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The American answer to European Power Metal is what the info sheet tells us, but thankfully INNER SIEGE from the old town of Peoria, Illinois, USA is much better and far more interesting than the rather standard Euro Metal scene. In fact, they have a lead singer (JEREMY RAY), who is an incredible vocalist with a range that is very impressive and he is someone who easily beats any of the European Metal singers. Surely Sweden and Italy are home to a lot of great lead singers, but when hearing the INNER SIEGE vocalist, it is clear that the American Metal singers are always one step ahead when it comes down to fulfill the complete package in delivering the best vocal performance. Besides that picture perfect vocal delivery, the excellent instrumental performance of the 10 sensational songs included here, along with superb catchy hooks and infective melodic choruses, which will by the way should be saved to your memory forever after hearing them, the whole album is also blessed with a super tight production (production and mixing by DREAM EVIL's Fredrik Nordstrom). There is only one conclusion possible here and that is the fact that INNER SIEGE may have delivered one of the strongest Metal releases of 2012 (please note that the album was released in December 2012). There's not a single weak spot to be found here and the only thing I need to say about the style of Metal is that it is definitely akin to Classic American Melodic Metal in the style of CRIMSON GLORY, QUEENSRYCHE, FIFTH ANGEL, SIRUS and such, including the high pitched vocals. Songs like "Warrior", "Fight On", "Dragon Rider" and "Children of Winter" are really terrific Melodic Metal songs that easily reach the high level of aforementioned bands. It is quite incredible that this band has not been praised in Europe yet, because who knows they might become the next ICED EARTH to conquer Europe in the near future. Go check out this sensational band at: www.facebook.com/innersiege (Points: 9.3 out of 10)
Out of sunny L.A., California comes singer/songwriter KATIE FERRARA, who actually recorded her first EP ‘When love’s not around’ in London, UK. She has already a full-length album out, but this EP is the first official recording I get to hear and review. The included music on the EP is beautiful typical female fronted laid-back singer/songwriter with a jazzy pop approach, featuring clean melodies and lovely vocalwork by Katie. She wrote all included 4 songs herself, using the acoustic guitar as instrument, while additional musicians are guitarist/bassist JONATHAN GUILLAUMAT and drummer JAMIE SHAW, so it has a ‘band’ sound. Highlights are the more uptempo based tunes, such as “Click of the clock” and the excellent “Leaves” that remind me of a cross between NINA NESBITT, NORAH JONES and FIRST AID KIT. Although this is just a EP, it already shows the incredible talent of Katie, so I am pretty sure we are going to hear a lot more from her in the near future. Check out more at: http://www.katieferrara.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Out of Australia comes a sensational Metalband called KNIGHTMARE. It is quite unbelievable that this is just an independent release, because the overall sound/production as well as the included material easily blows you away. This is Metal the way it should sound like! Sometimes in the instrumental department it is quite close to ICED EARTH, yet a little more proggy, with massive guitar riffs that come straight out of the Death/Thrash/Black Metal genre here and there, although vocally it is sounding very clean and actually more into a BALANCE OF POWER, QUEENSRYCHE and PAGAN’S MIND direction. 7 lengthy songs are included on the band’s first full-length album ‘In death’s shadow’ and they are all quite diverse, representing a lot of various Metal genres, although fitting it in between Progressive and Melodic Power Metal would be a wise thing to add here. “False prophets” is definitely one of the highlights here. The fantastic vocals and superb guitarwork is making this band a true winner in the Metal genre and I can honestly say that this band could easily become the next big thing and they truly deserve so, because their album ‘In death’s shadow’ might secretly be one of 2012’s finest releases in Metal! Check out all info at: http://www.knightmaremetal.com/ (Points: 8.7 out of 10) JOHN KLINE ‘DIFFERENT DRUMMERS’ (WET PRESENT RECORDS/MEDIA DISTRIBUTION/USA IMPORT) All sorts of music genres pass by on the new album of the Mobile, Alabama based musician JOHN KLINE, although playing a melodic guitarsolo is what he is doing best. John is a musician, who already released quite a few albums on his own label WET PRESENT RECORDS, with ‘Different drummers’ being the latest one. This is high quality instrumental music that takes you on a Progressive Rock journey, yet with elements from AOR, Melodic Rock, Jazz, Fusion, Blues and bits and pieces of Classic Rock, Hardrock and Metal all mixed throughout the album. John is especially an excellent guitarist, as already mentioned earlier in this review, with clear similarities to the guitar legends, such as JEFF BECK, ULI JOHN ROTH, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, NEAL SCHON, JOE SATRIANI, STEVE LUKATHER, STEVE MORSE, DAVID GILMOUR, etc. etc. It’s quite an enjoyable ride here on the 13 included tracks, featuring all kinds of beautiful melodies in very diverse songs that for fans of both prog and instrumental guitar based music is more than a must-have! More info at: http://johnnykline.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) DIENAMIC ‘SURFING THE APOCALYPSE’ (DIENAMIC RECORDS/SOUND TOWN/SWEDEN IMPORT) DIENAMIC is a rather new band from Norway and while listening to their debut album ‘Surfing the apocalypse’ it becomes clear that this might just as well become the next big band in the Metal genre. OK, there’s nothing really original to be heard here, but the massive sound and impressive vocalwork of the band’s singer GUSTAV HARRY LINDQUIST could bring them much exposure in the near future. He has a wide vocal range, which within the Metal industry is always a key factor to become successful. There are some ICED EARTH similarities, although just a little less melodic. The band sounds tight, mixing Thrash and Power Metal to the maximum, with guitar riffs straight out of the SLAYER book. On the other hand, I do feel that the best is yet to come for this band, because a better production and some more variety in the offered song material could lift them up to higher places. Nevertheless, a nice start to check out at: www.dienamic.no (Points: 8.1 out of 10) STEELD ‘WELCOME TO REALITY’ (STEELD RECORDS/TSM PROMOTIONS) Nu-Metal is a typical American genre, which emerged out of the Grunge circa the mid to late 1990s, with bands like LIMP BIZKIT, KORN and SLIPKNOT. Even a 10-15 years later I am still not impressed by this movement, but in Switzerland a band called STEELD is recreating this sound of the late 1990s. Although not bad at all, it is only interesting for fans of this Rap-Nu-Metal genre… (Points: 5.7 out of 10) MAPLERUN’ RESTLESS’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM PROMOTIONS) Already 5 years ago the Greek band MAPLERUN released their debut album ‘House on fire’ and now they have recorded and released a follow-up entitled ‘Restless’. The most surprising thing here is the fact that it was mastered by the legendary TED JENSEN (he did thousands of classic albums) and the artwork was done by TRAVIS SMITH (OPETH, NEVERMORE…). The included music is Melodic Heavy Rock, with a slight modern twist and some Metal riffs. Done well, there weren’t many standout tracks and also the vocals were not really the unique selling point I am afraid. On the other hand, the enthusiasm and energy of the band could also bring them fame and fortune, because we have seen similar sounding bands growing and hitting it big time eventually (recently in Holland the band GO BACK TO THE ZOO, of whom MAPLERUN also reminds me a bit here and there). Check it out for yourself at: www.maplerun1.com (Points: 6.5 out of 10) STEVE COCHRANE ‘LA LA LA: VARIATIONS ON A HAPPY SONG’ (SPIRIT COMPASS MUSIC/USA IMPORT) Canadian multi-instrumentalist STEVE COCHRANE returns with a new CD titled ‘La la la: variations on a happy song’, an album that reminds me quite a bit of JETHRO TULL, with some 1970s GENESISish Progrock influences added too. Musically speaking quite an adventure and of a very high level (love the acoustic tingled “Beauty & defiance”), with all sorts of strange structures and some PETER GABRIEL kinda vocals. On the other hand, Steve is more or less creating his own little progworld on his albums and this new one is one step forward once again. An album you need to play more than just a few times, as you discover everything something new. Check out more at: www.spiritcompass.com (Points: 7.3 out of 10) SUICIDE BOMBERS ‘CRIMINAL RECORDS’ (SUICIDE RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT/TSM PROMOTIONS) Songs about having fun, scoring girls, loud guitars, Rock and Roll and all other clichés pass by when putting on the debut record of the Norwegian band SUICIDE BOMBERS. The past few years the 1980s American Hair(spray) Metal sound has completely taken over Scandinavia, with so many new bands playing in the style of POISON, MOTLEY CRUE, LA GUNS, GUN’N’ROSES… WIG WAM paved the way 7 years ago when they entered the Eurovision Song Contest and since then new Scandi bands like CRASH DIET, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR and RECKLESS LOVE became very popular. SUICIDE BOMBERS is the latest exponent from Norway and despite they play the exact same Glam/Hardrock as 25 years ago every single band did on the Sunset Strip, thankfully, they are doing at a high level, so no complaints from my side about the performance. The songs are mostly uptempo and quite catchy. We forget about the lyrics, because that has never been an issue in this genre, but overall it sounds pretty good if you’re a fan of the classic sound of mentioned bands. Somehow they remind me of a mixture between BLACK’N’BLUE, SHOTGUN MESSIAH and SLAVE RAIDER, if anyone can remember those bands! Like already mentioned, the past 5-10 years we have seen many new bands from especially Scandinavia and Italy playing Glam/Hair Metal and although quite a few sounded very average, this SUICIDE BOMBERS does sound really impressive. Fans of mentioned bands will instantly fall in love, so go check them out at: www.suicidebombers.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
In every form of art, sports, music or any other cultural movement there must be an inspiration to start up a revolution. If you are in a certain country, people are very much influenced by what is happening in their country and likewise in the Music and Culture development of that country, so a well-known artist, band or musician is very influential on everyone living over there. One of the finest examples can be found in Poland, because ever since the band RIVERSIDE hit it big time 10 years ago, we have seen so many great new bands from there. It was really the influence of RIVERSIDE that shook the whole of Poland, because before them you perhaps had also some really good bands like QUIDAM, COLLAGE, LIZARD and SBB in the progscene, but they were nowhere near as big as RIVERSIDE would become during the 2000s. Anyway, since the start of the new millennium, Poland put itself on the progmap, with many great new and resurrected old bands, whom all suddenly became known outside Poland, such as SATELLITE, ALBION, ABRAXAS, UNDUKTI, EXODUS and all the mentioned bands. The interest ibn Polish Prog became an obsession for some and LOGIC MESS is another example of high quality Prog. This is one of those new bands, formed only a few years ago and already now releasing a great strong debut album titled ‘Element of the grid’. RIVERSIDE comparisons are possible, but LOGIC MESS is also adding some other influences and are here and there close to being a progmetalband actually. “Recall of a memory” is a prime example of the incredible high level of this band. Here they are even close to THRESHOLD, with some slight PAIN OF SALVATION influences as well. The guitarwork is sublime, the vocals are better than any Eastern European band out there, lyrically they ahev something to tell and finally, the production/sound quality of ‘Element of the grid’ is quite superb. This album is a definite winner for the progfans out there! I am convinced that this is just the start for this exciting new Polish band and perhaps it will pave the way for many more generations to come in Poland regarding prog music! Start by checking out their site at: www.logicmess.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) BONES AND COMFORT ‘MOTHERSHEEP’ (GO DOWN RECORDS/TSM PROMOTIONS) There aren’t many Stoner Rockbands emerging from Italy, but here is one and they sound pretty good on their first full-length CD ‘Mothersheep’. They were formed back in 2006 by guitarist/vocalist Daniele Murroni and after a couple EP’s, they now proudly present their debut album. 10 songs are included and it sounds exactly like what you might expect from a Stoner Rockband, so it is features big crunchy groovy guitar riffs with a Metal undertone, raw vocals and melodic choruses. Influences probably come from the mighty KYUSS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, but instrumentally there are also clear SOUNDGARDEN similairites. Vocally however it is very much in the classic OZZY/SABBATH direction. Well done and recommended to people who liked the recently hyped band BARONESS. More info at: www.bonesofficial.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10) TIM MORSE ‘FAITHSCIENCE’ (AMETHYST EDGE PRODCTIONS/USA IMPORT) In 2005 multi-instrumentalist TIM MORSE released his debut album ‘Transformation’, which we also reviewed back then and now we can welcome his follow-up record titled ‘Faithscience’. One of the guests appearing on this album is the legendary DAVID RAGSDALE, who is of course best known as the violin player in KANSAS. Musically speaking this is progressive Rock at it’s finest, sounding close to perfection and despite some vocalwork here and there, it is definitely more based around instrumental progressive explosions on the keyboard and guitar. Although there is absolutely no relation to NEAL MORSE, there are sometimes some clear similarities between the two talented musicians. Tim actually started in a YES tribute band, but thankfully ‘Faithscience’ is not a YES soundalike album, because Tim is creating his own kinda of Sympho meets Progrock, with lots of diversity going on throughout the 11 included songs. Professional stuff is what you get here and fans of prog/sympho will definitely like this, so go to” www.timmorse.com for more info. (Points: 8.1 out of 10) BATABEAT ‘LE PROJET SENECAL’ (INDEPENDENT/PLANETE VIRGOLIA/TSM PROMOTIONS) BATABEAT is a project formed around GUILLAUME SOUCY from Montreal, Canada. He graduated in classical music compostion at the University of Montreal and is mainly playing guitar, bass and piano. Together with 3 other musicians from his hometown, he has now recorded a full album under the BATABEAT moniker. Musically we are diving into experimental instrumental music that is mostly Progrock orientated, yet with a lot of room open for improvisation. It feels like you’re listening to a live record, with a bunch of high profile musicians being very creative. You never know into which direction a song goes, but there are still a few moments on the CD where the musicians take us to a more familiar path, because “Le passager” for example is a beautiful instrumental melodic hardrock ish piece. However, the fans of experimental instrumental music that feels like a cross between film music, progrock, some jazzy/fusion improvisation and a bluesy touch (during opener “Malphas”) are pleased from start to finish here. More at: www.batabeat.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) THE BOOGIEMEN INC. ‘ROCKET SURGERY’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM PROMOTIONS) Out of Norway comes THE BOOGIEMEN INC., a Classic Rockband, with a sound that resembles something straight outta the old 1960s school of ROLLING STONES, SMALL FACES… The band already exists since 1993 and ‘Rocket surgery’ is their 8th album. I am clearly aware that throughout the world there are countless bands playing this type of bar-room boogie rock and roll, so there is definitely a market out there for this kind of rock. In the late 80s/early 90s a couple of bands went to superstardom with this rocksound, such as HANOI ROCKS and QUIREBOYS and who knows THE BOOGIEMEN INC. will also have their fifteen minutes of fame. Whatever happens, I don’t think they would care that much, because they are doing what they love to do and that is making their own kind of rock and roll and they do it at a reasonable level, so rest assured you will have a fun night when THE BOOGIEMEN INC. comes to town. Check them out at: www.the-boogiemen-inc.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
The Spanish Melodic Metalband ZENOBIA returns with yet another very strong album titled ‘Armageddon’. Although I must have missed almost every Spanish sung Metal/Hardrock album release during 2012, I am convinced that a lot of those bands deliver high quality releases that definitely should get much more attention from the foreign press. There was a time when bands like MAGO DE OZ and TIERRA SANTA were praised abroad and even did a lot of performances, but it seems that the past few years it was very quiet around those bands and typical Spanish Melodic Metal style, because not much exposure has been given to them, despite they continued recording and touring in Spain and South America. Anyway, ZENOBIA is such a band, whom is now delivering once again a great new record in the shape of ‘Amageddon’. Despite being sung in Spanish, the overall sound is very good and enjoyable to listen to. It’s a pity a band like ZENOBIA is not heard much outside the Spanish speaking countries, because a song like the titletrack “Armageddon” or “Tu oscura tentacion” on this new album are rather catchy tunes to sing-a-long to. Also the beautiful ballad “Vuelve” should be mentioned, because this is a fantastic melodic rockballad that has SKID ROW’s Power Ballad written all over, but then with Spanish lyrics of course. Anyway, fans of the typical Spanish sung melodic metal/hardrock sound will absolutely love this new ZENOBIA record. More at: www.zenobia.org (Points: 8.3 out of 10) ANOUSCHKA ‘HOLLYWOOD ENDING’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN) Singer/songwriter ANOUSCHKA PEARLMAN grew up in Sweden, but lived in the USA for quite some time, although she is now settled in Berlin, Germany. I am unfamiliar with her previous records, so ‘Hollywood ending’ is the first time I get to hear her music. It is said that her earlier albums featured a full band and more rock orientated style, but on this new album Anouschka is doing everything on her own, which means most of the time, her voice accompanied by the acoustic guitar. JONI MITCHELL, LISA LOEB, MEREDITH BROOKS, FIONA APPLE or JOAN OSBORNE are then the clear comparisons one can draw here, but Anouschka has sorta an unique voice, which sounds a bit like the female singers from the 1990s, so therefore the earlier mentioned similar artists. It’s all done quite nicely, but I would love to hear her go for a more full-band/rocksound, because she she has a more rock suitable voice than a calmer singer/songwriter type of voice. Nevertheless, fans of mentioned female singer/songwriters will absolutely love this slightly alternative sounding American/Swedish and currently German based singer/songwriter. More at: http://www.anouschka.net/home.cfm (Points: 8.0 out of 10) STEVE MEDNICK ‘WHERE ARE THE BODIES BURIED?’ (COTTAGE SOUND RECORDINGS/HEMIFRAN) ‘Where are the bodies buried?’ is already the 10th album of American singer/songwriter STEVE MEDNICK, who delivers here a typical American singer/songwriter album, which sounds just perfect for all the working-class people out there. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, NEIL YOUNG, BOB DYLAN, MARK KNOPFLER and MICHAEL STANLEY are a few names that pop up when listening to the raw vocals of Steve and also musically there is a mix of Americana, a little Heartland Rock and most of all, singer/songwriter style music. Steve tells a lot of stories throughout the album and they aren’t always too positive, so his slightly depressing low voice is doing justice to the dark sounding material. Fans of DYLAN/YOUNG will love this. More at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stevemednick4 (Points: 7.8 out of 10) MICHAEL WARD ‘WORKING FOR THE ONE PERCENT' (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN) It’s a pity only 1 song is included on this single, because the San Francisco based singer/songwriter MICHAEL WARD sounds very promising. He has got a great clean voice and this one song of him is already a pretty good melodic tune that combines all sorts of style, soul, pop, rock and r&b, with a Hammond Organ all throughout the song, a few trumpets nears the end and a slight Carnaval break during the song, while the chorus is very melodic and reflects something close to classic Westcoast-Singer/Songwriter Pop. Look forward to his full-length CD, which should be a mix of all these styles, to be released sometime in 2013. In the meantime, more at: http://www.michaelwardmusic.com/ (Points: 8.1 out of 10) JJ SCHULTZ ‘CAROLINA’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN) JJ SCHULTZ comes out of San Francisco and delivers his 4th album with ‘Carolina’. With a playing length of hardly 30 minutes, perhaps a little too short, but thankfully the delivered music is of a high level. Although he is backed up by a bunch of musicians, of whom DANNY EISENBERG worked with TIFT MERRITT, RYAN ADAMS, SHELBY LYNNE, etc., he is actually most of the time singing alone with his acoustic guitar. Therefore the most notable song is the midtempo retro rocker “Karma come early”, because the other 7 songs are all following a sorta same path, which is calm acoustic orientated and blends Folk and Singer/Songwriter, with even a touch of Indie during the beautiful closing track “Across the bay”. Production is in good shape and for more info please go to: http://www.jjschultz.com/ (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Stockholm, Sweden based singer/songwriter EVA HILLERED already made her debut way back in 1988 with a Swedish sung album. Now singing in English since her last couple of albums, ‘Heaven and hill’ marks her 7th album so far. It is clear that Eva has got a fantastic clean voice (somehow reminding me of LANA LANE), which makes it able for her to sing her beautiful lyrics and likewise provide an extra dimension to the strong melodies that can be found in each and every song. The material is a mix of happy uptempo semi-acoustic tingled folk/country pop/rock pieces that invite to sing-a-long and more intimate songs. Especially those calmer (semi) ballad ish songs, such as the beautiful “In the circle”, “Stars on the snow”, “No one knew” and “Water song” that impress a lot, but on the other hand a catchy light poprocker like “Girl of many secrets” (reminds a bit of JAIME KYLE and LENITA ERICKSON) also sounds very pleasant for the ears! And how about the almost MUMFORD AND SONSish “Fragility”! So there is a mix of everything on this disc and they have all one thing in common, which is the excellent vocalwork of Eva! Great album from a talented lady and definitely making me hungry to check out her previous releases. More info at: http://www.evahillered.se/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Just 17 years old and already releasing a very impressive full-length CD, the New Jersey based singer/songwriter ORIA ASPEN is a super-talented new sensation in the Pop/Rock world. We don’t need shows like Idols, X-Factor or The Voice, because if you’ve got the talent, the voice and the songs, well then one day you will be discovered somewhere, especially in the current social mediaworld. ORIA ASPEN is such a young girl, who makes her debut with ‘Yellow paint’. Although not all included 13 songs are impressive (“Get back” and “It’s you” for example are the weaker ones) and therefore clearly reveal that these are Oria’s first steps in the big music business, it definitely shows that we have someone here who could make it really big someday soon. She reminds me so much musically and vocally of RACHEL SWEET, who was also a young talented teenage rocker during the late 70s/early 80s. Sadly, Rachel quit the music business more or less after the early 80s, so let’s hope Oria will stay much longer and release many more records in the future. Although the music is here and there going into the typical teenage pop-rock direction (“Be my rock star” and “Party song”), she also has songs that show similarities to female artists like NINA NESBITT or TIFT MERRITT and fully shines during beautiful ballads like “Lucky to be me” or “Forbidden love”. Even a great catchy almost early 80s PAT BENATARish AOR/Poprocker is included (“Burn up in the flames”) and also “Last song” is a great AOR tingled song, so there’s enough diversity here to keep you busy. Most interesting is the fact that Oria has got a superb voice, enable her to sing rockers and ballads without any problems and that is incredible for a girl of her age! Also nice to add here is the fact that the legendary SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY is doing a duet with Oria on the cover of the classic “Wonderful world”. We are definitely going to hear more of Oria in the future, who is by the way the daughter of jazz/blues guitarist GLENN ALEXANDER. More at: http://www.oriaaspen.com/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
One look at the album cover of the new record of American singer/songwriter TED RUSSELL KAMP and you might think this is a re-issue of an old 1970s vinyl release, because such frontcovers as this ‘Night owl’ were basically standard during the 1970s for any American singer. Anyway, it is definitely a new album of a musician who is best known as a member of the band of SHOOTER JENNINGS. During his solo career he already released a few albums and with ‘Night owl’ he releases a really great new album that combines the best of Alternative Country and light Southern Rock like only American musicians are able to do. Most of the songs are laid-back ballad orientated, of which “Smile alone”, “Santa Ana Winds”, “My heart has a mind of It’s own” and “At the end of the day” sound very sensational, sorta like a combination of JOHNNY CASH and JOHNNY VAN ZANT. The Altcountry influences shine through during the breezy “I been watching you” and that’s when things becoming really interesting, because there is plenty of rock going through the veins of Ted, although his ballads are at the moment showing Ted at his very best, but who knows in the future he will record some ecletrified rock and roll. I still can’t believe why everyone is praising someone like JAKE BUGG so much, because this TED RUSSELL KAMP is actually an even more talented musician, who definitely deserves full exposure too. He is one of the most talented singer-songwriters out there at the moment! Therefore check him out asap at: http://www.tedrussellkamp.com/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
And here we have a really interesting band from Sweden called THE SPOKES. They just released their debut CD ‘In my head’, which musically is clearly going into the classic 1970s Southern Rock/Hardrock direction of bands like LYNYRD SKYNYRD and BLACKFOOT, with also traces of Bluesy Rock and Melodic Rock slipped through some of the songs. The titletrack of the album for example is a very strong midtempo melodic rocker and a lot of times I also must think of their legendary countrymen of BALTIMOORE when it comes down to similarities, because that band also played such bluesy Melodic Hardrock, but also THUNDER and LITTLE ANGELS comparisons are possible. However, one thing’s clear and that is the fact that THE SPOKES is most of the time more influenced by the American Southern Rockgenre. And actually what they are doing on the 12 included songs is of a very high level and anyone who likes THE ANSWER, WOLFMOTHER and such bands need to desperately check out this THE SPOKES asap as well, because ‘In my head’ is a real great must-hear Classic Rock type of album. More info at: www.thespokessweden.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) RAMBLING NICHOLAS HERON ‘CANNOT FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE’ (BORDER MUSIC/RED TOP/HEMIFRAN) Swedish Singer/songwriter RAMBLING NICHOLAS HERON is coming out of Gothenburg and he has been active in the music business since 2006. The singer, guitarist and songwriter has formed a band around him, so his debut album ‘Cannot feel at home in this world anymore’ sounds like a full band record. Together they already supported popular bands like LOOSEGOATS and BAND OF HORSES and while listening to the first record of Rambling it is clear that he is musically doing something a little similar to those bands, so we have a mix of various American pop and rockstyles. You can hear a little Indiepop, some Powerpop, classic Heartland Rock, 80s Poprock, 70s Westcoast, some Blues/Folk and a a bit of melancholic pop/rock. Highlights are opener “Cannot feel at home in this world anymore”, which is a very nice almost TOM PETTY type of Poprocker, the Indiepoprocker “Pillow book” that has a bit of both BAND OF HORSES and THE KILLERS, the Irish folksy sounding (with Country lap steel guitar) “Surrendering to you” and definitely the catchy closing track “Many nights have passed like this”. It is actually a very diverse album that sounds very melodic, yet a little melancholic thanks to Ramblin’s somewhat depressing way of singing (American/English orientated, without any accent!), but most important lesson we learnt here is that Rambling is an extremely talented musician who truly delivers an interesting debut album here. More at: http://ramblingheron.tumblr.com/ (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Couldn’t have said it any better than what American singer/songwriter LIZA CARBE is calling her new album ‘Wait for the spring’, because in these dark winter months, one is always longing to warmer brighter days to come. Anyway, Liza is actually making her debut with this solo-album, because she has been in bands and doing projects for almost 30 years now (including a brief stint with the legendary all-girl melodic rockband VIXEN!). She is perhaps better known as a member of the band INCENDIO, which is a popular Latin Guitar, World Fusion group (much in the style of the legendary CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO). That band has already released 7 CDs and tours and performs quite frequently, but somewhere Liza felt it was time to also release something on her own. Of course the lovely Spanish/Latin-guitarsound of her regular band can also be heard here, but on this album it is combined with the beautiful voice of Liza. Where INCENDIO is an instrumental band, which is apparently influenced by a lot of Hardrock/Classic Rock musicians (MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, LED ZEPPELIN…), on Liza’s first album we can hear lovely laid-back music that sounds a bit jazzy here and there, but also provides smooth almost Wescoast-Pop type of material and somehow it also goes into a Celtic/Indiepop direction here and there (listen to the beautiful “Just a dream” and “Count Germain” that both remind me of a mix between MOSTLY AUTUMN, KARNATAKA, 90s MARI HAMADA, CLANNAD and FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE). Overall we can also hear some ANE BRUN similarities, but Liza’s voice and accompanied Flamenco/Spanish/Latin-Guitar playing is making it something original and unique to check out as soon as possible. A hidden gem can be heard and hopefully we will be able to witness this talented musician very soon. More info on Liza at: http://www.lizacarbe.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Now this is a great new singer/songwriter album, which has not been picked up by the mass media yet. The album is titled ‘Rust and weeds’ and the performer is the American singer/songwriter PATRICK BROOKS, who is currently settled in Texas and right from the start it is clear that this debut album of Patrick is a classic piece of singer/songwriter music in the style of let’s say classic JIM GROCE, LEONARD COHEN and JAMES TAYLOR, because opener “Another cigarette” is a lovely laid-back honest acoustic tingled song with great lyrics as well. Next track is rockier, uptempo and shows his love for the old American country/folk style of legends like WOODY GUTHRIE and TOWNES VAN ZANDT. And so it goes on and on until the very end of the album, with a mix of calmer real-life melancholic ballads and more uptempo folksy happy tunes. This makes the album a pleasure to listen to and especially thanks to Patrick’s excellent vocalwork, superb songwriting and beautiful melodies, his debut album is a true highlight in the singer/songwriter scene. In fact, it easily blows away the much-praised JAKE BUGG… , but that is just my opinion. Anyway, for example listen to an honest song like “Rusted wire and rotted split rail” and it makes you feel like you are really walking through a deserted town in the middle of nowhere. Actually, every song on this album is written for those people whom are making pointless working hours during the week and feel lonely during the weekends as there is nothing to do in their little hometown. Eventually, Patrick gives them the hope on his CD during a song like “Hoping you’ll walk by”, but actually each of the 11 included songs should give them the courage to enjoy life as it comes, because besides the hope for love in anyone’s life, music is also a key to stay positive whenever one feel’s down. Let’s just hope that Patrick will be able to become successful with his music. More at: http://patrickbrooksmusic.com/ (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The late 1970s and early 1980s were a very important period for the so-called Powerpopgenre, because many bands had their fifteen minutes of fame in that golden era of the genre in especially the USA. While in Europe, the British New Wave and New Romantic ruled the airwaves, in the USA bands like THE CARS, THE KNACK, THE ROMANTICS, CHEAP TRICK and many more were very popular back then. SHOES from Illinois, USA was also one of those bands playing the typical late 70s/early 80s American Powerpopstyle, which was actually invented by the British a decade earlier in the 1960s, because THE HOLLIES, THE KINKS and THE BEATLES were the major bands whom paved the way for the whole 1970s Powerpop generation. In between these 2 generations American bands like THE BYRDS in the late 1960s and THE RASPBERRIES in the early 1970s became the big inspirations for thousands of new bands that emerged during the 1970s in America. SHOES nicely followed those footsteps from 1974 onwards, but developed their own sound through the years and despite a couple major label releases, they never had a real major breakthrough, which is a pity, because they sounded pretty good actually. Anyway, we are now 30+ years later and SHOES returns with a real comeback album filled with new originals and after a few spins, it seems like this is their finest album they ever recorded! Although Powerpop pretty much died in the early 1980s, it was in the early-mid 1990s the genre picked up again in the USA among College Rock stations with acts like JELLYFISH, MATTHEW SWEET, THE POSIES, TEENAGE FANCLUB etc. During those dark 1990s, these and a few others were the only melodic bands out there in America and despite most of them never became really huge, the cult following and the internet made it possible that somewhere in the 2000s, many of the old Powerpop bands reformed and also the legendary SHOES now returns. Actually they never split up, but after they left their major label in the early 1980s, they started their own record label called BLACK VINYL RECORDS and have since released a lot of material. A few years ago they released a great 2-CD set titled ‘Present tense and tongue twister’, which contains demos that were never released, but were originally recorded in their late 70s/early 80s period. And throughout the past 30 years many more releases of SHOES have been put out, but all in small quantities and independently. However, now they release a real new studio album and thanks to the internet SHOES will reach many of the old fans and also the new fans who discovered the band recently much easier than in their ‘independent’ years of the 80s and 90s. ‘Ignition’ is their first new album since 1994, and as already mentioned, it is a very strong CD that combines classic Powerpop with Indiepoprock, so it fits nicely between all the legendary bands from the past and the current popular Indiepop revolution. It’s all sounding very melodic and quite catchy, while there is a nice variation of electrified powerpoprockers and more laid-back acoustic tingled light-Westcoast meets Indiepop Melancholiness. They even throw in an AC/DC type of Hardrocksong (“Hot mess”), but most of the time this is classic SHOES at their very best, with such great songs like “Head vs heart”, “The joke’s on you”, “I thought you knew”, “In on you” and “Only we remain”. The sound/production is excellent and so is the packaging of the album and finally I would like to add that it will not just be a recommended piece to all the SHOES fans out there, because I do feel that with ‘Ignition’ they should be able to gain interest from fans of other music genres as well, because there’s enough Indiepop to be heard here as well, while classic AOR/Melodic Rockfans will also find something of interest on this disc. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.shoeswire.com/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
MAJESTIC is a project created by multi-instrumentalist JEFF HAMEL back in 2007 and so far 5 albums have been released. ‘V.O.Z.’ is the 6th album, which has recently been released and this is probably the most ambitious release, because it comes as a 2-CD set. Anyway, Jeff is creating pure American Progressive Rock, which means a little more focus on clean melodies and excellent vocalwork than the legendary British bands. Think of a mix between ENCHANT, SHADOW GALLERY, CAIRO, SPOCK’S BEARD, PORCUPINE TREE and RIVERSIDE, then you’re getting close. Although Jeff did almost everything on his own, the drums were played by MIKE KOSACEK and the vocalwork was handled by David Cagle, Tara Morgan, Chris Hodges, and Celine Derval. Especially DAVID CAGLE is an amazing vocalist, who reminds me of a cross between the ENCHANT/SPOCK’S BEARD singer TED LEONARD, NEAL MORSE and the legendary JOHN ELEFANTE. If you ask me I would say that you can’t get any better than such a type of singer, so combined with the strong instrumental back-up and songwriting by Jeff himself, the material with David on vocals is very sensational. In fact, during the first 15 minutes of this new CD of MAJESTIC is melodic American Progressive Rock at it’s very best, sounding like the perfect cross between ENCHANT and SPOCK’S BEARD, yet with an own identity. Of course also the other vocalists are sounding very good in similar sensational melodic progsongs throughout the 2 discs. It is remarkable to hear the incredible high level displayed on this album, because MAJESTIC is not one the big acts in prog yet, but they sound like they could become the next big thing. Nevertheless, it is more a project right now, with various lead singers on board and a multi-instrumentalist doing most on his own, so a little like our own Dutch genius and proggy mastermind/wizzard ARJEN “AYREON” LUCASSEN I guess… 2 full-length CDs are delivered here by MAJESTIC and without a doubt, this is a highly recommended release for anyone who likes their prog to sound just perfect and majestic (!), with enough melodies in both the instrumental parts and vocal lines to keep anyone interested for at least 2 hours! Go check it out for yourself at: http://www.majesticsongs.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
I am very much aware that bands in Switzerland somehow have always sounded more international (read: American) than bands from any other European country and WHEN THEY WAKE is another fine example. They might not sound really original and in the USA thousands of bands are playing this melodic catchy modern rockstyle, but WHEN THEY WAKE are doing it exceptionally well and I would not be surprised if they will be huge in their home country of Switzerland. They are making their debut with ‘Be your own hero’, which is a 2-CD set by the way. The music is dangerously close to bands like ALTER BRIDGE, STONE SOUR, LIT, THREE DAYS GRACE, HOOBASTANK, BREAKING BENJAMIN, CREED, DAUGHTRY, 3 DOORS DOWN, LIFEHOUSE, SALIVA, TRAPT, CHEVELLE, LOST PROPHETS, DESTINE, BOYS LIKE GIRLS, etc. etc. , but with a slightly lighter approach, really aiming for the charts and the radio (and probably a deadringer for teenage girls!). It’s all done very well and without a doubt, this is a highly impressive album that can easily generate airplay worldwide and despite they are from Switzerland, they fit in easily right between 3 DOORS DOWN and HOOBASTANK. Although a lot of the songs are in the midtempo sequence and some more diversity might be recommended here, it’s a very nice record to listen to from start to finish, which in this case is quite a long time actually. I predict that in the future they will go for a more progressive direction, which can already be noticed during a song like “Wake me (When it’s over)” that has some great guitarwork and instrumental prog breaks besides a damn catchy chorus (COHEED AND CAMBRIA comes to mind here). I have to add that CD2 is less interesting than CD 1, because the experimenting with a little Hip Hop and Screamcore did not work so well, but nevertheless, this is 00s American Rock at it’s best in a 2 hours counting experience from this Swiss band, so any fans of mentioned bands need to save their money and go for the Swiss version of the American sound! More at: www.whentheywake.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) KRUK ‘BE 3’ (METAL MIND PRODUCTIONS/POLAND IMPORT) I had never heard of the band KRUK before, but apparently they have been active for a while now. They hail from Poland and present us with high quality Melodic Hardrock that sounds better than most other new bands in this genre. Comparisons to JADED HEART, FIREHOUSE, TALISMAN, 1980s EUROPE, PINK CREAM 69 and especially ELEKTRADRIVE are definitely possible on their new album ‘Be 3’, but somehow KRUK is adding a touch of their own to the overall sound, which is partly thanks to the excellent guitarwork (Piotr Brzychcy), good JOEY TEMPESTish vocalwork (Tomasz Wisniewski) and AORish keyboardwork of Michat Kurys. Although the incredible high level of aforementioned bands is not reached here, the included material is nevertheless a pleasure to listen, with here and there a damn catchy tune (“Steal your heart”, ”Burnin inside” and “On the station”). I am convinced that KRUK in the future could become as huge as GOTTHARD, because as already mentioned, the musicianship should already be appreciated and KRUK is definitely delivering a very strong album with ‘Be 3’. On the other hand I feel that this band is able to do even greater things, so perhaps the best is still to come! Most remarkable thing that I need to add here is the fact that the band covers the DEEP PURPLE classic “Child in time” on the CD, which of course is a really dangerous decision, but KRUK somehow nails it. They give the song a more bluesy approach, with once again some very impressive guitarwork and also the screaming/high-pitched vocalwork sounds pretty impressive, so they did a good job for sure! Concluded, the Melodic Hardrockfans out there should not miss this album! More at: www.metalmind.com.pl (Points: 8.3 out of 10) SHOWDOWN ‘SHOWDOWN 2012’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) SHOWDOWN were one of the countless independent AOR bands that were active in the early 1980s in America. Some of those bands released a full-length LP, while others were only able to release an EP, a cassette tape or a single, but most of them appeared with a song on a local radio station compilation album (me owning a couple of hundred of these rare records…). Anyway, SHOWDOWN released a very rare full-length record about 30 years ago (check the classic AOR tune “Stop Hold on” on YOUTUBE) and now they make their comeback with a new full-length record. Like many other 80s AOR bands from the 1980s, also SHOWDOWN went down into obscurity and focused on playing covers throughout the 1990s and 2000s in their local region of Michigan, but thankfully they recorded a bunch of original songs for this new CD. Anyway, the laid-back early 80s FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTSish Westcoast-AOR of 30 years ago has been replaced with a more jazzy westcoast-pop/rock affair, which reminds me a lot of CHICAGO. Happily, the included material is of a very high level and especially during the pure AOR tune “Love and love alone” (a la MARK SPIRO) and the closing track “Ohio” (VAN ZANT/LYNYRD SKYNYRDish Southern Rock epic 1970s class, best song), SHOWDOWN is showing they are able to deliver sensational songs after all these years. The other 6 songs are as already mentioned, actually more a mix of Jazz, Westcoast, a little Blues and some Pop, so not that interesting for the AOR fans among us. Nevertheless, it all sounds very impressive and SHOWDOWN 2012 is therefore a recommended album to check out, especially to those of you into Westcoast-Pop in the style of classic CHICAGO, JAY GRAYDON, PLANET 3, BILL CHAMPLIN, etc. More at: www.showdownband.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Now here we have a hidden gem in the world of Folk/Americana music. DAVID HOPE is an Irish singer/songwriter who is releasing his 2nd album with ‘Scarecrow’ and I am safe to say that his voice and music should easily reach all the fans of singer/songwriter folksy pop/rock. Forget JAKE BUGG, because here is David Hope, who might become the next big thing in the music business, because his music sounds like the perfect cross between BOB DYLAN, JOHNNY CASH and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, yet thanks to the superb voice of David himself he gives it an own signature. So, a lot of American influences can be found here and the strongest selling point of this album might be the fact that it contains a great mixture of rockers and acoustic peaceful songs. If you listen closely to the beautiful closing track “Someone else’s mind” you will completely agree with me that we have something remarkable here. David released his first full-length album in 2007 (‘A picture’), followed it up with 2 EP’s and now makes an impressive comeback with this excellent new release ‘Scarecrow’, which hopefully will give him the much deserved breakthrough! Check it out for yourself at: http://breakingtunes.com/davidhope (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Now here we have a sensational Guitar Wizzard from Canada called SHANT HAGOPIAN. He was helped by established musicians such as drummer VIRGIL DONATI (STEVE VAI), bassist RIC FIERABRACCI (PLANET X) and guests DEREK SHERINIAN on keyboards (ex-DREAM THEATER) and vocalist ANDY KUNTZ of VANDENPLAS on 1 song. Together they recorded the brilliant first album ‘Solipsistic’ of this project called SEMANTIC SATURATION. The instrumental Progressive Rock/Metal is of an incredible high level, with of course the main focus on the amazing guitarwork of Shant. He is not continuously shredding like some people might expect from such a gifted guitarist, because he is actually focused on playing these beautiful melodies on his guitar all the time, such as can be heard at best during the uptempo rocker “Ambivalence” and the ballad “Blessing in disguise”. Such material is belonging to the finest instrumental work available at the moment! Shant by the way is actually of Syrian/Armenian heritage, but is now settled in Canada, although if we go back in time to the year 2003, he played in a band called NU CLEAR DAWN, a fantastic Syrian Progressive Metal band, which released the album ‘Poem of a knight’ (review at: https://www.angelfire.com/az2/strutter8/HOTNEWREVIEWS15.htm ). That band was active in the city of Aleppo and if you follow today’s news every now and then, you will agree that it isn’t possible to live a normal life over there nowadays. Shant already left Syria 8 years ago and hopefully this incredible (almost) instrumental album will bring Shant a lot of success, because if there’s one solution to all the troubles in the world, then it is definitely music! Check out more at: http://www.shanthagopian.com/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10) 3RD DEGREE ‘THE LONG DIVISON’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) The American Progressive Rockband 3RD DEGREE has been active for quite a while now. Actually they already started way back in the early 1990s and released a couple of records, but somehow the New Jersey band broke up for a while during the later 1990s and early 2000s. Nevertheless, they made a strong comeback a few years ago with ‘Narrow-caster’ and a live release, although this new album ‘The long division’ is their first real new material featured album since the 1990s. The included music is like their previous efforts, so we get to hear strong quality Progressive Rock, which is song-based and with a lot of RUSH similarities, although 3RD DEGREE is here and there a bit theatrical (PETER GABRIEL – GENESIS period) and some KANSAS influences can also be heard. On the other hand, 23 years after this band started, they have clearly developed their own kind of progressive rock, which is melodic and pleasant to listen to. Highlight is without any doubt the tight and tough sounding “Televised”, which is more rocking than most other tunes. I do think that if you like GLASS HAMMER, ECHOLYN and SYLVAN, then you will surely love this band too! Go for more info to: www.3rdegreeonline.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
TYRONE WELLS is a singer/songwriter from the Seattle area and he has already released a bunch of albums in the past, but I learned about him just a couple of weeks ago. A few years ago he left major label UNIVERSAL MUSIC and is now signed to independent label POSITION MUSIC, whom were kind enough to sent his 2 latest records ‘Where we meet’ from 2012 and the new album ‘…this love’. Musically and vocally speaking Tyrone fits in right between JOHN MAYER, GAVIN DEGRAW (listen to the song “You and me sitting on top of the world”) and CHRIS DAUGHTRY. Semi-acoustic tingled singer/songwriter pop/rock with a strong focus on sensational soulful vocalwork is what you get here and without a doubt, it is of an incredible high level. Each of the 29 included tracks on these 2 CDs are a pleasure to listen to and without a doubt, a lot of these tracks could easily become a huge hit. This is radio-ready pop/rock-song perfection from start to finish. A few times Tyrone even goes into pure AOR territory, such as during the midtempo “Already falling” and “I can’t save you now”, both blessed with some beautiful melodies, but the open-minded AOR fan will definitely like everything of this musician, because it is all about melodies and clean amazing vocals here. The difference between the 2 CDs is that the new record is an acoustic based record, while ‘Where we meet’ is a little more electric guitar Rock driven. Tyrone is blessed with a superb voice and all of the included material is sounding very impressive, so it is with pleasure to highly recommend this musician to anyone. He absolutely deserves a major breakthrough soon… Check out more at: http://tyronewells.com/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Out of Switzerland comes the sensational Progmetalband TIME GRID, whom are delivering their debut album with ‘Life’. The interesting part here is that this band has a male and a female singer (Mathias Reusser and Laetitia Fontannaz), but also features a superb guitarist (STEVE HUBER), who is more or less the leader of the band. The sound/production of the record is huge and I have to admit that the included music is Progmetal at it’s very finest. Complex songstructures are mixed with beautiful clean melodies in the vocal department, while the guitarwork is as already mentioned picture-perfect. 8 songs are included and due to the use of strong male and female vocals, we get to hear some sensational material that finds it’s highlight in the fantastic 10-minutes counting “Emptiness”, which contains some beautiful melodies and also once again is blessed with brilliant guitarwork. The band was formed way back in 2001, so it took them a long time before an official album was made available, but on the other hand, with this record they are definitely delivering a high class Melodic Progressive Metal Masterpiece! Check out more on them at: http://www.facebook.com/timegrid (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Wait until you hear this band from Larisa, Greece, because WILD KITTEN is sounding exactly like a classic female fronted US Melodic Hardrock/Hair Metalband from the 1980s. The first song on their EP is called “Female devil” and I swear that this tune could have been recorded almost 30 years ago somewhere in America, because we can hear clear similarities to bands like LITA FORD, BITCH, BETSY, HELLION, LEE AARON, BLACKLACE, DC LACROIX, ROCK GODDESS, ROSY VISTA, POISON DOLLYS, ENVY, VIXEN, MEGHAN, SACRED CHILD, etc. etc. Most important factor is of course the band’s superb female singer ELIZ FOXYFORD. She has got the perfect Metal/Rock Queen voice, sounding as good as the vocalists of aforementioned singers. Without a doubt, with a singer like her in your line-up, you can not go wrong! Not only the music, but also the sound/production of the 7 songs on their debut EP is somehow very 1980s orientated and believe me that is definitely a positive remark! The guitarwork (especially during “Illusion”) sounds pretty good too and so we may conclude that almost everything is perfect here, although the lyrics are perhaps a bit cliché tingled, but it’s the great music that counts and with the uptempo Melodic Hardrocksongs “Hell on my wheels” and the SANDRA cover “In the heat of the night”, the semi melodic rockballad “Illusion” and the earlier mentioned opener “Female devil” (80s US Melodic Metal), the band delivers high quality female fronted melodic hardrock/metal in the style of all those legendary bands. Must-have for fans of all the mentioned bands (and beyond!)! Hopefully we will see and hear much more in the future of this exciting promising band from Greece! More at: http://www.reverbnation.com/wildkitten (Points: 8.5 out of 10) THE CIRCUS IN YOUR TOWN ‘FULL SPECTRUM’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) Out of the Seattle area comes the band THE CIRCUS IN YOUR TOWN and with a bandname like that, it is no wonder that they are an experimental/prog orientated act. TOOL is clearly one of their major inspirations and the mix of 90s Alternative Rock with Progressive Metal works quite well throughout the 10 included songs. Aside from a few screams, the vocal department is mostly melodic and clean, although towards the end of the CD there’s some more screaming going on. Anyway, the guitarwork is dark, downtuned and quite metal ish, but definitely sounding very professional. I have to say that I found the production of the drums rather striking, because they sound quite in your face, in a way we also heard on the METALLICA album ‘St. Anger’. It took the band 6 years to record a follow-up to their 2006 debut album, but the result is interesting, with somehow as highlight the catchy opener “Painted faces”, which is a very strong Progressive Metal song. Last but not least, the band is actually featuring only 2 musicians, namely guitarist/vocalist Tracy and drummer Josh, 2 young guys delivering high class music. Fans of TOOL and DEFTONES need to check out this THE CIRCUS IN YOUR TOWN a.s.a.p.! More at: http://www.thecircusinyourtown.com/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
I am not familiar with the band’s earlier material, but apparently the 2nd album ‘Ultraviolet catastrophe’ is bringing a change in style, because they used to play folk/pop and are now starting their new album with a pure 1980s inspired Synth/Electro Pop tune called “Oh Lord Tell Them Wind Blows Far From Me” that sounds like a cross between THE EDITORS, DEPECHE MODE and WHITE LIES, yet with some typical Neo-Folk vocals/harmonies (FLEET FOXES). No objections at all from my side, but I guess that if you liked their debut, this is something completely different. Anyway, it all sounds very impressive actually and you wouldn’t tell that HATEM is really coming out of Spain, because they sound so British (including excellent vocalwork)… Personally I am a huge fan of anything 1980s, so the massive use of synths in the HATEM sound is definitely making it interesting and the fact they mix it with Indie Pop melodies is making them a recommended band to check out for sure. Of course this has been done by numerous bands in recent years, it still sounds quite attractive to listen to. 10 songs are included and to avoid the cliché tingled lyrics, HATEM chooses some very unusual “Bad English” word combinations, but it‘s the music that counts in the end and with a song like “You know we found new words”, they are definitely aiming for a major radio hit! It wouldn’t surprise me if they indeed will be played on the European Radio Stations in the next coming spring months, because this kind of fun happy music is exactly what we need in these dark and cold times! More at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/HOLA-A-TODO-EL-MUNDO/293936474380 (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The French band INCRY was formed more than 10 years ago and so far they released a couple EP’s and a full-length record, but with ‘Rock.Fr’ they are clearly aiming for a wider audience, because this album sounds quite impressive. They sing in the French language, which is something I personally appreciate, because French bands singing in English simply does not work at all. The band did play support for VULCAIN, which is one of those legendary French bands and currently they are working hard to get more exposure in their homeland of France. Anyway, INCRY truly delivers a great Melodic Hardrockalbum with this ‘Rock.Fr’. In fact, they are reaching the high quality of MANIGANCE and BEAU GESTE, 2 other bands which sung in the French language in the past, although musically INCRY is basically pure Melodic Hardrock with catchy melodies and a tight rhythm guitarsound. 12 songs are included and there’s a nice variety of midtempo and uptempo tunes to be find here. If you happen to be familiar with the French language, you will be able to sing-a-long quite easily I think. “Inattendue” is one of the most interesting songs on the album, because this semi-ballad takes you into Melodic Progmetal territory, including a strong melodic chorus (a la MANIGANCE !) and some biting guitarwork. The production/sound quality is quite massive and all together, INCRY offers a nicely Melodic Hardrock adventure here. Some SHAKRA similarities are possible, but then again we need to add that the lyrics are in French, which makes it actually impossible to compare. Also a couple times the band goes for an experimental direction, such as during the extreme sounding “L’enfant”, but overall they play Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock. Check them out at: www.incry.fr (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
The Houston, Texas based band OZ KNOZZ makes a sensational return with their new album 'True believer', which follows their 2008 album '10,000 days and nights' (review at: http://strutter77.angelfire.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS139.htm ). If there's one genre that has seen very little new records during the past few decades, let alone high quality new album releases that reach the incredible high level of that genre's heydays, then it is definitely Pomprock. Somewhere between 1977 and 1982 the Pomprockgenre reached its peak with legendary acts such as TOUCH, STYX, ZON, THRILLS, ROADMASTER, SPY... The Pomprocksound developed throughout the 1970s in the USA, when UK Progressive Rock influenced bands in America started to add more melodies to their sound and eventually make more song-based material. The songs followed the midtempo route most of the time, with a tight straight-ahead pompous rhythm section (70s Rock/Hardrock drum/bass sound instead of the complex Progrock tempo changes of the 1970s), massive harmonyvocals (clearly QUEEN influenced), clean crystal clear melodic pop/high pitched vocals (70s AOR/Westcoast influenced), big rich synths/keys (YES), Classic Rock influenced precise guitarwork (the JEFF BECK/JIMI HENDRIX/CARLOS SANTANA school) and to top it all, catchy hooks and radio-ready memorable choruses. The songs were not as lengthy as their prog heroes from the UK, but nevertheless, there was a lot happening during each song on any of the classic albums in the genre. The very first and probably also the defining album for everything called Pomprock is the STYX album 'The grand illusion' from 1977. If you ever start listening to the Pomprockgenre, then better check out this album first, because this is the album that should be seen as the Bible for Pomprock. Nevertheless, many more great albums were released after that STYX classic and there's actually one record that beat the STYX album, because the 1979/1980 one-off TOUCH album is in my book the finest Pomprockalbum ever released! In the early 1980s the genre was blown away by the 3 minutes counting songs from the Powerpop/AOR/Melodic Rock area and by 1983 the Pomprockbands either changed their sound to a more easier direction or simply quit the music business. Back to OZ KNOZZ, because this band was formed all the way back in 1969, released an album in the 1970s, toured with established acts like KANSAS, PETER FRAMPTON, URIAH HEEP, SUPERTRAMP, JUDAS PRIEST, etc. etc. but the following decades they vanished into the local clubscene. However, in the late 2000s they made a comeback with a new album and now another new record is released. Without a doubt, this album contains some of the best newly recorded pure Pomprock recorded since 1981. Especially the beginning of the album is pure Pomprock heaven! These are the songs "Empty Room" (ROADMASTER meets STYX), "Goodbye Again", "Far Away" (like THRILLS) and the amazing Pomprock Classic "Always There" (SUGARCREEKish, the absolute highlight on the whole album!). The second part of the album is a little less impressive and is apart from the AOR song "Here Comes The Night" (borrowing from JOURNEY's "Don't stop believin") also tapping more out of the 70s Classic Rock, Hardrock and Progressive Rock genres. Closing track "Kings And Treasures" offers some really high quality Progressive Rock in a classic KANSAS direction. In the end, we may conclude that a couple of songs on this new OZ KNOZZ album belong to the absolute finest recorded music of the past few years. Make sure not to miss this release if you call yourself a dedicated Pomprock/AOR fanatic. More at: www.ozknozz.com and www.myspace.com/ozknozz (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Out of France comes the band MANDOO, a duo formed around Esther Ben Daoud (keyboards) and Pierre Vanier (vocals/bass). They deliver their 2nd album with ‘Sweet bitter love’, which musically offers pure 1970s breezy smooth Westcoast-Pop that is clearly inspired by all the legendary US Westcoast acts from 30-35 years ago, such as STEELY DAN, HALL&OATES, TOTO, JAY GRAYDON, AIRPLAY, BILL CHAMPLIN, BILL LABOUNTY, ROBBIE DUPREE, DAVID ROBERTS, KENNY LOGGINS, PAGES and the countless other bands and artists that were so popular during the period 1975-1983. Vocally there is a French accent to be heard, but the die-hard Westcoast fan will not mind at all, because such newly recorded music in the old 70s Westcoast style you don’t hear that much and certainly not as good as on this MANDOO album ‘Sweet bitter love’. The material is mostly slowtempo orientated and should actually be heard during breezy summer nights, which sadly at the moment here in Europe is impossible, as we are in the middle of a dark cold winter. Thankfully MANDOO’s music shines a bright light for better things to come and therefore it is with much pleasure to recommend this album to all the fans of the legendary US Westcoast sound from the late 1970s. Not as good as FREDERIC SLAMA, another French Westcoast junkie who is leaning a bit more towards AOR than this more Pop (and here and there even STEVIE WONDER influenced Soulish) based MANDOO, but the true Westcoast fan will definitely appreciate this album a lot! More info at: www.mandoo-music.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter ALAN HEWITT from Palm Springs, California has been in the music business for quite some time, with as highlights an appearance on the legendary ‘Cherry Pie’ record of WARRANT, working with EARTH, WIND and FIRE and currently touring as keyboardplayer for THE MOODY BLUES. Besides producing and working on all kinds of projects around the world, he also has a solo career, which gave birth to several albums and ‘High fidelity’ is the latest album. The record is filled with 80s influenced Hi-Tech Westcoast/Pop/AOR in the style of PLAYER, THINK OUT LOUD, RICHARD MARX, TIM FEEHAN, CHICAGO, JAY GRAYDON, PLANET 3, JACK WAGNER, JOHN O’BANION, RON COLLINS, BRIDGE 2 FAR, GINO VANELLI and I could go on for hours… along with some Smooth Jazz instrumentals here and there. The result is a high quality release that will please especially the fans of the classic Californian Westcoast sound, yet with the 80s Hi-Tech approach most of the time. The vocalwork of Alan is actually quite strong, reminding of MARK SPIRO/PETER BECKETT. There is some really catchy material to be found here, but no real rockers, as the songs are mostly in a sorta semi-ballad to midtempo direction, which also CHICAGO and RICHARD MARX did during the mid to late 1980s. Anyway, the AOR fan will definitely find something of interest here for sure, with as absolute finest song the TOTO/STEVE LUKATHER/RICHARD MARXish late 80s Westcoast-AOR ballad “It’s not the way”. Quite a surprise this album and highly recommended to all Westcoast fans! More at: www.AlanHewitt.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
There are so many undiscovered gems out there and vocalist JOHN NICKOLOFF’s mini-CD ‘Get out of my way’ is without a doubt a sensational album you need to check out a.s.a.p. John is coming out of Florida, was part of the legendary band RAINLORD (reviewed in the past by us) and he happens to be a fantastic singer, with the voice of a real rocker (a la MICHAEL BORMANN). The music is pure Melodic Hardrock, with similarities to SHAKRA, VICTORY and PINK CREAM 69 sometimes, although there’s a little more diversity to be heard here. John’s voice is really strong and should enable him to become very succesfull in the future. 5 songs are on his debut album, with opener “Get out of my way” being one of those typical tough image Hardrocksongs that will be loved for sure by all fans of the genre. Following track “Not giving up” is heading for an almost AOR/Melodic Rock direction and after listening to it several times I am convinced that this incredible catchy tune will bring a smile to every fan of classic late 80s US AOR/Melodic Rock of the FIREHOUSE/NELSON/BON JOVI/DANGER DANGER/PAUL LAINE kind. You don’t hear them as catchy as this tune much nowadays, so eat your heart out STEEL PANTHER! The midtempo “Forgive/Forget” is also excellent AOR/Melodic Rock at it’s finest, just showing that the Americans are the best in making this style. “Movin’ on” taps out of a slightly different direction, sounding like a cross between QUEEN and ROBBY VALENTINE. And then there’s closing track “Friends like these”, which is full-blown late 1980s tough Hair Metal in the style of SKID ROW, LILLIAN AXE and vocals in the classic TESLA style. Concluded, we have another winner here for the fans of high class Melodic (Hard) Rock and let’s hope we are going to hear much more of John in the near future. In the meantime, check out his site at: http://johnnickoloff.com/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Out of the small city of La Vergne, Tennessee, USA (close to Nashville) comes the band PHOENIX RISING, not to be confused with the countless other bands that have the same bandname. This band features a truly amazing female singer by the name of AMY RISING BROWN. It’s her vocalwork (like JANIS JOPLIN) that makes this band probably a must-see live on stage. However, also guitarist Brian Brown is an excellent musician (and so is the rhythm section), with riffs and solo’s in the best Classic Rock tradition. The combination of such talented musicians and a bunch of original tunes on their 2 CDs is making them a very interesting band to check out. During the 1970s and 1980s the USA captured so many great original bands, but throughout the 1990s the Grunge and Coverband movements spoiled a lot and even this PHOENIX RISING is making money by doing covers in the Nashville area. So when looking for something sensational nowadays in the Classic Rock genre a lot of people will look outside the USA (except perhaps the usual New York and California areas), but thankfully there are still so many undiscovered original rockbands out there throughout the USA and with PHOENIX RISING, the USA once again shows that when they deliver Classic Rock, they are by far the very best! The music of PHOENIX RISING is pure 1970s Classic Rock, with a touch of heavy Bluesrock in the guitar department and a slight AOR influence in the vocals/melodies. Both CDs are actually mini-records and date back to 2001 (‘From the hip’) and 2009 (‘This is the good life!’), so let’s hope some new material will be recorded soon. Nevertheless, good music never dies and therefore all fans of high class female fronted Classic Rock need to check out this band asap, because there is more than SASS JORDAN, SAINT JUDE, DARBY MILLS, DANA FUCHS, BETH HART, etc. waiting to be discovered… More info at: www.prising.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) SILVER HORSES ‘SILVERHORSES’ (7US MEDIA GROUP/NEW MUSIC DISTRIBUTION/EDEL/TSM PROMOTIONS) SILVER HORSES is a new band formed around legendary BLACK SABBATH singer TONY MARTIN and Italian guitarist GIANLUCA GALLI (TIME MACHINE, MANTRA). They started the band in 2011 and now the first album is released. Although the BLACK SABBATH level isn’t reached here, fans of Classic 70s Hard Rock will like this album for sure. Maybe not a classic, Tony is still showing his skills as a strong Rock singer and Gianluca is a very impressive guitarplayer. LED ZEPPELIN, BAD COMPANY, WHITESNAKE and such are clear influences, but apart from the beautiful semi-ballad “Suddenly lost”, the material is more likely to compete with bands like THUNDER and KINGDOM COME than the original masters of this genre. Nevertheless, SILVER HORSES deliver a nice solid Classic Hard Rock album. More info at: www.silver-horses.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10) LAYLA MILOU ‘REBORN’ (7US MEDIA GROUP/NEW MUSIC DISTRIBUTION/EDEL/TSM PROMOTIONS) The German singer/songwriter LAYLA MILOU releases her 2nd album with ‘Reborn’. Musically it is a mix of 90s DORO and 80s inspired female fronted hardrock like a cross between PRECIOUS METAL and LITA FORD, yet I have to inform you that it is not sounding in the same league, because therefore more work needs to be done. Layla is doing quite a bit things on her own here, although she gets help from musicians of bands like ARMY OF FRESHMEN and SILLY ENCORES as well. Biggest surprise are the 2 duets she did, with TONY MARTIN and PAUL DI’ANNO. Not entirely convinced on her vocal skills, because she struggles here and there (such as during “Access denied”), but that is something to work on in the future, as during the catchy midtempo melodic rocker “Murder in high heels” I think she delivers a strong vocal line that has a touch of LANA LANE. 12 tracks are included, production is fine, very Metalish, but that doesn’t make it a classic. Only for the die-hard fans of female fronted Hardrock/Metal! More at: http://www.layla-milou.de , http://www.myspace.com/laylamilou (Points: 7.2 out of 10)
From the Spanish island of Mallorca comes the band L’ESPINALE, which is a really interesting act that is playing a mix of Gothic Rock, Melodic Rock and Modern American Rock. They are doing everything very well on their CD ‘Last days of Adam’, sounding quite international and balancing somewhere between HIM, THE RASMUS, THREE DAYS GRACE and TEN. The production is exceptionally well and the melodies of each and every of the 10 included tracks is very memorable, making this all together a very pleasant album to listen to from start to finish. There is a mix of uptempo and mitempo tunes, with a few slight progrock tempo’s included as well. Especially opener “The world from above” is a very catchy tune that should be seen as pure Melodic Rock actually. Catchy hooks and melodic choruses are very important for this band and therefore the fans of Melodic Rock with a modern edge will absolutely like L’ESPINALE. Check it out for yourself at: http://lespinale.bandcamp.com/album/last-days-of-adam (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
And here we have a very strong typical Euro Power Metal album in the shape of the debut album of the German band VICTORIUS. Although we have heard it all before, these guys are doing it very well and deliver a superb slice of super catchy Melodic Power Metal like a somewhat slowed down DRAGONFORCE, TWILIGHT GUARDIANS, SONATA ARCTICA, THUNDERSTONE, DIONYSUS, AXENSTAR, IRON SAVIOR, LOST HORIZON, SEVENTH AVENUE… I think you’ll get the picture and believe me, if you’re into this style, then you will absolutely love this band, because on songs like “Age of tyranny”, “Starfire” and “Under burning skies” they deliver some new masterpieces in the Melodic Power Metal genre. Most of the songs are uptempo and easy to sing-a-long and combined with a powerful production, it will guarantee one an hour of Power Metal at it’s finest for sure! More at: http://www.victoriusmetal.net/ and listen to samples of their album at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRe8Vf1FbgE (Points: 8.4 out of 10) THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH ‘LEAVE THE FUTURE BEHIND’ (INDEPENDENT/TSM PROMOTIONS) The British band THE BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH delivers a nice record with ‘Leave the future behind’, sounding quite original actually, mixing Progressive Rock with 1990s Alternative Rock and a dash of Melodic US Indie/College Powerpop. It is kinda mixing up THE POSIES, TEENAGE FANCLUB and KING’S X, with some excellent guitarwork that taps out of the Stoner Rock division (KYUSS) and a lot of Progressive Rock tempo changes, while the melodies are deadly catchy and remind me somehow of ZEBRA! They are well-known in the Southampton area and it wouldn’t surprise me if they soon will get attention from elsewhere, because they definitely sound very professional on their latest release ‘Leave the future behind’. Check out more at: http://www.facebook.com/bluescreenod (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
The past 10 years we have seen so many new bands in the Melodic (Power) Metal genre, all trying to become the next SONATA ARCTICA, STRATOVARIUS, RHAPSODY, DRAGONFORCE, LABYRINTH or any other European based band in this over-popular genre. Sadly a lot of times either the vocalist, the songs or the overblown production kill the record and almost all the time what remains is just a standard album that doesn’t make any impact. However, there are exceptions and the new English band NEONFLY is clearly one of them, because their official full-length debut CD ‘Outshine the sun’ sounds very impressive, thanks to a really excellent vocalist called WILLY NORTON, a bunch of very catchy hookladen tunes and also a professional sounding production. Opener “Broken wings” has definitely got the potential to become a so-called Melodic Power Metal classic, because here we are spoiled with some really catchy melodies in the style of the old SONATA ARCTICA style, yet with better lead vocals. In total 11 songs are included and without a doubt, this is a very strong album that easily reaches the high level of all their Swedish counterparts, whom have a patent for catchy melody driven Power Metal with strong lead vocals. Other highlights are “A gift to remember”, “Ship with no sails” and “Splitting blood”, but I have to add that I do feel that the band is at their best during the beginning of the CD and towards the end the songs are less stronger. Nevertheless, a very nice debut from this British band and for more info go to: http://www.neonfly.net (Points: 8.4 out of 10) DECORTICA ‘11811’ (EMI MUSIC NEW ZEALAND/TSM PROMOTIONS) In home country New Zealand they are signed to EMI MUSIC, so they are doing something good and yes, DECORTICA is playing high quality modern Rock that mixes 1990s dark Metal riffs of the TOOL/DEFTONES kind with some Post-Rock ideas and lengthy slow Progressive Rock instrumental back-up of the PORCUPINE TREE/ANATHEMA kind. The result can be heard on their strong 3rd album ‘11811’. A strong vocal delivery and high-pitched melodies can be heard during each of the 11 included tracks. Most of the songs are slow to midtempo, with heavy downtuned guitars and that is probably the only remark to add, because if they would add a few uptempo tunes, there would be some more diversity. Nevertheless, this DECORTICA is the New Zealand answer to DEFTONES and BIFFY CLYRO and a good one for sure! More at: http://www.decortica.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem except where noted) |
INNER
SIEGE 'KINGDOM SHADOWS' (ROXX RECORDS) 
KATIE
FERRARA ‘WHEN LOVE’S NOT AROUND’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
KNIGHTMARE
‘IN DEATH’S SHADOW’ (INDEPENDENT/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
LOGIC
MESS ‘ELEMENT OF THE GRID’ (LYNX MUSIC/TSM PROMOTIONS)
ZENOBIA
‘ARMAGEDDON’ (YARHIBOL RECORDS/CD MUSIC/SPAIN IMPORT)
EVA
HILLERED ‘HEAVEN AND HILL’ (HILL SONGS/HEMIFRAN)
ORIA
ASPEN ‘YELLOW PAINT’ (RAINBOW’S REVENGE/HEMIFRAN)
TED
RUSSELL KAMP ‘NIGHT OWL’ (POMO RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
THE
SPOKES ‘IN MY HEAD’ (SPOKES RECORDS/HEMIFRAN)
LIZA
CARBE ‘WAIT FOR THE SPRING’ (STRANGETREE/HEMIFRAN)
PATRICK
BROOKS ‘RUST AND WEEDS’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN)
SHOES
‘IGNITION/PRESENT TENSE AND TONGUE TWISTER DEMOS’ (BLACK VINYL RECORDS/USA
IMPORT)
MAJESTIC
‘V.O.Z.’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
WHEN
THEY WAKE ‘BE YOUR OWN HERO’ (INDEPENDENT/SWISS IMPORT/TSM PROMOTIONS)
DAVID
HOPE ‘SCARECROW’ (IRASCIBLE/IRELAND IMPORT)
SEMANTIC
SATURATION ‘SOLIPSISTIC’ (INDEPENDENT/CANADA IMPORT)
TYRONE
WELLS ‘WHERE WE MEET/…THIS LOVE’ (POSOTION MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
TIME
GRID ‘LIFE’ (INDEPENDENT/SWISS IMPORT)
WILD
KITTEN ‘WILD KITTEN’ (INDEPENDENT/GREEK IMPORT) 
HATEM
‘ULTRAVIOLET CATASTROPHE’ (MUSHROOM PILLOW/DGR MUSIC) 
INCRY
‘ROCK.FR’ (INDEPENDENT/FRANCE IMPORT/TSM PROMOTIONS) 
OZ
KNOZZ 'TRUE BELIEVER' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT/TSM PROMOTIONS)
MANDOO
‘SWEET BITTER LOVE’ (MANDOO MUSIC/HEMIFRAN) 
ALAN
HEWITT ‘HIGH FIDELITY’ (ANGELSONG/TSM PROMOTIONS)
JOHN
NICKOLOFF ‘GET OUT OF MY WAY’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT) 
PHOENIX
RISING ‘THIS IS THE GOOD LIFE!/FROM THE HIP’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
L’ESPINALE
‘LAST DAYS OF ADAM’ (INDEPENDENT/SPAIN IMPORT)
VICTORIUS
‘THE AWAKENING’ (KR MUSIC/GERMANY IMPORT) 
NEONFLY
‘OUTSHINE THE SUN’ (RISING RECORDS/UK IMPORT)