DOKKENish Melodic Hardrocktune by the way. Lead singer/guitarist MAX VOLUME sent 2 discs of material he recorded the past few years under his own name, but musically this has nothing to do with the lovely AOR/Melodic Rock of the CDR of TERRAPLANE, because as MAX VOLUME he goes into a sort of JOHNNY CASH meets TOM WAITS meets TED NUGENT meets SAMMY HAGAR boogie/country/American rootsy singer/songwriter rock and roll direction. Not that bad, but if we listen one more time to the lovely material on this TERRAPLANE disc (and that bonustrack “Tell the truth”) we hear some really sensational music, which of course is pure 80s American AOR/Pomp Melodic Rock… Let’s hope more of that music style will be unveiled in the future! Check out more info at: www.myspace.com/maxvolume1 (Points: -) HULDRA ‘FODT PA NY’ (HULDRA RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT) The Norwegian band HULDRA returns with a new CD and happily musically everything has stayed the same, because once again we are spoiled with great summerish AOR. HULDRA was previously known as HEAVEN, whom recorded an album 20+ years ago, but changed their name to HULDRA somewhere along the way and also started singing in Norwegian. Musically the band has always kept their AORish sound and also this new record contains excellent catchy typical Scandi-AOR. Although the lyrics are in the Norwegian language, the 9 included songs are all very strong and quite memorable. A song like “Lite land” is basically a picture-perfect Summer-AOR song. In fact, a lot of the material has a summer-sun feeling and perhaps the sound of the band can better be called Westcoast-AOR, because that is what we really get to hear and I must admit it sounds very impressive. A very nice fun record that contains nothing but quality music from start to finish. More at: http://www.huldrarecords.no (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The 1980s must have been one long wet-dream for any fan of AOR music if you lived in the USA, because basically in every state hundreds of bands were playing this musicstyle, obviously thanks to the massive success of JOURNEY, SURVIVOR, TOTO, FOREIGNER and such during that period of time in music history. The sad thing however is that many of these bands never reached any success, except from some local popularity. Nowadays one still can discover 80s recordings that nobody ever heard before, except for a few locals that lived at the time in the surroundings where these bands were active. Of course times have changed and you don’t have to go to the area itself, as the internet allows us to discover these recordings more easily, even obscure 1980s stuff. The label RETROSPECT RECORDS is known for hunting and tracking down these rare releases, remaster them onto CD and the result is quite interesting sometimes. For example THE JACKS from Omaha, Nebraska, whom did a mini-LP release back in 1986, which has now been re-issued onto CD. I had never heard of this band, although I personally do know quite a lot! It just goes to show that if you’re lucky you still are able to find some local 80s rare AOR album that nobody has ever heard of! Thanks must go out to DAN BIRD, who was the keyboardplayer, lead vocalist and guitarplayer of THE JACKS, as he sent us the recently released THE JACKS CD. 8 tracks are included and opener “Love’s in danger” is the big massive AOR/Pomp Melodic Rock like we love it best, sounding dangerously close to the obscure RATHSKELLER, a very keyboardfriendly track that will be loved by fans of the pure earlier 80s Midwestern US AOR/Pomprock. Next track “Give it a shot” is rockier and a nice almost HEAD EAST sounding Melodic Rocker. However the absolute highlight has got to be “Que Linda, what a beauty”. This is really an amazing song, which basically is a picture-perfect example of Classic 1980s US AOR with an incredible hook, big massive Pomp keyboards (a la FORTUNE 1985), a fantastic chorus that sticks in your head for the rest of your life, some super melodic guitarwork and harmonyvocals all over the place, not unlike VAN STEPHENSON, DAKOTA circa ‘Runaway’ and the mighty SYNCH. This song alone makes it worth checking out the CD, because it shows the incredible high level of this band. “Maria” is a little quirky in places and is more Powerpop ish, even a little reminding of THE KNACK, yet with the American New Wave of AOR slipped right through (think of THE PRODUCERS, THE RAVIJNS…). Same goes for the following track “Tommy is a Romeo”, but “I can’t wait” puts the band straight back into Northern American 80s AOR/Poprock of the LOVERBOY kind. Besides the 6 original 1986 mini-LP tracks, 2 radio edit versions of the best 2 songs on this CD are included (“Que Linda” and “Love’s in danger”). All together, this is really worth checking out if you’re a fan of 80s keyboard-orientated AOR/Pomprock/Powerpop. Not all of the tracks are pure AOR, but especially a song like “Que Linda, what a beauty” you truly do not wanna to miss… The band eventually split up in 1992 and the members went their own way, of whom DAN BIRD is still very busy with making new music. More info at: www.danbirdmusic.com and http://www.thejacks.biz/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10) SWIM THE MIND ‘WATERFALL WALLS’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) SWIM THE MIND is a band from the central Cincinatti, USA area and they are playing a sort of mix between Progressive Rock and typical Post-Grunge/Alternative Rock. Vocally it is very much in the TOOL/ALICE IN CHAINS direction, which means quite 90s and depressing sounding. The guitar riffs are more out of the traditional bluesy and progrock direction, but nevertheless most of the material on the band’s CD ‘Waterfall walls’ is Post-Grunge-Rock and should be checked by fans of TOOL, LIVE, ALICE IN CHAINS, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, etc. etc. More info at: www.swimthemind.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10)
SURVIVOR was by far the best studio-recording band all throughout the 1980s. 7 Classic Album releases that stood the test of time and are now still regarded as the best AOR ever recorded, even topping JOURNEY, although some people might think differently. 'Too hot to sleep' was their final blow and also their most experimental of the bunch, as on this record SURVIVOR showed their heaviest side. 'Too hot to sleep' is a Melodic Hardrock album, very guitar orientated, but also a few AOR type of songs. It is a powerful record with some of Frankie Sullivan's finest guitarwork and from all the SURVIVOR records, this one sounds as if it was recorded yesterday, because it doesn't sound dated at all. Partly thanks to the production of FRANK FILIPETTI and session drummer MICKEY CURRY (BRYAN ADAMS), this album rocked very hard, but still with the classic SURVIVOR melodies. The guitar riffs are very impressive, even closing the album with a real BLACK SABBATHish Doom riff in the song "Burning bridges". This song is also one of the best cuts, because Jimi sings his heart out here, while the slow moving tune also has a really excellent melodic chorus. Other highlights are "Desperate Dreams" (Classic AOR all the way, they don't make 'em this sensational anymore!), "Didn't Know It Was Love" (another piece of AOR meat), the AOR ballad "Across The Miles" and the already "Burning Bridges". Re-released and remastered by ROCK CANDY RECORDS, this one nicely closes the 1980s SURVIVOR back-catalogue. More info at: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk (Points: 9.3 out of 10)
If only they had put on the Rocky 4 classic tune "Burning heart" as opener on the follow-up to the finest album of all times 'Vital signs', then the 6th record 'When seconds count' of SURVIVOR would have been a multi-million seller. Nevertheless, the album is still one of the finest AOR records ever created, although it is an exact copy of the previous album 'Vital signs'. The production and overall sound quality is of a very high level, perhaps one of the finest ever put on record! Jimi's vocals were spot-on from start to finish and the vocal production on 'When seconds count' is belonging to the best ever recorded! The way Jimi sings every word on this record is quite exceptional, really creating a melody out of every word of each song and the production is definitely based around that vocal melody. 10 Classic AOR tunes are included here and if there's one record in the entiry history that defines the 1980s American AOR sound then it is this record most definitely. You can't get any closer to picture-perfect AOR than 'When seconds count', although in the end 'Vital signs' was a better record. Anyway, ROCK CANDY RECORDS nicely finishes the SURVIVOR back-catalogue with the re-release of their 6th and 7th record from the 1980s. 'When seconds count' sounds even better than the original version, thanks to some excellent remastering and like any other ROCK CANDY release, also this one comes along with extensive and very interesting liner notes as well as some rare pics of 25 years ago when this album was recorded. It's hard to pick favorites, because each and every track is a classic, but some of the tunes do belong to the 100 greatest songs ever recorded and these are "Man Against The World" (one of the best Power Ballads ever!), "Rebel Son" (almost the ultimate AOR song!), "Backstreet Love Affair" (the verses and pre-chorus as well as the hooks of this song are so good that everytime I hear it I personally get emotional!) and the other Power Ballad "In Good Faith". As a bonustrack the song that started it all for me has been included and that is of course "Burning Heart", which should have been on the original release as well. More info at: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk (Points: 9.8 out of 10)
The American YES, that was the trademark for the legendary 1970s Illinois, USA based band STARCASTLE and especially on their first couple of records nobody can deny the close comparison to the British Symphonic Rockband. Nevertheless, STARCASTLE had their own approach to the typical British Symphorocksound, because like any other American band they added some catchy hooks and melodic choruses out of the AOR/Pomprock genre to make the overall sound a little more accessible. Their later albums saw the band move on to an ever straighter AOR/Rocksound, but the 2 new re-issues by ROCK CANDY RECORDS show the band at their most Symphonic Rock peak. The first 2 albums were basically both pure YES, of which the debut is one big wet-dream for the fans of the genre. STARCASTLE featured TERRY LUTRELL on vocals, who was previously with REO SPEEDWAGON. That band went on to superstardom, while STARCASTLE actually never had a huge breakthrough, although their cult status is pretty intense. 35 years after the release of the album, this re-issue shows that this band had a very tight musicianship going on and they easily should have gotten a lot more attention. Any YES fan will freak out when hearing this first STARCASTLE album, which has now been remastered and sounding crystal clear on this re-release by ROCK CANDY RECORDS, which also contains extensive liner notes, rare pictures and an interview. The 7 'lengthy' original album tracks are of course included on this re-issue, of which songs like "Lady of the lake" and "Nova" are quite timeless. As always, ROCK CANDY also added some nice archive pictures besides a complete story and interviews with the band in the CD-booklet. Don’t forget to also check out their 3rd album ‘Citadel’, which was re-issued sometime ago by ROCK CANDY, as well as the 2nd album ‘Fountains of light’, which is also re-issued now. More info at: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Although STARCASTLE were seen as a copycat of YES, they were more interesting actually, because they had that American approach of Classic British Symphonic Rock. ‘Fountains of light’ was their 2nd album, now also re-issued on CD, once again offering YESesque material with a lot of STYX/ANGELish Pompous keyboardwork and huge harmonyvocals. 6 tracks can be found on this re-issue, no bonustracks and therefore a little bit short, but happily showing nothing but high quality music that was the perfect bridge American 70s Pomp and British 70s Sympho, like mixing STYX/KANSAS with YES/GENTLE GIANT. Also this re-issue contains extensive liner notes and pictures in the CD-booklet, so a must-have for any 70s prog/pompfan! More info at: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk (Points: 8.6 out of 10) GREG LAKE ‘GREG LAKE/MANOEUVRES’ (ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) After ELP and KING CRIMSON, the legendary GREG LAKE went solo and was actually lost for a while musically speaking, because he released the solo-records ‘Manoeuvres’ and ‘Greg Lake’, which went for a pure AOR approach, but also his short ASIA fill-in for JOHN WETTON saw him completely moving away from the classic 1970s Prog/Symphorock. Both the solo-albums from the early 1980s have now been re-issued by ROCK CANDY RECORDS and despite the high quality of the material, the vocals of Greg are a let-down, because the guy has a very monotonous range. It is GARY MOORE’s phenomenal guitarwork on both records that save the records and if only Greg had let Gary sang all the material, then the value of this re-issues would have been much higher. Nevertheless, both records are quite nice to listen to, as they clearly showcase the typical early 80s almost Americanised Wesctoast-AOR sound here and there (“A woman like you” sounds like POCO meets ORLEANS meets PLAYER!). Interesting records, but like mentioned before, the vocals are not contributing anything here and therefore only interesting for die-hard fans. The 1981 same titled record by the way is the rockier one, while ‘Manoeuvres’ goes the American Westcoast-AOR and even Pop direction all the way. No classic stuff here I’m afraid… More info at: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk (Points: 7.3 out of 10) THE TEA CLUB ‘RABBIT’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) Now this is a really impressive CD and highly recommended to any Progfan out there! THE TEA CLUB are coming out New Jersey, USA, although actually from a suburb not far from Philadelphia city and on their CD ‘Rabbit’ we can hear superb modern day Progressive Rock in the style of SPOCK’S BEARD, TRANSATLANTIC and THE FLOWER KINGS. The core of the band is formed by the brothers Patrick and Dan McGowan, whom both can sing and play guitar, so comparisons to ALAN and NEAL MORSE are very clear actually. This album just shows that there is a lot of unheard talent out there and after a couple of listens to their album ‘Rabbit’ I can easily conclude that this band is a must-hear for any fan of Progressive Rock, especially if you like any of the mentioned acts. 9 tracks are included in total and thanks to the superb vocalwork as well as the highly interesting complex structures, this is a very enjoyable album that should definitely not go unnoticed! More info at: http://www.theteaclub.net (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
SASSY are coming out of San Francisco and on their CD ‘Diggin’ deep’ they sound like a full 4-piece band, but in fact SASSY is a 2-piece band, consisting of 2 female musicians. Musically speaking they play pure honest all-original Garage Rock and Roll that sounds like a mix between THE DONNAS, THE RIPLETS, BLITZ BABIEZ and THE RUNAWAYS, with however the fast and short playing length of THE RAMONES and a big fat heavy groovy guitar sound straight outta the Garage Rock department. The 13 included songs sound very impressive and highly professional and here and there super catchy, such as “So bad its good”, “You can gave him” and “Something about you”. Must-have for fans of all-female girlie punk’n’garage’n’roll of mentioned bands, then go to: http://www.myspace.com/sassytheband (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The Canadian band BOLUS exists of only 2 musicians, but together they create something really sensational, which is even better than most 4 or 5-piece bands out there put out. The band’s independent CD ‘Delayed reaction’ sounds huge and combines elements of Progressive Rock (RUSH), JETHRO TULLish Folksy Rock and something out of the BLUE OYSTER CULT book, while the KANSAS/STYXish influences are also very clear. NICK KARCH is singing, playing guitars, bass and keyboards, while MAT KERSELMAN is playing drums, flue and sings as well. Opener “Those who saved us” grabs you from the first few seconds and doesn’t let go, because this is a fantastic uptempo melodic progressive rocker a la RUSH, with a superb catchy chorus like BLUE OYSTER CULT wrote them in the early 1980s. Although most of the material is rocking out full-time, every now and then the band goes a little more acoustic and it’s then when they do sound like KANSAS/STYX meets JETHRO TULL (listen to “Outside” for example). However RUSH meets BOC is the best way to describe this BOLUS and it is thanks to superb vocalwork, some great catchy melodies, a huge sound and 11 interesting tunes on their CD ‘Delayed reaction’ that I can highly recommend this band! Other highlights besides the lovely opening cut are the utterly fantastic soaring “White window”, “Home is where the heart is”, “Steps under shelter” and “Paranoia safehouse” (COHEED AND CAMBRIA eat your heart out!). You truly don’t want to miss this original Toronto area based band! More info at: http://bolusmusic.com/ (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
‘I mistici dell'Occidente’ is the 5th CD of the Italian band BAUSTELLE, whom were formed way back in 1994. Through the years they built up quite a reputation and eventually got signed to the major label WARNER MUSIC back in 2005 for their 3rd CD ‘La malavita’. Although they are said to be an Indie/Alternative Rockband with even Electronic influences, somehow the band reminds a little of a more polished version of PORCUPINE TREE, so they are a little Progressive Rock orientated as well. In fact, they remind a little of the legendary Italo Prog movement from the 1980s (PFM, LE ORME…), but on the other hand they do sound very modern, more guitar orientated and therefore it is not that strange they have a huge following in Italy because nowadays this kind of pop/rock is very popular in Europe. The songs are sung in Italian and as with the Italian language, it doesn’t matter which musicstyle, because it always sounds good. BAUSTELLE is a very interesting semi-rockband, with a few uptempo pieces, but mostly sitting comfortably in the slower side of semi-prog meets alternative, kinda like PINK FLOYD, RADIOHEAD and the already mentioned PORCUPINE TREE, yet with also some slight THE SMITHS and other typical British 80s Altrockbands here and there, although even some traditional Italian music is added as well, such as during the catchy “La Bambolina”, which even features a female lead singer (perhaps on a future record BAUSTELLE should let her sing some more tunes, as she has a very good voice). Anyway, this is high quality music and definitely worth checking out, more info at: www.baustelle.it (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Canadian author MARTIN POPOFF is quite well-known for his Metal related books, of which we reviewed quite a lot the past 10 years, such as Ye Olde Metal, The Top 500 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time and of course the Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal. From this last series already 3 parts have been published, each based on 1 full decade and so far we have had the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s. As we are now already in the year 2011, Martin just finished a new Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal that is based on the 2000s. Although Martin's finest work can be found in his 1970s Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal, it is always nice to read his reviews. However, this time Martin was helped out by co-editor DAVID PERRI and his contribution is definitely not really an addition. In fact, he slams about each and every album that is a little bit on the melodic side. Although Martin himself also was very hard on the AOR/Melodic Rock/Metal related material in his past books, he now seems to be defending and appreciating the genre, with even fair ratings for acts like SHOOTING STAR, NIGHT RANGER, HOUSE OF LORDS, etc. Sadly, DAVID PERRI is completely destroying all the great 2000s albums within the Melodic Metal field and that is very annoying, because how on earth can you rate albums by EPICA and FAIR WARNING with less than 6 points!!! It becomes even weirder when from the same band (KAMELOT and DRAGONFORCE) Martin gives a high rating, where as David gives a low rating for a different record by the same band, while in this case both records are equal in quality! Also a lot of albums are missing, because how on earth can AFTER FOREVER and WITHIN TEMPTATION be missing in this book, but this also was the case with the 1990s book when there was no mention of one of the greatest Progmetalbands in history (PSYCHOTIC WALTZ!!!). Although this new book contains probably the most reviews of the complete series, still many albums are not reviewed and it is pretty clear that according to this book Metal can only be aggressive and loud, because any melodic approach by a Metalband is completely bashed. The 2000s in fact were giving Metal a much wider audience, sounding cleaner and better overall production wise and major labels snapping up several bands. Most important change was however that clean vocals and melodic friendly choruses were becoming a major part of a lot of Metalbands, with especially subgenres like Progmetal (SEVENTH WONDER, VANDENPLAS, PAGAN'S MIND), Power Metal (NOCTURNAL RITES, BLOODBOUND, VISION DIVINE) and even the American Nu-Metal (DISTURBED, SHINEDOWN) providing some of the finest Metal albums ever released. Although a couple of albums receive favorable reviews in this book, the main focus is praising the more Extreme Metal way of life (growling and screaming seems to be the main focus of co-editor DAVID PERRI who rates as top albums of the 2000s records by bands like DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PIG DESTROYER, DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED, CRADLE OF FILTH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, BLOODBATH, MASTODON…) Of course Martin has the better taste and I do think that if he had full control and didn’t let David ruin it, this would have been a very good book, because now it seems to miss the point at times. In the end, this book does not reach the level of any of the previous books in this series, so be aware of that, but for me personally as a rock/metal-encyclopedia junkie it is always nice to have so much information inside 1 book. Just like the previous books, also this one comes along with a CD filled with artists of the METAL BLADE roster, but apart from FATES WARNING, this is just like this 2000s based book focused on the Extreme Metal genre. The book is available through: http://www.martinpopoff.com and www.cgpublishing.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
DIO is no longer and whenever a legend dies, all kinds of tributes, re-issues, rare releases and any old live recording are unveiled to the public. In the case of DIO, we have seen a lot of tribute albums lately, but you might as well throw them all away when a real killer unreleased DIO recording is officially released on both LP and CD. It concerns namely 2 live recordings of DIO that took place at the famous Donington festivals back in the 1980s. Released as a double-CD set, both recordings sounds truly picture-perfect and feature of course DIO's masterly vocals. Recorded back in 1983 and 1987, it's like DIO is back in your living room when you start playing this 'baby' loud and proud on your stereo. This is Metal sung by the one and only Metal God DIO. He may now R.I.P., his voice and music will forever remain in our hearts and now for the first time these rare live recordings are being released. Although DIO recorded legendary material with both RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH, it is mainly his 1980s solo performances of that material as well as his solo recordings that gave him the title 'the Voice of Metal'. This 2-CD set features all those DIO sung classics, such as "Stand Up and Shout", "Straight Through the Heart", "Children of the Sea", "Rainbow in the Dark", "Holy Diver", "Stargazer", "Heaven and Hell", "Man on the Silver Mountain", "Dream Evil", "All the Fools Sailed Away" and "The Last in Line". Fist in the air and making the Devil-horn signal, that marks DIO at his best and you will be doing that from start to finish when putting on this 2-CD set (or LP) of DIO's live performances at the famous Donington festival in the Uk during the 1980s! (Points: 9.0 out of 10)
In the past we did not review any of the releases of the US based label FNA RECORDS, but from now on the reviews on this exciting label will be featured. FNA RECORDS is mainly focused on doing releases of old remastered material and then we are talking about either unreleased recordings, independent albums or demos from the later 80s-mid 90s. Most of the signed bands are/were from the USA and in particular the L.A. Sleaze/Glamrockscene from the late 1980s/early 1990s is the area in which most of the bands were settled. One of them was ALLEYCAT SCRATCH, which was a band that managed to release 1 full-length CD 'Deadboys in Trash City' that musically speaking was pure early 90s Sleazy Hardrock a la JUNKYARD, LA GUNS, FINSTER BABY, NASTY IDOLS, EVERY MOTHER'S NIGHTMARE, TATTOOED MILLIONAIRE BOYS, CATHOUSE, CATS'N'BOOTS, etc. etc. FNA RECORDS released a very impressive 2-CD/DVD set of this band titled 'Last call', which contains not only a brand new album of "old unreleased recordings", but also 4 studio tracks that have never seen the light of day. Besides, also 14 live tracks recorded at legendary clubs like The Roxy, The Troubadour, and The Mason Jar during 1993-1994 is included and to make it even more valuable, there's also a DVD added with two of their legendary shows and some behind-the-scenes-footage. In the Sleazy Hardrockworld, this band is definitely a must-hear and what better way than to check out this new 2-CD/DVD set, which also marks the ultimate end of the band. More info at: www.fnarecords.net and www.alleycatscratch.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The band TORA TORA was formed in Memphis, USA back in 1985 and managed quite quickly to secure a record deal, which eventually led to the release of their debut CD 'Surprise! Attack' in 1989 on the major label A&M RECORDS. The album charted in the US Billboard Chart Top 50 and is until today a very underrated album that contained some great classic American Hardrock. TESLA meets MONTROSE meets VAN HALEN, with a bunch of ZEPPELIN meets AEROSMITH riffs was the deal here and also on the follow-up album 'Wild America' from 1992. Sadly that 2nd record was less successful and although the band recorded a 3rd album in 1994, that record was never released and they were dropped and eventually split up. However since 2008 the band reformed, new and old material was released on several CDs and now in 2011 even the 3rd unreleased record 'Revolution day' find its way onto CD. The sound is excellent and nowhere does it sound dated. Even when listening to their first 2 records from 20 years ago, it amazes me that these guys never sounded dated and their music nowadays still sounds fresh. If you think THE ANSWER has reinvented the wheel, then have a listen to TORA TORA. After being shelved for 17 years, now the 3rd official album of TORA TORA is available for the fans and anyone who never heard this great band should check it out asap. AEROSMITH meets MONTROSE meets TESLA is what is offered here on a very high level. Make sure not to miss this release at: http://www.myspace.com/toratoraband and http://www.fnarecords.net/ (Points: 8.4 out of 10) STRANGE KARMA 'VOLUME 1' (FNA RECORDS/USA IMPORT) Although STRANGE KARMA is a new band, their story is quite lengthy and it took them 3 years to officially release their debut CD, but finally FNA RECORDS released the band's debut CD 'Volume 1'. The Australian band digs deep in rock and roll history as they play traditional all-original Classic Hardrock that combine influences from AC/DC, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN and 80s US Hair Metal. They remind a lot of CINDERELLA, BRITNY FOX and KIX, although sometimes I also must think about THE DARKNESS due to the high falsetto range of the band’s lead singer MARTIN STRANGE (who also plays guitars and piano), who is together with his brother PAUL STRANGE (guitars) making up the core of STRANGE KARMA (hence the bandname!). Somehow the moments when Martin sings a little lower, he sounds at best, such as during the semi-ballad “Time”. However, most of the material sounds like a typical American heavy rockband, including monsterous groovy guitar riffs out of the LED ZEPPELIN book, Metalized here and there, such as during “Harder than a stone”. I would not be surprised to see a follow-up emerge very soon, as the material on this first STRANGE KARMA CD is already 3 years old, however it sounds fresh and up-to-date, which is usually the case when Classic Rock/Traditional Hardrock is done as properly as on this album. More info at: http://www.fnarecords.net/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
The legendary UK Bluesy Melodic Hardrockband STAMPEDE returns with a full new album that marks the comeback of this band, whom released 2 major label albums back in the 1980s. The ‘Hurricane town’ was re-issued on CD by ROCK CANDY RECORDS 5 years ago and now a whole new album has been released on GRIND THAT AXE, the sublabel of ROCK CANDY RECORDS. The brothers REUBEN and LAURENCE ARCHER formed the band back in 1981 and although they had some success, released 2 records, eventually they broke up and both went their own way, with Reuben out of the music business and Laurence playing with UFO and several other bands/projects through the years. However, now they are back together as STAMPEDE, releasing a brand-new CD, which musically is a little less commercial and melodic than the 1980s recordings. Nowadays they are more rooted into Classic British Bluesy Hardrock of the WHITESNAKE, BAD COMPANY, UFO kind. Not bad at all, with 13 songs included in total. Although I personally prefer the more friendly melodic rock of their 80s records, this album surely is a nice new beginning, which will definitely appeal to fans of the aforementioned bands, although STAMPEDE also is not sounding too far off the last couple of TYGERS OF PAN TANG record. It’s a NWOBHM reunion after all! Email them at: Lauren@stampederock.com and check out their site at: www.stampederock.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
LOST IN THOUGHT is a band from the UK and surprisingly they play pure Melodic Progressive Metal a la PAGAN’S MIND, SEVENTH WONDER, MIND’S EYE, MIND KEY… Not many UK based bands play this musicstyle, although BALANCE OF POWER (and also THRESHOLD) were one of the key bands in Melodic Progmetal during the 1990s and early 2000s. Actually LOST IN THOUGHT is based in Swansea, Wales and LOST IN THOUGHT is not just playing Melodic Progmetal, because their debut ‘Opus arise’ is of such a high level, it would be safe to say that they hit the jackpot with this album. A true winner for any fan of mentioned bands, as it is very impressive at all aspects from start to finish! 8 tracks are included and all of them sound very impressive, thanks to a huge production/sound (and mastering by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, DESTRUCTION) of the wonderful instrumental pure Progmetal of LOST IN THOUGHT, but just as important as any other aspect of Melodic Progmetal, the lead vocals need to be good and let me inform you right away here, the lead and also harmonyvocals are incredible! NATE LOOSEMORE is the name of the band’s lead singer and he is able to reach a very high octave without any problems, while also singing clean in the lower range, sounding very melodic and it is really a pleasure to listen to his voice, which at some points reminds one of LANCE KING. Like mentioned instrumental it all sounds picture perfect and the melodies during most of the tunes are very sensational. This is Melodic Progressive Metal at it’s very best, especially during songs like “Beyond the flames”, “Entity” and “Blood red diamond” (AMAZING!!!), but any song of the CD will do! Definitely one of the highlights in Progmetal in 2011! Make sure not to miss this release if PAGAN’S MIND, SEVENTH WONDER, SUN CAGED, SECTION A, DREYELANDS, BALANCE OF POWER etc. etc. More info at: http://www.lostinthoughtband.com/ (Points: 9.1 out of 10)
MALISON ROUGE is a sensational new band from Sweden, whom together with MATS LEVEN as producer of their same titled debut CD recorded a superstrong and very impressive album. The music is a mix of 80s Melodic Metal, Melodic Hardrock and a little Progmetal. There’s clearly some QUEENSRYCHE, IRON MAIDEN and a lot of FATES WARNING going on here, although some of the material is also touching pure Swedish Melodic Hardrock a la NATION, ECLIPSE, POLE POSITION and such (listen to the chorus of the midtempo “Everything fades” or the ballad “My mistakes”. What strikes me is the enormous high level of the album, because the 8 included tracks are all showing a top-notch band. The production/sound quality is in fantastic shape, the songs are all very ‘catchy’ and melodic, instrumental the band sounds very tight and the band’s lead singer ZEB has a really great high pitched voice. Without a doubt, a highly recommended album for anyone who appreciates quality Melodic Hardrock/Metal. More info at: www.myspace.com/malisonrogue (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Now this is more like it! This is the way how we want to hear Melodic Metal!! The Swedish band ENBOUND delivers a wonderful typical Swedish Melodic Metal Masterpiece, which sounds like the wet dream for every fan of DREAM EVIL, BLOODBOUND, NOCTURNAL RITES, DESTYNATION and especially SAINT DEAMON. The melodies are straight out of the big ‘happy Swedish catchy ABBA/80s EUROPE hook and then a melodic memorable chorus’ book, backed up instrumentally speaking with huge clean HAMMERFALL Metal guitar riffs and some MALMSTEENish guitarwork here and there to complete the overall sound, while the lead singer Lee Hunter (Lars Säfsund) has like any Swedish singer that typical excellent melodic way of singing and there you have as result a very impressive first record! While listening and checking further background info on the band, it learns me that Lars is actually the singer for WORK OF ART, who happens to have released one of the finest AOR albums during the 2000s, so now he’s aiming for the finest Metal album release in the 2010s! The band is actually the brain-child of Mike Cameron Force, who previously played in the bands ZONATA and POEM and produced albums of AXENSTAR and DRACONIAN amongst others. The sound/production is huge, thanks to the mastering by Björn Engelmann (RAMMSTEIN, PRIMAL FEAR, SONATA ARCTICA) and also a lot of effort has been put into the CD booklet, which contains not only nicely created artwork by Thomas Ewerhard (AVANTASIA, MASTERPLAN, EDGUY), but also several pictures of all bandmembers fully covered in Gold! 14 songs can be found on ‘And she says Gold’, of which the highlights are “Noiseless bullet”, “Squeals of war”, “Combined the souls” (the first single of which also a video is shot), “Love has come” (hidden AOR gem!) and the almost WONDERLANDish sounding “I am lost to you”. The MICHAEL JACKSON cover “Beat it” is a nicely done bonustrack, but the real pleasure here is listening to the band’s own material, which sounds utterly fantastic from start to finish. Already one of the Melodic Metal highlights of 2011, easily beating the recent new BLOODBOUND record and highly recommended to fans of SAINT DEAMON, NOCTURNAL RITES, AXENSTAR and DESTYNATION, so it is safe to say here that this first ENBOUND album is definitely close to receive a Gold Medal! Don’t be hold back by some of the bad reviews on the internet that slash the band, because this album is really a superb piece of Melodic Metal Heaven! More info at: http://www.enbound.com/ (Points: 9.2 out of 10) DIRTY PASSION ‘DIFFERENT TOMORROW’ (DENOMINATION RECORDS/RECORD HEAVEN/SWEDEN IMPORT) A few years ago we reviewed a demo of the Swedish band DIRTY PASSION and now it’s time for them to unleash their debut CD ‘Different tomorrow’. They toured quite a lot the past few years, playing support act to their heroes of Y&T, ENUFF’Z’NUFF, SAXON, FASTER PUSSYCAT and EUROPE. The music on the CD is nicely 80s influenced Melodic Hardrock that is not far away from their countrymen of BLACK ROSE, 220 VOLT, the very first EUROPE and ZERO NINE, so pretty much basic traditional Hardrock, not bad at all, with some great flashy guitarwork of CHRISTOPHER OLSSON. Although it is a nice record, I think some improvements need to be done to make it sound really sensational next time, because from the 10 included tracks the only standout tracks are the catchy titletrack “Different tomorrow” and “Self-destructive” (very 80s L.A. type of MHR a la DOKKEN, VIPER ‘Prepared to strike’ and KEEL). If the band will focus on more of such strong melodies as shown in this song on the follow-up CD, they will definitely become a very interesting piece. Nevertheless, Melodic Hardrockfans might wanna check out the band at: http://www.dirtypassion.net/ and catch them live as support act for a major band somewhere in Europe. (Points: 7.9 out of 10)
As soon as I heard a sample song of the Santiago, Chile based band AISLES I knew this was going to be something special. The band consists of 7 musicians, of which the 3 brothers Vergara form the main core of the band. The band has released 2 CDs so far, of which ‘In sudden walks’ is the most recent one. The album starts with a semi-instrumental progrock journey that also includes some Spanish talking between a man and a woman, but the following track “Revolution of light” shows we are dealing with a highly sensational and very interesting band. This tune is an uptempo super melodic and catchy progressive rocker that sounds like a mix between JADIS, ROBBY VALENTINE (!) and ENCHANT, with a killer AOR chorus. Need to be said that it is also the best song and most melodic track on the album, because most of the other material is quite lengthy pure progrock, which on the other hand is of course also very impressive. However that song is really the standout track on the band’s CD, but nevertheless the other tracks are also definitely worth checking out as well, such as the atmospheric “Smile of tears” that somehow reminds me of early 80s New Wave UK bands. The other tracks are all more Neoprog orientated and not too far away from bands like IQ, PENDRAGON, PALLAS and such, although for example closing track “Hawaii” also has touches of PORCUPINE TREE and even some Jazzy moods. In the end, this 2nd album of AISLES was a more diverse record than their debut, which was the 2005 released album ‘The yearning’, because that album was clearly a more traditional type of progalbum with clear YES, ELP and some RUSH influences. I just hope that next time the band includes some more of these catchy ‘little’ tunes like “Revolution of light” on their record, because that song alone is one of the finest tracks that caught my ear recently! Still with 2 excellent pure progalbums already under their belt, this Chilean band AISLES should definitely become a household name within the prog community. More info at: http://www.aislesproject.com/theband.php (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
A few years ago we raved about the debut CD ‘World of silence’ of the Canadian independent band BOREALIS ( http://strutter77.angelfire.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS141.htm ) and now in 2011 they release their new album ‘Fall from grace’ on the LION MUSIC label. Without a doubt, this cracking album is a real winner for any fan of Prog/Power Metal. If bands like PAGAN’S MIND, VANDENPLAS, MIND’S EYE, SEVENTH WONDER, EVERGREY, THRESHOLD, SYMPHONY X and such belong to your favorite acts, well then this BOREALIS is a real must-have. The soaring lead vocals are amazing, the guitarwork is huge and the melodies are very memorable, making each and every song a true winner for fans of high quality Melodic Neo-Classical Prog/Power Metal. The funny thing is that in the beginning of their career, the band actually featured a female singer, but when guitarist MATT MARINELLI opened his mouth, everybody knew this was the way to go and words are not enough to describe the incredible voice of Matt, because he sings exactly the way it needs to be done and that is with passion, reminding here and there of the EVERGREY singer, JEFF SCOTT SOTO and SAVATAGE/CIRCLE 2 CIRCLE vocalists (ZAK STEVENS). 9 sensational songs are included on the band’s new CD and they clearly made a progress by signing with LION MUSIC, because the sound is now massive and the material is really impressive, even better than on their debut, with as highlights “Words I failed to say”, “Take you over” (hello SYMPHONY X), “Forgotten forever” and “Where we started”. However, each of the tracks included here is a winner for the fans of mentioned bands. Don’t let this release pass you by! More info at: http://www.borealismetal.com (Points: 9.2 out of 10) LYRIAN ‘SICK ROSES CD-SINGLE’ (MEDIEVAL RECORDS/UK IMPORT) Only 2 songs are included on this CD, but that’s why it is called a CD-single, which serves more or less as a promo for LYRIAN’s upcoming new full-length CD. The music of this UK based band is clearly folksy Progrock in the style of JETHRO TULL, with very extraordinary almost poetic singing. The band’s new album is going to be a very ambitious project, because it will be a 2-CD set, following up their 2008 debut ‘Nightingale hall’. Check out more on them at: www.myspace.com/lyrianprog (Points: 7.5 out of 10)
At first sight the new album ‘Beautiful ashes’ of the Nashville, USA based female singer EOWYN sounds like a typical modern day female fronted rockrecord, but this Christian Rockalbum definitely has a somewhat different approach, which is due to the way EOWYN is singing, because it clearly reveals a typical Nashville influence. Modern/New Country Rock influences are therefore slipped right through the almost EVANESCENCE/WITHIN TEMPTATIONish midtempo Melodic and very Catchy Rock sounding material. However a lot of the songs also reveal Industrial influences, so the ‘Modern’ and up-to-date sound is very clear. This makes the album quite interesting and I have to admit that EOWYN’s voice is also a pleasure to listen to. Songs like “Beautiful ashes”, the light Goth-Industrial “More than yesterday”, “All I need” and “Fail-safe” are very strong tunes that will please especially the EVANESCENCE and WITHIN TEMPTATION fans among us. Catchy and melodic with a clear modern rock approach, combined with superstrong exceptional lead vocals, this is a highly recommended album and a must-have for the fans of female fronted rock! The production/sound of TRAVIS WYRICK (P.O.D., PILLAR…) is huge and this could actually easily have been a major label release! More at: http://www.eowynmusic.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
SERIS are a female fronted rockband out of the American city of Denver and they sent me a very interesting mini-CD they recorded. Sadly only 3 songs are included, but what we get to hear is quite sensational actually. The vocals of singer MELATI OLIVIA are spot-on and the modern sounding rock/metal is catchy and very melodic, moving up to a major level here and there, also thanks to a high quality production. Sounding like a more guitar orientated version of EVANESCENCE and WITHIN TEMPTATION, dropping the keyboard and orchestral arrangements and really go for a more rawer rock/metal approach (huge almost Progmetalish guitar riffs can be heard in a song like “Tamasisk”) and that is what this SERIS is all about and I must confess… I love it! Can’t wait for a full-length CD of this great new band, in the meantime check out their site at: www.facebook.com/serisband (Points: 8.5 out of 10) SAW ‘ACID RAIN’ (INDEPENDENT/GREECE IMPORT) The Thessaloniki, Greece based band SAW sent me a promo-CD that consists of 3 songs, which is a preview of their upcoming first full-length CD. The band’s music is atmospheric Metalish, with a Gothic Rock influence in the vocal department, while some of the dark guitarsounds reflect Doom Metal and even some Industrial Metal influences. All 3 songs sound quite melodic actually and similarities to ANATHEMA and PARADISE LOST are very clear here and there, but somehow SAW also has an own identity, which nowadays is quite rare actually. Anyway, look forward to hear and review their first full-length CD, but in the meantime check out their site at: www.myspace.com/christossaw and e-mail them at: christosaw@hotmail.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
‘Watching over you’ is already the 4th CD of the UK band SHADOWMAN, the band formed around members of FM and HEARTLAND. Lead singer STEVE OVERLAND is still going strong with one of the finest voices in the UK and he is making this CD a true winner. The new SHADOWMAN album might not be a classic, the vocal performances of Steve are simply awesome. Musically speaking this album is a blend of Classic Rock, AOR and Bluesy Melodic Rock, somewhere between THUNDER, FM, FOREIGNER and 80s BAD COMPANY. The more AOR based tunes are definitely the highlights and these are “Across the universe”, “Watching over you”, “Suzanne”, “Stop breaking this heart of mine” (best song, pure 80s FM AOR bliss) and “Waiting for a miracle”. Have to admit that you will not find here an absolute classic like the old FM tunes, but nevertheless it is a very enjoyable high quality record that once again gives us the pleasure to listen to that golden voice of Steve! (Points: 8.4 out of 10) LEGEND ‘CARDINAL POINTS’ (NOFISH PRODUCTIONS/UK IMPORT) The legendary UK based band LEGEND releases a full new studio-album titled ‘Cardinal points’, about 15 years after their latest effort, which was their 3rd album ‘Triple aspect’. Meanwhile the band has a new female lead singer called KERRY PARKER, but musically they seem to be going in the same traditional classic prog rock direction, not too far removed from classic RENAISSANCE and also in line with newer bands like MOSTLY AUTUMN, KARNATAKA and such bands that were both actually formed in a time when LEGEND had already released several albums during the 1990s. Leader of the band is keyboardplayer STEVE PAINE and on the band’s comeback album we can find 4 lengthy tracks of each about 15 minutes playing time. Without a doubt, what we get to hear is high quality music that will please anyone into Classic Prog. I also must think of LANDMARQ and TRACY HITCHINGS more than a few times and that actually means this is typical UK female led Prog, which happily is done at a very high level, so a pleasure to listen from start to finish. Nice return of LEGEND and you can check out their site at: www.stevepaine.org and e-mail at: info@stevepaine.org (Points: 8.3 out of 10) BEYOND THE LABYRINTH ‘CHAPTER 3 – STORIES’ (INCOMMUNICADO RECORDS/BELGIUM IMPORT) The Belgian band BEYOND THE LABYRINTH returns with probably their finest effort so far, namely ‘Chapter 3 – Stories’. Musically speaking they mix up all kinds of mostly 1980s rock and metal styles, sounding like a cross between MAGNUM, PRAYING MANTIS and SAVATAGE, although not at such a high level. It is quite remarkable that their ballads and the slower tempo tingled material are the strongest songs, because the emotional “Oceans apart” is a wonderful almost AOR sounding ballad and by far the best track BEYOND THE LABYRINTH ever recorded! This track follows the heavy SAVATAGEish Melodic Metal of “Hidden agenda” and so it goes on all throughout the CD, jumping to a wide range of rock and metal styles. Another highlight is the Doom Metal (BLACK SABBATH/CANDLEMASS influenced) of “The darkest page”, while also the 80s MAD MAX type uptempo Melodic Heavy Rocker “Saturation point” is quite nice. Maybe not a classic, still a good 3rd record of BEYOND THE LABYRINTH, for more info go to: www.beyond-the-labyrinth.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MAGNUSON ‘ CRASH OF CASSINI’ (HOPELESS RERUN MUSIC/XO PUBLICITY/USA IMPORT) MAGNUSON is an L.A. based duo, consisting of Greg Magnuson (drums, guitars, vocals) and Kyrsten Magnuson (guitars, drums, vocals). Together they create a nice mixture of Progressive Rock and Modern/Alternative Rock, sorta mixing elements of RUSH, PORCUPINE TREE and MUSE. Especially the catchy choruses that feature harmonyvocals of both musicians is very nice, with as highlight the excellent “Dying to see”. On the other hand it is very clear that Krysten is by far the better singer of the two, because Greg hasn’t got a real ‘interesting’ voice range, but together they sing some great melodies. And it’s the melodies during each and every of the 14 included tracks that make this CD a recommended piece to fans of modern day song orientated Progrock with an Alternative downtuned guitarsound. Check out all info at: www.magnusonband.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Out of London, UK comes the band KNOCK OUT KAINE, with a promo CD that features 3 cuts. The included music is pure 1980s influenced Glam/Sleazy Hardrock and then luckily done at a very high level, with a dose of Melodic Hardrock actually, reminding one of a mix between WARRANT, WHITE LION, JESSE STRANGE, BONFIRE, VAN HALEN and thousands of US bands from the later 1980s (even a bit FIREHOUSE), although new bands like RECKLESS LOVE, CRAZY LIXX, STEEL PANTHER and THE POODLES are actually doing the same thing, so there’s definitely a market for this type of semi-Hair Metal! To be honest, pure Glam/Hair Metal always seems to sound a bit so-and-so, but KNOCK OUT KAINE add a touch of Melodic Hardrock, which makes it all worth checking out. Opener “Little crystal” is picture perfect late 1980s US Melodic ‘glammy’ Hair Metal that has a very catchy chorus a la FIREHOUSE, KNOW ILLUSION, SLYBOYZ and such, so big time catchy hook/chorus driven midtempo guitar driven Melodic Hardrock actually. Next track “Coming home” is a high class laid-back semi-ballad that has an epic feel, in a way reminding of the ballads of bands like CINDERELLA, GNR when they were a band, BON JOVI’s “Wanted dead or alive”, TORA TORA, TESLA and such. Closing track “Going down” goes the somewhat simpler AC/DC/MOTLEY CRUE straight-ahead direction and is basically speaking the least interesting track here. However, I do feel that a full-length CD of this band might bring back the UK a little bit back on the map for good fun Melodic/Glammy Hardrock. In the meantime, more info on this band can be found at: www.knockoutkaine.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem except where noted) |
AUDIOCALM
‘POLARITY’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT) 
FASTLANE
FLOWER ‘DEADLINE’ (NORDIC RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT) 
TEN
YEAR VAMP ‘DON’T ACT LIKE YOU KNOW ME’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) 
EVAN
RUSSELL SAFFER ‘NEON GAS’ (NAYSAYER ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT) 
CELLESTE
‘READY TO FLY’ (MIGHTY MUSIC/CANADA IMPORT) 
SHELI
STEVENS ‘COME HOME’ (MIGHTY MUSIC/CANADA IMPORT) 
OSUKARU
‘NEVER TOO LATE’ (LION’S DEN MUSIC/BLINDFOLDEAD INTERNATIONAL/DUSTY ROAD
RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT) 
DINNER
MUSIC FOR THE GODS ‘BLOOD AND RED WINE’ (RADIOACTIVE CAMEL RECORDS/USA
IMPORT) 
SAHARA
RAIN ‘ETERNITY’ (SR RECORDS/SWISS IMPORT) 
ATTO
IV ‘SHATTERED LINES’ (GALILEO RECORDS/GONZO MEDIA GROUP DISTRIBUTION) 
THE
JACKS ‘IN DANGER’ (RETROSPECT RECORDS/USA IMPORT) 
SURVIVOR
‘TOO HOT TO SLEEP’ (ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) 
SURVIVOR
‘WHEN SECONDS COUNT’ (ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) 
STARCASTLE
‘STARCASTLE’ (ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) 
STARCASTLE
‘FOUNTAINS OF LIGHT’ (ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) 
SASSY
‘DIGGIN’ DEEP’ (GOOD TROUBLE RECORDS/XO PUBLICITY/USA IMPORT) 
BOLUS
‘DELAYED REACTION’ (BOLUS MUSIC GROUP/CANADA IMPORT) 
BAUSTELLE
‘I’MISTICI DELL’OCCIDENTE’ (WARNER MUSIC ITALIA/ITALY IMPORT) 
MARTIN
POPOFF AND DAVID PERRI ‘THE COLLECTOR’S GUIDE TO HEAVY METAL VOLUME 4: THE
00s BOOK’ (COLLECTOR’S GUIDE PUBLISHING INC./GAZELLE BOOKS/CANADA IMPORT)
DIO
‘DIO AT DONINGTON UK: LIVE 1983 & 1987 – A BBC RECORDINGS’ (BBC/NIJI
ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/USA IMPORT) 
ALLEYCAT
SCRATCH 'LAST CALL' (FNA RECORDS/USA IMPORT) 
TORA
TORA 'REVOLUTION DAY' (FNA RECORDS/USA IMPORT) 
STAMPEDE
‘A SUDDEN IMPULSE’ (GRIND THAT AXE/ROCK CANDY RECORDS/UK IMPORT) 
LOST
IN THOUGHT ‘OPUS ARISE’ (INNER WOUND RECORDINGS/SWEDEN IMPORT)
MALISON
ROUGE ‘MALISON ROUGE’ (INNER WOUND RECORDINGS/SWEDEN IMPORT) 
ENBOUND
‘AND SHE SAYS GOLD’ (INNER WOUND RECORDINGS/SWEDEN IMPORT) 
AISLES
‘IN SUDDEN WALKS’ (INDEPENDENT/CHILE IMPORT) 
BOREALIS
‘FALL FROM GRACE’ (LION MUSIC/BERTUS) 
EOWYN
‘BEAUTIFUL ASHES’ (RCUBED RECORDS/USA IMPORT) 
SERIS
‘SERIS’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) 
SHADOWMAN
‘WATCHING OVER YOU’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) 
KNOCK
OUT KAINE ‘KANDYKAINE EP’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)