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THE AURORA
PROJECT ‘UNSPOKEN WORDS’ (DVS RECORDS/ROCK INC)
Another strong release in the progressive rockgenre comes in the shape of the debut CD release of the Dutch band THE AURORA PROJECT, which is not that far away from MEDEA, DAY SIX and CASUAL SILENCE CD releases actually, so typical Dutch Melodic Progressive Rock with Symphonic elements, although I would rather describe it as a mix between FOR ABSENT FRIENDS, ENCHANT, SILENT EDGE and EVERON. The band happens to feature a great lead singer and most of the 14 included songs of this concept CD sound very impressive. This is the way Melodic Progressive Rock sounds at it’s best, with as best songs “The betrayal”, “The untold prophecy” (fantastic, very melodic song), “The event horizon”, “Nocturnal lament” and closing track “The resurrection”. Definitely a recommended CD to the fans of high quality Melodic Progressive Rock! (Points: 8.5 out of 10) The German band ARMISTICE offers a good mixture of mid 80s Teutonic Metal and late 80 Thrash Metal, kinda like RUNNING WILD meets DESTRUCTION. They do it very well and I guess fans of these genres will be eager to check out the new CD of ARMISTICE, which sounds like if it was recorded 15-20 years ago. Although there are sometimes very slight comparisons to GRAVE DIGGER and even BRAINSTORM, I think ARMISTICE is more a Power/Thrash-Metalband than a real Power Metal band. Nevertheless, it is done very well and therefore I can recommend this 8 tracks counting CD (+ videos!) to fans of raw German type of Power/Thrash-Metal. (Points: 7.9 out of 10) Singer/songwriter (and multi-instrumentalist – because he did everything on his own on this CD!) MARK SPIRO has always been one of my favourite musicians, because besides writing songs for outsiders he also released some great underrated AOR records which musically sounded like a perfect mix between BRYAN ADAMS, RICHARD MARX, STEVE PERRY, the late VAN STEPHENSON and JOHN WAITE. Anyway, Mark has been fighting another battle the past year when he heard he had cancer and therefore the release of his new solo CD is an incredible challenge he fulfilled. Especially because he did everything on his own and also the fact this new solo CD sounds awesome (a very strong relaxing AOR/Westcoast CD) plus the fighting battle to his cancer all together makes this CD his best and most impressive recording so far, although it is a pity it is a very calm album with no rockers included. Songs like “Mighty blue ocean”, “Band of angels”, “Envy shade of green” and “Bits and pieces” are all beautiful calmer AOR songs in the style of aforementioned artists. Let’s hope Mark will be able to release many more releases in the future and the battle against cancer will be won, because this man is an absolute genius in the AOR scene which is once again proven on ‘Mighty blue ocean’… (Points: 8.4 out of 10) MOONSAFARI is a new band from Sweden playing calm melodic progressive rock which is very 70s orientated and also very radiofriendly actually. The band was helped in the recording process by TOMAS BODIN of THE FLOWER KINGS. 5 long songs are included on the band’s impressive debut CD. Of course there are strong similarities to THE FLOWER KINGS, but still MOONSAFARI has a much more melodic and calmer approach, with some very strong lead and harmonyvocals. Opener “Doorway” is a really beautiful calmer song, although for the real progheads the best song will probably be the 25 minutes counting epic “We spin the world”. The band also has some STYX influences, such as “Dance across the ocean” which has the exact same keyboards as “Fooling yourself” of STYX. The song “A sun of your own” is a really beautiful melodic progressive pomprocksong that builds up to a wonderful climax with very strong melodic chorus towards the end that combines the best of STYX, QUEEN and FLOWER KINGS. I also heard similarities to KAYAK here and there, so I guess this band might attract fans of prog, sympho and pomp! Sensational band indeed and their CD deserves to be heard. More info at: http://www.moonsafari.se (Points: 8.7 out of 10) This is really original, because the Norwegian all-female band THE
LAUNDERETTES released a CD which musically is pu (Points: 8.5 out of 10) A complete surprise from Italy! I received a CDR without any additional info and then you never know what to expect, but as soon as I put on the CDR I knew I was listening to something special, because with some further research I discovered this MY LAND is an Italian band/project featuring lead singer Guido Priori (JOURNEY TRIBUTE) and drummer Paolo Morbini(ex-EVA/BRUNOROCK). They were formed about 13 (!) years ago, but have just recently finished a demo album CDR. Their first CD(R) is filled with very impressive HIGH CLASS AOR in the style of JOURNEY, TOTO, SURRENDER, STREET TALK, RADIOACTIVE, ROXUS, ICE TIGER, ROX DIAMOND, STRANGEWAYS, SURVIVOR… Actually the CD is in the exact same style as RADIOACTIVE, so if you enjoy that band or any of TOMMY DENANDER’s projects this MY LAND is a must-have, although it is a little less polished here and there. 10 songs are included with a total playing time of 45 minutes and the best songs are the song “Love in chains” (classic JOURNEY/STREET TALK uptempo AOR rocker), “Stranger in lonely town” (pure 80s midtempo AOR), “Be mine tonight” (very JOURNEYish AOR) and “Take my heart” (strong semi AOR ballad). Admitted this is still a demo CDR, so the production is not always clean, but the guitarparts (which is very good a la SCHON/DENANDER), 80s keys and high pitched lead vocals (as well as the harmonyvocals) do reveal some strong JOURNEYesque capabilities of this MY LAND. E-mail the main members Paolo Morbini: jedidrum@jumpy.it and Guido Priori: pierguid@libero.it and check out their site at: http://www.mylandproject.com/ (Points: 8.3 out of 10) So glad to see so many new great bands coming out of the USA lately. The latest discovered act is PAINT BY NUMBERS, a band with a modern but very melodic rocksound. This band offers in their songs some great catchy memorable choruses (a la THE RASMUS) in a typical American Rocksound. 10 songs are included and no surprise that the band is focused on writing catchy little tunes, which they do very well on their first (?) CD. This works best in lovely catchy tunes such as “We come down”, “Enemies”, “Constellations”, “Pictures last longer” and “I wake up”. They have the perfect radiorocksound for today’s US Radio, so it would not surprise if this band would become huge in a short time throughout the USA. Although a band like GREENDAY is doing the same kind of rock, I think this PAINT BY NUMBERS is doing it so much better, almost sounding like a pure Melodic Rockband. Better check out their sites at: http://www.paintbynumbersmusic.com or http://www.myspace.com/paintbynumbers or http://www.riserecords.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) The Swedish band BILLION DOLLAR BABIES released their CD not that long ago, because they were formed this summer, so basically this band is very hot and new to this world. Still, their 4-track promo CD sounds like if the band has been together for ages. Musically we get to hear straight-forward good time Sleazy Rock N Roll in the style of SKID ROW, GEMINI FIVE, BACKYARD BABIES, DIRTY BLONDE, yet a bit more melodic hardrock at times… All 4 songs are similar in style (although “Far away” is the band’s ballad) and show that this band is one to keep your eyes open for. Especially the Melodic heavy Rockers “Long leg Suzie” and “Right on time” are very catchy songs. Missin’ late 80s LA Metal/Rock’N’Roll, then do check out this band at: http://www.billiondollarbabies.nu and e-mail at: info@billiondollarbabies.nu (Points: 8.1 out of 10) Out of Canada comes the female fronted band FRESH MEAT. The band is playing a sort of Punky Rockstyle, which does remind of PLASMATICS meets CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL. Their EP CD debut contains 5 similar uptempo rockers with the screaming vocals of vocalist/guitarist Tina Gravelson. I’ll bet this band will do very well live on stage. Check out their site at: http://www.freshmeat.com (Points: 7.1 out of 10) This is a really impressive band from Illinois/USA that sounds like a mix between THUNDER, 90s FM, FREE, BAD COMPANY, BLACK CROWES and SMALL FACES, so British orientated Bluesy Hardrock in classic 70s style with lots of groovy and bluesy guitarwork as well as fantastic soulful vocals which comes out best in songs like “Getting’ by”, “Dharmakaya”, “Ride free” and “Black cats path”. On a few of the other songs the singer sounds less stronger and actually also those songs such as “Dead horse”, “Jammin’ down southern” and “Back to the bottle” sound weaker, kinda like a THE CULT influenced Whiskey-Barroom-Boogie Bluesrockband. The band is definitely at their best during the aforementioned soulful bluesy rocksongs that remind a lot of FREE and BAD COMPANY in their PAUL RODGERS days. This band is definitely a must if you longing back to the glorious days of classic British Rock, yet THE STEEPWATER BAND also has some American Blues and Southern Rock in their music, but the British type of Classic Rock comes out best. More info at: http://www.steepwater.com and e-mail at: mike@steepwater.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10) I remember a time when there weren’t any female fronted rockbands, which was about 10 years ago when STRUTTER MAGAZINE started. Now it seems like 1 out of 2 records I receive features a female singer, especially from the USA independent scene the amount of female fronted rockbands is immense. They come in all sorts of styles, Gothic, Metal, Hardrock, Punk and Poprock. PINTSIZE is a band from Hollywood formed around female singer PINT and they play very catchy punky uptempo melodic poprock like a tougher version of THE DONNAS and early PAT BENATAR, with strong vocals and catchy choruses, but also room for awesome shredding guitarwork, so kind of an original act we have here. 12 very short songs are included, making the playing length clock in around 33 minutes, but what you get to hear is really strong catchy tough punky melodic uptempo punky poprock in songs like “Shut up and let’s do it”, “My fist/your face”, “Say yes to Drugs” and “Wish you never met me”. The 2 covers of PAULA ABDUL’s classic “Straight up” (with awesome guitarwork of guitarist Dick Image) and JUDAS PRIEST’s “Eat me alive” sound really great as well, so basically we have a winner here, also because the whole sound and production make this PINTSIZE CD a really major label sounding record, so any female fronted rockfan is gonna love ‘Five feet… no inches’ without any doubts. More info at: http://www.pintsizerocks.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) This CD release contains rare recordings from the early 70s of the New York band MAGIC TRAMPS. This underground act was active between 1970 and 1975, releasing several LPs, of which this CD is a nice compilation CD. The recordings however suffer from a very average sound quality, so I think this release will have more historical value than it really could be put between all other releases. Although the sound quality is very bad, you can hear this was a good Rockband. If only they had been picked up by a major label, then especially their final songs of this CD (recorded in 1974/1975) would have sounded pretty good. Only for the die-hard 70s rock collectors, more info at: http://www.magictramps.com (Points: 6.8 out of 10) Very strange Canadian band with a sort of 80s Gothic Rock influenced sound, which sounds like a mix between THE CURE, SKINNY PUPPY, BAUHAUS, SISTERS OF MERCY and THE CULT. Actually they have a sound of their own, which is very quirky at times. This is their 3rd CD and I can imagine fans of mentioned bands are gonna love this band a lot, so therefore check ‘em out at: http://www.vampirebeachbabes.com (Points: 6.9 out of 10) Of course mastered by MIKA JUSSILA at Finnvox, this is yet another quality release out of Finland. The band is called LAMBS and their CD counts 10 short tracks with a playing time of just 31 minutes. It sounds like a unique mix beween THE CULT, LORDI, MOTORHEAD and some modern elements added (Thrash and Nu-Metal), ending up being a modern extreme Metalband, yet without any Black Metal influences happily. The band also throws in some METALLICA influences, especially during the guitar riffs, so basically we finally have a new Finnish band that doesn’t sound like HIM, NIGHTWISH or THE RASMUS, but much rawer and like a real original Heavy Metalband with an updated sound. More info at: http://www.uhoproduction.com and http://www.lambs.fi and e-mail at: contact@lambs.fi (Points: 8.0 out of 10) Nice metaphor, but this CD certainly does not have anything to do with Rock or Metal. Instead, MASK is brining a sort of relaxing Celtic/Ambient music style which is close to ENYA and CLANNAD at times. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Sonja Kristina and vocalist/violin-piano-celloplayer Martin Ayres. The UK based duo released a dual disc, so on the CD we can hear 15 laid-back Ambient tracks, of which 3 are featured in videoclips on the DVD side. Although this concerns a new band, Sonja is known for being a member of the band CURVED AIR, of whom I read a lot about in the past, but actually never heard anything from, however they are very well-known. MASK is also collaborating with Davide de Angelis, who beautifully designed MASK’s CD packaging. He is the visionary artist, designer, author and musician, whose work includes designs for David Bowie’s albums Earthling and Outside, and the successful Bowie Web. All together a nice little package here, but musically only interesting for the open-minded progfan who also is interested in calmer peaceful Ambient type of music. More info at: www.mask.uk.net (Points: 7.5 out of 10) For many years really good Glam and Sleaze have not been released, but CRASH DIET from Sweden deliver one of the strongest releases since the late 80s PRETTY BOY FLOYD, CRUE, POISON, DIRTY BLONDE days. Their first official CD ‘Rest in sleaze’ has been released on STOCKHOLM RECORDS, which is a sublabel of UNIVERSAL MUSIC in Sweden. It is also a good thing to see a new band signed to a major label, because that normally doesn’t happen. Maybe it’s the fact that they are under their wings of a major label, because the CD sounds huge! Big sound, production and some very catchy songs, pure 1980s late 80s LA Hair Metal at it’s very best, kinda like PRETTY BOY FLOYD, MOTLEY CRUE, etc. with really catchy big time hooks and harmonyvocals a la 80s POISON. Uptempo Party Melodic LA Hair Metal songs like “Riot in everyone” (very strong song!), “69 shots”, “Breakin’ the chainz” and the GOTTHARDish midtempo Melodic Heavy Rocker “It’s a miracle” are very catchy tunes which will be loved by fans of the good old Hairspray Metal sound of the 1980s. No wonder these guys are huge in Sweden, not just a tribute to the 80s Hairspray Metal, but a complete new record in best 80s style, better check ‘em out at: http://www.crashdiet.org (Points: 8.5 out of 10) SLIPPING STITCHES is another quality band from Scandinavia, with their album been mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios in Helsinki, Finland in 2004. Most notable however is the guest appearance of MICHAEL MONROE of HANOI ROCKS on the 2 bonustracks of the CD. The band is playing a sort of melodic rockstyle, 80s sounding, a bit also reminding of MICHAEL MONROE and SHARK ISLAND. Songs like “I do”, “Waiting for me”, “She’s no angel” and “What if I knew” are great melodic rockers, while a song like “Edge of a dream” is a very good semi aor/melodic rockballad. The band is actually more melodic hardrock than their late 80s/early 90s Sleaze/Glam image, although there is also some Glam late 80s style in the catchy fun uptempo “Every time”. Absolute highlight is “Give me a sign”, which is strong melodic hardrock a la WHITE LION. Definitely a good deal of 80s Melodic Rock/Hair Metal in here. More info on the band can be found at: http://www.slippingstitches.com and e-mail at: info@slippingstitches.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) This is a band from Finland, whom have a sort of typical Finnish sound, which is a mix of melodic rock, gothic rock and metal riffs, sounding very dark, melancholic and still melodic and catchy. Their CD contains 11 well-produced songs, starting with a THE CULT ish dark Gothic Rocker with low pitched vocals (“Viimeinen”). The band is quite diverse, because we can hear some more modernish sounding metal in “Kirveela veistatty”, while there are also some great melodic rock meets melodic prog metal type of songs on the CD, such as the wonderful midtempo/semi-ballads “Kun talvi saapun” , “Varjeista vorjaihikin” and the amazing “Tyttokulta” with it’s beautiful melodic twin guitarsound. There are very heavy groovy big metal guitar riffs in songs like “Aani” while the depressive dark melancholic sound can also be heard most of the time, although the best song is the uptempo very catchy HIMish melodic rocker “Elaman kulluus” which is almost pure melodic rock and happens to be an awesome song. As you might have noticed, the band has Finnish lyrics, but that isn’t a problem at all, because the melodies are very strong. Original band, bit HIM and CHARON similarities as well, even some melodic Doom Metal (“Ei kauniimpua”) and strong uptempo melodic heavy rock (“Tekopyka”), so basically a very diverse record of yet another interesting band from Finland. More info at: http://www.ristinolla.fi (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MARAH from Philadelphia/USA with their 5th CD release, which sounds different than any other band, while still having similaries to a lot of bands, so what we have here is a very diverse record that contains influences from almost every rockgenre of the past. It is a very strange affair, starting with a sort of honky tonky country tune titled “The closer”, then suddenly there’s a classic early 80s aor/poprocker in the style of TOMMY TUTONE, EDDIE MONEY… titled “The hustle”, a very catchy little tune! “City of dreams” then again is acoustic NEIL DIAMONDish 70s style, while the band has 60s garage rock in a song like “Fat boy”, before switching to a sort of AEROSMITH groovy rockstyle on “Sooner or later”! These guys are as diverse as the weather, but definitely worth checking out. More info at: http://www.callgirlpr.com and e-mail at: stolie@callgirlpr.com (Points: 7.2 out of 10) Here’s another American band which has that perfect radioready current US Melodic Rock/Metal sound that has made RA, DISTURBED, COHEED AND CAMBRIA such popular act. It seems like Progressive Metal, Nu-Metal and Emocore have joined forces in the USA, because ALLELE is another example of the current strong very melodic rocksound which is dominating the US charts and is basically mixing these music styles. Melodic clean vocals, strong catchy hooks and memorable choruses are mixed with heavy groovy modern metal riffs, which has resulted in a new rocksound which might attract a lot of people. At the moment, this kind of music is only popular in the USA, but when hearing another great exponent in this upcoming new rocksound like this ALLELE I am quite sure it will only be a matter of time before they get popular elsewhere. Songs like “A different someone”, “Closer to habit”, “Lost in your words” and “Unknown” are all very strong modern melodic rocksongs which will not only appeal to fans of DISTURBED and RA, but also if you like HAREM SCAREM’s latest record. Despite 2 more Nu-Metal orientated songs which are not really interesting (“Fake” and “Misunderstood”), this CD is basically modern melodic rock with PANTERA like metal guitar riffs, mostly slow to midtempo, so no uptempo rockers, but nevertheless a very impressive debut CD of this US band. More info at: http://www.kerosenemedia.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) Peaceful but very impressive female/male fronted Gothic Rock from Russia. The band is called GROUP 33 and I suppose not many foreign magazines and websites have talked about this band yet, which is a pity, because their CD ‘All this world’ from 2004 is a very strong original record which is slightly calmer typical Gothic Rock/Metal, so like a more radiofriendly polished version of EVANSCENECE and WITHIN TEMPTATION. In fact, some of the included songs on their CD are radio-ready if you ask me. The only barrier might be the fact that the lyrics are in Russian. However, the melodies are very memorable, despite the Russian language. The band has a very good female lead singer and I guess this release is a must if you’re into female fronted melodic poprock/gothic rock. The best songs are at the start of the CD, because towards the end it gets a little more experimental with some electronic music influences as well. CD is available through: http://www.mals.ru (Points: 8.1 out of 10) We’re heading to Russia where we can find a really strong Melodic Power Metal band called TRIZNA, whom are playing in the PRIMAL FEAR style. 13 songs can be found on their well-produced CD, which is a real typical European sounding Melodic (Power) Metal record with some slight 80s ANTHRAX Thrash Metal riffs here and there, but in fact it could have been a German Metal record! It sounds really impressive, production and instrumental, but also vocally and instead of most other Russian band this TRIZNA is singing in the English language (although the lyrics are still simple basic English). They have a good singer and like I said a few times already this is a good band to check out if you dig typical European melodic metal. Songs like “I walk the straight to way” (whatever that means?), “Freedom”, “Bald girl” and “Darling” are quite catchy actually. Better check it out if bands like SINNER, PRIMAL FEAR, MEDUZA… are your favorite acts. CD is available through: http://www.mals.ru (Points: 8.1 out of 10) BACKSEAT SUPERSTARS are a band out of the US state Georgia playing typical mid-late 80s LA/Hollywood Sleazy dirty mean Rock and Roll in the style of LA GUNS, MOTLEY CRUE, GUNS’N’ROSES… This kind of Rock and Roll is all about kickin’ ass and BACKSEAT SUPERSTARS has succeeded in releasing a very strong 6-songs counting mini-CD. Without a doubt these guys are good in what they are doing and right now they bare recording their full-length debut CD, which will be produced by ANDY REILLY (THE CULT, UFO, MAIDEN, BON JOVI…). This mini-CD shows we have to keep our eyes open for that upcoming CD, which might well become the best Sleazy Hardrock release since GUNS’N’ROSES debut from 1987. Better check out this band at: http://www.thebackseatsuperstars.com and e-mail at: scozzyrox@charter.net or booking@thebackseatsuperstars.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) The US band TORN REFLECTION sent me a strong 5 track original traditional Hardrock/Metal demo CDR. The band has a strong raw lead singer and their sound is quite impressive, sounding modern yet classic 80s at the same time. Some similarities to SEVEN WITCHES and METAL CHURCH are quite clear, although the band also throws in some very clear 80s Melodic Rock into their sound as well, which can best be heard in the song “Treasured memories” that features some classic guitar lines, although the absolute highlights are the semi-ballads “3” and “5” which somehow are in a typical current American Metal style (RA, DISTURBED, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, ALLELLE, etc) featuring strong melodic vocals, hooks and catchy choruses. The band has another 15-20 songs in the can, so I suppose a future full-length CD will tell us much more, but in the meantime this mini demo cdr shows that TORN REFLECTION is a band to watch out for, because they play a great updated sound of 80s classic US Power Metal. More info at: http://www.tornreflection.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) Brazilian band with a high quality new CD release on which we can also enjoy the wonderful lead vocals of LANCE KING (ex-BALANCE OF POWER, AVIAN, GEMINI). Actually Lance is making this CD sound like a true winner, although I need to add that also instrumental it all sounds perfect. However, this is the kind of CD I was expecting from Lance since his legendary BALANCE OF POWER record ‘Perfect balance’ which is still one of the best Melodic Metal releases in the 2000s. Anyway, with SHINING STAR he has delivered a fantastic Melodic Metal album which sounds a little more polished than the BALANCE OF POWER classic and also reveals some MALMSTEEN similarities. My favorite track is the superb “From now on” with it’s catchy strong chorus sounding like 80s MALMSTEEN meets FATES WARNING/QUEENSRYCHE. In total 10 songs are included, of which the other highlights are “Insanity”, “Dangerous game”, “Travel through time” and “Insomnia” (beautiful AORish, very much like SHY/TNT) as well as the beautiful perfect 80s sounding AOR/Melodic Rock ballad “Lady of the night” that sounds already like a classic! Definitely a winner for any fan of high class Melodic Metal in the style of TNT, 80s QUEENSRYCHE, CRIMSON GLORY, BALANCE OF POWER, SYRUS, MALMSTEEN…, although the AOR/Melodic Rockfans will probably also like this CD a lot. Available through: http://www.Nightmare-Records.com and more info through: http://www.myspace.com/ShiningStar7 (Points: 8.9 out of 10) AVIAN is a new American band/project consisting of vocalist LANCE KING (ex-BALANCE OF POWER), guitarist Yan Leviathan, keyboardplayer Jonah Weingarten and guest musicians, bassist/producer DAVID ELLEFSON (ex-MEGADETH), drummer David Small and guitarist Roger Moore (CAINS ALIBI, GEMINI). 13 tracks are included and musically this is a sort of mix between classic 80s US Power Metal and some current European Power Metal with of course the wonderful typical LANCE KING vocals. I am glad to see him appearing on so many releases lately, because he is definitely one of the better US vocalists at the moment. He would be a good replacement for JAMES LABRIE if he ever leaves DREAM THEATER. Anyway, this AVIAN CD is not Lance’s best work, but still offers a good deal of classic Melodic (Power) Metal. The songs are mostly uptempo and among the highlights I count “As the world burns”, “Black masquerade”, “Time and space part 1” and “Blinding force”. More info at: http://www.avianband.com and CD available through: http://www.Nightmare-Records.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) In the past we had a project called 3, but since the mid 90s there also has been a New York based band active which is called 3. They already released a few CDs, but ‘Wake pig’ is their official first major label release. The release has been done on METAL BLADE RECORDS, a major label in the Metal scene, but do not expect a pure Metal release. Actually 3 has come up with a very original sensational release which combines complex progressive rock rhythms and strong pop melodies, kinda like a mix between RUSH, BEATLES, COHEED AND COMBRIA, KING’S X and ZEBRA, so sounding catchy and experimental at the same time. The songs are quite short actually, but in all it’s experimental complexity, the band comes up with memorable songs and vocal lines that might even attract the fan of ENCHANT! Songs like “Alien angel”, “Wake pig”, “One way town”, “Queen” and 16 minutes closing track “Amaze disgrace” are very impressive songs that will appeal to fans of mentioned bands for sure. They are as original as SPOCK’S BEARD, COHEED AND COMBRIA and THE FLOWER KINGS, yet with an own sort of sound, but I guess you’ll get the picture of how this sounds. (Points: 8.2 out of 10) This US Christian Rockband is quite popular in the USA, so it is no wonder their latest CD was released on CAPITOL/EMI RECORDS. The album was mixed by TOM LORD ALGE, who is together with his brother Chris the absolute number 1 in producing/mixing in the USA nowadays, because they were the key to the success of almost every platinum pop/rockalbum in the USA. Musically we are in typical US poppy Melodic Punkrock that of course has some similarities to GREENDAY, yet a bit more mature and actually catchier, especially in songs like “Be my escape” (strong chorus), “”I so hate consequences”, “My girls ex-boyfriend”, “More than useless” (very catchy almost early 80s RICK SPRINGFIELD’s “Jessie’s girl” type of melodic poprock style) and “This week the trend”. Most of the songs are uptempo happy punky poprockers, not original, but deadly catchy at times. More info at: http://www.relientk.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) The American band ASCENSION THEORY has a new CD out, ‘Answers’, which is their 2nd album so far. I find this to be a very impressive band and with their new CD they show they are definitely in the upper league of progressive rock/metal. This CD may be put next to releases of VANISHING POINT, VANDENPLAS, SHADOW GALLERY… Songs like “Passion of my heart”, “Lockstep”, “Saturn’s reign”, “Decisions” and “Answers” are truly superb Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal songs in the style of mentioned bands. Definitely a must have release for a fan of this quality genre. More info at: http://www.ascensiontheory.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) Ever since THE DONNAS broke through, all female bands have been formed all over the world. THE RANDIES from Los Angeles is yet another example of catchy female fronted Melodic Poprock. The band consists of 3 female and 1 male member (kinda like THE CORRS). The songs are short and with 12 3 minutes counting pieces the total playing time clocks in around 36 minutes, but happily what we get to hear during that time is of a high level. The music is a little more grabbing back to both the 1960s Garage Rock and early 80s Melodic Poprock. Actuallly THE RANDIES have an own sound, which combines influences from PAT BENATAR, THE DONNAS, THE RUNAWAYS and THE GO GO’S and am I allowed to say that this band could easily score major hits with catchy melodic poprockers like “Dreamdate”, “Hyperion” (very impressive song, superstrong melodies), “Iron monkey” and “Make it right”. Without a doubt, a band to check out and you can do that on http://www.therandies.com and a: http://www.elicitmusic.com and http://www.mridistribution.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) Out of Michigan/USA comes THE NASTYS, a band which shows classic Glam/Rock’n’Roll can sound much better than what THE DARKNESS is doing on this side of the Atlantic. In fact, this band sounds like the perfect mix between NEW YORK DOLLS, LA GUNS, GUNS’N’ROSES, AC/DC and MOTLEY CRUE. 6 songs are on their debut CD, which sounds like a real young tough rock’n’roll band needs to sound when they first start. It’s mean, it’s dirty and just straight ahead original Classic Rock N Roll like AC/DC, KROKUS and SHAKRA sounded in their early days. Songs like “She loves the money”, “Nobody rides for free” and “Good time gone bad” are the living proof of this uncomplicated good old rock n roll sound. I’ll bet this band could become big if they have that lucky break someday somewhere. More info at: http://www.thenastys.com and e-mail at: thecabinrocks@aol.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MALS RECORDS is a Russian label specialized in doing re-issues of old underground progressive rockabums, although also new CDs are being released through the Moscow based label. One of their releases is the new CD of the band FLIGHT 09. This band from Uzbekistan was formed in the early 80s and with ‘Human nature’ they have released their 3rd official international CD. The first 2 albums were released on the US label NEUROSIS RECORDS. The band has been a very popular act in their home country obviously, but the past few years they have been trying to break through in other countries. Their latest CD is a nice mixture of melodic hardrock and progressive metal, with as highlights “Eternal disgrace”, “The eastern winds” and “Dancers in the night”. However, the band faces a slight problem, because their singer is not really making an impressive performance, actually he is the weakest link within the band, which is a pity, because the band definitely has released a quality album. Nevertheless, check ‘em out at: http://www.mals.ru (Points: 7.8 out of 10) THE ADDICTIONS is a band from Texas/USA playing a mix of classic 70s Rock and 80s Hair Metal, ending up sounding like a very catchy strong tough old time rock and roll band. Think of a mix between NEW YORK DOLLS, STARZ, RATT and THE RUNAWAYS, with a male and female lead singer/guitarist. When the lady sings (Beth Richard) it does sound like JOAN JETT/THE RUNAWAYS classic 70s Rock and Roll, but with the male singer (Jason Richard) it goes a bit more into a classy 80s Hair Metal sound (LA GUNS meets RATT). After 30 minutes in which we can hear 10 short tunes you’ll be pleased with this band, because they play rock and roll the way it was meant to be played, back-to-basic fun music to use at a party! Especially songs like “Candy”, “Emotional”, “Riding on top” (very strong song a la LITA FORD), “Wait” (pure classic 70s melodic chorus a la THE SWEET) and “Downtown” are very catchy memorable songs. More info at: http://www.theaddictionsmusic.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) Another strong release on a major label (WARNER BROS RECORDS) and once again presenting that very melodic rock orientated sound currently becoming popular in the USA. The band BUILDING 429 is a new act which became a very successful act within a short period, thanks to their song “Glory defined” which was awarded being the best song of 2005 according to the BMI Christian Music Awards! So, the band is a Christian band which clearly follows the style created by CREED and THIRD DAY during the 1990s, which means modern mostly slowtempo pop/rock with very strong hooks and choruses that actually belong to the 80s aor/melodic rocksound. Especially their popular song “Glory defined”, which is the opening track of this CD, is the song that defines the rockstyle of America in the present day, which is hookfilled and catchy, yet still breathing out the depressive 1990s grunge message in the vocal department, but it clearly shows that melodic rock choruses are welcome once again. The rest of the CD follows more or less this style, so mostly slow/midtempo tunes with catchy melodic rock choruses. You might miss some more uptempo rockers like the catchy “Angeline”, but on the other hand the CD has a really strong original modern sounding melodic rocksound which might appeal not just to the CREED/THIRD DAY/NICKELBACK fans, but also to the open-minded melodic rockfan, because at times it really is not far away from BRYAN ADAMS. Highlights besides the already mentioned opening track are “One time too many” (very catchy tune), “Back to me” (a definite radio hit, probably the best song of BUILDING 429, a lovely super catchy fun midtempo melodic rocker which almost sounds like DANGER DANGER!!!), the semi-ballad “Shadow of angels”, “Never look away” (the hits keep on coming!) and “Free”. Modern, typical current US style, but still very melodic and incredible catchy at times, the new CREED is born and for melodic rockfans even more interesting than CREED ever was! More info on BUILDING 429 at: http://www.building429.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) This concerns the re-release of the 1998 album of the French band EDHELS, which was recorded almost entirely live. The band has released quite a lot albums so far, but this is actually the first album I ever get to hear and review. Musically pure progressive rock/art rock, a bit experimental at times and unlike their other albums, this CD features vocals. It’s one of those albums that will grow on you, because it sounds very experimental at times. It’s recommended if you’re an open-minded prog/artrockfan, who doesn’t mind the whole experimental drift of this band. More info at: http://www.mals.ru (Points: 7.5 out of 10) JEREMY AND PROGRESSOR is a project between keyboardplayer/bassist VITILY MENSHOKOV (X RELIGION) and multi-instrumentalist JEREMY MORRIS. They recorded a very strong instrumental album which combines hi-tech synthesizers with traditional progressive rock, ending up sounding quite original. The CD counts 7 tracks. MUSEA RECORDS will distribute the release, which was first released in Russia in April 2005. Definitely one to check out if you’re an true prog/artrockfan. More info at: http://www.mals.ru (Points: 8.0 out of 10) 80s Hair Metal/Sleazy LA Metal can be heard during the 5 songs of the EP ‘The hung’ by the Minneapolis based band KWANG. The band sounds like a mix between LA GUNS, MOTLEY CRUE and ACE FREHLEY. Especially the ACE FREHLEY type of vocals are making this band a winner for any fan of ACE FREHLEY’s 1978 solo debut album, because with the same kind of attitude this band is making a similar straight-forward classic hardrocksound. The best song has got to be the catchy “3”. Check out this pure Rock N Roll band at: http://www.kwangcity.com and e-mail at: booking@kwangcity.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) 80s Glam/Party Hardrock from Sweden played by an all-female band. They hail from the beautiful city of Stockholm and what we get to hear is 4 quality songs on their 2nd EP. Especially fans of HANOI ROCKS, KEEL, PRETTY BOY FLOYD and that sort of 80s LA Metal will love this band. Vocally (guitarist Jennyfer Star) we are in JOAN JETT territory. However, on the best song of the EP, “Over the top”, the lead singer goes slightly more into a DORO direction, so this is a strong melodic heavy rocker. Better check it out if you’re into acts like GIRLSCHOOL, ROSA VISTA, MADAM X… More info at: http://www.starletsuicide.com and e-mail at: info@starletsuicide.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10) Another 80s sounding band, yet still with a modern approach, because they sound like THE CULT/BILLY IDOL, which more or less was and still is timeless classic rock. With 3 short songs that clock together in at 10 minutes of playing time it is hard to make a good judgment, but I think fans of LA GUNS, THE CULT, CIRCUS OF POWER, JUNKYARD will love this mix of 80s Gothic Rock and Sleazy Metal. More info at: http://www.rattlesnake.nu and e-mail at: info@rattlesnake.nu (Points: 7.7 out of 10) EVERGREY is definitely the best comparison for this New York based band, yet I can also hear similarities to THERION and THE SENTENCED here and there, which means we get to heat epic/symphonic metal with really dark Gothic like vocals. The band sounds quite original and the 5 songs on their new EP should easily gain interest from the music industry. The band has 3 different singers, whom all sound very Gothic (HIM meets JEFFERSON AIRPLANE!) and like I already mentioned, instrumental and musically it is also original with lots of keyboards as well, so giving their original sound a symphonic touch. Still the 5 songs are even memorable with catchy melodic choruses, such as the first 2 songs (“I will be free” and “Viva La Musica”). More info at: http://www.sabinasrex.com and e-mail at: sabinasr@aol.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) Here we have the latest sensation in the world of guitarists. MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO is a Neo-Classical Shredding guitarist from Wisconsin/USA. His shredding on the guitar is amazing and is in a pure 80s MALMSTEEN/JOSHUA/CACOPHONY style. 8 songs are on his instrumental debut CD. 6 of them are covers of very well-known rock and metalbands. Basically Michael pays tribute to every important rock and metal band from the past, namely METALLICA, DEEP PURPLE, OZZY, LED ZEPPELIN, JIMI HENDRIX, AEROSMITH as well as own sort of Neo-Classical Progressive Metal songs. The guy can play extremely well and could easily replace any guitarist in any band! Without a doubt if you’re into instrumental guitar based music this MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO is a must to check out. Looking forward to what this guy will bring us in the future! More info at: http://www.angelo.com and e-mail at: michael@angelo.com or check at: http://www.midwestentertainers.net and e-mail at: deb@deanguitars.com or midwestentertainers@yahoo.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
MARK SPIRO
‘MIGHTY BLUE OCEAN’ (ATENZIA RECORDS) 
CRASH DIET ‘REST
IN SLEAZE’ (STOCKHOLM RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC) 
SHINING STAR
‘ENTER ETERNITY’ (NIGHTMARE RECORDS) 
AVIAN ‘FROM THE DEPTHS OF TIME’
(NIGHTMARE RECORDS/MASSACRE RECORDS/HOT ROCKIN’ JAPAN) 
3 ‘WAKE PIG’ (METAL
BLADE RECORDS) 
RELIENT K ‘MMHMM’ (GOTEE
RECORDS/CAPITOL/EMI RECORDS) 
ASCENSION THEORY ‘ANSWERS’ (NIGHTMARE
RECORDS) 
FLIGHT 09 ‘HUMAN NATURE’ (MALS
RECORDS) 
BUILDING 429
‘SPACE IN BETWEEN US’ (WORD/CURB RECORDS/WARNER BROS RECORDS) 
EDHELS
‘UNIVERSAL’ (MALS RECORDS)