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HOT NEW REVIEWS
Subsignal
'La muerta' (Gentle Art Of Music/Soulfood/Nineteen 73/UK Import)
Well,
well, well... we might have here the finest album of 2018! I have followed the
German Progressive Rockband Subsignal and it's previous band Sieges Even (which
was actually pre-Subsignal) throughout the past decades and sometimes reviewed
their releases, but it's now 2018 and from out of nowhere their new album La
muerta lands on my desk. I am so glad it did, because it totally caught my by
surprise, as this is a truly sensational record! It's the band's 5th album and
after hearing the first couple of songs I knew rightaway that this was going to
be their absolute best record so far. I can even say it is a Classic in my
humble opinion, as everything sounds picture perfect here, combining the best
of AOR and Progressive Rockmusic. I immediately ordered the double vinyl
version, because this is one of those must-have releases in your collection. The
overall sound is the finest combination of AOR melodies and Prog/Symphonic
structures I have heard in ages, with lovely guitar/keyboard soaring melodies,
superb vocalwork by Dutch singer Arno Menses, catchy hooks and terrific melodic
AOR choruses (Dakota ish). The record has been released through Subsignal’s new
record company Gentle Art of Music (RPWL, Panzerballett etc.) and was produced
by Kalle Wallner and Yogi Lang, whom are known for their work in RPWL, Blind
Ego etc. 11 songs are included in total and opener/titletrack La muerta is the
kind of start we wish we could always hear, because this is a superb song that
grabs you completely if you're keen on strong beautiful AOR melodies, but
instrumentally it has a classic prog approach like for example classic Alan
Parsons Project and Asia. Thankfully this incredible high level is kept until
the very end with many many highlights, with a special mention the memorable
uptempo progressive melodic rocker Even though the stars don’t shine which
features moments that made me think vocally of Sting and Dave Bickler (only
during the pre-chorus at 01:40), with a bit of The Police/The Outfield
hooks/choruses thrown in for fun and basically a lot of 1980s Asia. Another
highlight is the stunning semi AOR ballad The passage, with it's chorus really
bringing you in extase and actually this song has a surprise after 05:20 when
you get a glimpse of the band's love to do an uptempo hookline like the hook of
classic AOR tune I can't hold back by Survivor. In the end, you might call this
one of those releases you just need to have when you like the records of Dukes
Of The Orient, Asia, Threshold, Spock's Beard, Enchant and more of that
prog/sympho-AOR, where lovely keys/guitars/melodies all seem to soar just
perfectly together on each and every song! Don't miss this release please...
Jerry
Falzone/Debbie Randyn 'Various recordings' (Silver Ghost Music/USA Import)
Back
in the early 1980s there was a local band in Rochester, New York called Pearl,
whom produced some excellent typical early 80s female fronted AOR/Poprock a la
Pat Benatar. They only managed to release an EP, which I am still looking for
as it is quite hard to find. Many years later I got in touch with one of their
members (Jerry Falzone), who was kind enough to sent me some of the work of
himself and the original Pearl singer. Debbie Randyn is the name of the singer
and her album Talk to me from 1999 is a great effort, which features a mix of
bluesy rock and AOR. Debbie's voice is really wonderful, reminding me of all
those great 80s AOR singers, althoiugh as mentioned a portion of the songs on
her only solo-CD are close to pure bluesy rock a la Bonnie Raitt. We are
focusing on the AOR kinda tunes, such as the titletrack Talk to me and Let me
in, both lovely classy pieces of 80s midtempo AOR in the best female fronted
style of Fiona, Witness, Romeo's Daughter, Darby Mills, Heart... Another
beautiful song is the AOR ballad Touched the fire, with it's long emotional
guitarsolos and superb singing, reminding me a bit of Tone Norum during her AOR
days. More or less in the same style is the bluesy semi AOR ballad Take it
back, reminding me of Lenita Erickson and especially Jaime Kyle. Also closing
track Forever should be mentioned as this is a nice duet with Todd East, a
piano-ballad. Most of the other songs are blues based rock, not bad at all, but
somehow I feel Debbie should be able to do a full-blown AOR album. She has that
great rock voice inside her, but it seems now almost 20 years later, this is
her only album release. Anyway, bassist and co-songwriter on the album is Jerry
Falzone, her co-member in the earlier mentioned early 80s band PEARL. Jerry
sent me 2 of his solo-albums, Chasing ghosts and Liar's moon, both singer-songwriter
based pop/rock with a touch of westcoast. Vocally not as strong as Debbie, but
still 2 nice records that sound a bit like the 1970s, John Lennon/Neil Young
influences can be traced, especially during the best song I've been waiting for
you. Anyway, let's hope Jerry will work together with Debbie sometime soon,
because that seems like a great combination! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/jerry.falzone.7
I
was not familiar yet with the London based band Don Broco, but their sound on
the new album Technology is quite interesting, as it crosses different genres.
The band combines new wave, progressive rock, modern rock and a touch of
hi-tech pop and they are doing it very well actually, with typical British
style vocals and as biggest surprise, some hidden brass here and there, while
the guitarsolo is also sometimes notable. The band focuses on catchy
radio-ready melodies during the choruses of most of the included 14 songs.
Overall they do have a strong US Rock approach here during those choruses,
because they are quite pleasant to listen to and easy to sing-a-long to. It's
modern, it's melodic and rocks here and there. Songs like Stay ignorant, The
blues and T-Shirt song are fine examples of the Don Broco sound. Linkin Park
sometimes is a nice reference to make, but instead of rapping the band has a
typical British wave touch and even some 80s hi-tech quirkiness (Tightrope).
The Killers meets The Rasmus meets Duran Duran is also something that came to
my mind when listening to this band, just check out the song Greatness to
understand what I mean. Anyway, this is definitely recommended to check out and
an album that could do really well in today's modern pop/rock world. More info
at: https://www.donbroco.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Jetbone
'Come out and play' (Black Pike/BMG)
Out
of Sweden comes Jetbone, a band which clearly grabs back to the good old
fashioned late 1960s/early 1970s raw, dirty and mean Rock and Roll style. The
opening title track of their 3rd album 'Come out and play' and later on the
song "Don't hold me back" are sounding actually dangerously close to
the classic Rocks by Primal Scream from 25 years ago. I remember that back then
this kind of retro-rock was very popular actually, so every now and then there
is a revival and Jetbone makes it happen again in 2018. Of course they have
more to offer on their new album, because a very melodic song like "It's
so hard" touches the Westcoast genre in a very good way, while the
southern rocker "Chikadee" is reminding me of Lynyrd Skynyrd doing a
dance with The Black Crowes. Very impressive is the soulful ballad "Road
in the sky", which feels like a 1970s roadtrip and shows the band's excellent
musicianship and also the strong lead vocals (both their bassist Gurten Sjödin and
their guitarist Alin Riabouchkin are singing actually!). "Twisted
company" on the other hand goes once again in a complete different
direction, sounding like an almost The Kinks ish singable semi-rocker. Overall,
the band rocks hard and goes groovy all the way, as if Led Zeppelin stood up
from the death again in the song "Lady". Even Aerosmith similarities
can be heard during the semi-ballad "Not a fool to cry". I guess you
can say that Jetbone has got all it takes to become huge, especially when they
will perform at the big music festivals, because they definitely have a bunch
of crowdpleasers in their repertoire (closing track "Make this song
together" could easily be one of them). They are very 1970s rock and roll
based, but are making it their own, so despite all the similairites and
influences, Jetbone has created an own kind of retro 1970s rockstyle. Check
them out at: https://jetbone.se
The
Seattle based band Vaudeville Etiquette is formed around main members Tayler
Lynn and Bradley Laina (guitars) whom share lead vocals. Divisions is their
latest EP, which is without a doubt, a high quality release that combines
Americana, Singer/Songwriter Pop and Melodic Pop/Rock in a classic 1970s style.
Both the male and female vocals sound very impressive and the melodies of each and
every of the 4 included songs is a pleasant to listen to. Think of a cross
between Calexico (especially during the titletrack) and Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood
Mac, with some lush female fronted 90s AOR/Poprock a la Robin Beck (Ontario).
The heavy bluesy grit of White horse takes
a cool slightly different approach, so this EP showcases different
directions and definitely makes me interested in their 2 earlier full-length
records. Check them out at: http://www.vaudevilleetiquette.com
The
Gothenburg based Love On Drugs is a solo project of Little Green bandleader,
guitarist/mandolinist and songwriter Thomas Pontén. Musically speaking it is a
more Indie Pop based direction than his regular band. Opener Busy is even
reminding of R.E.M., but overall it has a real British sorta indie pop sound,
even reminding me of John Lennon during the ballad Scar. Thomas is not doing
everything on his own, because he is assisted by several guest musicians. Some
Tom Petty ish Americana references acan also be heard such as during the catchy
uptempo rocking Solitude, which is the best song on the album. A very diverse
album actually, with even a semi melodic rock ish ballad Gone away. Overall,
this is quite a nice release! More info at: https://loveondrugs.bandcamp.com/album/solder
David
Gerald 'N2U' (Independent/Hemifran)
Born
in Mississippi, but raised in Detroit, David Gerald grew up in a poor
environment, but learned to play all the inmportant instruments, so he could
start writing and recording his own material. This eventually brought him his
debut release Hell and back in 2009. Now almost 10 years later he gained a lot
of experience and releases a new album titled N2U. The material is blues rock
orientated, yet leans towards a slightly heavier side, due to the fact there's
some Bonamassa influences to be heard as well. He even throws in some 80s
guitar licks here and there, so despite it is pure bluesrock we hear, one can
easily notice other influences as well. There's some funky stuff going on as
well, while the strong soulful vocals of David even make him sound like Living
Colour here and there (N2U and Do it all again). Overall however, this is
groovy soulful bluesy rock, which fits nicely between Bonamassa, BB King and Living
Colour. Check it out for yourself at: http://davidgerald.com
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Marenna
'Livin' no regrets' (Rock Company)
Out
of Brasil comes Marenna, a band playing typical 80s Melodic Hardrock, sounding
very cliche tingled and with a clear accent in the vocal department. However,
fans of 80s Bon Jovi, Jaded Heart and Danger Danger might forgive them, because
most of the uptempo tunes on their 3rd album Livin' no regrets are the kinda
sing-a-long tunes the melodic hardrockfans want to hear. It's actually a live
record, which you can also hear when listening to the raw vocals. Although it
isn't bad at all, overall most of the material goes in one ear and out the
other. It's best to check it out for yourself at: https://www.facebook.com/marennaofficial/
(Points: 7.2 out of 10)
Cryptic
Nature 'Pandor' (Rock Company)
Out
of Limburg, The Netherlands comes multi-instrumentalist Koos Thönissen, who found
time and effort to put together a true Rock Opera. These kind of lengthy double
CDs were released constantly back in the early 2000s, but eventually it more or
less died. Good to see someone picking it up again, although it will be hard to
reach the Ayreon quality. Especially the vocals are not always strong, but on
the other hand it's good to see different singers performing here, with the
female singer sounding quite ncie actually. The male vocals are sometimes
lacking a bit and the whole concept of the album is something you need to
experience yourself when listening to the CDs. Musically it is typical Rock
Opera style, so it is a nice adventure through all kinds of music landscapes,
although the basic format is bombastic melodic symphonic rock. Highlights are
Pandor's adoption and Tayla's teachings. Nice release, although it doesn't
reach the high level of Ayreon, Tobias Sammet, Kayak... More info at: https://crypticnature.nl
(Points: 7.6 out of 10)
Sunrise
Auranaut 'Inserter' (Rock Company)
It's
already the 5th album of the Russian multi-instrumentalist Vitaly Kiselev.
Together with his musical partner Alexander Malakhov on synthesizers, he
created a 70s based instrumental symphonic/progressive rock adventure, which
sounds very impressive. It's not based on melodies, but more on complex
structures. 10 songs are included and basically this is interesting to check
out if you're a fan of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Done very well, Inserter is
definitely a highly recommended album to the prog/sympho fans out there. More
at: https://www.facebook.com/sunriseauranaut/
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Still
Living 'Ymmij' (Rock Company)
Out
of Brasil comes Still Living, a band playing good old AOR/Melodic Rock by the
numbers. They remind me a lot of Marco Ferreira/Cartoon, another Brasilian AOR
act from many years ago, yet vocally Still Living has a clear accent. Most of
the time it is uptempo melodic rock, but when things slow down to an almost AOR
ish ballad like during the European bonustrack Redemption, the band shows they
are able to bring us some more impressive material than the mostly standarized
melodic rock of the rest of the album. If you don't mind the typical Brasilian
accent in the vocals, then you can easily check out this nice melodic
rockalbum. More at: http://www.stillliving.com.br
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
Tragik
'Tainted' (Rock Company)
Multi-instrumentalist
Phil Vincent is unstoppable, because ever since he sent me his debut CD in the
mid 1990s, he has been releasing records, either under his own name or a band
name. His first couple of solo-albums were definitely the best, which featured really
great Dokken ish melodic rock with AOR influences a la Arc Angel. Now 20 years
later he hasn't changed that much actually, although he released quite some
side-projects with the help of other musicians, such as this Tragik. Together
with guitarist Damian D'Ercole and drummer Dirk Phillips, he recorded Tainted, the
latest album under the Tragik moniker. Musically once again a very nice melodic
rock affair, spread on 12 tracks, with quite a lot highlights, such as the
uptempo Can't take it back, the lovely midtempo AOR song 'Til I see you again
and the ballad Heaven. It is nice to see Phil still releasing quality melodic
rockalbums, never giving up his style. For some reasons he makes me remember of
the lighter AOR version of Axel Rudi Pell, another musician who never changed
style and delivers quality albums every few years. You know what to expect here
if you're familiar with Phil's music, if not, then you might find yourself very
happy to hear this strong melodic rockalbum! More at: https://www.facebook.com/RockTragik/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Chinawhite
'Different' (Rock Company)
More
than 20 years ago the Dutch band Chinawhite was formed and despite their
line-up changed a little bit, some of their original members are still on
board. Most important member is guitarist Peter Cox, who is joined by several
other musicians, including the legendary Phil Vincent. Peter is very active
nowadays as label manager (Rock Company), the label which releases the Phil Vincent/Tragik
albums and also this new Chinawhite record, the debut of Souls Of Deaf, which
features Chinawhite bassist Sander Stappers and several other albums. The new
Chinawhite album is a strong melodic hardrock/heavy rockalbum that reminds me a
bit of Helloise and Vengeance, with of course the vocalsound of Phil Vincent. Peter
is a great guitarplayer, who easily delivers your classic rock kinda riffs and
solo's. The songs are melodic and memorable (especially the ballad Hello to the
world, the uptempo It means nothing and especially the 2 instrumental tracks),
the production by Peter himself of a very high level, so all together a nice
recommendable record! Check out more at: www.chinawhite.nl
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Souls Of
Deaf 'Fortune favors the bold' (Rock Company)
Formed
in 2015, the Dutch band Souls Of Deaf is built around Sander Stappers (bass
guitar) from Chinawhite, Luc van Rens (guitar), Carlistuta Carlistuta (drums)
and Francis Van Der Hoff (vocals). Together they recorded a strong high quality
melodic heavy rock/metal record titled Fortune favors the bold. The music
reminds us a lot of the good old 80s German Metal bands, Veto, Accept, Tyran
Pace and also a bit Judas Priest. Thankfully they are doing their job very well
and all sounds pretty good actually. Nothing new here, but that doesn't matter
if you bring it tight and at a high level, which is here the case. The vocals
are good, the songs are quite catchy, the production is huge and the guitarwork
sounds very impressive. I would recommend this album to fans of classic
traditional Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal. More info at: https://www.soulsofdeaf.nl
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Fred Mika
'Withdrawal symptoms' (Rock Company)
Sunroad
is a Brazilian melodic rockband which already released a few strong albums in
their 20-year existance, but now their drummer Fred Mika has released his solo
debut album Withdrawal symptoms. The album features a lot of guests such as Carl
Dixon, Michael Voss, Daniel Vargas, Rod Marenna, Steph Honde, André Adonis and
more. Opener Wired in sets the record straight here, because this is a superb
midtempo melodic rocker a la Coney Hatch, thanks of course to the fantastic
vocals of Carl Dixon. If Carl had sung the whole album, this would have been an
absolute killer record and a must have, because now it offers some moments
where the vocals are sadly less stronger. On the other hand we are also
surprised by for example an unknown fabulous singer called Haig Berberian, who
sounds like a cross between Sebastian Bach and David Byron during the midtempo
classic hardrock tune Sly side effects. After checking his site I learned he is
in a band called Dogman, of whom I reviewed 2 demo tapes 20+ years ago if that
is the same band of course! Anyway, he is a gifted singer and let's hope we can
hear more of him in the future. Although not all vocals are as strong as the 2
singers just mentioned, the music is mostly high class melodic hardrock with
also great guitarwork by Andre Adonis. Definitely one of the better Brazilian
Melodic Hardrockalbums out there! More info at: https://rockcompany.nl/artists/fred-mika/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Kingsborough
'1544' (Black Pike Favorites)
Out
of the Bay Area, San Francisco comes Kingsborough, a band formed around
vocalist/guitarist Billy Kingsborough. The line-up is completed by Alex Leach/guitar,
vocalist Chris Magione/bass and John Whitney/drums. Along with producer Damien
Page Lewis (Rihanna, The Wood Brothers, Katy Perry), they recorded a fantastic
typical American retro rock album that combines bluesy rock, southern rock,
classic rock and a bit of soulful 70s AOR into an exciting melting pot! Billy
is a fantastic singer and the overall sound could have brought them fame and
fortune back in the 1970s, but of course even nowadays this kind of rock is
praised. Subtle lies sounds really amazing, a lovely classic rock 70s inspired
semi-rocker/ballad with strong melodies, excellent guitarwork and superb
soulful vocals, kinda like late1970s Journey meets 70s Bad Company/Free
actually! More pure Journey references can be found during Wild ones, another
soulful semi rockballad that is dangerously close to Steve Perry's vocals in
the late 1970s with Journey! The band also rocks pretty groovy and bluesy here
and there, with the southern rock flavor added most of the time, like a mix
between Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Thunder. Highlights include Something
strange, Where I belong and Before long. Some really good sensational stuff
going on here, so don't miss out this release! More info at: http://www.kingsboroughmusic.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The
Texas based band The Band Of Heathens has that typical American rootsy
Americana/Rocksound we all love so much to hear. Call it Classic Rock, call it
soulful bluesy rock, call it what you want, because this is how good quality
music needs to sound like. With a clear 1970s approach, this band has been
building quite a reputation the past 13 years, releasing several albums, of
which Live via Satellite is the latest one. The band's sound is sometimes close
to Black Crowes, yet a bit less rocking and more soulful and melodic like
Little Feat meets Steely Dan meets JJ Cale, but then still showing an own
original sound. However, if these kinds of bands are up your alley, you should
definitely check out The Band Of Heathens, a band which simply deserves it to
become huge! Opener Sugar queen and the slightly Southern Rock ish Alabama of
this 5 tracks counting EP are guaranteed hits due to it's lovely lazy 1970s
classic rock vibe and soulful vocals. Make sure you check out this band
a.s.a.p. at: https://www.bandofheathens.com
Talitha
Rise 'An abandoned orchid house' (Nineteen 73/UK Import)
Out
of the UK comes Talitha Rise, a very talented musician/singer/songwriter who
combines elements of Art Pop, Folkadelic, Progressive, Indie, Psychedelic Folk,
Ethereal and more atmospheric sounds, with beautiful celtic/folk like
vocals/melodies in an almost Clannad ish style. She plays Guitars, Stringed
Things, Bowed Things and Keys, while she is assisted by Martyn Barker
(Shriekback, Robert Plant, Marianne Faithful, Billy Bragg) who played the drums
and other instruments. The music is very peaceful and takes you on an
adventureous trip through the UK, Scotland and Ireland somehow. Especially the
vocals are really beautiful and a blessing to listen to. Make sure not to miss
this album! More info at: http://www.talitharise.com
Weend'O 'Time
of awakening' (SonicBond/Nova/Plastic Head/Nineteen 73/UK Import)
Out
of France comes Weend'O, a female fronted band which was formed 10 years ago.
They made their debut in 2012 with You need to know yourself and are now
following it up with the concept record Time of awakening. The band 's line-up
consists of Laetitia Chaudemanche (vocals, keys), Térence Nguyen Yan (guitar), Maxime
Rami (bass) and Nathanaël
Buis (drums). Especially the combination of the angelic almost celtic like
vocals of Laetitia with the complex progressive rock/metal music is working
very well actually. Tool meets Within Tenmptation would be easy to say, but
actually Weend'O has a sound on their own. Thanks to crowd-funding and the help
of promotion by Nineteen 73, Weend'O has released a wonderful masterpiece for
anyone looking for high quality music that sounds challenging enough for the
progfans, but melodic enough to keep the regular music fans interested. Make
sure not to miss this release, for more info go to: http://www.weendo.fr
In
2014 New York native singer/songwriter Carrington MacDuffie released her debut
album, which is now followed up by Kiss make better. She is actually spending
most of her time in Austin and Seattle, where she recorded this album together
with 4 musicians, Her voice has a clear raspy country/Americana kinda feeling
(Patsy Cline), but musically speaking it is much more diverse, with some 80s
synths added to quite a few songs. 13 tracks are included, of which probably
the best are the uptempo poprockers Hot sun of the summer and Why can't he be
you, both catchy and in early 80s ff style and the midtempo 80s AOR/Pop tune
Come for me. There are a few traces of Americana here and there, such as the
opening titletrack, while the new wave/synths influences are also present
throughout the album. Not a groundbreaking record, but nevertheless interesting
to check out if you like for example Shandi or Kim Carnes. More info at: http://carringtonmacduffie.com
Canadian
singer/songwriter Melanie Dekker has been active for quite some years now and her
latest release is titled Secret spot. The included music is smooth
singer/songwriter pop/westcoast/Americana orientated, with a clear customer
friendly approach, which could easily bring her some potential hitsongs. The
material is comparable to Jewel, Heather Nova and Sharon Corr. Melanie's voice
is very strong and it is a pleasure to listen to her songs. 10 are included on
Secret spot and not a single dull moment can be found here. She is helped by a
few other musicians, including Allan Rodger (Mike Reno/Kick Axe/Shari Ulrich)
and Keith Scott (yes, the famous Bryan Adams guitarist!), while the Canadian
Award winning producer Sheldon Zaharko (Billy Talent, Bad Company and Tegan and
Sara) produced the record. Highlights are opener Memories of you, Ginned up and
the titletrack, even sounding like a female version of Tom Petty. Make sure to
listen to this album when you get the chance! More info at: http://www.melaniedekker.com
Black Stone
Cherry 'Family tree' (Mascot Records)
Family
tree is already the 6th album of the American band Black Stone Cherry and
slowly they are becoming a household name in the classic rock circuit. Their
music has not changed that much, although they seem to have become more soulful
and less rocking with every new album. This new record is a pure Southern Rock
meets Classic Rock ish record. Influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Black Crowes and
Led Zeppelin can be heard very clearly when listening to strong songs like Burnin',
My Last Breath, You got the blues or Southern Fried Friday Night. It's obvious
that James Brown has also influenced the band's singer/guitarist Chris
Robertson, which can be heard in the song that is even named James Brown. Their
much heavier sound of the past is put aside, but that is all part of the
evolution of a band's sound, because you can easily identify now their sound
and truly recognize Black Stone Cherry!
Rocken
Horse '3 by four' (Independent/USA Import)
Between
1975 and 1984, the Chicago based band Rocken Horse was active and they were
kind enough to sent me their rare 1981 vinyl record, which was filled with
classic 80s US Melodic Hardrock. They remind me a lot of Rail, Triumph and the
M&R Rush Band, but just like many early 80s independent bands, also Rocken
Horse split up eventually, but in 2008 they reformed and now they have released
a new 3 tracks counting CD titled 3 by four. It really kicks major ass and is
probably the best thing they have ever done! The production is perfect, with
both Me and you and Love for just one night being fantastic uptempo classic 80s
US Melodic Rockers with biting guitarwork, catchy melodic harmonyvocal driven
choruses and strong lead vocals, in the style of the earlier mentioned
legendary bands. Final track Break the habit is more midtempo pompous Melodic
Rock with a chorus that sounds close to Angel in their heydays. Without a
doubt, a lovely return and hopefully more will follow in the near future,
including perhaps a new full-length vinyl record! Anyway, do not miss this
great band at: http://www.rockenhorse.com
Fragile
'Various recordings' (Independent/USA Import)
The
San Jose, California based band Fragile is definitely a rare cult AOR band,
which was formed in the late 1970s and released an awesome vinyl record in 1983
titled Fragile the album, which is still considered an AOR/Pomprock classic in
the AOR circuit. We did a review of this album sometime ago (April 2011), but
actually they released more records, including one in 1981 and several after
1983. Hard as a rock for example was released back in 1991 and without a doubt,
this is a highly underrated release. Musically speaking we are listening to
high class early 90s AOR/Melodic Rock in the style of Mara, if anyone remembers
that band from the same period. The first couple of songs are truly
sensational, including the midtempo melodic rocker Something must be wrong (a
la Rox Diamond), the classic uptempo Hard as a rock (a la White Sister) and the
semi AOR ballad Just let me show you. The mixture of piano-led AOR keys with a
guitar orientated melodic rocksound and harmonyvocal driven catchy choruses are
making them a true traditional 80s American Melodic Rockband, which was a
slight change compared to their co-female vocal fronted Pomprocksound of their
vinyl record from 10 years earlier. It's weird this 1991 record never got the
promotion it deserved, because it sometimes touches the albums of this period
we now consider classics. Anyway, it's never too late and bandleader Henry
Peter was kind enough to sent me almost all Fragile material on hand, including
a 90s solo record he did, a greatest hits record of Fragile, the mentioned Fragile
albums and most importantly, a preview of a new record (their 5th) which will
be titled Fragile 2020 Sound, to be released in the near future. The 3 new
songs can actually be found on this greatest hits record titled The shh... hit,
which was released in 2017. These are the midtempo melodic rocker Ready,
Willing and able, the lovely classic 80s inspired uptempo melodic rocker See it
in your eyes (early 80s Dokken with cool pomprock keys a la White Sister) and
the emotional AOR ballad I've been there. They sound quite good and are
definitely a nice taste of things to come! Can't wait for their new record! The
rest of this greatest hits record takes us on a nice journey throughout the
Fragile career between 1980 and 2017, including songs from their rare early 80s
vinyl records, some unreleased tunes, tracks from their 1991 record, Henry's
solo release and the lovely Run the risk, which can only be found on the
legendary superb AOR compilation record of KSJO Best of the Bay. Concluded,
Fragile is still kicking ass and expected to bring us new material soon!
Meanwhile, check them out at: https://www.facebook.com/Fragile2020/
Myth
'Myth/Mental energy/Rocks!' (Independent/USA Import)
Drummer
Henry Botello from the band Myth were kind enough to sent me their 2 awesome
rare vinyl records, as well as a disc with their 3rd album Rocks! High quality
80s US Melodic Hardrock is the name of the game here, with their debut EP and
follow up Mental energy revealing early 80s Pomprock influences and their final
record Rocks! going more into the late 80s US Melodic Heavy Rock direction with
high pitched vocals and flashy guitarwork, like Fifth Angel and Leatherwolf.
Somehow that final record is offering the best Myth material ever recorded, but
without any additional info I am afraid it is impossible to get or inform you
about it's release. It includes 19 tracks in total and if you listen to the awesome
uptempo melodic rockers Good lovers, Lethal injection and Hold me close, the
AORish No one like you, the huge semi ballad White lies or the midtempo Guess I
was wrong, then you will agree that this should have been a major label release
somewhere in the late 80s. Rail, Leatherwolf, Fifth Angel, Q5, Triumph and such
bands come to my mind when listening to this super tight record. I am afraid
however there is no info to be found on this record at all, so anyone who is
interested you can come visit my place and I will put it on here! Their record
Mental energy should be easier to get, but I think their rare debut mini vinyl
EP and this final Rocks! CD are the ones you really need to hear because of the
immense high quality of musicianship. Check out some of their past performances
at: https://youtu.be/9kFp4bWHBh8
PHI
'Cycles' (Gentle Art Of Music/Nineteen 73)
Out
of Austria comes the band Phi and their 4th release is titled Cycles. They
exist since 2006 and the band's line-up features Stefan Helige / Guitars, Nick
Koch / Drums, Keys, Markus Bratusa / Vocals, Guitars, Keys and David Loimer /
Bass, Backing Vocals. Their previous
record I reviewed was back in 2011 and sadly I cannot recall it very clearly
and I am not sure if a release has been done in between. However, this new
record starts with a fantastic melodic progmetal tune that comes across like a
mixture between Threshold and Evergrey, with superstrong melodies and great
vocalwork. It makes me right away very interested in them and actually this opening
track belongs to the better progmetal songs of the year 2018! 6 tracks are
included in total on this new record and perhaps now after 12 years the band
has released their finest album. Although not as good as the first song Amber,
the high level of melodic progmetal is kept until the very end, with as other
highlights In the name of freedom (lovely guitarsolo) and . Make sure not to
miss this band if Threshold and Evergrey are up your alley. More at: http://www.phi-band.com/band.html
Letters
to Maro is already the 7th album of the band Frequency Drift. Main members are Nerissa
Schwarz: harp, mellotron and Andreas Hack: keyboards, guitar, while the rest of
line-up changes every now and then. For instance they now have a new vocalist
called Irini Alexia. The music is calmer celtic progressive pop/rock in the
style of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka, Magenta, Iona and such. Irini has a very
nice pleasant voice, which is important for this kind of music. Although they
don't reach the high level of mentioned bands, I can still recommend it to the
fans of mentioned bands, as Frequency Drift nevertheless delivers some very nice
melodic laid-back music. Somehow a few times it actually reminds me of ABBA,
vocally speaking that is, yet the music is completely different! Hear for
yourself at: http://frequencydrift.com
In
a moment of time I received weekly Italian Power Metal albums and a lot of them
sounded very average. It must have been 15-20 years ago when Rhapsody,
Labyrinth, Vision Divine and such ruled the Italo Power Metal scene. What
followed were thousands of copycats and by the 2010s the genre had died. Limb
Music is proud to keep it alive every now and then with new releases, of which
Fogalord sounded a bit too average to review, but Lionsoul is definitely on the
better side of life, releasing a strong 2nd album. Nothing new under the
Italian horizon, so this is good old time fast Italo Power Metal with memorable
hooks and singable choruses in the best Rhapsody/Labyrinth style, with also
similarities to Blind Guardian. Fans of such bands will grab a sword and get on
their imaginery horse to ride on the wide open fields to claim a victory to all
other music genres, as finally a new album in this genre has been released! The
guitarwork is also very good and a song like Gatling sight will absolutely
please everyone who likes Blind Guardian, Seventh Avenue or such acts. Don't
miss this release if this is up your alley!
Not
sure how this album ended up on our desk, but it sounds quite good actually.
Nothing new or groundbreaking, because it is very commercial typical American
New Country crossover Melodic Pop/Rockalbum, a style which we have heard from a
lot of female singers the past 25 years, but nevertheless it is a nice record
to put on as background music. In The Netherlands we have Ilse De Lange doing
this, but in the USA there are millions of such female singers. Kelsea Nicole
Ballerini is a young singer and songwriter, signed to Black River Entertainment
and Unapologetically is her 2nd album. She has scored a major hit record in the
USA with this album, reaching the Billboard Charts and selling around 100,000
copies, but outside of the USA probably nobody has heard her music. A pity,
because the commercial hit potency of most tunes is very clear, with references
to Shania Twain and for the complete picture Kelsea also has the looks, so she
should easily become popular for the big masses. Musically speaking however to
become interesting for the music critics, she has to do some more edgy things,
as now the material is way too polished and standard. Nevertheless, if that is
your taste, then you will like it for sure. More at: https://kelseaballerini.com
Seconds
Before Landing 'Now that I have your attention' (Independent/USA Import)
The
American band Seconds Before Landing is doing things differently, making the
kind of art ambient semi-prog/pop music like bands such as Pink Floyd, Crack
The Sky, Alan Parsons Project, King Crimson and even Can used to do, focusing
on sci-fi instrumental passages, laid-back vocalwork, some jazzy sax, a
guitarsolo here and there, speaking like vocals and concept like themes. They
managed to have some well-known names on their albums, including members from
King Crimson, Jeff Beck, Crack The Sky and Pink Floyd engineer Andy Jackson.
Their latest album Now that I have your attention brings us more of such
non-commercial music and it's really a grower to discover the beauty.
Influences of mentioned bands can be heard very clearly here, but it remains an
independent recording, so you have to accept it is not as big sounding as the
past albums of similar acts from this mainly 70s orientated style. However, I
am quite convinced that fans of King Crimson will be very interested in
checking out this album! A song like Things sounds like an exciting mixture of
King Crimson, ELP, Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd for example. If a major label
picks this up or let's say Inside Out Music, then Seconds Before Landing could
easily end up releasing a sensational record. Not yet their finest moment, but
I am sure Seconds Before Landing will one day release an epic record! Progfans
with an open-mind need to hear this, especially Pink Floyd fans. More at: www.secondsbeforelanding.com
The
German labels Fastball Music/Echozone sent me a bunch of their releases and to
make life easier I will put them all in 1 review. First we have the German band
Inner Core, whom released a nice debut album titled Soultaker, which musically
is Symphonic Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal orientated with clear Epica/After
Forever/Xandria/Visions Of Atlantis similarities, although vocally their singer
Anna Rogg is not in that league. Nevertheless, it doesn't sound bad at all, and
fans of this huge genre will definitely enjoy this album. Steel Made sadly has
a very weak singer and their hardrock is a little bit too standard, so I am
afraid they are way too early with this record. In Good Faith on the other hand
presents us very strong Electro Pop in the classic Depeche Mode style, including
very strong vocals. This German band delivers high quality material on their
new album Trinity, which also includes a nice cover of the Joy Division classic
Love will tear us apart. Final release comes from a German band called Mills,
whom have been active since 1994, so they have already released quite a few
albums the past 25 years. Their new record Monochrome contains a sorta Gothic
Rock style, with influences from 80s Synth Pop and 90s Alt rock. They are doing
it at a very high level actually, reminding a bit of Depeche Mode mixed with
for example The Cure.
(Points: -)
Myth
'Idiots savages' (Independent/Ireland Import)
Not
to be confused with the same named band from the USA, which was a 80s
Pomp/Melodic Hardrockact. This Myth comes from Ireland and they are definitely
a band to watch out for in the near future. They were kind enough to sent me a
CDR with their singles, as they have only released 3 songs so far. Their sound
is described as Jefferson Airplane, The Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac and Paramore,
which more or less sounds correct after listening. The band's female singer
(and violin player) Alexx Webb has a very good strong voice and Myth's melodic
alternative rock has the potential to give them a break someday soon. Although
it might not all sound really original, Myth are performing their material at a
very high level! Stacy is one of the highlights here, a midtempo groovy but
very melodic and haunting song that even reminds me a bit of The Devil's Blood,
especially when it starts to rock and gets all epic after 4 minutes. I look
very much forward to a future full-length release, but meanwhile check them out
at: https://www.facebook.com/MYTHmusicofficial/
Now
this is a very diverse record that covers a lot of different music genres, from
50s rockabilly to groovy 70s hardrock, pure blues, doo-woop and some modern
pop, it's like a trip from Nashville to anywhere else in the world! Viva is not
the German band from the 1980s, but stands for the New York based
singer/songwriter Vivian DeConcini. She has a very good voice and I would love
her to sing some real rock and roll, because that would suit her voice at best
if you listen to the strong rocker She's so very. Closing track Driving to New
York is also quite a nice song actually, with some more 70s influences and
reminding me of Suzi Quatro. The artwork of the album looks like a 1970s
soundtrack, which is quite cool, as if you're listening to a Tarantino
soundtrack, but musically it is sometimes a bit too diverse and I feel Viva can
do much better, judging on a few of the more rockier tunes. She has a great
voice and the material is overall quite catchy, but the ones that sound like
Caro Emerald or Dolly Parton could have been left out here I'm afraid.
Nevertheless, check for more info at: https://vivadeconcini.com/
Afrockaine
'Revival' (STF Records/Germany Import)
Here
we have a big surprise out of Algeria! STF Records usually releases albums from
bands that come out of the German area, but Afrockaine comes all the way from
Algeria and their new album Revival is the best STF Records release I have seen
in ages. This is high quality modern Hardrock! Everything sounds good here,
including strong vocalwork, a huge production and some great songs. This could
easily been a major US label release, like a Stone Sour, Alter Bridge or Shinedown,
because that is the direction you must think of when you want to check them
out. The band was formed back in 2009, but this is the first time I get to hear
them and I really must admit that this band is delivering the goods very well
with this record. No fillers here, as this is Americanised modern Hardrock at
it's best, but Afrockaine also gave it a touch of their African roots,
especially hearable in the drumming. One of the finest songs is African Sacred
Fire, with it's catchy melodic rock choruses, combined with some typical
African rhythms. Check them out at: https://www.facebook.com/Afrockaine/
When Mary
'Tainted' (Sonic Bond/Nineteen 73)
Tainted
is the 2nd album of the Norwegian band When Mary and it is definitely an
interesting release to check out. The band features the former White Willow
singer Trude Eidtang, who is blessed with a fantastic voice. Opener Soothing
stitches brings us some beautiful melodies, sounding like a sorta gothic
melodic rocker. The music itself offers quite some influences, with a big organ
here and there, some trip-hop sounds every now and then, artrock, electronic, ambient
and a little prog/symphonic rock. At times it reminds me of a cross between
Kate Bush, Magenta, Mostly Autumn and Tracy Hitchings. I actually didn't expect
it to be this good, but there is some beautiful music on this album, such as
the lovely Wonderful warning and Frequency. There are no weak moments to be
found and the musicianship is of a very high level. If you're a fan of Magenta,
Karnataka, Mostly Autumn and such, then this is a must-have for you!
The
British singer/songwriter Martin Kerr travelled around the world, but
eventually settled in Canada, where he started his carreer in music. His latest
album Better than brand-new shows that we are dealing here with a very fine
musician. Martin has a very strong voice, very melodic and almost AORish
(Freddy Curci), while the music is a mix of 70s singer/songwriter (Cat Stevens,
James Taylor, John Denver) and polished acoustic 90s AOR/Pop (Russ Irwin, Bob
Carlisle, Venice etc). Some might call it safe by the numbers music, but others
will absolutely love the voice and the melodic songs. Martin has got the voice
that works best for this kind of music and if you're a fan of either 70s
singer/songwriter or 90s acoustic AOR/Pop, then this is highly recommended to
check out! More info at: https://martinkerrmusic.com
The Frozen
Autum 'The fellow traveller' (Echozone/Soulfood)
Formed
25 years ago, the Italian band The Frozen Autumn has never changed their sound
and on this new record they still have the classic 80s European
Dark-Wave/Neo-Romantic Synth dominated sound as if Animotion, Clan Of Xymox,
The Essence, New Order, Joy Division, Human League and Depeche Mode are still
ruling the charts. It is a very strong album with great vocals and a lovely
melodic sound in classic 80s style, with loads of synths all over the place.
You will not find anything better than this I think and even The Editors might
be able to learn something from this band! The Frozen Autumn is formed around Diego
Merletto and Arianna a.k.a. Froxeanne, both sharing the goth like male vocals
and the more pop orientated female vocals. Animotion is a very clear comparison
I can draw here, perhaps The Frozen Autumn is a bit less commercial, but any
fan of dark 80s wave/romantic will absolutely love this album. Check out this
band at: https://www.thefrozenautumn.com
Seattle/Europe
based Mike Spine has been making music (9 records so far) and performing with
several bands since 1995 and now releases a jam-packed double CD set under his
own name. The included music is high quality singer/songwriter meets melodic powerpop/rock
and a bit of Americana. 32 songs in total of exciting melodic music that
reminds me a bit of The Jayhawks, Calexico, Fleet Foxes, Band Of Horses, War On
Drugs, Wilco, Dawes, Ryan Adams and The Posies. His past bands were more punk/altrock
orientated and that's what we can hear on disc 2 mainly, because actually this
2 CD set is a sorta greatest hits compilation of Mike, yet recently recorded.
Mike delivers quality music, no matter which style he does, because it is
always based around strong melodies and his melancholic voice suits the music
quite well. The material was mostly recorded and mixed at Haywire Recording in
Portland, Oregon with longtime engineer Rob Bartleson (Wilco, Pink Martini) and
mastered by Ed Brooks (Pearl Jam, Heart) at RFI/Resonant in Seattle. The result
is a nice diverse adventure that will definitely find it's way to the fan of
quality music. Disc 1 is laid-back and more acoustic driven
singer/songwriter/light powerpop/rock, while as mentioned Disc 2 offers uptempo
electric guitar driven melodic rock/punky stuff. From start to finish this is
quality stuff and for more info go to: www.mikespine.com
The
Greek band Emerald Sun alreadty exists for a long time now, since I reviewed
one of their earlier albums about 10 years ago. Now it's time for Under the
curse of silence, a nice melodic heavy rock/metal album in classic traditional
style of Priest, Primal Fear, Nocturnal Rites, Mystic Prophecy, etc.Vocally not
always without an accent, the result is a nice record in the style of mentioned
bands, so nothing new under the sun, but good old melodic metal with cool
flashy guitarwork. If this is your kind of music, definitely recommended to
check out at: http://www.emeraldsun.gr
Now
here we have a fantastic tight sounding instrumental band from the UK. The band
The Fierce And The Dead consists of Matt Stevens on guitar, synth, and piano;
Kev Feazey on bass, programming, synth, and percussion; Steve Cleaton on guitar
and piano; and Stuart Marshall on drums and percussion. Together they created
this great album titled The euphoric, which is mainly modern sounding uptempo
melodic rock/progressive rock and some darker slower almost stoner rock ish
moments here and there, with a focus on instrumental melodies that are created
by either the guitar and/or the synths/piano. Actually it sounds quite diverse
and takes the best of the 80s, 90s and 00s decade, yet only instrumentally
speaking, because the band doesn't have singer. Without a doubt, they keep you
interested and they definitely bring something extra to get noticed in this
busy world. Check them out at: https://tfatd.bandcamp.com/album/the-euphoric
Out
of Sweden comes the talented singer/songwriter Mona Wallin, who recorded this
album already back in 2015, but it took some time to release, but eventually
mid 2018 it is released. 8 songs are included and musically we are listening to
some very nice Americana/70s Singer-songwriter orientated music with here and
there rootsy rock influences, such as during the strong semi-rocker Cold came
back. On the other hand, some pure Americana with a bit of Joni Mitchell ish
Folk influences can be heard during Gold dust and a song like Way back home
reveals Westcoast influences, so there is definitely some diversity to be heard
here. Mona has a pleasant clean voice and back in the 70s US labels would have
easily snapped her up. Just listen to Six black horses and you can hear an
angel singing! This kinda music is quit popular nowadays as well, so who knows
in a few years time Mona will also be a household name, Check her out at: https://www.monawallin.net
Out
of Oregon, USA comes True North, a band compromised of
singer/songwriter/ukelele player Kristen Grainger, singer/multi-guitarplayer
Dan Wetzel, guitarplayer/banjoplayer Dale Adkins and his wife Suzanne Pearce
Adkins on contrabass. Together they recorded a very nice peaceful traditional
Americana/Westcoast/Bluegrass mixture album titled Open road, broken heart. Besides
8 originals, also 4 covers are included here. The result is a nice trip through
these typical American genres, with strong vocals and nice instrumental
back-up, packed in a collection of 12 songs in total. Not groundbreaking or
anything new can be heard here, but it's nevertheless nice to hear at: https://www.truenorthband.com
Born
in Seattle, Washington, and raised in Eugene, Oregon, pianist and composer Dan
Siegel has already released 21 solo albums, of which Origins is his most recent
one. The album features guest musicians such as Allen Hinds: electric guitar, Ramon
Stagnaro: acoustic guitar, Craig Fundyga: vibraphone, Rogerio Jardim: voice, Brian
Bromberg: acoustic bass, Vinnie Colaiuta: drums and the legendary Lenny Castro:
percussion (Toto and thousand others!). The included music is smooth
instrumental westcoast/jazz, very relaxing and perfect as background music.
Done very well, but that is no surprise since Dan has been in the business for
35 years now. One of the remarkable items in his discography is the score for
the legendary movie Reform School Girls (the one with Wendy O' Williams!).
Anyway, this is relaxing music that will be loved by fans of instrumental
smooth jazz/westcoast, so go check out more at: http://www.dansiegelmusic.com
The
German band Magical Heart was formed in 2014 and Another wonderland is their
debut record. They are formed around drummer Charly Barth (Wayward), vocalist
Christian Urner (Herezy, Old Age Revolution), bass player Robert Frenz and
Hammerschmitt guitarist Gernot Kroiss. Shortly after the release of the album,
their vocalist left the band and was replaced Kilian Kellner. Of course that is
not really good for a new band and a first record, because then it doesn't
really represent their music in case you catch them live due to the change of
singer. The included music is typical 80s German Melodic Hardrock in the style
of especially Pink Cream 69, Bonfire, Victory, Steel Dawn, Jaded Heart, Casanova,
Vice, Craaft, Vamp, Domain (and Helloween during Time will come) and I have to
admit that it is done at a very high level, easily reaching the level of some
of the mentioned bands. It might not be original, the band has done a great job
in creating that perfect German Melodic Hardrock record, including a huge
production sound! In case you're a fan of any of the mentioned bands, then you
don't want to miss Magical Heart at: http://magicalheart.de
Melodic
Gothic Hardrock is the name of the game here and the German band Florian Grey
are doing that very well on their 2nd album Ritus. The songs are melodic,
uptempo and rocking, reminding a lot of Him. 12 tracks are included and a lot
of them sound really impressive, such as the catchy uptempo Until we go down,
which has the potential to become a classic in this genre and the beautiful
ballad A cold days night is destined to be a winner for anyone looking for a
classic Power Ballad 80s style. The Mission and Gene Loves Jezebel are also
acts that come to mind when listening to this band, but they sound a bit
heavier and are adding Hardrock influences in their sound. Do not miss this
band at: http://www.florian-grey.com
Out
of Northern Spain comes Stormy Mondays, a folk-rock band which mixes influences
of Americana, Soul, 60's British Invasion and Asturian folk music. Although
vocally it is not that strong, their music is nice and melodic, sounding like a
cross between Bob Dylan (vocally), Neil Young and Calexico. What really makes
their 4 tracks counting EP CD interesting is the fact that it is actually the
first media which not only looks like both a regular CD and 45 RPM viny single,
but you can also actually play it both ways. This makes it a rather unique disc
and I wonder why this isn't pressed by more artists and bands, because then you
really have something that will appeal to both the vinyl and CD fans. Anyway,
more info on this release at: https://en.stormymondays.com
Trombonist
Geoff Alpert has been in the music business for about 40 years now and worked
with a lot of musicians. However, Open your heart is his solo debut album,
which is a lovely smooth instrumental jazzy westcoast/fusion album (late
70s/80s kinda vibe). This is one of those perfect laid-back background album
music releases you can play anytime you want to, although during the summer it
sounds at it's best! Earth, Wind & Fire is a good comparison here, yet this
is mostly instrumental, although here and there some background vocals can be
heard. Besides Geoff on trombone and baritone horn, other involved musicians
include co-producer/musical director/keyboardist Gail Jhonson, the L.A.
Collective – guitarist Adam Hawley, keyboardist Greg Manning, and drummer/percussionist
Tony Moore, and guests like saxman Michael Paulo and flautist Althea Rene. The
result is a recommended album to anyone into instrumental jazz-fusion and make
sure to listen until the very end where we can hear the album's finest song The
crusade. More info at: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/geoffalpert2
The
first couple of songs on the CD Forever of the Nashville based duo CJ Simmons
are very commercial country-crossover-pop-ccm-aor-poprock kinda tunes (Anywhere
that isn't here and You can count on me), which are both radio-ready and remind
me a bit of 90s Bryan Adams (The best of me - style). However, the bluegrass
and country can be heard completely during a song like You can count on me and
so it goes on and on until the end of the album with these style changes, with however
mostly commercial pop driven tunes (the midtempo AOR ish Angel with a great
guitarsolo and the Bon Jovi countrypop of Five kids to raise), but there's also
room for some underground pure bluegrass/country ish material (Shinedown, Hit
and run) and quite some ballads (Someone should've cared is dangerously close
to classic Juice Newton), so quite a lot of diversity going on here. They all
have in common that we can hear both male and female lead vocals, because CJ
actually stands for Christian and Jessica Simmons, whom are performing as a duo
for many years now, mostly in front of the miltary all over the world. Check it
out for yourself at: https://www.cjsimmons.com
Most
interesting detail on the CD Walking in twos of American/Libanese musician
Amanada Abizaid is the appearance of Stephen Arthur Stills of Crosby, Stills,
Nash & Young on the titletrack. The music itself is nice singer/songwriter
pop/rock on this first track, with also good vocalwork from Amanda. However, the
rest of the album is a more hi-tech affair, with also songs that clearly go
into a World Music direction, which isn't bad at all and recommended to the
open-minded music fans out there, although except from the midtempo Reggae ish
One love (not the Bob Marley song), these songs are not that strong I'm afraid.
On the other hand, I do feel that she has potential in someday releasing
something very sensational, so who knows! Meanwhile, check for yourself at: http://amandaabizaid.com/music/
Counter
Void 'Fired up' (Independent/USA Import)
The
American band Counter Void brings us a very nice new album titled Fired up,
which musically is a mix of groovy melodic hard/heavy rock and progressive
metal, with fantastic clean melodic vocals. The result is a highly recommended
album that reminds me a bit of a mix between Jeff Scott Soto, Enchant, Alice In
Chains, Hurricane and Rush. Counter Void consists of Ben Hafeman (Lead Vocals,
backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, instrument programming) and Brad
Miller (Lead Guitar, backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, instrument
programming), so it is actually a duo, although the sound is as if this
concerns a full band. Highlights are the groovy midtempo rocking Don't touch,
the ballad Riptide and the beautiful semi AOR balla, but the whole album is a
success and should be checked by anyone into high class melodic heavy
rock/metal with picture perfect vocalwork and precise guitarwork. More info at:
http://www.countervoidband.com
Whitherward
is an indiefolk band from Nashville, Tennessee, which started as a duo (singer Ashley
E. Norton and her busband singer/guitarist Edward A. Williams), but after a
while violin player Stephanie Groot and bassist Patrick Hershey joined them.
Now they have released their first full-length album, The anchor, which
musically shows a sorta own face, which is a mix of singer/songwriter, 20s
jazz, a bit of pop/rock and folk. Especially the songs with Ashley on vocals
are quite impressive, such as the titletrack, Burn the roses, the fantastic
Teeth and Nephew.Thankfully she sings most of the songs, because her voice is
really amazing. Sometimes the music is a bit experimental and theatrical with
slightly weaker vocals of Edward (Deaf, dumb and blind), but on the other hand
it makes it a diverse and original CD that is interesting if you like for
instance Imelda May and Caro Emerald. Check out more at: https://whitherward.bandcamp.com/album/the-anchor
Out
of Wales comes Band Of Rain and The dust of stars is already their 5th album.
The band is formed around band leader Chris Gill (guitar/multi instruments/programming)
and Micha Steinbacher (bass, flute, sax, multi instruments, programming,
vocals). On 2 songs we can hear vocals of guest singer Ria Parfitt (Toys and
Dust Of Stars), while the rest of the album is instrumental. Musically speaking
this is quite dark slow progressive rock with a sorta Porcupine Tree/Pink Floyd
kinda vibe. The songs with the vocals are really good, sounding like a sorta
Grace Slick Jefferson Airplane era meets Mostly Autumn. This is one of those
albums that you can easily put on and listen to from start to finish, because
it is high quality music we can hear. More info at: https://www.bandofrain.com
Bob
Wheeler is best known in the AOR community as having a very expensive AOR debut
vinyl record in his discography. He somewhat changed his style through the
years and eventually went Hair Metal all the way, which can also be heard on
this album Lending a helping hand. This one dates back to 1999 and reminds me
of the early 90s MTV Hair Metal groovy melodic hardrock kinda like Skid Row,
Every Mother's Nightmare and such produced for the masses. Done very well, so fans
of that style will instantly love this record, but Bob also sent me an
interesting new (?) CDR titled If time..., which contains some new (?) material
that musically speaking is going a bit more in the direction of his rare mid
80s debut. Basically a song like the uptempo melodic rocker Hold on is pure 80s
bliss like Dokken used to produce and actually all 5 songs are bringing us that
classic 80s US mainstream melodic rocksound we all love so much. Let's hope Bob
will release a full length (vinyl) record in this style in the near future,
because this what suits his voice very well.
Not
1 CD, but 2 new CDs of the Japanese band Alice In Hell arrived. Never heard of
them, but the included music is Teutonic Heavy Metal with very strong
guitarwork, but vocally it's like UDO on steroids! Not bad at all actually,
although after a couple of songs it starts to sound the same and quite repetitive.
Nevertheless, as mentioned, if you're a fan of Accept/UDO/Running Wild and like
it even a bit heavier, then this Alice In Hell is the band for you to check
out, which is also the case if you're a fan of Bow Wow and Loudness. More info
at: www.aliceinhell.com/
Out
of Sweden comes Caroline Wickberg, who delivers a very diverse debut mini EP-CD
here with I'm not mad. Indie-pop is clearly the sound that is dominating the
album, but the 5 songs also reveal some country-pop, jazz and other styles here
and there. The result is a very nice effort, with strong vocalwork of Caroline,
who has got a perfect tone in her voice that combined with the melodic music is
making this a very professional international sounding record. Already looking
forward to a future record of her! Meanwhile check her out at: https://www.facebook.com/carolinewickbergmusic/
4
years ago the German band Red Raven delivered their debut, but somehow that one
must have escaped our attention. Thankfully we get a second chance, because
their follow-up Chapter two: Digithell is a very strong melodic
hardrock/melodic metal release that can easily be qualified as a high quality
record. The band is formed around Frank Beck (Gamma Ray) and he clearly has the
perfect voice for this kind of music. It is not far removed from Mystic
Prophecy and Nocturnal Rites, so then you know what to expect here and right
from the start with the midtempo Collapse and uptempo Dance with a freak, you
will be banging your head and singing a long to a record that brings us
hardrock/metal the way it needs to sound, which includes raising your first in
the air and screaming out loud to the big choruses while playing the air guitar
during the massive guitar riffs. Without a doubt, this is a must-have for fans
of mentioned bands!
Out
of Italy comes Andrea Van Cleef, who present us here a very nice record that
musically is a mix of lush Indie Melancholic Pop meets 70s Soft Pop/Rock, kinda
like a cross between Dire Straits, Robbie Robertson and Chris Rea, with a touch
of the early singer/songwriter style of John Grant, yet with even more to
explore when listening to the whole record. He has a really good voice that
sounds dangerously close to the mentioned acts, especially during the first
couple of songs (I wanna be like you and Get some sleep), but he also goes into
slightly diferent directions during the rest of the album, such as the uptempo
rockabilly of Friday or the 70s folkish singer/songwriter orientated The highest
score that reminds me of Leonard Cohen. The diversity continues, because
uptempo late 70s Punkrock can be heard in the song Into the great, big, black
nothing and a Mexican/Calexico touch is notable during Queen of the dune larks.
It's therefore a challenging record that never gets boring. Open-minded
musicfans will enjoy this album a lot I think. More info at: http://www.andreavancleef.space
The
Swedish band The Torch was formed back in 2012, released their debut in 2014
and now follow it up with Chasing light. As expected like the usual Swedish
bands, this is high quality music, as if we're listening to an American band.
Their sound is also very American orientated, then you must think of Shinedown,
Avenged Sevenfold, Alter Bridge... Somewhere in between you can put The Torch
and I have to say that they are very good in combining the heaviness of the
rock/metal sound of mentioned bands, but still keep their ears open to bring us
a strong melody. The guitar solo's are also very impressive, so make sure to
check out this release if modern American melodic heavy rock/metal is up your
alley! Then go to: http://www.thetorch.se
Nico
Rivers & the Black Grass hails from Boston and they play a mix of Indiepop,
Alternative Rock and Americana, much like a lot of other bands are doing at the
moment. Thankfully they are doing it at a very high level on their new album
Tiny death. Nico plays guitar and sings, while The Black Grass consists of Alex
Giorgetti, guitar, vocals, Mellotron; Josh Strmic, drums, percussion; Matt
Schairer, bass; and Emily Graham-Handley,
vocals. 10 songs are included and right from the start you can hear that
we're onto something good, because Nico has a strong voice and the opener Tidal
wave is a catchy melodic indie rocker, while Devil's boots simply rocks big
time! However, there are also calmer moments to be heard where there are even
similarities to Simon & Garfunkel (Misty Nebraska), but most of the time
the album rocks and should appeal to fans of the modern pop/rocksound. Although
comparisons to Bear's Den, Band Of Horses, Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons is
possible, this album rocks just a bit more. All together a very nice effort,
please listen for yourself at:
https://songsandwhispers.bandcamp.com/album/tiny-death
Bobbo
Byrnes 'Two sides to this town' (Broken Silence/Hemifran)
Two
sides to this town is a classic piece of American Heartland Rock! That was my
first thought when hearing the opening cut of this album, Angelia, a fantastic
uptempo heartland rocker that is clearly in the style of all those legendary
artists that made this genre quite unique within the rockworld. Yes of course
Bruce Springsteen, but also Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Dawes, Michael Stanley, Ryan
Adams, Drivin’ N Cryin’ and John Mellencamp come to mind when listening to
Bobbo Byrnes. This is American Rock at it's finest! Bobbo himself plays in
several bands actually and this solo effort seems like an in-between record
(correct me if I'm wrong here), but without a doubt, this is a lovely record
that hits the right spot here for sure. Besides Angelia, other highlights are
Glad, Jealous kind and Vegas, all showing Heartland Pop/Rock at it's best! Here
and there we can also hear some calmer ballad ish material and even a bit
altcountry, but Bobbo is mostly rocking for us on Two sides to this town, so
make sure to check out this release a.s.a.p. in case this is your music style
at: https://www.thefallenstars.com/bobbo-byrnes
I
received 2 records of singer/songwriter Gregg Stewart, his same titled debut CD
and a covers CD titled Twentysixteen. Musically speaking this American
singer/songwriter balances between singer/songwriter of the modern age (When
the work is done, What am I to do and Mystery) and typical traditional American
Melodic Pop/Rock. He has got a strong voice and delivers 10 nice tunes that
sound at best during the rockers, where he comes across like a mix between
Bryan Adams, Rolling Stones and Tom Petty(Give it all you got, Stone cold fox
and R is for Rockstar). The covers album is a very cool own interpretation of
14 classic tunes from artists like George Michael, Prince, Leon Russell, Merle
Haggard, Guy Clark, Leonard Cohen and David Bowie. Without a doubt, Gregg is a
singer/songwriter to watch out for in the near future, because he might become
the next Rockstar! Check him out at: http://www.greggstewartmusic.com
Kentish
Spires 'The last harvest' (Nineteen 73 Promotion/UK Import)
The
British band Kentish Spires makes their debut with The last harvest, a pure 1970s
Canterbury inspired progressive rockalbum. The line-up of this new band
consists of members whom played with Samson drummer Thunderstick, Mike Stock,
Magenta and several others before starting the new band Kentish Spires. It
features Lucie V - vocals, Paul
Hornsby - woodwind, Danny Chang - guitar, Rik Loveridge - Hammond organ and
synths, Phil Warren - bass and Tim Robinson - drums. The sound is really pure
1970s, including the use of other instruments besides the standard
keyboard/guitar/bass/drums, because we can also hear the violin, flute and the
reeds coming through quite nicely here and there. Kentish Spires is reminding
us of Caravan, Soft Machine, Gong, National Health and such, with female vocals
a la Magenta meets Jefferson Airplane. 7 tracks are included, of which some are
quite lengthy. The mixture of complex jazz and prog rhythms with typical 70s guitar/sax/flute
melodies is making this a dream come true for anyone who wants to hear the real
1970s sound (listen to Clarity for example, a song that sounds like a classic
70s tune, but is brand-new!). Songs like Spirit of the skies, Interception and
TTWIG are definitely belonging to the best tracks here, athough each track is a
must-hear for fans of the mentioned sound. Great to hear a band like Kentish
Spires doing something original in the old style, without sounding dated and
keeping the music at a high level from start to finish. I am sure in The
Netherlands this will get a lot of attention and who knows soon we will be
enjoying to see them live on stage (De Boerderij in Zoetermeer?). Do not miss
this release please! More info at: http://TheKentishSpires.bandcamp.com
The
multi-instrumentalist Ryan Yard releases an album that brings us back straight
into the 1970s era of Mike Oldfield. The album is even mastered by the
legendary Tom Newman (Tubular bells), while Justin Towell plays guitar. The
album consists of 2 parts, both around the 20 minutes in playing length, but
actually you should see this as one long concept song that has the same kinda
vibe as Tubular bells, so instrumental and
building up to a certain climax. Best to check out for yourself this
wonderful adventure of sounds created by Ryan on synths, flutes, a moog, a korg
and several other 1970s type of music instruments/machines at: https://www.ryanyardmusic.com
Out
of Brighton, UK comes Dream Wife, a band around 3 female musicians whom met
during their study and actually started this band as a sorta project. Eventually,
the threesome (Icelandic singer Rakel Mjöll and vocalist/guitarist Alice Go and
bassist Bella Podpadec) recorded a full album of material that musically is
edgy rock with a punky approach in late 70s New York CBGB style, yet still
melodic enough to appeal to the masses. In fact, they have some style of their
own, but still sound familiar. A bit quirky here and there due to the somewhat
extraordinary vocals of the singer (Bjork ish), the band sounds like a somewhat
less polished/alternative mix between The Runaways, The Pretenders, Blondie,
The Bangles and Nina Hagen (Act my age). Best songs are the uptempo Fire, the
lush Love without reason, the catchy poprocker Spend the night and Taste. In
the end, they are the kind of typical modern pop/rockband with a retro sound
that should go down well at the festivals! More info at: http://dreamwife.co and https://dreamwife.bandcamp.com
Swiss
rockers Basement Saints return with a strong new classic hard/southern rock
sounding album that is more or less a tribute to the 1970s rocksound, because
they remind us of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doors, Mountain, Free and
countless others. The classic heavy bluesrock influences can also be heard a
lot, so we are all completely settled in the 1970s here. The band is formed
around Tobias Arn (guitar), Anton Delen (vocals, guitar) and Samuel Jaussi (drums),
so in true 70s threesome line-up they deliver here an album that is a must-have
for anyone into classic 70s rock/hardrock of the mentioned bands. Check them
out for yourself at: https://www.basementsaints.com
Without
a doubt, the German band CBUS is a very interesting new band to check out
a.s.a.p., because their debut album Waste coast is a lovely classic late
60s/early 70s orientated psychedelic rock record which reminds me a lot of
classic Coven, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors and such. The band is formed
around Liane Steinke - Vocals & Keys, Eugen Ott - Guitar, Florian Bauer - Bass
and Thomas Lülsdorf - Drums and they are coming out of the Cologne-Bonn area.
The strong lead vocals, lush melodies and relaxing dark retro classic
psych-rock sound is making them sound unique, but also what surprises me most
is the incredible high level of musicianship presented on Waste coast. 11
tracks are included in total and from the start of Bigger better higher until
the end with Worth the risk, the band is offering high quality music.
Definitely a big recommendation to check them out at: https://cbus.bandcamp.com/releases
The
Brasilian band Steel Fox returns with a new album enbtitled Savagery. Musically
we are listening to classic Italo Power Metal, which is very fast, melodic and
keeping your horses, swords and fists ready to sing-a-long to these tunes that
will please any fan of bands like Labyrinth, Rhapsody, Derdian, Highlord, etc.
etc. It might not be original, the result during songs like Bloody dream and
Knights of freedom are absolutely a must-hear for fans of mentioned bands.
Check them out at: http://www.stf-records.de/artist/steel-fox/
Out
of Canada comes The Lynnes, which is a duo formed around singer/songwriters Lynn
Miles and Lynne Hanson. Together they created a beautiful record titled
Heartbreak song for the radio, which contains from start to finish perfect
melodic singer/songwriter pop/rock, although somehow sometimes it reminds me of
something Ilse DeLange does on her solo-records. Thankfully the vocals here are
better and the songs are also stronger, so The Lynnes definitely offer a more
interesting overall package. The country influences are present for sure, but
they combine it with other influences (folk, melodic pop/rock and
singer/songwriter), which give it an own identity and during the catchy Recipe
for disaster, this works at best. Also a special mention needs to be done of
the beautiful ballad ish Dark waltz, with it's haunting melodic chorus. Overall
this is singer/songwriter of the 1970s kind, with a very pop orientated
hook/chorus approach, as most of the songs can easily be played on the radio
and turn out into hits. Make sure to not miss this little gem at: https://thelynnes.com
Mile
Marker Zero 'The fifth row' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of the Cheshire/New Haven, Connecticut area in the USA comes a very interesting
and sensational progressive rock/metal band called Mile Marker Zero. They were
kind enough to sent me their latest album The fith row, which features lovely
high quality melodic progressive rock/prog metal that sounds a bit like Enchant
crossed with Fates Warning. The focus here is clean melodies, both vocally and
instrumentally, with the strong vocalwork of singer Dave Alley and the tight
guitars by John Tuohy, while Mark Focarile adds some great keyboardwork. The
line-up is completed by the rhythm section that consists of Jaco Lindito/Bass
and Doug Alley/Drums. The band exists since 2005 and actually they started in a
more alternative rock kinda direction, releasing a full-length in 2009 and even
appearing in a MTV videogame called RockBand back then. Through the years, they
developed a more progressive rock/metal style, which can now best be heard on
this excellent 15-tracks counting conceptual album. Songs like 2001, Digital
warrior and any track on this album are a pleasure to listen to. Highly
recommended to fans of Enchant, Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Pagan's Mind,
Threshold, etc. etc, although I can imagine the fans of a slightly modern
progrock approach of the Muse, Porcupine Tree, Rush, A Perfect Circle and such
will also enjoy this band a lot. More info can be found at: http://www.milemarkerzero.com and https://mmzofficial.bandcamp.com
Singer/songwriter
Rupert Wates delivers a good old fashioned singer/songwriter album that is
clearly in classic 1970s style. James Taylor, Jim Groce and Gordon Lightfoot
are clear comparisons one can make when listening to his album The lights of
Paris. It's done really good all together and his voice is just perfect for
this kind of peaceful music that is based around an acoustic guitar and a
voice. Fans of beautiful acoustic guitar based 1970s based singer/songwriter
music should definitely check this out, as it is from a very high level, with
Rupert providing excellent calm relaxing vocalwork. More info at: https://rupertwatesmusic.com
The
American singer/songwriter Todd Kessler has been in the scene for quite a few
years and his latest release About memory shows his talent on especially the
vocals. His voice is crystal clear and the somewhat 70s inspired
singer/songwriter melodic catchy light pop/rock is perfectly suitable for his
kind of voice. Paul Simon, Bryan Adams, Michael Zee, America and Christopher
Cross and such artists come to mind when listening to the mixture of light uptempo
pop/rockers and soft acoustic/piano-led pop ballads. Todd is at his best during
the uptempo catchier light pop/rockers such as The Things We Do For Love and
Someday You’ll Be A Man. If he would follow this direction, rock a bit more,
but also add more edge to the material, then he could release a sensational
record, because the voice is already present! However, now most of the songs
are now very sweet and probably too corny for most of us. He reminds me a
little of Todd Herzog, so is here and there even touching MOR/AOR, without
sounding bad at all. It just needs some more edge and energy, although nevertheless,
it is a nice collection of original tunes to check out. More info at: https://toddkesslermusic.com
Sawdust
and Rust 'Leaving A Memory' (Sawdust and rust Music/Hemifran)
The
band Sawdust & Rust was born after a chance meeting in Greenland in 2015
between Swedish singer-songwriter Patrick Rydman and Faroese singer-songwriter
Benjamin Petersen, who goes under the artist name Son of Fortune. Most of the
debut album Leaving a memory was recorded in Benjamin's studio Bunkarin (the
Bunker), in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands. The included music is much more melodic
and accessible than I would have thought when reading this was recorded in a
very cold place. The result is like a summer breeze, because what we get to
hear is melodic catchy and memorable chorus driven pop/rock from the start of
the record. The voice of Patrick is slightly darker and more akin to a Neil
Finn, Stan Meissner and even George Harrison, while the music is more anthem
like pop/rock and sounding very American actually, AOR/Westcoast influences
pass by quite a lot, especially during the highlights Caroline, the lovely
Tumbling dice (reminds me of classic early 80s Michael Zee and Jimmy Davis) and
the beautiful acoustic tingled The shade of your skin that sounds dangerously
close to Crowded House. A pleasure and a really big surprise, that's basically
what we have here and I would recommend it to anyone to check out this record
at: https://sawdustrust.bandcamp.com/album/leaving-a-memory
Octave Lissner
'Wildflower' (IK Records/DGR Music)
Octave
Lissner is a singer/songwriter from Paris, France who released his debut album
Wildflower earlier in 2018, but we finally found the time to review this
wonderful little record. Octave has a very strong voice and is a real
singer/songwriter musically and lyrically speaking. With the help of guitarist Octave
LIssner, drummer Pedja Milutinovic, bassist Dejan Antovic, keyboardplayer Bojan
Turkic and guitarist Branko Trijic. The album was produced and released on
Octave's own label ReProdukcija/1K Records and recorded at the HillRiver
Studios in Belgrado, Serbia. The music is like most other modern
singer/songwriter pop/rock acts at the moment, which includes also Hozier, but
Octave has developed an own kinda style. Especially during the beautiful Hate
to love you, this sounds at it's very best. The combination of his expressive
dramatic vocals with the melodies is making this a stand-out. He also adds some
bluesy influences here and there, which can be heard during Waves of time.
Somehow I also must think of Waylon when listening to this record, but then
again, this is much more international singer/songwriter orientated. Octave is
probably already working on new material, but it's never too late to check out
this talented musician. More info at: https://www.octavelissner.com
Magenta
'We are legend' (Tigemoth Productions/UK Import)
The
legendary Welsh band Magenta has been in the music business for a long time now
and We are legend is their latest release. The band started in 2000 and I
believe We are legend is their 13th album and once again it is filled with
superb high quality melodic progressive rock with the strong vocals of singer
Christina Booth. The artwork of the CD that comes with a DVD is stunning and
despite there are only 3 songs included, the playing time is still reaching the
45 minutes, because the songs are very lengthy. The material is very melodic
and pleasant to the ears of the regular music fan, while it offers enough
beautiful instrumental precision to keep it interested for those fans of the
Pink Floyd kinda progressive rock. Magenta keeps on building their impressive
catalogue to bigger heights and We are legend is definitely a must-have! More
info at: http://tigermothhosting.co.uk/magenta2017/index.html
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