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If there is one signing that surprised me big time it was the signing of STRYPER to MTM MUSIC, because they were one of the leading 80s Hair Metal bands in the USA 20 years ago, signed to a big label and by far the biggest band in Christian Rock history, so maybe a deal with a Christian label would have been more likely. Nevertheless, STRYPER signed a deal with MTM MUSIC, and the result is a new studio album called ‘Reborn’, which is their first since their split in the early 90s. In between they released an awesome live CD, but as that record mainly consisted of old 80s material, we are now dealing with a full new release. ‘Reborn’ is of course different than the band’s past releases, because it all sounds so much more modern, very groovy, very heavy, but still also very melodic, each of the 11 songs filled with catchy choruses. Not much room left for guitar solo’s here, so a comparison to DREAM THEATER would be impossible, but if you listen to the wonderful titletrack “Reborn” you can not help feeling like you’re listening to JAMES LABRIE singing a DREAM THEATER chorus. However, this new STRYPER record is more direct and has not much to deal with Progressive Metal. I would rather call it a mix of modern rock and classic 80s STRYPER choruses. Some call it updated melodic heavy rock, others nu-breed, but songs like “Reborn”, When did I see you cry”, “Make you mine”, “Passion”, “If I die” and “Rain” proof that melodic rock doesn’t necessarily has to sound dated, because these wonderful songs show that STRYPER has found the perfect balance between classic 80s and the current melodic rocksound. Now if they only can come over to Europe for a tour, but with MTM as their label that should not be a major problem. (Points: 8.7 out of 10) SHAKRA ‘FALL’ (AFM RECORDS/ROCK INC)The Swiss band SHAKRA makes a return with their 6th CD and without a doubt they have developed themselves into a very sensational band. Together with GOTTHARD they arenow the new superstars of Switzerland, even beating KROKUS when it comes to releases, because that band has not released a good record since the early 80s! 2005 seems to be a great year for Swiss Hardrock, because we have just had a fantastic new GOTTHARD CD and already SHAKRA delivers a record of the same high level, which means another true Melodic Hardrock masterpiece is being released to the public. The new CD contains 13 tracks and right from the start SHAKRA shows they are definitely a band with a very bright futureand they proof that besides GOTTHARD there’s another sensational band. Opener “Chains of temptation” is a superb strong catchy Melodic Hardrocksong with an unbelievably memorable melodic chorus that will stick in your head days after you heard it, maybe the best song SHAKRA ever recorded!!! So with such a fabulous start it is impossible to go wrong and of course that doesn’t happen, because the whole CD is filled with high class music, which is a mixture of Melodic Rock/Hardrock and Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal, clearly heavier than GOTTHARD has ever been, but still very melodic. “Out of control” for example is a fast uptempo melodic heavy rocker with a very strong chorus. Other highlights are “All or nothing” (catchy uptempo melodic rocker like BONFIRE hasn’t done in ages!), “Fall”, “Do you know” and “Make it alright” (very catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker, radio-ready if you ask me!). Definitely a superb album that needs to be in the collection of every Hardrock and Metalfan! (Points: 8.9 out of 10) UDO ‘MISSION NO.X’ (AFM RECORDS/ROCK INC) Everytime UDO makes a return everyone (media, promoters and labels) are speaking of the best comeback album of shouter UDO since the 80s ACCEPT days. Refresh our memories because also this new UDO album is announced big time, but is it really as good as the old ACCEPT records? Of course not, the very first couple of ACCEPT albums are classics, with ‘Balls to the wall’ being the album that was the highlight of ACCEPT and maybe also their end, because after this record it all went downwards. Surely UDO released good quality records, but it was never as good as the early ACCEPT album. Just listen to an old song like “I’m a rebel” and you understand that it will never become that good anymore. Nevertheless, this new UDO album will be loved by the fans and of course it is almost an ACCEPT album, except for the melodic rockballads “Eye of the eagle” and “Cry soldier cry”, which show that UDO can also sing very melodic and not just sound like a machine gun on speed! However, most of the time it is a typical UDO/ACCEPT record, so Melodic Metal with shouting vocals of UDO and also some very good guitarwork. Production was in hands of STEFAN KAUFMANN (from ACCEPT!). Fans of UDO know what to expect here… (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Singer/Songwriter JOHN TAGLIERI from New Jersey returns with a new CD. Quite a few years ago I reviewed his fantastic debut CD ‘Leap of faith’, after which it became quiet around John, who was trying to find out if he wanted to go for a more Country style or continue playing Rock. Happily John choosed the Rockstyle of his first CD and finally in 2005 there is an official new solo CD of JOHN TAGLIERI. ‘Now’ is clearly a strong high quality Melodic Rock/AOR album, which reminds me (a lot) of WAYNE SMART and DAN LUCAS, if anyone remembers those Canadian vocalists. Most of the songs were probably written with only an acoustic guitar, then recorded in the studio with a full electric band backup. Kinda like JOEY TEMPEST and STAN BUSH write their songs, which means we get to hear a lot of emotional songs, which is a good thing. Most of the songs are either midtempo or semi ballad orientated, so not many uptempo hard hitting rockers unfortunately. Nevertheless, the songs are all very nice melodic pop/rock/aor songs with very good vocals and if I had to pick my favourite songs I would say “Common ground”, “The fall” (very strong chorus, lovely semi aor rocker), “How will I know” and “One little thing” (fantastic midtempo AOR, very good emotional lead vocals and a lovely stunning chorus). The CD also reminds me a lot of DAVE BALDWIN/TRADIA, MIKAEL ERLANDSSON, THOMAS VIKSTROM, if anyone remembers them, but a sort of BON JOVI comparison is also very clear sometimes. It’s just fun summer melodic poprock/aor with slight Westcoast influences, which is waiting to be checked out at: http://www.LeapDogMusic.com and e-mail at: info@LeapDogMusic.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Although the CD of this American band with female singer starts as a raw Punkrecord, the songs get poppier during the CD and actually in the end this CD builts up to being a very catchy melodic punky poprock record. Songs like “Sid and Nancy”, “Forgotten generations”, “”Housewreck”, “Stage skool kidz” and “Mommy’s little soldier” are very catchy uptempo sing-a-long punky poprockers like a mix between early THE DONNAS and SIMPLE PLAN with a Rock’n’Roll overdose and catchy harmonyvocals driven choruses. The best song however is the longest track on the CD, which is the Melodic Rocker “No more legend” which does almost remind me of LITA FORD. Forget that comparison however, because this record is all about catchy fun uptempo Melodic Punkpoprock with good strong female vocals. More info at: http://www.repossessionrecords.com and http://www.thefightmusic.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) ALSTON ‘VOODOO FO FUN AND PROFIT‘ (REPOSESSION RECORDS) Modern Metal, but with a sort of Classic Metal feeling, which makes it possible to label ALSTON as a Modern sounding Progressive Metalband, not far removed from ALTER BRIDGE actually, which means a mix of Melodic vocals/choruses, heavy groovy complicated Metal riffs and some modern Metal influences (not much though). Happily, most of the time it sounds very melodic, almost pure Melodic Rock, so in the end this band has nothing to do with the current Screamo Metal from the USA. Opener “Recon seed” for example is a really strong Melodic Progressive Metal song and throughout the CD we can find more songs in this style, such as “Anna”, “Rock star” (a very strong melodic song, almost reminding me of HIM and THE RASMUS, definitely one of the highlights here and an instant radio hit if it was released in Europe!) and “2 & Ten low”. If you’re looking for a mix between CREED, TOOL, PAIN OF SALVATION, AUDIOSLAVE and especially ALTER BRIDGE then look no further because ALSTON will fullfill your needs, because their CD is a high quality CD in this genre. More info at: http://www.repossessionrecords.com and http://www.alstonmusic.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) DRY KILL LOGIC ‘THE DEAD AND DRAMING’ (REPOSESSION RECORDS) Here we have Screamo Metal of the worst kind, which means PANTERA going crazy, nothing melodic to be found anywhere on this disc, except the few clean melodic vocals, but actually it’s only interesting for fans of PANTERA, KORN, SLIPKNOT… More info at: http://www.repossessionrecords.com (Points: 7.0 out of 10)
After almost 10 years since the American Progressive Rockband AJALON released their debut CD ‘Light at the end of the tunnel’, the band makes a return with a new CD titled ‘On the threshold of eternity’. Musically it seems like times never changed, because the new AJALON CD is a superb mix of AOR/Pomprock, Progressive Rock and Sympho, sounding like a mix between ASIA, YES, ARENA and STARCASTLE. The music is very melodic and just timeless. With appearances by RICK WAKEMAN and NEAL MORSE, this CD should already be a mut-have for any progfan, but due to the beautiful AOR/Pomprock melodies, such as in the lovely songs “The promised land”, “What kind of love” and “Forever I am” this CD is interesting to check out for fans of AOR/Pomprock as well. I am quite sure this is one of those CDs which will be loved by a lot of music fans. It’s a timeless CD, which is very nice to listen to anytime of the day at any time of the year, clearly a very strong release… (Points: 8.8 out of 10) THE NUMB ONES ‘EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN’ (CLEOPATRA RECORDS) Call it Goth Rock, Glam Rock, Melodic Rock, Nu-Breed or just good old Rock’n’Roll, because basically THE NUMB ONES is doing what American bands have been doing for 30 years now, playing good old straight-ahead Rock with melodic memorable choruses. THE NUMB ONES are coming out of South Florida and their debut CD is filled with high class Melodic Rock’n’Roll which combines the best of THE CARS, MOTLEY CRUE and KILLING JOKE into an exciting melting pot of Melodic Rock, Punk, Glam and Rock’n’Roll. Opener “Everything in between” is very heavy punky Rock’n’Roll, close to VELVET REVOLVER. However, next track “Space and time” is completely different, because this is a very good semi melodic rocker. Also “So sincere” keeps hanging in the Melodic Rockstyle, while next track “Just what I needed” is a surprise cover of THE CARS classic Melodic Poprocker from the early 80s. The band flirts some more with 80s catchy Melodic Rock on a great song like “Arm’s length” (close to AOR), which is a very catchy little tune, radio-ready for sure! As the CD develops it seems the only weaker track was the Punky opener “Everything in between” because the rest is close to catchy Melodic Poprock, with as other highlights besides the already mentioned “Arm’s length”, the melodic rockers “Understand” and “Love is like Oxygen” (SWEET cover). You can get more info on THE NUMB ONES at: http://www.thenumbones.com and http://www.cleorecs.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) HARD WAY ‘DEMO 2005’ (DEMO CDR) This is very impressive stuff… HARD WAY are from Argentina, play pure AOR that sounds like STREET TALK a lot, with a bit of HOUSE OF SHAKIRA and JOURNEY as well. 3 songs are on their new demo CDR, which starts with a calmer semi-ballad titled “Holy ghost”. Up next is the lovely catchy midtempo AOR song “Ride on the wind”, which has a lot of similarities to STREET TALK. Closing track “Face the fire” is another good midtempo melodic rock/aor song . What more does HARD WAY have to offer on their demos before they get signed by one of the European AOR labels? Definitely a band that could easily be put next to STREET TALK, HEARTLAND, CHANGE OF HEART… although they only have demos available for now, but let’s truly hope for an official CD release in the future. More info at: http://www.hardwayweb.com and e-mail at: charlieg782001@yahoo.com.ar (Points: 8.5 out of 10) BLACK SONIC PROPHETS ‘BROKEN EP’ (CAPITAL RECORDS) Out of Liechtenstein comes BLACK SONIC PROPHETS, shortened to BSP for the fans. The band is focused on mixing Modern groovy Metal with strong melodic choruses which results in some very strong songs on their EP CD ‘Broken’. 5 songs are included and if you listen to songs like “Broken” and “Leave me alone” it feels like you’re listening to some American band, so we are definitely talking about a high quality band here. However, the band comes out of that small country Liechtenstein, which has only 30,000+ habitants. Anyway, you can check out this band at: http://www.blacksonicprophets.com and e-mail at: prophets@gmx.ch (Points: 8.0 out of 10) EPHEMERAL SUN ‘BROKEN DOOR’ (INDEPENDENT) Here we have out of nowhere a new band from the USA which delivers a high quality record in the shape of ‘Broken door’, which is a 71-minutes counting epic journey through the world of Progressive and Symphonic Heavy Rock/Metal. The band features a good female singer, who sounds a bit like a NIGHTWISH meets MOSTLY AUTUMN kinda vocalist, so high pitched Soprano vocals with slight Celtic influences (ENYA). Musically EPHEMERAL SUN is a bit heavier, although other music styles are being put into their songs as well, however calling them a progressive metal band is definitely true, because I hear strong similarities to AYREON and STAR ONE. Sadly I do not have much info on the band, either does the CD booklet tell us more, so we will just have to focus on the music, which is very impressive. The CD is a sort of concept record, divided in 12 tracks, of which some are very lengthy, such as the 17 minutes counting closing track “A song for twilight”. I think this CD should do well among the Progressive Rock/Metal community, because basically this CD of EPHEMERAL SUN could have been a big label release. Therefore I recommend you to check out this band at: http://www.ephemeralsun.com and e-mail them at: band@ephemeralsun.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Strong 80s Melodic Metal with a very European kinda Hardrock/Metal approach is what we get to hear on the CD of the Russian band SANGARA. It's always hard comparing the Russian bands to other Metalbands from USA/Europe, due to the language barrier. Also SANGARA sings in their own Russian language, which is hard to understand for non-Russian speakers. What is clear is the fact that the CD of SANGARA is a very good record, which should please any Melodic Metal fan. Most of the songs are uptempo and maybe comparisons to ROB ROCK and MEDUZA are possible here, although the vocalwork is much rawer and aggressive, but the feeling of the songs are basically typical Melodic Metal. MP3 samples are available at: http://metalism.com CDs are available at: http://metal-cd.ru/rus/ Sangara website: http://sangara.narod.ru (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
RETRIEM is one of the better Russian bands at the moment. Their latest CD is a very good record, which is basically filled with high class (Neo-Classical) Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal. Vocally it sounds good, the sound/production is also quite perfect and most of the 10 included songs are quite sensational. If you don't mind the Russian lyrics, then you have here a very good band that have a release out which is even better than the new STRATOVARIUS. Besides STRATOVARIUS, you can also compare RETRIEM to SONATA ARCTICA, ANGRA and KAMELOT (a lot), with as big difference the Russian lyrics of course. The band combines melody with neo-classical metal and hardrock riffs, which (admitted) also sounds like MALMSTEEN here and there, but due to the Russian lyrics it gives RETRIEM a sort of own style. It doesn't make much sense to mention the songtitles here, but take it from me that this CD plays very well from start to finish. MP3 samples are available at: http://metalism.com CDs are available at: http://metal-cd.ru/rus/ Retriem website: http://retriem.ru (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
One of the more well-known bands in the Russian regions is the Kazachstan settled HOLY DRAGONS. I have reviewed their earlier releases and now it is time for their latest release. Of course lyrics are in Russian, but if you listen to their sound that should not be a problem, because instrumental this band is far above the rest. Just listen to the solo's and riffs, because it is of a very high level, high class Neo-Classical Melodic Metal like a Kazachstan version of MALMSTEEN. Vocally it is a bit weaker, because lead singer Holger Komaroff is a very raw singer, which makes the music of HOLY DRAGONS less sensational and that's a pity, because instrumental this is a very impressive record. MP3 samples are available at: http://metalism.com CDs are available at: http://metal-cd.ru/rus/ Holy Dragons website: http://holydragons.org (Points: 8.0 out of 10) Another new Russian band with a sensational release. Just like
RETRIEM also this band is playing a very melodic metalstyle, which
combines Neo-Classical (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Another new Russian band with a sensational release. Just like RETRIEM also this band is playing a very melodic metalstyle, which combines Neo-Classical Metal with strong AORlike melodies. Comparisons to KAMELOT are once again very clear. Not much info on the band, but the 12 songs on their CD surely show a very impressive band. Vocally they are also very good (clean and melodic), while the sound/production is of a high level, so are the songs and therefore we have another winner from Russia here. Just like any other band from Russia, also this band is singing in their own language and it is even hard to write down their Russian bandname. Nevertheless, music has not borders and therefore this CD is a highly recommended Melodic (Neo-Classical) Metal piece to any fan of KAMELOT, PAGAN’S MIND, STRATOVARUS, ANGRA…More info at: http://www.metal-cd.ru and e-mail at: http://www.metalism.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) PINK LIZARD ‘ROCK’N’ROLL INJECTION’ (INDEPENDENT) I received a 4-track CD of the Italian band PINK LIZARD. This band is playing good old late 80s LA type of Glam/Sleaze Metal with a strong MOTLEY CRUE meets SKID ROW kinda approach. They have definitely delivered a quality record here, because not only does the CD have a very strong big fat rock production, also the included 4 songs capture a strong sound. Songs like “R N’ R injection” and “Dress yourself” are very strong raw Glam/Sleazy Metal songs with a strong resemblance to MOTLEY CRUE (circa ‘Dr. Feelgood’), SKID ROW and EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE. More info on this Italian band at: http://www.pinklizard.net and e-mail them at: info@pinklizard.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10) SAGE ‘IN VAIN’ (INDEPENDENT) The band SAGE returns with a new mini-CD titled ‘In vain’. This Chicago settled band is based around female lead singer TRACEY SAGE and guitarist MIKE WALSH, who has released very succesfull solo CDs. Now they have a new SAGE CD out, which sounds very good, different than the standard female fronted band nowadays. First of all, the instrumental backup is phenomenal, because this Mike Walsh guy can play guitar exceptionally well, reminding me of a mix between MALMSTEEN, JASON BECKER and JOSHUA PERAHAIA, so definitely one to watch out for and hopefully I will be able to hear one of his CDs soon, because his Neo-Classical Metal shredding on this CD alone it worth it to purchase the SAGE CD. The vocals of female singer are quite unique, because they show a sort of new way of singing, don’t know what it is, but it surely is different than anything you have heard from EVANESCENCE or DORO for that matter. The Melodic Metal wit slight Progmetal influences of SAGE sounds quite good and some very strong songs can be found on the new CD (such as the wonderful “Backbone” and “ In vain”) and therefore I can easily highly recommend it to any female fronted rock/metal fan! More info at: http://www.sage4.com and e-mail at: croth32@comcast.net (Points: 8.3 out of 10) SOMASCETIC ‘THE VIOLENCE OF DISTANCE’ (INDEPENDENT) There’s so many quality releases out there and we only are able to
feature a couple releases each week. Here we have a band from Pittsburg,
PA, USA and they are called SOMACETIC. The band consists mainly of
multiinstrumentalist/vocalist/producer SHAWN BURNETTE, who did almost
everything on the release of his band SOMASCETIC (except the drums).
Musically this is experimental modest progressive rock/metal which
actually is hard to compare, because this band has tried to make
something completely different. They succeeded, although you can still
call this band non-commercial Progressive Rock/Metal. Maybe fans of
PORCUPINE TREE might actually like this a lot, but it could even attract
fans of KING’S X or maybe even DREAM THEATER fans. Let’s keep it on the
fact that this SOMASCETIC is playing experimental Progressive Metal.
Their debut is not just 1 CD, but a 2-CD set, which all together
probably tells us some sort of concept story, but I haven’t had the time
to look into that much further. Anyway, vocally it is slightly
depressive actually, because Shawn sings very low (even lower than GARY
HUGHES of TEN and the HIM singer combined!), but still melodic and clean
enough to keep you interested. This double disc is interesting to check
out if you want your Progressive Metal to sound experimental and
different than the standard stuff. More info at:
http://www.somascetic.com and
e-mail at: info@somascetic.com
Why is it always that out of nowhere with zero information an independent release makes such an impression it gives me the idea I am listening to a band that should have been on a big label with huge promotion. For example we now head over to a small place called Pleasantville (remember the excellent movie from a few years ago?) where we can find a sensational band called PURSUIT. It took them ages to record the CD, but now we have a CD of them called ‘Quest’, and after listening to the album a couple of times I can easily conclude that this PURSUIT has delivered a superb Melodic Progressive Metal album which will definitely attract fans of ARTENSION, KAMELOT, ROYAL HUNT, SHADOW GALLERY, SYMPHONY X… This is typical American Progressive Metal, which means very melodic clean vocals, perfect catchy hooks and choruses and big time bombastic instrumental passages out of the KANSAS book from the 1970s. This all combined with some big Metal riffs (a la DREAM THEATER) and AOR melodies (a la JOURNEY) and you basically have a typical American Progressive Rock/Metal sound in which this PURSUIT glorifies. I am not sure, but I believe the band is a Christian band, but that’s not an issue at all, because from start to finish this album is high class Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal. Just listen to a song like “Your power”, which is a truly amazing song that reflects a strong late 70s Pomprock approach, not heard since the days of TOUCH, ANGEL, STYX, KANSAS and ROADMASTER, beautiful melodies combined with lovely keyboardwork. The rest is slightly heavier and sometimes more akin to Progressive Metal, but always with strong melodies and impressive choruses, such as the fantastic songs “Good fight”, “Tomorrow’s better”, “Answer the call” and “Song of victory”. The band consists of 3 members, namely keyboardplayer/guitarist Dan Wolfe, vocalist Andrew Zaichlke (who happens to be a superb lead singer) and drummer John Sebring. Their CD has a big open sound and all I can say now is that it will please all progmetalfans, but even the AOR/Pompfan might find something interesting on this CD. Definitely a highly recommended quality record. More info at: www.pursuitband.com and e-mail them at: pursuitband@iowatelecom.net (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Here we have another sensational Finnish band! They are called BLOODPIT, and once again they play a very strong melodic mix of Goth, Glam and 70s groovy Hardrock riffs, ending up sounding like HIM, but still with an own sort of approach, which is very melodic. You might even call their ‘Mental circus’ CD a pure Melodic Rockalbum actually, because the songs are most of the time sounding like a melodic rockband. 11 songs are included and with the typical Northern European dark approach the songs sound modern and a bit moody, but still very melodic, especially during the choruses. I think the best description I can come up with here is a mix of GUNS’N’ROSES, HIM, TEN, BILLY IDOL and THE CULT. Lead singer/guitarist Matthau Mikojan has a good voice that sounds like a cross between DAVID BOWIE, AXL ROSE and the HIM singer, while the songs feature very melodic choruses (TEN, THE RASMUS, HIM style). There’s all sorts of songs on the album, uptempo, midtempo, semi-ballads, etc. although the band seems to be at their best during uptempo meloidic rockers such as “Bad echo”, “Badd-ass Blues”, “One more time” and “Out to find you”, but a semi-ballad like “Platitude” also sounds quite sensational. Definitely another highly recommended CD from Finland. More info at: http://www.bloodpitband.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
I have reviewed this CD a couple times before. It was originally released 11 years ago by the now defunct German Melodic Rocklabel LONG ISLAND RECORDS. I reviewed it back then in one of our first issues of the printed magazines, in a time when Melodic Rock was completely dead and we were probably the only melodic rock magazine around! Many years later I reviewed a copy of the CD when it was re-released by Gary himself on his SHUT UP PRODUCTIONS label. Now we are in the year 2005 and GARY SCHUTT decided to give his best record from 1994 another re-issue in the shape of this release, which now features an additional 3 unreleased bonus demo tracks. To me it is all a nostalgic trip, but for other people maybe an undiscovered gem. Despite the fact that this is a GARY SCHUTT release, a very talented musician who proves to be able to play all the instruments very well, this particular CD of him is his finest release due to the fact none-other than JEFF SCOTT SOTO sang the lead vocals. 11 years after it’s first release it still is a fantastic release, but also a very diverse release, because no other recording of JSS features pure Progressive Rocksongs (a la RUSH). I am talking about the wonderful 8-11 minutes counting epic melodic progressive rockers “In some other lifetime” and “Fault line”, both very impressive songs. Actually the whole CD is great, mixing classic hardrock, aor and melodic rock, with as highlights besides the already mentioned songs, uptempo melodic rockers “Stranded” and “She’s letting go”, but the absolute moment supreme here is the amazing AOR ballad “I guess I’m still in love”. This JOURNEY type of ballad is an absolute classic which sadlyis underrated, because I never see anybody mentioning it. This song alone makes the purchase of this CD worthy. JSS fans who miss this release better get it now, because the new version contains 3 unreleased songs (“Highway to nowhere”, “Mental ward” and “Act of sympathy”). More info at: http://www.GarySchutt.com (Points: 8.8 out of 10) MERMAID KISS ‘THE MERMAID KISS ALBUM’ (FLAME RECORDS) MERMAID KISS is a new band from the UK which features the likes of female singer Evelyn Downing, guitarist Jamie Field and keyboardplayer/bassist Andrew Garman. Their first CD is a wonderful high quality impressive record which combines elements of Progressive Rock, Ambient and Celtic Music into an exciting relaxing calm album that will most definitely attract fans of MOSTLY AUTUMN and RENAISSANCE. The band sent me their 2003 debut release, but they are currently recording a new CD, which will be released soon and hopefully also reviewed here. This debut album from a few years ago showed a very strong band performing original songs that grabbed back to the days when in the UK Classic Rock and Progressive Rock were played by thousands of bands, yet MERMAID KISS gives it an own approach by adding Celtic and Ambient influences Something worth checking out if you’re into RENAISSANCE, MOSTLY AUTUMN and even PINK FLOYD. More info at: http://www.mermaidkiss.co.uk and e-mail them at: music@mermaidkiss.co.uk Jamie@mermaidkiss.co.uk (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Sensational? Yes! Original? No! Ok, so here we have the latest sensation from Sweden called TIMELESS MIRACLE. Without any doubts, they are playing a very cliché type of Melodic Happy Power Metal which you either love or hate, because what we have here is a record that is dangerously close to FREEDOM CALL, HEAVENLY, HELLOWEEN… If somebody had told me that they came out of Germany I would have believed it instantly, because it sounds so much like any German tra-la-la Happy Power Metalband, but this band really comes of Sweden. Despite the fact it is not original at all and it all sounds so familiar, the band still has created a very strong catchy album, which features songs that might become classics in the genre. Especially the song “The red rose” is something you might be singing for days, because it is very catchy and just so much sounding like FREEDOM CALL or HELLOWEEN. Actually the whole album goes like this, so most of the time it is singing along to uptempo Happy Power Metal songs with choruses filled with big harmonyvocals. It all sounds huge and for a fan of bands like RHAPSODY, FREEDOM CALL, GAMMA RAY, HELLOWEEN, HEAVENLY, POWER QUEST, DRAGONFORCE, SEVENTH AVENUE etc. definitely a must to check out asap! More info at: http://www.timelessmiracle.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Wow!!! A country where only 30,000+ people live and still about
50-100 active bands, of which this LOVECHILD might well be the best band
ever to come out of that little country of Liechtenstein, which is
situated inside Switzerland if I’m not mistaken. This band sent me a
4-track CD, which sounds very impressive and could have easily been an
American release, so we are talking of really high quality here. The
band has a superb singer called Werner Schweizer, who sounds like a
cross between IAN PARRY, GEOFF TATE and MIDNIGHT. Definitely one of the
better lead singers I have heard the past few years, simply terrific and
actually he is not a new unknown singer, because Werner sang in SATROX,
a great Swiss band that released 2 very good Melodic Hardrock/Metal
albums many years ago. The mini-CD of LOVECHILD dates back to 2003 and
hopefully we will see a full-length CD soon, because the 80s type of
Melodic Hardrock on this CD is sounding very impressive, like 80s
QUEENSRYCHE meets DOKKEN meets IAN PARRY/ELEGY meets VICTORY meets FATES
WARNING. Also the production is in shape and songs like “Battlefield”
and “Midnight train” (fantastic midtempo melodic heavy rocker a la
GOTTHARD) are absolute winners for fans of this genre. Without a doubt a
sensational band this LOVECHILD from Liechtenstein. More info at:
http://www.lovechild.li and e-mail
at: lovechild@adon.li or
management@lovechild.li KEEF HARTLEY BAND ‘OVERDOG/THE TIME IS NEAR’ (ECLECTIC DISCS) Released 35 years ago on the DECCA recordlabel, the 2 albums released by KEEF HARTLEY BAND have now been re-issued onto CD, with the addition of several bonustracks and extensive liner notes. Leader of the band was drummer KEEF HARTLEY who played in several bands in the 1960s along with later to become well-known people, such as JON LORD and ERIC CLAPTON. He had a big break when he played in the band JOHN MAYALLS BLUESBREAKERS, but with his own band the KEEF HARTLEY BAND he released 2 interesting albums that have now carefully been remastered and put onto CD. This band of him had a very strong lead singer called MILLER ANDERSON, who sounded like SAM COOKE and SPENCER DAVIS, so very soulful. Miller also wrote most of the songs and played guitar on the albums. Musically the band played a mix of Western Rock’n’Roll/Progrock and Jazz/Soul/Funk, kinda like CHICAGO, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD… The band’s 2 records sounded very impressive, atlhough nowadays some might say it sounds dated, because you can definitely hear these are 70s records. Nevertheless, this is quality stuff and the 2 CDs might attract both Soul and Rockfans, so even recommended to check out if you like someone like GLENN HUGHES, who also combines Soul and Rock. I think you’ll get the picture of what this KEEF HARTLEY BAND was all about. Both CDs are now available, with as slightly more recommended album the ‘The time is near’ record which rocked a bit more, but is sadly without bonustracks re-issued. (Points: 8.0 out of 10) YOURINGA ‘YOURINGA’ (INDEPENDENT) Formed a few years ago, the German band YOURINGA (from the Munich area) is clearly focused on bringing 80s type of Melodic Rock. It does sound very European (ZINATRA, DAYTONA, FATE, TREAT), although the vocals leave a slight accent behind and even reveal some slight 80s Pop/Goth influences (like a mix between SAGA, BILLY IDOL and SIMPLE MINDS). Happily, the 3 songs are all catchy little uptempo melodic rockers (“Test of time”, “The raven” and ”Destiny”), so this is definitely a band to check out if you’re into catchy 80s Melodic Rock. Next year a full-length CD will be released. In the meantime check out their site at: http://www.youringa.de and e-mail them at: flocky7@gmx.de (Points: 8.1 out of 10) SQY ‘FULL THROTTLE’ (PHOENIX MUSIC) SQY stands for SEQUOYAH and this is a Dutch band that has been active for quite some time now and their latest release is ‘Full throttle’, a CD + DVD release packed in a 2-disc set. Musically SQY grabs back to the 1970s groovy classic hardrock, which is a mix of all kinds of bands (THIN LIZZY a lot, especially in the song “Tonight”, but also influences from BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, BAD COMPANY, BLUE OYSTER CULT etc. can be heard here). Without a doubt, this is a high quality release, which will please any fan of Classic Hardrock/Stoner Rock or whatever you want to call a 70s type of groovy Rock/Hardrockstyle. The CD contains 11 songs, all of which sound quite impressive, but absolute highlights are “Tonight’, “Daisy baby”, “Unleash me”, “I want you down” and “Struggle”. For more info on SQY go to: http://www.sqy.nl or http://www.phoenix-music.nl and e-mail at: info@phoenix-music.nl (Points: 8.2 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE: BACK AGAINST THE WALL’ (CLEOPATRA RECORDS) Here we have the ultimate PINK FLOYD tribute, although it is more a tribute to the band’s legendary ‘The wall’ album. The 2-CD set brings together a lot of well-known musicians, from bands like STYX, JETHRO TULL, KING CRIMSON, THE DOORS, GENTLE GIANT, DEEP PURPLE, ASIA, YES, ELP, THE CARS, TOTO, MONTROSE, etc. And then we’re not talking about some of the lesser known members of those bands, because who doesn’t know RICK WAKEMAN, IAN ANDERSON, STEVE HOWE, KEITH EMERSON, TOMMY SHAW, etc. etc. They are all here paying tribute to PINK FLOYD on the 2 CDs which have been released on CLEOPATRA RECORDS. Some might call the original ‘The wall’ release the best album of all times, and although I must admit it was a splendid piece of work, I wouldn’t call it the best musical accomplishment of all times, because if there ever was one band that really broke barriers is must have been THE BEATLES. Progressive Rockfans will judge different and will mention PINK FLOYD, but THE BEATLES has been the most important band of all times. Nevertheless, this The Wall tribute is definitely worth checking out, because it contains such high quality musicianship of all these well-known people that show that ‘The wall’ can also be redone by other musicians. The 2 CDs are all very nice to listen to, with as highlights the classics “Hey you”, “Confortably numb”, “In the flesh” and the inevitable “Another brick in the wall”. A highly recommended tribute that needs to be heard by every music fan. (Points: 8.5 out of 10) AUTERRE ‘LINES AND FRAGMENTS’ (INDEPENDENT) This band from Finland is playing a mix of Grind and Death Metal. They do it well, but yet there is a little problem and that’s the fact that we do not cover this kind of Metal, so only interesting if you’re into this kind of stuff. Perhaps interesting for fans of CARCASS and CATHEDRAL? More info at: http://www.autereband.com and e-mail them at: autere666@suomi24.fi (Points: 6.0 out of 10) D’ARCANE ‘D’ARCANE/AS WORLS THEY RISE AND FALL’ (LEMURIA MUSIC) D’ARCANE is a Californian band with 2 releases so far. Their same titled debut CD from 2004 already showed a great band performing high class melodic progressive rock a la RUSH (vocally and songwise) with the acoustic peaceful influences of PINK FLOYD. This is high quality stuff, with as best song the straight-forward classic uptempo rocker “Set in stone”. The follow-up, ‘As worlds they rise and fall’, which was recently released, features some more rock orientated material, so even more RUSH orientated and definitely the best record of D’ARCANE. ‘As worlds they rise and fall’ is a very impressive strong progressive rock record with very strong vocals by multi-instrumentalist JAY TAUSIG. Best songs on the new CD are “Sunrise”, “Vertigo” and the closing epic titletrack which lasts 23 (!) minutes. This 3-piece band is recommended to fans of the 3-piece progrockbands from Canada (RUSH, SAGA, TRIUMPH), so better check ‘em out at: http://www.darcane.com and e-mail them at: Lemuria66@jps.net (Points: 8.5 out of 10) DIANE BERRY ‘VERY BERRY/MORE WILL BE REVEALED’ (INDEPENDENT) Out of New York comes multi-instrumentalist DIANE BERRY, who sent me 2 of her releases. Her debut from 1999 was ‘More will be revealed’, which saw a rocking style that sounded like a mix between GRACE SLICK, JOAN JETT, PAT BENATAR and PATTI SMITH (not the SCANDAL girl), so a mix of rock, folk, pop and psychedelic rock. It’s quite different than the standard female fronted rockstuff, although songs like “Shake” and “Want it now” are good clean fun melodic rockers. However, her new album ‘Very berry’ is less rocking and explores her Jazz/60s Psychedelic Rock influences even more. It it very close to PATTI SMITH sometimes, who is over here best known for her commercial poprocker “Because the night” written by BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. I however would rather compare DIANE BERRY to the PATTI SMITH of the early years during the 70s when she wrote a sort of political and poetric kinda folky pop/rock. Something you either love or hate, but be sure to check out this DIANE BERRY from New York who tries to make similar kinda music of the mentioned PATI SMITH and GRACE SLICK. More info at: http://www.dianeberrymusic.com (Points: 7.0 out of 10) DEVIL LEE ROT ‘AT HELL’S DEEP’ (IRON FIST PRODUCTIONS) One look at the name of this Swedish band and you might think this
is a gimmick act paying tribute to VAN HALEN, but actually DEVIL LEE ROT
is a band playing Pagan Metal, which is like classic 80s Metal with
Black Metal kinda screaming. I would have rather heard a clean singer
instead of the growls and screaming we can now hear on each of the 10
included songs. Their bio states they do not want to be seen as a Black
Metal band, well I would not call them that anyway, but fact is I can
not do anything with a band that has a singer that sounds like he is
singing in a Black Metal band, but DEVIL LEE ROT is definitely not a
Black Metal band, because they play an almost NWOBHM kinda style, so
please next time a clean singer and we will have another listen. Still
interested or a fan of Pagan Metal, then better go to:
http://www.ironfistrec.cjb.net
and email at:
ironfistrec@hotmail.com 3 albums were sent to me, all containing material from the Spanish band RESISTENCIA. These are CDRs, because I doubt original CD releases are available from this band. Fact is that the 3 albums this underground band from Madrid released are probably only available on CD. The albums were released between 1981 and 1984, with Spanish lyrics. Musically quite interesting, because we get to hear strong Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal. Debut was the album ‘Echo en Venezuela’ in 1981, followed by ‘Estrategia contra el movimento’ in 1983, but the band’s finest moment came in 1984 when they released the album ‘Da capo’. This little record contained some great Latin/Spanish Melodic Hardrock. They sounded much more melodic than OBUS or BARON ROJO, maybe a bit more SCORPIONS, Y&T could be heard in their sound, but also some BLUE OYSTER CULT, basically typical early 80s catchy guitar orientated melodic rock/hardrock. More info on this band can be found at: http://www.resistencia.es (Points: 8.0 out of 10) FAIR HAVEN ‘RIDE’ (INTERCONTINENTAL ROCK RECORDS) The band FAIR HAVEN consists of lead singer/guitarist Don James Ayer from Canada and 3 Swiss musicians (Bernie Kuepfer – guitars, Andy Scherrer – drums and Matto Levenberger bass). They have been together since 1998, already released 4 CDs and here we look at their new CD ‘Ride’ which might well be their best recording so far, because it does ound very professional, thanks to the producton of DARREN GRAHN (who worked with METALLICA, BON JOVI, MOTLEY CRUE, etc.). It is clear that this is a very professional high quality sounding CD, which will impress a lot of press because it just sounds damn good! The band’s music is Melodic Hardrock with a modern twist, a bit comparable to PINK CREAM 69 and KICK, with a very slight GOTTHARD approach in the instrumental big guitar riffs wich come straight out of the classic Hardrock book. The band’s singer is very good and I am quite sure this FAIR HAVEN might reach higher levels if they can get their breakthrough someday soon. Their new CD ‘Ride’ offers some really strong Melodic Hardrock, exposed in 11 songs that all together pass the 31 minutes, so my only complaint would be that next time the CD has a longer playing time. Nevertheless, this CD rocks very well and songs like “Lifechanges”, “Into the unknown”, “Asking forever (why?)” and “Before the dawn” are all great strong uptempo Melodic Hardrocksongs. Maybe the highlights are the beautiful semi-ballads “Ride into the sun” and “No one’s home” which both have SHAKRA and GOTTHARD written all over the place. Recommmended to fans of punchy hard hitting guitar orientated Melodic Hardrock with good strong melodic vocals, kinda like mentioned bands. Then better head over to: http://www.fairhavenrocks.com and e-mail at: andy@fairhavenrocks.com or don@fairhavenrocks.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Classic memories come to mind when hearing the one and only LAOS album from 1990. I played it a lot throughout the 90s (as LP version, because the CD was nowhere to be found) and despite the fact it was an unbelievably high quality female fronted AOR/Melodic Rockalbum it failed to chart. This is of course a pity, but happily the album itself has been re-issued onto CD (with bonustracks) by MTM CLASSIX, so finally the CD version is available to everywhere who waited for this release or anyone who did not hear LAOS before this is your chance. Included music was not that original, but it all sounded that good you actually thought this was an US act with songs written by Child/Warren/Bolton. However, LAOS came out of Germany and was situated around female lead singer GUDRUN LAOS (who later sang on 2 BARFLY records and backing vocals for AXEL RUDI PELL) and a couple German musicians, such as STRATOVARIUS drummer JORG MICHAEL! Anyway, it’s been 15 years since this gem was released and anyone who thought sensational female fronted AOR/Melodic Rock came out of North America alone should have a listen to this fantastic LAOS album. The AOR/Melodic Rock of LAOS was as good as the big stuff you heard from America around the late 80s (read: VIXEN, WITNESS, HEART…). This is definitely a release that makes sense, because the LAOS CD was very hard to get and that was a pity because the music was very good. Now we all can enjoy once again the wonderful songs “We want it”, “Why is a good love”, “Now that it’s over”, “We called it love” and “Higher ground”. This album was a non-stop hit album that is a total must if you like VIXEN, WITNESS, DANTE FOX, HEART, THE STORM, VXN… The original album was produced by Erwin Musper, who also made DEF LEPPARD, SCORPIONS and ZINATRA albums true classics in the Melodic Rockgenre. However, does anyone know LAOS, well I hope everyone does now, because this 1990 female fronted melodic rock classic almost beats anything released nowadays. Besides the 11 original tracks, which were digitally remastered, there are also 3 bonustracks aken from 2 solo CD-singles Gudrun released throughout the 1990s, such as the BOSTON cover “More than a feeling” and the awesome melodic rocker “Love sweet love”. Great job by MTM, now if only they can follow it up with all those other rare female fronted AOR/Melodic Rock releases from the past that urgently need to be repressed on CD, such as HEAT (band with singer Elke Klein, same quality as LAOS, also from Germany, released a superb CD in the early 80s, impossible to get!), VXN, THE STORM (the female fronted band from the 80s), DONNA CRISTY (her rare 80s record with the classic “Smile for the camera” as written by Mr. RICK SPRINGFIELD!) and well the list is endless. LAOS is a good start anyway to check out, because that 1990 record is a classic, so better get it asap! (final note: rumor has it that LAOS will re-record an unreleased album they wrote/recorded (?) but never released, so that is good news if we do see a follow-up sometime next year on MTM, let’s keep our fingers crossed for this one!) (Points: 9.0 out of 10) W.I.N.D. ‘GROOVIN’ TRIP’ (ARTESUONO PRODUCTIONS) I had not heard of WIND before, but this is an Italian band, who sent me their CD ‘Groovin’ trip’, which is an 78 minutes counting trip to raw Bluesy and Groovy Rock, like a mix between BLACK CROWES and BAD COMPANY. The guitarwork is very good and definitely sounding the way it needs to sound on a good raw heavy Bluesrock record, which is dirty, mean and rough. 5 songs were recorded in the studio, while the other 4 were live recorded, with even a guest appearance by JOHNNY NEEL (ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, GOV’T MULE) on Hammond/Piano/Organ, who co-wrote a couple of songs here. When listening to the CD you would not think this WIND is an Italian band, but they truly are and it does sound very good (especially the song “Fake it”) and very unlike any other Italian band. This CD is definitely highly recommended to the fans of raw Bluesrock a la JOE BONAMASSA, BLACK CROWES, early/mid 70s FREE/BAD COMPANY, ROBIN TROWER… More info at: http://www.wind-band.net (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
I remember it very well when I bought the LP ‘Heavy birthday’ of the rare German band KARO. It was their only LP I later found it, but it cost me a lot of money, because it was a very rare piece about 10 years ago. I loved it a lot, because it featured the catchy late 80s Euro Melodic Rocksound that once again showed that around 1989 the only European bands that could compete with the American ones were coming out of Holland (ZINATRA, VENGEANCE, VANDENBERG, etc), Sweden (EUROPE, TREAT, DAVINCI and countless others) and Germany (BONFIRE, CRAAFT, DOMINOE) if we didn’t count UK as part of Europe. KARO came out of Germany and released this great typical late 80s catchy melodic rock record in the style of BONFIRE, CRAAFT, ZENO, DOMINOE, VICE, DOMAIN etc. The original LP was released in 1988 and although CD copies exists, they are impossible to get, so MTM CLASSIX did a good thing releasing a CD with the original remastered one-off album of KARO. The bonustracks (2 new versions of opener “Wanna be loved”) are not that interesting, but anyone who missed this German Melodic Rock gem can get their hands on this new CD release. It is remarkable to see that the best songs on the album can all be found at he beginning, because songs like “Wanna be loved”, “One of a kind”, “Sister sister” (a classic, the best song, a superb catchy tune, with a chorus you will sing days after hearing it) and “Ball of fire” are all very impressive tunes. The 2nd part of the CD was a let-down back then when I first heard it on the original LP and it still doesn’t impress me much. So here we have a great album during the first 5 songs and then it all goes down, but nevertheless it is a highly recommended album to anyone looking for a lost German Melodic Rock gem in the BONFIRE, CRAAFT, VICE style, because now this KARO album has been re-issued onto CD. What I didn’t know was the fact that after the breakup of the band, KARO vocalist Lutz Salzwedel changed his name to DAN LUCAS, moved to Canada and released a couple great AOR albums in the style of STAN BUSH. Maybe interesting to re-release all these DAN LUCAS solo-albums as a deluxe CD edition package? In the meantime, check out this rare KARO release in the latest of the oldies re-issued onto CD series of MTM CLASSIX, although I would not call this album a classic… (Points: 8.4 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
STRYPER
‘REBORN’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN) 
JOHN
TAGLIERI ‘NOW’ (LEAP DOG MUSIC) 
THE
FIGHT ‘NOTHING NEW SINCE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL’ (REPOSSESSON RECORDS) 
AJALON
‘ON THE THRESHOLD OF ETERNITY’ (THRESHING FLOOR RECORDS/PROGROCK
RECORDS) 
SANGARA 'SYMPHONY
OF EVIL' (METALISM RECORDS) 
RETRIEM 'LEAD
TO YOUR DESTINY' (METALISM RECORDS) 
HOLY
DRAGONS 'WOLVES OF ODIN' (METALISM RECORDS) 
AEBRTBIHBAD
‘AEBRTBIHAD’ (METALISM RECORDS) 
PURSUIT
‘QUEST’ (INDEPENDENT) 
BLOODPIT
‘MENTAL CIRCUS’ (PLAYGROUND MUSIC) 
GARY
SCHUTT ‘SENTIMETAL REMASTERED’ (SHUT UP PRODUCTIONS)
TIMELESS
MIRACLE 'INTO THE ENCHANTED CHAMBER’ (MASSACRE RECORDS) 
LOVECHILD
‘LOVECHILD’ (INDEPENDENT) 
LAOS
‘WE WANT IT’ (MTM CLASSIX/SUBURBAN) 
KARO
‘HEAVY BIRTHDAY’ (MTM CLASSIX/SUBURBAN)