 ANCARA
‘BEYOND THE DARK’ (KRAKLUND RECORDS/HIGH AND LOUD)
Recorded in the studio of STRATOVARIUS’ singer KOTIPELTO, here we have another Finnish band storming the major charts in their homecountry. Their CD ‘Beyond the dark’ only has 8 tracks and is rather short, but happily what we get to hear is superb high class Melodic heavy Rock/Metal. Heavier than BROTHER FIRETRIBE, WIGWAM and THE POODLES, although the big choruses and hooks are clearly reminding of those bands, however the big heavy groovy guitarsound is more reminding of TALISMAN meets HAMMERFALL. One way or the other, ANCARA is a fantastic new band with excellent songs like “Deny”, “Scarred”, “When everyone else is gone” and “Circles” on their 2nd CD (believe they released an album prior to this release). Best comparison is definitely last year’s LEVERAGE, exactly the same style, heavy and a sound of today, yet with classic elements, especially during the catchy choruses of mentioned songs. More info at: http://www.myspace.com/ancara (where you can hear 3 more songs not included on their new album, maybe from their debut?) and http://www.ancarasite.com/ Be sure to that, as ANCARA is yet another sensational new band from Finland, 2007 is becoming just like 2006 the year of the Finnish Rock and Metal invasion of sensational new bands! (Points: 8.7 out of 10) KRAISED ‘GIVE ME MY MP3’S’ (INDEPENDENT) KRAISED are from Arizona and they are clearly mixing humoristic lyrics with deadly metal riffs, sounding like LOVE/HATE, MEGADETH meets METALLICA, although here and there the band goes into more serious catchy melodic rock such as the awesome “Can’t change the past”. I had rather heard a full CD in the style of that song, because now most of the songs sound like a sort of joke, which is a pity, because that song “Can’t change the past” definitely shows this band has potential. We can also hear some EXTREMEish groovy Hardrock/Metal, but the best description I gave away in the beginning of this review, so let’s stick to that. Check them out for yourself at: www.kraised.com and www.myspace.com/kraised (Points: 8.0 out of 10) BERNIE SHANAHAN ‘YOU’ (INDEPENDENT) BERNIE SHANAHAN is a singer/songwriter from New York , who actually had his 15 minutes of fame almost 20 years ago when he got signed to ATLANTIC RECORDS, released a good BRYAN ADAMSish Poprockalbum and eventually worked with huge names like MICHAEL BOLTON, CHER and ALICE COOPER. After leaving the major label and Grunge taking over much of the USA, Bernie went into the underground scene, but now makes his comeback in the shape of this new CD ‘You’, which musically is a well-thought Singer/Songwriter Poprockalbum that has a lot of acoustic guitars and sounds like BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, some BILLY JOEL and JOHN COUGAR, very typical American Midwestern like, so not really AOR/Poprock like his debut from 1989. Nevertheless, Bernie shows he is a very talented singer/songwriter, whom could easily end up releasing this CD on a major label, because it is now only available through: www.bernieshanahan.com and e-mail Bernie at: bernie.shanahan@gmail.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) THE DAWN OF SCYTHE OF ORION ‘SACRE ET MASSACRE’ (INDEPENDENT) Finnish band with a female singer and musically playing Gothic Metal, although not like NIGHTWISH as one would expect, because THE DAWN OF SCYTHE OF ORION is much more diverse in both the vocal and instrumental department and that can be heard on the 2 great songs on their demo CDR. They remind me a bit of IMPERIA and the presence of a guitar, keyboardplayer and violin player in the band’s line-up makes them sound very diverse. Especially the uptempo “Ghost hand” is a very strong song. Check out their site at: www.scytheoforion.com and e-mail at: scythe.of.orion@gmail.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) DON MOORE ‘AXE ATTACK’ (INDEPENDENT) Here we have an excellent guitarist from Pennsylvania/USA with a high class independent CD that contains very impressive instrumental NEAL SCHONish guitarsolo based calmer Rock. No uptempo songs here, just a nice collection of 2-minutes encounting instrumentals which will please all NEAL SCHON fans for sure! Check it out for yourself at: www.don-moore.com and e-mail at: Guitarwizard2003@gmail.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) LA HERMANDAD ‘REFLEJOS DE REALIDAD’ (SANTO GRIAL) LA HERMANDAD is a Spanish band and they play the typical Spanish melodic metal/Power Metalstyle, which we all know from bands like TIERRA SANTA, SARATOGA, AVALANCH, ZENOBIA, RATA BLANCA, etc. etc. They have released a CD titled ‘Reflecjos de realidad’, which of course has Spanish lyrics, but is a pretty good Melodic Metalalbum with mostly high-pitched vocals. Instrumental it reveals clear MAIDEN influences, although the band is best comparable to RATA BLANCA, the Argentinian band. 9 songs are included and only the production could have been a bit better, but anyway, fans of mentioned bands will like this a lot. More info at: www.lahermandadweb.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) LIP SERVICE ‘COME AN’ GET IT’ (INDEPENDENT) English band with an old-fashioned LA style Glam/Sleaze Hardrockalbum that reminds me of bands like HORSE LONDON, HERICANE ALICE, IRON HORSE and HELIX. 9 songs are included on this CD, which has a cover one would immediately pay attention to when going through the CD bins in a store. Although very cliché, with songtitles like “Back to school”, “Late night love affair” and “Bang bang”, fans of mentioned bands will enjoy this band for sure. More info at: www.lipservicerocks.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) ALTER EGO ‘NOT FOR INTELLECTUALS DVD’ (INDEPENDENT) Well this is a really nice independent DVD, which happily visually looks kinda professional, because one could actually enjoy a nice piece of music history here of a band called ALTER EGO, hailing from The Netherlands. This band was formed way back in the late 80s, went through hundreds of line-up changes, released a bunch CDs, split up for a while, but managed to keep on rocking into the year 2007, of which the result is now their first DVD, which contains a concert recorded in 2006 in their hometown of Den Bosch. The performance is quite solid and shows a pure Hardrockband that sounds like AC/DC, KROKUS and such. Very interesting is the 35 minutes counting documentary which tells us the complete history of the band and also the 2 videos are very professional and therefore interesting to watch. Although an independent release, this is a very professional DVD release of a band with a long history, musically not that far away from VENGEANCE. Check out their site at: www.alteregox.nl (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
For quite some years the German band POOR GENETIC MATERIAL has been releasing albums, mostly very progressive rock orientated, which means long songs with a lot of instrumental parts. Ever since the fantastic British lead singer Phil Griffiths (ALIAS EYE) joined the band, the music has become much more melodic and now we are looking at a new POOR GENETIC MATERIAL CD, which has very less to deal with Prog, because this is very melodic almost pop/rock orientated music. Good comparisons are JADIS and FOR ABSENT FRIENDS, also bands which have drifted away from the Progrockmusic they used to make. The songs are very melodic and based on strong catchy hooks and choruses, not as big or clear as in the AOR world, but more laid-back. Phil is an excellent singer, who shines on this CD and makes POOR GENETIC MATERIAL a band which could eventually have a huge commercial break. Nevertheless, do not get a wrong idea now, because this new POOR GENETIC MATERIAL album is very impressive and features well-thought melodic pop/rock, with as highlights "New Phase", "Paradise" and "Starlightbound", but just don't expect a FLOWER KINGS kinda complicated Progrockalbum, but instead a very nice lightweight Melodic Pop/Rockalbum with some prog elements a la IT BITES, FAF, JADIS, etc. Definitely worth checking out! (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
In 2002 and 2005 the German band ARILYN released 2 very good albums and now in 2007 they are signed to the German label QUIXOT MUSIC, which released the band’s 3rd album ‘Alter ego’. Without a doubt, this is another very strong album of ARILYN, musically reminding a lot of IQ, SYLVAN, ZENOBIA and such pure Neo-Progressive Rock driven music. The music of ARILYN is exactly played the way a Neo-Progfan wants to hear it, so with big rich keys and also calmer piano played parts, a melodic guitarsound and some very strong melodies, especially during the excellent songs “Wish that I was special”, “Take off”, “Alter ego” and “A secret wish”. The band’s singer sounds like an English vocalist and like I said before, all is done as perfectly as possible in making the band sound like a pure UK Neo-Progband and they have succeeded also on this new album, which is a must-have for fans of IQ, PENDRAGON, SYLVAN, EVERON, ZENOBIA, etc. etc. More info at: www.arilyn.de (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The fact that DC COOPER makes an appearance on the new CD of PERSEPHONE'S DREAM is quite remarkable, because this band is basically a pure Progressive Rockband. Although being a progband, the band sounds just a little more melodic than their previous albums and actually very catchy and memorable at times, because if you just listen to the fantastic opener “Threnody”, the melodies stick into your head rightaway! The band has 2 female lead singers, both singing very well (Heidi Engel and Colleen Gray), vocally and musically reminding me of LANA LANE a bit actually, although somewhat darker and less rocking, because basically PERSEPHONE’S DREAM is a very laid-back based Progband in which melodies and also calmer epic moments are very important. Especially the beginning with songs like "Threnody", "Synesthesia" and "Nightfall" as well as the epic "Temple In Time" we can hear some very good songs. The album sounds not that different than the band's earlier records, maybe a bit less progrock and more melodic, which on the other hand is only making this perhaps their finest record so far and the fact DC COOPER is making a guest appearance on 2 songs is also making this a highly recommended album! The band comes out of the Pittsburgh area and is not that well-known outside that area, but with this new album on PROGROCK RECORDS things could change… More info at: www.persephonesdream.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
SHADOW CIRCUS are a band from New York City with a pure 70s Progstyle that has clear similarities to YES, STARCASTLE, which means big rich symphonic keyboards, a pompous rocksound and also a sort of theatrical approach in a way we also saw from bands like AVIARY, GLASSMOON, RUSSIA and BIGHORN in the late 70s. Then again we can also hear influences from QUEEN here and there. The band definitely stands out between all the other progbands out there, due to their theatrical approach, which can be heard in the singing style of David Bobick. 6 long songs are included and fans of mentioned bands will definitely love tracks such as “Shadow Circus”, “Storm Rider” and the epic 12 minutes counting “Journey of Everyman”. Can’t help it, but I also need to mention of course early GENESIS PETER GABRIEL era as one of the bands that must have influenced SHADOW CIRCUS, just listen to the song “Inconvenient compromise”. Anyway, Progfans definitely will enjoy this debut CD of SHADOW CIRCUS, although even Pomprockfans might check it out. More info at: www.shadowcircusmusic.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Piano-Keyboardplayer JORDAN RUDESS is best known as member of DREAM THEATER, but this classical trained pianist also has a solo career going on and 'The road home' is his latest release. Jordan's keyboardwork on the album is of course reminding of such legendary Keyboard Wizzards like EMERSON, WAKEMAN, OLDFFIELD, MORAZ, WAYNE, BANKS, etc. etc. However, 'The Road Home' is much more, because it is more or less a 'personal' tribute to the classic 1970s, because Jordan created with the help of today's leading prog talents (including DIXIE DREGS drummer Rod Morgenstein), covers of classics by GENESIS "Dance on a Volcano" (with former SPOCK'S BEARD frontman NEAL MORSE on vocals); ELP's "Tarkus" (featuring KIP WINGER and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson), YES' fusion-esque, Minimoog/electric piano extravaganza "Sound Chaser" and “Just the same”, a medley featuring JON ANDERSON's "Soon", KING CRIMSON's "I Talk to the Wind" (with vocals by Rudess), YES' "And You And I", and GENESIS' "Supper's Ready". All done pretty much as perfect as possible and as Jordan wants to make sure, a record in which he shows his personal influences. In total 9 of Jordan’s most influential Progrocksongs of all times are covered by a bunch of today’s most respected progmusicians with the keys of Jordan being the main ingredient, so without a doubt, a CD to own by any Progfan! (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
DERDIAN is an Italian band, which was formed in 1998. They released their first album 'New Era Part I' back in 2005, which now has a follow-up titled ‘New era part 2’ that is simply is the continuation of their epic story started on their debut. Musically they are pure Italo Power Metal in the style of LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY, very melodic and hooky here and there, sometimes also reminding of VISION DIVINE and WONDERLAND, so all together not really original. Happily it is all done quite perfect and so we can really enjoy some high class Italo Power Metal and fans of mentioned bands can easily grab this winner, which has it's highlights in the shape of "I Don't Wanna Die", "The Hunter", "Before The War" and "War Of The Gods". The sound is quite perfect and for me this new DERDIAN CD is as good as the latest VISION DIVINE release, so all fans of the Italo Power Metal style should hurry and buy this awesome piece of work of DERDIAN! (Points: 8.7 out of 10) 7TH HEAVEN 'MEDLEY CD' (INDEPENDENT) The American band 7TH HEAVEN has built up quite a large following, thanks to their energetic live performances, which are more or less a tribute to the 1980s. The band has their own material, in fact released a 2-CD set with own songs and is even working on a new CD with own material, but now they have released another Medley CD. This CD contains 2 medleys, a Pop and a Rock medley, each including 20-30 classic top 40 songs, all covered in 2 long medley’s in a Rockversion by 7TH HEAVEN. Songs everyone heard a thousand times before are all covered by one band in two single songs, which makes you wonder how that would sound live in a straight 2-hour set. The band has done a great job and it really is nice to hear a band doing such excellent covers of such well-known tunes of THE EAGLES, U2, INXS, SIMPLE MINDS, DEF LEPPARD, BON JOVI, BILLY JOEL, JOURNEY, OZZY, MOTLEY CRUE, WHITESNAKE, NIGHT RANGER, etc. etc.. DEF LEPPARD is definitely the favorite band of 7THE HEAVEN, because their own material also reminds a lot of them, while they covered 3 songs on this new Medley CD. Best thing is the fact that the band has different lead singers whom can all fabricate the same vibrato as the original lead singers of the covered songs! Be sure to check out 7TH HEAVEN's new Medley CD at: www.7thheavenband.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) NATIONAL PRODUCT ‘LUNA’ (R AND M ARTIST RECORDS) Just released and basically sounding like the latest sensation from the USA is the Californian based band NATIONAL PRODUCT, whom of course sound a lot like LOST PROPHETS, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, FALL OUT BOY, THE CLICK FIVE, etc. yet their Emo sounds very catchy, hooky and melodic that even well thinking modern day melodic rockfans whom also enjoy the last couple of HAREM SCAREM albums should actually pick up the debut CD of NATIONAL PRODUCT as well. The band’s CD sounds huge and most of the 12 included tracks are catchy Emo/Melodic Rock tunes that stick in your head right after hearing them, especially opener “By all means” and “Valentine” are sounding like the perfect cross between LOST PROPHETS and COHEED AND CAMBRIA. Produced by James Paul Wisner (UnderOath, Dashboard Confessional, Further Seems Forever, The Academy Is), this is definitely a band to watch out for! Check out NATIONAL PRODUCT at: www.myspace.com/nationalproduct and e-mail at: mmazzetti@randmartistrecords.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) ELDRITCH ‘EL NINO’ (LIMB MUSIC) Going back in time, almost 10 years ago the Italian band released one of their finest albums ‘El nino’. LIMB MUSIC decided to re-release the album in 2007, with the addition of 6 interesting unreleased demo tracks, so for sure this is a highly recommended release to the fans of the band. The fans have been delighted with a couple of new releases as well as re-releases the past 3 years, so their collection should now be pretty much complete with this re-release, which is I believe the final re-release of the 1990s ELDRITCH releases. The bonustracks are slightly more melodic, with the MALMSTEEN cover “Dreaming” as most remarkable track. (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO consists of Alex Skolnick - guitars, vocals , Nathan Peck - double-bass, vocals and Matt Zebroski - drums, percussion, vocals. The band was formed in 2001 by guitarist ALEX SKOLNICK, formerly with San Francisco based Thrash Metalgroup TESTAMENT. Together with drummer Matt 'Zebar' Zebroski he formed a band in New York. The trio began exploring their influences and came up with a wide range of styles within their instrumental based music. Influences of JIMI HENDRIX, BLACK SABBATH and even MILES DAVIS could be heard on their debut 'Goodbye To Romance: Standards For A New Generation', released in March 2002. The band had a lot of success with this first album, so they continued and released 'Transformation', the group's debut for major indy label Magnatude (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS sublabel), and the first with new bassist Nathan Pack. This album continued the concept of the first album, with arrangements of music by DEEP PURPLE, JUDAS PRIEST, PINK FLOYD and others, but also placed more focus of original compositions. With 'Last Day In Paradise', the band's new CD a new chapter has been opened, because this album is basically a high class instrumental work that combines influences from Rock, Jazz and Funk, with mostly own compositions except for a OZZY and a RUSH cover. All done quite well and interesting for fans of instrumental music with a strong focus on Jazz/Fusion rhythms, with some progrock elements too, but definitely very laid-back. (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
SHADOW GALLERY has slowly built up a huge reputation in becoming one of the major progbands. Their prog is somewhere between the calmer relaxed British prog and the more heavy American progmetal, actually sounding like a mix between and YES, STYX and DREAM THEATER, but with a complete own identity. They have released quite a few albums since the mid 1990s, of which this 'Prime cuts' is a new release featuring the best of their previous albums. 'Prime Cuts' offers a retrospective on the last decade, with specially edited versions of old favorites like "Colors" from the album 'Legacy'. 12 tracks are included, which might seem strange, because SHADOW GALLERY's songs were quite lengthy, but therefore this CD is a nice welcome as it features edited versions of SHADOW GALLERY 'Classics', so this one is more interesting for the song based fans instead of the progfans who long for long instrumental passages. Nice concept and something different and challenging for a progband surely! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) AGE OF NEMESIS 'TERRA INCOGNITA' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) The Hungarian band AGE OF NEMESIS made a name in the past few years due to their incredible high level of Progressive Metal on their album 'Psychogeist' in 2006. Now they are signed to the American proglabel MAGNA CARTA RECORDS, which re-released the band's debut CD 'Terra Incognita'. Originally recorded in 2002/2003, this album contains some superb Melodic Progmetal that should appetite the fans of THRESHOLD, VANDENPLAS, MANIGANCE, MIND'S EYE, PAGAN'S MIND, etc. etc. The band has an incredible vocalist (Zoltan Kiss) and the band's sound is HUGE, really of major label league, so it is not that strange they are now on the biggest Proglabel from the USA. This band is really digging and working it's way up to the major league of Progmetal, maybe even making more impact with their music than DREAM THEATER has done the past 5 years. The fact they are from Hungaria makes them even more interesting and they are by far the best band ever to come out of there! Songs like “Forgive me my foolish crime”, "Meeting With The Unbelievable", "The Land Of Light" and "Inner Fire" are truly amazing songs and together with the band's album from 2006, this re-release of their first album should be the start of the final recognization of AGE OF NEMESIS worldwide. More info at: www.ageofnemesis.hr (Points: 8.8 out of 10) ZOO ARMY - 507 (ROCKIN' NATION MUSIC) ZOO ARMY is the band of GIL OFARIM, who was apparently 10 years ago in Germany a teenage superpopstar, but in recent years has evolved himself into a real rocker, with as highlight playing as support act for BON JOVI. Now ZOO ARMY releases a new CD, which without a doubt is a very strong album that feels and sounds very modern, yet modern the good way, which is melodic and catchy. Most of the songs uptempo and truly rockin', so I guess you can say this is a real rock'n'roll record. The guitar riffs are quite heavy actually, while the songs all feature memorable choruses as in real rock'n'roll tradition. Songs like "Tell me something", "I'm alive", "Take me away" etc. are a few examples of the strong true Rock'n'Roll sound of ZOO ARMY. Definitely a band to check out if you want to hear straight-ahead Classic Rock with a modern approach. More info at: http://www.zooarmy.de/ and http://www.myspace.com/officialzooarmy (Points: 8.3 out of 10) VIVIAN 'VIVIANISM' (FASTBALL MUSIC) VIVIAN is a Swiss band, which has rapidly built up a reputation and managed to secure their albums charting in their homeland. Now they are back with a new CD titled 'Vivianism'. Musically we are listening to some very good catchy Melodic Poprock in the style of SUNRISE AVENUE, BRYAN ADAMS, THE RASMUS, BON JOVI, THE OUTFIELD and such, so a bit 80s, but very catchy indeed, with as highlights on their new CD 'Vivianism' the songs "Maybe please", Whenever you're gone", "Perfect world" and "You might be wrong". The album was released a few months ago and is already their fourth album, but probably their finest effort so far. They are very eager to have a US break soon, so they did a 3-weeks tour throughout the USA recently and with this new album they should be able to gather some new fans as it is a very good catchy Melodic Poprockalbum. More info at: www.vivianmusic.com and www.myspace.com/vivianonline (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
HIM meets THE RASMUS, but then with Finnish lyrics. The band UNIKLUBI is another band which is praised in Finland, with top charting albums and songs and now releasing a new album that is basically yet another high quality Finnish product containing very strong catchy Melodic modern Rock. For example a song like "Myrrky" is a fantastic catchy uptempo melodic rocker, which will be loved by fans of LOVEX, THE RASMUS, HIM, CHARON, etc. etc. The only thing that sets them apart from all other Finnish bands is that they sing in the Finnish language, but that should be no problem if the songs are as catchy as on this new UNIKLUBI record. More info at: www.myspace.com/uniklubiofficial and www.uniklubi.net/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10) PORTUGAL THE MAN 'CHURCH MOUTH' (FEARLESS RECORDS) PORTUGAL THE MAN is the first band I review that is coming out of Alaska, USA. The band recently released their 2nd album 'Church Mouth', which is the follow-up to their debut album 'Waiter: "You Vultures!’ released in early 2006. Musically they play a mix of Retro-Rock (a la WOLFMOTHER) and some of the British Melancholic Pop/Rock (PINK FLOYD). It sounds quite good actually, although the band definitely does not have a commercial approach, so at first sight you will not find catchy hooks and memorable choruses. However, if you have a good listen, well then you hear a band with a bright future, because PORTUGAL THE MAN is a band with a sound that is loved by the Rock critics, you can count on that for sure. Imagine a stripped down and calmer version of WOLFMOTHER, so maybe less rocking and more song based, with touches of Prog and Melancholic British Pop/Rock. Check it out for yourself at: www.myspace.com/portugaltheman and http://www.portugaltheman.net/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10) JIMMY MARTIN FEAT. RICK SPRINGFIELD ‘LOVE SOMEBODY’ (ALOUD MUSIC/ZYX/BOB MEDIA) “Love somebody” was one of the final major hits for RICK SPRINGFIELD in the USA some 23 years ago and JIMMY MARTIN is a legendary Luxembourgian singer/songwriter who recorded a couple of AOR/Poprock based solo-albums after he left the Melodic Metal band FISC in the late 80s. Now in 2007 RICK SPRINGFIELD and JIMMY MARTIN together re-recorded the song “Love somebody”, which has been released a CD-single, with 4 different versions as well as an old JIMMY MARTIN song “Love the night away”, both catchy uptempo poprockers in best 80s style, although the “Love somebody” tune also now sounds like SUNRISE AVENUE, THE CLICK FIVE and such. Anyway, soon a new full-length CD of JIMMY MARTIN, but in the meantime check out this CD-single at: www.jimmymartin.de (Points: 8.0 out of 10) CLOUDBERRY ‘GRACEFUL AND LIGHT’ (NEO/SONY BMG GERMANY/BOB MEDIA) Although a German band, CLOUDBERRY sound like a US/UK based Rockband, a bit mixing the old (1960s BEATLES/BYRDS) with today’s modern sounds (RADIOHEAD/COLDPLAY), ending up sounding very Psychedelic Rock orientated, mostly focusing on slowtempo material that sounds quite dark and yet melodic at times too, such as during the THE KINKS orientated rocker”s “Not my idea” and “Innuendo”. This is not the band’s first album, because they already released 2 albums before this new CD ‘Graceful and light’. Check out more info at: www.cloudberry.de (Points: 7.7 out of 10) DEAD GUITARS ‘AIRPLANES’ (SPV/BOB MEDIA) Now here’s a UK band featuring members of THE CHURCH, THE CONVENT and THE SOUND, with their album ‘Airplanes’ reminding me a lot of the 80s British Pop/Rocksound of bands like THE CHURCH, THE ALARM, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, COCK ROBIN, NEW ORDER, THE THE, THE MISSION, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT and such acts. It sounds quite melodic and melancholic, with mostly THE CURE like guitars. If it wasn’t for the supplied infosheet, I would guess this was a 1985 based band with a re-issue of their album released back in the day, but DEAD GUITARS is a new band for sure! Check them out at: www.deadguitars.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) DESCENDANTS OF CAIN ‘VARIOUS ALBUMS’ (ECHOZONE/BOB MEDIA) 2 albums I received from the London based Gothic Rockband. Both albums are very good if you are into pure 80s Cult underground British Gothic Rock a la THE MISSION, THE ALARM, HOTHOUSE FLOWERS, NEW ORDER, THE MISSION, DEAD CAN DANCE, DEPECHE MODE and such. The band has got a typical Gothic singer and if you want to hear where HIM got their inspiration from and how it would sound if they would make the exact same kinda music as their influences it could sound like the 2 records (‘Yetzirah the balance of disharmonies’ and ‘Assiah of man and manifestation’) of DESCENDANTS OF CAIN. More info at: www.descendantsofcain.co.uk (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
A HUGE surprise this TRI STATE CORNER! Looking at the cover and inside pictures I thought I was dealing here with a Hardcore band, but completely untrue this is after listening to the first song of their 5 tracks counting mini-CD ‘Changes’, which musically is featuring high class Melodic Progressive Metal that reminds me of DREAMSCAPE, VANDENPLAS, with AORlike choruses. The band comes out of Cologne, Germany, but is actually built around musicians coming out of Greece, Poland and Germany, so you could speak of an European band here. Opener “Ela na this” has a superb chorus and what strikes me the most is the fact that TRI STATE CORNER has a wonderful clean melodic lead singer (Lucky). The band combines beautiful melodic hooks and AOR choruses with typical Progressive Metal riffs and to me they sound like the best Progmetalband to hail from Germany these past few years, although their music also reveals clear AOR/Melodic Rock influences, actually sounding like a mix between MARA, MATTADOR and VANDENPLAS if anyone then understands what they sound like. One way or the other, check out this band at: www.tristatecorner.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) POWER ‘ROLL THE DICE’ (STF RECORDS) German band POWER is playing Thrash Metal the dirty way, even dirtier and rawer than the somewhat polished sound of the Bay Area from the late 1980s. They also look like they have stepped out of a Slasher movie and maybe that describes their music even better, because they play Horror Thrash Metal and a comparison to TANKARD, SODOM or KREATOR might be perfect. If you’re interested, then check them out at: www.powerthrash.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10) LEE HARVEY AND THE OSWALDS ‘STILL CONFUSED’ (STF RECORDS) Recorded in the legendary BEATLES Abbey Road studios, the debut CD of German band LEE HARVEY AND THE OSWALDS is a somewhat heavy Jazzrock affair with a lot of space for the Trumpets and mostly instrumental. The band is a 8-piece act and are something completely different than the usual releases on Metal label STF RECORDS. Fans of Progrock might also like this release, which reminds me a bit of DIXIE DREGS, EXPLORERS CLUB mixed with early 70s CHICAGO/IDES OF MARCH and such. Check out their site at: www.leeharvey.de (Points: 7.8 out of 10) CRYPTIC VOICE ‘ACCESS DENIED’ (STF RECORDS) The German band CRYPTIC VISION is actually playing Death Metal, so we can not day much with them, except for mentioning here that they have released their debut CD on STF RECORDS. More info at: www.crypticvoice.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10)
OZ NOY was born in Israel and became one of the most famous guitar players in the country by the time he was 16. From then on he went on to play with many of Israel's top musicians' and recorded with them as a studio guitarist and by the age of 24, he was playing in the house band of Israel's equivalent of the DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW. After two years, he decided to move to New York City in 1996 and became one of the most celebrated studio guitarists in the United States. He performed, recorded and toured with numerous artists such as Richard Bona, Chris Botti, Mike Clark, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Harry Belafonte, Toni Braxton, Phoebe Snow, Gavin Degraw, Nile Rogers and Roger Glover. Anyway, he also started a solo career and his latest release is 'Fuzzy', an impressive Jazz/Prog/Fusion affair on whuch Oz showcases his talents and sounds like the new JIMI HENDRIX. A must-have for the guitarfreaks! (Points: 8.3 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS 'MAGNA CARTA GUITAR GREATS VOLUME 1' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) Although one would expect a CD with instrumentals only, this is more or less a compilation CD of songs taken from albums released on the US Proglabel MAGNA CARTA RECORDS, although a few are unreleased until now. However the main focus is to include some of the best guitarsolo's these acts recorded and most of them are played by such legendary guitarplayers like John Petrucci ("Fate Speaks" from Explorers Club - 'Age Of Impact'), Michael Romeo ("Analog Kid" from the Rush tribute - 'Working Man'), Steve Stevens ("Roadside America Medley", previously unreleased from Bozzio Levin Stevens), Joe Satriani ("Screaming Head" from Jordan Rudess' 'Rhythm Of Time'), Steve Lukather ("Things Ain't What They Used To Be" from Niacin - "Deep"), Jake E Lee ("Working Man" from the Rush tribute - "Working Man'), Steve Morse - "Cool Wind, Green Hills", Vinnie Moore - "Time Crunch", George Lynch - "Anthem" and Alex Skolnick - "Western Sabbath Stomp". Recommended if you like to have a collection of excellent guitarsolo's by the greatest players at the moment, but also would like to have the solo's built-into a song. (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
2 books were published prior to this new book of Martin and I am safe to say that those books were more interesting than the 90s book, which now has been published. The problem is that this decade saw a drastic change in rock and metal style, which became darker and less melodic, heavier and groovier and more focused on riffs and screaming instead of clean melodies and catchy choruses like in the 1980s. However my main concern is that Martin managed to put 3,000+ reviews in this new book, but sadly left out so many rock/metal releases of the 1990s which dealt with the real rock and metal. I am talking about all those albums we as Strutter Magazine reviewed from 1995 onwards, not just a few 100, but basically up to 2,000 at least. Bands like TALISMAN, FRONTLINE, AT VANCE, JADED HEART, GOTTHARD and such are completely ignored! Such bands made the genre Melodic Hardrock/Metal alive during these dark years and should have been included in this book. Now the book is more interesting for people who want to read about bands that were major label during the 1990s and sadly these were the Alternative/Death/Metalcore/Grunge/Industrial times and therefore most of the reviews are concerning this area. Only a minor part mentions bands like SYMPHONY X, RHAPSODY, HAMMERFALL and such, so now after 3 books we can make up our minds. Martin has done a very good job in making each of the 3 books look completely different, because the 1970s book was focused on all those rare experimental records of bands with weird looking names, the 1980s was the time of Heavy Metal and be sure the book featured some obscure names, although most of the records reviewed in there were either sounding like MAIDEN or PRIEST. This new 90s book is going into the wrong side of rock/metal, which was the 1990s that was all about NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, SOUNDGARDEN, METALLICA, TOOL, etc. etc. Of course this was the decade in which these bands were the key factors, but when you launch a book of the 1990s it would have been much more interesting to go into a different direction, namely the European way, because in the 1990s in Europe a large cult/underground Melodic Rock wave started with bands like FAIR WARNING, TALISMAN, FRONTLINE, AT VANCE, JADED HEART, GOTTHARD and many more. Today these bands are still active and quite successful in some ways, so not including them is out of the question. Another comment I would like to make is that Martin sadly has a huge dislike towards AOR related music, because the few discussed in here are completely shut down to the ground, such as the ALIAS debut from 1990. Of course this is a Metal book, but all those Grunge and Alternative bands also have nothing to deal with Hardrock/Metal, so what's the point including them? I think the reason is that in the USA AOR/Melodic Rock was huge back in the 1980s, so it actually made the genre look like some sort of joke, especially when NELSON entered the scene in 1990, whom actually made some really good records, but their looks killed it and therefore the following year and all throughout the 90s with NIRVANA at the start made this decade a non-Melodic Rock period. However, in Europe the AOR/Melodic Rockgenre was discovered throughout the 90s and many new bands emerged from there, with during 1994 the launch of 5 or even more AOR/Melodic Rocklabels, whom all sold thousands and thousands of CDs in especially Japan, where the genre was all throughout the 90s as popular as it was in the 80s in the USA! So actually the 90s were a very interesting decade in the underground movement, with new AOR/Melodic Rockbands formed in Europe, becoming very popular in Japan, but completely unknown in the USA. Anyway, fact is that this might be the push for myself to write a book! Nevertheless, this 1990s book is definitely a perfect written piece of bands that created the 90s in the Northern American part of the world, but all the other movements in the world (not even mentioned the upcoming huge wave of Scandinavian bands!) is ignored sadly and I am not just talking about AOR/Melodic Rock, because around 1997 the new wave of melodic metal also entered the European mainland. If I had to pick the best book of Martin I would choose the 1970s book, which was by far the most interesting and well-thought book, while this new book is too much focused on the major label rock and metal releases instead of the smaller label releases which brought us much better releases. Available through: www.cgpublishing.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
The US (Florida based) band STEREOSIDE was formed in early 2006 and made a very fast leap forward when 94.9 WTNT "Tallahassee Idol" winner, Jeff Shields (Vocals) joined the band, because now they already have a CD released. The album titled 'So long' is filled with excellent late 80s sounding American Melodic Hardrock with an updated approach. Jeff has a fantastic Rock God kinda voice with a real classic hard rock approach a la DAVID COVERDALE, JOHNNY GIOELI... The songs are also very catchy actually, especially "So Long", "Sinner" and "Tatoo" (NICKELBACK eat your heart out, hit potency all over, DAUGHTRY/BO BICE style too). In the end the band sounds like BLACK CROWES meets XYZ meets GOTTHARD meets HINDER if you ask me. Big sound and maybe this could be the next big thing, who knows this STEREOSIDE will follow-up the likes of HINDER and NICKELBACK. The perfect connection with the 80s sound can be heard in the semi rocker "Always Remember" that even reminds me of NOCTURNAL RITES with it's awesome chorus!!! A surprise this really is and who knows it will become a very popular record within the next few months in the USA, just like we saw with HINDER 2 years ago. More info at: www.stereoside.com and www.myspace.com/stereoside (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Don’t you just love all those new Finnish bands? It seems like the best way to keep up is just move to Helsinki. Here we have another great new band, they are called NAKED, but they do not sound like any other band in Finland. NAKED is playing pure Glamrock, reminding me of THE SWEET a lot, so pure 1970s, although fans of WIGWAM and THE ARK might also like this band a lot. 13 short songs are included and most of them are very catchy, but favorites for me are definitely “Break free”, “Save the day”, “Rock you” and “Nothing but the truth” (with a blistering guitarsolo). Highly recommended to fans of KISS, WIGWAM, THE ARK, THE SWEET, QUEEN, because this band mixes all these bands together in a very catchy sound on their debut CD ‘Superstated’. Without any doubts showing there are much better bands out there than THE DARKNESS pretended to be! More info at: http://www.nakedonline.net/ and http://www.myspace.com/nakedofficial (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Out of Sweden comes THE DROWNERS, formed in the early 90s and on their new album 'Cease to be' (their first in 5 years) featuring some really excellent catchy melodic poprock. Opener "Perfect girlfriend" hits the nail rightaway, because this is a really great catchy poprocker that actually reminds me of the old 80s style of bands like THE OUTFIELDS, THE ROMANTICS, THE KNACK, CHARLIE, CITY BOY, NELSON and such. The band would rather be labeled as a Power Pop band, but the fact remains that we are dealing here with a record that contains catchy hooks, memorable choruses and a real summerish fun uptempo beat, so pretty much in the style of mentioned bands. Most of the songs are following the opening track, although in the end this first song “Perfect girlfriend” is definitely the highlight and also surely an amazingly potential hitsingle! Be sure to check them out at: www.thedrowners.com and www.myspace.com/Thedrowners and e-mail them at: leif@thedrowners.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) TIFFANY NICOLE 'JUST A GIRL' (WTO RECORDS) OK, admitted, this TIFFANY NICOLE girl was a child when she recorded her debut album 6 years ago, barely 11 years old of age! Basically she was typically a product of the American society, because already at age 4 Tiffany was screened for TV. However, now she is about 17 years old and her new CD is going to sound much more mature than her past childish pop recordings. In fact, the 3 songs on a CD I received show TIFFANY NICOLE move into an 80s AOR/Poprock area. The abolute stunning fact is that these songs were written by PATRICK TIBELL, who is known for his amazing recordings with Swedish band T'BELL, which was pure Westcoast-AOR a la DAKOTA. Anyway, here he wrote 3 songs for TIFFANY, all uptempo poppy AOR/Poprock tunes with catchy hooks and memorable choruses, named "Just A Girl", "Witchy Woman" and "Don't Be Such A Baby". These 3 new songs reveal a more cutting edge, hard hitting artist than on her previous, self titled release, so the upcoming new full-length CD should be a real rock record. This 3-track CD-single was produced by Pete Evick (GODHEAD, EVICK, BRET MICHAELS, RAVEN) and if you started to become interested please go to: www.tiffanynicolecentral.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) RAY DETONE 'GUITAR NOIR' (DANCETONE MUSIC) Guitarist RAY DETONE is a very diverse musician, because in the past he has played all genres (rock, blues, progressive, country, metal, alternative and even bluegrass). 'Guitar noir' is his 4th CD so far and once again he focuses on instrumental diversity, which contains a lot of various rhythms and guitar melodies. One of the songs, "Spanish Gypsy" is being used by 2007 World Junior Figure Skating Champion, Caroline Zhang. Caroline is skating her 2007/2008 short program to it, all to be aired on NBC-TV, so I guess you can say that Ray is pretty big, also thanks to his past work with Grammy Winning Producer-Neil Dorfsman (Sting, Paul McCartney, Dire Straits); drummer-Van Romaine (Steve Morse); drummer-Nir Z (Chris Cornell, Genesis); drummer-Bernard Davis (Anita Baker); drummer-Courtney Williams (kd lang ); keyboardist-Adam Holzman (Miles Davis); Billy Cliff (vox-Pet Shop Boys,Spyro Gyra); studio ace guitarist , Nick Moroch ( everyone everywhere); Paul Dianno's Killers; FAME-TV star Carlo Imperato; bassist-Marl Clarke(Mountain, Rainbow), members of Billy Joel's band, Iggy Pop's band, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Steve Vai's band, Billy Squire's band , bassist-Dave Keyes (Renaisance, Willy DeVille ); RENT bassist Marc Ensign ; Commander Cody bassist, Ric Mullen and toured with Iron Maiden's original singer, Paul Dianno in the band KILLERS; Ronnie Spector; CBS recording artist DRIVE SHE SAID and has performed in the NYC area with countless bands, including Tracey Blue, Life On Mars and many Chinese pop stars touring here in the US. So this is not just another guitarplayer! Anyway, his new CD is recommended to fans of instrumental guitar music, however with an open-mind, because it is very diverse and also quite lad-back actually. More info at: www.raydetone.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) KEITH LUBRANT 'SEARCHING FOR SIGNAL' (INDEPENDENT) 'Face In The Crowd' was in 2001 the debut CD of singer/songwriter KEITH LUBRANT from New Jersey. It was filled with good-time old fashioned yet fresh sounding American Melodic Poprock with a touch of AOR, very much in the style of RICK SPRINGFIELD, DANNY WILDE, JIMMY HARNEN, DAVID KUHN, MATT GARBO, JUST JAY, SCOTT SUDBURY, MICHAEL MORALES, etc. etc. Now Keith returns with a new CD titled 'Searching for signal', which follows the same style as his debut, so basically pretty much once again filled with catchy Melodic Poprock in the best American tradition. Slightly poppier and with some more acoustic guitars in use than before, making it sound more like THE OUTFIELD and THE HOOTERS in their later years. Anyway, one way or the other, this 14 tracks counting new CD of Keith is a nice catchy Melodic Poprock album that will be loved by fans of mentioned bands! Highlights are “Better Days” (BRYAN ADAMS meets RICK SPRINGFIELD in pure 80s style), “Lonely Sunday”, “Misunderstood” and “Feelin Alright”. Be sure to check out Keith and his new CD at: www.keithlubrant.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) TRAFFIC ISLAND ‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’ (MERCURY/UNIVERSAL FINLAND) Also Finland has their own ARCTIC MONKEYS/PANIC AT THE DISCO/KAISER CHIEFS in the shape of TRAFFIC ISLAND, a band with the perfect British Rocksound of today and maybe some might call this a cheap copycat, but what they do they do very well. TRAFFIC ISLAND play their danceable punky Rock and Roll pretty good, although not original, but who cares if the 11 included songs sound as good as mentioned bands and therefore it is very easy to give this CD a big recommendation to fans of mentioned bands, whom are gonna love uptempo rockers such as “Keep my eye on you”, “Karaoke song”, “Day without air” (hit potency written all over) and “Two days in a row”. Also the way their singer sings, it is so English and if you would blindly listen to this album one would think this is the latest British sensation to storm the charts, but in fact this is a new Finnish act whom are probably gonna storm the Finnish charts for sure. More info at: www.trafficislandmusic.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) ZERO ILLUSIONS ‘PROLOGUE TO ETERNITY’ (DEMO) Very high quality musicianship here from Sweden of a new band called ZERO ILLUSIONS. They play Melodic Progressive Metal, yet with slight modern touch, although always quite melodic and even a bit Doom Metal infuences here. The whole feeling of their sound is a bit darker, like EVERGREY, with even some BLACK SABBATH riffs (like in the ZEELION type of song “Left alone”), although vocally in a complete different direction, more akin to what we have heard from ABUNIS GATE, CIRCUS MAXIMUS and of course QUEENSRYCHE, so high-pitched vocals. Actually the band has a very good singer and the whole sound is very professional, ready for a major label release for sure after sitting with their demo CD for a couple of time now and fans of mentioned bands as well as fans of acts like ZANDELLE, SIAM, RADAKKA, SAVIOUR MACHINE, etc. etc. just go check out this band at: www.zeroillusions.com and e-mail at: bjorn@zeroillusions.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) ANGELHEART 'SING ME A SONG' (FIREBIRD/TURICAPHON RECORDS) The Swiss band ANGELHEART was formed in 2000 and they have already released 4 albums filled with nice calmer melodic poprock, perfectly suitable for radio airplay. The band's main members are Paul Etterlin and Janine Amberg, with the recent addition of Thomas Krebs. Janine Amberg is better known as Janet La Rose, because under that name she sang on a few excellent AOR/Melodic Rock records of the band ALLISON, with as major succes the band's song "Dreams of Glory" being turned into the 1994 Football World Cup hymn of the German TV station ARD. New member Thomas Krebs shows he is immediately a major member, because he seems to have taken over the lead vocals of Janine. Their previous albums were more female vocal orientated, but their new album has a lot of male vocals (of Thomas), although musically ANGELHEART keeps focused on making catchy melodic poprock. Highlights are "I Keep Falling", "Angel's Falling", "Hard Way" and “Love Is Returning”. The new CD of ANGELHEART is a typical product of the returning catchy melodic poprocksound of the 80s, with a modern approach, not unlike THE HOOTERS, THE OUTFIELD, SUNRISE AVENUE and such. A pity the female vocals are becoming less and less prominent, because Janine has an excellent voice, but nevertheless this is quite a nice release. Check out ANGELHEART at: www.angelheart.ch (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The Finnish band COLLARBONE has 2 faces actually, because they are trying to sound both American and Finnish on their debut CD 'The Back Of Beyond' which has been released on Spinefarm sub-label Ranch Records. The band is hugely influenced by HIM, THE RASMUS, LOVEX from the Finnish side and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, LOST PROPHETS and FALL OUT BOY from the American/UK side. The result is a CD with 2 sides, kinda mixing Emo, Melodic Rock and some Screamo/Hardcore, although the songs are quite divided, because you have excellent catchy uptempo melodic rockers ("Up North", "Four Walls" and "The Sweetness") in typical Finnish style (HIM/LOVEX), weaker Screamocore ish tunes a la BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE ("Seafarer's Song", "Tarantula" and "Clearance") and typical American Emocore ("Nightlight", "Wither" and "Petite Physique"). 2 songs mix the two worlds together and these are very impressive tunes actually, modern and very melodic. These are the songs "The Last Call" and "Ghost of You" where American Emo meets Finnish Melodic Rock, ending up sounding like THE RASMUS meets THREE DAYS GRACE, both songs midtempo with strong melodies and radio-ready for America. Anyway, I am quite sure COLLARBONE will make a big impact in Finland, but the USA should also be a target. For the rest of Europe it might be hard, because the competition is quite big. Anyway, check out this new Finnish band at: www.myspace.com/collarboneband and http://www.collarbone.org (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Singer/guitarist/keyboardplayer GEORGE GRUNWALD is coming out of Sweden and is already his fifth CD 'So much to say', which is a definite must-have for the fans of Westcoast Pop/Rock. The sound is at times close to pure early 80s TOTO, DAVID ROBERTS and such, but sometimes a bit poppier and more modern Pop orienatated, especially towards the end. However there are in the beginning some AOR based tunes as well that sound like a mix between TOTO, CHICAGO and a softer FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS, although keep in mind things are poppier here. Vocally George is very sensational actually, reminding of a time when singers had to really sing to make an impression instead of the studio technics used nowadays to make everyone able to sing. Although AOR influences can be heard, the material is lighter and should maybe better be compared to CHRISTOPHER CROSS or KING OF HEARTS, basically pure Westcoast-Pop with here and there a touch of AOR, also reminding me a lot of bands like LAVA, HIGHER GROUND, JOHN WARREN, KENNY ROGERS JR., DAVID PACK, etc. etc. The list of musicians includes backing singers like BILL CHAMPLIN and JASON SCHEFF of CHICAGO and JOSEPH WILLIAMS (TOTO), so without a doubt, this debut CD of George is a must-have for the Westcoast fans. More info at: http://www.georgegrunwald.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) BILLION DOLLAR BABIES 'BIGGER, LOUDER, BETTER! ALIVE DVD' (INDEPENDENT) The Swedish band BILLION DOLLAR BABIES has been active quite a few years, with now a DVD released of one of their performances. Musically we get to hear typical Sleazy Hardrock, although there are also traces of Melodic Hardrock and Glamrock to be heard here and there. The DVD looks and sounds very professional, so if you haven't heard the band before, this is definitely a good way to get to know them. Be sure to check out their sites at: http://www.myspace.com/bdbabies and http://www.billiondollarbabies.nu/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
New York based band with a CD that is basically focused on bringing back hooks and choruses as well as classic guitarsolo's into the Rock/Metalworld. Of course in Europe this development has been going on since the new decade started, but in the USA melodies in rock/metal and in particular guitarsolos are still pretty much underground, due to the fact bands like KORN, LINKIN PARK etc are still waving the scepter for Rock/Metal music. Anyway, still there are quite a few Melodic Hardrockbands in the USA and KID BLUDO is one of them. They remind me very much of the band TEER from Florida on their mid 90s debut and PHIL VINCENT. The production/sound is not as huge as in the 80s/early 90s, but nevertheless the music is pretty good and very melodic, thanks to a great male and female singer. The band has been influenced by bands like DOKKEN, DREAM THEATER, BOSTON, RUSH, JOURNEY and QUEENSRYCHE, but do not expect something along those lines, because it is much more something we heard from quite a few other US bands in the underground scene, combining quite heavy guitar riffs of classic 80s style with strong catchy hooks and melodic choruses, however still with a typical modern approach in sound/production. The band features Chuck Woodard and Jennifer Herbs on lead vocals, Jim O'Brien on guitar/keyboard and drummer Donny Howland. 10 songs are included and with songs like "Up & Away", "Stormy", "Steer" (very catchy) and "Hold The Line" KID BLUDO is a band to check out if you like Melodic Hardrock a la PINK CREAM 69/DAVID READMAN/EDEN'S CURSE etc. although not production/soundwise of the same high level of those acts. Check for more info their websites at: www.kidbludo.com and www.myspace.com/kidbludo and www.cdbaby.com/cd/kidbludo (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
It is quite unbelievable that this New York based US/Greek band is unsigned, because their independently released debut CD ‘Destination unknown’ contains high quality Melodic Metal that is as good as any label release. PHOENIX REIGN is very much like other US True Metalbands such as STEEL ASSASSIN, GOTHIC KNIGHTS, RIOT and MANOWAR of course focusing on Classic Metal riffs mixed with strong melodies. Difference is that PHOENIX REIGN has got a superb female singer called Theresa Gaffney. The 11 included lengthy tracks are combining the best of Classic 80s Epic US Metal with memorable melodic choruses and some Greek elements waved here and there through the songs. Very much comparable to aforementioned bands as well as DOMINE, INNER WISH, DUNGEON and such, this PHOENIX REIGN shines on especially the songs “Masquerade angel”, “Open your eyes” and closing epic “Constantinople 1453”. What would happen if LANA LANE would switch over to make classic 80s US Melodic Power Metal a la LEATHERWOLF, VIRGIN STEELE, RIOT, MANOWAR and such, well then we would probably have PHOENIX REIGN as result! Check out this band at: www.phoenixreign.com and http://www.myspace.com/phoenixreign (Points: 8.7 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem) |
POOR
GENETIC MATERIAL 'PARADISE OUT OF TIME' (QUIXOTE MUSIC) 
ARILYN
'ALTER EGO' (QUIXOTE MUSIC) 
PERSEPHONE'S
DREAM 'PYRE OF DREAMS' (PROGROCK RECORDS) 
SHADOW
CIRCUS 'WELCOME TO THE FREAKROOM' (PROGROCK RECORDS) 
JORDAN
RUDESS 'THE ROAD HOME' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) 
DERDIAN
'NEW ERA PART 2: WAR OF THE GODS' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) 
ALEX
SKOLNICK TRIO 'LAST DAY IN PARADISE' (MAGNATUDE RECORDS) 
SHADOW
GALLERY 'PRIME CUTS' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) 
TRI
STATE CORNER ‘CHANGES’ (HAMMERSOUND/BOB MEDIA) 
OZ
NOY 'FUZZY' (MAGNA CARTA RECORDS) 
MARTIN
POPOFF 'THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE TO HEAVY METAL VOLUME 3: THE NINETIES BOOK'
(COLLECTOR'S GUIDE PUBLISHING) 
STEREOSIDE
'SO LONG' (BIELER BROS RECORDS) 
NAKED
‘SUPERSTATED’ (MEGAMANIA) 
THE
DROWNERS 'CEASE TO BE' (LISTENING-POST MUSIC) 
COLLARBONE
'THE BACK OF BEYOND' (RANCH RECORDS/SPINEFARM/UNIVERSAL MUSIC FINLAND)
GEORGE
& G ‘SO MUCH TO SAY’ (ICICLE MUSIC) 
KID
BLUDO 'UP AND AWAY' (OBEE RECORDS) 
PHOENIX
REIGN ‘DESTINATION UNKNOWN’ (INDEPENDENT)