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HAREM SCAREM makes another comeback. This time they once again changed their sound a bit, because ‘Overload’ is by far their heaviest record since ‘Mood swings’. It’s also different than anything else they have done in the past. This can be heard in the groovy guitarsound, which is very heavy (close to Metal riffs), so ‘Overload’ is clearly a step away from the 2 previous melodic poprockrecords they released on FRONTIERS RECORDS. Nevertheless, it’s a quality record, although not as good as their first 2 classics or the previous 2 studio albums. The record sets them apart from any other band in this genre, because they are once again experimenting, while still keeping the typical HAREM SCAREM melodies. The best songs are the uptempo melodic heavy rockers “Afterglow”, “Don’t come easy” (very strong chorus), “Forgive and forget”, but also semi-ballads like “All you’re getting”, “Understand you” and the bonustrack “Wishing”. Like the other HAREM SCAREM records, also this new CD needs to be listened a couple of times before making up a good judgment. Still I am quite clear that this is another great chapter in the Melodic Rockbook which HAREM SCAREM started to write almost 15 years ago in Canada, and which probably (and hopefully) never ends, because also ‘Overload’ is another must-have release for any HAREM SCAREM fan! (Points: 8.5 out of 10) ELWING ‘WAR’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC) The Greek band ELWING makes a return after 4 years of silence around them. The follow-up to their debut CD from 2001 is another good example of fine epic Power Metal in typical European tradition. It’s not original at all of course, but it does sound quite good, with a lot of 80s IRON MAIDEN kinda guitar riffs slipped through the mostly uptempo catchy Melodic Power Metal. 10 songs are included, and I can imagine fans of bands like JAG PANZER, ICED EARTH, SAVATAGE and typical German Metal can find something they like in this Greek band. They did a great job on their new CD, especially the song “Blood on my hands” is a fantastic melodic epic metal piece! Although I wouldn’t call this album a must-have, I think the True Metalfans can easily have a listen to the new ELWING CD. (Points: 8.1 out of 10) PARAGON ‘REVENGE’ (REMEDY RECORDS/ROCK INC) Back to Germany once again with the band PARAGON, whom have released quite a lot albums so far, with ‘Revenge’ being their latest release. The album contains more or less the same typical German Metal as on their earlier albums. The sound is huge and of course fans of typical German Metal (read: TYRAN PACE, PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, GRAVE DIGGER, RUNNING WILD) are gonna love this new PARAGON album, because it has 11 perfect songs on offer for the fans of Teutonic Metal. The official release will also contain a limited edition DVD, featuring the band’s performance at Sweden Rock 2004. So all Metalfans unite and buy this new PARAGON album if you wanna hear True Metal! (Points: 8.3 out of 10) TORMENT ‘TORMENTATION’ (REMEDY RECORDS/ROCK INC) Already the 5th CD of this German band. TORMENT also exists for 20 years now, but to be honest, this is the first CD I ever get to hear and review. Their latest CD is filled with the kind of Hardcore Metal bands like GBH and EXPLOITED did in the 1980s, and this style is going strong. Of course MOTORHEAD is the biggest influence of TORMENT, because all throughout the CD you can hear strong similarities to that band. Some songs are very catchy (such as “P.C. (Porno casting)”. The promo CD contains 69 tracks, but this is more or less a joke, because actually 17 tracks are included, while the official release also featured a Bonus CD with an additional 18 tracks and media footage for the computer, so lots to enjoy. Better check it out if you’re a fan of mentioned bands. (Points: 7.8 out of 10) SWAN CHRISTY ‘A DECENT ALBUM’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC) They call their new album a decent album, but I am not so sure if this CD of the Greek band SWAN CHRISTY is a decent album, because it doesn’t rock at all, and it’s musically sounding like something very experimental. I can not categorize this at all, but that should not be a problem, however the fact is that this CD is such a weird release I can only recommend it to people who want to hear something completely different. Don’t be fooled by the fact that it’s on BLACK LOTUS RECORDS, because this new SWAN CHRISTY album has absolutely nothing to do with Rock or Metal. (Points: 4.0 out of 10) LOST IN TEARS ‘TO NO AVATI’ (LOCOMOTIVE RECORDS/ROCK INC/BERTUS) This Swedish band is playing a nice mix of Doom, Gothic and Death Metal, with clean and goth vocals and here and there some death growls, but it never gets irritating. They sound like a good mix between AMON AMARTH, CANDLEMASS and some European Goth/Power Metalbands (dare I say HIM, although only sometimes, such as in “Assurance” and “She died”). The result is quality CD, which will do well for the fans of the darker heavier Goth/Doom/Death Metalgenre. 11 tracks are included, and I am quite sure Viking Metal fans will like this a lot, and even other Rock/Metalfans might find something of interest here, because the band is quite diverse… (Points: 7.9 out of 10) THERESA MICHAELS ‘DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?’ (SEVEN PINES MUSIC) Female vocalist/keyboardplayer THERESA MICHAELS used to be in the band ASHER, of whom I reviewed a CD a few years ago. Well, apparently she now has gone solo, with ‘Do you feel lucky’ making her solo-debut CD. Musically she goes into pure 80s female fronted AOR, and it really sounds great, especially those of you who are into DANTE FOX, WITNESS, early CONNIE SCOTT, NEXT, CINDY CRUSE, ROBIN BECK, etc. will absolutely love this AOR/Melodic Rock record. Besides being a beautiful lady, Theresa is also a good singer/songwriter. Helping Theresa on the CD is multi-instrumentalist Brian Haskins, who also co-wrote the 10 featured songs. Opener “Do you feel lucky” sets the record straight, because this is a catchy uptempo aor/melodic rocker in the style of mentioned acts. The following songs are not that strong, but still good 80s influenced aor/melodic rock (such as “Call it what you want”, “Tears of blood” and “Give & take”). Recommended to check out if you’re a fan of typical 80s female fronted aor/melodic rock, then go to: http://www.theresa-michaels.com and e-mail at: management@theresa-michaels.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
We’re going back in time, to the year 1978, so 27 years ago this album was released. The self-titled debut album of the UK band RUNNER was sadly their only album, which has recently been re-issued onto CD, with the addition of 3 bonustracks. Musically it was a mix of 70s Rock, Southern Rock, Westcoast and AOR. Imagine if TOTO, STARZ and LYNYRD SKYNYRD would join hands, and then you had the RUNNER sound. The songs feature catchy harmonyvocals, sometimes they rock, while at other times it is pure Westcoast. The AOR pieces “Fooling myself”, “Sooner than later”, “Living is loving you” and the bonustrack “A part of the game” are clearly the best songs, but some of the calmer laid-back Westcoast material on the album was also quite nice, such as the beautiful ballad “Restless wind”. Somehow the band reminds me a lot of LE ROUX circa their 4th LP ‘Last safe place’, which was their least AOR orientated piece (not counting the first 2 Southern Rock releases), so basically this RUNNER was all about combining the best of AOR, Westcoast and 70s Rock, and I think they did it quite well. The band was made up of former members of RARE BIRD, THE ARROWS and VAN MORRISON, but RUNNER didn’t last long, because not long after the release they split up and joined other bands, such as drummer Dave Dawle, who was one of the early WHITESNAKE members. You can check out the site of RUNNER at: http://www.cdbaby.com/runner and e-mail them at: Geltoob_Records@yahoo.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) CROWN OF GLORY ‘SPIRIT’ (INDEPENDENT) With every new album, this band from Switzerland seems to develop themselves into something really good. It also shows that there is a lot of quality stuff in the independent scene. Musically CROWN OF GLORY is playing the Euro Melodic Metal which is becoming more and more popular (think about EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). This new CD of CROWN OF GLORY contains 6 songs, uptempo and midtempo tunes, of which some are actually quite sensational. For example opener “The limit” is a very catchy uptempo Melodic Metal piece, with a very strong chorus. In the same style is next track “Here we are”, while the band then changes into a midtempo epic Metal format on the following songs “Salvation” and “Art of payback”. The final 2 songs are “Spirit” (another strong uptempo melodic metal piece a la AXXIS) and “Keep the flame”. Without a doubt, the strongest song is the fantastic opener “The limit”, which has it all in becoming one of those Metal Anthem tunes everyone sings a long during live gigs of this great Melodic Metalband from Switzerland. The band is at their best during the uptempo tunes, so if you’re starting to become interested then go to: http://www.crown-of-glory.ch and e-mail at: info@crown-of-glory.ch (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
I have seen the future of Rock’n’Roll, and it looks good. This is something I wanted to say a while ago, because America seems to be fed up with all those depressing Grunge and screaming Nu-Metalbands, and the market is changing back to the classy 80s melodic rocksound. OK, it’s not pure Melodic Rock/AOR like in the 80s, but it surely brings back good strong melodies into rockmusic, something which has been forgotten ever since NIRVANA destroyed it 14 years ago. Bands like SR-71, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, MARVELLOUS 3, MATCHBOX 20 and even 3 DOORS DOWN are bringing pleasant melodies in their rockmusic, and now there’s another new band on the horizon called PLUNGE. This hot new US band has some very catchy radio ready rocksongs on their CD, which could easily become huge in the USA, where this kind of nu-breed Melodic Rock is becoming the new trend. I must admit that this new rockstyle that combines the best of Punk rhythms, classy melodic rock (think WHITE LION) and modern pop elements is sounding very catchy and comes very close to what HAREM SCAREM has been doing the past few years, which is short catchy melodic rocksongs that sound updated, but classy at the same time. Anyway, PLUNGE is another new band in this new popular genre, and their CD on ATENZIA RECORDS, the Swedish label that started as an AOR label, is a must-have for any melodic rockfan. The band features bassist Mike Ruocco, who is also a member of RCA gold recording artist SR-71, while the PLUNGE record was produced by Scot Spelbring (MARVELLOUS 3, SR-71) and mixed by Jeff Juliano (DAVE MATTHEWS, JOHN MAYER, JASON MRAZ). All these professional people are making from this first PLUNGE record an absolute winner for the new typical US Melodic Rocksound, which sounds as melodic as the old 80s bands, but then again updated for today’s radiorockformat. Songs like “Running away”, “Wasted on your love”, “Hometown hero”, “One more time” and “Ordinary girl” (here’s another one of those catchy early 80s type of poprockers, pure RICK SPRINGFIELD circa ‘Working class dog!) are all very catchy melodic rocksongs, so I am safe to say that this PLUNGE has all it takes in becoming more well-known if they are lucky to receive radio airplay with their music. (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
FLIUDSOL is the new band of MITCH MALLOY, who is best known as being a solo artist, who recorded a classic aor debut CD a decade ago, which was followed by some poppier releases. Now Mitch makes a full return to his rock roots, although FLUIDSOL is actually mixing 80s catchy hooks with today’s modern new breed melodic poprock. 12 songs are included, and without a doubt, the uptempo rockers, such as “I’m on your radio”, “No fear”, “King of nothing” represent the best of FLUIDSOL. Besides Mitch on vocals, guitars and keys, the line-up of the band also features bassist Victor Broden and drummer Joakin Eckberg. Although the album is different than the solo aor albums of Mitch, I still think the catchy hooks and memorable choruses of most of the songs on this CD will be a pleasure to hear for the more open-minded aor/melodic rockfan (think HAREM SCAREM) and be sure to check out the fantastic midtempo “Be with you”, which is definitely an AOR song! (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
A very original band from Canada, because HUNTER is playing a fantastic mix between Progressive Rock (of the RUSH kind) and AOR (a la JOURNEY), ending up sounding a bit like HEARTLAND, but then again not, because this HUNTER has created an own style, which is original and still very melodic. Songs like “Words”, “Live”, “Two hearts” and “Couldn’t be without you” (beautiful aor ballad a la HONEYMOON SUITE) are superb progressive aor songs that will probably be loved by fans of both genres. The band has a very good singer called SCOTT HUNTER, who is also the leader of the band and plays guitar on the CD. I was quite surprised to hear such a great unknown band, but I am glad to be aware of them, so I can easily recommend this HUNTER to any AOR and Progfan out there, trust me, they have something to offer from both genres, while still being an original band playing their own kind of style. More info at: http://www.hunterbogue.com and e-mail them at: erincodydrum@yahoo.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
These guys already have enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame in the USA, where they had a big label deal for their first album, and scored several hits, but as soon as their label (MERCURY RECORDS) was bankrupt, they were dropped and had to look for a new label deal, which eventually turned out to be the Swedish label ATENZIA RECORDS. Musically nothing changed, because they still play the same catchy melodic nu-breed rock, which is not very far away from SR71 and HAREM SCAREM. One of the guest musicians on the CD is none-other than guitarist TIM PIERCE, who appeared on thousands of albums that were recorded in LA the past 25+ years. Anyway, the 13 songs on the new SWIRL 360 album are catchy, poppy and very much akin to your typical melodic rock, yet always with that typical up-to-date approach like we are familiar with when it comes down the current US bands. Highlights are “Oblivion”, “Chemical”, “Blindside”, “Nothing left”, “My mistake” (very catchy) and “Postcard”. Definitely a must-have for fans of mentioned bands, but also interesting if you want to hear good clean quality melodic rock with a modern touch. (Points: 8.3 out of 10) CARTEL ‘THE RANSOM EP’ (THE MILITIA GROUP/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) Like I already said a few times before, in the USA the trend is going into a very melodic rockstyle direction, and CARTEL is just one of hundreds of new bands playing this style. The songs are short, filled with catchy hooks and memorable choruses, combining the best of melodic rock, early 80s poprock and an updated guitarsound. To me it sounds like a mix between early 80s RICK SPRINGFIELD, HAREM SCAREM and GREENDAY/BLINK 182. Starting to become interested? Well then do check out this CARTEL, because their 7 tracks counting new EP CD contains good clean fun uptempo rockers that resemble the style I just described. Only in America this style is played, and I can assure you hundreds of other bands are releasing every week new CD, but we’ll pick out the best for you and it is clear that CARTEL belongs to the better ones. Recommended to fans of JIMMY EAT WORLD, SR71, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE… (Points: 8.0 out of 10) VON SPAR ‘DIE UNEINGESCHRANKTE FREIHEIT DER PRIVATEN INITIATIVE’ (LADO MUSIK/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) Not much info on this VON SPAR, but they are probably coming out of Germany. Unfortunately the CD is not really interesting, because the music this band is playing is very experimental and didn’t make any impression on me, because it all sounds very weird. (Points: 3.0 out of 10) RUN LIKE HELL ‘HIVE ‘EM HELL’ (CORE TEX RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) This New York based band is playing a mix of Punk, Hardcore and Oi! the English way, so their 12 songs will be interesting to check out for fans of bands like SHAM 69, THE BUSINESS and BLITZ, although there are also clear EXPLOITED similarities here and there, such as on opener “Cross to bear”. However, these guys are mainly playing good old early 80s Oi!, which can best be heard on songs like “Tired”, “We won’t tolerate it anymore”, “Strong and proud” and “Guerilla warfare”. Recommended to fans of THE BUSINESS and SHAM 69! (Points: 8.0 out of 10) TRASHMONKEYS ‘THE MAKER’ (LADO MUSIK/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) THRASH MONKEYS is a very original band, because they ay a mix of 1960s garage rock, 1977 punk rock and early 80s new wave/poprock, ending up sounding like a great original band that has some catchy tunes on offer. The CD ‘The maker’ contains 15 songs as well as 2 bonus videos, and after hearing the music you just can’t believe these guys are coming out of Germany, because everything sounds so British! Songs like “Song No 1”, “Innocent”, “Wake up” and “I need you” are very catchy short rockers with the spirit of the 1970s, but the sound of the 1960s (read THE KINKS meets THE BUZZCOCKS), yet with strange synthesizers from the 1980s. So yes indeed this is an original band and interesting to check out if you want to hear something different than the standard stuff… (Points: 8.2 out of 10) DAVID HESS
‘CLIMBING UP THE SUNSHNE PATH’ Anyone ever heard of DAVID HESS, well I certainly didn’t knew him before receiving this promo CD. The CD contains rare, lost and unreleased songs by DAVID HESS, which probably dates back to the late 60s after hearing a couple of songs. For the 1960s it sounds quite good, although be aware that the sound quality is not to be compared with today’s standards, and these really sound like demos from 40+ years ago. Nevertheless, fans of DAVID HESS or 60s Garage Rock will like this CD a lot, and therefore I can recommend it to those people. I do not have any further info on DAVID HESS, but besides singing he probably also played an instrument, because a couple songs also feature a female singer. Anyway, check it out if you’re into 60s rockmusic… (Points: 7.2 out of 10) INNER CHAOS ‘DIFFERENT STORIES’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) ‘Different stories’ is the first CD of the French band INNER CHAOS, a band playing Progressive Metal. They do not play your typical progmetal however, because some other influences can be heard (Gothic especially, because it sometimes sounds very atmospheric). Although the band has tried to come up with a decent release, I couldn’t find any outstanding songs, but also nothing bad, so I think this is one of those releases that will go down among all the other releases in this genre. Lyrically the band has something to offer, in contrast to most other French bands, whom sing in French and make it hard to understand for non-French speaking listeners. However, I think the next CD needs to feature some better songs than the ones on this first album. Nevertheless, a nice try for a new band (although they exist already since 1997). (Points: 7.0 out of 10) ANGEL ‘DON’T WANNA RUN’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC) Norwegian female soprano HELENA MICHAELSEN has anything new project, it’s called ANGEL, but I am afraid this is her least interesting project, because it is with the exception of the beautiful titletrack a very uninspiring first release. Especially the songs “Heaven” and “Darkness” do not make any sense, as they are a sort of NINA HAGEN meets Witchery kinda songs, but I don’t think we should label this as music… Another negative thing is the choice of name, because why call a project ANGEL, if so many other bands, artists and even TV-series have that same name, so I am afraid this is a useful release, but it’s only a 4-track CD-single, so who knows the full-length CD will be more interesting. (Points: 6.7 out of 10) MAHAVATAR
‘GO WITH THE NO!’ Interesting project between an Israeli singer called Lizza Hayson and a Jamaican guitarist called Karla Williams. Both these women come from countries that never brought us any Rock or Metal related music, but combined the two have delivered a good quality Metal record, which combines elements of Classic Metal, Gothic Metal and Progressive Metal, with an own kind of touch to it (and sadly slight Nu-Metal influences as well). The result is a great CD with 8 tracks, which is really hard to compare to other bands, because the sound is rather unique. A song like “Open your minds” is a very strong midtempo Metaltune which has elements of Gothic and Progressive Metal combined into an exciting style. This CD is really different than the usual female fronted works we hear, which is probably due to the fact that singer Lizza can sing very low, high and raw during a song, while the heavy guitar riffs of Karla make it sound heavier than your typical Goth Metalband. The vocal department shows in the rawer side of things a clear ARCH ENEMY influence, but the music itself is more melodic, especially during the choruses, where Lizza sings quite melodic. Like I said, a very interesting CD to check out! (Points: 7.9 out of 10) TOWERSOUND ‘TOWERSOUND’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) So we’re heading to France once again where we can find a band called TOWERSOUND, and let me tell you they are definitely one of the better bands from France, not as good as MANIGANCE, but surely a band that is able to become bigger in the future. Most notable is their fantastic guitarist LONN, who quite amazingly plays very well, hitting the notes perfectly and shredding all over the place in a way that would even surprise a guitarist like MALMSTEEN. Singer Jon is good, not sensational, but well enough to front a Metalband like TOWERSOUND. Someone in the office here said he sounded like PAUL STANLEY, but I think he sounds a bit rawer here and there. Back to the CD, highlights are “Towersound”, “Shine over me” and “Bring your life to right”, which musically combine the epic Melodic Metal of the 1980s with today’s Progressive and more Melodic Heavy Rocksounds. Actually the band has a sort of own sound, because it isn’t just plain Melodic Metal, but well-thought Melodic Heavy Rock with Progressive and Epic elements. Best description I could give is a mix between MANOWAR, SAVATAGE and KISS!!! Interested, better check it out! (Points: 8.2 out of 10) MARTIN
POPOFF ‘BLUE OYSTER CULT SECRETS REVEALED BOOK’ A book by one of my favorite authors, MARTIN POPOFF. This time he brings forward a nice book of one of the most popular rockbands in the 1970s in the USA, but as we all know, outside America people only know “Don’t fear the reaper”, which is the ultimate BLUE OYSTER CULT tune. Nevertheless, in America they were superstars for some time, and this book tells the complete story from the early beginnings of the band until the recent days. A lot of things happened and the band members were definitely interesting enough to fill up a book with some really nice stories to read about them all throughout the book, as written by Martin. The book holds together some 200 pages, and the book is divided in separate parts, which each tell the story of an album. The lettertype is small, so it takes some to time to read the whole book, but it’s definitely worth it, of course highly recommended if you’re one of those BOC fans! Available through: http://www.metalblade.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) JORG SCHULZ ‘FURSTEN DER FINSTERNIS – ALICE COOPER/OZZY OSBOURNE BOOK’ (INDEPENDENT) JORG SCHULZ from Germany is a big fan of ALICE COOPER and OZZY OSBOURNE, and he published a book which contains rare pictures, stories and newspaper articles (in German) on both OZZY and ALICE COOPER. These 2 legendary frontmen are as we all know very famous for their behaviors. OZZY is the madman who did everything God has forbidden, while ALICE COOPER was one of the very first musicians to wear make up. Both have influenced thousands of other musicians worldwide. This book has some really nice pictures of both, and also nice stories to read, if you’re able to understand German of course. For fans of these singers of course a must-have, but any Rock/Metalfan may want to check out this book, which is available through: info@akadras.de for 10.50 EUROS (Germany) or 12 EUROS (outside Germany). (Points: 8.0 out of 10) LAST FLIGHT OUT ‘2004-2005’ (DEMO CDR) The band LAST FLIGHT OUT was formed by vocalists SPIDER and CONNERY FAIRE, who decided to call their new project LAST FLIGHT OUT, as they flew out of LA to New Zealand on 9-11-2001, which was the day the terrorists attack took place. They emigrated to New Zealand, where they started this new project, of which they sent me a 7-track demo CDR. Musically we get to hear melodic heavy rock, which sounds nice, but is clearly showing a small independent sound, so it’s not quite sensational yet. However, the songwriting is quite good, and reveals the fact that these musicians are able to make good quality melodic rockmusic, it just needs a little bit more to make it attractive. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.lfo.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10) AFTERLIFE ‘THEY WHO BELIEVE’ (INDEPENDENT) From out of nowhere comes AFTERLIFE, a band from Chile actually, and they sent me a great mini-CD they recently finished. The music included is high quality Melodic Power Metal, not very far away from EDGUY and ANGRA. 5 songs are included, and besides having a great big sound, the bandmembers proof they can write some great material. Their singer is able to hit the high notes without too much problems, and songs like “Forgotten lord” and “Infirium” are very strong powerful Melodic Metalsongs. Without a doubt, this AFTERLIFE is a band with a bright future, so go check out their site at: http://www.afterlife.cl (Points: 8.2 out of 10) HOLY MOSES
‘STRENGTH, POWER, WILL, PASSION’ One of the few really good Thrash Metalbands from Germany, probably to the fact they have this incredible female lead shouter called Sabine Classen. The band has a new CD out called ‘Strength, power, will, passion’ and musically they continue playing Melodic Power/Thrash-Metal. 12 strong songs are included, with an incredible HUGE sound! Songs like “Angel cry”, “Symbol of spirit”, “Say goodbye” and “Lost inside” are very strong and it is clear that this new CD is a winner for the fans of HOLY MOSES. Maybe this new CD is their best so far, and they have released quite a few albums the past 20 years! (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The US Power Metalband JACOBS DREAM returns with a new CD entitled ‘Drama of the ages’. Musically nothing has changed happily, and so we can still enjoy classy 80s US Power Metal in the style of VICIOUS RUMORS, FATES WARNING, SAVATAGE, ARMORED SAINT, METAL CHURCH, JAG PANZER, VIRGIN STEELE, etc, etc. 12 songs are included, and especially during the uptempo pieces the band sounds very impressive, such as on the fantastic first 2 tracks “Drama of the ages” and “Keeper of the crown”. Some of the following epic midtempo songs, such as “Spinning leaf” and “Stand or fall” are less impressive, but good enough anyway. Other highlights are “Third way”, the instrumental “Forever winter” and “Deceiver of the nations”. The band’s new lead singer is able to sing quite well, but he is not as good as the singers of aforementioned bands, because he sometimes sounds forced, although he’s still better than the average Metalsinger. It’s good to hear another pure classic 80s US Power Metal release, so better get yourself a copy if you’re a fan of mentioned bands, because this JACOBS DREAM proves with their new CD they are sometimes able to reach the same high level. (Points: 8.3 out of 10) ALLHELLUJA ‘INFERNO MUSEUM’ (SCARLET RECORDS) Apparently Jacob Bredahl, front man of HATESPHERE, is not satisfied with his job as singer for that band, because he now also has a side-project with 3 Italian musicians. Musically it’s a mix of Hardcore and Stoner Rock, kinda like HATESPHERE meets PANTERA meets KUYSS, with MOTORHEAD meets CULT kinda guitar riffs. However, I am afraid there is too much screaming going on here, just like HATESPHERE, so not really of any interest. Only recommended to fans of HATESPHERE! (Points: 5.0 out of 10) Why they re-released this DOCTOR BUTCHER album is a big question, because first of all I have seen the original CD standing in the bargains several times, and secondly it is nowhere near as good as the releases of SAVATAGE, because that’s basically what this is all about. DOCTOR BUTCHER was a sort of side-project of SAVATAGE singer Jon Olivia and SAVATAGE guitarist Chris Caffery. They released an album about 10 years ago, and this re-release comes along in a new 2-CD version, which has 5 unreleased bonustracks. Still musically this can not compete with the brilliant SAVATAGE classics, because the material on the DOCTOR BUTCHER CD is very average sometimes, also introducing some Thrash-Metal. Although I really like SAVATAGE, they should have never released this average album, but I guess the absolute die-hard fans will be pleased to hear this new version has some unreleased songs, but I think you can better first complete your SAVATAGE collection instead of adding this DOCTOR BUTCHER release to your collection. (Points: 7.2 out of 10) FIINKY PIE ‘FREE AND WILD’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) OK, so this French band is deeply going into a mid 80s US Party Metal sound a la CRUE and RATT, but I am afraid their 2nd CD ‘Free and wild’ is not as classic as those 2 legendary US bands. FIINKY PIE does it quite well, bringing good clean 80s type of US Party Metal, but the songs miss that bit of extra in making them really catchy, and that’s a pity, because in this style it’s all about catchy material. The vocalwork is also not strong enough to make this FIINKY PIE a winner. Nevertheless, die-hard US Party Metalfans will like songs such as “Rock’n’Roll”, “On the run”, “I believe in you” and “Hard love”. Nice to check out if you’re into AC/DC, KISS, CRUE, LA GUNS, RATT, etc. (Points: 7.4 out of 10) HYSKAL ‘INSIGHT’ (BRENNUS RECORDS) ‘Insight’ is the debut CD of the French band HYSKAL, whom musically play a mix of progressive rock and progressive metal, ending up sounding like a mix between ENCHANT and SYMPHONY X, yet with French lyrics and they have a saxplayer in their line-up. It’s nice to hear something different, but the sax is also sometimes disturbing (because it just isn’t normally used in Metal music, because of the Popsound of the instrument), and that’s a pity, because the singer and the other musicians in the band (guitar/keys) definitely know how to play their instrument well. Despite the sax that comes around here and there, I still think the first CD of this French band is a recommended piece, because it offers m0 minutes of high quality music. (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The legendary US Metalband WILD DOGS are still alive and kicking, which can be heard on their latest CD release ‘Down and dirty’. This new WILD DOGS CD is filled from start to finish with nicely played typical 80s US Power Metal a la SAVATAGE, VICIOUS RUMORS, VIRGIN STEELE… 12 songs are included, and I can assure you that songs like “Down n dirty”, “Bump in the night”, “Storm warning” and “Be who you are” are a must to hear if you’re a fan of the band. Although I am not that familiar with the earlier releases of the band, I think this new WILD DOGS CD will easily find it’s way to the fans of the band. More info at: http://www.usmetal.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) MONSTER ‘THROUGH THE EYES OF THE WORLD’ (US METAL RECORDS) I can not believe it’s been about 8 years ago already since I heard and reviewed this CD for the first time, but I am convinced it was overlooked back then (by other media, we gave it a high rating and even interviewed the band!), because this CD is still a very impressive high quality Melodic Hardrockalbum. Songs like “Fire in her eyes”, “All guns loaded”, “Say you care”, “All she wants” and “Don’t set your heart” are all very strong Melodic Hardrocksongs. Therefore this re-release is highly recommended to those of you who missed the original release back then. The rating hasn’t changed much of course after all these years… More info at: http://www.usmetal.com (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
OK, so here we have something sensational from Sweden again. The band is called BROTHER APE, and after a few spins I am proud to announce another winner for the fans of Progressive Rock. They play pure Neo-Prog, with some slight STYX influences, due to the fact that the band’s amazing lead singer Stefan Damicolas has a great voice a la DENNIS DE YOUNG. Musically we are drifting into a more Progressive Rocksound, which sometimes also reminds me of KANSAS, ENCHANT and ICE AGE. It took the band some time to record the album, but now it has been released on PROGRESS RECORDS, and they can be proud, because with head and shoulders it stands proudly above most of the other Progressive Rock releases done lately. Songs like “Railways”, “Clockworks” and “On the other side” are beautiful melodic progressive rocksongs. I can really recommend this CD to the progrockfans, but even the odd Pomprockfan might actually like this band a lot. More info at: http://www.progressrec.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10) EYESTRINGS ‘BURDENED HANDS’ (PROGROCK RECORDS) So this is one of those progressive Rockbands whom want to combine the retro 70s sound with today’s more modern progrock approach. It sounds kinda like PORCUPINE TREE, PARALLEL OR 99 DEGREES and OZRIC TENTACLES. Without a doubt, their CD is a quality record, which will be loved by the fans of the more open-minded progfans. The guitarplaying is very good, but vocally I have my doubts, although it isn’t bad either, but the fact that singer Ryan Parmenter is constantly singing low and depressing in a sort of COLDPLAY/RADIOHEAD way isn’t making the progressive rock of EYESTRINGS sounding that good. Nevertheless, the 65 minutes counting CD of EYESTRINGS is still a nice Progressive rockalbum, with as highlights “Itchy tickler”, “Just a body” and “Empty box”. Only interesting for the open-minded progfans! (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
Straight from the underground comes a great new American melodic rockband called AUDIOPHILE. At first sight they sound like a great 80s influenced aor/melodic rockoutfit, because that’s something I concluded after hearing the great opening melodic rocker “Tonight”. Sadly, the rest of the CD is less pure 80s aor/melodic rock, and actually going into a pure new-breed style a la COLLECTIVE SOUL, TONIC, MATCHBOX 20, so still melodic but modern sounding. Negative thing is the fact that the band has a very average lead singer, who doesn’t sound better than late 80s Glam Metal singers. Still, some of the die-hard melodic rockfans can easily find something of interest in the band AUDIOPHILE, because they have some pleasant melodies on offer, such as the opener “Tonight”, “Poor boy”, “Always” (strong song, with better vocals an instant winner) and “Start the night”. Be aware that we have heard it thousand times better in the 1980s, but nevertheless, nice to see a new band playing sort of 80s influenced melodic rock. More info at: http://www.audiophileband.com and you can buy the CD through: http://www.targetrecords.de (Points: 7.9 out of 10)
No info at all on this band, but they hail from Germany and their same titled CD contains high class typical 80s catchy Euro (or should I say German) Melodic Rock with your typical keys versus guitars and harmonyvocals, kinda like ZINATRA, TERRA NOVA, DOMINOE, DAYTONA, DARK SKY, NO CREDIT BAND, ZENO, etc. etc. The songs are quite good actually, and I can easily give this CD a big recommendation to people who like this typical German Melodic Rockstyle. The band’s singer does have a slight accent, but this is not annoying, because the catchy melodic rocksongs, such as “The way I need you”, “Will you”, “Sorry Mama” and “Everything I want”, make that up big time. I think this is one of those must-have CDs in case you’re a big of mentioned bands. Check out their website at: www.D-tale-Music.de , and buy the CD through: http://www.targetrecords.de (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Finally a really awesome new female fronted band from the USA, because RADIOCRAFT is definitely one of the few bands in America playing really classy 80s Melodic Hardrock, which reminds me of LITA FORD, FEMME FATALE, PRIVATE LIFE, SAHARA, early ROBIN BECK. The songs are very catchy, and female singer SUZIE FERRO has a fantastic raw voice. She basically carries the music, and thanks to her the rating is going to be pretty high. The band has released their CD on an independent label, but I can inform you that this really is a great release, with strong sound/production and most important of all, a bunch of sensational songs. Most of the songs are straight-forward uptempo, like we haven’t heard it since the early 80s. Some of the songs also have the same sound as very early PAT BENATAR, which means this is radio-ready catchy no-nonsense True Rock’n’Roll in the American tradition. I am talking about fantastic catchy uptempo melodic poprockers like “The wheel”, “Red”, “Start over” (lovely tune!) and “Change the world” (very catchy). Better check out this CD ASAP at: http://www.radiocraftmusic.com and e-mail them at: info@radiocraftmusic.com and you can buy the CD through: http://www.targetrecords.de (Points: 8.8 out of 10) FRICKIN’ A ‘BIG EGOS… NO IDEAS’ (TOUCAN COVE) In the early 80s RICK SPRINGFIELD scored big time with his album ‘Working class dog’, and especially the song “Jessie’s girl” became the ultimate Power Pop song of 1981. Well, now 24 years later Power Pop is back in America, with many new bands playing in this style, with a slightly updated approach (a more Punky approach). Outside the USA this kind of catchy melodic poprock has never been popular, and I am afraid all these new breed bands also will not make it over to Europe, but nevertheless I think a band like FRICKIN’ A is able to break the barriers between American and European music, because they play really catchy melodic poprock in old early 80s style, but rockin’ enough to make it interesting for the European musicfans. In the USA this band is very hot, scoring a #2 hitsingle in the national Billboard Charts with their RICK SPRINGFIELD cover “Jessie’s girl”. Although Rick was never taken that serious, I think his 1981 album ‘Working class dog’ is the best melodic poprockalbum ever recorded, being a big influence of many US bands. The style of that album perfectly blended 70s aor/rock with punkrock, and now so many years later the style of that album is played again by many new bands. FRICKIN’ A also plays this kind of catchy Melodic Poprock, which can be heard on the 10 tracks of their CD. Lyrically they definitely have a sort of TENACIOUS D. kinda humor, which can be heard in a song like “Cut number 7”. The band definitely writes super catchy choruses, such as in the songs “Drive”, “Just friends”, “Trend” and “Party like a rock star”. It would not surprise me at all if this band will have a major breakthrough in the USA someday soon, although they already have become superstars over there with the Rick Springfield cover and MTV exposure. Starting to become interested? Then go to: http://www.frickina.com and e-mail them at: brosseaupr@aol.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) LYNAM ‘LIFE IN RESERVE’ (EMG ENTERTAINMENT) OK, so here’s the deal, in Europe we have bands like THE RASMUS and HIM playing very catchy melodic poprock, while on the other side of the planet, in the USA there’s a whole new wave of US Nu-Breed Rockbands like TONIC, SR-71, SWIRL 360, FRICKIN’ A, etc. also playing catchy melodic poprock. The sound difference is not that big sometimes, because the latest addition from America is LYNAM. This band has recorded a huge sounding CD titled ‘Life in reserve’, which somehow sounds like the perfect cross between Northern European Poprock (THE RASMUS) and American Nu-Breed (SR-71). The result is a very impressive album, which contains 10 very melodic rocksongs that contain super catchy choruses and hooks that come straight out of the 1980s. Nevertheless, the sound is fresh and crystal clear, and this CD could do well on both sides of the Atlantic actually. The band comes out of the US state of Alabama, and songs like “Another pretty face” (brilliant hook a la 80s AOR bands such as URGENT, HONEYOON SUITE), “Loved by everyone”, “Dead again” and “In case you didn’t know” are really sensational uptempo catchy melodic rocksongs that will even be loved by the HAREM SCAREM fans among us. Better check out this LYNAM a.s.a.p.! More info at: http://www.lynamsucks.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Finally! I have been waiting a long time for a really sensational AOR release, and here we have a superb CLASSIC AOR album in the shape of ‘Angels with dirty faces’ from the New Jersey based band BOYSTOWN. The only pity is that this is not a real new CD, because the 11 included songs were recorded 15+ years ago (and released as an album in 1989!), but nevertheless it sounds fresh and very SENSATIONAL!!! This BOYSTOWN was playing CLASSIC AOR the way it was meant to be played. Nowadays a lot of the AOR releases are just nice, but they miss the true passion, and then you hear a record like this BOYSTOWN, and then you are aware that all the AOR CLASSICS were made in the 1980s. The band had a great singer called DAVID POLEMENI, who sounded like a perfect cross between 80s JON BON JOVI, MIKE RENO of LOVERBOY and JOHNNY DEE (of HONEYMOON SUITE). The AOR of BOYSTOWN sounded like any other CLASSIC AOR release of the 1980s, so if you have records by AVIATOR, HONEYMOON SUITE, SIGNAL, JOURNEY, STRANGEWAYS, SURVIVOR, etc. then you surely must check out this BOYSTOWN, which is a must-have if you ask me! It all starts with the SUPERB AOR CLASSIC song “Something in the way you touch”, an amazing pure 80s AOR song with vocals, hooks and choruses that go straight into the big book of SURVIVOR, SIGNAL, 1st FM, HONEYMOON SUITE, WORRALL! What an amazing start, and there’s much more to follow, such as the lovely AOR songs “House of glass” (with a beautiful NEAL SCHON type of guitarsolo), “Boy inside a man” (Classic uptempo AOR), “Oil&Water” (beautiful semi AOR ballad a la 80s STRANGEWAYS), “Sure thing” (great SURVIVOR/JOURNEY AOR ballad) and their 1990 released UK hitsingle “Way of the world”. This CD is as good as (for example) other ‘recent’ (after the Grunge period) AOR CLASSICS of PRIDE OF LIONS, FAITH NATION and URBAN TALE, so there’s only one thing to do, buy this AOR CLASSIC at: http://www.targetrecords.de and check out the band’s website at: http://www.boystowntheband.com and e-mail them at: davidpolemeni@msn.com (Points: 9.2 out of 10) JAKE THOMAS ‘REBEL WITH A CAUSE’ (BLOOD RECORDS) Originally released 10+ years ago, but almost impossible to get, although now TARGET RECORDS has copies available again. Singer/songwriter JAKE THOMAS was one of those typical 80s influenced Poprock performers, someone in the tradition of TIM KARR, DONNIE MILLER, JIMMY MARTIN, JAKE MAYHEM, RICHARD MARX, RICK MATHEWS… Sadly his voice was quite average, and also the 11 songs on his only (???) CD ‘Rebel with a cause’ are only interesting for the die-hard aor/poprockfans. A few nice songs (“Gimme one more chance” – midtempo, the ballads “All I want” and “I want to be your man” and the uptempo rocker “Burning heart) don’t make this rare release a classic, but still for the collectors it’s probably a must-have, because the simple fact remains that this is a very rare release. You can buy the CD through: http://www.targetrecords.de (Points: 7.6 out of 10) MAIDA VALE ‘PREFAB BLISS’ (ANTHEM RECORDS) A Melodic Rockband from Holland! MAIDA VALE play a sort of 80s influenced melodic (hard) rockstyle, which instrumental sounds quite good (especially guitarist Ronald Bleys), but vocally it’s not that strong unfortunately. 7 (some very lengthy) songs are on their 2nd CD ‘Prefab bliss’. The song are both uptempo and more midtempo epic orientated. Somehow this band reminds me of another Dutch band from the past called GINN PALACE, if anyone out there actually remembers that band? Like I said it’s melodic rock, but not just straight-ahead, because you can also clearly hear Progressive Rock and other more Mythical Epic Melancholic Pop/Rock in MAIDA VALE’s music. This can best be heard in the songs “Born of hope” and “Red light job” (this has a great classic 70s rock guitar solo), tracks which give MAIDA VALE an own face, because of it’s original style. Another praise is the diversity of the band, because a song like “Wet dream market” sounds completely different than the rest of the CD, because this particular song sounds like a mix between early BLACK SABBATH guitar riffs, LED ZEPPELIN and BLUE OYSTER CULT. If you’re starting to become interested, then go to: http://www.maidavale.nl and e-mail them at: info@maidavale.nl (Points: 7.7 out of 10) APRIL LEE ROBERTS ‘5 SONG SP LIMITED’ (INDEPENDENT) I don’t have much info on APRIL LEE ROBERTS, but she is a fantastic female lead singer from Ohio/USA, who sent me a great 6 tracks counting CD EP. The music included is strong 80s influenced female fronted Melodic Hardrock that reminds me of VXN, LITA FORD, VIXEN, LEE AARON… Especially songs like “Come alone”, “Tell me what you want” and “Who am I?” (best song, pure LITA FORD!) are good examples of APRIL LEE ROBERTS’ melodic hardrocksound, although there’s also some more modern based pop/rock on the CD (not much happily). April is a great singer, and you can check her out at: http://www.soundclick.com/pro/?BandID=212455 and e-mail her at: april@bitterhole.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) HSK ‘HSK’ (INDEPENDENT) Out of France comes HSK, a good quality female fronted band. The music they play is dark epic midtempo almost Gothic kinda melodic rock/metal. I definitely wouldn’t call it pure melodic rock or pure goth metal, but it’s actually something in between. HSK is playing slowtempo rock/metal with beautiful melodies and a very calm relaxing voice of the female singer. The CD contains 5 tracks, of which especially “Erase” and “Memorial service” are very impressive tunes. Do not expect any fun uptempo rockers, but still this is a great enjoyable album of this new French band, because the well-thought songs have great catchy melodies sometimes. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.thehsk.com and e-mail at: webmaster@thehsk.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES ‘4 JACKS AND 1 COKE’ (INDEPENDENT) They come out of Italy, but sound very American, kinda like the LA SUNSET STRIP explosion in the late 80s. HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES are playing pure late 80s Sleazy Hardrock like a mix between AEROSMITH, GUNS’N’ROSES, KIX, BRITNY FOX and LOVE/HATE. The band’s singer Matt The King is a deadringer for fans of mentioned bands. 5 songs are on the CD of the band, and it all sounds dangerously close to mentioned bands, so if you’re a fan of those bands you can easily add HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES to your collection. Highlights of the mini-CD are “Greedy train” and “Lose control”. Check it out at: http://www.hollywoodvampires.it and e-mail them at: info@hollywoodvampires.it (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
20 years ago a few members of the band WILD DOGS had a side-project called DR. MASTERMIND, who released a fantastic album in 1986, which now has been re-issued as ‘Captured alive!’ on US METAL RECORDS. The shredding guitarwork is amazing (a la MALMSTEEN – Rising force) and musically this is prime-time 80s Classic 80s Metal. After listening to the 17 tracks on the CD I came to the conclusions that this is one of those underrated Classic 80s Metal releases that could do very well with fans of bands like RIOT, VIRGIN STEELE, SAXON, MANOWAR, FIFTH ANGEL, SAVATAGE, VICIOUS RUMORS, FATES WARNING, etc. etc. The performances are very impressive, with as highlights the songs “6”, “7” and “8” (sorry no songtitles, because all I have is a promo). Available through: http://www.usmetal.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10) HOUSE OF
NOT ‘THE WALKABOUT A ROCK ODYSSEY PART 2: SEXUS’ The Canadian Progressive Rockband HOUSE OF NOT returns with a new CD release, part 2 of their journey through the Rock Odyssey. The music is of course the same as on their debut, which means calm epic experimental Progressive Pop/Rock, which actually doesn’t remind me of any other band, and that means this is quite a special band with an own kind of sound. The new CD contains 14 tracks, and takes us a bit of everything (Neo-Prog, World Music and Dark 80s GothRock), melting it into an updated Rocksound. The new CD landed along with a professional presskit on my desk, something which always impress me, because if you include such professional stuff in your packages to the press you always receive more attention from the reviewer. HOUSE OF NOT is definitely an extraordinary band, not to be compared to any other band, and maybe therefore a must to check out their new epos if you’re a dedicated progrockfan. More info at: http://www.houseofnot.com and e-mail them at: susieq@freakstreetcafe.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) SNUFF ‘SIX
OF ONE, HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER 1986-2002’ SNUFF is a legendary UK band, whom have been on the scene since 1986, which results now in the release of a double best of album. CD 1 contains the best songs the band recorded the past 20 years, while CD 2 is filled with B-Sides, rarities and unreleased demos. So for a fan of the band a must-have, but what kind of music does SNUFF play actually? Well, they play very Melodic Power Pop Punk Rock, with an updated sound, although their heads are stuck in 1977. The songs are very catchy and super melodic, despite the fact this is Punk Rock, although then again sometimes it also sounds like a typical early 80s Poprockband. Anyway, highlights on CD 1 are “Keep the beat”, “Do nothing”, “I know what you want” and “Marbles”. Of course for a fan of SNUFF, CD 2 is more interesting, because it contains a bunch of b-sides, rarities and covers the band has done the past 20 years. Overall, a very nice selection of SNUFF songs recorded the past 20 years, along with some of the more rare material, nicely packed in a 2-CD set. Especially recommended to people who never heard of them, and another band to check out if you’re not a Punkfan, because this band is also sometimes more akin to 80s melodic poprock, although always played straight-ahead and rocking… (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
I recently reviewed a CD single of the band STONELAKE, well, they now have a full-length CD out, which is a very impressive recorded indeed. The album has a big full sound, which musically is a mix of classic 80s melodic rock and today’s progressive metal, ending up sounding like a mix between PAGAN’S MIND, TNT, ANGRA and VANDENPLAS. The band is made up of singer Peter Grundstorm and multi-instrumentalist Jan Akesson. These 2 musicians met each other more than 20 years ago in Sweden, where they played in bands together for several years, but after a break of 15 (!) years they really were keen on releasing an album together, which has resulted in the STONELAKE CD, which is now out. The album contains 11 tracks, of which the best tracks are “Saint or evil”, “Mistreated heart”, “Wonderland” and “Walk on the rainbow”. The songs are super melodic, with awesome guitarplaying and great vocalwork. The guitar riffs are heavy and akin to pure Progressive Metal, with even touches of Power Metal, but on the other hand the melodies and choruses in each song are clearly influenced by 80s Melodic Hardrock (TNT, QUEENSRYCHE, DOKKEN). This is one of those CDs I can easily recommend, because it is a high quality release. More info at: http://www.stonelake.se and e-mail them at: info@stonelake.se (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Who ever thought the 2 legendary UK bands WRATHCHILD and GRIM REAPER had nothing in common should check out the band MEDUSA. This band recorded in 1979 a couple demos, which now after 25+ years have finally been released on record, namely as the very first official CD release of MEDUSA called ‘Clash of the titans’. MEDUSA featured the likes of STEVE GRIMMETT (lead singer who later found fame and fortune with GRIM REAPER, a truly 80s Metal outfit that sold millions of records in the USA, although in Europe nobody has ever heard of them) and the later to be WRATHCHILD members Lance Perkins (guitar) and Eddie Smith (drums). WRATHCHILD of course became quite famous in the UK alone, releasing one of the best Glam records from the UK in 1984 (‘Stakk attack’), but everything they did after that release was drifting into a very low level musically, with their final album ‘Delerium’ in 1988 being one of the weakest rock releases in the 1980s decade. Anyway, long before the triumphant of WRATHCHILD in the UK and GRIM REAPER in the USA there was a little band in Worcestershire (UK) playing classic early 80s NWOBHM. They sounded like a cross between JUDAS PRIEST, MAIDEN and SAXON, so nothing ordinary, although in 1979 the NWOBHM had just started, so they were one of the early bands of this movement. Anyway, the 12 songs on this CD show that MEDUSA was an excellent band, with brilliant intelligent songs, great vocalwork, but even better guitarwork. It’s unbelievable that guitarist Lance ended up in WRATHCHILD, because his guitarwork on the MEDUSA recordings is amazing, sounding like a guitarhero ahead of it’s time, because it was 1979 and MALMSTEEN had not even started. Anyway, Lance went on playing in a Glamband and the rest is history, because he had delivered his best work on the MEDUSA recordings, which now gladly have been released on CD. Steve’s vocals have always been the same, because even back in 1979 he sounded like he sound nowadays with LIONSHEART, so a pure Metal singer, with high pitched screams a la ROB HALFORD. Back to this CD release, which contains the demo recordings of MEDUSA and some live cuts, making it a winner for fans of NWOBHM, but you have to be aware of the fact that the sound quality is poor. This CD is more offering a historic value of classic NWOBHM, with songs like “Too far too soon”, “Conquest of the skies” and “Lady killer” being classic NWOBHM songs, but unfortunately the sound quality is not good. If you don’t care about a big sound, then this surely is a must-have, because after all, where else can you get such rare music. Nice piece of history, which receives 2 ratings from me. (Points: musically: 8.5 out of 10 – sound quality: 6.5 out of 10)
This is a strange affair from Sweden, despite the fact that XSAVIOR is all about a bunch of veteran musicians. Musically this new project is close to what A.C.T. and METAL MAJESTY are trying to do, which is combining classic melodic rock from the 80s with the big pompous majestic sound of QUEEN. 12 songs are included, and in the beginning I actually had a hard time to understand what XSAVIOR is doing, because the songs “April skies” and “Lex the fly” are quite complicated and can not be compared to anything else out there, especially not to the bands in which the members of XSAVIOR are usually involved with. I mean, session musicians GORAN EDMAN (vocals), BENNY JANSSON (guitar) and DANIEL FLORES (drums) usually play on Melodic Hardrock or Progressive Metal releases, but joining hands together for this XSAVIOR project has lead them into a completely different direction, namely majestic 70s QUEEN influenced bombastic Pomprock with progressive rock complexities. Goran is of course a truly wonderful lead singer, of whom we have enjoyed so much in the past, and on this CD his voice shines again, although it becomes clear throughout the CD that harmonyvocals (a la QUEEN play an important part in the complex Prog/Pomprock of XSAVIOR. Especially songs like “Mr. Chairman”, “Take me home” and “In memorial of Taj Mahal part 1” (pure 70s STYX!) show that this band is able to create quite impressive QUEEN orientated classic 70s Prog/Pomprock with big harmonyvocals. If you’re willing to try out something original and still recognizable, then do check out this XSAVIOR, because it surely is one of this year’s most ambitious projects, which stands on it’s own and is as original as ROBBY VALENTINE and VALENSIA (and more recently ACT) were the past decade. (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS have not released that many Power Metal releases, but with KINRICK they have their very first one, because this band (lead by American singer Stephen Fredrick) are definitely a pure Metalband. Their CD contains your typical traditional (Power) Metal, which reminds me a lot of FIREWIND and MYSTIC PROPHECY, although vocally it goes a bit more into a GRAVE DIGGER kinda raw vocal department. Surely it’s a quality release, but not much better than the usual releases in the Metalscene. I hope this isn’t a wannabee-metal too release from MAJESTIC ROCK, because that would be a shame. Happily, all has been done in making sure that this sounds like a quality Metal release, although it’s not a sensational release, but with songs like “I fight alone”, “Dressed up as God”, “For your evil” and “Empire falls again” interesting enough to check out if you’re a fan of real Melodic Metal… (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
We write the year 1979, just before the turn of the decade. The band LEGS DIAMOND has just finished recording some new tracks, but it’s the end of a decade, and the start of a new one. Rockbands get dropped lately, because Disco is the new style, while the 80s are expected to be the start of a new musicgenre, New Wave. Problems are for the real Hardrockbands, because they all get dropped (STARZ, ANGEL) or need to change their sound. LEGS DIAMOND refuses and records another record that can be classified as pure 70s Hardrock like LEGS DIAMOND did on their 3 previous albums of the late 70s, so a mix of AEROSMITH, TED NUGENT, RIOT and MONTROSE. Unfortunately they are dropped by the label, so their 4th album was never released until now, because MAJESTIC ROCK are proudly to announce the release of that late 1979 unreleased album onto CD as ‘Uncut diamond’, which contains 14 LEGS DIAMOND tracks in total that never saw the light of day, because the labels back then couldn’t recognize that this could have been one of the best LEGS DIAMOND releases ever. Glad that after 25 years it now has been released as an official LEGS DIAMOND release, because typical 70s Hardrock can be heard and should have been heard back in 1979. Songs like “Winds of fortune” (classic 70s Pomprock a la ANGEL), “High school queen” (classic 70s/80s straight-ahead Hardrock a la Y&T), “Fight for it”, “Hidin’”, “Gamblin’ on you” and “Card shark” all show that this album could have bring LEGS DIAMOND much further if it had been released in 1979/1980, because it is on the same level as MOXY, TEAZE, STARZ, TED NUGENT, RIOT, MONTROSE, Y&T and on groovy rockers like “Between the legs” and “House on fire” pure AEROSMITH. Unfortunately it all went differently, because after labels refused to release the album, LEGS DIAMOND split up for several year, returning in the mid 80s with a completely different 80s aor/melodic rocksound. This new CD release shows that they were able to make high quality hardrock in a pure 70s style, and yes, it’s as good as their first 3 releases, which also contained classic 70s hardrock. Now there’s only thing we have to wait for, and that’s a real new CD from Rick Sanford (their fantastic singer) and co. An absolute must-have for the fans of LEGS DIAMOND, because these are the final recordings of the band playing real 70s classic hardrock and happily the sound quality is quite good!!! (Points: 8.5 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘EMPIRE OF THUNDER-A NWOBHM COLLECTION’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) A few weeks ago one of the most influential BBC DJ’s died. TOMMY VANCE had a show called FRIDAY ROCK SHOW, which was the most important piece of Metal history in Britain, because he played (and also let bands play) nearly every Rock and Metalband from the late 1970s until the early 90s, which was called the golden age of UK Rock and Metal music. After he quite the show, the scene completely died, and to be honest, despite a few very good bands from the UK, there has never been a real scene anymore. Looking back, the early 80s were a nice time to explore new bands from the UK, and this so-called NWOBHM movement brought us many good bands. Here’s another CD, which contains 12 songs from the early 80s NWOBHM movement, although most have been released on regular releases of MAJESTIC ROCK. Still this CD is a nice tribute to Tommy, with such legendary songs by bands like TYTAN, MEDUSA, CHARIOT, BITCHES SIN, HEAVY PETTIN’, QUARTZ, BLIND FURY, TOBRUK and SHIVA, all representing the classic NWOBHM sound. Check it out if you’re a fan of that sound, but be aware that all songs (except from the band SABRE) have been released on MAJESTIC ROCK releases of these bands, but I am quite sure you can not afford to buy all releases, so this is then a nice compilation to own. (Points: 8.0 out of 10) GRID ‘SOMEONE TO ARRIVE’ (INDEPENDENT) Wow, this sounds pretty good, and the good thing is that GRID is coming out of Holland. They hail from The Hague, the city that also brought us bands like GOLDEN EARRING, ANOUK, DIRECT, KANE and in the past some lesser known bands like HOT LEGS, CHICKS’N’TRICKS, RAW, TALK DIRTY and a couple other bands. The band will probably be compared to KANE over here, but I can assure you that GRID is different, because they sound much more melodic and not so depressing as KANE or BLOF for that matter. In the international press it is better to describe the music of GRID as good clean catchy melodic rock, which combines the past and present, because you can hear influences from the old classic melodic rock and it’s catchy choruses, while on the other hand a certain kinda US Poprocksound is also notable (kinda like 3 DOORS DOWN, MATCHBOX 20, SR-71, etc.). However, the 3 songs on their first mini-CD show that this is a band with a future, because they have a professional sound. The singer has a typical Dutch voice (a la FOR ABSENT FRIENDS), so singing English with no accent, while the songs are very melodic. Opener “Someone to arrive” is definitely the catchy radio based track, because this is a great midtempo melodic rocker, which may easily end up high in the charts. Up next is a semi-acoustic track called “Clear”, the least interesting track, despite the fact it’s a nice ballad. Closing track “Coming home” has some interesting heavy guitar riffs to offer, influenced by BLACK SABBATH’s early days, while the song itself is a strong slowtempo Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal tune. Concluded, a very diverse mini-CD (ranging from melodic rock to metal, with some progressive rock influences as well), which shows that this GRID is a band to keep your eyes open for in the future. Let’s hope they will have their breakthrough in Holland soon, because they deserve it! More info at: http://www.grid-music.com and e-mail them at: info@grid-music.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) THE NEW YORK REL-X ‘SOLD OUT OF LOVE’ (DIRTY FACES RECORDS) A very catchy early 80s inspired band we have here, and the fact that they hail from New York does certainly contribute to the sound of the band, because it is clear that despite the fact that they play Punkrock we can also hear the catchy melodies and guitar solos from the straight-forward HardRock/Poprock of late 70s/early 80s performers like early PAT BENATAR, THE RUNAWAYS and especially GIRLSCHOOL (of whom they cover “Emergency”), so this THE NEW YORK REL-X is not just another Punkrockband. This female fronted band offers some great catchy uptempo melodic punkpoprockers on their latest CD, which sound like a perfect cross between THE DONNAS, DEADLINE (UK) and LULLABELLES. If you happen to know those bands, you probably understand what this band is all about, because they play in the exact same style, which means we get to hear 11 straight-ahead very catchy singable uptempo melodic punky poprockers, with as best ones “So long”, “Drunk on Tuesday”, “Sorrow is a prison” and “No more tears”, which all also feature some great 70s/80s type of melodic guitarsolos. The band is made up of 2 girls and 2 guys, who show that this THE NEW YORK REL-X is definitely a must-have if you’re into THE DONNAS, GIRLSCHOOL and the other mentioned acts. More info at: http://www.dirtyfaces.de (Points: 8.3 out of 10) ILLUSION ‘SLEIGHT OF HAND’ (LEGACY RECORDINGS) Here’s a band out of the Detroit area. ILLUSION is the name of the band and on their 2nd CD ‘Sleight of hand’ we can hear a strongly 70s influenced Classic Hard/Heavy Rocksound. The big heavy guitar riffs remind one of BLACK SABBATH, BLUE OYSTER CULT, LED ZEPPELIN and RAINBOW. Most of the 13 included songs have a tight uptempo rocksound, with some very strong melodic choruses and vocals. This is definitely a quality release, which really captures the spirit of early 70s-mid 70s rock/hardrock. Highlights can be found in the shape of “Honor among thieves”, “Silent valor”, “Insomnia” and “The hidden”. Check out the band at: http://www.illusionrock.com and e-mail them at: jp@illusionrock.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) EVIL MASQUERADE ‘THEATRICAL MADNESS’ (FRONTIERS RECORDS) This is the 2nd album of the Danish band EVIL MASQUERADE, and already I have seen some negative reviews, which is somewhat a pity, because it surely isn’t that bad. Of course the band is doing some weird stuff every now and then, which also ROYAL HUNT has done on their recent albums, but nevertheless we get to hear some nice material. OK, I admit that this is definitely not the best release FRONTIERS has done, but still the CD has some pleasant melodies to offer. I would describe the sound of EVIL MASQUERADE as a mix between the old HELLOWEEN, AXXIS, MAD MAX, PRETTY MAIDS and the newer experimental side of ROYAL HUNT, and even some ROBBY VALENTINE/VALENSIA quirkiness. The choruses however, and also instrumental it’s pure Neo-Classical Metal in the classic Scandi tradition and also pure melodic heavy rock a la AXXIS, but some of the arrangements in the songs show the band’s love for non-traditional music (theatrical/broadway influences) and besides, there are also some average songs like “The demolition army” and “Witches chant” included. If you look through these weird influences and also leave out the weaker tunes you can hear good strong melodic choruses in songs like “Theatrical madness”, “Bozo the clown” and “Other ways to Babylon”. So this band will attract the fans of AXXIS, HELLOWEEN and PRETTY MAIDS, but on the other hand be aware that they have some strange arrangements here and there. Definitely not a sensational release, only for die-hard fans… (Points: 7.9 out of 10)
Out of Barcelona, Spain comes BAD WAY, a band that combines classy 80s melodic rock melodies with today’s US Nu-Breed sound, ending up sounding like a mix between the modern European Rock’n’Roll bands HELLACOPTERS, NASHVILLE PUSSY, PETER PAN SPEEDROCK, BACKYARD BABIES and the US sound of MARVELOUS 3, SR-71, TONIC, MATCHBOX 20… 14 songs are included, and most of them are good uptempo rockers. Vocally it could have been a bit stronger, but on the other hand it’s good old rock’n’roll, so you shouldn’t pay too much attention to the vocals. Songs like “Cocaine”, “Desperate way”, “Victims”, “Rock n roll is dead” and “Nights and mornings” show that this is a band destined to become an important Rock’n’roll band from Spain. Backed up by a mastering job of JEFF K. NORTHRUP of XYZ, NORTHRUP/SHORTINO fame you can not go wrong with this CD release. Go check out their site at: http://www.badway.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
The recent invasion of WIG WAM in Norway must have made people aware that in the past we had a similar sounding band, also from Norway and they were in their homecountry of Norway actually quite popular in the late 80s. The band played a mix of Glam and Melodic Rock, ending up sounding like a mix between BON JOVI, THE SWEET, DEF LEPPARD and ALICE COOPER. Now 15 years later SHA-BOOM makes a return with their comeback CD ‘The race is on’, which sounds like if the band has never left the scene. They sound like the big bad boys of 80s rock and roll again, so big harmonyvocals driven choruses and 80s guitar riffs like we haven’t heard it in ages. Of course WIG WAM does things very good, but I think SHA-BOOM shows how the big boys did it almost 20 years ago and are doing it again on their new CD ‘The race is on’. SHA-BOOM is all about singer/songwriter DAGG FINN, who gathered around him a bunch of well-known Scandinavian (mostly Swedish) session musicians, such as guitarists TOMMY DENANDER (who also co-wrote most of the songs, as well as taking care of the production along with Dagg), KEE MARCELLO (EUROPE), bassists JOHN LEVEN (EUROPE) and MARCEL JACOB (TALISMAN, MALMSTEEN), drummers IAN HAUGHLAND (EUROPE) and DANIEL FLORES (XSAVIOR, MIND’S EYE) and many more. The music is PURE 1980S Hair Rock, so big catchy melodic choruses in the tradition of DEF LEPPARD, THE SWEET and DESMOND CHILD, but you can also call it traditional Scandi Melodic Rock a la TREAT, DALTON, DAVINCI, FATE, SWEDISH EROTICA, etc. etc. Dagg still sounds pretty good as a singer, and it wouldn’t surprise me if songs from this CD end up high in the Norwegian (and Swedish?) charts. It doesn’t matter which song of the 13 included you put on, because they are all very catchy, with as absolute highlights the midtempo pieces “Somewhere in the dark”, “Here I am”, “Why did I?” (AORish, like DEF LEPPARD meets BRYAN ADAMS) and “My hometown”, and uptempo rockers like “The race is on”, “This is my life” (hello!!! This is the kind of song you just gotta sing-a-long, a chorus that sticks in your head for days!) and “Fortune and fame”. It’s like the 1980s are completely back on this SHA-BOOM CD, which is a good thing of course. Maybe next year SHA-BOOM playing at the Eurovision Contest if WIG WAM wins this year??? Anyway, this CD is highly recommend to anyone who misses the glorious fun 80s big time melodic rocksound. Go check out their site at: http://www.sha-boom.nu (Points: 8.7 out of 10) BODRAGAZ ‘EPOCH’ (FOX ST. RECORDS) Last year the American band BODRAGAZ re-recorded their 3rd album ‘Epoch’. The album is filled with good clean high quality original Melodic Progressive Rock/Metal. The original release of the album was in 1999. The newer version does sound quite good, which musically does combine catchy 80s melodic choruses (even DEF LEPPARDish) with Progressive Rock rhythms and excellent melodic guitarwork, although I think the vocals could have been produced a bit more upfront. Anyway, this is a great album, which definitely shows that this BODRAGAZ has something to offer for fans of both prog and aor/melodic rock. They are as original as STYX, DREAM THEATER and KANSAS were in their heydays, while still you can put them in the same level as bands like CAIRO, ICE AGE and ENCHANT, so very melodic progressive rock. Better check out this new re-recorded CD version of their album ‘Epoch’, because songs like “My little town”, “Summertime” and “Closer” (beautiful melodies, very strong chorus) are definitely excellent tunes, which offer some great melodies in a progressive rocksound. Up next is a new CD release of the band, but in the meantime check out their site at: http://www.bodragaz.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) ARTILLERY HELL ‘DEMO CDR’ (DEMO CDR) The American band ARTILERRY HELL is playing a mix of Black, Death and Thrash-Metal, which can be head on their 3-track demo cdr. Fans of CHILDREN OF BODOM and CRADLE OF FILTH need to check out this band asap, but any other hardrock/metal fan need to be aware that this is actually a band that will find a better place on an Extreme Metal site instead of our ‘melodic’ site. Check out their site at: http://www.artilleryhell.com and e-mail them at: artilleryhell@yahoo.com (Points: -)
UNICORN RECORDS has changed their name into UNICORN DIGITAL as of early 2005, but happily they continue to release high quality releases. The first release of 2005 is PARALLEL MIND, an American band which features bassist WILLIAN KOPECKY (KOPECKY, PAR LINDH PROJECT) and 2 other musicians (a drummer and keyboardplayer), as well as some guest musicians, but none of them play guitar, so you can not hear any guitar on the album (except 1 guitar solo in opening track “Chromantic”), but it still rocks! This does remind one of UK, another guitar less band, or ELP, one of the greatest Progressive Rockbands of all time. In fact, ELP is a good comparison, because PARALLEL MIND is also playing instrumental Progressive Rock, which sounds like a cross between ELP, RUSH, YES and PLANET X. The 8 long songs on the CD sound very good and I am quite sure the Progrockfans will love this record a lot, because where else can you hear a record which is primarily based around the bass and keys and not the guitar. More info at: http://www.parallelmind.com and http://www.unicornrecords.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The American band LITTLE KING is fronted by singer/guitarist RYAN ROSOFF, who formed this band about 9 years ago. The latest CD ‘Virus divine’ is their very first release on UNICORN, the Canadian proglabel. Without a doubt, this is a high quality release, which will be one of those must-have releases for the progrockfans, but I think even the melodic rockfan might like this CD a lot. The band has a really enjoyable melodic progressive rocksound, which is not just based around complex themes and instrumental parts, but has an eye for strong melodic choruses and also beautiful guitarsolos. The CD was mixed by TERRY BROWN (of RUSH fame) and engineered by EDDIE GARCIA (the bass player for MINISTRY). Of course there’s nothing of MINISTRY’s influence here, but on the other hand RUSH is clearly the best comparison for this LITTLE KING, because this CD is just not too far away musically from one of the best progrockbands ever (RUSH of course). Highlights among the 8 included tracks are “All I need”, “Narcissus and echo” and “Antibodies”. Better check it out asap if you’re a fan of RUSH! More info at: http://www.littlekingmusic.com and http://www.unicornrecords.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) COWBOYS AND
ALIENS ‘LANGUAGE OF SUPERSTARS’ Imagine a mix between THE CULT and BLACK SABBATH, well, that’s what I thought after hearing a couple of times the 3rd CD of the Belgian band, which will be released late May. The band has a strong heavy rocksound, which most rock journalists will call Stoner Rock, and that’s what this band is all about actually. COWBOYS AND ALIENS can easily be mentioned alongside bands like QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, KYUSS, MONSTER MAGNET, HERMANO, etc. The 11 songs make clear that this COWBOYS AND ALIENS is a band with a bright future, and it would not surprise me if they have their breakthrough with this album, because it just can not sound anything better in the Stoner Rock genre. The guitar riffs are heavy, the songs are groovy and quite melodic as well, and lead singer Henk van Hee has a very strong voice. Songs like “Another fine display”, “Kinda breathtaking”, “Waiting at the gates” and “Remember my name” are all Stoner Rock killer tunes. Highly recommended to fans of mentioned bands! More info at: http://www.apacheproductions.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
A few years ago we were surprised by the new band EDGE OF FOREVER, which featured the likes of BOB HARRIS (of AXE) and a bunch of Italian musicians (who played with acts like TIME MACHINE, GLENN HUGHES and ANDRE MATOS). Now they are back, and I thought their debut was a good album in 2002, but this new CD ‘Let the demon rock’n’roll’ brings back the best Melodic Hardrock I have heard in a long time. This is really very strong sounding classic hardrock with amazing vocals and superb catchy memorable choruses. Without a doubt, this is one of those perfect albums that will make it on the at the end of the year poll lists of the Melodic Rockfans out there! 10 songs are included, and the first 3 songs hit like a hammer. The midtempo rockers “The machine” and “One last surrender” (a la early 80s SURVIVOR) and the uptempo melodic rocker “Shade of November” are sensational Melodic Rockfans with superb vocalwork and catchy choruses. Also worth mentioning is the lovely AOR ballad “A deep emotion”, which has a strong JOURNEY resemblance and the superb semi-AOR “In my eyes” (JAMES CHRISTIAN/80s HOUSE OF LORDS style). Also a couple of songs are going into a RAINBOW kinda Classic Hardrockstyle (such as “Let the demon rock’n’roll” and “Feel like burning”, so in the end it’s quite a diverse album. Final note is the fact that JEFF SCOTT SOTO sings backing vocals on this fantastic album, and all I can add is that the melodic rockfans need to save some money to buy this CD a.s.a.p. (released on the 17th of May). The best Melodic (Hard) Rock release since and as good as SEVENTH KEY and PRIDE OF LIONS!!! (Points: 9.1 out of 10)
In 1986 guitarist/keyboardplayer ZENO ROTH (brother of Uli Jon of 70s SCORPIONS line-up) released one of the best German Melodic Rock releases from the 1980s. Recently MTM MUSIC re-issued this album, and now they have done the same for the 1993 ZENO release ‘Zenology 2’, which was in Japan a big success, although the album itself was not as strong as the 1986 album. Still, also ‘Zenology 2’ has it’s moments, and is a good typical German Melodic Rockalbum (with guest vocals on 2 songs by one of German’s best Rock singers ever – TOMMY HEART of FAIR WARNING). 11 songs are on the re-release of MTM MUSIC, no bonustracks this time, but it’s a good way to check out this release in case you didn’t get it the first time it was released, because after all songs like “Call of the heart”, “Tonight”, “Hard beat”, “Dreaming the night away” and “Keep your love” are very good melodic rocksongs with catchy choruses like they don’t make ‘em that often anymore. If you don’t own the first ZENO, then better get that CD asap, but in case you have the 1986 album, better get this 2nd ZENO CD as well to hear some more classy Euro Melodic Rock in best 80s tradition. (Points: 8.4 out of 10) |
HAREM
SCAREM ‘OVERLOAD’
RUNNER
‘RUNNER’ (GELTOOB RECORDS) 
PLUNGE
‘HOMETOWN HERO’ (ATENZIA RECORDS) 
FLUIDSOL
‘FLUIDSOL’ (ATENZIA RECORDS) 
HUNTER
‘HERE AND NOW’ (INDEPENDENT) 
SWIRL 360
‘CALIFORNIA BLUR’ (ATENZIA RECORDS) 
JACOBS
DREAM ‘DRAMA OF THE AGES’
WILD DOGS
‘DOWN AND DIRTY’ (US METAL RECORDS) 
BROTHER APE
‘ON THE OTHER SIDE’
AUDIOPHILE
‘AUDIOPHILE’ (INDEPENDENT) 
D-TALE
‘D-TALE’ (INDEPENDENT) 
RADIOCRAFT
‘RED’ (CAT HAS TROPHY RECORDS) 
BOYSTOWN
‘ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES’
DR.
MASTERMIND ‘CAPTURED ALIVE!’ (US METAL RECORDS) 
STONELAKE
‘REINCARNATION’ (MUSIC UMP) 
MEDUSA
‘CLASH OF THE TITANS’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) 
XSAVIOR
‘CALEIDOSCOPE’ (ATENZIA RECORDS) 
KINRICK
‘SENSE YOUR DARKNESS’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) 
LEGS
DIAMOND ‘UNCUT DIAMOND’
BAD WAY
‘FROM ZERO TO HERO’
SHA-BOOM
‘THE RACE IS ON’ (DF RECORDS) 
PARALLEL
MIND ‘COLOSSUS ADEA’ (UNICORN DIGITAL) 
LITTLE KING
‘VIRUS DIVINE’ (UNICORN DIGITAL) 
EDGE OF
FOREVER ‘LET THE DEMON ROCK’N’ROLL’
ZENO
‘ZENOLOGY 2’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)