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Out of the UK comes singer/songwriter, bassist and keyboardplayer DANIEL TRIGGER, who started his music career during the 1990s playing all kinds of bands, but it became serious throughout the 2000s when he was part of a band called TRIGGER. Several years and many recordings later, in the year 2011 a new chapter begins, because DANIEL TRIGGER went solo and now releases his first solo-CD ‘Infinite persistence’, which still features several guest musicians. Anyway, it is the first time I ever get to hear Daniel’s music and I am very glad he was kind enough to sent me the album, because this is pretty much top-notch Melodic Hardrock in the style of JADED HEART, BONFIRE, GOTTHARD, PHIL VINCENT, WIG WAM and such. Although not really original, the performance of the material is definitely far above the standard Melodic Hardrock we usually get to hear. The production is rather good and Michael’s vocals are very impressive, sounding like a cross between ROB ROCK, MICHAEL VESCARA and CLAUS LESSMAN (BONFIRE). In total 14 tracks are included and the first 2 tracks have a slight modern touch and are actually reminding me a bit of the new EUROPE, but with “Alone tonight” Daniel dives completely in Classic 80s catchy dut-dut keys driven uptempo Melodic Rock with a flashy guitarsolo and a singable chorus that remind one of the classic 1980s days of BON JOVI and DANGER DANGER. That song is just pure Melodic ‘New Jersey’ late 80s Rock haven! Next 2 songs are somewhat groovy MHR tunes, but with the midtempo “Breathe again”, Daniel offers again a memorable tune that has some nice keyboard-piano work, a big fat guitar riff and a very strong melodic chorus. WIG WAM meets 00s EUROPE meets GOTTHARD meets TESLA in a lot of quality groovy MHR tunes follow and it is clear that Daniel is doing things very well, although I hope next time some more uptempo straight-ahead catchy Melodic Rock will also be offered, because we have to wait until track 13 before another tune in that category pops up, namely the fantastic “Pendulum”. Last track “Last breath” should also be mentioned, because this is a stunning piano-keyboard driven ballad with very strong vocals of Daniel and in the end perhaps one of the highlights on the CD! Anyway, Britain has had tough times in the Melodic Hardrockscene the past decades, but DANIEL TRIGGER definitely shows there’s still talent out there. Check him out at: www.danieltrigger.co.uk and e-mail him at: danieltriggersongs@gmail.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
GRAINNE DUFFY is a singer/songwriter from Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan, Ireland who released her debut CD ‘Out Of The Dark’ a few years ago and now follows it up with ‘Test of time’. The music is heavy Bluesrock based and comparisons to BETH HART, BONNIE RAITT and JOE BONAMASSA are therefore very clear. Graine is not only a fantastic vocalist with an own unique tone in her voice, but is also able to sing in different keys, giving some of the songs a new twist to the established new Bluesrocksound. For example the song “What more can I do” is taking things to a slightly different route, because this is a lovely laid-back singer-songwriter melodic acoustic driven almost Countryish pop/rock song and “In my arms” is a very emotional bluesy ballad with truly superb vocalwork of Graine. Of course there’s also the typical bluesy pop/rock like “'Don't You Remember” and “Please Take Care” and I even feel some comparisons to SHERYL CROW here and there, although Graine always keeps the bluesy influences in mind to live up the expectations of the fans of this genre, which in recent years has gone a complete facelift. GRAINE DUFFY is another name to remember and I’m convinced that she could become huge, because there’s definitely a lot of quality stuff to be heard on the new album of Graine. Check her out at: http://www.grainneduffy.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Originally from New Orleans, USA, this multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter was co-founder of the much-acclaimed band THE RACONTEURS, but meanwhile has already released 5 solo-albums. The latest album is ‘What kind of world’, which is a very strong catchy Melodic Powerpop affair, ready for today’s modern world, although one can hear clear similarities to the late 1970s and early 1980s US Powerpopmovement, because I hear clear similarities to KYLE VINCENT, MATTHEW SWEET, WEEZER (that 90s act yeah!), THE KNACK, THE ROMANTICS, 20/20, BADFINGER, DWIGHT TWILLEY, FOTOMAKER, RICK SPRINGFIELD, BIG STAR, THE ONLY ONES, THE RECORDS, 4 OUT OF 5 DOCTORS, etc. etc. Although not always that original, the actual result is an awesome record with so many memorable tunes that should easily become major hits if played/broadcasted. Highlights are the uptempo Powerpoprockers “What kind of world”, “Light of day”, “Happy most of the time” and the incredible catchy “Here in the deadlights” (this is so 1981-USA Powerpopstyle!). Despite a few tunes that show the WHITE STRIPES/RACONTEURS kinda similarities, most of the time this record belongs to fans of any of the mentioned acts, so Powerpopheaven! More info at: www.brendanbenson.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
KEVIN M BUCK is a guitarist from the Chicago area and without a doubt, his 3rd solo-CD ‘Musick for the new aeon’ is a superb piece of Instrumental Neo-Classical guitarwork that recalls memories of MACALPINE, SATRIANI, BECKER, HOWE and such… Kevin is an amazing guitarist, who makes it sounds so easy that he is in fact a genius, because what we can hear on this album is definitely far from simple. The material stretches from powerful Metal type of tunes to semi-acoustic ballad-tingled material. None other than drummer ATMA ANUR (CACOPHONY, JASON BECKER, TONY MACALPINE, GREG HOWE, JOURNEY…) and keyboardplayer FERDY DOERNBERG (AXEL RUDI PELL, ULI JON ROTH) help out Kevin. Kevin also sings on a few tunes, such as during the PINK FLOYD cover “Set the controls for the Heart of the Sun” and the pure 80s US Metal track “OTO” that almost remind one of AGENT STEEL, VICIOUS RUMORS, METAL CHURCH and an outta-control version of IRON MAIDEN. Anyway, Kevin is one of those multi-talented musicians and especially his guitar techniques is far above any of today’s guitarists, so he must be discovered someday soon, because with suck skills you really need to be in a major Metalband. Happily, on this new solo-CD we can already enjoy his amazing talent from start to finish. More info at: http://www.kevinmbuck.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
‘Of losing interest’ is already the 5th album of the Vancouver, Canada based band FEN and the 2nd we review within a short time frame, because earlier in 2012 we reviewed the band’s previous album ‘Trails out of gloom’ (see https://www.angelfire.com/ma/strutteraor/HOTNEWREVIEWS181.htm ). Now they are back with a stunning new album titled ‘Of losing interest’, which musically goes into a very high quality Progressive Rock/Metal direction. It is especially thanks to the superb vocalwork of singer DOUG HARRISON that FEN’s music is lifted way above other bands in this extensive genre called Prog. The music is pure Progrock with Metalish guitarriffs, but very accessible and sounding like a mixture between ENCHANT, 3, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, RUSH and PORCUPINE TREE, with a bit of KING’S X. The band was formed way back in 1998 and already their previous releases made a clear impact due to the high quality displayed on those albums, but somehow this new CD (out in mid August 2012) might become their big break in the progworld! The guitarwork is also very impressive and so are the melodies of each of the 9 included tracks. Every song is a highlight, but the titletrack is an instant hit for anyone who is into Prog! Check them out at: www.fenmusic.ca (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
MIGHTY HIGH ‘LEGALIZE TRE BAGS’ (RIPPLE MUSIC/USA IMPORT) The band MIGHTY HIGH is coming out of Brooklyn and ‘Legalize tre bags’ is their 2nd album. The band sounds like a Punk Rock version of AC/DC, yet with the attitude of a typical New York based band (ANTHRAX, NEW YORK DOLLS, THE BEASTIE BOYS, KISS). Mix up all these bands, then you have the raw dirty mean rock and roll sound of MIGHTY HIGH. Funny lyrics (“I don’t wanna listen to YES”) are combined with a tough uptempo hardrockin’ approach that would make AC/DC run for their money. Riffs from JIMI HENDRIX (“The ram”) and almost pure Hardcore Punk of the GBH/EXPLOITED/BLACK FLAG kind (“Speedcreep”) pass by, so I guess you can say that MIGHTY HIGH is trying to combine all the dirty sleazy Rockstyles we have seen in the past 40 years. Sometimes this does not work at all, but the band MIGHTY HIGH shows that it can be done very well. If you’re starting to become interested, then do check them out at: www.ripple-music.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
LES JUPES are a Canadian band with an English sound on their debut album ‘Modern Myths’. The band’s lead singer Mike Petkau Falk has a baritone voice, sounding very low and dark, reminding of IAN CURTIS, IGGY POP, NICK CAVE, DAVID BOWIE and the late TYPE O NEGATIVE singer PETER STEELE. The music has a very early 1980s British New Wave meets Post-Punk meets Gothic Rock feeling, ending up sounding like a mix between 80s THE JAM, THE KINKS, THE MISSION, LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH, THE CURE and ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN. Especially towards the end of the album, the band starts to really rock out on great uptempo pieces like “How do you keep this all in line?”, “Myth #7 (Honour)” (Post-Punk Classic style) and the catchy “Mathematics” (Melodic Powerpop ish a la 80s THE JAM/THE KINKS) and also the lengthy closing track “Awake, My Ghost!” which is an almost PINK FLOYDish Progsong. THE CURE influences can also be heard a few times and basically LES JUPES is sounding as British as possible, but not focusing on 1 specific genre only, because the songs are very diverse and combine the best of the aforementioned bands. For eample, “Myth #3 (The Mountain)” and “Someone Lit A Fire Under Khruschev” are uptempo pieces that sound quite dark and remind me a bit of MAXIMO PARK, while a slow song like “A Caveman Returns Home To Find The Fire Has Gone Out” almost sounds like FLEET FOXES! In the end, LES JUPES is a rather original band that just borrowed a lot of diverse influences on their first album ‘Modern myths’ that combined sound different from the rest. More at: http://lesjupes.bandcamp.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Out of the UK comes the next big female singer who might become huge, because GABBY YOUNG is a very original singer/songwriter as unique as for example AMY WINEHOUSE, KATE BUSH, ADELE and FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE have been in the past. It is however always hard to predict if someone has a breakthrough, but judging on the release of her 2nd album ‘The band called out for more’ there are definitely possibilities. The debut album ‘We’re all in this together’ was released in 2009 and now there is the follow-up, which musically is quite a diver record that contains influences from lots of different music genres. Gabby is backed by a 8-piece band called THE OTHER ANIMALS. Although the music is very experimental, combining Gypsy, Folk, Jazz, Balkan and Pop/Rock, with some similarities here and there to BJORK, KATE BUSH and even EDITH PIAF (!), so sounding quite extravagant, the songs are still very accessible and melodic. The thing that sets Gabby’s music apart from all the other female singers is the fact that quite a few songs are loaded with influences from the Balkan traditional music and also some massive Big Band, Rockabilly and Jazz type of songs. Don’t get me wrong here, Gabby is still giving it a modern Pop/Rock swing to it, meaning that it will also appeal to fans of the already mentioned FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, yet without the big over-production and 1980s sounds. In fact, she does not sound too far away from the Dutch singer CARO EMERALD actually! The vocalwork of Gabby is very strong and clean, and if we have a quick run through the track listing, the highlights are “In your head” (catchy tune with a sorta Balkan meets New Orleans Jazz approach, very original high quality tune), “Walk away” (more the melodic pop/rock singer/songwriter type of material, very strong!), “Honey” (KATE BUSHish calmer singer-songwriter) and the Balkan type material “Open” and “Horatio”. I would conclude that after FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, LANA DEL REY, AMY WINEHOUSE, BIRDY… we can welcome GABBY YOUNG AND THE OTHER ANIMALS… More at: www.gabbyyoungandotheranimals.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
There are so many bands out there in Eastern Europe and especially in the past almost every band sounded very average. Luckily in 2012 things have changed a bit and we can welcome a strong band every now and then. DIRTSWITCH from Slovenia is definitely a very interesting band, because their debut CD ‘Phoenix down’ is an impressive American sounding rockalbum. CREED, ALTER BRIDGE and SHINEDOWN similarities are very clear during fantastic songs like “Another breath”, “Over and over”, “My story” (pure SOUNDGARDEN/CREED), “Looking back” and the absolute highlight “Forever”. They also go for a more uptempo Melodic Hardrocksound on a song like “Sulfur” that almost sounds like SHAKRA and TEER, so there’s enough diversity going on here. DIRTSWITCH has a superb lead singer (LUKA LAMUT), who definitely contributes big time to the band’s quite sensational album, which by the way also has a professional sound/production. If you would play me the record, I would immediately think it is one olf the major American label releases. This is high quality stuff that can easily be played loud and proud! Do not miss this great Slovenian band at: www.facebook/dirtswitch (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Multi-instrumentalist BRENT ENMAN from a small town in the US state of South Carolina did everything on his own on his debut CD ‘Wildman’ and I always wait for the vocals to kick in to see if it could live up to the required ingredients of listening out the whole album. Thankfully Brent is able to sing very well indeed, because he has a superstrong Rock voice that reminds me a bit of CARL DIXON of CONEY HATCH fame. Also musically the Melodic Hardrock of Brent sounds dangerously close to CONEY HATCH, so we get to hear Melodic Hardrock in the early 1980s style, with a lot of great flashy guitarwork. Opener “All for the show” is a very catchy uptempo rockin’ tune with some great harmonyvocals and this song clearly sounds a lot like NIGHT RANGER. In fact, if you like the last NIGHT RANGER record, you are surely gonna love this album of Brent. There’s also TALAS and PHIL VINCENT similarities and some early VAN HALEN influences to be heard, so basically this record feels like one of those classic late 70s/early 80s American major label Hardrock albums. Besides the already mentioned opener, other highlights are “Takin’ home”, “Too good to be true” and “Man of the past”. Definitely something worth checking out here… more at: http://brentenman.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
THE VIBES ’45 MINUTES TO GO’ (LUX NOISE/TSM/ SWISS IMPORT) THE VIBES is a Swiss band with a pure raw Rock and Roll sound that sounds a bit like THE HELLACOPTERS, yet with a touch of Rockabilly here and there. MOTORHEAD is also clearly an influence of the band, so actually this is no compromise rock and roll, sounding dirty, mean, raw and nasty. Vocally it is not really good and all together the debut album of the band sounds a bit messy and only interesting for absolute die-hard fans of mentioned bands. More at: www.tcbrockandroll.com (Points: 6.0 out of 10)
The Dannish band X CONTRACT has released a very impressive debut album titled ‘Dearest dream’ that musically is drifting into melancholic Rock like we also know it from bands like ANATHEMA and PORCUPINE TREE. It sounds dark and most of the songs are quite slow, but all together it does sound very melodic. The vocals are quite good actually and X CONTRACT could well have been a British band. Besides, the CD has a high quality sound and not a single track disappoints. This is what you call a highly recommended album! Fans of mentioned bands will absolutely love tracks like “The pain” and “How would I”, although I would rather go for the more uptempo rockin’ “As the fire starts” that also reveal some slight Progmetal influences of the TOOL kind and also the lovely “Feel” is quite memorable. Interesting band that could become massive if they have that lucky break, because judging on their first album, they should easily be able to gain a lot of popularity among the fans of bands like ANATHEMA, PORCUPINE TREE, BLACKFIELD and even OPETH! Check them out at: www.xcontract.dk (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Although not very original, the debut CD of the Swedish AOR band OXYGEN is sounding damn catchy and at times really sensational. The band is formed around lead vocalist TONY NIVA, who already has a 25-year career behind him. He sang with acts like SWEDISH EROTICA, LION’S SHARE, NIVA and ZANITY. Now he fronts the band OXYGEN, with whom he released quite a stunning record titled ‘Final warning’, which musically follows the typical Swedish AOR road and is not far removed from WORK OF ART, H.E.A.T., LAST AUTUMN’S DREAM, ALIEN, TALK OF THE TOWN and also SHY, FINAL FRONTIER and TNT pop up here and there due to the high-pitched vocalwork of Tony. The bio even mentioned WRABIT as a comparison and actually that is sometimes really the truth, especially during the catchy opener “Janitor of love”. The album is filled with 11 perfectly polished sounding catchy hookladen tunes that will please any fan of the traditional AOR sound of the 1980s. Nothing new is brought here, but that really doesn’t matter at all, because the way it is done, well that is of a very high level and easily matches the albums of the earlier mentioned bands. Besides, Tony is an excellent lead singer, so he lifts up the material to higher places. Go check it out asap if you’re a fan of any of the bands, because then you wil be dancing and singing-along to such awesome AOR tracks like “Janitor of love”, “When tomorrow never comes”, “Wanna know for sure” and “We must fight”, all featuring those brilliant catchy Swedish choruses and flashy guitarsolos. Oh and OXYGEN also included a JOURNEYish AOR ballad (“Remember”), so rest assured this album will go down well with the AOR fans out there! Make sure not to miss this gem! (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
FATAL FORCE ‘UNHOLY RITES’ (METAL HEAVEN) ‘Unholy rites’ is the 2nd album of the band FATAL FORCE, which is actually a project of Danish guitarist TORBEN ENEVOLDSEN, who this time got help from MICHAEL VESCARA (MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS) for the vocal part. The included music is quality Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal in the style of the material Michael recorded in the past, so no surprises to be found here. Happily, it is done very well and you will not be disappointed at all with ‘Unholy rites’. 1 of those records you can put on without pushing the ‘forward’ button, so good quality stuff, recommended to the fans of the MICHAEL VESCARA and ROB ROCK bands and projects… (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
MOJO FILTER ‘MRS. LOVE REVOLUTION’ (CLUB DE MUSIQUE/TSM/ITALY IMPORT) MOJO FILTER is an Italian band making their debut with the full-length CD ‘Mrs. Love revolution’, which musically taps out of the old Bluesy Hardrock School of British Music. They remind a bit of THE ANSWER, FREE, BAD COMPANY and such, although I am afraid they are a few levels lower than those legendary acts, because not only the vocalwork is just not good enough, the songs on the album are a bit too standard. Although the band ain’t bad at all and also offers some diver material on the album, none of the 10 included tracks is making a big impact. The band also goes for some real Rock&Roll here and there, with some songs that go into a s ort of HUMBLE PIE, SMALL FACES and ROLLING STONES direction, so if you happen to like that kind of Rock, then go ahead and check out MOJO FILTER at: www.mojofilter.it (Points: 7.1 out of 10)
DIRGE ETERNAL ‘UNDER THE SPELL’ (INDEPENDENT/FINLAND IMPORT) Sadly only 3 songs can be found on this excellent massive sounding EP of the Finnish band DIRGE ETERNAL. The band was formed back in 2008 and so far they have recorded a demo and an EP, with now their new EP ‘Under the spell’ just released. The music is superb high quality Symphonic Melodic Metal in the style of THUNDERSTONE, KAMELOT and SONATA ARCTICA. Done very well, with lyrics in a Horror tradition and from the 3 included songs, the highlight is the closing track “Within the dark”. Let’s hope they will be able to release a full-length record in the near future. More info at: www.dirge-eternal.com/ (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
ZENITH REUNION ‘UTOPIA’ (VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS/FINLAND IMPORT) The band ZENITH REUNION is coming out of Oulu, Finland and they released their debut album ‘Utopia’ on VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS. Although it’s their very first album, ZENITH REUNION was already formed back in the early 1990s, but somehow never managed to release an album until now. The album starts with a pure 80s MAIDENish tune titled “Can’t feel the pain”, which is definitely not the strongest song after listening to the whole album a few times, because for example next track “Naked boy” is so much better. This tune is very impressive midtempo Melodic Hardrock in the style of SHAKRA and BONFIRE, especially during the catchy excellent chorus. Although the band clearly shows more Metal riffs and some spectacular guitar solo’s in the classic MAIDEN style, here and there the music is definitely more Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock orientated, which I think is a good thing, because they sound at their best during tracks like “Gone forever”, “FF” and the already mentioned “Naked boy”. Imagine a mix between AXXIS, BONFIRE, SARGANT FURY and SHAKRA, with Metalish guitarwork, then you’re close to the sound of the Finnish band ZENITH REUNION. The website of the band is located at: www.zenithreunion.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
ADASTRA ‘CORRODER OF MINDS’ (VIOLENT JOURNEY RECORDS/FINLAND IMPORT) ‘Corroder of minds’ is the 3rd album of the Finnish Metalband ADASTRA. Although not very original, the band can definitely deliver quality Heavy Metal with a touch of 80s Teutonic Metal. The band sounds like a cross between PRIMAL FEAR, ACCEPT and SINNER, with even a singer that reminds one of classic UDO. This is something quite different than the usual Finnish Metal and perhaps the only Finnish band that is playing this kind of classic 80s Metal is the legendary TAROT, so fans of that band might want to check out the new album of ADASTRA as well. More info at: www.adastracave.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
POWER THEORY ‘AN AXE TO GRIND’ (PURE STEEL RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) POWER THEORY is a band from Pennsylvania with a high class 1980s US Metal style, which also reveals influences from classic SAXONish NWOBHM and even a bit Teutonic Metal of the ACCEPT kind. The vocals of singer DAVE SANTINI sound raw, but very strong and very Metalish, reminding a bit of DAVID WAYNE (ex-METAL CHURCH). The songs are mostly straight-forward with the fist-in-the-air-metal-Guitar-Riff more than a few times in each and every song. It might not sound very original all together, it is done very well and Metalheads will definitely like this POWER THEORY. It’s their 2nd album and fans of bands like MANOWAR, METAL CHURCH and EXCITER will love this band. Check them out at: www.powertheory.net (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
REAPER ‘FAIRIES RETURN’ (KARTHAGO RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) The German band REAPER was part of the 1980s Teutonic Metal scene in Germany and they managed to release quite a few records through the years, although in the 1980s it was only an EP and a few demos that were released. Now in 2012 KHARTAGO RECORDS has combined all this rare material from 25 years ago and released it on a CD titled ’Fairies return’, which was also the title of their debut EP from 1986. The included music is a bit average 1980s Teutonic Metal with ANVIL influences. The vocals are not really good and this album is really only interesting for absolute die-hard fans of bands like VETO, NOISEHUNTER, STORMWITCH, ATLAIN, CARRIE, FACT, HIGH TENSION, etc. etc. More at: www.khartago-records.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
SLEEPY HOLLOW ‘SKULL 13’ (PURE STEEL RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) The US band SLEEPY HOLLOW was active for only a short while during the late 1980s/early 1990s, but still released a full-length album in 1991. Now more than 20 years later they return to the scene with their 2nd album ‘Skull 13’, which features new lead singer BOBBY MITCHELL (ex-ATTACKER) and bass player MIKE LEPOND (SYMPHONY X). 11 tracks are included and musically speaking it is a mix of Teutonic Metal, RAVENish Metal and some 80s US Metal, but sadly the lack of really good tunes and slightly disappointing vocals does not make it the winner it could have been. Check out more at: www.puresteel-records.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10)
The Swiss band RIZON features 7 members, including 2 vocalists, 2 guitarists and a keyboardplayer besides the standard rhythm section (bass and drums), so it is pretty crowded. ‘Masquerade’ is their 3rd record and their Melodic Metal sounds very strong. The production/sound is massive, thanks to the fact that it was record at the SONIC PUMP STUDIOS, where SUNRISE AVENUE, APOCALYTPICA, CHILDREN OF BODOM and THE RASMUS worked their way to the top. The band has a male and a female singer and both are able to sing very well. The album starts immediately with a sensational track, namely the uptempo Melodic Metal tune “High flyer” that reminds me a bit of SEVENTH AVENUE somehow, with a tad of BLIND GUARDIAN, so very German sounding Melodic Power Metal with big catchy choruses to sing-a-long. Played loud and proud, this song easily invites to sing-a-long to. And actually the whole album continues in this rather catchy Melodic Metal chorus mode with many more great songs like the keyboard-driven “Sigh from eternity”, “Same same”, “Rise on” and “Time after time”. It all sounds super professional and all Melodic Metal fans should check them out at: www.rizon.ch and www.karthagorecords.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
There have been quite a few releases in the past by several band members of the Austrian band CRIMSON CULT when they operated under the band names STYGMA IV, STIGMATA and BIG HEAT. Although I can not remember if we reviewed any of them, the debut album of CRIMSON CULT ‘Tales of Doom’ will definitely make a slight impact, because this sounds like the best Metalalbum in ages. The Metalstyle on ‘Tales of Doom’ is Classic 1980s US Metal with superb guitarwork of GUNTER MAIER and very strong vocals by singer WALTER STUEFER. Never heard of this singer before, but he easily beats all the average Metal singers out there. He reminds me a bit of the BLIND GUARDIAN vocalist mixed with a bit of DEE SNIDER, while the Melodic Metal of the band reminds one of classic JAG PANZER, SAVATAGE and especially VIRGIN STEELE. CRIMSON CULT might well become 2012’s biggest surprise, because just check out the songs “Behind the curtain” (uptempo 80s US Metal a la VIRGIN STEELE) and the SAVATAGEish “Coshinja”, as then you will definitely agree that this is quality Metal the way it should sound like. The more melodic “Long way home” sounds damn catchy and might even attract the MHR fans out there. The band clearly pays tribute to DIO with their song “Warrior son” that could have been on a DIO fronted album from the 1980s! Fans of mentioned bands should definitely check out CRIMSON CULT at: www.crimsoncult.com and www.purelegend-records.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The American band NEW EDEN has been part of the Metalscene since the early 1990s when STEEL PROPHET guitarist HORACIO COLMENARAS founded the band in Los Angeles. They have had several vocalists fronting the band during this period (including JAMES RIVERA and the singers of STEEL PROPHET and CRESCENT SHIELD), but for the 4th album ‘Solving for X’, they came up with ROD ARIAS as their new singer. I have no idea how they find this guy, but apparently he used to play drums (!) with L.A. GUNS for a while. Anyway, when this guy is singing, he sounds like he is a Metal God, because his vocalwork (and also the music of NEW EDEN) is as good as for example such Metal heroes like NEVERMORE! This new NEW EDEN CD is without a doubt sounding like the latest sensational Metal album and any Metalhead need to get this urgently. This is Power Metal with a modern sound at it’s best, with big massive guitarwork that easily beats the MANOWAR and METALLICA releases of the past 20 years (!) and as already mentioned, the vocalwork sounds surprisingly excellent and basically this new album of NEW EDEN is pure Metal Heaven! Just put on a song like “Searching the loss” and you’re definitely hooked for sure. MYSTIC PROPHECY, ICED EARTH and FIREWIND are very good comparisons here, so if you’re a fan of them, then you will instantly love this NEW EDEN. I never paid that much attention to NEW EDEN in the past, but this new record of them simply blows away anything they did in the past and it should definitely be in the collection of every Metalhead! The only let-down is the Thrash-Metal song “Unsolved aggressions” that should have been left off the album, but aside from that single tune you get to hear 45 minutes of Metal at it’s very best! More at: http://www.horaciocolmenares.com/neweden/ and http://www.puresteel-records.com/ (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
ROACHCLIP ‘NIGHT FALLS’ (PURE ROCK RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) Here we have a very impressive album titled ‘Night falls’ by the band ROACHCLIP. This German band released their debut in 1990, but somehow I must have missed that one and even their 2nd release from 2009 never reached our office. Anyway, the 3rd album ‘Night falls’ was delivered the other day and I have to admit that this pure British Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock sounding album is a very strong effort. They sound like a cross between URIAH HEEP, MAGNUM and PRAYING MANTIS (they even a song with this title!) and especially during tracks like “Buffalo”, “GL 298’ and “Praying mantis”, ROACHCLIP sounds very sensational and damn close to the afforementioned bands. If only they could have the production/budget of let’s say AVANTASIA and EDGUY, then they could sound massive and easily compete with HEEP and MAGNUM. The material on their new album definitely has got all it takes to appeal to the fans of MAGNUM and URIAH HEEP, although a few songs are weaker (such as “1077”), but overall a good quality release. More at: www.purerock-records.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
SACRED HEART ‘THE VISION’ (PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) SACRED HEART was a short-lived band from Cleveland and they only managed to records some demos and separate tracks, without ever being able to release something official. However PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS managed to release a full-length CD now with all the material of SACRED HEART collected and making this 11 tracks counting album called ‘The vision’ quite a must-have for fans of Classic 1980s US Metal. Some of the songs have a sorta progmetal touch and all together the music reminds a lot of FATES WARNING and PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, also thanks to the great high-pitched vocals of singer KEITH VAN TASSEL (on the demo tracks from 1989) and RAY RICHTER (on the unreleased EP from 2010, which was actually only featuring original member BYRON NEMETH on guitar). That EP was already reviewed by us 11 ½ years ago (http://www.oocities.org/struttermagazine/NEWREVIEWS73.htm). The older late 1980s tracks are definitely the best ones here and I have to say that the production and sound quality is very good, so in the end we can conclude that this is a quality release that should be checked by fans of the genre. More info at: www.pureundergroundrecords.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
ZARPA ‘LAS PUERTAS DEL TIEMPO’ (KARTHAGO RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) The legendary Spanish band ZARPA has been active (with some interruptions) since 1977, releasing in total 8 albums. Especially the past 10 years they have built up quite a reputation, with many new CD release, of which ‘Las puertas del tiempo’ is the latest one. The band started as Hardrockband in the 1970s, became more AOR/Melodic Rock based during the 1980s, went through a hard time during the 1990s and made a strong comeback in the 2000s as one of Spanish strongest Melodic Metalbands (review of one of their CDs can be found at: https://www.angelfire.com/zine2/strutterzine/HOTNEWREVIEWS30.htm ). The new album is another strong Melodic Metal effort in the style of other legendary bands in this genre, such as TIERRA SANTA, AVALANCH, SARATOGA, BARON ROJO and such… 14 tracks are included and most of them are uptempo, with quite strong vocalwork, although the lyrics are in Spanish, so hard to follow for most of us. PRIMAL FEAR comparisons are clearly possible here, but then sung in Spanish of course. Highly recommended to fans of mentioned bands! More at: www.khartago-records.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The Italian Progmetalband ADRAMELCH already released an album way back in 1988, but it took them all the way to 2005 before a follow-up was released and now another 7 years later they have released their 3rd album in 25 years! Some more background info learns that ADRAMELCH had actually split up after the release of their debut in the late 1980s and their 2nd album from 2005 was more a session record of the band re-recording unreleased material from the past. However, the past few years the band has really been working hard in order to get this new album out and the result is actually quite stunning, because ‘Lights from oblivion’ is a very strong high class Progressive Metal release in the style of FATES WARNING, VICIOUS RUMORS, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, the classic first DREAM THEATER album and RUSH. After repeated listens I honestly feel that this is the band’s finest work and who knows they might now get the recognition they absolutely deserve. Instrumental everything sounds picture-perfect and thankfully lead singer VITTORIO BALLERIO is able to sing very well. In fact, his high-pitched vocalwork easily reaches the level of mentioned bands and during a song like the fantastic “Islands of madness”, the band completely matches the quality of bands like FATES WARNING, CRIMSON GLORY and early QUEENSRYCHE. I am safe to say that we have a winner here and if you like this kind of 80s US Prog/Power Metal, you will be enjoying the new album of ADRAMELCH a lot. Check out all info at: www.pureprog-records.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
MARYANN COTTON ‘FREE FALLING ANGELS’ (PURE ROCK RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT) A name like MARYANN COTTON would suggest we are dealing with a female singer, but it is actually the name of a female serial murderer from the 1800s and also the name for a band from Denmark. Musically speaking they are also in the shock department, because they play Shock Rock and are dangerously close to 1980s ALICE COOPER, with the band’s singer sounding almost exactly like Alice. Although thousands of average bands exist in the Shock Rock/Sleaze/Glam genre, this MARYANN COTTON actually sounds pretty impressive. OK, nothing too original, but the 11 included tracks are quite nice to listen to and with ex-members of KING DIAMOND on board, it is not strange we can conclude that this is a good clean quality release. Besides the typical uptempo rockers like “Never waste land”, “Get it on”, “Shock me” and “Die in Britain” (a more Melodic Rock based tune, best song on the album!), there’s also time for a pure ALICE COOPER/SAVATAGE/KING DIAMOND epic ballad in the shape of “Crazy” and the piano-led “Night train to Paris” that even reminds me of a ROBBY VALENTINE ish ballad. Good record to check-out for sure! More info at: www.purerock-records.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
DRONE ‘FOR TORCH AND CROWN’ (METALVILLE/FLYING DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT/GERMANY IMPORT) ‘For torch and crown’ is the 3rd album of the German band DRONE and musically it is filled with quite average Thrash that sounds rather aggressive and is only recommended to die-hard Thrash Metalfans! (Points: 7.1 out of 10)
PERZONAL WAR ‘CAPTIVE BREEDING’ (METALVILLE/FLYING DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT/GERMANY IMPORT) The German band PERZONAL WAR has been going strong for 16 years now and their new album ‘Captive breeding’ is once again filled with high quality Thrash Metal. The guitarwork is superb and songs like “The cocoon”, “The last day” and “Lost” could make METALLICA jealous! Must-have for all Thrash metalfans out there! (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
MERENDINE ‘NEW WORLD DISORDER’ (METALVILLE/FLYING DOLPHIN ENTERTAINMENT/GERMANY IMPORT) ‘New world disorder’ is the latest album of the Italian band MERENDINE. Their previous albums saw guests like JEFF WATERS (ANNIHILATOR) and CHRIS CAFFERY (SAVATAGE, TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) making their appearance. Musically speaking MERENDINE is playing Aggressive Groovy Metal with Thrash Metal influences, but also Heavy Rock can be heard here and there. There are some similarities to BLACK LABEL SOCIETY sometimes, but most of the time the band can be described as a modern sounding groovy thrash metalband. Not bad, but not really interesting for the ‘melodic’ fans out there either… (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
Musically speaking the Dutch are very good in delivering high class material in 2 specific rockgenres, namely female fronted Gothic Metal and Neo-Progrock. We have seen many excellent releases in these genres the past decades and we can welcome another sensational Neo-Progalbum in the shape of the new album of the band SILHOUETTE. ‘Across the rubicon’ is their 3rd album since their formation in 2005. We did review their previous album at: http://strutterzine.angelfire.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS149.htm The new album has been released on the Swedish label PROGRESS RECORDS and after a few spins I am safe to say that this might well become the Neo-Progalbum of the year 2012. It actually easily beats the new albums of such established acts like THE FLOWER KINGS and IT BITES! SILHOUETTE sounds a bit more melodic and almost Pomp Rock orientated than the usual Neo-Progband (at times like KNIGHT AREA), mainly due to the superb harmonyvocals of the band’s 3 (!) lead singers. The band’s drummer, guitarist and keyboardplayer all share the lead vocals and they all are able to sing very well indeed. Combined with truly amazing melodies in each and every of the 8 included tracks, this album offers 60 minutes of listening pleasure. Songs like “Breathe”, “Anybody”, “Grendel memories” and closing track “Don’t stop this movie” are belonging to some of the best Neo-Progrock since the Classics of IQ, PENDRAGON, PALLAS, ARENA, MARILLION, CAIRO and such were released during the 1990s. I am very excited about this album and any fan of the Neo-Prog genre need to get hold of this record very soon. Too bad it’s not available on Vinyl, but believe me… you don’t want to miss this amazing adventure of SILHOUETTE. More info at: http://www.silhouetteband.nl (Points: 9.0 out of 10)
ROBERT TORRES ‘DEMO CDR’ (DEMO CDR) ROBERT TORRES from Texas is an instrumental acoustic guitar driven musician who was kind enough to sent me his 5-song demo CDR. Robert is clearly a professional musician, but the highlight on the CDR is definitely the only vocal driven song, because this is the tune “Lovers scorned”. This track features vocals of a very strong passionate female singer called SAMANTHA LEAL. If only he could make a full-length CD with Samantha and also add some bass and drums, we might be looking at something very interesting. For now, it’s just one vocal tune and a couple instrumental acoustics, but check out Robert’s music at: http://www.reverbnation.com/roberttorres (Points: 7.8 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem except where noted) |
DANIEL
TRIGGER ‘INFINITE PERSISTENCE’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM/UK IMPORT)
JASON
PLUMB AND THE WILLING ‘ALL IS MORE THAN BOTH’ (SOCCER MOM RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT) 
KATRIN
‘FRAIL TO FEARLESS’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
MARK
DAVIS ‘ELIMINATE THE TOXINS’ (WEATHER BELLE SONGS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT) 
J.C.
CINEL ‘THE LIGHT OF A NEW SUN’ (ANDROMEDA/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
ELISABETH
CARLISLE ‘SAY IT OUD LOUD’ (GLACIER RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
PAT
GREEN ‘SONGS WE WISH WE’D WRITTEN 2’ (SUGARHILL RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT) 
JASON
SERIOUS ‘UNDERCOVER FOLK’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT) 
GRAINE
DUFFY ‘TEST OF TIME’ (INDEPENDENT/IRELAND IMPORT)
BRENDAN
BENSON ‘WHAT KIND OF WORLD’ (LOJINX RECORDS/BERTUS)
KEVIN
M BUCK ‘MUSICK FOR THE NEW AEON’ (OSIRIS RECORDS/ETERNAL EYE PUBLISHING/USA
IMPORT)
FEN
‘OF LOSING INTEREST’ (RIPPLE MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
LES
JUPES ‘MODERN MYTHS’ (HEAD IN THE SAND/DGR MUSIC)
GABBY
YOUNG AND OTHER ANIMALS ’THE BAND CALLED OUT FOR MORE’ (GIFT OF THE GAB
RECORDS/DGR MUSIC)
DIRTSWITCH
‘PHOENIX DOWN’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM SLW PROMOTIONS)
BRENT
ENMAN ‘WILDMAN’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM SLW PROMOTIONS)
X
CONTRACT ‘DEAREST DREAM’ (PHILLIPA RECORDS/TSM SLW PROMOTIONS)
OXYGEN
‘FINAL WARNING’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)
RIZON
‘MASQUERADE’ (KARTHAGO RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT)
CRIMSON
CULT ‘TALES OF DOOM’ (PURE LEGEND RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT)
NEW
EDEN ‘SOLVING FOR X’ (PURE STEEL RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT)
ADRAMELCH
‘LIGHTS FROM OBLIVION’ (PURE PROG RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT)
SILHOUETTE
‘ACROSS THE RUBICON’ (PROGRESS RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT)