 MANIGANCE
‘L’OMBRE ET LA LUMIERE’ (REPLICA RECORDS)
The best French band ever makes a terrific comeback with their 4th Studio CD release. The album contains the same kind of high quality Melodic Progressive Neo-Classical Power Metal as their sensational 2nd album ‘Ange ou demon’ from a few years ago, which was one of the best releases back in 2002. 4 years later they are back with a very sensational new album, which definitely beats the slightly disappointing previous CD ‘D’Un Autre sang’ from 2004. With uptempo killer Power Metal pieces like “Privilege and “Sentinelle” that both feature superb catchy melodic singable choruses, MANIGANCE prove once again they are the absolute best French band ever. Guitarist/Songwriter Francis Merle did a terrific job in producing this gem, because this new MANIGANCE CD sounds really huge! A masterpiece and one of the best albums in the Metal scene this year! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) TEMPESTA
‘FULLTIME JOKER’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS)
Already the 5th CD of the band TEMPESTA from Switzerland. Album was produced by CRYSTAL BALL singer MARK SWEENEY and ex-JADED HEART/RAIN singer MICHAEL BORMANN, so in good hands. Musically typical Swiss/German Melodic Hardrock with big riffs and catchy melodic singable choruses, in the style of SHAKRA, BONFIRE, CRYSTAL BALL, KROKUS, EVIDENCE ONE (and also VENGEANCE), yet not as good as those bands. Nevertheless, this is a high quality Melodic Hardrock release with as highlights the songs “Grow”, “I’m back” and “Do you understand”. Here and there the songs sound a bit simple/average, but in general a nice CD, like the last VENGEANCE, though a bit less interesting and the band should have left out closing track “Bluesman” which is a remake of the disgusting POISON track “Every rose has it’s thorn”. More info at: http://www.tempesta.ch and http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Formed in 1998, 2 CDs released on the Spanish recordlabel ARISE RECORDS and now on a new label making a fresh comeback with their 3rd CD ‘Mortal mind creation’. Musically nothing has changed and once again typical Finnish meets Italo Melodic Power Metal with keys, hooks and catchy choruses like a mix between STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA, LABYRINTH, RHAPSODY and TWILIGHT GUARDIANS. Of course not original at all, but still the 9 included tracks are sounding very impressive. Absolute highlights are the final 3 songs, “Back in time”, “Arrival” and “Last sacrifice”, catchy uptempo pieces in the best SONATA ARCTICA style. Good strong CD, but far from original, nevertheless, a must-have for fans of mentioned bands… (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The Swedish band DIVINE FIRE makes a return with their 3rd CD. Musically a very slight change, as lead singer CHRISTIAN RIVEL has added some screams/rough aggressive vocal parts in most of the songs. I have no clue why he did that, but it gaves the DIVINEFIRE sound a new dimension and sets them apart from the hundreds of other Swedish bands playing this Melodic Power Metal style. Nevertheless, I think it would not have been a pity if those aggressive Thrash Metal screams would have been left out. Anyway, still each song has a catchy chorus and also strong melodic vocalwork of Christian. Most of the 11 included tracks are uptempo Melodic Power Metal pieces, with as highlights “Passion and fire” (a very good song), “Time’s running out”, “Into a new dimension”, “All for one” and “Live or die”. Final track is a 1988 TALK OF THE TOWN cover (“Free like an eagle”), but of course it will never reach the level of that classic! Anyway, this new DIVINEFIRE album is a good strong album, mixing the best of Melodic Power Metal and Thrash Metal… (Points: 8.4 out of 10) SCORNASE ‘PURE MOTORIZED INSTINCT’ (REMEDY RECORDS/ROCK INC) No clue where this band is coming from, but they ain’t exactly interesting as they play a mix of Thrash and Black Metal… (Points: -)
The only band ever to come out of Liechtenstein. It is LOVECHILD and a few years ago we reviewed their fantastic mini-CD. Soon after they signed with ESCAPE MUSIC and are about to release their debut CD ‘Soul collector’. Unfortunately this promo has no track listing, so I’ll have to keep it short. LOVECHILD is based around former SATROX singer WERNER SCHWEIZER (who has an incredible voice) and guitarist ROGER KAUFMANN and the first 2 songs on the first full-length CD are not really making an impression, just OK melodic heavy rock. However, listen further and discover some fantastic songs, such as “3”, “4”, “6” and “9”. Probably soon a better review when I have a track listing, but take it from me that this is a great Melodic Heavy Rockalbum, like a mix between AXXIS, TNT and SATROX. (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Of course the stories behind all the late 70s UK Punkrockbands are funny and enjoyable, because each band had something strange happening. The legendary band SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS released their debut ‘Do it dog style’ in the summer of 1978, but they had already split up before the album was released on DECCA. Funnier is the fact that almost every Punklabel was signed to a major label, so like other Punkbands it was a messy time for the majors, as you never knew what to expect from a Punkband. Strangely their first album sounded very polished and of course it was Punkrock, but now some 30 years later it sounds like harmless rock and roll like the new UK bands also try to do. Just listen to a song like “Quick Joey Small” and it would not be out of place between the hitsingles of KAISER CHIEFS and ARCTIC MONKEYS, but big difference is that this SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS was way better than any of these new so-called Punkrockbands. They could have become pretty big if they had not split up… but they did not split up really, because more albums in the future would be released. Anyway, this first SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS from 1978 gets a fully shiny re-issue on CD through CAPTAIN OI! RECORDS and that is really great as it is one of those all-time Punkrockclassics which shows 77/78 UK Punk was the best Punkrock ever written. Songs like “Where have all the boot boys gone”, “Quick Joey Small”, “You’re a bore” and “We don’t care” are really anthems of the first degree and then I am not even talking about the catchy THE RAMONES type of song “Who are the mystery girls”. Definitely a must for any Punkrock’n’Roller out there! Available through: http://www.captainoi.com and more info at: http://www.slaughterandthedogs.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The best re-issue of all times I would call this if we talk about Punkrock. THE BOYS released their debut album in 1977, actually went into the studio the day I was born (I discovered this gem on LP back in 1993 when I was a 16-year old kid, got hooked and now 13 years later still think it is the greatest Punkrock record ever released!). The album was already re-issued onto CD by CAPTAIN OI! RECORDS in 1999, but they now have once again re-issued it with a couple bonustracks added, while the recordings have been remastered and also extra liner notes/sleeve notes have been included. All together a great little package which holds together the greatest Punkrock record of all times, which should have been HUGE in 1977, but failed due to their label RCA records. They didn’t promote the album due to the death of ELVIS, which of course was a tragedy, but the label stopped pressing other albums, so the THE BOYS record never took off, although the respect for the record kept going the following decades. THE BOYS released 3 more records, but this first album was a classic by all meanings of the word, basically perfect polished still rocking super melodic catchy radio ready uptempo Poppunk! Thousands of new US bands claim to play Poppunk, but one band invented the style and they were called THE BOYS, the ultimate Poppunkband. The ultimate band that wanted to fill the gap between Pop, Rock and Punk. Almost 30 years later this Classic UK Punk record still sounds fresh and contains nothing but winners. The highlights are of course “First time” (the song that got me into Punk as a kid, although it is almost a Melodic Poprocker), “Cop cars”, “Sick on you”, “Tumble with me”, “Tenement kids” and “Living in the city”. From the bonustracks very interesting are the unreleased songs “Watcha gonna do” and “Turning grey” and the longer version of “First time” which has an extra verse and repeated chorus added. THE BOYS sounded like the new THE BEATLES back in 1977, but then in a Poppunkversion. Just maybe if ELVIS had not left the building, well, maybe THE BOYS would have become as popular as THE BEATLES were, because their songs were just as catchy. However, it all went a different way and THE BOYS got a lot respect in the future and still today the present day they are a band that should not be forgotten. Good to see their debut re-issued again, let’s hope the others will also get a new re-issue facelift again soon. Available through: http://www.captainoi.com and more info at: http://www.theboys.co.uk (Points: 9.0 out of 10)
After a bunch of succesfull singles in 1977 the legendary UK Punkrockband 999 released their debut in 1978 on UNITED ARTISTS RECORDS. They had toured with THE RUNAWAYS (wished I had seen those girls back then at their prime-time!) and their debut was the start of a long career that lasts until the present day, because they ever toured recently. Their debut has been re-issued with the addition of 3 bonustracks (that sounded way more Punk than the original album tracks). Their punkrock was not as raw and extraordinary as most of the other bands, but it was a bit more polished, sort of pre-New Wave ish Poprock with Punk touches here and there. Songs like “Chicane destination”, “Your number is my number”, “Hit me” and “I’m alive” are really catchy uptempo Punkpoprockers that do not even sound dated some 30 years later. The band went on releasing a lot more records, but maybe this first record was their best one and is just another fine quality Punk record that shows it sounded much better back in the late 1970s than it does now in both the UK and USA. Available through: http://www.captainoi.com and more info at: http://www.nineninenine.cjb.net/ (Points: 8.4 out of 10) SUIDAKRA ‘CALEDONIA’ (ARMAGEDDON MUSIC/ROCK INC) 8th CD of German band, which is described as Symphonic Black Metalband, but actually they thrown in a lot of strong melodies (even clean vocals) and instrumental progressive metal structures, so this band should actually be seen as a sort of MERCENARY type of act, although not that good and more Black Metal at times. Happily, it is quality music, but you should not be afraid for Black Metal screams. Instrumental and some vocal parts however indicate that this band is able to do some interesting stuff at all. Although it is far from really melodic stuff, SUIDAKRA are definitely one of the few Black Metal bands that can impress. A mix between MERCENARY, INTO ETERNITY and CHILDREN OF BODOM. Just listen to the great song “Evoke the demon” and “The distant call” and you will agree this is not just a regular Black Metalband, because they throw in some very strong melodies here and there. Never thought I would give a Black Metal band a good rating, but this band is much more diverse than most other Black Metal bands… (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MABON ‘EYE FOR AN EYE’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS) Instrumental very good this Swiss band MABON, but their 4-track ‘Eye for an eye’ album is musically sounding like MANOWAR doing a Trash/Black Metalalbum. Not bad at all, but after a while it starts to sound a bit too aggressive and then some strong melodies would have made it all much more interesting. However if you like MANOWAR going Thrash/Black-Metal this MABON is recommended! More info at: http://www.mabon.ch and http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 7.7 out of 10) PYLON ‘THE ETERNAL WEDDING BAND’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS) Doom Metal from Switzerland. Instrumental very good, but vocally a bit boring. Only for absolute die-hard fans of KYUSS, BLACK SABBATH, CANDLEMASS, TROUBLE.. More info at: http://www.pylon.doom.net and http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 7.2 out of 10)
True Teutonic Metal is what to expect from the Swiss band BATTALION, but what else would you expect with songtitles like “The fight for Metal”, “Headbangers” and “Gods of Metal”. Happily what they do they do very well and therefore this CD is a must-have if you enjoy the 80s Metal of bands like NOISEHUNTER, WOLF, TYRANT, SINNER, ACCEPT, MACHINE MEN, WAR MACHINE, SABATON… Especially songs like “The raven”, “Gods of Metal” and “Defenders” (ultimate Teutonic Metal, fast and sing-a-long as in typical German Metal tradition) are very impressive. True Metal fans need to act fast here! More info at: http://www.battalion.ch and http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 8.3 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘NIGHTHAWK VOLUME 1 COMPILATION’ (MICRO PHONICSQUAM LIBET RECORDS) Interesting compilation with bands from the underground German and Swiss Metal scene. There are thousands of bands in these countries, so making a compilation is both hard and easy. Finding bands is easy, but finding really good ones to fit on a compilation is harder. Anyway, NIGHTHAWK is a nice compilation, because it introduces some great bands not many have heard of but should have. In total 16 acts are included and let’s go through the tracklisting here. Opener AD LACUM is a band playing a bit standard modernized heavy rock/metal, not really interesting. Up next is a sensational band called INFINIGHT from Saarbrucken/Germany. Their song “Sea of knowledge” is a brilliant Melodic Metal song with fantastic vocalwork, a big sound and almost as good as major bands like DREAM EVIL, MYSTIC PROPHECY and NOCTURNAL RITES. More info on this band soon (website: http://www.infinight.de ). Following bands are weaker (STONEHENGE, TRINITY, ICON, EX-ORTATION, CORWEN, etc) and musically very diverse as melodic rock, prog metal, gothic rock, death/black metal and thrash metal are passing by here. We have to wait until MESSENGER before we can hear something interesting again, as this is a strong MANOWAR type of True Metal band of whom we also reviewed a CD recently. MYRASAM is a great German AFTER FOREVER type of Goth Metal band, although the female singer needs some practice to improve her voice. THUNDER X is good 80s melodic heavy rock, but their singer also needs to improve a little. Better singer, but musically not that strong is the Goth Metal of the female fronted PRIESTRESS. The ballad “Lay down” of the Swiss band FABI ANN closes the CD and has a great guitarsolo, not bad at all, sort of like a mix between WHITE LION and MIKE TRAMP’s FREAKS OF NATURE, but the real highlight for me was the band INFINIGHT, whom showed me they were by far the most professional and best sounding band. Hopefully more info on them soon. In the meantime, check out this compilation CD at: http://www.micro-phonics.de and http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
This is a really great compilation as it does not focus on all Metal genres, but is mainly focused on Melodic (Hard) Rock and Progressive Metal. Surprisingly the bands are all coming out of Switzerland, probably due to the success of GOTTHARD, KROKUS and SHAKRA. Anyway, the CD starts with INFINITE DREAMS, the great female fronted melodic rockband we reviewed sometime ago. Up next is PAINKILLER, whom deliver a good 80s Hardrocksong in KROKUS style. RAVENHEART are featured with “Heaven and back”, which is a very strong uptempo Melodic Metal piece with keys and very clean melodic vocals, sort of reminding me of NARNIA/SEVENTH AVENUE. This band is sounding quite impressive and their upcoming 2007 release should be reviewed by us when it is released. Up next is the band EVER SINCE, a Melodic Progmetal band that reminds me of a cross between ELDRITCH and TIME MACHINE, sounding very professional with their CD about to be released. Following band ALTOL goes into a standard KROKUS/SHAKRA style, but instrumental sound pretty good. DD DOGZ was once reviewed, but their melodic rock needs to be sung by someone else, because their singer sounds very average. HOLLYSHOCK has a weak sound quality, while musically they play in the style of ALICE COOPER/KISS, so sort of Shock/Glamrock. TIN PAN ALLEY loves the 80s and is clearly sounding like KROKUS. Remarkable is by the way the fact that from most of the 19 included bands the origins of foundation of the band go back to the early 90s, as not many new bands are included here, with the exception of a few, such as SHAKE APPEAL, but their song “Dumb little girl” is just an OK Sleazy Hardrocktune. AZIZ has a big sound, while musically they play very groovy Hardrock with a sort of BLACK CROWES touch, although this band is heavier at times, even adding some Metal influences. DRIVE sounds like a modern American Metalband of the BREAKING BENJAMIN/THREE DAYS GRACE style, heavy, groovy, depressive but still melodic. As the CD develops we are confronted with much heavier material, of which AGGRESSIVE FEAR, SERGE and COIT are the ones that should have been left out as they provide a mix of Thrash, Metalcore and Death Metal. Better is the modern melodic rocksound of MIDDLECAGE, which also reminds me of THE CULT. SCYTHE AND FURY sounds like a bad demo from the early 80s, actually reminding me of the most average band I ever heard (FARGO – German band from the early 80s with an album called ‘Frontpage lover’, great cover art but average Hardrock). SOUL KEEPERS then again is original, in a FALCONER style, although vocally weaker, but at least their foly prog/power metal sounds pretty good and hopeful for the future. POWERHILL should get an award for most surprising band as they deliver classy 80s melodic rock like a mix between 80s WHITE LION, BONFIRE and PROPHET, very American orientated. Singer does not sound that bad, although with accent and not as good as for example FAIR WARNING or FRONTLINE, but musically in the same style for sure this POWERHILL. More info on them soon. Final band is the female fronted LEGENDA AUREA, a typical Goth Metalsound can be heard here. Not the most surprising song, but this band sounds like the most professional band, just pure NIGHTWISH/AFTER FOREVER quality can be heard here. Also more info on them soon. A very strong compilation, with a bunch of great bands I had not heard of before, but soon more on them in separate reviews. In the meantime, all about this compilation can be found at: http://www.quamlibetrecords.ch (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
30 years RIOT and still a cult underground band, which is unbelievable because every of the 12 albums New Yorkers RIOT released in this period is of a very high level. Also their 13th CD ‘Army of one’ is a very impressive record that combines Classic Hardrock, Bluesy Melodic Hardrock and NWOBHM influenced Metal into an exciting style like a mix between AXEL RUDI PELL, PRETTY MAIDS and WHITESNAKE, although it is just a pure RIOT style album, which is a mix of fast songs (“Army of one” and “The mystic”) and lovely Melodic Hardrocksongs (“Knockin at my door”, “Blinded”, “One more alibi” and “Darker side of light”) in a classic WHITESNAKE/RAINBOW style. This is probably one of the best RIOT album since their 1996 ‘Brethren of the long house’, but actually RIOT never released a bad record and so also this new one is a must-have for the fans! (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
JOAN JETT is back and releases her best record in years, rocking as in her classic early 80s/THE RUNAWAYS period, which of course was the best period of her musical career. It’s also with the legendary THE BLACKHEARTS again on her own label BLACKHEART RECORDS, so 2006 looks good for JOAN JETT, as she also received a lot of airplay with the first single “AC/DC”. 30 years in showbusiness and still looking good, not many female singers can say that, but if you were a member of THE RUNAWAYS in 1976 as a 16 year-old it must have been a sort of certainty to look good some 30 years later, because also LITA FORD and CHERIE CURRIE still look good. Anyway, back to the classic rock and roll sound of JOAN JETT, which is all about fun and easily speaks out classic JOAN JETT style. Songs like “AC/DC”, “Riddles”, “Five”, “Naked” and “Tube talkin’” are sweating out rock and roll the way it should sound, raw and singing-along. Good to see JOAN JETT back rockin’, but has she ever been away actually! CD is available through: http://www.blackheart.com and don’t forget to check out http://www.joanjett.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) PATRICK SKANTZE AND THE FREE SOULS SOCIETY ‘FICTION AT FIRST VIEW’ (MIMO SOUND RECORDS/RECORD HEAVEN) This sounds like the Swedish version of PINK FLOYD. Calm epic 70s progressive rock is what to expect on the CD of multi-instrumentalist PATRICK SKANTZE, who is accompanied by female singer EVA BJORKNER, drummer Christopher Korlinh and bassist/celloplayer Patrick Ohlin on the 2nd CD ‘Fiction at first viw’. I am not familiar with his previous album, but without a doubt what we get to hear is a very impressive collection of Progressive Rocksongs with one foot in the 1970s and the other in today’s world, but the best comparison really is PINK FLOYD around the “Dark side of the moon’ period. Better check it out asap if that’s your kind of prog. More info at: http://www.recordheaven.net (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Instrumental Progressive Rock is what to expect from the Swedish band GOSTA BERLINGS SAGA. This 4-piece band deliver some high quality music on the 7 included tracks of their first album. Especially fans of the 70s Mellotron progsound will love this band, as their Mellotrons were recorded at the rehearsal place of ANEKDOTEN, a legendary progrockband. More info at: http://www.gostaberlingssaga.se and http://www.recordheaven.net (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Sung in Swedish, but that’s no problem at all, becaue the heavy progressive bluesrock is sounding very impressive. MAGNOLIA recorded this first CD the past 3 years and the result is a very strong record that recalls memories of the early 70s heavy bluesrockstyle like CREAM, JIMI HENDRIX, BRUCE WEST, BULL ANGUS, BLUE CHEER etc. MAGNOLIA do it very well and come dangerously close to the sound of these bands, even their singer has a wide vocal range, although the only thing that sets them apart are the Swedish lyrics, but actually they sound kind of good for MAGNOLIA’s music, but you don’t understand a word for sure if you’re not from Sweden. I wonder how many more Swedish bands are out there, because also this MAGNOLIA is a very good one. More info at: http://www.recordheaven.net (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Uppsala in Sweden is a a city with many bands, musically ranging from Death Metal to AOR/Hardrock and also Progressive Rock. Well-known bands are RAW and KAIPA. Also the band VILLEBRAD comes out of Uppsala and their music is clearly reminding of KAIPA, which means progressive rock with strong melodies and although the sound is very 70s orientated it does not sound dated at all. I also heard similarities to THE FLOWER KINGS, yet without the long complex instrumental passages as VILLEBRAD is more song based and that’s why the 9 included tracks on their debut sound very memorable. Fans of KAIPA will love this band for sure! More info at: http://www.recordheaven.net (Points: 8.3 out of 10) THE VACANCIES ‘A BEAT MISSING OF A SILENCE ADDED’ (BLACKHEART RECORDS) New York band THE VACANCIES released their CD on JOAN JETT’s label BLACKHEART RECORDS. Musically this is how Punk should sound, raw, mean and taking the best of classic rock and roll and hardcore, ending up reminding me a bit of IGNITE, so yes it is catchy and melodic as well, but always rocks hard and fast. 15 short songs are included and right from the start with the catchy “Children of the century” the CD takes off and the band just never looks back. This is Punkrock and roll at it’s best, even the Sleaze Metal fans will like this and it surely beats all the so-called American Punk/Emo bands signed to the major labels. Besides the mentioned opener, other highlights are “Save yourself”, “Closer”, “Rise up” and “Killing time”, all singing along punk n roll soon-to-be-classics! Highly recommended to fans of NOFX and IGNITE. CD is available through: http://www.blackheart.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
THE EYELINERS are another great all-female band and their mix of mid 70s New York Rock and Roll, Classic UK late 70s Punkrock and PAT BENATARish early 80s Melodic Poprock sounds very catchy on the 14 tracks counting CD they released on the label of JOAN JETT, which is BLACKHEART RECORDS. 3 girls rocking out and sounding even more energetic than THE DONNAS in recent years, that is what rock and roll is all about. Mastered at the famous Sterling Sound in New York City, the CD has a huge sound and so are the included songs. Any fan of THE DONNAS, JOAN JETT, early PAT BENATAR (especially vocally), ELLEN SHIPLEY will like this a lot, sometimes more fats punkier than again also very melodic and almost poprock orientated, while always having a Punk touch to finish things off. Forget all the KELLY CLARCKSON’s and VANILLA NINJA’s, this is all female catchy punk/rock and roll at it’s best, just listen to songs like “Think of me”, “All I wanted”, “The promise”, “Disappointed”, “Streets and avenues” (hello PAT BENATAR!) and “No apologies” (superb, very catchy, punkrocksong of the year!). If IGNITE, THE RUNAWAYS and PAT BENATAR would start a band it would sound like THE EYELINERS. More info at: http://www.theeyeliners.com and the CD is available through: http://www.blackheart.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) MIRROR OF MADNESS ‘APPELSIINIJAFFAA’ (WARNER MUSIC FINLAND) 4 kids whom barely can hold a guitar are going behind the MIRROR OF MADNESS band from Finland. They released a 2-track single that hit the Finnish charts and while listening it is almost unbelievable these are just a bunch of kids of 12 years old. Anyway, the band’s sound is typical Finnish, sort of mixing the dark, the goth and the black into a strong Metalsound. CHILDREN OF BODOM comes close, but when they started these kids were not even born! Nevertheless, it is high quality stuff what we hear, Melodic Dark Metal with a slight Black Metal touch a la MERCENARY. More info at: http://www.mom.fi (Points: 8.0 out of 10) SQUEALER A.D. ‘CONFRONTATION STREET’ (AFM RECORDS/ROCK INC) After their original lead singer sadly died in a car crash, the end of this German band was near, but they found a new singer and are about to release a new CD. The problem however is that this new CD is a very average Thrash Metal release, with endless screaming and absolutely zero melodies, so I am afraid this release will not be interesting for any of our readers, because the melodies are simply missing. I am not really familiar with the band’s previous albums, but songs like “Black tongue” and “Infantificide” on their new CD ‘Confrontation street’ are not the kind of Metal songs that reflect our genres. It’s not all Thrash Metal, because a song like “Kamikaze nation” is a bit leaning towards Power Metal, but the whole feeling of the album is aggressive Thrash Metal… (Points: 7.0 out of 10)
The best station on the planet, MUNICH’S HARDEST HITS, is back with a great new compilation. Volume 8 is once again focusing on the rare melodic rock, with 16 acts included this time. It starts with good old ROGER LAPOINTE, with his STAN BUSH’ 80s singer songwriter AOR rocker “Tie you up” that makes me wonder what he has been doing since the release of his only CD ‘Handle with care’ we reviewed back in the late 1990s. Next up is an unfamiliar face to me, which doesn’t happen too often, but apparently the singer ROD MCINNES with his JOURNEY/80s AOR rocker “Piece of your heart” released a CD sometime ago, but we never actually heard of him, although his included song here is very impressive. MARIAH recently re-issued their 2 albums from the early 90s and their included song “Knocked down” is a typical late 80s American Hair Metal piece that mixes MELIDIAN, DANGER DANGER and QUIET RIOT all together. HIT THE ROUND RUNNIN’ is another act we reviewed a long time ago, but it also became quiet around them, but their 1991 song “Feels good” included here is a sign they are not forgotten. OK, it becomes a cliché, but also ATELLO was one of many bands we discussed in the later 90s, included here with their big 80s Hair Metal/Melodic Rock song “Hold on”. Of recent date is the song “Love in chains” from the Italian band MY LAND, of whom we reviewed recently their awesome new demo CD. Sounding like EVA, 80s FM, VIRGINIA WOLF, STREET TALK, ELEKTRADRIVE and such catchy 80s FM-Rock/AOR, this is a band to watch out for and their contribution here shows there is indeed new talent out there, although the origins of the band go back to 1992! BLIND ALLEY from Sweden follows with the lovely “Voices” and read this: They are still unsigned, can you believe that? ROX DIAMOND had their album re-issued recently, with as bonus the superb AOR rocker “Joann”, which is included here. Then another singer we do not know, namely MIRKO HIRSCH. He has a song called “SOS”, which is back to back 80s AOR/Melodic Rock, to a time when DESMOND CHILD and DIANNE WARREN wrote these kind of songs for the major label acts, although not that good, it shows even in Germany new melodic rock performers are still out there! 7TH HEAVEN is also one of those praised bands by us with their big time midtempo DEF LEPPARDish AOR/Melodic Rocker “Ghost of me”. 3 years ago reviewed, now here included with a great uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker titled “Back in love”, it’s the German singer SAM ALEX, hopefully more recent news around him soon. Then we can enjoy a MICHAEL SADLER of SAGA sung track called “Feed your heart” for the German band SHEELA, a great typical SAGA meets Melodic Rocktrack and quite rare if you ask me! FELONY were recently picked up by ESCAPE MUSIC, but we gave them a huge review sometime ago already, in which I also said I truly fell in love with the song “Justice”, which can also be find here, amazing tune that has superb melodies all over the place. Well and ALYSON AVENUE has always been praised by us and their new song “I am your pleasuremaker” is maybe the best song they ever recorded as it is a terrific uptempo AOR rocker with a very catchy chorus, included here too! The final 2 bands were lesser known, namely the German bands SCREAM SILENCE and HALIFAX. SCREAM SILENCE is a very impressive HIM like Gothic Melodic Metalband and HALIFAX is playing typical catchy 80s German Melodic Rock a la CRAAFT. This is by far the best compilation CD out there, filled with high class aor and melodic rock and some other styles, but everything is melodic and catchy! CD is available through: http://www.munichshardesthits.com where you can also tune in to this wonderful German rockstation. (Points: 8.8 out of 10) KOA ‘KOA’ (INDIES RECORDS) Traditional Czech Folk/Pop/Rock from a 4-piece band called KOA. Their debut CD contains 16 nice diverse tracks, which musically are mostly going back to the medieval times, in which the traditional folk and acoustic guitar are very prominent. Vocally very good and sung in their own language, but KOA take the traditional music to another level, because at the same time it sounds like the 1600s it also captures a sound of today, mostly due to the strong melodic clean vocalwork of their singers. More info on the band at: http://www.koa.cz (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
It seems the American and Canadian Idols deliver some real vocal talents, whom also have delivered some good strong melodic rock orientated CDs on major labels the past few years. KELLY CLARCKSON, BO BICE, REX GOUDIE and now SUZI RAWN. Her CD ‘Naked’ is not her first recording, but it is the first major label release she has done. The Canadian singer/songwriter has been helped big time on this CD by the HAREM SCAREM crew. In fact, it sounds like a new HAREM SCAREM album, yet with female vocals. On the other hand it isn’t that far away from all the other female melodic poprock radio-ready we have seen the past few years, because similarities to KELLY CLARCKSON, ALY AND AJ, MIKEYLA, BIFF NAKED, etc. are very clear here. Yet the early 80s catchy PAT BENATAR revamped melodic poprock of SUZI RAWN is sounding very catchy and basically perfect. She has a great voice that is easily able to hit the high notes. Each of the 11 included songs on the CD could become huge hits. HARRY HESS, PETE LESPERANCE and CREIGHTON DOANE, all 3 of HAREM SCAREM, played all the instruments on the CD, while Harry and Pete also co-wrote a few songs and more importantly, they produced the CD. Even the HAREM SCAREM song “Don’t come easy” can be found here and just like that song, most of the songs fall in a similar midtempo melodic rock mood, with a slight path to semi-ballads here and there. Suzi delivers a great album and just maybe it is the best Idols release ever! More info at: http://www.suzirawn.info (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The band THE BRIGHTWINGS are an American band with a sound you don’t hear much, especially not from a bunch of twenty-something guys, because THE BRIGHTWINGS is made up of 4 young musicians playing classic American Midwest/westcoast pop/rock with multi-layered harmonyvocals, sounding like THE EAGLES, LITTLE RIVER BAND, VENICE, POCO… 8 songs are included and for sure this band does it very well, really making you feel like you’re driving down Route 66 on your bike with the radio loud in the hot beaking heat of the Midwest of the USA. This band should easily become as big as a band like VENICE and those guys are HUGE in Holland, so who knows THE BRIGHTWINGS might follow in their footsteps… In the meantime, check out this band at: http://www.thebrightwings.com and listen to their music at: http://www.myspace.com/thebrightwings and e-mail them at: missingmat@aol.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
A surprise from France is what I would call this DRYADE, because their new CD ‘Inscape’ is a very impressive album that contains high quality darker melodic progressive metal like a mix between EVERGREY, ENCHANT and VANDENPLAS. I am safe to say you can out this release next to bands like DREAMSCAPE, MIND’S EYE, PAGAN’S MIND, STRIDE, etc. Songs like “Your enemy”, “Toy of your acts”, “Was it real?” (FANTASTIC) and “Angel’s dust” are just 3 examples of the 10 wonderful songs that are included on the 2nd CD of DRYADE. I had never heard of them before, so also have not heard their debut from 2001, but be sure this is a band to watch out for. The band has a fantastic melodic lead singer, the choruses of the songs are very sensational and all together this CD is a must-have for any fan of Melodic Progmetal! The lyrics are part English and part French, but if you liked MANIGANCE that should not be a problem at all! More info at: http://www.brennus-music.com and http://www.dryadeweb.net (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
After 2 full-length albums in the earlier 2000s, the French band SYRENS CALL returns with a new female lead singer, a stronger sound and this new mini-CD titled ‘Against wind and tide’. SORAYA is the name of the new singer and she has a great voice, while also the included 5 songs and video are very impressive. Surprisingly SYRENS CALL took on the DEPECHE MODE cover “Enjoy the silence”, which at this moment is also a hit for LACUNA COIL. Included music here is very melodic goth rock/metal, very much sounding like EDENBRIDGE, XANDRIA and LUNATICA. SYRENS CALL can easily be mentioned along those bands, so basically this is high quality stuff ready for the radio and top 40, but also for the regular melodic rockfan! More info at: http://www.syrenscall.com and http://www.brennus-music.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
New French band with a strong debut CD release that contains high quality Melodic Progressive Metal reminding me of TIME MACHINE, SILENT EDGE, SECRET SPHERE and SPHERIC UNIVERSE EXPERIENCE. The band sings in English and actually singer Nicolas David has a great voice. Instrumental the band does capture the required VANDENPLAS/DREAM THEATER quality and so this VEDA is a highly recommended band to every progmetalfan out there! It’s quite amazing there are still so many quality bands undiscovered and I am sure there are more, but in the meantime very progmetal fan should check out this band, because songs like “Friends of anger”, “New Cassandras”, ‘Gods of Nothingness” and “Across the ocean” show the incredible high quality musicianship of this French band. Go check them out at: http://www.veda-online.net and http://www.brennus-music.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
7 years after the band’s latest release ‘Attraction of fire’, the 15-year old French band FAR’N’HIGH is back with a new album. Musically we can expect good strong high quality Melodic Progressive Metal, once again sounding like VANDENPLAS. A lot of French Progmetalbands must have been influenced by VANDENPLAS, because I receive many releases in this style and that is no shame at all, because it is almost always high quality musicianship, which also can be heard on the new CD of FAR’N’HIGH. 11 songs are included and with a strong production and great songs like “Contact me now”, “I saw” and “Unworthy”, this CD is clearly above the standard progmetal releases. One to own if you’re a fan of VANDENPLAS, although it is not as sensational as them. More info at: http://farnhigh.free.fr and http://www.brennus-music.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Amazing Vancouver/Canada based band whom released their debut in 2004 through Z RECORDS and have recently followed that record up with their 2nd album ‘The movie’, released through CENTURION RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA. The band has a superb American lead singer called Shaun Williamson, who sang with BACKBONE SLIDE and is sounding like a mix between JIMMY BARNES, PAUL RODGERS, JON BON JOVI and MICHAEL BORMANN, just to give you an idea how he sounds like. The music is groovy Classic Bluesy Melodic Hardrock like a mix between LED ZEPPELIN, FREE/BAD COMPANY, BADLANDS and WHITESNAKE. Their 12 tracks counting 2nd album is a really superb album which should easily be as huge as THE ANSWER and WOLFMOTHER, 2 acts which are currently getting a lot of attention worldwide, but KING KARMA are just as good. When listening to a CD of a band like KING KARMA, you always wonder why these guys are not all over the TV and Radio, because their incredible talent should gain them much attention and support, but in 2006 we sadly live in a world again where the visual aspect is more important than the musical aspect, but the real rockfans know that this KING KARMA should be in their hands. More info at: http://www.kingkarma.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
More than 20 years ago the legendary US Metalband RUFFIANS released their mini-album, still regarded as a classic album in US Power Metal history. Their lead singer CARL ALBERT (who sadly died in a road accident) left after the release to join bands like VILLAIN andVICIOUS RUMORS, but on that mini record he showed some of the best singing ever put on record by a Power Metalband, even beating GEOFF TATE of QUEENSRYCHE! Sadly he left and replacement singer Rick Wilde joined the band in the following years and after some breakups, he is still the singer of the band. In 2006 RUFFIANS makes an official return with the new CD ‘Desert of tears’. Not as good as their classic 1985 debut, but still a very good solid Melodic Power Metal record in the best 80s style of CRIMSON GLORY, QUEENSRYCHE, VICIOUS RUMORS, METAL CHURCH, ARMORED SAINT, LEATHERWOLF, HEIR APPARENT, etc. Songs like “I believe”, “Soldiers’s tale”, “Day of the champion” and “Freedom” show that this band still has a future, despite the fact that 20 years of inactivity regarding recording a real new full-length album. Check it out if you call yourself a fan of classic 80s US Metal! (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
BONITA is a singer/songwriter from Germany and her CD is basically just breathing out Americanised Melodic Pop/Rock/Westcoast. BONITA has a great voice and although some of the songs are a bit poppy, if you enjoy let’s say JAIME KYLE, LENITA ERICKSSON, CHALLENGE, ALANNAH MYLES, ROBIN BECK… well then this BONITA is a sure hit for you! 12 tracks are included and melodic poprockers like “Is it for real”, “Big bad world” and “Superstar” are very good tunes, but maybe the real highlight is the fantastic 80s inspired AOR ballad “Missing you”. Also the ballads “Lose you now” and “On the other side” have a very 80s AOR type of approach. BONITA is a very impressive singer and her debut CD is filled with good strong melodic pop/rock that will definitely appeal to the fans of mentioned artists. More info at: http://www.bonita-music.de (Points: 8.2 out of 10) BETWEEN THE TREES ‘THE STORY AND THE SONG’ (BONDED RECORDS) What exactly is EMO? That’s my question and the answer is very unsatisfied if we talk about the musicstyle, because the looks of most emo bands is the same, with their slick long hair and their somewhat simple outfits. Musically it is hard, because some of these emo bands are actually melodic rockbands. The rockstyle is very popular in America, where every week the major labels release many new albums. There are also quite a lot Independent labels out there focused on Emo/Punkpop and BONDED RECORDS from Florida is one of them. Their release of the band BETWEEN THE TREES is a very impressive one, as it musically is very strong modern melodic rock with influences from rock, prog, emo and punk, reminding me of COHEED AND CAMBRIA a lot of times, yet without the complexity and big long instrumental prog breaks, just the melodies, hooks and choruses. This band surely knows how to write a strong catchy melodic hook and memorable choruses, because almost every of the 11 included songs has a catchy hook and super melodic choruses. They also remind me of LOST PROPHETS, while even THE CURE comes up, so as you might notice this is a very diverse band that is not just another emo band. Even melodic rockfans might like this band a lot and why not, because 2006 has seen melodic rock coming back big time in other rock and metalstyles, which is a good thing. Of course this is nothing like the 80s, but it sure is as catchy and hooky as 20 years ago, rock is sounding good again and BETWEEN THE TREES are another fine example to check out! More info at: http://www.betweenthetrees.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) LENNEX ‘PART MATH, PART EUPHORIA’ (ITCHY RASH RECORDS) Already the 3rd CD of the American band LENNEX. They play very melodic yet rocking music, a bit typical American style, mostly midtempo with big guitar riffs, high pitched vocals here and there, with some really great catchy melodic choruses. Happily no screaming this time, just clean singing and very good indeed actually. 9 tracks are included, just a playing time of 31 minutes, but from start to finish you’re hooked, because the band mixes up the best of modern rock, melodic rock, progrock and sound like a more hold back version of COHEED AND CAMBRIA, so without the fancy instrumental parts, just based around strong melodic choruses, which is a good thing of course. LENNEX are basically another of the many American bands from the underground (read myspace) movement, which could well be on a major label as they are as good as for example HOOBASTANK or SAOSIN, 2 similar major label signed acts. More info at: http://www.myspace.com/lennex and http://www.lennex.com/ (Points: 8.4 out of 10) DEADSUN ‘FALLING AWAY’ (INDEPENDENT) The Nashville/USA based band DEADSUN is one of many new bands from the myspace generation, which sounds very impressive, but is either independent or signed to a small label. In the case of DEADSUN, we are talking about just an independent band, but their CD ‘Falling away’ sounds huge and comes close to bands like THREE DAYS GRACE, RA, CROSSFADE, SAOSIN, etc. It’s melodic, sounds modern and still rocks big time. It seems like every new band in America combines melodic clean vocals, catchy choruses with distorted guitar riffs and groovy guitars in a midtempo rocking sound that fits somewhere between rock and metal. It’s like mixing old school melodic rock with modern nu-metal. DEADSUN are another fine example, although the screams here and there should have been left out. Songs like “Purity”, “The fall” and “Face it” are very melodic and sound like the modern American rockband sounds like these days, which is melodic, heavy, groovy and staright in your face. Be sure to check out this band at: http://www.deadsunband.com/ and http://www.myspace.com/deadsun and e-mail at: deadsunband@hotmail.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) DIVA ‘DEMO CDR’ (DEMO CDR) Swedish melodic rockers DIVA are back with a new demo CDR, which sounds very good. If you like the spandex, big 80s hair metal and air guitar in your hands, well singalong with the songs of DIVA from Stockholm. The 3 new uptempo melodic rockers on their latest demo CDR are as catchy as the 80s sounds of BONFIRE, SHY, WHITE LION, etc. The band most of all reminds me of that other Swedish band that liked to go 80s all the way: VAGH. I have no songtitles, but who cares because these 3 songs are all catchy and a must-hear for a melodic rockfan. Go check out this band at: http://www.myspace.com/divahome (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The only thing missing here is Mr. JEFF SCOTT SOTO, because back in the early 90s multi-instrumentalist GARY SCHUTT started this project, but put it on hold when he went to the Berklee College of Music, where he graduated in the early 90s. he then recorded a bunch of demos, trying to secure a record deal for PALISADE. However it was not until he met JEFF SCOTT SOTO in 1994 when he was able to sign a deal for PALISADE, but the unfortunate thing was there wasn’t a band, just him and Jeff, so they decided to release it as GARY SCHUTT. That first solo-album is a fantastic melodic rockalbum, but now in 2006 Gary went into the archives and re-recorded the original PALISADE recordings from the early 90s on his own. So he played about everything, even singing, which he did quite well actually! Even though the songs were written in the early 90s, the recordings are brand-new and the sound is awesome and this sounds to me like another great melodic rockalbum. It sounds very 80s with a huge sound and a lot of very catchy tunes, with the occasional pure AOR song put in between the more BLUE TEARS/DANGER DANGER kinda melodic rock. If JSS would have sung the 12 included songs, this would have been a killer record, but still Gary does a good job at singing. What to expect, well perfectly produced catchy 80s melodic rock anthems, not far away from DAVID VICTOR, FIREHOUSE, BLUE TEARS, DANGER DANGER, WINTER ROSE, MELIDIAN, TERRA NOVA… Songs like “Lost in paradise”, “Stranger to your heart” (GOD, I love the 80s AOR sound so much, this is such a lovely tune!) and “First love” (SUPERB!) are every AOR/Melodic Rockfan’s dream, catchy, melodic with the big harmonyvocals and melodic rock guitarsound of EDDIE VAN HALEN. Be sure to check this release out if this style is your cup of tea! More info at: http://www.GarySchutt.com I do hope for many more of such melodic rock gems from Mr. GARY SCHUTT in the future, because he is very well in making this sound as good as it once sounded in the 1980s! (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
First of all, SCARLET HAZE has a fantastic female singer called KATHY PERKINS, who sounds really great and shows there is more talent out there one would expect. She and guitarist/producer LUKE FREDERICKSON are the main core of this 4-piece band from Minneapolis. Their sound fits somewhere between the classic 80s female fronted melodic of a LITA FORD to the more modernized female rocksound of BIFF NAKED/KELLY CLARCKSON. Like I said, especially singer KATHY PERKINS has got that classic rock voice I miss in so many of the other female singers these days. Kathy sounds like the VIXEN singer, although musically SCARLET HAZE is more modern and with tracks like “Give me a reason”, “Out of the dark”, “Suffocating” and “Wake up” as radio-ready as EVANESCENCE or KELLY CLARCKSON, although SCARLET HAZE is a bit rawer overall. The only pity is there are only 8 songs included and some more rockers like “Give me a reason” which is definitely the best song here would have been interesting. However, SCARLET HAZE shows with this CD and also the DVD they sent to me, they are ready for the major labels and should there be next to other female fronted bands like FLYLEAF, DAMONE, PARAMORE of even THE DONNAS. More info at: http://www.scarlethaze.com and http://www.myspace.com/scarlethaze and e-mail at: KScrantonSlim@aol.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) TORN REFLECTION ‘CD 2’ (INDEPENDENT) Obviously this is CD 2 of TORN REFLECTION, the follow-up and second part of their 2-CD set. CD 1 was reviewed sometime ago, but after another thousand new releases for review I must have forgotten about it. Anyway, this CD 2 of TORN REFLECTION sounds good musically, although the production is a bit raw. The music is almost typical American, yet with a more Melodic Prog Metal type of sound, although on the other hand it also ain’t that far away from DISTURBED. Happily, the band also throws in some 80s melodic rock here and there, such as the catchy uptempo “Love is dead”, so therefore there’s a difference for sure. Check out TORN REFLECTION for yourself if you’re starting to become interested at: http://www.tornreflection.com and http://www.myspace.com/tornrelection (Points: 8.0 out of 10) MILLION DOLLAR MOUTH ‘SAY MY NAME…SAY IT AGAIN’ (ATONAL RECORDS) Typical Northern American Rock is what the band MILLION DOLLAR MOUTH is all about. Despite being compared to bands like BLUR, MUSE mixed with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, they sound like a typical modern rockband with emo influences. The band doesn’t sound that much different than most other new US bands, but somehow they have more in common with the new English Rock movement, such as bands like KAISER CHIEFS, PANIC AT THE DISCO, JET, THE STROKES, ARCTIC MONKEYS… real Rock with strong melodies. 11 songs are on their album, which has a big sound and in the end this could have well be a major label release. Songs like “Lush”, “In a garbage can” and “Big kiss” are pretty good. It’s good to see real good rock coming back big time and MILLION DOLLAR MOUTH is another fine example. More info at: http://www.milliondollarmouth.com And http://www.myspace.com/milliondollarmouth (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
So, VIXEN is back… Should we be happy about it? Well, it’s like every other old band reforming, because also VIXEN has lost original members, in fact, only guitarist JAN KUEHNEMUND is left!!! Damn pity, because they even have a new lead singer here called JENNA SANZ AGERO. Good news is VIXEN is back and their music style is pure catchy 80s melodic rock. Bad news is the sound/production which is just ok and I am afraid the 12 included songs go in one ear and out the other. New singer Jenna is able to sing very well, but this surely ain’t the classic VIXEN from the first 2 albums. Nevertheless, it is a nice melodic rockalbum with some good tunes like “Little voice”, “Anyway”, “I’m sorry”, etc. Most of the songs are really 80s type of uptempo melodic rockers, but still if you compare to their legendary 2nd album ‘Rev it up’, which is until this present day one of the best releases of an all-girl band, this new CD of them is ranked among all the other new releases of all-girl bands these days. Not to be rude, but actually the CDs of new all-girl bands like DAMONE, PARAMORE and FLYLEAF are better than the new VIXEN. On the other hand, it is good to see the bandname VIXEN appearing again with a new CD filled with good 80s melodic rock, although do not expect anything as sensational as the old VIXEN days. More info at: http://www.vixenrock.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Canadian legends HONEYMOON SUITE have a very impressive 2-CD set best of release out. The 2 discs are filled with a stunning 39 tracks, which includes all their singles and 10 rare and unreleased songs. Disc 1 is mainly focused on the classic 80s AOR sound, while disc 2 represents the modern HONEYMOON SUITE sound, which is less interesting of course. Disc 1 has got all the HONEYMOON SUITE classics, with as highlights “New girl now”, “Burning in love”, “Feel it again”, “What does it take”, “Once the feeling” (this song is exactly the style where HAREM SCAREM started with back in the late 80s), “Love changes everything”, “Still lovin’ you” and “Say you don’t know me”, showing these guys could make awesome catchy melodic rock 20 years ago. Disc 2 starts AORish, but after a few songs the songs are taken from their later albums released in the 90s and then the sound changes a little, although a song like “Gone” is a pretty solid melodic poprocker. The whole set of unreleased tunes is more drifting into a 90s rocksound, but happily the band always added a strong melodic touch, so in the end they never became that bad as some of the other bands that changed their sound in the 1990s. The song I missed was “Wounded”, but further all the HS classics are included and also the additional liner notes are very nice to read, so all I can say thumbs up to this best of release which truly is a great release for one of the better Canadian bands in rock history. If you never heard an album of this band, then be sure to check out this release. Also good to see these classics remastered, as they now sound so much bigger than before. Disc 1 makes a lot of spins to bring back memories of all Canadian bands playing this classic aor/melodic rockstyle. Recommended best of CD and that doesn’t happen too often! Available through: http://www.gottdiscs.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘MTM 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMPILATION’ (MTM MUSIC) 10 years MTM MUSIC! Back then they quickly became the best label around, with classic albums of HARLAN CAGE, STONE SOUP and CITA. Now in 2006 FRONTIERS RECORDS is the best label, but every now and then MTM comes up with some fantastic releases, of which RADIOACTIVE is the best release the label has done in recent years. This compilation contains 16 unreleased tunes of ZENO, FATE, DAN LUCAS, ALANNAH MYLES/JEFF HEALEY, VENGEANCE, AOR, SHIVA, BRETT WALKER, RELAPSED, MARTIN BRILEY, JANI LANE, SHADES OF GREY, AINA, RAIN, ROBERT LOUDEN and SILVER. Most interesting are the fantastic melodic rocker of ZENO (“Land of illusion”) and this amazing new band called SHADES OF GREY, a band with a sound somewhere between STREET TALK and RADIOACTIVE, but who are they??? The band will release a CD titled ‘Century’, can’t wait to hear it, for the AOR fans something to look out for… In the meantime check out this compilation for some great unreleased aor/melodic rock… (Points: 8.4 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘OI! OI! OI!’ (CAPTAIN OI RECORDS) 1980 EMI RECORDS, that’s the year and the label which originally released this classic Oi! compilation album and now 26 years later it has been re-issued onto CD by the best Punk/Oi! label around namely CAPTAIN OI RECORDS. 17 songs are included and this is about as close as you can get to pure classic Oi!/Punk and it also contains some of the best songs of the genre. Highlights are coming from COCKNEY REJECTS (anthem “Oi oi oi” and “Here we go again”), TERRIBLE TWINS (“Generation of scars” is a very cool song, never heard of them before, but they sound as good as THE BUSINESS and BLITZ), ANGELIC UPSTARTS (more classic Oi! in their songs “Guns for the Afghan Rebels” and “Last night another soldier”), PETER AND THE TEST TUBE BABIES (weren’t they a Poppunkband?), EXPLOITED (although their song “Daily news” was Oi/Punk, they later evolved as the first Hardcore band) and of course SLAUGHTER AND THE DOGS with their classic “Where have all the bootboys gone”. These are the bands that made Oi! such a classic genre within the Punkstyle and it was bands like them that made me liking this style. Be sure to check out this release if you want to know how Oi! should sound like, although I do not understand why MAX SPLODGE was included as this is one of the weirdest songs I ever heard! CD is available through: http://www.captainoi.com (Points: -) MOLLY HATCHET ‘THE DEED IS DONE’ (GOTT DISCS) MOLLY HATCHET were known as a classic Southern Rockband, but just like every other band in that genre they changed their sound in the mid 80s to a radioformat AOR sound. Put these guys next to BLACKFOOT, 38 SPECIAL, ROSSINGTON COLLINS BAND, DOC HOLLIDAY and you’ll understand the situation, because also MOLLY HATCHET changed their sound around 1984 when they originally released the album ‘The deed is done’ on SONY BMG MUSIC, which has now been remastered and re-issued onto CD by GOTT DISCS, who did a great job. Musically however MOLLY HATCHET did not become the best Southern turned AOR band around as this release was just an ok album, nothing album, nothing less. Even JIMI JAMISON of SURVIVOR on backing vocals here could not help this release sounding like a weaker ZZ TOP release, very 80s and also reminding me of DUKE JUPITER during the album’s highlight “Stone in your heart”. Their recent new studio CD shows the real MOLLY HATCHET, but this 22 year-old album now re-issued onto CD showed they were another Southern band turning keyboard AOR in the mid 80s, but unfortunately this was not as good as BLACKFOOT or 38 SPECIAL. Nevertheless, good to see this rare release with beautiful artwork re-issued and it is available at: http://www.gottdiscs.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
The combination of death metal growls, melodic clean singing, exceptional catchy choruses with heavy thrash metal riffs and complex progressive metal structures has resulted in a sort of new genre, in which bands like INTO ETERNITY, NEVERMORE, SCAR SYMMETRY and also MERCENARY all released a very impressive new CD this year. MERCENARY from Denmark released their album ‘The hours that remain’ in August 2006 and they have gone more melodic than ever, sometimes reaching the high level of INTO ETERNITY on such wonderful songs like “My world is ending”, “Lost reality” (huge harmonyvocals towards the end as if you’re listening to late 70s KANSAS/JOURNEY, but then the riffs and complexity are totally Metal!), “Simplicity demand”, “The hours that remain” and “Obscure indiscretion”. This band mixes superb strong melodies with aggressive death metal parts, although on their 4th CD ‘The hours that remain’ it is clear that the melodies are the most important part of each of the 10 included songs. Together with a big production, this is an album you will play over and over again, to discover how good this band really is, must-have for people who enjoyed the new INTO ETERNITY! (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
POISONBLACK is yet another high quality Finnish band. ‘Lust stained despair’ is their 2nd CD release and although they are a band formed just 6 years ago, they are very popular in their home native Finland, due to the fact the band features the singer of SENTENCED, which was one of the most popular Metalbands during the 1990s. Anyway, with POISONBLACK, the music style is pure Finnish, which is dark, melancholic, very metalish, but always super melodic as if you mix the best of THE CULT, METALLICA, HIM and MAIDEN into an own style. POISONBLACK have released a superb new CD with this ‘Lust stained despair’. 11 tracks are included, of which songs like “Hollow be my name”, “Rush”, “Raivotar” and “Love controlled despair” belong to some of the best Finnish Metal heard in recent years. Must-have for fans of big guitar driven Metal with superstrong melodies! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
CELESTY
‘MORTAL MIND CREATION’ (DOCKYARD 1/ROCK INC) 
DIVINEFIRE
‘INTO A NEW DIMENSION’ (RIVEL RECORDS/MEGAROCK) 
LOVECHILD
‘SOUL COLLECTOR’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) 
SLAUGHTER
AND THE DOGS ‘DO IT DOG STYLE’ (CAPTAIN OI! RECORDS) 
THE
BOYS ‘THE BOYS’ (CAPTAIN OI! RECORDS) 
999
‘999’ (CAPTAIN OI! RECORDS) 
BATTALION
‘THE FIGHT FOR METAL’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS) 
VARIOUS
ARTISTS ‘HEAVY METAL NATION 3’ (QUAM LIBET RECORDS) 
RIOT
‘ARMY OF ONE’ (METAL HEAVEN/ROUGH TRADE) 
JOAN
JETT ‘SINNER’ (BLACKHEART RECORDS) 
GOSTA
BERLINGS SAGA ‘TID AR LJUD‘ (TRANSUBSTANS RECORDS/RECORD HEAVEN) 
MAGNOLIA
‘MAGNOLIA‘ (TRANSUBSTANS RECORDS/RECORD HEAVEN) 
VILLEBRAD
‘ALLA AR HAR UTOM JAG‘ (TRANSUBSTANS RECORDS/RECORD HEAVEN) 
THE
EYELINERS ’NO APOLOGIES’ (BLACKHEART RECORDS) 
VARIOUS
ARTISTS ’MUNICH’S HARDEST HITS VOLUME 8’ (POINT MUSIC) 
SUZI
RAWN ‘NAKED’ (SONY BMG CANADA/VESPA MUSIC GROUP) 
THE
BRIGHTWINGS ‘STAY’ (INDEPENDENT) 
DRYADE
‘INSCAPE’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) 
SYRENS
CALL ‘AGAINST WIND AND TIDE’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) 
VEDA
‘MENTAL FABULUM’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) 
FAR
‘N’ HIGH ‘DAY OFF’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) 
KING
KARMA ‘THE MOVIE’ (CENTURION RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA) 
RUFFIANS
‘DESERT OF TEARS’ (METAL HEAVEN/ROUGH TRADE) 
BONITA
‘BONITA’ (WARNER MUSIC GROUP GERMANY) 
PALISADE
‘LOST IN PARADISE’ (PALISADE RECORDS/SHUT UP PRODUCTIONS) 
SCARLET
HAZE ‘OUT OF THE DARK’ (INDEPENDENT) 
VIXEN
‘LIVE AND LEARN’ (DEMOLITION RECORDS) 
HONEYMOON
SUITE ‘FEEL IT AGAIN – AN ANTHOLOGY’ (GOTT DISCS) 
MERCENARY
‘THE HOURS THAT REMAIN’ (CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS) 
POISONBLACK
‘LUST STAINED DESPAIR’ (CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS)