All the way from Mexico is this band called ELFONIA, which features the sensational female lead singer MARCELA BOVIO. She is one of the singers Arjen Lucassen discovered. He let her sing on his AYREON project, but Marcela also has her own band with whom she now has released a CD. The lyrics are in Spanish, but that isn’t a problem at all, because the music is high class calmer epic Celtic Progressive Rock hat reminds me a lot of MOSTLY AUTUMN. 12 songs are included on the CD, with ARJEN LUCASSEN even playing a guitarsolo on one of the songs. This is definitely a very impressive CD, which will be hard to get I think, because it is released on a small Mexican label (http://www.thenotegarden.com ) but something worth checking out if you like good strong female vocals mixed with relaxing Celtic influenced Progressive Rock. Must for fans of MOSTLY AUTUMN! More info at: http://www.elfonia.com  sales@thenotegarden.com 

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

CAUTERIZE ‘PAPER WINGS’ (INDEPENDENT)

Here’s a Canadian band that sounds like the next big thing from North-America. They play Melodic Rock with a Nu-Breed approach, so modern, but yet the songs are as catchy as THE RASMUS. 12 songs are included and uptempo melodic rockers “Wake to the sun”, “Tremble”, “Dare you to scream”, “Skin for scars”, “Miracles or medicine” and “Feel” sound really great. Of course it is very easy to compare this release to bands like BLINK 182, SR71, SUM 41 and whatever these emo/nu-breed bands are called, but CAUTERIZE is more melodic rock orientated and should also appeal to fans of HAREM SCAREM/RUBBER and most of all, THE RASMUS fans might actually like this release a lot too. Besides uptempo rockers, we should also note the band can make slower songs that sound really great, such as the midtempo “Minor key symphony” and the semi-ballad “Porcelain” which both remind me a lot of the recent HAREM SCAREM records. So there you have it, a modern sounding melodic rockband that have got all it takes in becoming big in not only their homecountry Canada, but also in the USA. More info at: http://www.cauterize.com 

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

OVERLOADED ‘HAIL THE KINGDOM’ (NO DEAL RECORDS)

Formed in 2004, this Detroit based band is basically going back in time on their debut CD ‘Hail the kingdom’. The CD contains pure 1980s Kick-Ass Metal that reminds me a lot of KEEL, ICON, TWISTED SISTER, WASP, RATT and classic CRUE. It’s like we’re back in 1985 in Los Angeles at the Sunset Strip where thousands of these kind of acts were playing night after night in the famous Hollywood clubs. But it’s 2005 and OVERLOADED come out of Detroit. It doesn’t mean it sounds dated, because it sounds fresh and rocks the hell out of everyone. A strong production combined with 7 great mostly uptempo rock/metal songs that will be loved by the fans of bands like TWISTED SISTER, WASP and ICON. Tom Morris mastered the CD at the famous Morrisound Recording Studios in Tampa, Florida (known for among others the SAVATAGE releases). The band has a great strong lead singer (Chris Gillen) and a killer instrumental guitarsound. They are about to release the follow-up titled ‘Hellfire’ which contains an additional 4 new tracks, which musically is in the same style as their debut. Definitely a band to check out asap if you want to hear a new band playing the classic 80s LA Metalsound. The band also sent me a compilation CD with local bands, of which I really loved (besides OVERLOADED themselves) the bands COLIC (awesome melodic rock, very strong, a la HAREM SCAREM), ABANDON (huge sounding Melodic Hardrock with big Metal riffs and a superstrong lead singer, move over SKID ROW I would say here), FOUR YEARS GONE (catchy Melodic Poprock with Punky attitude, early 80s touch, very catchy and with awesome guitarwork) and closing band MANGO PIE(classic 80s Melodic Metal like BLACK’N’BLUE, great band with superb guitarwork, bad production though). More info at: http://www.overloadedmusic.com 

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

FM ‘LONG LOST FRIENDS’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)

One of the best singers ever to come out of the UK is STEVE OVERLAND. One of the best AOR releases ever done is the FM debut ‘Indiscreet’ from 1986. Steve was (and still is) the lead singer of FM, releasing a bunch of great records between the mid 80s and the late 90s, of which all except the first 2 classics have been re-released in special digipack editions on ESCAPE MUSIC. Now there is a 2-CD set available which contains the FM albums ‘Takin’ it to the streets’ and ‘Dead man’s shoes’, along with a couple bonustracks, which sadly suffer a weaker sound quality (which is a big shame, because these are mostly songs from the unreleased 87 record of FM, such as the wonderful songs “Crying in the dark” and “Stranger kind of love”). Anyway, if you didn’t get the 2 albums the first time they were released this is a good opportunity to discover these great Bluesy AOR albums which contains a lot of great songs, such as the fantastic “Only the strong survive”. Nevertheless, FM will always be known for releasing an absolute classic in 1986, a pure AOR gem, after which they never released anything pure AOR related. Still they remained to be a great typical British Rockband that combines Bluesrock with AOR, kinda like BAD COMPANY, FREE and THUNDER, only they didn’t become that big, so give these 2 re-released albums in this nicely packed edition a chance…

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

CHANGE OF HEART ‘TRUTH OR DARE’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)

After 5 years of silence, the British hopes in Classic AOR return with their 3rd CD ‘Truth or dare’. The CD features guest performances by drummer Pete Jupp (FM), backing vocals by Steve Overland (FM) and acoustic guitars by Steve Morris (HEARTLAND). The band itself saw it’s bassist and drummer leaving, so there’s now 3 men left (Alan Clark on vocals/bass, Dave Chapman on keys and John Footit on drums. Together with producers Steve Overland and Steve Morris and mixer Pete Coleman (DEF LEPPARD) CHANGE OF HEART has created another great AOR album. The first couple of songs sound very sensational and are in quality as good as the legendary classic FM debut from 1986. After a while, the CD starts to get a bit weaker, but towards the end it all goes back to classic 80s AOR, which is a good thing, because CHANGE OF HEART deliver some classic tunes on this new album. Examples are the fantastic catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rockers “Burned”, “Fairlands”, “Hold on” (superb!) and “I will remember you”, all sounding like a mix between the first TERRA NOVA, the first FM, ATLANTIC, the first HAREM SCAREM and HONEYMOON SUITE. The vocalwork is excellent, the sound is great and without a doubt this is a must-have CD for the AOR fans. Despite a few weaker songs (“Don’t cross the line”, “Taking my time” and “Keep on believing”) the CD contains a lot of sensational AOR songs, like the earlier mentioned tunes, but also the wonderful semi AOR ballad “Desperate heart” needs to be mentioned. As good as their 2 previous releases, maybe even better, the 3rd CD of CHANGE OF HEART, with a little help from the FM guys…

(Points: 8.7 out of 10)

JOHNNY LIMA ‘VERSION 1.2’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)

Let’s go back in time to the day that JOHNNY LIMA released his independent debut CD. We were not even on the internet, but that’s not that strange if you consider the fact that has been almost 10 years ago now! That particular debut got rave reviews, including in our printed magazine, where we even interviewed this talented musician from San Francisco. Years gone by, Johnny releasing a couple more CDs in Europe, but his wonderful debut was never officially released until now, because ESCAPE MUSIC has released a CD of JOHNNY LIMA titled ‘Version 1.2’, which more or less contains most of the songs from his debut, with the addition of a couple of unreleased tunes. All together Classic 80s Arena Melodic Hardrock like the best mix between DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI, so anyone who missed it the first time, better check it out now. If BON JOVI and DEF LEPPARD had not existed, JOHNNY LIMA would have been a superstar in the 1980s, but it’s 2005 and well, there are still enough people out there who need to hear this, because it is really good, trust me!

(Points: 8.6 out of 10)

ARILYN ‘VIRTUAL REALITY’ (QUIXOTE MUSIC)

A great German band that have just released their 2nd CD ‘Virtual reality’. The band is playing high class Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal which sounds like a mix between FOR ABSENT FRIENDS and a lighter VANDENPLAS. The vocals are not that strong, but on the other hand, the songs are very impressive sometimes and also the production is very good. Songs like “Chaos”, “Rise’n’sorrow” (both a la VANDENPLAS), the Progressive AOR song “Break out” and the wonderful progressive Melodic Rocker “Run” (with very catchy chorus) are making this CD a must-have to check out if you want your progressive rock to sound a bit more melodic and your AOR to sound a bit progressive, kinda like SAGA meets VANDENPLAS. Better check it out for yourself at: http://www.Arilyn.de  and e-mail at: info@quixote-music.de 

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

LIQUID SCARLET ‘2’ (PROGRESS RECORDS)

LIQUID SCARLET is a Swedish band, which in 2005 has released a new CD + new EP. The new CD is their 2nd full length CD, while the EP contains 1 tracks from this album along with 4 unreleased songs. Musically the band combines the classic 70s Progressive Rock of KING CRIMSON and GENESIS (Peter Gabriel period) with today’s melancholic Britrock/Indie Rock of RADIOHEAD and COLDPLAY. The mixture seems to work well sometimes and might attract fans of both sides, although I can’t help feeling this band will attract mostly the people whom dig COLDPLAY. It sometimes gets quite progressive, but there’s always some sort of modern approach to it, especially in the vocal department, which sounds a bit depressive here and there. Let’s basically call the new CD (and EP) of LIQUID SCARLET a grower for the progressive rockers among us and a winner for COLDPLAY fans. More info at: http://www.progressrec.com 

(Points: 7.9 out of 10)

INFLICTION ‘THE SILENCER’ (CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC)

Italian band formed 10 years ago and this is their 2nd album, which sounds quite good sometimes, but is sadly disturbed by the fact the band mixes Swedish type of Death Metal growls into their Melodic Progressive Metal. This is a pity, because the band has a melodic lead singer and most of the songs contain strong choruses and a big fat Melodic Progmetal sound a la THRESHOLD. Yet the influences from Death Metal growls and also Thrash Metal are making them less interesting for the fans of clean progmetal a la THRESHOLD. However, if a band like INTO ETERNITY is something you like, then you will love this band too. Fans of EVERGREY and NEVERMORE might also find something of interest here, but I rather hope they drop the Death/Thrash Metal influences next time and come out clean, because they are able to do it definitely (just listen to opener “Eyseeblack”)

(Points: - )

JEFF URSO ‘STRAIGHT AHEAD’ (INDEPENDENT)

Multi-instrumentalist JEFF URSO comes out of Illinois, USA and recently released his first CD ‘Straight ahead’, which is a nice instrumental rockalbum that combines influences from all sorts of Rock, Blues and Jazz music, although you might want to call it instrumental melodic rock (kinda like TOTO’s STEVE LUKATHER at times). Jeff’s guitarplaying is quite awesome, exactly the way you want to hear it, because he makes beautiful melodies in every song, which is a pleasure to listen to. Of course similarities to STEVE VAI, JOE SATRIANI and NEAL SCHON are very clear, but that isn’t a problem at all, because this talented musician shows he is able to make an interesting CD on his own. Jeff did everything on his own and the result ‘Straight ahead’ is very impressive. He even has licensed the music for MTV shows like ‘Real world’. More info at: http://www.jeffurso.com  and e-mail at: jeff@jeffurso.com 

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

KRYAH ‘KRYAH’ (INDEPENDENT)

3 songs are on the CD of the British band KRYAH. The band is playing a modern kinda Melodic Rockstyle, which sounds very good actually. It does surprise me, because the independent releases I receive from the UK are very rare, only a few each year, and then we have a band called KRYAH who deliver something good. Finally, a band that does not sound like COLDPLAY or RADIOHEAD, but a band playing honest Melodic Rock with a modern approach, yet with catchy tunes such as ”Going blind” which is radioready if you ask me. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.kryah.co.uk  and e-mail them at: kryah@hotmail.com 

(Points: 8.0 out of 10)

STOCKYARD STOICS ‘CATASTROPHE’ (MSM 1279 RECORDS)

It’s that the bio says this is a US band, because when listening to their 2nd CD ‘Catastrophe’ I honestly thought I was listening to an album from the UK, like from the early 80s, because this band sounds a lot like THE BUSINESS and BLITZ. Their CD contains 10 short songs, with a total playing time of only 26 minutes (!) which is really short, but in this genre that seems to be normal. Anyway, it’s Oi! Punk in the good old British style, so if you’re a fan of mentioned bands you might want to check out this band. More info at: http://www.msm1279records.com 

(Points: 7.7 out of 10)

RIOT BRIGADE ‘HERE’S OUR ANSWER’ (MSM 1279 RECORDS)

A German band with an UK sound, playing a mix of Punkrock and Old School Hardcore. Opener “Target” is a must-hear if you’re into GBH and EXPLOITED and most of the rest of the CD is in this style actually. This is a pity, because a sing-a-long punkrocker like the catchy “We’re not ruled” sounds quite good. Fans of the standard Old School Hardcore/Punk like the really fast “Squat” (another deadringer for EXPLOITED/GBH fans!) will like this band a lot. However, more songs a la “Squat” next time would be a good thing, because that showed a very strong CHELSEA/GENERATION X kinda style. Anyway, more info at: http://www.msm1279records.com 

(Points: 7.8 out of 10)

CRYSTALLION ‘KNIGHTS OF THE APOCALYPSE’ (INDEPENDENT)

A mini-CD from Germany, which contains typical German Melodic Power Metal, so nothing original here and also the sound/production quality is clearly lacking, but happily the songs are sounding quite impressive. It sounds very melodic, almost polished, but the most positive note I can make is about the lead vocals, which are very strong. Lead singer Thomas Strussler has a very good voice and also instrumental it sounds quite good (guitar and keys), so I am very positive actually about CRYSTALLION, but I think in a better studio with some well-known big producer, this band could well become the next big thing. For now, songs like “Tears in the rain”, “Burning bridges” (very melodic, super catchy with amazing vocalwork), “My spirit will go on” and “Nemesis” are all fantastic catchy uptempo Melodic Power Metal songs with very strong choruses (a la HELLOWEEN, early LABYRINTH) and awesome vocalwork. This is a band with a future, if only they can record a full-length CD in a big studio soon. We’ll wait and see, but in the meantime check out their site at: http://www.crystallion.net 

(Points: 8.2 out of 10)

TEARS OF MARTYR ‘RENASCENCE’ (INDEPENDENT)

This Spanish band (from the Island of Las Palmas!) is playing a mix of Gothic, Doom and Death Metal, ending up sounding like AFTER FOREVER meets BOLT THROWER meets ENTOMBED. It’s a shame the female soprano vocals can be heard only occasional, because now it is almost constantly growling and because the production also lacks, it is only interesting for those who prefer deep raw Black/Death Metal growls with only sometimes the beautiful female soprano vocals. So this band needs to use the female soprano more next time, such as comes clear in the best part of the mini-CD, the chorus of the song “Chasing the sun”. More info on TEARS OF MARTYR at: http://www.tearsofmartyr.com and e-mail at: info@tearsofmartyr.com 

(Points: 7.6 out of 10)

AURA ‘NEW LIFE’ (INDEPENDENT)

It’s a shame the CD of AURA, an Italian progressive metalband, is lacking in sound quality, because musically we get to hear some good stuff here. The CD contains 5 long songs that can be classified as high class melodic progressive rock/metal in the style of VANDENPLAS and TIME MACHINE, yet the production level makes it clear that this is an independent/demo CDR release. Nevertheless, the included songs show that this AURA needs to be checked out, because if you listen to a song like “Pray” you can definitely hear this band has chances in becoming more well-known in the future. For now, check out their site at: http://www.auramusic.com and e-mail at: aurainfo@virgilio.it 

(Points: 8.0 out of 10)

CRYSTAL PISTOL ‘EVERYBODY HATES YOU WHEN YOU LOVE ROCK’N’ROLL’ (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS)

Move over LA GUNS, GUNS’N’ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION, etc., because here is a new Canadian band that is playing Sleazy Hardrock at it’s very best. The band released their debut on the French label BAD REPUTATION RECORDS. The CD was mixed by MIKE FRASER (AC/DC, METALLICA, GUNS’N’ROSES, THE CULT, AEROSMITH) and you can clearly hear his influences in CRYSTAL PISTOL’s music, which sounds quite huge thanks to his efforts. The songs are mostly straight-ahead raw to the bone and quite short, but catchy and a must to hear for fans of LA GUNS/GUNS’N’ROSES. Highlights are “Rockstar”, “Locomotive”, “Live fast”, “Teenage parasite” and “XXIII”, although if you like one song you will love them all. The band has a strong lead singer and some very fine 70s retro groovy hardrock guitarwork. Must for LA GUNS/GNR fans!

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS ‘KINGS OF SLEAZE’ (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS)

The CD of the American band CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS is pure early 90s US Sleazy Metal in the style of FASTER PUSSYCAT, GUNS’N’ROSES and LA GUNS, yet nowhere on their CD they reach that level. Not claiming that FASTER PUSSYCAT was such a quality act, but this new band is instrumental not a problem, but vocally the singer is screaming a lot, in occasion he sounds like he is singing through a megaphone. Something I also heard on the 2nd SHOTGUN MESSIAH record, so a slight Industrial influence in the Sleaze Metal of CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS. If you don’t mind that, you can go for it, but this cross between MARILYN MANSON and FASTER PUSSYCAT will not be everyone’s cup of tea.

(Points: 6.0 out of 10)

GREEN DOLLAR COLOUR ‘GREEN DOLLAR COLOUR’ (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS)

Now this is an original high quality release. GREEN DOLLAR COLOUR consists of a French guitarist (Anthony De Lemos) and an Australian singer (Lex Koritni) whom together have recorded a CD which sounds like a mix between 70s BAD COMPANY, JIMMY BARNES, ROSE TATTOO and AC/DC. Lex has a fantastic unique voice, a real talent who sounds identical to JIMMY BARNES. It’s the first time I have heard him, but already impressed me so much I think we will hear from him much more in the future, because he has got a characterised voice. The debut CD of this new band/project was mixed by MIKE FRASER (AC/DC, AEROSMITH and VAN HALEN) and mastered at the famous Sterling Sound, New York by GEORGE MARINO (known for his mastering of thousands of classic rock and metal records from the past, such as METALLICA, AC/DC, GUNS’N’ROSES, etc). Anyway, the CD contains 11 tunes which will be loved by fans of JIMMY BARNES, TANGIER, BAD COMPANY, etc. as this is really original Classic Rock meets heavy Bluesrock, so better check it out if you’re a fan of these genres. More info at: http://www.greendollarcolour.com 

(Points: 8.5 out of 10)

JACK AND THE RIPPERS ‘I THINK IT’S OVER’ (DIRTY FACES RECORDS)

Formed in the mid 70s this was one of the first Swiss Punk/Powerpoprockbands that sounded like an awesome mix between RAMONES, UNDERTONES and THE BOYS. They had a sound somewhere between Punk and Melodic Poprock. Their songs were very catchy and now for the first time their complete studio discography is available on CD. Without a doubt, this is a must-have for anyone longing back to late 70s catchy Punky Poprock. 10 songs are included, with a playing time of only 30 minutes, but nevertheless, the material is very impressive with such great songs like “No desire” and “Don’t pretend”. Highly recommended to fans of BUZZCOCKS, BOYS, UNDERTONES, RAMONES, etc. More info at: http://www.dirtyfaces.de

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

DRAGONHEART ‘THRONE OF THE ALLIANCE/VENGEANCE IN BLACK’ (HELLION RECORDS)

This review contains the second and third release of the Brazilian band DRAGONHEART. Both covers are designed by Andreas Marschall (GRAVE DIGGER, RUNNING WILD and BLIND GUARDIAN), so you know what you can expect and that is raw German power metal. They got three singers with one singing clean and two raw, from which Marco Caporasso is sounding exactly the same as Boltendahl from GRAVE DIGGER. Listen to the song “The Blacksmith” and you know what I mean. On the second album we hear some medieval influences in songs like “Mountain of the rising storm” and the ballad “Mystical forest” not unlike FALCONER. If you still doubt about GRAVE DIGGER is a influence, as a bonus track we get “Rebellion”. Their third (and recent) release is little bit rawer and the band is getting more of a own sound with combining raw and clean vocals. The clean vocals are done by new member Andre Mendes which are very good. You can clearly hear this on “Secret cathedral” and “Spreading fire”, which are the highlights of the record. What I also like to mention is that the ballad “Heart of a hero” is sung by Olaf Senkbeil from DREAMTIDE. And last but not least the superb guitar playing of this Brazilians. So if you are a fan of GRAVE DIGGER, old RUNNING WILD and old BLIND GUARDIAN this is a must have.

THRONE OF THE ALLIANCE (Points: 8.2 out of 10) VENGEANCE IN BLACK (Points: 8.4 out of 10)

BALANCE ‘2’ (INDEPENDENT)

I had not heard about this BALANCE in the past, because I am only familiar with the legendary BALANCE from the early 80s that released 2 awesome AOR albums. Musically not far removed from the old BALANCE, this new American band features a couple well-known musicians, such as bassist Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS, STEVE MORSE BAND) and drummer Rod Morgenstein (WINGER). However, the core of the band is BRIAN MORITZ (guitar, keys) and lead singer VINCE CLAPS. Together they recorded the BALANCE 2 album, which musically sits in the AOR/Westcoast style, reminding of acts like PROMOTION, HIGHER GROUND, AOR, TOTO, LE ROUX and most of all, DAKOTA! This is not straight-forward melodic rock, but honest calmer soulful AOR with a lot of westcoast influences. Vocally very strong, with backing vocals of legendary THOM GRIFFIN of TRILLION. The CD contains 10 well-produced songs and is a real grower, as it gets better with every listen. The CD starts with a nice relaxing AOR/Westcoast tingled song called “How many” which follows the style of TOTO and DAKOTA. The calmer acoustic semi poprocker “You asked” follows, but is one of the weaker songs, together with the Jazzy “The way we do” (a la PLAYER). Happily, the rest is stronger and very AOR related, sometimes very close to DAKOTA (such as in the keyboard orientated “Burn”) circa their ‘Runaway’ album. The midtempo AOR songs “Reptilian crawl”, “When love comes”, “When I fall down” and “Carry me home” feel like the best songs on offer, kinda reminding of FERGIE FREDERIKSEN. Without a doubt, this is an original AOR/Westcoast release, which will be welcomed by fans of DAKOTA, DAVID ROBERTS, PLAYER, LE ROUX and anyone with his heart in the early 80s classic US Westcoast/AOR sound. Actually a MUST if you’re into those acts! More info at: http://www.balanceweb.com and e-mail at: Vince_balance@yahoo.com

(Points: 8.5 out of 10)

WIZARD’S HYMN ‘VARIOUS CDS’ (INDEPENDENT)

The Japanese band WIZARD’S HYMN is playing a mix of the most popular Rock and Metal styles in their country, which is a mix between Neo-Classical Melodic Power Metal and Melodic Hardrock. The result can be heard on the 3 mini-CDs the band sent me. The band has a female singer, who sadly sings with the typical Japanese accent, but instrumental the band sounds perfect. The CDs are all in a similar style, with mostly fast uptempo Neo-Classical Power Metal tunes a la SONATA ARCTICA, but here and there we can also find some Melodic Hardrocksongs which show the band at their best, such as on the song “The circle of fate” which has a strong chorus and also very impressive guitarwork. Hopefully more songs in this style on a future full-length CD. More info at: http://sound.jp/wizards-hymn/  and e-mail at: wizards-hymn@mbm.nifty.com 

(Points: 7.9 out of 10)

SEVENTH KEY ‘LIVE IN ATLANTA’ (FRONTIERS RECORDS/ROUGH TRADE)

I am not sure how much time they spend in the studio mixing the live album of SEVENTH KEY, but this live CD sounds very impressive if this is what we truly get to hear live on stage. The almost 80 minutes counting live CD is a fantastic live registration of a concert of SEVENTH KEY earlier this year. The band with 2 album releases so far, including a lot of classic songs, features a couple well-known musicians whose past is also briefly played during the concert on this CD (such as the STREETS classic “Cold hearted woman”). Most notable members of SEVENTH KEY are of course vocalist/bassist BILLY GREER (KANSAS member, fantastic singer as well!), guitarist TERRY BROCK (STRANGEWAYS) and MIKE SLAMER (guitars, keys and bass, well-known songwriter and member of STEELHOUSE LANE/STREETS). Surprising guest appearances are done by violin player ROBBY STEINHARDT (KANSAS) and Billy’s brother JOHNNY GREER on mandolin during the lovely song “Forsaken” from the first SEVENTH KEY album. Most of the played songs come from the 2 SEVENTH KEY albums, including a lot of classic AOR tunes such as “The sun will rise”, “It should have been you”, “Always from the heart”, “When love is dying” and “You cross the line”, all from their wonderful 2nd record, which is one of the better records from the past few years. The live performances are basically perfect, both instrumental and vocally. Why doesn’t this band do a full tour through Europe??? There also seems to be a DVD version available…

(Points: 8.9 out of 10)

THALION ‘ANOTHER SUN’ (HELLION RECORDS)

First release of this very young Brazilian band (average age 20 years) with a gorgeous female singer. They are playing Progressive Power Metal not unlike fellow countrymen ANGRA, but then with female vocals. She is not only a pretty face, but has also a very good voice. Thankfully she is not singing in the operatic style, because we got a little bit bored by that, but more in a melodic rock/aor kind of way like NEXX, WITNESS. Also guitarist RODRIGO VINHAS did a great job, who wrote almost all of the songs. A surprise for me was the quest vocals of MICHAEL KISKE on the last song “The Encounter”, which is duet between Michael and Alexandra Lambos. Unfortunately according to their website Alexandra left the band recently.

(Points: 8.5 out of 10)

LOST FOREVER ‘THE END OF BEGINNING’ (HELLION RECORDS)

Brazilian Progressive Metal band who plays in the style of SYMPHONY X and the singer sounds very much like RUSSEL ALLEN. But one important thing is missing and that is the outstanding songs who SYMPHONY X have. Nevertheless a very good record with professional musicians but no chart breakers here. If you like above mentioned band have a listen to it.

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

PERIFERIA S/A ‘PERIFERIA S/A’ (DIRTY FACES RECORDS)

Formed in the early 80s, PERIFERIA S/A is a Brazilian band playing pure GBH/EXPLOITED type of Hardcore-Punk, yet with Portuguese lyrics. The band is made up of members of a famous Punkband from Brazil called RATOS DO PORAO, so anyone familiar with that band will probably like this release too. 18 songs are included in total and 3 of them are songs from the early 80s, but the rest is newly recorded stuff. A must-have for GBH/EXPLOITED fans, who like their Punk fast and loud, with no compromise and don’t mind the Portuguese lyrics. More info at: http://www.dirtyfaces.de 

(Points: 6.9 out of 10)

DARK ILLUSION ‘BEYOND THE SHADOWS’ (BATTLEFIELD RECORDS)

The Swedish band DARK ILLUSION returns with their first full-length CD titled ‘Beyond the shadows’. Musically clearly influenced by 80s Melodic Metal and best comparable to DREAM EVIL, NOSTRADAMEUS, NOCTURNAL RITES, HAMMERFALL, STORMWIND, etc. The band formed around guitarist THOMAS HULTQVIST has a crystal clear sound with fantastic vocals of THOMAS VIKSTROM (yeah, the famous Swedish session singer who already sang on fantastic records of TALK OF THE TOWN, STORMWIND and his own solo record), packed in 14 songs. The best songs are the uptempo Melodic Metal pieces “Child of the night” (superb), “Reaper of souls”, “Into the depths I stare” and “Break the chains”. Fans of the familiar European Melodic Metal sound of mentioned bands need to check out this awesome high quality release asap. More info at: http://www.darkillusion.se  and e-mail at: info@darkillusion.se 

(Points: 8.6 out of 10)

VISUAL CLIFF ‘FREEDOM WITHIN’ (TRINITY RECORDS)

Here’s a good clean quality record from the USA. The band is called VISUAL CLIFF and they play Progressive Metal on their CD ‘Freedom within’, which sadly only lasts 34 minutes. 5 of the 8 included songs are instrumental, so I think we can better call this an instrumental release. Vocals are Ok, although only the vocal song “Beneath the sand” made an impression as being a strong darker Progressive Metal song a la EVERGREY. Instrumental this band sounds quite good and is recommended to the fans of instrumental ProgMetal. More info at: http://www.visualcliff.net 

(Points: 8.2 out of 10)

CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT ‘THE REAL THING’ (INDEPENDENT/ROCK INC)

Guitarist Christian Tolle has a new CD out as his CHRISTIAN TOLLE PROJECT. The CD features a lot of well-known guest musicians/songwriters, such as STEVE LUKATHER, DOUG ALDRICH, TIM PIERCE, CHUCK WRIGHT and even RICHARD MARX contributed with a couple songs. Musically this is very similar to the TOMMY DENANDER projects, so a mixture of classic melodic hardrock and AOR, like TOTO meets GIANT meets RAINBOW. In total 10 songs are included and it all sounds really impressive, with great guitarwork of both Christian and various session players (STEVE LUKATHER does it best) and also very nice lead vocalwork all throughout the CD by various singers, including Dutch vocalist JOHN CUIJPERS. Opener “Enemy” is a great uptempo classic Hardrocksong that sounds like RAINBOW meets WHITESNAKE. Up next is a wonderful midtempo AOR ballad titled “The real thing” and also following track “On and on” is a great calmer semi AOR ballad. AOR/Melodic Rock is clearly the style which can be heard on most of the time, because during the rest of the CD we can hear a lot of songs in this style, such as the great songs “Rain”, “First time” (beautiful semi-ballad, classic 80s style, very much reminding of DAVID VICTOR!) and “Swear your love” (a classic AOR songs in TOTO style, recorded in the 80s by various people, coincidence or not, I heard a great version of KENNY LOGGINS from 1982 just last week, this new version features lead vocals of a guy called Pit Hupperten, who happens to be the best singer on this project CD), although Christian doesn’t forget to add a Classic Hardrock type of rocker as well here and there (“ I’m on time”), but the mentioned AOR songs are definitely the highlights. Anyway, great new CD and more info on the project and the CD can be found at: http://www.christiantolle.com 

(Points: 8.5 out of 10)

EDDIE OJEDA ‘AXES 2 AXES’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC)

Guitarist EDDIE OJEDA is best known for being the long time member of TWISTED SISTER. The New Yorker invited a couple of his Rock and Roll Brothers in Metal to do a project together, which can be heard on the solo-CD of EDDIE OJEDA titled ‘Axes 2 axes’. This CD should easily find it’s way to the fans of DIO, JOE LYNN TURNER and TWISTED SISTER, because Ronnie James Dio, Joe Lynn Turner and Dee Snider sing several songs on the solo CD of Eddie. Also Terry Ilous of the underrated band XYZ sang a couple of songs. The CD is a pure Classic Hardrock orientated album, which by the way also features the likes of bassist RUDY SARZO (QUIET RIOT) and drummer JOE FRANCO (TWISTED SISTER, FIONA). Eddie wrote all songs, except the cover of BEATLES classic “Eleanor rigby”. This is definitely a high quality record, with some great Classic Hardrock type of songs, such as the DIO sung “Tonight”, “Please remember” and “Living free”, but somehow the best songs are the very melodic “Senorita knows” and “The reason”. The vocalwork is of course great, so is the rest and although not all songs make a big impression, this is definitely sounding like a classic hardrock/metal record, not that far away from FEINSTEIN and AXEL RUDI PELL, only a bit less stronger, but still with a lot of legendary musicians from the Hardrock/Metal past!

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

WOLFCRY ‘WARFAIR’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC)

3rd album of the Greek band WOLFCRY and somehow it does sound very good. Especially lead singer Costas Hatzigeorgiou has a great voice, probably one of the better Greek singers I have heard the past few years, singing very melodic in a sort of JOHN WEST style, yet with some raw shouts here and there to give the Epic Melodic Sympho Metal a True Metal touch. The CD has a big sound, which sounds a bit like a mix between ROYAL HUNT/ARTENSION, MANOWAR and TIME MACHINE, so melodic, symphonic/neo-classical and still pure Metal. If we go back in time, we can mention that this band was formed 13 years ago, and especially their previous CD ‘Nightbreed’ in 2003 was very popular. The new album is basically a very strong album, with faster uptempo songs and slower epic journeys through the world of Metal, Sympho and Melodic Heavy Rock. I am quite sure this CD might attract a lot of people, because songs like “Honored expedition” (KAMELOT style), “Semper casta” (lovely midtempo Neo-Classical Melodic Metal a la ARTENSION), “The pledge” (long epic very melodic song, a la ROYAL HUNT/VANDENPLAS) and “Fatal conflict” (classy uptempo melodic metal) are very impressive, but actually the whole CD is very good, so these Greek musicians have released an interesting album. More info at: http://www.truemetal.org/wolfcry/ 

(Points: 8.5 out of 10)

SVARTSYN ‘BLOODLINE’ (SOUND RIOT RECORDS/ROCK INC)

Black Metal recorded over 8 years ago, but now released on CD, so only interesting to fans of that genre, but not at all for most of our readers I think…

(Points: -)

MELODIC MELTDOWN ‘SECOND SKIN/THE MISSING LINK’ (MSP MUSIC)

Out of Denmark comes the band MELODIC MELTDOWN. This band features guitarist Michael Sobygge, who is the leader and released 3 instrumental solo CDs before MELODIC MELTDOWN’s first CD ‘Second skin’. That CD is a nice Melodic Metal album, which instrumental sounds very good and even features a great song titled “Opening another door”, but sadly lacks in the lead vocal department. The new 2 track CD ‘The missing link’ however is different, featuring a great new lead singer who also plays guitars (Jacob Froberg). Without a doubt an improvement, because now also the songs are a pleasure to listen to. The music has slightly changed, because we get to hear a mix of heavy groovy Metal riffs (a la SAVATAGE/QUEENSRYCHE) and catchy Melodic Heavy Rock (a la TNT), resulting in two awesome songs (“What I forgot” and “Virulence”). This 2-track CD makes you longing for a new full-length CD as it sounds very promising. More info at: http://www.melodicmeltdown.dk 

(Points: ‘Second skin’ – 7.7/ ‘The missing link’ - 8.5 out of 10)

SVARTSKOGG ‘HELVETE 666’ (TWILIGHT VERTRIEB)

I almost got confused with SVARTSYN, another release with the same kind of BLACK METAL as on this SVATSKOGG CD, so only interesting for fans of that genre.

(Points: -)

VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘DIRTY FACES VOLUME ½ THE EPS 2005’ (DIRTY FACES RECORDS)

This compilation CD contains the 3 Vinyl EPs that were released by the German label DIRTY FACES RECORDS in 2005. These include 4 songs from the German band CREEKS, 5 from the all-female band KAMIKATZE from Sweden and the German bands DISTRICT, KASSIERER, REVOLVERS and PUNX ARMY are all featured with 1 song. Musically this is catchy Punkrock in old late 70s UK style most of the time. The highlights come from DISTRICT (pure late 70s UK Punkrock, catchy chorus with even Reggea/Ska influences) and REVOLVERS (catchy Punkrock). CREEKS play Punkrock, but their production is not that good and the Swedish girls from KAMIKATZE play straight-forward dirty mean Hardcore meets Rock’n’Roll with a lot of screaming going on (recommended to fans of PLASMATICS and CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL, although this also sounds like a female version of GBH/EXPLOITED). Not bad is PUNX ARMY, although this is a copy of DEAD KENNEDYS if they covered an early GBH song. The only real let-down is a band called KASSIERER, but further we get to hear 31 minutes of classic Punkrock and some Hardcore/Rock’n’Roll by 6 different bands.

(Points: -)

BATTLEROAR ‘AGE OF CHAOS’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC)

True Metal is what we could hear on the debut CD of the Greek band BATTLEROAR back in 2003. Now there is a follow-up which will please all fans of JAG PANZER, MANOWAR, MAJESTY, SAVATAGE once again, although it is not as good as those masters in True Metal. Nevertheless, the new CD of BATTLEROAR has some good material to offer here and there and is actually quite melodic too. In total 10 songs are included and with songs about Steel, Swords and Knights this is the way True Metal was played in the 80s in the USA by obscure bands like OMEN, CIRITH UNGOL, MANILLA ROAD, BROCAS HELM and Swedish HEAVY LOAD. Highlight is the anthem “Dreams on steel”, a masterpiece in this genre! Better check it out if you’re into this kind of True Metal!

(Points: 8.3 out of 10)

YARGOS ‘TO BE OR NOT TO BE’ (AFM RECORDS/ROCK INC)

A new project with some well-known names from the rock and metal scene, because YARGOS features THRESHOLD frontman ANDREW ‘MAC’ MCDERMOTT (a fantastic lead singer), bassist Peter Pichl (RUNNING WILD) and guitarist Andreas Kienitz (HUMAN FORTRESS) besides the 3 founders of the project (mastermind/composer/guitarist/keyboardplayer Wieland Hofmeister, keyboardplayer/drummer Osssy Pfeiffer and female singer Anca Graterol. Together they have created a very strong album which definitely should get a lot of attention due to the incredible high quality shown on the CD. Of course it helps with a fantastic singer like MAC, but also musically this CD offers a great Melodic Progressive Metal style which sounds like THRESHOLD, yet lighter and more song based, so less instrumental breaks and more bombastic parts and it also sounds like a Progressive Metal version of MAGNUM at times. So probably the best description would be THRESHOLD meets MAGNUM. Most of the 13 included tracks of this 60 minutes counting CD are in the same style, so if you like one you will love them all. The songs with Mac on vocals (who can be heard most of the time) are very THRESHOLD orientated, with such great songs like “The guilded cage”, “Why?”, “Human nature”, “Full circle” and the fantastic bonustrack “The summer tree alive (Beat the big break)”, but also the female singer can be heard a few times, such as on the wonderful semi AOR ballad “Point of no return”. Concluded, a great album that should be picked up instantly if you’re interested in hearing a mix between THRESHOLD and MAGNUM.

(Points: 8.4 out of 10)

(All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem)