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HOT NEW REVIEWS
UPDATED
November 1, 2016
Eins,
Zwei Orchestra 'Hope, sign, community' (DGR Music)
Hope, sign, community is the new album of the Dutch band
Eins, Zwei Orchestra. They released their debut in 2011 and this new
album is
their 3rd full-length record so far. Musically they are
compared
with My Bloody Valentine and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but
there’s much
more to explore here. They are influenced by a lot of different genres
while
listening to the album and actually they have a professional
international sound
and could easily become a huge band! Indie (melodic) rock is the name
of the
game here, but we can also trace influences of 80s altrock/new wave
sometimes,
shoegaze, dreampop and even a touch of dark folk. Some of the material
is very
radio-ready, with definite massive hits in the making and overall this
is a
really great record actually! I hear some similarities to the UK band
Blossoms,
but the strong female vocals make it also remember of a sound somewhere
between
Gold, Shocking Blue, Tennis and Beach House. However, the band also has
male
vocals to offer, so we have a share in vocal duties by guitarist Stefan
van
Maurik and synthesizerplayer Lydia van Maurik. It’s a concept album
about the
Chinese student protest from 1989 when a student stood before a tank,
so it is
mostly about this so-called Tankman! The beginning of the album is
definitely
the best, with some great uptempo indie melodic rock that features very
strong
female vocals, a big drum sound and lush catchy melodies, especially
during AK47,
Samantha Smith and Hold your ground. Other interesting tunes are
Superstar
(catchy midtempo tune) and Come on (dreampop at its finest, lovely
melodies
even a bit like Haim, but more dreamy a la Webb Sisters, First Aid Kit,
beautiful!!!). The second part is a little less good, with some
commercial
poppy tunes like Alright now (calmer ballad ish, nice harmonyvcocals,
quite a
lot hit potential!) and Turn around (poppy tune, very commercial sound)
and the
weaker songs Ordinary man and the final 2 tracks (not mentioned on the
cd
cover, but numbers 11 and 12). The highlight however during the 2nd
part of the album is the calmer After the bombs where Lydia sings lead
in a
song that is a dark acoustic folk tune like Lisa Hannigan and Melissa
Nadler. I
am not familiar with their earlier releases, but check out more at: http://www.einszweiorchestra.com and https://einszweiorchestra.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Mother
Of Pearl ‘Our love/These walls vinyl single’ (Independent/USA
Import)
Out of Seattle comes the band Mother Of Pearl, who were
kind
enough to sent me their debut vinyl single, which consists of 2 songs,
Our love
and These walls. The band mixes rock, pop, blues, soul, jazz and aor
influences
and come up with a great relaxing smooth sound. Their line-up features
Christa
Wells (Vocals), Alex Mortland (Guitar), Kent Halvorsen (Keys), Jeremy
Lightfoot
(Bass) and Woogie D (Drums). The strong female vocals make them an
interesting
band and after 2 years of working, they released this single in late
2015 and
are now preparing a full-length release. Without a doubt, this is
something to
look forward to, because it all sounds really excellent. They worked
with Seattle
recording legends such as Barrett Jones (Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Sir
Mix-A-Lot,
etc) and Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Screaming Trees, etc) on
this lovely
sounding debut single. The only pity is that there are only 2 songs
included,
because you definitely want to hear more and more. Our love is a very
relaxing
smooth slightly jazzy westcoast/aor influenced song that sounds like
Toto with
soulful female vocals. The other song These walls is actually a melodic
rockballad and a really good one! This is a very promising start and I
can’t
wait to hear and review their full-length record. Definitely a band to
watch
out for in the future, so go check them out at: http://www.motherofpearlband.com
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Sirens
Sky 'Heal you/Forever' (Independent)
Heal you is the new mini-CD of the Dutch band Sirens Sky,
which is actually a studio project created and maintained by Herbert
Kaptein, a
Dutch songwriter and guitarist who has previously played in several
alternative
rock bands based in the Rotterdam area. He does everything on his own,
but for
the vocals he is working with two American vocalists, Lydia Salnikova
and Mella
Barnes. On his previous album Forever, which was a full-length record,
he
collaborated with Jessica Rasche as singer besides Lydia. Lydia is
definitely
the finest singer of them all, because she is a truly gifted
sensational
sounding female singer who was active in the band Bering Straight, a
Grammy-nominated band with releases on major labels in the USA, and
also has a
successful solo career going on. The Forever CD by Sirens Sky is a very
nice
AOR/Poprock sounding album that consists of mostly calmer tunes and is
not so
much rocking and despite the fact that the drums/production sounds a
bit thin,
overall the music is of an exceptionally high level!! Especially the
songs with
Lydia on vocals are a pleasure to listen to, because she has got the
voice of
an angel, just listen to songs like Forever (great
semi AOR/Melodic Rockballad), Cosmic (calmer ballad), Let Go (lovely
AOR ish
ballad a la Jaime Kyle/Robin beck) and Until You Feel (great semi
rockballad)
and you can hear how incredible she is. Singer Jessica sounds a bit
rawer, with
as highlights the midtempo rocker Blinded (a la Alanis Morissette) and
Dance
(great uptempo classic AOR rocker with strong lead and harmonyvocals).
On this
full-length record Forever you can definitely hear the potential and on
the new
mini-album Heal you Sirens Sky has improved and sounds even more
professional.
Opener Heal You is a very
nice relaxing semi-ballad, calmer melodic
rock ish, with a laid-back lush sound, while No More Running and Release
(Remix Aug 2016) are even a bit
Heart
ish, with the latter featuring very impressive vocals and
harmonyvocals!!!!
These kind of songs are AORish somehow, with no real electric guitar,
but more
laid-back relaxing guitarwork, although it gets rockier halfway, sorta
midtempo
AOR/Melodic Rock with during the song Release a beautiful classic rock
guitarsolo. Soulmates and Here and Now
are
a little less impressive, but overall
this is a really interesting record for the fans of lightweight female
fronted
aor/poprock. Stevie Nicks and Faith Hill are mentioned comparisons on
the
internet, but Heart and especially the legendary Californian band
Challenge (if
anyone remembers them?) are much better similarities for me personally.
Vocalist Lydia Salnikova is definitely somehow you need to check out
and
hopefully we will soon be able to review some of her other (solo) work.
Check out
Sirens Sky at spotify and http://sirenssky.wix.com/sirens-sky
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Cos 'Cos'
(Cosmark Music/USA Imporat)
Not much info on this band from New York, but Cos is an
80s
inspired act that combines aor/poprock with prog/symfo and a little
hi-tech
pop, sounding a bit like Time Gallery, a Swedish band from 25 years
ago.
However, there’s a lot of fun and surprises while listening to their
same
titled debut album. Opener The Summer Never Ends is an 80s semi
progressive
melodic rocker, Rush ish with a Police kinda sounding guitar approach
and in
the end actually even reminding of Asia! Next track Negative Energy is
reminding me of Saga, but is also sounding like 80s Rush and overall
may be classified
as a great symphpnic rocker. One of the most interesting tunes follows,
namely
Passion from a Distance, a fantastic relaxing westcoast/AOR tune that
sounds a
bit like Toto/Franke and the Knockouts, so a very smooth song with that
perfect
early 80s American radio sound (remember Big Ric, The Automatix,
Alliance…),
with a killer Toto/AOR type of chorus, really picture perfect! This
song shows
that Cos has got very good vocals, a nice laid-back sound that will wet
the
appetite of both AOR/Westcoast and prog.Sympho fans (read: Toto meets
Rush and
dare I say Le Roux!!!). The song Your Eyes has a similar approach and
is also a
great tune! We enter a slightly different route with Mountain of Rope
that is
light funky pop/rock, even a bit Gino Vanelli 80s style. Small
Sacrifice is one
of the few weaker songs, despite being a more straight-forward rocker.
When
Lovers Part is a nice semi aor ballad ala John Wetton, Love Is the
Hunter is
more proggy, Twisting the Knife is a great AOR ish ballad in a GTR
style, while
The Kiss is the only instrumental track and is basically pure Rush.
Closing
track Say Goodbye sets things into an 80s melodic rock/AOR style that
comes
across like White Sister meets No Eqxqze/Helloise. The drums sound a
bit thin,
but further more all sounds quite good and I can definitely recommend
especially the fans of slightly progressive 80s AOR (GTR meets Toto) to
check
out Cos at: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Cos2
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Elysian Gates 'Crossroads' (Independent)
Elysian Gates from Luxembourg was formed in 2010 and
through
the years they switched vocalists several times, but with the arrival
of Noémie
Leer (Rude Revelation) in 2015, the band started working on their debut
Crossroads,
which is now released. It is released independently, but the sound is
huge and
could have been a major label release. The included music is not really
original, because this kind of modern day female fronted symphonic
melodic
metal has been done many times before, but Elysian Gates are doing it
at a very
high level and Noémie is a wonderful singer! Eyes of Eden, Lunatica,
Leaves'
Eyes, Delain, Nightwish, Within Temptation and all those other bands in
this
genre come to mind while listening to Crossroads, but the performance
is very
impressive and takes you on a great journey from start to finish.
Highlights
are Crossroads (uptempo melodic heavy
rocker, catchy, very much like Delain), Far from home (midtempo
bombastic piece
a la Epica, 10 minutes with calmer ballad part halfway), Mary Ann
(beautiful
melodic rockballad) and Broken inside (uptempo, with awesome guitarsolo
versus
keyboardsolo, power metal ish almost). Do not miss this release if
you’re a fan
of this genre. More at: www.elysiangates.com
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Cairo
'Say' (Heavy Right Foot Records/Nineteen 73 Promotion/UK Import)
Touchstone founder, singer/songwriter and keyboardplayer,
Rob
Cottingham is the leader of the new UK band Cairo, which should not be
confused
with the legendary fantastic progrockband from the past that had the
same name.
Anyway, this Cairo also features in the line-up Rachel Hill – Vocals,
James
Hards - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Paul Stocker - Bass &
Acoustic
Guitars and Graham Brown - Drums & Percussion. So, Rob share the
vocal
duties with the female singer in the band. Musically speaking the
band’s debut
album Say is a very impressive concept album that is quite complex
progressive
rock orientated, clearly influenced by the likes of Pink Floyd,
Genesis, Steven
Wilson, Porcupine Tree,
Anathema… I have to say that I prefer Rachel on vocals,
because she has a really great pleasant voice, but thankfully Rob can
also sing
very well. As it is a concept record, there are many instrumental
passages, for
example the first 3 songs are short instrumental/semi-instrumental
intro’s that
lead to the first real track Wiped out, a
complex progrocker in the style of Esquire. It shows a
professional band
making high quality music and especially the song Say is a fine melodic
progrocker with a sorta 80s touch and somehow even revealing a
funky/groovy
hi-tech 80s Yes approach, although vocally a bit more like It Bites.
Not that
strange making such a comparison, because John Mitchell of It Bites,
Arena,
Frost, Kino fame was in charge of the production of Say. In the end,
people who
are familiar with those bands and also Touchstone will now have to
hurry in
order to get a copy of this first Cairo asap, because for them this is
the
perfect record. Other highlights are the calmer Katrina (female
vocals),
Searching (male vocals, lovely tune, sorta 80s melancholica, reminds me
of
Cutting Crew somehow, gets more semi-epic later on in the song, sounds
very
melodic!) and Dancing The Gossamer Thread (great uptempo tune, male
vocals,
close to It Bites, Kino and such). This is one of those albums you want
to play
over and over again to discover something new everytime, so a real big
recommendation to especially the melodic progrockfans out there. More
info at: www.cairorocks.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Elizabeth
Butler 'Love & Loss & Stuff like that/ Lullaby'
(Independent/USA Import)
Although singer/songwriter Elizabeth Butler has been
active
in the music business for almost her whole life, it took some time to
release
something on her own. She is currently based in the Houston area, but
is
actually originally from Savannah, Georgia, but has lived in Texas for
over
twenty years. She began playing the guitar at eleven years old, formed
her own
label Running Home Records in 1999, has been part of Running Home, a
country/pop duo featuring Suzanne Comeaux Bucher and is now spreading
her wings
with her first solo-record Love and loss and stuff like that. On a side
note,
she also is very athletic, completing four marathons and three
triathlons, but
let’s get back to the music, because she sounds damn good on this
album.
There’s a mix of great calmer Americana, country and poprock melodies
to be
heard here. Sometimes a bit folksy, then rocking slightly and at other
times
poppy, so a real melting pot for everyone to enjoy. She has a great
voice and
comparisons to Faith Hill, Lenita Erickson, Stevie Nicks, Joan Osborne,
Jewel,
Carole King, Mary Chapin Carpenter and such can be drawn. Troy Warren,
Jr., a
multi-instrumentalist, helped her out on basically all levels, so he
should
also be credited in the contribution for this great album that I can
highly
recommend to everyone who likes a good deal of singer/songwriter with a
pop
melody and a light rocking touch here and there. Quality stuff for
sure, which
you need to check out at: www.ebutlermusic.com
(Points: 8.3
out of
10)
C.T.P. 'Now
and then' (Fastball Music/Germany Import)
Christian Tolle is the man behind this project C.T.P., so
actually this stands for Christian Tolle Project and with the help of a
very
impressive guest list of musicians, this is a professional high quality
release! Christian is a wonderful guitarist and his music is
AOR/Melodic Rock
based and this might well be his finest effort so far. It is actually a
best of
release, but he re-recorded them and added a bunch of new tracks, while
the
vocalists we can hear include John Parr, Philip Bardowell, Rick Riso,
David
Reece, Michael Voss, John Cuijpers and as musicians there are
appearances by
drummer Raymond Herveille, bassists Chuck Wright and Lauren Scheff and
guitarists Steve Lukather, Michael Landau, Tim Pierce and Doug Aldrich
(!!!),
so it is hard to go wrong here! An exciting strong new album that
starts with
Dumped, which is awesome faster uptempo melodic heavy rock in a classic
style
early 90s like Casanova/Mad Max/Sargant Fury/Pretty Maids with strong
vocals
from Michael Voss. The midtempo Vengeance ish melodic hardrocksong
Magic
pudding follows, while John Parr is finally back to rock during The
real thing,
a great classic 80s midtempo AOR/Melodic
Rock tune with a lovely guitarsolo. Up next is Taking A Risk, a nice
midtempo
AOR song that would have sounded even better if Jeff Paris had sung it.
Changed
features Philip Bardowell on vocals and this is definitely one of the
real
highlights, an awesome uptempo AOR piece. The Price Of Love is uptempo
bluesy
hardrock n roll based, while Hard To Find is midtempo melodic rock
based and
John Parr shines again during Back To The Moon, a nice uptempo rocker,
but not
a classic like he used to sang on. On And On is pretty good AOR, while
One
Night Alone is another Philip Bardowell sung AOR tune. Enemy is a nice
melodic
heavy rocker, uptempo and a little Dio ish. The only instrumental song
is 87
99, a Toto ish aor/melodic rock fusion and closing track of this very
nice new
album of Christian. OK, not really new, as it is a best of, but
nevertheless
all newly recorded with some great AOR vocalists and musicians and
makign up
for some great listening pleasure. The guitarwork is phenomenal in the
Lukather/Huff school, so make sure to check it out at: http://www.christiantolle.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Plexiphones
'Electric' (Big Sky Song Records/Fastball Music/Germany
Import)
Electric is the 2nd album of the German band
Plexiphones, a 6-piece act with a sound that is clearly going into the
80s
Brittish side of rock/wave (think U2, The Alarm, Killing Joke, Big
Country,
Simple Minds…). The album was produced in London by Soundengineer Tom E
Morrison (Bonnie Tyler, Andrew Roachford, Underworld, Bliss) and
ex-Wallenstein-, Sun- und Dead Guitars Bassist Kurt Schmidt. Mastered
by Thomas
Kessler (Dissidenten) and Andy Jackson (Pink Floyd, David Gilmour),
Electric
sounds likewise huge and massive. Also the included songs are very good
actually, sorta melodic poprock ish with an electronic/80s new wave
approach.
The only remark I could make is that it all sounds very repetitive and
montone
after a while, but nevertheless we can hear some great tunes here and
there,
such as 40 Days (interesting high quality uptempo melodic rock ish with
westcoast/aor touch, like a poppier Work Of Art 80s, somehow poppy and
also
reminding of The Outfield/Cutting Crew and such), Take Me, Break Me
(Inxs/The
Fixx ish uptempo electro melodic rock), Slow Down (laid-back ish
ballad),
Electric (great midtempo melodic rock ish), To Be Wanted (nice uptempo
rocker,
very 80s Billy Idol ish) and We Are Repeating (uptempo pure British
early 80s
new wave/synths a la Simple Minds). The vocals of singer Wolfgang
Kemmerling
are very strong and as already mentioned the production is huge, so if
you’re
interested how this all actually sounds like, then go to: http://www.plexiphones.com/impressum
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Eilera 'Face
Your Demons' (Echozone/FastBall Music/Germany Import)
Face your demons is the 4th album of Finnish
singer/songwriter Eilera. Helped by Tero Kinnunen (Nightwish) and Mika
Jussila
of the Finnvox Studios (Nightwish, Avantasia, Amorphis), this is
actually a
typical Finnish sounding female fronted rock product like a Tori Amos
meets
Finnish theatrical rock. It is not metal ish and even rock is sometimes
not
exactly the case, as the result is a safe sounding melodic folkish
soft-rock
album with average vocals and a mixture of Evanescence, Within
Temptation and
Loreena McKennitt might be the description in the press release, it
really is
far from that if we are honest. Only for the absolute die-hard fans
this might
be of interest, but the alternative celtic/folk pop/rock on this album
is not
making a real impact I’m afraid. Still interested, then go to: http://www.eilera.com
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Cunning
Mantrap 'Hazmat' (FastBall Music/Germany Import)
This is a band from Cologne, Germany releasing a very
aggressive sounding album titled Hazmat that starts with a sorta
Hardcore ish
Thrash Metal tune called Red, but on the other hand a song like Play
the
prophet taps out of an almost Grungy Nirvana kinda direction. It is a
very
diverse album, because if we listen to Uncanny valley we can hear
suddenly a
nice groovy melodic heavy rocksound with much better vocals and not
such a
depressing or aggressive way of singing. Somehow Alice In Chains also
comes to
mind here and there and Metallica influences are borrowed all the time,
but
this is one of those release you need to hear for yourself, as there is
potential, yet it sounds a bit messy now most of the time. More at: www.cunningmantrap.com
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Piledriver
'Brothers in boogie' (Rockwall Records/FastBall Music/Germany
Import)
The German band Piledriver was founded back in 1995 by
Michael Sommerhoff ("Rick Parfitt") and Peter Wagner ("Francis
Rossi"). Being fans of the original Status Quo line-up (also referred
to
as the "Frantic Four"), they weren´t very fond of the releases after
the final "Frantic Four"-album Never too late in 1981. The Thirsty
work-CD from 1994 was the "momentum" for their decision to kick off a
"tribute-band" which wasn´t bound just to reproduce popular tracks of
other people but to develop self written material in the very much
appreciated
"FF-style", the sound the original SQ once stood for and that secured
them their place in rock history. This is the original quote on the
band’s
website and for easy reference I publish it in the review. Although
Status Quo
is indeed a close comparison here, the 4th album Brothers in
boogie
can also be seen as Rock and Roll boogie with a slightly more typical
(German)
Hardrock approach a la Accept, Krokus, ZZ Top, Running Wild, Motorhead…
Good fun
quality rock and roll in the classic rock style of the 1970s, maybe not
sensational and all in the same uptempo boogie woogie style, nice to
check out
for yourself at: www.piledriver.de
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
The
Atlantics 'The Atlantics' (Something Hit Communications/USA Import)
The Boston based powerpopband The Atlantics was formed in
the
mid 1970s and lasted until 1983, but now more than 30 years after their
split
one can hear all of their material on CDs that cover most of the band’s
material. One of their first performances was playing support to The
Ramones,
whom had just started to make a name and in the summer of 1977 the band
recorded a fantastic independent 45” single on Jukebox Records, When
You're Young/Where
Would I Be Without Your Love was the name and the songs are a classic
pieces of
late 1970s Powerpop in the The Jam style, with the flipside When you’re
young
being a prime example of classic late 70s powerpop/punkpop/poprock a la
The
Boys’ First time, The Undertones’ Teenage kicks, Cheap Trick’s
Surrender and
Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s girl. Despite a thousand copies were
pressed, the
single was never actually released. Eventually they were signed to ABC
Records,
which was later carried by MCA Records, and their debut full-length
record Big
city rock was officially released in 1979, but it never took off
completely due
to the switch of label and MCA not willing to promote it. Meanwhile
they scored
support acts for bands like Prince, Foreigner and Alice Cooper, so they
enjoyed
local Boston success through the years, but by 1983 they called it
quits. Now
many years later those CDs reflect that The Atlantics were a great band
that
could have easily become bigger. 2 original members (Bruce Wilkinson
and Paul
Caruso) sadly died during the 2000s, but the surviving members (Fred
Pineau,
Tom Hauck and Bobby Marron) put together the CD The Atlantics, which
consists
of untouched, archival studio recordings from 1979-1982, with no
contemporary
overdubs. The sound is pretty good actually, with a total of 13 tracks
included. The group lasted only 7 years in total and this CD cover
almost half
ot their carreer, starting with Wrong Number, which is Powerpop bliss
of the
early 80s kind. Next track Back in the World is probably the best song
The
Atlantics ever recorded, because this is awesome catchy AORish uptempo
classic
early 80s hookdriven rock that even reminds me of a legendary AOR band
like
Aerial or Hyts, if anyone remember those bands! Hooks all over the
place with
that typical early 80s rock beat, AOR and Powerpop combined at a
perfect radio
ready level. What follows is a bunch of quirky powerpoprock tunes in
the The
Tubes style (Lonelyhearts, Perfect Stranger, Believe in Love, Rock and
Roll
Parts I and II and I Need a Girl), while the great midtempo poprocker
Can't
Wait Forever is a mix between The Cars and Cheap Trick. Pop Shivers and
Secret
Meeting are more quirky poprock ish tunes that remind a bit of The
Police.
Weekend is a rather catchy tune again that combines the best of the AOR
and
Powerpop worlds, in classic early 80s style. Tired Girl is midtempo
AOR/Poprock
ish a la Eddie Schwartz and Rick Springfield, while closing track New
Identity
is a cool catchy uptempo classic powerpop tune like The Knack meets
Shoes. The
other CDs that were kindly sent to me by original guitarist/vocalist
Tom Hauck
is a CD of a live concert the Atlantics did back in the day, but the
sound
quality is a little less good sadly, although it clearly captures the
vibe of a
strong live act. Some of the original The Atlantics members went on
forming
Ball And Pivot and from them a CD is available, namely Heart in the
sky, which
consists of recordings from 1985-1988. The band looks like a 80s
Hairspray band
(Duran Duran), but musically is more moving into a sorta Canadian synth
driven
wave/poprock direction, yet with an indie touch and vocals reminding me
of
Morrissey (The Smiths) meets Billy Idol. Quite interesting actually,
with as
highlights Baby Doll (cool uptempo 80s poprock, synth driven a la
Dragon
(Hunter), The Arrows, starts calm, but gets uptempo after a while a la
Inxs),
Christine (midtempo, pretty good a la Billy Idol), Blue Angel (classic
uptempo
aor/poprock with vocals a la Inxs/Billy Idol) and We Love the Dead (a
little less
synth orientated, even a bit 80s altrock orientated a la REM!). Tom
also sent
me 2 CDs of his recent band/project Telamor, Valentine to the future
and 3,
both released on Olex Music. The included music is slightly different,
alternative pop/rock with a glimpse of powerpop. The finest moments
however can
be found on the The Atlantics CD, which is available through http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/atlanticsmusic
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Pat Kreisl
'Tell me tell me' (Park Records/USA Import)
New Jersey based musician Patrick Kreisl started back in
the
80s playing in several bands, including Crybaby, an act which supported
bands
like Gary Richrath (REO Speedwagon), the Canadian Lipstick, The Hooters
and Warrant.
His band Keystone had an album that was mixed by Robert Berry and now
he is
releasing a solo-album titled Tell me tell me, which consists of 80s
type of
AOR/Melodic Rock. Vocally it is not that strong and the production
could have
been better, because the drums sound very thin, but overall it is a
nice little
record that features as highlights Tell me tell me (cool 80s uptempo
AOR/Melodic Rock a la Rick Matthews (very much)), Redneck lover (80s
midtempo
Hair Metal), Do it tonight (nice semi-ballad) and Never walk away (good
classic
80s AOR/MelodicRock).Pat did everything on his own, so that is very
much
respected and die-hard AOR/Melodic Rockfans (think Phil Vincent), they
can try
and check out for more info at: http://www.patkreisl.com
(Points: 7.8
out of 10)
Sixtynine
'You are me' (Rock Company)
Out of Koper, Slovenia comes the band Sixtynine, whom
were
formed back in 2012 and are now releasing their debut record You are
me.
Without a doubt we are listening to a high quality band here that takes
a bit
of melodic hardrock and semi-progmetal and mixes it into an own sorta
sound.
Opener Don't Give Up is a lovely melodic rockballad of a very high
level with
great vocals and a very fine guitarsolo, all perfect sounding, remind
me of
Gotthard and Shakra. Other highlights are Believe (good uptempo melodic
hardrock a la Victory and Casanova), Morning (great semi melodic
rocker), Come
To Me (lovely semi melodic rocker, even a bit light progmetal with
great high
pitched vocals, even a bit like Crimson Glory, with a rather cool
keyboard!),
December Love (great midtempo melodic metal tune, high pitched vocals
again),
while the slightly rougher mhr tunes Good Trade and Sunlight Hour are a
little
bit sleazy Guns N Roses meets The Cult. The band’s singer Tomaž Klepač
has a
wonderful voice, the CD has a big major label ish sound and the songs
are
mostly good clean high quality melodic hardrock, so definitely a
recommended
band to check out at: http://www.sixtynine.si
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Jerry
Scafone 'It's my life' (Centerline Publishing/USA Import)
Only 2 songs are on the CD by this Ohio based
singer/songwriter, who has been in the music business for many ages
now. The
songs It's My Life and Don't Worry Darlin'
are definitely must-hear tunes if you care for the
crooner/soft-traditional country ballad style a la Jim Reeves and Neil
Diamond.
Not bad at all, but perhaps a little bit dated to some of us. Check it
out for
yourself at: www.jerryscafone.com
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Giordano
Boncompagni 'New shred generation' (Sliptrick Records)
New Shred Generation (N.S.G.) is an Instrumental solo
Project
of Giordano Boncompagni, an Italian guitarist who already released a
couple of
albums before this one. The most interesting fact is that it features
besides
Giordano on all guitars also the legendary Tony MacAlpine Keyboards,
Franck
Hermanny Bass and Aquiles Priester Drums. The result is a high quality
shredding hardrock/metal record in the old school style. Not really
original,
but for fans of the classic shredding guitarsound that dominated a part
of the
1980s (Shrapnel Records) this is definitely a recommendation worth to
check out
at: http://www.giordanoboncompagni.com
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
GC Project
'Face the odds' (Sliptrick Records)
Italian drummer Giacomo Calabria (ex-Barock Project) is
the
man behind this project titled GC Project. Musically it is a mixture of
all
kinds of genres, with also various singers, which makes it quite a
diverse
record that is safe in the hands of fans of for example Ayreon. The
vocals are
not always that strong, but instrumental it is of a very high level.
There
quite a number of instrumental songs and passages, it sometimes feels
like an
epic concept record, with as highlights the melodic hardrock pieces
Hold On,
The Spring And The Storm, Pt. 1The Road To Awareness, Darkest Enemy
(best song,
slightly progmetal ish a la Dream Theater) 18 Circles Of Life (great)
and
Friend Of Glory. Remarkable song is the instrumental jazz/fusion based
prog
piece Town Fair (with it’s use of the Hammond, Drums and Bass reminding
of
ELP), while Southern Comfort is progmetal with female vocals. Overall a
very
diverse record that is definitely recommended to check out at: https://itunes.apple.com/fm/artist/gc-project/id1060580853
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Easter
Before Christmas 'Game' (Sliptrick Records)
Not much info on the Italian band Easter Before
Christmas,
but their album Game is defininitely a massive sounding American
orientated
record. The band consists of Leonardo Antonio Di Pinto :: Vocals; Mauro
Toti ::
Bass; Simone Bucci :: Guitar; Leonardo Dragovic' :: Drums and Riccardo
Cecci ::
keyboard/Synth. Shinedown meets Three Days Grace would be a good
description,
but there are also clear Industrial influences to be heard, although
the
overall sound is actually quite melodic, with as most interesting songs
I'm
Trying (great big midtempo modern melodic rocker in the typical current
American radio sound of Three Days Grace), My Way and Everybody (both
industrrial orientated, almost Rammstein ish) and the awesome Ballet
with
Bullet that feels a lot like Shinedown. The huge sound makes it wonder
if this
really isn’t a major label from an American band, but Easter Before
Christmas
is definitely Italian, whom you can check out at: www.easterbeforechristmas.com
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Lauren
Anderson 'Lauren Anderson' (Independent/USA Import)
When it comes down to female singers, Adele meets Amy
Whinehouse is what people want to hear and Lauren Anderson from Kansas
City
fits right into this category, because she has a raw bluesy tone in her
voice
and the music is as well sorta bluesy and soulful, making it feel quite
pleasant for the ears and radio-ready for sure. Sadly only 2 songs are
included, so we keep the review a bit short, but both the the lovely
midtempo
What good is a bad boy and Box wine blues are great tunes that will
also wet
the appetite of fans of Janis Joplin, Joss Stone, Norah Jones Sass
Jordan and
Joanne Shaw Taylor. Hopefully soon a review of a full-length record,
meanwhile
more at: http://www.laurenandersonmusic.com
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Edge Of
Reality 'Edge Of Reality' (Independent/USA Import)
Edge Of Reality is a band from Nashville formed a few
years
ago and features the likes of Joey Frevola – Guitars, Jesse Peck -
Guitars and
Keys and Branndon Center – Drums. They sound quite original actually,
progmetal
ish but then with a wicked twist. They are influenced by acts like
Haken, Devin
Townsend, Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Periphery, The Dear Hunter,
Joe
Hisaishi, The Contortionist, Ayreon, Between the Buried and Me, David
Maxim
Micic, The Enid, Between the Buried and Me, Haken, Devin Townsend,
Animals as
Leaders, Periphery, Snarky Puppy, Leprous, Thank You Scientist, Rush,
Neal
Morse Epica… and the result of their album is quite original and
combining
jazz, prog, metal, fusion with theatrical aspects, ending up sounding
quite out
of the ordinary, which on the other hand is very interesting for the
open-minded musicfans out there. Quite a lot of guest musicians are
appearing,
including different lead singers. Sometimes it gets quite experimental
and
outta-control, such as during Grababyte and Cupcake, but also a little
less complucated
during a great modern day melodic heavy rocker such as Wasteland or
Teeth of
the Universe (a high quality almost pure melodic Progmetal ish tune,
awesome
song by the way!). The band is also keen on multi-layered Queenish
harmonyvocals and a song like Forks & Spoons II combines that with
Thresholdish progmetal, so a rather interesting mixture. The female
vocals of
the epic Into the Shadows show another friendly side, because this
progmetal
melodic masterpiece takes up to 20 minutes in playing time end evolves
from a
calmer Megan Rasmussen sung tune to a bombastic song with classic music
influences a la Carmina Orff’s O Fortuna, making you think of Epica
somehow. In
the end, a very interesting band to check out at: http://www.edgeofreality.net
because in
the future they might become bigger if all is streamlined a little bit
more, as
I think that some of you might find it all sounding a bit too wicked,
but
that’s the beauty of this band!
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Brian Skiff ‘On the edge’
(Independent/Hemifran)
Multi-instrumentalist Brian Skiff grew up in the golden
ages
of music during the 1970s with bands like Moody Blues, Emerson Lake and
Palmer,
Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Chick Corea, Jimi Hendrix, etc. and after
picking up
the guitar he eventually ended up in a Punkband called Outside
Agitators, who
were influenced by bands like Black Flag, Sex Pistols, Bad Brains,
Minor Threat,
etc. etc. The band didn’t breakthrough, but on the other hand did a
reunion in
2002. Brian himself started doing solo work and sent me a recent CD he
recorded. He played all the instruments by himself, except for the
drums on a
couple of tracks, which were done by his brother Rick. The included
songs are
very diverse and display the influences of his musical past. There’s
some great
calmer melodic atmopsheric progrock, instrumental passages,
singer/songwriter
pieces and alternative pop/rock, so not a boring record at all. Brian’s
vocals
are not that strong, but overall he sounds like a rather good musician.
Check
him out at: http://www.brianskiff.com
(Points: 7.3
out of 10)
Ylja 'Ylja'
(Broken
Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German Import)
Musically
speaking Iceland is known
for its rather unique sound, which is dark, modest, laid-back,
atmospheric and
kinda relaxed in a way that you should open up yourself to listen to
and
explore and discover the natural feeling you get when hearing for
example acts
like Sigur Ros, Bjork and Of Monsters And Men, Asgeir, etc. The music
is
perfect as background music to a nature/wildlife documentary. On the
other hand
it’s also very melodic thanks to the beautiful harmonyvocals and fits
somewhere
between Celtic/Irish old Folk and Scandinavian Indie/Dreampop. In the
case of
the female fronted band Ylja it is somehow reminding of a calmer
mixture of The
Staves, Twarres, The Corrs and especially First Aid Kit, with however a
touch
of the Icelandic spirit and Enya/Clannad kinda influences are also
notable. The
result is a very strong album with many beautiful songs, such as
Dúmdara Lara
and Sköpun Mannsins, but you will like any song here because it all is
perfectly done. Formed in 2008 by guitarists/singers Gígja
Skjaldardóttir and
Bjartey Sveinsdóttir in Reykjavík, this album shows that we are dealing
with a
professional sounding act that might easily breakthrough to a major
audience.
More info at: https://ylja.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Viken
‘Reduced to ash’
(Hammarr Records)
Out of
Indiana, USA comes the band
Viken and their album Reduced to ash sounds as if it was released in
1985,
which means proto-metal and for some a must-hear, but I am afraid it
all sounds
too dated and standard to get noticed nowadays. Perhaps in 1985 one
could get
away with such a release, but nowadays only fans of underground 80s
sounding
metal in the style of let’s say Elixir, Tyson Dog, Tyrant… will be
interested.
Check it out at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/viken
(Points: 6.5
out of 10)
Bovonic
Empire ‘Buffalo
crows’ (Independent)
It’s a pity
that the legendary lead
singer Paul Mario Day (More, Wildfire, Sweet, Iron Maiden) didn’t sang
on all
tunes of the new album of the Australian band Bovonic Empire, because
now we
can only hear him on 3 tracks. The reason I mention this is that he is
a better
singer than Bovonic Empire’s own singer, Richard Crowfoot, who is also
the
guitarplayer in the band. Not saying he is bad, but he sounds a little
raw like
UDO or the guy from Running Wild, with even here and there a death
metal growl,
so after a while you get tired of that. And then you hear Paul sing on
those
songs, wow, what a fantastic melodic heavy rocksound we have when
listening to
The tempest for example. The other 6 songs are somewhat rougher bluesy
southern
rock and roll tracks that are nice to hear, but are not as strong as
those Paul
Mario Day sung tracks. So this album has more or less two faces, a
melodic side
a la Praying Mantis and a rawer side a la Running Wild. Check out this
Aussie
band for yourself at: https://buffalocrows.bandcamp.com/album/bovonic-empire
(Points: 7.5
out of 10)
Favni ‘Wind
swept’
(Silberblick Music)
The German
band Favni was formerly
known as Fauns, but a slight change of name brings new life in this
band, with
Wind swept being their latest release. It’s a double-CD, although CD 2
consists
of mostly live material and a few unreleased studio tracks. The band
offers a
sorta fantastic atmospheric hypnotizing progressive ambient rockstyle a
la
Porcupine Tree when listening to the opening song of the album,
Yearning For
You. This song features mostly clean male vocals and sounds very
laid-back,
really grabbing you with also impressive instrumental passages and
overall a
melodic approach. Next track Fare-thee-well introduce us female vocals
in a
sorta Enya folk direction, while the song itself sounds like a lighter
mediaeval folk version of Epica, but also similarities to bands like
Renaissance, Reincarnatus, Steeley Span and Fairport Comnvention are
possible
here. And so the rest of the album continues in this style, but somehow
I had
hoped for more material in the style of the rather sensational opener.
Now the
band has more or less two sides, but check it out for yourself at: https://favni.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Manny
Charlton ‘Solo’
(Atom Records)
One of the
founding members of the
legendary Scottish band Nazareth left them in the 1990s to start a solo
career
and he has already released quite a few albums since then. His latest
one is
Solo and despite he is a very good guitarist, who was part of Nazareth
for 22
years, this solo-album is not really groundbreaking I’m afraid. The
good thing
is that it is a very diverse record, but the vocals of Manny are very
average
and he should let other people sing, which also happens on 5 songs
thankfully
and those are the interesting songs. There’s some similarities to
Santana and
Nazareth and overall it feels like a 70s rock album. If anyone out
there
recalls Rick Ray, this is the closest comparison I can come up with,
which
isn’t bad at all, but also very standard and hardly sensational. The
first
couple of songs are very average 70s rocktunes, but the instrumental A
Bride
For Jesus and She Dances in Cordoba (with Randy Lopez) sound quite good
actually. I think Manny is able to release a much stronger album, but
he first
needs to hire one lead singer for all songs and also a better
sound/production
could help. Nevertheless, check out more at: www.mannycharltonband.com
(Points: 6.4
out of 10)
Ric Tangle
and The Squares/Rick Poss ‘Various albums’ (Independent/USA
Import)
It was actually hard to find some info on a very rare
obscure
early 1980s outfit called Ric Tangle and the Squares, of whom I heard
this
fabulous powerpop tune Me, too on a 1982 compilation record. Eventually
it
turned out that Austin, Texas based Rick Poss is the man behind this
band and
he meanwhile has built up a career in the music business as a solo
singer/songwriter with folk and blues kinda music. However 35 years ago
it was
Ric Triangle and the Squares, with whom he released a lovely 4-tracks
counting
EP vinyl single and he was also kind enough to sent me some unreleased
material
of this great act. Typically in that early 1980s American
radiorock/AOR/Poprock
style, especially the song All thru the night and the aforementioned
Me, too
are examples of a long lost sound. Remember Steel Breeze with their
song You
don’t want me anymore or The Cars and Rick Springfield, well, in that
direction
you need to look for musically speaking. Now many years later Rick Poss
is the
name of this gifted musician and he sent me 2 solo releases, a sorta
Bob
Dylanesque Folk singer/songwriter record titled From Greenville to
Clarksville
and a great blues record titled The Dying Man… and other Blues. It is
clear that
Rick is very good in the bluesrock thing. He opened shows for Mance
Lipscomb,
Buddy Miller, Bo Diddley, Lucinda Williams, Son Volt, Waylon Jennings,
Billy
Bragg, Robert Cray, and Ben Harper among others, but somehow I do hope
he ever
records a cool early 80s Poprock sounding record. Check
out all info at: http://rickposs.com
(Points: -)
Simon
Hudson Band 'Earthman' (Independent/Hemifran)
The Australian band The Simon Hudson Band is formed
around
Simon Hudson himself on electric & acoustic guitar and vocals,
while the
line-up is completed by Oscar Poncell (electric guitar), Andrew Arnold
(Rhodes,
Hammond, BVs), Tom Krieg (upright and electric bass) and Geoffrey
Worsnop
(drums). They have already released 5 albums, of which Earthman is the
latest
one. Simon has a great voice, sounding picture perfect crystal clear
and the
included music is jazzy pop with a sorta latin/americana vibe, like a
mix
between Steely Dan, Billy Joel and Rufus Wainwright. Especially the
songs Do Me
A Favour (very much STEELY DAN! Lovely 1970s westcoast-aor/yachtpop),
New
Religion (westcoast-jazz), Shot In The Dark and Song About Us
(beautiful calmer
balladish a la Rufus Wainwright), I Know You'll Be Alright (calmer
semi-popballad, radio ready) and Rolling (Billy Joel meets Rufus
Wainwright,
uptempo Americana folkpop tune, catchy vibe) are a joy to listen to. A
little
less interesting are the funky tunes Never Knew Why, Something Real and
Mobile
Phone Love. Interesting release with a lot of diversity combined with
more
traditional sounds, so likewise it is recommended to fans of the
mentioned
acts. More at: http://simonhudson.com.au
and https://simonhudson.bandcamp.com/album/album-earthman
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
Rivers Of
England 'Astrophysios saved my life' (Independent/Hemifran)
From the West of England comes the band Rivers Of
England, a
folk/progrockband formed around Rob Spalding on vocals,
guitar/keyboard; Brian
Madigan on drums and percussion; Jacob Tyghe on bass; Katie
Stone-Lonergan on
voilin and keyboards, with as guest members Neil Gay on guitar (The
Cedar,
Protest Crayon, Jilk etc.) and Innes Sibun on guitar (Robert Plant).The
new
album they released is a diverse record that touches melodic light
prog, funky
pop (opening cut In universe in universe), a little folk and some
singer/songwriter. Rob’s vocals are very impressive, reminding a lot of
Sting
and Peter Gabriel. Also musically speaking during lovely melodic light
singer/songwriter pop/rock songs such as You Me and The Sea, Underneath
The
Moon and especially Norfolk you can hear these similarities. Definitely
a very
impressive album that is recommended to fans of well-thought
singer/songwriter
pop with a lot of melodies and influences from the 70s light progsound.
More
info at: www.riversofengland.com
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
Sonny Axell
'Kickback: Funky contemporary jazz' (Independent/Hemifran)
The French singer/songwriter Sonny Axell released his
debut
in 2010, appeared in a Woody Allen movie and is now back with a new
album
Kickback that clearly shows we are dealing with a talent. His music is
jazzy
westcoast with r&b and smooth 70s pop influences, although at times
this is
picture perfect North Sea Jazz material. He’s a great singer and
together with
his good looks he should easily be able to reach a wide audience.
Highlights on
the album are the jazzy westcoast Empty faces (a beautful calmer piece,
like
Gino Vanelli, although vocally a bit more laid-back and smooth), Kick
back and
Little boy dreams (both Stevie Woner ish Jazzy R&B with a Westcoast
flavor
and a funky rhythm. High quality for sure and therefore recommended to
check
out at: http://sonnyaxell.com/
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Don
Conoscenti 'Anastasia' (Howling Records/Hemifran)
Out of Chicago comes
multi-instrumentalist/producer/singer-songwriter Don Conoscenti, who is
60 years
of age and now releasing his 9th album Anastasia. He started releasing
records
from 1992 onwards, but the past 7 years no new album was released, so
you might
as well as see this new record as a long awaited return from this
talented
musician. He has a very relaxing singer/songwriter old school style
that sounds
very melodic, just listen to the first couple of songs (Anastasia and
Drink
Another Round), while the absolute highlights are Big Big Deal (pretty
good
uptempo southern rocking like Eagles meets Neil Young) and Love Is A
Curious
Thing (great Venice ish westcoast/aor). And so the album shows its
diversity
later on with some country-rock and 70s pop influences, but always at a
high
level, so without a doubt we have here a quality record. Check it out
for
yourself at: http://www.donconoscenti.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Carrington
MacDuffie 'Crush on you' (Pointy Head Records/Hemifran)
Out of Manhattan comes singer/songwriter Carrington
MacDuffie, an award-winning voice actor, a spoken word performer, and a
widely
published poet, while she also has a music career going on and Crush on
you is
her latest effort. 5 tracks are included and the EP was produced in
Austin,
Texas, by Rob Halverson, who has produced and performed with an
impressive
roster of legendary Austin performers. He plays synthesizers, bass,
piano,
vibes, percussion, guitars on this record and is joined by
drummer/percussionist Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer, Dr. John, Patti
LaBelle, Brooks
and Dunn, and Robert Plant), Paul Klemperer (baritone sax) and
Carrington
herself sings of course, but also plays acoustic and electric ukuleles
and
piano. She is compared to Americana folk singer/songwriters, such as
Neko Case,
Patty Griffin, and Lucinda Williams, but the music on Crush on you also
has a
sorta indie/altrock approach sometimes, which can best be heard during
Precious
Kisses. The best song is the titletrack Crush On You, a rather catchy
tune.
Folk, singer/songwriter, indie and altrock go hand in hand quite
smoothly on
this release. More at: http://carringtonmacduffie.com/
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Shake
Russell 'Little bright band of light' (Howlin' Dog Records/Hemifran)
Together with Texan Michael Hearne, singer/songwriter
Shake
Russell delivers a piece of classic country/folk music in a calm
traditional
old school American style, definitely good quality fun, but it gets
more
interesting when the two singer/songwriters join forces (see review of
their
album Only as strong as your dreams). Nevertheless, recommended to fans
of
let’s say John Denver! More at: http://www.shakerussell.com/
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Michael
Hearne 'Red river dreams' (Howlin' Dog Records/Hemifran)
Together with Texan Shake Russell, singer/songwriter
Michael
Hearne delivers a piece of classic country/folk music in a calm
traditional old
school American style, definitely good quality fun, but it gets more
interesting when the two singer/songwriters join forces (see review of
their
album Only as strong as your dreams). Nevertheless, recommended to fans
of
let’s say John Denver! More at: www.michaelhearne.com
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Michael
Hearne and Shake Russell 'Only as strong as your dreams' (Howlin'
Dog Records/Hemifran)
Besides a solo-career, both Texan singer/songwriters
Michael
Hearne and Shake Russell also join forces to record material together.
The
result is Only as strong as your dreams, which likewise contains also
classic
country traditional old school style like we can hear on the musicians’
solo
records, but as a duo it gets a vibe, such as the more uptempo
rockabilly ish I
got news for you and and even a bit southern rocking during I heart
Texas. Not
saying this is a classic, but for fans of rockabilly country/old-school
style,
with a touch of Irish Folk (Irish Prayer), this is one to check out at:
www.michaelhearne.com and http://www.shakerussell.com/
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Cornerstone 'Reflections' (Atom Records)
Well, well, well… female fronted the classic 80s AOR way
is
what to expect on this release! Cornerstone from Austria just released
their 3rd
album titled Reflections and musically speaking it is in the same style
as
their earlier releases, which we also reviewed in the past. The band
has a new
singer (Alina Peter) and somehow this album feels like their strongest
release
so far. It could be due to the fact that the album was produced by
Harem Scarem
mainman Harry Hess (Simple Plan, Billy Talent, Muse...). Although the
vocals
are not superstrong and sound a bit blend here and there, actually
reminding of
80s female singers such as Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Fiona
Flanagan,
Rindy Ross, Chrissie Hynde… The music is as mentioned 80s AOR,
sometimes quite
cliché tingled, but done well and a few times quite sensational
actually. The
album starts very energetic with 3 uptempo 80s AOR driven rockers
(Nothing to
Lose, Last Night and Heart on Fire, which has those typical 80s dut-dut
keys
and harmonyvocals), but the best songs are definitely Northern Light
(superb!)
and Brother (reminding me of Kate’s Desire and Dante Fox). There are
some cool
sax solo’s to be heard and overall it sounds very impressive actually,
although
I have to admit that the second part of the CD is less interesting,
with as
weak moments the final 3 songs. Still, for a fan of 80s female fronted
AOR/Melodic
Rock, this is a must-have for sure! More info at: www.cornerstone.co.at/
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
The
Weekenders 'Bright silence of night' (Independent)
The Weekenders come out of Salt Lake City and they
deliver a
sensational 2nd album titled Bright silence of night.
Without a
doubt, we have here quite superb Led Zeppelin ish groovy classic
hardrock in
the best 1970s style there is available. Of course this is a style that
is
adopted by many new bands out there, but The Weekenders do it really
well, just
listen to fantastic songs like best The Grifter, Cherokee Rose and
Monkey See.
The band was formed back in 2010 and consists of Rob Reinfurt - Guitar
&
Vox, Mike Torgerson – Bass, Shaun Thomas- Drums and Mike Sasich –
Guitar. Rob
has a fantastic voice and the groovy guitar sound of him and Mike give
the band
a big rock anthem approach, although they slow things down here and
there as
well, such as during the great semi-ballads Blue Hill Bay and Every
Night as a
Slave. One of the absolute highlights is the awesome rocker Army of
one. If you
want to hear a band that is musically speaking moving somewhere between
The
White Stripes, Rival Sons, Led Zeppelin and Kingdom Come, including
those big
classic guitar rock riffs and still sounding very melodic, well then
look no
further than this high quality new release of The Weekenders at: www.theweekendersmusic.com
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Witch
Tripper 'Witch Tripper' (Independent)
Out of Nottingham, UK area comes Witch Tripper, a stoner
rockband that is influenced by Clutch, Orange Goblin, Kyuss, Monster
Truck,
Extreme, Sleep, Cream, Black Sabbath and many more. The band was formed
only 2
years ago and the sound on their same titled debut album is reminding
of the
mentioned acts, although slightly more aggressive as well (Black Veil
Brides/Hardcore Superstar direction). Production is of a very high
level and
what we get to hear is definitely quality stuff. The best songs are the
uptempo
pieces like You Get What You Pay For, Chills To The Bone and Black
Lips, but to
get a real good idea of this band it’s best to check out this band for
yourself
at: https://witchtripperuk.bandcamp.com/album/witch-tripper
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Apocalyptic
Lovers 'Redemption volume 1' (Independent)
Out of Youngstown, Ohio, USA comes the sensational Hair
Metal
band Apocalyptic Lovers. They are sounding like it was still 1986, but
then in
a good way, so at a very high level in the classic style of bands like
Dokken,
Stryper and Firehouse. They actually have a long history before this
release,
because back in the early 1990s they were called Love And War, with an
EP
release back in 1994, when the style had completely died and
Strutter’zine
started, but somehow back then I must have missed this release. The
band
members each went their own way after Love And War, but now reunited
under
Apocalyptic Lovers. Now 22 years later there is Redemption volume 1,
which was
recorded at Mindrocket Studio in Pennsylvania and then mixed over 12
days in
Nashville by legendary producer, Michael Wagener (Ozzy, Metallica, Skid
Row,
Dokken, Motley Crue, Poison, Alice Cooper, Extreme, etc.) at his
Wireworld
Studio. The current line-up consists of George Allan – Bass, Dave Hope
– Drums,
Robert Kane – vocals, Sean Magee – Guitars and Mike Nagy, and if you’re
a fan
of 80s Hair Metal then grab a copy of this release a.s.a.p. Basically
this is
high quality 80s US Melodic Hardrock a la Dokken/Stryper, in the
classic Hair
Metal days style of the mid 1980s, straight-ahead, catchy and singable,
with a
big crunchy guitarsound and shredding guitar solo’s, in a so-called
“coolness
sound at it’s best” during great uptempo songs like Better Days,
Killing for a
Living (great vocals, pure Loud and Clear style), Left in the Cold and
Dying
Day. There’s also some early 90s Firehouse to be heard during the great
midtempo tunes Who the Hell Are You? an The Groove. What more to say…
as this
is Hair Metal Heaven, must-check for fans of the afforementioned bands!
More
at: www.apocalypticlovers.com
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Blue Sky
Theory 'Cassandra' (Rockdome Records)
Blue Sky Theory is a band from
Bremen, Germany founded in 2014 and now releasing their debut album
Cassandra.
Although not bad at all, as they have a big modern
rock/metal sound, which sounds melodic and catchy and combines big
harmonyvocals with strong choruses, the vocals are not really strong
I’m
afraid. The modern day rock/metal sounds at best during
Build It Up Tear It Down and It All Ends The
Same, while the aggressive parts of The Covenant and Ignorance Is Bliss
are
making it less interesting I’m afraid. The best song is definitely the
semi
melodic rockbalkad This Day, but overall I think this band has to drop
their
screaming and aggressive parts and take more time to release a stronger
album,
because there are definitely interesting moments to be found on their
debut
record. More info at: http://www.bst-music.com
(Points: 7.6
out of 10)
The Pinx
'Freedom' (Independent)
Out of Georgia, Atlanta comes the band The Pinx and they
have
got a real classic rocksound that owes a lot to the early 1970s. Late
psychedelic 60s rock and 70s hardrock are combined all the time on
their latest
album release Freedom. MC5 and Cheap Trick are mentioned as similar
acts, but
there’s more to be heard here and despite this is classic 70s rock, it
sounds
modern retro ish and even has a lot of hit potential somehow. Without a
doubt,
this is high quality stuff of a band that was formed back in 2007 and
already
released a couple of records. However, Freedom might well be their
finest
moment so far, containing all-American Classic Rock with good clean
vocals.
Highlights are Rock All
Night
(very 70s Kiss ish), Baby Don't (more psychedelic stoner rock ish a la
The
Black Keys), Blue Dream (semi psych-pop ballad, somehow feels like a
classic
rock ish song), Sun House (very strong uptempo hardrock in 1970s style,
Uriah
Heep ish), Other Side (great uptempo classic late 70s melodic hardrock)
and
Boss Man (classic 70s melodic hardrock a la Van Halen). A band to check
out
a.s.a.p. at: http://thepinx.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Jonas
Lindberg and The Other Side 'Pathfinder' (Mode Music)
Jonas Lindberg (bass, keyboards, additional guitars &
vocals) is the leader of The Other Side, a progressive rock project
from
Stockholm, Sweden which was started in 2012 and has so far released 2
albums.
Pathfinder is their 3rd album and what we get to hear is
high
quality relaxing AOR/Pomprock a la Promotion (remember that Swedish
band?),
Styx and also Symphonic Progressive Rock a la Mystery (Canada). This is
of an
exceptional high level and fans of mentioned bands can easily check out
Pathfinder that not only is instrumental of a superb high level, but
also
songwise and vocally reaching the level of mentioned acts. Songs like
Square
One, Pathfinder and Leaving The World Behind (with great female backing
vocals)
are really beautiful and a pelasure to listen to. Jonas and his
bandmates
(Calle Stålenbring (guitars), Michael Ottosson (keyboards), Nicklas
Thelin
(guitars), Jenny Sandgren (vocals) and Maria Olsson (percussion))
deliver a
strong album that is highly recommended to fans of Mystery (Canada),
Enchant
and such melodic progressive rock. Check it out for yourself at: http://lindbergmusic.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Planistry
'Threeless' (Independent)
Formed in 2014, Planistry is a Finnish band, with a debut
album out entitled Threeless. Basically they are a melodic
hardrockband, with a
70s/80s approach. The start is very promising with Bring me trust, a
great
uptempo piece with shredding guitarsolos and catchy melodies, in a late
70s/early 80s style and reminding a bit of 70s Scorpions. However, as
the CD
continues, it all gets weaker and weaker, with a song like Join the
show as
absolute weakest song on offer. A pity, because it all started quite
inspiring,
but somehow the rest of the album didn’t make any impact. Perhaps the
band
needs more time to record a full-length record. Nevertheless, check
them out
at: http://www.soundcloud.com/planistry
(Points: 6.5
out of 10)
Divine
Intervention 'Traveler' (Independent)
Divine Intervention comes out of San Pedro, California,
was
formed in the summer of 2015 by Tomislav Pintaric-Vocals, Sean
Wagoner-Lead
Guitar, Will Setka-Rhythm Guitar, Gavin Kellems-Bass and Marco
Benedetti-Drums,
and already comes up with a full-length debut CD titled Traveler within
1 year
after formation. The band is playing aggressive Metal, with a sorta
1980s
Metallica approach, but a bit more melodic metal orientated and
actually it
doesn’t sound bad at all! You have fast uptempo pieces like Misdirect
and most
of the songs feature twin guitars and also a clear NWOBHM style can be
identified
(Architect), reminding of Angel Witch. The vocals are sometimes a bit
too much
sounding like James Hetfield, but Tomislav can not help it either he
sounds
like him. A song like Martial Law is very aggressive, but on the other
hand Of
The Martyr starts really beautiful and is a calmer epic tune with a
change to a
rockier sound halfway, sounding a bit like Lords Of The Trident. More
info on
this band can be found at: www.divineinterventionband.com
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Pariah
'Mirage' (Independent)
Out of Switzerland comes the stoner rockband Pariah,
formed
in 2011 and now releasing their debut album Mirage. The band has a huge
international sound and their heavy groovy stoner 70s hardrock approach
will
impress a lot of people worldwide. The foursome consists of Ruedi
Eugster
(Vocals & Guitar), Christian Eugster (Bass & Backing Vocals),
Stefano
Cappilli (Guitar) and Alessandro Cappilli (Drums) and especially songs
like Sun
and Among Us are very strong tunes that showcase the enormous talent
and
potency of Pariah. Do not confuse this Swiss Pariah with the countless
similar
named bands from the past by the way, so go check them out at: www.pariah.ch
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Chile
Colorado 'Chile Colorado' (Independent)
Out of California comes Chile Colorado, a three-piece
power
band with a self-titled album. The band is formed around
singer/songwriter/guitarist Ron Wright, of whom we reviewed more albums
in the
past. He is now assisted by Paul Goss on bass and John Ferraro on Drums
for
this release. Their music is late 1970s orientated hardrock, which
doesn’t
sound too bad, although perhaps a little dated. It actually sounds like
a
record from 1978, including the dust and weaker vocals. A song like Gun
Smoke
is a nice classic rock tune, while In America is pure early 80s
hardrock and
the album’s best song Cloud Jumper has a bigger sound somehow, being a
great
jam/session like song with excellent guitarwork and a sorta slow 70s
classic
hardrock approach, so definitely an impressive tune! However, overall
it all
sounds a bit average, which is a pity, because the guitarwork is
superb, but
vocally and also the sound quality is below par I am afraid. Now it
feels like
a weak independent record from 35 years ago, which I know some of you
will even
be interested in hearing, so check for yourself at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/chilecolorado1
(Points: 6.3
out of 10)
Tyler
Bryant and the Shakedown 'The wayside' (Republic Records/UMG
Recordings/Petting Zoo)
Out of Texas comes guitarist/singer Tyler Bryant, who
makes a
huge impact with this 6 songs counting new EP titled The wayside.
Together with
his band the Shakedown (Caleb Crosby on drums, Noah Denney on bass, and
Graham
Whitford, the son of Aerosmith's Brad Whitford, on second guitar), he
brings us
a lovely sound that should easily gain him a lot of attention, as it
does sound
quite sensational. They have already released a couple of albums, but
now they
are signed to the major label Republic Records (Universal Music Group)
and
thanks to being a support-act for acts like Aerosmith, B.B. King, and
Eric
Clapton, they have built up quite a reputation so far. Not a huge
surprise,
because the material on this new EP is of an exceptional high level.
Criminal
Imagination and Loaded Dice & Buried Money open up this EP and are
both big
fat heavy groovy stoner rock tunes, with the latter revealing some
southern
rock influences. On the other hand they slow things down during the
calmer
Devil's Keep and The Wayside, both being awesome relaxing tunes that
smell like
a wonderful mixture of Americana and Singer/Songwriter, with a southern
flavor.
Mojo Workin rocks again, sounding like The White Stripes with a
distorted heavy
bluesrock approach and also a comparison to Lenny Kravitz is possible
here, but
let’s not forget to mention Joe Bonamassa as well here. The only track
that
does sound a little odd here is Stitch It Up, which is a sorta 1980s
slow tempo
tune with a hair metal chorus, a cool tune nevertheless… Great vocals,
a big
fat sound and cool guitarwork are making all 6 songs a pleasure to
listen to
and Tyler Bryant might easily become the next big rockstar! More info
at: http://www.tylerbryantandtheshakedown.com
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Jeremy &
Lynne & The Typical Johnsons 'The sailor and the siren'
(Independent/USA Import)
3 years ago the long-time friends Jeremy and Lynne from
Ohio
began practicing and writing music, with as result a 2015 debut album
Drawing
blood. Now another year later a new EP is released. The Sailor &
The Siren
is described as a Folk/ Americana / Punk hybrid in the DIY tradition,
but I would
rather say that this is a great typical Americana rock product in the
John
Cougar style, especially during songs like The Lo-Fi Type, Hidt (How I
Died
Today), The Sailor & the Siren and Good Ones. Uptempo Americana
rootsy rock
and roll that also brings memories of bands like Wilco, War On Drugs
and such,
so good quality stuff. Ohio Gone brings a slightly calmer acoustic
tingled Neil
Young to mind, while Inside My Head is ballad ish. The vocals are
overall very
good and if you are into any of the mentioned acts and/ortraditional
American
rootsy rocks, then you definitely need to look up this album. More at:
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Love 2be
'Can you hear me' (Independent)
Love 2be is a new band project of Austrian native and
Black
Sand founding member Walter Weber. It’s only one song that you can hear
at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_tGPVyaaS0
and basically it is a nice rather standard calmer melodic rockballad,
acoustic
tingled with average vocals, but let’s wait for a full-length album
before
making a judgement about Love 2be.
(Points: 7.0
out of 10)
Gudrid
Hansdottir ‘Painted fire’(Broken Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German
Import)
Gudrid
Hansdóttir is the name of a sensational musician from Tórshavn, Faroe
Islands.
Her sound is a mixture between pop/folk and electronic music and her
main
instruments are vocals, guitar and flute. She has already released 4
solo
albums and is also known as the other half of the Faroese Electro Duo
called
Byrtha. Painted fire is her new record and without a doubt, this might
well be
the finest release ever to come out of the Faroe Islands. After the
release of
her third album Beyond the Grey in June 2011, she moved to Reykjavík,
Iceland,
where she met Janus Rasmussen (Bloodgroup, Kiasmos) and together they
created
the duo Byrtha, which became very on the Faroe Islands due to the fact
that the
music was more or less in the tradition of the Island’s music with also
Faroe
Islands lyrics. Guðrið also continues her solo-career, having built
quite a
name on the Islands and after hearing Painted fire I am quite convinced
that
she will one day breakthrough outside the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
She is
inspired by Kate Bush and you can clearly hear that, but also
similarities to
Bat for Lashes and Beach House are possible to draw. The album has a
huge major
label kinda sound and it could have easily been an American release. It
has a
band feeling, melodic pop/rock ish with an alternative touch, strong on
the
melodies and choruses with beautiful fantastic vocals. Highlights are
Nothing
About You, Pegasus (cool 70s style keyboardsolo), Endaloysi (Amanda
Bergmann
style), the relaxing typical Icelandic laid back Morgun (also reminding
of
Enya) and the calmer Living with You Is a Lot Like Dying and To Divine
where
you can hear the amazing vocal sound of Gudrid. Definitely a big
recommendation! More info at: https://soundcloud.com/gudridhansdottir
(Points: 8.7
out of 10)
The
Anatomy Of Frank ‘North America' (Broken Silence/Beste
Unterhaltung/German Import)
The Anatomy of Frank are
coming out of Charlottesville, Virginia and are blending post-rock with
poprock, with this wonderful new album North America as result. It is
the
intention of the band to create an album for every continent and they
start
with their own continent. 9 songs are included and the strong vocals
are
sounding quite perfect on the somewhat laid-back direction of the band
that
reminds a bit of Band Of Horses Bears Den, Calexico, War On Drugs and
such.
Here and there a bit rockier and in the end definitely a band that
could become
huge among the young crowd, who are very much into this
indie-post/pop-rock
kinda sound. The album starts with Minnesota (Part I), For Scott And
Jeremy,
which is great indie folk with a poprock chorus a la Mumford And Sons,
very
strong and radio-ready, quite melodic tune that also sounds very much
like Bears
Den). The record continues with A Bridge Over Lake Champlain (starts
calm,
semi-rocker, rocks a lot towards the end, alt indie poprock),
Leavenworth, WA
(very impressive awesome song that clocks 9 minutes and is even a bit
proggy
post-rock ish actually), Canton, OH (starts once again calm and gets
postrock
towards the end), Danville's Best And Brightest (best song, lovely
almost pure
progrock the 70s way, with a very happy melodic chorus, quite memorable
tune),
Occupy Anchorage (lovely melodic ballad, almost classic Alan Parsons
Project/Camel ish symphonic ish), My Thick Skin (yet another great
proggy
post-rock tune), Vancouver, For Child Astronauts (happy tune like The
Kinks/Happy Mondays) and the album closes with Photographs Of Inuvik In
January
(relaxing almost westcoast 70s ish tune, also catchy chorus and showing
that
this is a very original band with a lovely sound). A sensational
release that
is highly recommended to check out at: www.theanatomyoffrank.com
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Árstíðir
'Hvel' (Broken Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German Import)
Árstíðir
(English: Seasons) is a band from Iceland, formed in 2008 and currently
consisting of Karl James Pestka (violin), Gunnar Már Jakobsson
(baritone guitar),
Daniel Auðunsson (guitar) and Ragnar Ólafsson (piano), with a cellist
as 5th
member during concerts. Their 3rd studio-album Hvel, which
means
Spheres, it was crowdfunded and released in March 2015. Without a
doubt, this
is a sensational record and the music is of an incredible high level.
The band
sings partly in the Icelandic language, but also English lyrics are
used
sometimes, so it is sorta two worlds, but the music itself always
sounds really
impressive, no matter in which language they are singing. The band’s
music has
the typical minimalist elements of the Scandinavian/Northern European
traditional music, but also clearly focusing on superb strong melodies,
thanks
to the fact all members sing really terrific lead- and harmonyvocals
together a
la CSNY and Simon & Garfunkel. The music is a mix of indie-folk,
singer/songwriter, light progressive rock and classical music and the
result is
absolutely beautiful! Songs like Things You Said, Someone Who
Cares and
Shine are amazing songs and there’s not a single weak moment to be
found here.
Recently they even recorded a song with one of the greatest Dutch
female
singers, Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering), so it would not
surprise me
if this band will become much bigger in the future. Find out more at: http://www.arstidir.com
(Points: 8.8
out of 10)
Var ‘Var’ (Broken Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German Import)
Var is the name of this band, they hail from Iceland and were formed in 2013 by lead singer and composer Júlíus, who was actually starting it as a project in his home, where he recorded the material together with Myrra Rós. However, through the years it became more or less a full band, with as other members Egill Björgvinsson, Arnór Jónasson and Andri Freyr Þorgeirsson. The same titled album is a strong high quality calm atmospheric Enya/Clannad ish record, yet with an Icelandic sound. The overall sound is very very laid-back, just listen to 2 and 3, but especially 5 is dangerously close to Enya, so I think fans of mentioned acts will more or less understand what Var sounds like. Hear for yourself at: http://variceland.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Gurdan
Thomas ‘It’s not the end of the world’ (Broken Silence/Beste
Unterhaltung/German Import)
Described
as a mix of unconformist chaotic folk and baroque pop, the CD of the
German act
Gurdan Thomas sounds quite original. Founded by Ian Chapman, It’s not
the end
of the world takes pieces of French chanson, Latin guitars, Alternative
Folk,
Pop, world music, country, quirky singing and anything else that is not
standard, with as result a very out-of-the-box thinking record that
will be
embraced by the press. If you mix David Byrne and Rufus Wainwright with
Caro
Emerald, then you might end up with Gurdan Thomas perhaps. However,
it’s best
to check out the album for yourself and hear something very original.
Songs
like My Head Is Stuck In This Honeypot and Swimming Against The Tide
are good
examples and also lyrically you will experience some very weird
stories. A
little more commercial and radio-ready is the catchy Mockumentary Man,
but in
the end this is one of those albums you need to hear a few times before
making
up a good judgement, because everytime you discover something new and
therefore
we can easily recommend it. Check out more info at: http://www.gurdanthomas.com
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Myrna Ros
‘One amongst others‘ (Broken Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German
Import)
There is not so much info available on this Icelandic musician, but One amongst others is another typical laid-back atmospheric Northern European sounding record. Quite calm, dark and with an Icelandic feeling it brings to mind Bjork and also Enya, but with vocals that remind me a bit of Sinead O’Connor. 7 songs are included and without a doubt this is a quality record and it’s best to hear it for yourself at: https://myrraros.bandcamp.com/album/one-amongst-others
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Kati Salo
‘Kati Salo‘ (Broken Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German Import)
Out
of Finland comes Kati Salto, who delivers a good quality calmer
folkpop/singer-songwriter record that reminds one of Ane Brun here and
there.
She wrote all the songs by herself and actually the music is quite
different
than the standard singer/songwriter folk-pop, so it might not appeal to
everyone’s taste. Songs like The Street Sounds Different Now, The
House and
Dear Roe-Deer are a few examples where you can hear Kati’s way to
create an own
identity. To some it might sound a little bit too experimental songwise
and
vocally, it is for the open-minded folkpop fans definitely interesting
to check
out at: https://www.facebook.com/katisalomusic
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Oh
Lonesome Me ‘Things that could destroy me (in the end)’ (Broken
Silence/Beste Unterhaltung/German Import)
Named
after an old Johnny Cash song, the Berlin, Germany based female duo of
Anne
Stabe and Carina Schwertner deliver a superb piece of
vocal/harmonyvocal driven
melodic singer/songwriter that is not far removed from Webb Sisters,
First Aid
Kit, The Staves, The Pierces… Both the lead- and harmonyvocals are
sounding
like they are coming from heaven, just beautiful and picture perfect
for this
kind of melodic folk-pop driven music. 11 songs are included and right
from the
start with the song A Year No Longer you are completely hooked and I am
safe to
say that this might well be the finest female fronted record of the
past few
years! A very relaxing sounding record that grabs you and never gets
boring, so
go ahead and check out this sensational release asap, because basically
every
song is a highlight! Fans of Webb Sisters will absolutely love this!
More info
at: http://www.oh-lonesome-me.de
(Points: 8.7
out of 10)
Ochre Room
‘Box, bar and diamond’ (Broken Silence/Beste
Unterhaltung/German Import)
Box,
Bar & Diamond is the 2nd album of the Finnish band Ochre
Room,
whom were formed back in 2010. The band plays Americana/indie/folkrock
and
consist of Lauri Myllymäki: vocals/guitar, Minttu Tervaharju, vocals,
Tomi
Moisio: bass, Antti Leikkanen: drums, Ari Savolainen: guitar and Tanja
Peltonummi: trumpet. As a band they are influenced by Bob Dylan, The
Jayhawks,
Neil Young and such, which you can also hear clearly on the album. 10
songs are
included and the music is most of the time quite calm, with as
highlights Other
Side Of The Town, Blue Devil and No Trail (melancholic
singer/songwriter ish
with a violin, quite a dark song), but also the duet Spark (duet with
high
pitched female vocals, beautiful acoustic calm singer/songwriter), the
happy
uptempo Americana folk tune Garbage Trucks Are On The Move and the
slightly
rockier Meeting & Passing need to be mentioned. The final 2
tracks
(Curtain and Box, Bar & Diamond) are acoustic based revealing
those
Bob Dylan influences. Concluded, a very nice album by this Finnish band
and for
more info go to: www.ochreroom.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
The Flyin'
A's 'You drive me crazy' (Flying-A Records/Hemifran)
The
Flyin’ A’s is a duo from Texas, consisting of Hilary Claire Adamson and
Stuart
Adamson, husband and wife and together they recorded a strong Americana
pop/rock album titled You drive me crazy. It might not be a
groundbreaking
album, but it has elements of country, singer/songwriter and popmusic
as well,
although overall it does sound a little safe here and there. The
performance
however is of a high level, so it is enjoyable and that’s what counts.
Hilary
has got the best voice, which especially sounds at best during uptempo
pieces
like Little Miss Tumbleweed and Wild Texas wind. On the other hand,
Stuart has
a country kinda voice, which can be heard at best during It Ain't Funny
and
Blistered. As a duet they sound really great, just listen to the
southern ish
ballad I won’t stop loving you. Clearly influenced by the likes
of Bonnie
Raitt, Johnny Cash and Miranda Lambert, this Texas based duo is
offering some
great fun happy music that will put a smile on your face for sure. More
info
at: http://www.theflyinas.com
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Kaurna
Cronin 'Southern loss' (Independent/Hemifran)
22-year
old Australian singer/songwriter Kaurna Cronin comes out of Adelaide,
was named
after the original residents in that area (Kaurna) and now releases his
2nd
album Southern loss. The music is calm singer/songwriter orientated and
despite
it might not all sound really original, it is of a high level and
reminds me a
bit of Josh Rouse, Damien Rice, Tom McRae and such, although his
influences
come from Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. It’s not all-acoustic based,
because Kaurna
was helped by musicians like Tom Kneebone (guitar), Kiah Gossner
(bass), David
Resce (drums), Aaron Nash (organ and piano) en Julian Ferraretto
(violin),
while female backing harmonyvocals are sung by Delia Obst, Laura
Knowling and
Tara McHenry. The result is a good strong album, with as highlights the
uptempo
pieces Don’t Grow Up Too Fast, Forgetting The Blue, Lavender Bay and
Always
Never Alone, but also during calmer moments (Never Got You Off My Mind
and
Black Cotton), Kaurna sounds quite impressive. Musically speaking
there’s even
similarities to Tom Petty, although vocally perhaps John Cale or Paul
Simon
might be good comparisons and with Mark Knopfler ish guitarwork we can
even
hear some Dire Straits ish moments, but the Bob Dylanesque harmonica
takes us
right back into singer/songwriter territory. Definitely another
recommended
singer/songwriter to check out! More at: www.kaurnacronin.com
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Jaime
Michaels 'Once upon a different time' (Independent/Hemifran)
Once
upon a different time is already the 10th album of the
American
singer/songwriter Jaime Michaels, who released his debut 20 years ago.
It’s the
first time I get to hear his music and I must say that it sounds pretty
good.
His songs really tells us stories and are basically a must-hear for the
singer/songwriter fans, because it takes us back right to the 1970s
when Jim
Groce and James Taylor were receiving a lot of attention and Jaime
Michaels is
actually doing the same thing. His journey on this CD also reveals
other music
styles (blues, soul…) as well, which has its highlights in uptempo
tracks like
Once Upon a Different Time and No Paddle Wheel. The overall feeling is
pure
1970s calmer singer/songwriter, so any fan of that genre need to check
out www.jaimemichaels.com
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Viken
‘Reduced to ash’ (Hammarr Records)
Out
of Indiana, USA comes the band Viken and their album Reduced to ash
sounds as
if it was released in 1985, which means proto-metal and for some a
must-hear,
but I am afraid it all sounds too dated and standard to get noticed
nowadays.
Perhaps in 1985 one could get away with such a release, but nowadays
only fans
of underground 80s sounding metal in the style of let’s say Elixir,
Tyson Dog,
Tyrant… will be interested. Check it out at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/viken
(Points: 6.5
out of 10)
Fogwax
‘Swimming with sharks’ (Season Of Mist)
Fogwax
is a band formed by David and Julien, whom both were in the French
fusion/crooner rock band Last Barons before starting Fogwax. Not so
much info
available, but their debut album is titled Swimming with sharks and
without a
doubt it sounds like a high quality release. 9 songs are included,
starting
with Man of the year, a rather experimental start, but things get much
better
during the following track Face the sun, which is 1990s grunge rock a
la Pearl
Jam, slow and heavy on the grooves. Then we get to hear 2 great uptempo
modern
melodic heavy rockers (Ocelot and Ice Cold Men), while the short calm
instrumental Blood eagle is a nice break between the heavy rockers.
Fight!
Women! Continues the uptempo melodic heavy rocksound, another very
strong song
in the style of Alter Bridge and Shinedown. While listening to this
album you
would really think this is a major American label release, because it
sounds
very impressive and international, and more importantly, it is quite
sensational what we get to hear! Spider will have his revenge against
the town
continues the uptempo rocksound, but following track Big black nowhere
is an 8
minutes counting epic tune that introduces some heavy progrock elements
besides
being a lovely slow stoner rock ish tune with fantastic vocals by
singer Julien
Soler and great guitarsolo’s, so definitely the best song on the whole
record.
Closing track Despotic anxiety starts calm, with even a sax, developing
into a
somehwat grungy tune like a stripped Pearl Jam again. Concluded, this
is a
highly recommended band with a bright future, because they have an
international sound that will appeal to all rockfans out there. More
info at: https://fogwax.bandcamp.com/album/swimming-with-sharks
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
The Refusers
‘Wake up America’ (Independent)
Out
of Seattle comes The Refusers, a band with a somewhat traditional
classic
rocksound, especially when you listen to the first song Born to rock,
which
could have been recorded by countless bands in the past. The 1970s is a
clear
period when this kind of music was made by many bands, so The
Refusers’s record
Wake up America might as well have been released in 1975. Definitely
not a bad
thing at all, since this kind of retro classic rock is quite popular
nowadays
and thankfully they are doing it very well, because the 15 songs on the
album
sound rather good, both instrumental and vocally. Just listen to the
titletrack
Wake up America for instance and you get to hear a very nice tune that
mixes
elements of Neil Young, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, The Who, REO
Speedwagon and CCR into an own sorta typical 70s American Classic
Rocksound.
And the CD continues in this kinda direction and towards the end of the
album,
it was a pleasure to listen to The Refusers’s 70s classic rock. I also
hear
some similarities to so-called goof-rock bands like The Tubes and Good
Rats,
because there is also a humoristic and political reference as well,
such as
during the songs You Won't Read It In The NY Times, U R What U Eat and
Professor Friedman's Magic Money Contraption, while REM meets Cheap
Trick can
be heard during Who is the world for. If you’re starting to become
interested,
then go to: https://therefusers.com
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Traktor
‘Artefuckt’ (BMS Company)
Not
so much info on this Czech band Traktor, although I do remember a band
with the
same name from the past, but they could have been from Poland or
Hungary for
that matter. Anyway, they have released a professional sounding album,
although
the included music is rather standard and reminds me a lot of the
Finnish bands
Terrasbettoni and Lordi. The vocals are weak and the melodic metal goes
in one
ear and out the other, only saved by a massive sound/production.
Therefore it
still gets a decent rating, but I am afraid this will never make a big
impact
outside the Czech Republic. More at: http://www.bmscompany.net/katalog/rock/traktor-artefuckt-(id-MM1602-2).html
(Points: 7.5
out of 10)
Sendelica
‘The cromlech chronicles’ (Independent)
Out
of Wales comes Sendelica, an instrumental band consisting of Pete
Bingham (guitars
and electronics), Glenda Pescado (Bass Guitar), Lee Relfe (saxophones),
Meurig
Griffiths (drums), Richard Armstrong-Cripps (aka Lord Sealand )
(Theremin and
Keyboards) and Gavin Lloyd Wilson (Bass Guitar). They have already
released a
lot of albums since their formation more than 10 years ago and then I
mean more
than a dozen records! The latest album is titled The cromlech
chronicles, a
lovely instrumental record which consists of 1 very long song that has
a
playing length of 23 minutes, the beautiful relaxing The Cromlech
Suite, Parts
I to IV, and 3 shorter songs, including the uptempo Satoti, Part 1. The
instrumental music feels like the classic 1970s, a hybrid of jazz,
prog/sympho
and fusion rock, although it is more based on beautiful melodies
through
sax/guitar/keys solo’s than endless complex freaking instrumental
improvisations one normally hears in the jazz/prog world. Let’s mention
Camel,
Alan Parsons Project here as good comparisons and I must say it sounds
very
sensational and makes you feel very relaxed while listening. It seems
that the
band is live a joy to watch and I must admit that after listening to
this new
record I am very keen on checking out this band. More info at: https://sendelica.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Yigga Digga
‘Faded glory’ (Independent)
Out
of Pennsylvania comes Yigga Digga, a band formed in the early 2000s,
but Faded
glory is their 2nd full-length so far. Their music is heavy
and
modern sounding, kinda typical American. The opening titletrack starts
very
aggressive, but already on the next track Best Slave to the Life things
go more
melodic and rock in the direction of especially Alter Bridge and
Shinedown.
Nothing new on the horizon, but nevertheless it all sounds pretty
decent and
typical modern American heavy rock orientated. Other highlights are the
ballad
Memory and the rocker Wendigo, while the Cutter is also aggressive but
features
female guest singer Dorothy Macaluso, which makes this song a great
mixture
between Halestorm and Arch Enemy. As mentioned, the album has more or
less two
faces, which is sometimes aggressive (read: Gang vocals) and brings
forward
similarities to Metallica and Trivium, but typical American melodic
heavy rock
is around the corner always, which puts them in the
Shinedown/Creed/Alter
Bridge field. Quality stuff and sounding like a major label release, so
it is
recommended to fans of mentioned bands. More at: www.yiggadigga.com
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Madman’s Dream ‘Where it ends’ (Independent)
Madman’s
Dream is a band from Germany, formed in 2006 around Achim Biszwurm
(vocals),
Kai Trautwein (guitar), Steffen Volk (guitar),
Florian Menzel (bass) and Michael Vierkorn (drums). Not sure if
Where it
ends is their debut, but the album contains 7 songs in total and starts
with
Atmosphere, which is quality melodic modern hardrock with a light prog
touch
and a 1990s approach, sounding quite dark actually. After this somewhat
experimental depressing tune, we get to hear the best song on the
album, namely
Drifting Away, a catchy uptempo melodic progmetal tune with high
pitched
vocals. The band’s diversity continues with Goddess Of Night slow, a
bluesy
melodic heavy rocker that also sounds a bit like Axxis and Angel Heart
(Germany). Some more 90s melodic metal can be heard during the next few
songs,
while another highlight is the titletrack Where it ends, which is a
beautiful
melodic calm ballad. The only real disappointing track is closing song
An Hour
In The Tower (Live), which is very weak 80s teutonic metal. The
production is
of a very high level, the guitarwork is superb, but the vocals are not
clear
without the typical German accent and as you can see not all songs are
convincing, but overall Madman’s Dream delivers quality and a future
full-length CD might bring us even more pleasure. Meanwhile check them
out at: www.madmansdream.de
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Derin Dow Band ‘Illuminate’ (Crapshoot Music/USA Import)
The
Derin Dow Band releases perhaps the finest AOR album in ages,
because what we get to hear on their new album Illuminate is of an
incredible
high level! Frontiers might have the money and people to fabricate
so-called
fake classics in the AOR genre, but this Illuminate album is showing
how real
late 70s/early 80s AOR sounded like. This is smooth AOR/Westcoast-Rock
the way
it sounded around 1981 in the USA; the days when Toto, Styx, Journey,
Kansas,
Foreigner, Ambrosia and such ruled the radio airwaves. Derin is the
guitarist-vocalist-songwriter and leader of the band. Originally from
Indiana,
he started rocking in the early 80s and made the move to California in
1989.
He’s a gifted singer with the voice of an AOR god, reminding me of
Tommy Shaw a
lot. If you start listening to this album, you get goosebumps all over
the
place. This is the way AOR should sound like: laid-back and still
rocking
enough, filled with beautiful hooks and melodies. Instrumentally
speaking, the
music is also challenging due to a somewhat funky rhythm section a la
Toto.
Besides a cover of Chicago's classic "25 or 6 to 4", we get to hear 9
original tracks that were written and self-produced by Derin. Besides
Derin on
vocals, guitar, and bass, other featured musicians include former
Ambrosia
keyboardist David Cutler Lewis, lead guitarist Rick Sailon (Stan Bush,
Acoustic
Saints) and drummers Billy DiBlasi and Kevin Millar. It all starts with
"A
New Day", a lovely, calmer semi-AOR ballad with a light 70s prog touch
as
well; picture perfect sounding with beautiful melodies and reminding me
of
Kansas/Styx/Enchant a lot, with pure Tommy Shaw-ish vocals. (This also
reminds
me of Joe Lamont of Shelter and Jon Fiore of Preview). Absolutely
fantastic
vocal work (I cannot say this enough!!!), along with beautiful melodic
guitar
work, all sounding super sensational!! What a fabulous start of a new
album
release!!! This is what made AOR so interesting back in the day, and
makes you
keep digging to discover the real gems like Derin Dow’s Illuminate.
"Close
At Hand" follows as the 2nd song and is a great Toto-ish semi AOR/Rock
tune with a jazzy westcoast flavor. Once again, it has a beautiful AOR
chorus,
which is pure TOTO! "Fly" is up next and this is a damn good uptempo
melodic rocker a la Foreigner. The following track "I'm Gone" is
basically an early 80s classic uptempo AOR/Radio rocker in the
Preview/Shelter
style. This is an excellent tune and a sure AOR classic in the near
future. The
first slightly weaker song is the Pomp-orientated "Waterfall" that
nevertheless reminds a bit of Starcastle and Roadmaster. Then we get to
hear
the cool cover of Chicago’s classic "25 or 6 to 4" (in a heavier
vibe) and a short instrumental entitled "Marina". The last 3 songs
are "Ladysong" (which is amazing… sounding like a classic Styx/Tommy
Shaw tune from 1977, a semi AOR/Pomprockballad), "Jesus" (with a
fantastic late 1970s Westcoast/AOR vibe a la Ambrosia/Alliance) and
"Lonely Feeling" (a SUPERB, relaxing semi-AOR ballad which sounds
dangerously close to that 1983 Shelter classic!!!). What more is there
to say
about this release? This album sounds like an AOR classic from 1983, so
get
yourself a copy asap if anything listed is among your favorite music. A
total
must-have for all AOR/Westcoast fans of the old school style! Melodies
all over
the place and the vocals are bringing tears to your eyes… DO NOT MISS
THIS
RELEASE! Available at CD Baby at www.cdbaby.com/cd/derindowband.
More info at: http://www.derindow.com
(Points: 9.0
out of 10)
Tragic
Earth ‘Hatred and tolerance’ (Independent)
Tragic
Earth is a 4-piece Hardrockband from Melbourne, Australia and Hatred
and tolerance
is their latest album release. The record has a massive sound and it
could have
been a major label release. The included music is basically modern
sounding
melodic heavy rock/metal with a slight touch of late 80s/early 90s
melodic
hardrock. The vocals are quite strong, instrumental Tragic Earth offers
enough
quality and most of the included songs are very good, although there
are also
some weaker moments. The best songs are Bittersweet Reality (uptempo
late
80s/early 90s melodic hardrock), Bury Me (Alter Bridge similarities,
but with a
more late 80s approach, even a touch of hair metal) and Pretty Vacant
(midtempo
melodic rock, catchy and polished tune! Best song, with also a great
guitarsolo, everything sounds perfect here!!!). Somehow they even
remind me a
bit of Kingdom Come and Axxis, but there are also a few weaker tunes
such as
The Taste of Wasted (Rage Against The Machine style) and The Curse of
the
Nocturnal Eternity (very average). Things completely slow-down during
Overflow,
a very nice acoustic ballad. All together a nice record from this
Aussie band!
More at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tragicearth7
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Gun
Machine ‘Balls to the wall’ (Santo Grial)
Out
of the northern part of Spain (Asturias), the band Gun Machine was
formed in
mid-2013 and they quickly started to write and record material, which
now
results in their debut full-length release Balls to the wall. 9 songs
are
included and without a doubt what we get to hear is of a very high
level. Even
the vocals sound very impressive for a Spanish band. Songs like Bad
Memories,
Addiction and Forever Free are very strong classic uptempo melodic
hardrocksongs that remind me of Sargant Fury, so it is
late 80s/early 90s
influenced, yet with an updated sound. It sounds great in all aspects
and if
you’re familiar with Sargant Fury and Heaven’s Edge, then you will love
Gun
Machine for sure. It’s a pity that there are just 9 songs present on
the album,
because you want to hear more and more, but besides the mentioned
highlights,
other notable songs are The Black Hat (a sorta groovy tune like
Talisman /
Soto), I Pray For You (great semi melodic rocker, Firehouse/Dokken ish)
and
Zulina (great uptempo meliodic heavy rocker). The band sometimes remind
me of
Tarantula, although Gun Machine is definitely better. The second part
of the CD
is slightly weaker, but overall, this band is recommended to the fans
of pure
melodic hardrock in the style of Sargant Fury, Talisman, Firehouse,
Heaven’s
Edge…. Check out more at: https://gunmachineband.wordpress.com/
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
145 ‘Rhythm'n
Booze Vinyl + various CDs’
(Beautiful Sounds/Northside Records/USA Import)
The
band 1.4.5. was formed in Syracuse, New York back in 1980, led by
once and future The Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong. They were
active for
the greater part of the 1980s and throughout the 1990s, although
eventually
they changed their name to The Richards. Although they had a different
singer
in the beginning, Norm Mattice became their lead singer. Unfortunately
Norm
recently died, but Paul is still very active and he was kind enough to
send me
most of his releases he did with 145, The Flashcubes and The Richards.
This
gave me a good idea of the sounds of his bands and probably outside
Syracuse
they are not that well-known, but when listening you can hear some
great music
that could have easily become bigger. Starting with a CD of The
Flashcubes, a
typical late 1970s powerpopband who came from Syracuse, although Paul
himself
was actually originally born in Nuneaton, England. Anyway, this band
made a big
impact on the locals with their powerful catchy pop/rock that had the
typical
The Beatles ish radio-ready sound everyone can fall in love with. If
you
remember for example The Romantics, The Boys, The Undertones, Nelson’s
Life,
Rick Springfield, Big Star, Badfinger, the Dwight Twilley Band, the
Raspberries
the Rubinoos, The Jam (A LOT!) or whatever in the powerpoppunkstyle of
the late
70s/early 80s, then you will absolutely love this band. A CD of their
music is
available, which is called Sportin' wood - play the songs of Roy Wood.
Back in
the late 1970s the band released a couple of Eps and singles and
despite they were
close in releasing a full-length, they never managed to do that and so
this is
the first full-length record. It consists of material that could have
easily
been recorded in the good old late 70s, featuring catchy beautiful
memorable
melodies backed by a powerful uptempo poprocksound. Just listen to
songs like
Green glass windows, Givin’ your heart away and I can hear the grass
grow,
catchy and melodic in the old school style of the mentioned bands. Paul
himself
by the way was fired once from The Flashcubes in the late 70s, which
eventually
led him to form 145, but he rejoined them in the later 1990s and now is
part of
their current line-up. With 1.4.5. he first released a rare single, but
in 1988
a full-length LP was released entitled Rhythm’n booze, a superb pure
80s
sounding record that combined elements of classic rock, powerpop and
AOR/Radiorock. Songs like Right now, Girl in the window, Dancin’ spree
and
Famous local hero contain enough catchy hooks and melodic choruses to
entertain
the AOR/Radiorockfans among us. In fact, they remind a little of the
long-but-not-forgotten band Preview! There’s also some vintage classic
rock and
roll to be heard, Powerpop a la The Outfield and 2 covers (Slade’s Do
we still
do it and The Beatles’ Hippy hippy shake). All together a very
sensational
record that definitely deserves much more attention! Meanwhile, now 28
years
later also a CD with all kinds of rare unreleased songs as well as a
couple of
new tracks is made available to the public. The CD 3 Chords and a cloud
of dust
was released in 2012, but still sounds very fresh today. Although it is
nowhere
near as good as the classic 145 record from 1988, it is nevertheless
showing a
strong band. Finally, there is also a 1995 record available from the
follow-up
band to 1.4.5., namely the album Over the top by The Richards. A lot of
fun and
strong powerful melodic pop/rock can be heard on this album.
Dangerously close
to bands like The Joneses, The Knack (circa Serious fun), Rick
Springfield, the
Outfield and such, this album is another recommended one to check out.
Concluded, the 1988 record from 1.4.5. is sounding like a classic and I
would
definitely recommend everyone to check it out a.s.a.p. Thank you to
Paul for
sharing his great musical past with me and for more information you
should go
to: https://www.facebook.com/The-Flashcubes
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Blue
Canoe ‘Blue Canoe Vinyl’ (Liquid
Records/USA Import)
An
undiscovered gem is what this Blue Canoe is all about. Recorded in
April,1985 at Axe Tracks studios in Reno, Nevada, the album was
officially
released on September the 26th,1986. The band from Minneapolis,
Minnesota
consisted of Arnie Rode on Lead Vocals, Guitars, Carey Lifson on
Keyboards,
Guitars, Back-up Vocals, Randy Davis on Bass, Back-Up Vocals,
Greek-born Vlasis
on Guitars, Drums, Back-Up Vocals and Rich Merriman – Drums.
Multi-instrumentalist Vlasis was kind enough to send me this wonderful
same
titled debut album of Blue Canoe. The included music, especially side-B
with
such fantastic songs like Rain and River Of Love, it is feauiring high
quality
melodic progressive rock with an AOR/Symphonic feeling, kinda like
Starcastle
(very much), Journey, Styx, Mystery (Canada) and such, but also
sometimes with
a slight memory of Blue Oyster Cult, Ashbury and Wishbone Ash. The
vocals are
very laid-back and relaxed, so not screaming or reaching high notes,
just
plain, but really good and remarkable for its time is the somewhat
1970s
sounding keyboardwork, almost giving it a Pomprock feeling a la Touch
when we
hear those beautiful melodies. It is quite a rare album that really
needs to be
re-released. I have not been able to hear the follow-up record from the
1990s
yet, but this 1986 release of Blue Canoe is one of those records you
play over
and over again to keep on hearing wonderful melodies. Vlasis himself
went on
doing both solo-work and playing with the band Brule. However, this
record from
1986 on which he plays is one of those albums you once might call a
classic….
Highly recommended o any fan of 1970 AOR/Pomprock! More info at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bluecanoe, https://www.facebook.com/BLUECANOEMUSIC and http://vlasismusic.com
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
New
York Flyers 'New York Flyers' (Independent/USA Import)
Syracuse,
New York during the 1970s/1980s was a very good time to discover new
bands in
the aor/melodic rock direction, because back then many bands played the
popular
style and quite a few sensational ones emerge from that area. Not so
strange if
you consider the fact that singers and musicians like Benny Mardones,
Alec
Star, Joey Belladona, Joe Bonamassa, Ronnie James Dio, Lou Reed,
Garland
Jeffreys, Lou Gramm, Buck Dharma, Todd Hobin and many more were at one
point in
their careers active in this part of the New York state. Rochester, New
York is
another place that unveiled many great musicians, but the band New York
Flyers
came out of Syracuse, New York and they were a very active band in that
city.
Most of their material is classic uptempo melodic rock orientated like
only the
Americans did in the late 1970s and early 80s, with as best songs (on
the CD
that was sent to me by their bandleader Chris Tso) Talk to me Marie,
Don’t turn
away, the fabulous The record song (Prism style somehow, lovely AOR
tune, super
catchy, starts calm, but gets uptempo with dut-dut keys), Strangers
(Aviator/Agent
style superb uptempo catchy AOR as hell, also Prism circa Beat street),
The
girl can’t stop it (classic classic classic AOR sound!) and Crack the
whip!
(Night Ranger circa early 1982). Now this should be re-released on
vinyl,
because it captures that classic early 80s Northern American AOR sound
like we
know from bands such as Cheater, Prism, Mayday, Charlie, Todd Hobin,
Champion,
Agent, Aviator, etc. etc. Uptempo, big sound, rich keys, soaring
guitarsolos,
perfect vocals/harmonyvocals, catchy hooks and memorable choruses, it’s
all
there in the pure rock and roll American sound from the early 1980s and
this CD
could well be one of those classics!!!!!!!!!!!! More info on this band
that
reunites every now and then to perform in the Syracuse area, it can be
found
at: http://www.reverbnation.com/newyorkflyers
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Neon
Alley 'Neon Alley' (DMW Music/USA Import)
Recently
I discovered on a Boston compilation record a great 80s AOR band called
Capital
Gain, with their song Book of rules. Afterwards I got in touch with one
of
their members, David Vaccaro, who after all these years had a new band
called
Neon Alley, with whom he just released a self-titled debut CD, so quite
a timing
actually! However, it is even more a coincidence if you consider the
fact that
I was already in contact with David many years ago when he was active
in the
band/project V-Project. On their 2 releases (Lost demos and New
machine) there
were collaborations and vocals by Robin McAuley (Grand Prix, McAuley
Schenker
Group, Survivor, Raiding The Rock Vault), James Christian (House of
Lords),
Christopher Post (Dillinger) and Dennis Gresham. Now it’s 2016 and via
Captial
Gain’s rare song Book of rules I am in touch again with David and
welcome his
new adventure Neon Alley. The band features besides David on Lead
vocals,
guitars, keyboards, also Mike McDonald – Bass, Vocals and Scott Marion
– Drums
& percussion. The music is 1980s orientated AOR/Melodic Rock, with
8 songs
in total included on the CD. The sound/production quality is impressive
and
this could well have been one of those 80s hair metal products. That's
How It
Is, Piece of the Pie and 'Til I'm Done are nice uptempo melodic
rockers, but
the absolute highlight is All I Want, which is classic 80s midtempo AOR
in the
Night Ranger/David Victor style, sounding big on the harmonyvocals, a
tight
rhythm section and great vocalwork, so this is classic style AOR/feel good music the way we
want to hear it.
Hopefully more songs in this style in the future, because this is
picture
perfect AOR! The other songs are the Elvis cover Jailhouse Rock, I Only
Want to
Be with You (a nice semi ballad/rocker), Let Your Lovin' Come Down (ZZ
TOP
meets Travelling’ Wilburys sorta Status Quo ish boogie flavored rocker)
and Got
to Rock (Van Halen boogie rocker, like Hot for teacher). Pretty good
album,
although not all the songs are really convincing, because I could live
without
the boogie flavored tracks. Nevertheless, 80s melodic hardrock/US hair
metalfans will like this a lot! More at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/neonalley
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Adrenalize
'Adrenalize' (Independent/Germany Import)
Formed
10 years ago, the German band Adrenalize was keen on making 80s melodic
hardrock, influenced by the likes of Pink Cream 69, Queen, Guns n‘
Roses,
Poison, Queensryche, Bonfire, Gotthard und Bon Jovi… Now a decade
later
their debut CD is released, so it took them some time to release an
official
record. The band is formed around Andreas Ellner (lead vocals, guitars,
piano
on Sirens Cry), Michael Horn (guitars), Christoph Schmidt (bass) and
Markus
Schrufer (drums) and the result of their debut album is more or less
nice
standard melodic hardrock in the style of Bonfire, Victory and such.
Only 9
songs are included, including an intro, so it is a rather short and
sweet
affair, but what we get to hear is good clean quality songs. Not really
sensational and due to the thick German accent in the vocal department
(think
Frontline), sometimes sounding a bit awkward and also the simple
uptempo
1-chord driven tunes are forgettable, but still there are some good
moments to
be heard. The melodic hardrock of songs like Rock `n Roll and Ship of
fools
(catchy faster uptempo a la Mad Max), With you (a pretty good semi
melodic
rockballd a la Frontline) and Keep holding on (a pretty damn good
uptempo
catchy melodic rocker) are making it nevertheless a nice album to
listen to
from start to finish. Closing track Bitter pill however is the weakest
song on
the whole album, so it is recommended to Adrenalize to work on their
sound in
the future, because they are showing here and there it is possible to
create
some great music. Meanwhile check them out at: http://www.adrenalize.de/history
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
Dust
'Soulburst' (Attitude Recordings)
And
we are once again heading over to Sweden where we find yet another
impressive
band that could easily become huge. They are called Dust and their new
album is
titled Soulburst. Now this is Classic Hardrock the way it needs to
sound, with
lead vocals that come across like a mix between Ronnie James Dio meets
David
Coverdale meets Paul Rodgers. Roger Solander is the name of this
fantastic
singer and he sounds like a true Rock God! Together with guitarist
Johan
Niskanen, drummer Örjan Dr Rock Englin and bassist Bernt Ek he recorded
a
really great album that sounds picture perfect if you want to hear 70s
classic
hardrock as in a mix between Dio (Sun rising), Free (King is Coming)
and
Whitesnake (Come On and Bad boy). Their previous album dates back to
2014, but
Soulburst definitely should become their big breakthrough, because it
sounds
super professional and picture perfect at all aspects. Waiting for you
and
Blind are for example basically pure Whitesnake classic bluesy type of
ballads,
but then done in a way David Coverdale himself is not able to do
anymore.
Sensational stuff and despite it might not all sound original, because
after
all you can hear the similarities allover the place, the final result
is a very
impressive record and a must-have for fans of aforementioned bands!
More at: http://www.dustband.se
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Kitt Chapman
'This must be life' (Independent/USA Import)
Californian
singer/songwriter Kitt Chapman has done quite a lot in the acting,
singing,
theatrical, film and television world, but music is her greatest love
of all.
She writes songs almost non-stop, both instrumental and with lyrics,
and This
must be life is a full-length CD she released. The music is calmer folk
orientated and she has one of those voices you need to get used to,
although
without a doubt, this is quality stuff for sure. The material is mostly
quite
calm and after a while it might get repetitive to some, but Kitt is
doing a
great job here in presenting a healthy mixture of singer/songwriter and
folk
music (a la Joni Mitchell). However, the instrumental After shows her
best side,
because this is a really beautiful piece of work. Check out all on Kitt
at: http://www.kittchapman.me
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Merlot
Embargo 'Don't look back' (Independent/USA Import)
Don’t
look back is an album of L.A. based Merlot Embargo, a duo formed less
than 2
years ago. In December 2014 songwriter/producer pair (and husband/wife)
Scarlet
and Geoff had an automobile accident that completely changed their
lives in
their way of thinking, because they survived and started this duo
together,
which now results in a fantastic debut album. Along with bassist Jeremy
Burgan
and drummer Lonn Hayes and video game composers David and Ben Stanton
they
delivered an album filled with music that takes elements from
westcoast/aor,
Americana, poprock, singer/songwriter and some country/blues as well.
Scarlet’s
vocals are quite fantastic and the material is quite sensational
actually. The
sound/production is huge and there is a lot of potential to be heard
here,
especially during the lovely first 3 songs, which are Head Above the
Water
(midtempo soulful westcoast/pop/aor, fantastic soulful vocalwork in the
Adele/Amy style), We All Fall Down (catchy midtempo melodic
poprock/aor) and
How to Survive an Apocalypse (excellent midtempo southern flavored
bluesy
melodic rocker a la Alannah Myles/Sass Jordan and such). Freaks on a
Train
follows and is a nice radiofriendly Americana Westcoast tune, while
Storms is a
calmer ballad ish tune, almost a country crossover ballad. All Who Are
Lost
takes on a different path, as this is a sorta Caro Emerald ish semi
ballad with
even a lot of Rufus and Martha Wainwright similarities. The CD closes
with 3
calmer singer/songwriter pieces (In the End, These Are the Best Days of
Our
Lives and Billy the Kid) that are sounding like a mix between Brandi
Carlile,
John Mayer and Sara Bareilles. There’s a lot of soul here, with still
enough
moments that make it rock or slow things down, so something for
everyone! Check
it out for yourself at: http://www.merlotembargo.com
(Points: 8.5
out of 10)
Arda
& The Stolen Moon 'Minutes into years' (Jasmin Road/Cyprus
Import)
The
Stolen Moon is the name of the band that accompanies singer-songwriter
Arda G.
on her album Minutes into years. She is currently raising money to
release it
on vinyl, which is of course very cool and interesting, since only
vinyl is the
real deal in music, but she did already sent me in advance a copy of
her album
on CD. The included music is poprock orientated, sounding sometimes
quite
catchy melodic poprock ish, but also here and there alternative, also
due to
the somewhat original vocals. The best songs are the uptempo 1
(Pretenders
style), 2 (nice melodic midtempo tune a la Alanis Morrisette), 6 and 9
(most
rockiest tunes, midtempo melodic poprockers, quite catchy, once again a
la
Alanis Morrisette) and 10 (haunting midtempo altrock with a nice
guitarsolo).
There’s a good diversity going on here, because there are also quite a
few
calmer tunes. Definitely one to check out and soon available on vinyl,
can’t
wait to play it in that format! Meanwhile check out more at: http://www.ardaandthestolenmoon.com
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Rachael
Sage 'Choreographic' (Mpress Records/DGR Music)
The American singer/songwriter Rachael Sage has already
released 12 studio-albums, which is quite an achievement, because she
is still
quite young of age, but she started releasing records when she was in
her
teens, so now 20 years later she has built up quite an impressive
catalogue of
songs. Choreographic is the latest release and once again a pretty good
album
featuring 14 tracks in total. The vocals remind me of The
Cardigans/Cranberries, while the music is more singer/songwriter meets
folk pop
based and also here and there I hear comparisons to Suzanne Vega and
even
Bjork, yet with sometimes a more commercial approach, as the music goes
most of
the time in a lightweight poprock direction, with a typical modern day
female
fronted singer/songwriter approach (Heaven and Loreena) and especially
the second
half of the record offers some laid-back jazzy piano pop a la Norah
Jones.
Highlights on the album are Try try try (almost early classic 80s
poprock tune
with a sorta Pat Benatar riff, vocally like The Pretenders, a very
impressive
cool tune, but one of the few rockers), Home (very nice ballad ish), I
don't
believe it (uptempo original pop/rock song a la The Cardigans), French
doors
(great jazzy more polished melodic singer/songwriter semi pop ballad),
Clear
today (sorta lightweight pop/rock a la Suzanne Vega), Learn to let you
go
(calmer semi balllad, more polished radio orientated, could be a hit),
Five
alarms (calmer sorta celtic semi-ballad, somehow Irish sounding like
Enya meets
Bjork) and closing track So far away (calmer singer/songwriter,
beautiful tune
with a lovely melody!). Another nice new record of this talented
singer/songwriter from the New York area. More info at: http://rachaelsage.com/
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
I Heart
Sharks 'Hideaway' (ADP Records/DGR Music)
Out of Berlin, Germany comes I Heart Sharks, a band that
sounds like it is still 1981, but on the other hand nowadays this kinda
Indie-New Wave is also produced, so they fit right in the retro-genre.
Think of
a combination of Depeche Mode and The Editors when looking for a
description of
this band. The line-up consists of Pierre Bee - Synthesizer, Vocals,
Simon
Wangemann - Guitar, Synthesizer, Vocals, Martin Wolf - Drums,
Synthesizer and Craig
Miller - Bass Guitar, Vocals and their latest album Hideaway offers a
bunch of
great synth orientated tunes, of which the highlights are the uptempo
danceable tunes Hideaway and Walls (a la White Lies), the
lovely midtempo Walk at night (very 80s new wave ish, also reminding of
newcomers Blossoms, now this song has got all it takes to become a huge
summer
hit!) and the catchy uptempo poprockers Lost Forever and Used To Talk.
Recommended album to fans of The Editors, Blossoms, Depeche Mode, White
Lies
and everything in between musically speaking! More at: http://www.iheartsharks.net/
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Eileen Carey
'Let it go' (RolleyCoasterMusic/USA Import)
Out of Altadena, California, USA comes singer/songwriter
Eileen Carey, who releases her debut CD with Let it go. The album is a
typical
American country-poprock crossover album that touches the classic
traditional
country and typical catchy radio-ready US Poprock, reminding a lot of
classic
Juice Newton, Ellen Shipley and early Shania Twain. She is clearly also
into
80s female fronted poprock, because 3 80s classics are covered on the
album
(Don't get me wrong - The Pretenders, Only the lonely - The Motels and
Walking
on sunshine - Katrina and The Waves), all done in a new country sorta
direction
and sounding pretty good, especially Only the lonely, which is almost a
pure
AOR tune a la Pat Benatar. Most of the songs are uptempo pieces and
without a
doubt the strongest original tune is the catchy Let it go, but also the
midtempo AOR of opener Bring on the big will please the fans of 80s
female
fronted poprock/aor. Although some might find it sound lightweight, the
result
is quite good and recommended if you want to hear fun poprock to
sing-a-long
to. The country twangle is almost put to the back during some tunes, so
don't
expect a country affair here, because as already mentioned, it is
basically
typical classic female fronted poprock like only the Americans can make
'em,
with a strong 80s approach, but I guess you already understood that! On
the
other hand the country influences are almost always present, so you
don't have
to mind that. Her great new midtempo AOR song In the air is also
available now
as a single track. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.eileencarey.com
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Daring
Greatly 'Cornerstones' (Independent/Canada Import)
Canada and rockmusic have always been of great interest
for
me personally and Daring Greatly from Calgary is yet another fine new
band to
check out as they offer high quality original rockmusic that combines
influences of alternative rock, bluesy rock, Americana and Classic
Rock, but
also with clear Californian westcoast influences. The result
Cornerstones is a
strong diverse album that could have easily been on a major label.
Highlights
are the somewhat calmer tracks, such as Big things are comin',
Reflections of
me, Find your serenity (Black Crowes meets Venice!) and the beautiful
Venice
ish Save you from and Neverland. They remind a little of the early to
mid 1990s
in-between styles period, meaning the more melodic alternative rock and
the
pure grunge rock of the Seattle bands, but still with one big step in
the
classic 70s westcoast/classic rock territory. Hard to compare Daring
Greatly,
because they have somewhat an own identity, which is a good thing of
course,
but the closest thing is definitely Live, because both the music and
especially
the vocals of singer/bassist Dail Croome sound dangerously close to Ed
Kowalczyk, while the harmonyvocals of his brothers Liam Croome (keys)
and
Patrick Croome (acoustic guitar) give it a real Californian touch
(westcoast
ish a la Venice and CSN&Y). In fact, after a while the CD
completely grabs
you in a classic westcoast kinda vibe, yet with a classic rock touch in
the
form of lovely guitarsolo's, so it is best to compare Daring Greatly
with the
bands from the 1970s like Venice, America, Poco, Little River Band and
such,
yet they have a singer who sounds like Live meets Black Crowes and the
guitarolo's make it rockier. All together a highly recommended album
you don't
want to miss, but don't let the Californian sound fool ya, because this
band
hails from Canada and you can check them out at: http://www.daring-greatly.com/
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
Stolen
Rhodes 'Bend with the wind' (Teenage Head Music)
Here we have a sensational band from New Jersey called
Stolen
Rhodes, whose main members are singer/multi-instrumentalist Matt
Pillion and
bassist/guitarist Dan Haase. They grew up a stone’s throw away from
Bruce
Springsteen’s adopted hometown of Asbury Park and while listening to
Bend with
the wind, we can hear some clear influences of The Boss, yet Stolen
Rhodes has
more to offer. Matt is a fantastic singer and the band's music is close
to 70s
Classic Rock, with a strong Southern Rock kinda approach here and
there. There
is a nice diversity in tempo, because you have uptempo rockers and
smooth
almost westcoast ish tunes. Mix Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen,
Eagles and Bad
Company, then you might get this Stolen Rhodes. Highlights are the
excellent
uptempo classic rocker Sunshine prophet, the semi-ballad Devil from
above, the
lovely Mr. Big ish ballad Save me (could be a massive radio hit), the
Westcoast
ish calm ballad Makin' money and the Bruce Springsteen cover Rosalita,
which
sounds a bit like Thin Lizzy somehow. Without a doubt, a highly
recommended
band you urgently need to check out if you long back to the classic
1970s
traditional American (Heartland) Classic Rocksound! More at: http://www.stolenrhodes.com/
(Points: 8.7
out of 10)
Radio Birds
'Contemporary American slang' (Teenage Head Music)
Contemporary American slang is the new album of the
American
band Radio Birds. They hail from Atlanta and are making a sound that
fits
somewhere between stoner rock, americana rock and swamp rock, all in
classic
traditional American style. The vocals are somewhat raw sounding and
not always
really appealing, but the music is quite nice to listen to. Some groovy
rocking
material is included, but also more melodic radio-ready material like
the
catchy uptempo Your favorite part that sounds like a cross between Thin
Lizzy
ish 70s classic rock and modern day Mumford and Sons, a weird
combination, but
somewhere you can hear it in the rocking sound of Radio Birds. Other
highlights
are the uptempo classic rocker Dirty rags, the melodic rockballad Time
ranger
(Aerosmith ish) and the groovy rocker Red wine, hard liquor. Not a bad
record
at all, but still the band needs to decide wether they want to be a
real
rockband or a more indie/americana ish band, because now they might
fall in
between these genres. On the other hand, that makes them even more
interesting
to check out at: www.radiobirds.net
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Forest Field
'Lonely desert' (Rock Company)
Already the 4th album of Forest Field, which is a project
by
Dutch multi-instrumentalist Peter Cox. He does everything by himself
except the
vocals, which are provided by Phil Vincent, who recorded them in the
USA. The
result is more or less close to Phil Vincent's releases, so if you're
familiar
with his music, then you will understand how this sounds like. This
time it all
starts with a very strong song titled Valley of pain, an uptempo
AOR/Melodic
Rock tune with a deadly catchy chorus. This is definitely one of the
finest
songs of Forest Field so far. The rest of the album isn't that as
strong as the
opening cut, but still a nice melodic heavy rock affair, with a few
instrumentals and a couple surprising calmer tunes, such as Doomed in
the
desert and the epic lengthy closing track Fear that reveals progrock
influences. All together a nice new record by Forest Field. More info
at: www.rockcompany.nl
(Points: 7.8
out of 10)
John Hickman
'Remnants' (Independent/USA Import)
Although the debut album Remnants by Hawaii based
singer/songwriter/keyboardplayer John Hickman starts a bit calm and
sorta
quirky poprock based in late 1970s style with opener Hello hello, the
following
track Escape rocks the way we want to hear it, because this is midtempo
pomprock/melodic rock based a la Styx. It all sounds very massive for
an
independent release and when reading that John's influences come from
Styx,
Rush, Beatles and David Bowie, it also becomes clear that we can hear
all the
time this kind of classic 70s pop/rock. John has a great voice and
indeed David
Bowie similarities are very clear sometimes, such as during Paris is
burning.
The keyboard/piano work is close to John Lennon as well, so during the
calmer
tunes David Bowie meets John Lennon meets John Miles is a nice
description,
while the few rockier tunes give it a more pomp/symphonic rock
approach.
Hopefully next record will go for a more rock orientated direction,
because
John is definitely showing that he is able to produce some sensational
rock ish
material like the already mentioned Escape, the big symphonic
pomprocker
Cascade (80s Rush ish) and the AOR/Pomprock anthem Talk (massive synths
and a
true early 80s Northern American sound a la Magnum, Russia, Arc Angel,
etc.)
besides the singer/songwriter pop direction which now wins most of the
time
(also sounding very good, especially during the What have you done?
that sounds
like Rufus Wainwright meets Billy Joel). Anyway, it nevertheless all
sounds
pretty good no matter which direction, so check out John at: http://www.johnhickmanmusic.com/
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Handful Of
Rain 'Three days to come back' (Independent/Spain Import)
Handful Of Rain is a band from Cadiz, Spain and their
debut
CD sounds like a high quality typical melodic hardrockalbum that will
be loved
by the fans of Gotthard, Jaded Heart, 80s Bon Jovi, Firehouse, 80s
Dokken,
Hardline and such. The guys have done a great job to create a bunch of
mostly
catchy uptempo tunes in the style of mentioned bands, with as
highlights Saints
and sinners, Burning hearts, Eagles and Without you. The vocals of lead
singer
David Requejado have a slight accent, but he nevertheless sounds pretty
good (a
la Michael Bormann) and especially the guitarwork is quite sensational
(Niko
Delgado and Dave Lago). 5 songs are mixed by Wyn Davis (Dokken,Dio,John
Norum,Great White) in the All Access Studios in Redondo
Beach-California (USA),
so it isn't a coincidence that this Spanish band has a strong
professional
classic American Melodic Hardrocksound. Definitely recommended to the
fans of
true Melodic Hardrock! More info at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/handfulofrain2
and https://www.facebook.com/handfulofrainrocks/
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Larry Dane
'Just let it ride' (Independent/USA Import)
Only one song on the CD of New Jersey musician Larry
Dane,
but the particular song Just let it ride is a good typical 80s sorta
rocker
that sounds like a cross between Benny Mardones and Robert Tepper.
Hopefully
soon a full-length CD of Larry. More info at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/larrydane3
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Half Past
Four 'Land of the blind' (Nineteen 73/UK Import)
Land of the blind is the 3rd album of the Canadian band
Half
Past Four. What we get to hear is high quality progressive rock with
strong
female vocals (Kyree Vibrant). At first sight they sound like a typical
relaxing progrockband when opener Mathematics kicks in, because this is
quite a
melodic tune that even sounds a bit like Renaissance and Lana Lane.
However,
next track Mood elevator is taking a different path and introduce some
experimental moves, while the Max Webster cover of Toronto tontos goes
into
very weird and wicked experimental directions. Not bad at all, as this
band
sounds quite original, although secretly I hope for some more tunes
like the
first and closing track next time, as the somewhat theatrical quirky
art-rock
of a song like One eyed man is a bit over-the-top. The mini-album
closes with
the lovely melodic calmer progrock song Mirror eyes that also has some
jazzy
improvsations and great keyboardwork as well as fantastic crystal clear
vocals
of Kyree. Without a doubt, Half Past Four is an interesting band to
check out
at: https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/halfpastfour3
and https://halfpastfour.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Johnny
Barnes 'Plan B from outer space/Known offenders' (Nightcrawler
Music/USA Import)
Out of the Boston area comes vocalist/guitarist Johnny
Barnes, a musician with a long music history that goes back to the
1970s. I
once saw a vinyl record of him in a local store here in Rotterdam, but
I didn't
bought the record because I simply didn't know him. Little did I know
that
about 10 years later I would get in touch with Johnny himself. He sent
me 2 of
his CDs he released, both containing a collection of songs from his
long
musical past. I re-discovered Johnny after buying a rare vinyl
compilation
record from the late 1970s that featured Boston based acts and Johnny
was one
of them. Anyway, Johnny Barnes sang and played guitar in all of the
famous
nightclubs in Boston with many of rock and roll's legends, producing
and
releasing a dozen records throughout the years. Local airplay and
intense
record company interest led to a hit song in England and work with
legendary
producer, Jimmy Miller (The Rolling Stones, Blind Faith with Eric
Clapton,
Traffic with Steve Winwood). Although Johnny was a successful musician
in the
80s, eventually he became a full time Police Officer since 1991 as well
as an
FBI trained Hostage Negotiator, and a Detective. Now back to those 2
CDs he
sent me, because they contain a wide diversity of music styles,
although it all
sounds like 1970s and 1980s recordings, but in a good way. This is high
quality
music and with Johnny you can go anywhere, (short) uptempo early 80s
poprockers
a la Eddie Money (I got plans for you, Can't stop and Young girls
know),
uptempo melodic rockers (Hook, line and sinker, Roll me and Let's slip
away) a
la Benny Mardones and Billy Squier, but also some more experimental
spacy and
funky tunes in an almost 70s progrock direction (Starships in transit
and
Didn't know before) and then again typical 70s Aerosmith bar-room
boogie
rockers like Shot in the dark an Ruby, but also a lovely laid-back AOR
ish
ballad like Days of sorrow can be heard and let's not forget the bluesy
guitar
licks of Johnny. He also has a great typical New Jersey kinda voice
(Tepper,
Jovi, Mardones, Springsteen...) and the music on these CDs show the
enormous
diversity in styles he was able to do throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Known
offenders is the best out of the 2 releases. Check it out for yourself
at: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jbarnes
and http://www.johnnybarnes.com
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Heartbanger
'Through the dark' (Rock CD/Spain Import)
Xavier Mendez comes out of Barcelona, Spain and he
recently
started the project Heartbanger. Xavier played guitar and wrote all the
songs
on the first album Through the dark, while guest musicians are from
other
Spanish bands. For the vocals he hired several guest singers, including
Tony
Mills (Shy/TNT) and Gabriele De Val (The Val), both sounding great of
course.
The other singers are less interesting, which is a pity, because the
music
itself is high quality AOR with massive keys upfront, catchy hooks and
memorable
choruses. Not counting the intro, the CD contains 8 actual songs, of
which the
highlights likewise are the ones with Tony and Gabriele on vocals. You
came on
time for example is an excellent midtempo AOR/Melodic Rocker a la
Witness and
Through the dark is a wonderful Shy ish uptempo 80s AOR rocker, but
also the
beautiful instrumentals Always remembered and Night drive need to be
mentioned.
The production could have been better and with only Tony and Gabriele
as
singers, with the addition of some more songs, there is a bright future
for
Heartbanger. The first result of Xavier's work is already interesting
to check
out for the AOR/Melodic Rockfans among us at: www.facebook.com/Heartbangerspain/
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Blind Ego
'Liquid' (Gentle Art Of Music/Soulfood)
Blind Ego is the project of RPWL guitarist Kalle Wallner
and
without a doubt this is a very interesting German project, because
their 2
previous releases were already among the great progrock releases of the
new
century and now with 3rd record Liquid they hit the bullseye once
again,
because this is progrock/progmetal the way it needs to sound like. 9
tracks are
included in total and right from the start you know you are onto
something really
good. Opener A place in the sun is a massive sounding melodic
progressive metal
anthem that sets the record straight here that this new Blind Ego is
one of
those prog must-haves! Next track Blackened is calmer, but even more
sensational, as this slightly laid-back melodic progressive rock track
smells
like Threshold a lot, so we are in the upper level of prog now. The
lead vocals
here are magnificent and the subtle guitarwork of Kalle just perfect.
There are
3 different singers to be heard (from the bands Subsignal, ex-Seven
Thorns and
Simeon Soul Charger), and they all sound superstrong, while the other
musicians
are from bands like Panzerballett, ex-Dreamscape, Subsignal and Sylvan.
What if
take things into a more uptempo melodic metal approach (with a tiny bit
of
Queensryche here), while from the remaining 6 tracks the highlights are
Never
escape the storm, Tears and laughter and Speak the truth (Enchant meets
Threshold ish semi-ballad, superb vocalwork!). However, the whole album
is a
highlight and delight to listen to from start to finish, so all
progheads needs
to get this new Blind Ego record a.s.a.p. More info at: www.blind-ego.com
(Points: 8.8
out of 10)
Oddland
'Origin' (Sensory Records/Laser's Edge/Bertus)
The Finnish band Oddland were formed in 2002, but it took
them 10 years before a debut album was released in the shape of The
treachery
of senses. Now 4 years later the follow-up Origin is released, which
marks a
switch in label, because they signed with Sensory Records/Laser's Edge,
while
the previous album was released on Century Media. The album was mixed
and
mastered by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames, Devin Townsend...)
and
overall it is a very impressive record that contains darker melodic
prog metal
with great low pitched vocals and a big massive sound that sounds like
a cross
between Evergrey, Tool and Pain Of Salvation. This is definitely high
quality
stuff, with as highlights Unknown and Faraway. Despite the dark metal
sound,
the band is still quite melodic and memorable and fans of mentioned
bands need
to listen to this great new record Origin. More at: www.oddlandband.com/
(Points: 8.4
out of 10)
Cathubodua
'Opus 1: Dawn' (Independent/Belgium Import)
The Belgian band Cathubodua makes their debut with the
mini-CD Opus 1: Dawn. 4 songs and an intro are included on this rather
typical
female fronted gothic power metal release. Without a doubt, it's of a
high
quality the material we get to hear, although not really original,
since a song
like Scarecrow is dangerously close to Nightwish and AFter Forever.
However,
the result is nevertheless very impressive and therefore recommended to
fans of
this genre. More at: www.cathubodua.net
(Points: 8.0
out of 10)
Jessica's
Theme Band 'Matter of time' (Independent/Greece Import)
The Greek band Jessica's Theme Band was formed all the
way
back in 1991, but after 3 years the original members John Goudoulas -
vocals, Jim
Karahontzitis - guitars, vocals and Nick Agathos - guitars, vocals
decided to
quit the band and each went their own way. In 2013 they reformed and
now after
all those years a first album is releasec titled Matter of time. The
material
has a somewhat bluesy groovy classic rock sound, which doesn't sound
bad at
all, but things get moving during Everything goes, a nice uptempo
melodic
rocker, with great guitarsolo and a nice catchy chorus a la 90s Dakota.
It
happened again is an excellent semi melodic rock/aor ballad, definitely
the
best song here. Although the music is different from Dakota, the vocals
are
very similar to Jerry Hlduzik. Final highlights among the 9 included
songs are
Matter of time, which is a nice uptempo classic rocker and closing
track Station
to station, which is a rather cool 70s funkly tune. Quite a diverse
record
actually and despite it isn't a classic, fans of 70s classic rock will
definitely like this band, so go check them out at: http://www.jessicasthemeband.com/
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
Jimmy Martin
'Berlin' (Fastball Music/Germany Import)
It's been 20 years or so since Jimmy Martin made his
debut in
Strutter'zine with a pretty decent solo CD on the now defunct Long
Island
Records. In the meantime he made several comebacks, but as far as I
know he
never released a follow-up full-length CD with let's say 10-12
originals, as
also this new album Berlin consists of actually only 6 new original
tracks, as
the rest is covers and remixes, including again the Rick Springfield
cover Love
somebody. Anyway, Jimmy is doing 80s choruses in the style of Bon Jovi,
so it
is catchy radio-ready safe melodic rock what we get to hear and with
Live your
dream he has a hit guarantee if radio starts playing it. A song like
Superhero
is over-the-top produced dance pop that could easily make it onto the
Eurovision song contest! Much better is the AOR ballad I wish you were
here
tonight, but that is partly due to the fact this is a duet with the
legendary
Robin Beck. Without a doubt, this is the absolute highlight of this
rather
average release, because this is the way it all needs to sound like,
with of
course the superb vocals of Robin! Break free is one of those songs
that would
be massive if it was still 1986, so catchy big-bang melodic rock anthem
style
that somehow reminds me of Treat. Anyway, if you're interested in more
info on
Jimmy, then please go to: www.jimmymartin.de
(Points: 7.7
out of 10)
The
Furious Seasons 'Look west' (Stonegarden Records/USA Import)
In the 1980s there was an underground kinda movement in
the
LA music scene, the so-called jangle-pop/pop-art style that was mostly
bombed
as indie music that didn't breakthrough to a wide audience before the
80s ended,
as it was REM who were one of the first acts in that genre to become a
huge act
around 1990 when they released Losing my religion. Pop Art was also
such an
act, but they never made it big, which is a shame, because they were
quite an
interesting act. Many years later and many recordings have been
released by
it's members, both with bands and solo and now there is a new album of
The
Furious Seasons, which is an act that features former Pop Art leader
David
Steinhart. He is a gifted singer/songwriter who makes beautiful poetry
music
that is pure singer/songwriter based and together with Jeff Steinhart
(bass)
and Paul Nelson (guitar/vocals) he already released 4 Furious Seasons
albums
since 2008 and now there is the new album Look west. From start to
finish this
is really wonderful calmer acoustic tingled melodic singer/songwriter
popmusic.
This is one of those records that deserves it to be heard by many more
people.
David has a fantastic voice and let's just hope this band will be
discovered
soon, because the material is right up there with Jim Groce and James
Taylor
musically speaking, which means high class singer/songwriter of the
highest
level. Check it out for yourself at: http://thefuriousseasons.com
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Magic Car
'Meteorites' (Tiny Dog Records/Dolphin House)
Out of Nottingham comes the female/male duo Magic Car
whom
deliver a very nice record titled Meteorites. Opener Frits beach grabs
you
right away, thanks to the wonderful vocalwork of Hazel Atkinson. She
doesn't
sing all the time, because bandleader Phil Smeeton sings lead on a lot
of songs
as well. Secretly I prefer Hazel on lead vocals, which can be heard in
full at
best during the beautiful Summer storm. She has got a sorta own
identity and
everytime she sings you can't stop listening. The music itself is
calmer
singer/songwriter based, with folk influences as well. Recommended
record for
sure, especially thanks to the wonderful female vocals. More info at: http://tinydog.co.uk/magic_car.htm
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Redeem
'Awake' (Fastball Music/Germany Import)
Sometimes you know right away you're onto something good,
because when the song Insanity kicks in loud on the speakers, it is
clear that
this Redeem is an interesting band. They hail from Switzerland are
playing
straight-ahead catchy melodic rock with a modern approach. The vocals
are quite
strong, like most Swiss bands, but it's especially the incredible
catchy choruses
of songs like Insanity and Chanson d'amour Lovesong (WONDERFUL!) that
make this
a highly recommended original melodic rockband. Without a doubt, the
last
mentioned song could easily become a radio-baby if there's someone
picking this
gem up for airplay. Besides those super catchy first couple of tracks,
other
highlights on the band's third album Awake are the uptempo Awake and
the
midtempo Borderline. The catchy melodic rock with it's lovely memorable
choruses and lovely soaring guitarsolos makes it almost sound like
classic
Harem Scarem (just listen to Awake and you will completely understand
what I
mean!). Definitely a band to check out a.s.a.p. at: www.redeem.ch
(Points: 8.6
out of 10)
Montage
'Metamorphosis' (Fastball Music/Germany Import)
Metamorphosis is the 2nd album of the Finnish band
Montage.
They have a new lead singer on-board (Vessa Paavonen), although I can
not
compare with the previous singer, because this is the first album I get
to
hear. The vocals are not that strong, but overall the sound of Montage
is
pretty decent melodic progressive rock that sounds like a rougher
Pallas, with
the prog influences mostly hearable in the rhythm section, as the
guitarwork
and songs itself are in a melodic rock setting. Not groundbreaking and
sometimes a bit average, Montage nevertheless delivers a quality
recording, but
it's best to check for yourself at: www.montagefinland.com
(Points: 7.4
out of 10)
Battalion
d'Amour 'Fenix' (Echozone/Sonic Records/Fastball Music/Germany
Import)
Fenix is the fifth album of the female fronted Polish
band
Battalion d'Amour, a very melodic sounding band that draws inspiration
from the
80s gothic rocksound (probably named after the Silly song, because they
sound
quite close to that German band), but one can also trace clear melodic
rock and
progrock influences in their sound. They were formed in 1989 and the
lyrics are
in Polish, but somehow this has it's charm, especially when listening
to the beautiful
opener Bez nas, which is basically a lovely melodic rocker. They remind
me a
bit of Mari Hamada, the legendary Japanese female singer. The vocals
sound very
good, the melodies are pretty good and instrumental/production wise
this
Battalion d'Amour delivers quality stuff. Other highlights are Moje
remedium
(feat. Thomasz Grochola), Dwie prawdy and Zaklety. More info on this
band at: https://www.facebook.com/BataliondAmour
(Points: 8.2
out of 10)
Traumer
'Avalon' (Fastball Music/Germany Import)
Avalon is the 2nd album of the Brazlian neo-classical
symphonic Power Metal band Traumer and with the help of the legendary
Mika
Jussila from Finnvox Studios they created a typical European melodic
power
metal album that is far from original, but for fans of Sonata Arctica
and Stratovarius
a recommended album, because Traumer fits nicely between those Finnish
acts. On
the other hand, it's a very cliche tingled album that does not offer
any
surprised I'm afraid and after a while the high pitched vocals are
definitely
the weakest point in the band's sound, but also the songs are second
rate
Strato/Sonata tunes, but if you're a die-hard fan of those bands you
might want
to check it out for yourself at: www.traumer.com.br/band.html
(Points: 6.5
out of 10)
Pos.:2 ' Circuits'
(Echozone/Fastball Music/Germany
Import)
Formed in 2013, the German duo Matthias Grod and Thorsten
Krüger recreates the classic 80s synthpopsound of bands like Pet Shot
Boys,
Depeche Mode and Ultravox, with a sorta EBM sound that leans heavily on
the
synths (sometimes slight Trance influences), yet with almost Goth like
vocals
and a song like So lonely could easily have been a major club hit if it
was
released back in 1983. Anyway, Pos.: 2 are doing things perfectly if
you're
into this sound, because then you will absolutely love this album. The
melodies
in each and every of the 13 included songs are mindblowing and Ultravox
comparisons are very clear in a fantastic song like Neoenlicht, but any
of the
songs will delight the fans of the 80s UK Synthpopsound. More info at: http://www.pos2-music.de/
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Arctic
Sunrise 'When traces end' (Echozone/ Fastball Music/Germany Import)
Arctic Sunrise are another winner for fans of classic 80s
Gothic Rock with Synthpop influences, because their album When traces
end is
quite close to legendary acts like Visage, Ultravox, Depeche Mode,
Heaven 17,
New Order, Joy Division ... Perhaps not original, the final result is
very
stunning and a must-hear for fans of mentioned bands. Arctic Sunrise is
a duo
from Mönchengladbach, Germany and formed around Torsten Verlinden -
Vocals and Steve
Baltes - Synths. Both grew up in the 1980s and you can clearly hear
that in
their sound. Sometimes quite experimental and complicated a la The Cure
(Tell
the truth), at other times uptempo melodic rockin' (Silent tears) and
then
again very calm and romantic sounding (Mine forever). They follow
exactly the
80s sound of aforementioned bands and everytime you hear a different
band's
influences (you can hear Ultravox in Changing for example), so if
you're into
that style, then check out this band a.s.a.p. at http://www.reverbnation.com/arcticsunrise4
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
Fenech Soler
'Kaleidoscope EP' (SO Recordings/DGR Music)
Fenech Soler is a British band formed in 2006 and they
already have released quite a few records, with their latest
full-length album
Rituals on the major label Warner Bros. Anyway, the line-up reduced to
the 2
brothers Ross and Ben Duffy, with the remarkable fact that original
member Daniel
Fenech-Soler left the band, although the bandname was named after him.
Anyway,
a new full-length release is on the way and this Kaleidoscope is a
sneak
preview EP of things to come. The music is typical indie dance pop of
the
current day, very polished and with big 80s synths that could easily
become
massive. The band already has had a lot of attention from Dutch and
English
radiostations in the past, giving them several hits so far and
therefore the
new material will probably also find it's way to the audience.
Sometimes a bit
too much synth disco pop driven as if it was still 1981, just listen to
the
song On top. Anyway, it all sounds pretty cool actually and well, you
will love
this if you're a fan of early 80s synth driven popmusic. More info at: http://www.fenechsoler.co.uk/
(Points: 8.1
out of 10)
Shotgun Bill
'The B-Sides Demo version' (Independent/USA Import)
Shotgun Bill is a band from New Jersey formed around Bill
Anania- Lead Vocals, Background Vocals, Acoustic 6 & 12 string
Guitar,
Electric Guitar, Electric and Acoustic Bass, Mandolin, Ebow guitar and
Percussion, Billy Anania- Drums, Percussion, Steve DeVito- Electric
Guitar,
Slide Guitar, Dobro Guitar, Mandolin and Catherine Wacha- Cajon,
percussion. They
sent me a nice album that contains traditional sounding
singer/songwriter with
a country/folk uptempo approach. 10 songs are included and this is one
of those
releases that captures the true American sound one might hear when
going to a
local club somewhere in the midwest, so actually typical bar room live
music.
Done very well and recommended to check out if you're into JJ Cale.
More at: https://frankbill1.bandcamp.com/album/shotgun-bill-the-b-sides
(Points: 7.4
out of 10)
Michal
Rutkowski 'Orient' (Independent/Poland Import)
Now here we have something very experimental and original
sounding
from the Polish musician Michal Rutkowski. It's dark, atmospheric and
underground ish, impossible to compare to other acts, which likewise
makes it
interesting. Let's keep it on gothic alternative sorta rock/industrial
with an
almost ambient atmospheric approach and here and there even
trip-hop-rave-dance
rhythms (The Prodigy). You have to hear it for yourself before making
up a
judgement how this could sound like and also the background of the
whole album
Orient is a story on it's own. Musically it is hard to describe, but
for the
open-minded fans very interesting to check out at: http://www.rmichalrutkowski.com/
(Points: 7.1
out of 10)
Skyward
'Skyward' (Independent/USA Import)
Skyward is a sensational new band from Harrisburg,
Virginia,
USA with a very impressive professional sounding self titled debut
album. The
sound is huge, the material is lovely melodic modern rock with catchy
hooks and
memorable choruses like a mix between Three Days Grace, Delain and
Paramore,
with here and there some sliight Industrial Synth Pop influences
(Animal). The
band has shared male/female vocals, because both Jonathan Huang and
Anna
Breeding (who also plays synths) are doing the lead vocals. Both can
sing very
well, but I personally prefer Anna, who has an incredible voice,
although when
singing the harmonyvocals it sounds quite perfect. Many songs are
radio-ready
and have huge hit potential, with opener Casualty being one of the
strongest
songs on the album, but also Burn is a damn catchy tune. Skyward is
definitely
a band to check out at: http://www.skywardband.com
and don't confuse them with the Finnish band from the past!
(Points: 8.3
out of 10)
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