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HOT NEW REVIEWS
Al Ross
& The Planets 'Al Ross & The Planets VINYL LP' (APG Records/UK Import)
Now
here we have a very original sounding band playing an own kinda style, which
contains influences from jazz, pop and rock. The band AL ROSS AND THE PLANETS
were kind enough to sent me their vinyl release of their same titled album,
which was released back in 2017. The band consists of Alan Ramirez - vocals/bass;
Alex Mungo - vocals/keys; Paul Miller - vocals; George E Well - guitar; Dave
Brammer - saxophone/flute and Paulie Disney - drums. The band is situated in
London and recorded material at the famous Abbey Road Studios, and actually,
they have been active and performing for over a few decades now, already back
in the early 90s! Anyway, it is very nice to finally hear them on vinyl loud
and proud, because their laid-back ish jazzy/bluesy pop/rock material is of an
incredible high level. While listening to songs like My love for you and
Wonderland, there is a lot of room for improvisations and it seems like this
was actually recorded live. There are some similarities to a LITTLE FEAT, BRUCE
HORNSBY, a calmer HUEY LEWIS (not their 80s sounds) or even VAN MORRISON and
that is not a punishment, because AL ROSS AND THE PLANETS can easily compete
with those legendary acts. It surprises me that this album was not praised a
lot in the music press, because it is without a doubt a very strong impressive
album that should appeal to a wide diversity of music fans out there. Besides
the 2 earlier mentioned tracks, other highlights are Walking in circles (THE
BEATLES/ CROWDED HOUSE ish light melodic pop/rock song), the uptempo rock and
roll ish No connection and the calmer VENICE ish semi westcoast/pop/rockballads
Where does your love go, In my world and the fantastic The message, with it's
beautiful harmonyvocals. Also closing track Talk to me should be mentioned as this
is a very good uptempo melodic poprocker. There's a strong 1970s kinda vibe
(reminding me overall of a band like SAD CAFE besides the earlier comparisons)
and as already mentioned, it is quite diverse what we get to hear, but always
at a very high level both instrumentally and vocally, all packed in 11
impressive tunes that sometimes go for a jazzy direction, then for pop, at
other times rocking, while also bluesy material can be heard, but each and
every song is focused around memorable melodies. Although I have pointed out a
lot of similar bands, AL ROSS AND THE PLANETS do have their kinda sound. It is
well well done and therefore recommended to check out a.s.a.p. at: www.alrossandtheplanets.com
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Gordon
Thomson 'Kiss the sun/ Eventually' (Independent/UK Import)
Out
of London comes GORDON THOMSON, a talented singer/songwriter who basically does
everything on his own. He sent me 2 of his albums he released in 2019. The
music on Kiss the sun is singer/songwriter orientated, with a slight classic
1950s Soul/R&B touch here and there if you listen to Made for fools, a song
in the style of BEN E. KING's "Stand by me" or a bit SAM COOKE. 9
songs are included in total and for a sunny sunday afternoon this is perfect
background music to relax with. Gordon and his acoustic guitar feel very
comfortable and during a few songs somehow he makes me think of STEVE PERRY
going unplugged and for a calm singer/songwriter style (A million stars and the
lovely rockier Passing through), while most of the time his music goes a bit
into a STING ish direction (The turn of coin), with a slight summer ish World
Music/PAUL SIMON vibe (Kiss the sun). This is definitely a compliment and for
those who are interested in this kinda style, as they will love Kiss the sun.
The other album Eventually is a bit more uptempo and rockier than Kiss the sun,
which is actually quite nice to hear, because Gordon shows he has a raspy kinda
tone in his voice that fits the rootsy rock of Eventually quite perfectly. For
me personally, this is the best one of the his 2 releases. Best songs are the
uptempo opener Here I go again, the light AOR ish Glass heart (very much like
STEVE PERRY, RICK PRICE, BENNY MARDONES and such 90s calmer AOR/Westcoast ish
music), the calmer Don't let go and the sensational uptempo Classic 70s AOR
tune Her shadow (a bit like ERIC CLAPTON circa Layla). GORDON THOMSON is definitely
a recommended and very talented all-round
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist to check out at: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/GordonThomson
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Don Ender
'Southwards' ospel (Grand Cru Records/In Akustik)
Southern
Rock, Bluesrock, Americana and Roosy rock are nicely blended together by German
guitarist/vocalist DON ENDER, who is helped by fellow bluesy rocker TIMO GROSS
on his debut album Southwards. 10 songs are included and fans of THE ALLMAN
BROTHERS, WARREN HAYNES, DANNY BRYANT and such will definitely like this a lot.
Highlights are the uptempo rockers Trouble, Shackles on my soul and Miss you so
bad, the midtempo bluesy rocker Something's got a hold on me and the rather
catchy midtempo melodic heavy bluesrocksong Nick of time (best song without any
doubts). In the end the material goes most of the time into a raw raspy bluesy
rockstyle which will please the fans of the mentioned acts for sure. Don's
voice is quite recognizable, as he sounds quite raw and has his limitations,
but it then comes clearly from the soul and that is a good thing for this kind
of music. Check it out at: https://donender.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Fractured
Spine 'Various albums' (Independent/Finland Import)
The
Finnish band FRACTURED SPINE was originally a solo project of multi-instrumentalist
Antti Kirjavainen, but became a real band in 2011 when vocalist Timo
Kirjavainen joined in. The band plays doom metal with strong gothic influences
and are directly influenced by bands like KATATONIA, SWALLOW THE SUN, MY DYING
BRIDE and such. Every now and then there are some death metal growls, but the
band's sound is much more than that and should definitely appeal to fans of
melodic doom/gothic metal like the mentioned bands, but also OPETH comes to
mind a lot of times. They sent me 3 CDs they released and I have to say this is
quite high quality that could have easily been on a major metal record label
like CENTURY MEDIA or NUCLEAR BLAST. While listening to the songs on these
albums, it is very atmospheric and making you feel like you're somewhere in
cold dark wintry Finland, all alone and looking for that one brightness of hope
which is thankfully given throughout beautiful melodies by FRACTURED SPINE. The
band's songs might be experimental, they are still very melodic actually and
memorable, both vocally and instrumentally. Fans of KATATONIA, THE GATHERING
and OPETH will definitely like this a lot! More info at: https://fracturedspine.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Various
Artists 'Maldito Records various albums' (Maldito Records/Spain Import)
MALDITO
RECORDS in Spain is one of the biggest Spanish record labels that has the most
important Spanish Rock/Metal bands in their catalogue (TIERRA SANTA, WARCRY, LUJURIA,
ZENOBIA, SARATOGA, DARK MOOR, TAKO...), so when I got in touch with them, they
were kind enough to sent a bunch of their releases. The Spanish rock/metal
scene is hardly covered in parts of Europe, so it is very nice to hear and
review so many strong new Spanish rock/metal albums. As well known, the band
almost always sing in their native language Spanish, so for the lyrics it might
be hard to understand what they are singing about. On the other hand, it's the
music that counts and I can inform you that there is a lot of sensational stuff
out there in Spain. As it is quite a lot of releases, I decided to put it all
in 1 review, which would be easier for everyone to get a good idea of what is
going on down south in beautiful warm Spain.
Starting
with guitarist JUAN SAURIN who delivers a very nice instrumental album titled
Supremacy, which contains progressive/melodic power metal based around Juan's
guitar. The sound/production is of a very high level and the material will
definitely appeal to fans of VAI, SATRIANI, FRIEDMAN and such. It is quite
heavy and really Metal orientated, but the fans of the instrumental melodic
metal will not mind this at all. http://juansaurin.com/
(7.8)
YUGULAR
is a 3-piece Streetpunk/Oi!/Hardcore band that is all about classic fast
uptempo THE EXPLOITED/GBH ish material and SOZIEDAD ALKOHOLIKA is even heavier
with a Metalcore sound, produced by Tue Madsen (Moonspell, Meshuggah, Sick of
it All, etc.). https://www.facebook.com/yugularband/
(7.6)
Up
next is a great Melodic Hardrockband called ROJO OMEGA from Madrid, a band with
a 70s influenced classic rocksound that sounds like a cross between MOTORHEAD,
THIN LIZZY, TURBONEGRO, FOO FIGHTERS, THE RAMONES, SPIDERGAWD, MOTLEY CRUE, THE
SWEET and ROSE TATTOO, yet with of course Spanish lyrics. Their latest album El
elixir contains 8 catchy short uptempo rocking tunes that are easy to
sing-a-long to, with as highlights El elixir, La mecha y la llama and Descenso
a los infiernos. I'll bet live these guys will easily make up a good party with
their infectious classic hardrock and roll. Check them out at: https://rojoomega.bandcamp.com/album/el-elixir
(8.1)
OPERA
MAGNA deliver the typical 00s bombastic symphonic melodic power metal in the
style of SONATA ARCTICA, STRATOVARIUS, KAMELOT and such, although due to the
Spanish lyrics, we can perhaps better compare them to bands like MAGO DE OZ,
AVALANCH, SARATOGA, ZENOBIA and such. What they are doing is of a very high
level, so fans of mentioned genre will definitely like this a lot. Their 2019
album is titled Del Amor Y Otros Demonios and without a doubt, this is the way
it should sound like in the sympho melodic power metal scene, big and massive
with catchy choruses and huge symphonic sounds, while the neo-classical guitar
shreds all over the place. Songs like Por un corazon de piedra and La herida are
fast uptempo pieces that sounds like the perfect Spanish cross between KAMELOT,
RHAPSODY and DRAGONFORCE. Concluded, must-have for fans of mentioned bands,
although of course it is sung in Spain. More info at: http://www.operamagna.net (8.0)
Then
we have another strong punky rock and roll band called KAOTIKO, whom are
bringing us straight-forward no-nonsense catchy uptempo melodic classic rock
and roll in the style of MOTORHEAD, TURBONEGRO and such again. Their new album
contains almost only uptempo songs that are easy to sing-a-long to and it is
all of a very high level, with as best tracks Violencia and Profecia. More info
at: http://www.kaotiko.com (8.0)
Out
of Madrid comes LEO JIMÉNEZ, a singer who sang with a lot of Spanish bands
(such as SARATOGA, STRAVAGANZZA) and now has a new solo album out (Mesias)
which in the beginning sounds very heavy. It combines several styles within the
Metalgenre, aggressive here and there, but also super melodic during the
choruses. Leo has an incredible range and is definitely one of the better
Spanish singers out there, reminding me a lot of the RATA BLANCA singer, but
the music is at first sight heavier and as mentioned even adds a bit Thrash,
Black and Modern Metal influences in the instrumental parts (80s METALLICA,
ANTHRAX...), although overall they are a Melodic Metalband with strong memorable
choruses to sing-a-long to. As the CD continues it is clear that apart from the
first 2 songs and a few others later on the CD, they are mostly going for the
classic Melodic Metal sound, which can best be heard during the SUPERB Quererme
asi (a midtempo catchy tune that features some lovely memorable melodies and
could well become the best Spanish sung songs of 2019!), Un mundo loco (a fast
catchy Melodic Power Metal tune) and the Power Ballad Piensa en ti. Check it
out for yourself at: http://www.leojimenez.net/
(8.5)
Back
to classic Hardrock and Melodic Heavy Rock the 70s/80s way with the band EXCESO
from Barcelona and their album Rimas y Rock. A very nice album with a lot of
strong catchy melodic tunes that will please the fans of classic BARON ROJO,
Y&T, WHITE LION, DOKKEN and such. Definitely a band to check out if you're
into Melodic Hardrock! More info at: https://www.exceso.cat/
(8.3)
Canciones
de amor al odio is the 2nd album of female singer/songwriter NEUS FERRI. She
has a very strong 'rock' voice and also her music is impressive catchy melodic
(pop) rock like a cross between ALANNAH MYLES and MELISSA ETHERIDGE. Without a
doubt, she delivers here and will probably get huge in Spanish speaking
countries thanks to a combination of excellent vocals and catchy rocktunes.
Check her out at: https://www.facebook.com/neusferri/
(8.4)
DEMISED
from Murcia started as a Death Metal band in the 1990s, but eventually quit in
2007 and10 years later they returned as a Doom/Gothic Metalband, dropping all
of their Death Metal influences. The music is now quite melodic and will appeal
to a lot of people. The 2nd album The fall was mastered by the legendary Dan
Swanö (musician and producer of bands like KATATONIA, GHOST, OPETH, THEATRE OF
TRAGEDY, etc.). It is not that strange when you listen to DEMISED, they are
quite close to the bands DAN SWANO worked with, because this is prime-time dark
gothic melodic metal at it's very best. Fans of this genre will definitely like
this Spanish band for sure! Check them out at: http://www.demised.eu/
(8.1)
N.E.O.
is a new Spanish Melodic Hardrockband with a debut CD titled Objeto cercano a
la Tierra, which was mastered by Dave Donnelly en DNA Mastering (Tarzana, CA,
USA). Dave mastered a lot of classic albums in the past from bands like NELSON,
AEROSMITH, BLUE MURDER, THUNDER, WHITESNAKE, MANOWAR, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT,
etc. etc. We're safe to say that the sound is excellent here and when listening
to the first song we also hear a sensational Spanish band that deliver awesome
80s/90s inspired Melodic Hardrock in the style of HEAVEN'S EDGE, DOKKEN,
TALISMAN, HAREM SCAREM, JADED HEART and such. Of course the difference is that
everything is sung in Spanish, but the melodies of a lot of songs are
definitely reaching the level of mentioned bands (La misma cancion, A cada paso,
Solo algunas veces, Adoctrinados and Nunca)! As a bonustrack they included a
cover of the GENESIS classic Land of confusion. If you don't mind Spanish
lyrics, then you absolutely need to check out this Melodic Hardrockband at: http://www.neorock.es/ (8.8)
The
final 2 bands are LA KONTRA and LOS DE MARRAS, both sorta playing a mixture of punk
and classic rock and roll, with enough melodies and sing-a-long choruses for
people to remember their songs and both seem to be very popular, especially LOS
DE MARRAS, whom deliver a very nice live album. Hopefully we will be able to
review more Spanish bands in the near future, because there is a lot of
potential out there and not many people outside Spain know these bands. All
info on all artists and bands can also be found at: http://www.malditorecords.net/
(Points: -)
Laurence
Jones Band 'Laurence Jones Band' (Top Stop Music/Sony Music)
A
few years ago I reviewed a solo CD of British guitarist/singer/songwriter
LAURENCE JONES and already back then I felt that this musician had potential to
become bigger and it seems in 2019 he starts to get attention in The
Netherlands. His new CD is released as THE LAURENCE JONES BAND, so he now has a
full band backing him up on both the recordings and while on tour. The same
titled CD is offering his finest work so far, which means he continues to make
classic bluesy rock, but combines it with a clear melodic approach in a way we
have also heard it from for example KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD or GARY CLARK JR, so
it will appeal to a wide audience. One of the absolute highlights for me
personally is without any doubts the beautiful Heart is on fire. If you
remember the ROBERT CRAY BAND from the 1980s, then you're pretty close to the
sound of the LAURENCE JONES BAND, although of course it sounds a bit more
up-to-date and Laurence has an own idenity. Perhaps Laurence is also showing
more of his non-bluesrock influences on this new CD, because it is a nice
mixture of great rockier classic bluesrock moments (Everything's gonna be
alright, Mistreated Wipe those tears dry) and a few calmer almost soulful kinda
R&B tunes (Stay, Quite like you and especially The love, which is close to SAM
COOKE or LEON BRIDGES), while absolute classic pure blues can be heard during
Long long lonely ride. All together a very strong return of Laurence, who this
time has found a perfect balance on his CD to please both the blues, rock and
popfans. Do not miss this release, as it will compete with KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
as best 'Bluesrock album of the year 2019!'.
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Interphase
'Mysteries of the unexplained/Masters of the obvious' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of upstate New York comes INTERPHASE, a band primarily active in the 1980s when
they recorded the material that is now available on 2 CDR's. These are Masters
of the obvious and Mysteries of the unexplained, released back in the mid
1980s, also reflecting the sound of that period. The band was a threesome,
formed around Noel Avalos (Guitars, Guitar Synthesizers, Keyboards and Vocals),
the late Danny Brand (Bass Guitars, Bass Guitar Synthesizers, and Keyboards)
and James Bradley (Drums, Percussion, and percussion synthesizers). As
mentioned, the music is 80s inspired, actually pure progressive/symphonic rock
a la SAGA, RUSH, MARILLION, ASIA and such. The titletrack of Mysteries of the
unexplained is very much 80s RUSH (Red sector A must have influenced them a
lot!) and singer Noel is indeed sometimes trying to sound a lot like GEDDY LEE.
The production is not the greatest, which is a pity, because there's some interesting
material here. The fire of love is symphonic uptempo AOR with a touch of ASIA
and the 22 minutes epic progrock track The jersey devil is another recommended
track. However, the other album Masters of the obvious is somehow more
interesting, as it has a more mature sound that can almost be called pompous
sympho-AOR (WHITE SISTER meets ASIA) with rather catchy hooks and strong
choruses, which can already be heard during opener Plastic promise and Lonely
matters, while the titletrack is almost pure Pomprock. If only a major label
and producer would be involved, this could become something special for sure,
as now it more sounds like 80s demos that have been pressed on CDR. Please keep
that in mind, but once you really listen to their music, you will find
something of interest for sure. The band carried on after these 2 80s albums,
recording more material and still seem to be still alive and kicking, except
for bassist DANNY BRAND sadly, who passed away in 2019. Anyway, check out more
on this band at: http://www.interphasband.com
and https://www.reverbnation.com/interphase4
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
Hells Fire
Sinners 'The dead sunshine' (Independent/USA Import)
The
Columbus, Ohio based band HELLS FIRE SINNERS has been active for over 13 years
now, releasing 10 albums so far, of which The dead sunshine is the latest. The
included music is no-nonsense classic punk rock and roll/classic hardrock that sounds
at the start a bit like THE DAMNED, NEW YORK DOLLS mixed with raw and sleazy
80s street rock like LA GUNS and GUNS'N'ROSES, just listen to Goddamn I hate
myself and Sweet Mary. However, the midtempo Let's rebel let's start a fire
sounds completely different in a rather good interesting way, as this song
almost has a dark gothic rock approach with a lot of melodic rock influences, a
bit like HIM meets VOLBEAT. And the uptempo What if we're already dead is
another very memorable tune, uptempo gothic melodic hardrock that even is
reminding me a bit of THE CULT actually. So it seems this band is more diverse
than you would expect, which means they are recommended to check out at: https://hellsfiresinners.bandcamp.com/album/the-dead-sunshine
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Bravado
'Cascadia' (Independent/Scotland Import)
Not
so much info on this band, but trust me, we have here a wonderful classic
female fronted melodic rockband with a very impressive CD. It's their 2nd album
and the band is clearly going for that lovely classic 80s melodic rocksound,
reminding me quite a lot of classic early 80s PAT BENATAR, HEART, HAVEN,
MISSLEAD, ENVY, VIXEN, LAOS, WITNESS, TANTRUM... This album is a must-have for
fans of this style, because it is reaching the same high level a lot of times,
thanks to not only a collection of very catchy tunes, but also wonderful strong
vocalwork (like ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN meets the singer from MEGHAN and a
little PAT BENATAR. The band is coming out of Dundee and is formed around Pamela
Stewart (vocals), Paula Knight (guitar, vocals), Mally Jones (keys), Steve
Magners (bass) and Alan McWilliams (drums). Dark side part 2 is one of the
first examples that can be classified as lovely catchy classic melodic rock the
way it should sound, while Where have you been? sounds like the finest female
fronted AOR ballad in ages, just listen to it's amazing lead- and
harmonyvocals! As you might understand by now, I am quite excited about this
terrific band. They are also not that far away from the British band SPACE
ELEVATOR, if anyone yet knows them of course! Anyway, other highlights are Past
the point (uptempo melodic rock, dangerously close to MEGHAN), Return to rock
(pure ENVY/POISON DOLLYS uptempo melodic hardrock), the uptempo melodic rocker
Ballad of Roxy and Tim, the semi AOR ballad Wasteland and the beautiful pure
AOR rocker Better than lonely (SUPERB vocals, pure class!!!). What an
incredible surprise this BRAVADO, because they completely deliver and with not
much competition at the moment in their genre, I can only say that they
released one of the finest female fronted classic melodic rockalbums of the
past few years. Check them out at: http://www.bravadorocks.com
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
The John
Stephen Frank Album 'The John Stephen Frank Album' (Independent/USA Import)
A
nice independent album from Staten Island, New York, although the vocal tracks
were recorded in Amsterdam! Anyway, I don't have that much info on this
talented singer/songwriter, but his same titled album is definitely recommended
to check out, because it is filled with quality calmer late 80s/early 90s
westcoast inspired pop/rock/aor that reminds me somehow of the legendary MARK
SPIRO. John has a good voice with an own kinda tone, which is a good thing for
sure and the 8 included tracks are also following the same kinda style. My
remark would be to use a real drummer next time (I think a drum machine was used)
and perhaps a fuller production, include some
uptempo rockier moments here and there, because then there would also be
more diversity. So, the voice is there for sure and also songwise John shows he
is able to write a good tune (Pool of water and especially the proggy Strange
dream (MOODY BLUES style), but there's some work to be done on a future record
and I feel John is definitely able to do so. Meanwhile, check him out at: https://www.johnstephenfrank.com/
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
White
Raven Down 'Conspiracy' (Lunarscape Records/UK Import)
Out
of Essex, UK comes a very impressive new band called WHITE RAVEN DOWN. They
play classic melodic hardrock, yet with a modern ALTER BRIDGE ish vibe and even
some slight prog metal influences can be heard, which means all together we
have a nice mixture here on their 5 tracks counting debut EP Conspiracy. Opener
Broken door is one of the highlights, as this melodic hardrocksong has somehow
a WHITE LION kinda touch, yet then crossed with modern parts of ALTER BRIDGE
and in the end, WHITE RAVEN DOWN has an own kinda identity actually. And a very
good one I can inform you, because everything sounds perfect here, including a
memorable chorus. This can also be said more or less about the other songs,
which also reveal some Melodic Metal influences sometimes. I think it's best
for you to check out this sensational band at: https://www.whiteravendown.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Julian
Taylor Band 'Avalanche' (Howling Turtle/Gypsy Soul Records)
Out
of Canada comes the talented JULIAN TAYLOR, who with his 3rd album Avalanche
already releases his 3rd record. He scored a radio hit a long time ago (2001)
with his former band STAGGERED CROSSING. Now 18 years later he and his
solo-band have built up a reputation and on Avalanche we can hear a high
quality sound that will appeal to a lot of people out there, as it sounds
familiar, yet with an own identity. The music is somewhat bluesy soulful
pop/rock, with a lot of groove and smooth vocals, kinda like a mix between JOHN
MAYER and RAOL MIDON, breathing the same relaxing calmer almost summer ish
vibe. The only pity might be the fact that only 8 songs are included, but
thankfully that is saved by a few longer interesting improvisation style tunes,
such as the excellent midtempo Take what you need. This song has a 1970s vibe,
even adding a space synth towards the end. Other highlights are the fantastic westcoast
flavored Back again (a bit like YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX), the classic bluesy
rocker Learn to love (JOHN MAYER style) and the amazing Soul ballad Gone, which
touches classic singers like SAM COOKE, MARVIN GAYE, OTIS REDDING and such.
Quite a few Funk influences a la STEVIE WONDER can also be heard throughout the
album, just listen to Never let the lights go dim, which is then again the
least interesting track. Without a doubt, a great album by a band which is
formed around a very impressive singer/songwriter/guitarist called JULIAN
TAYLOR. Remember his name very well, as he might become huge in the future if
he continues to release such gems as mentioned songs. I can highly recommend it
to anyone who likes absolute quality music. More info at: www.juliantaylorband.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The Lachy
Doley Group 'Make or break' (Independent)
The
Lachy Doley Group is formed around Australian hammondplayer/singer/songwriter
LACHY DOLEY and they released already their 5th album titled Make or break. The
included music is clearly 70s influenced, taking a lot of classic blues, soul,
jazz and rock, not that far away from SVEN HAMMOND TRIO actually, yet then
going more than a few times to classic bluesrock and even classic rock (like
during The strut). Lachy is an amazing singer, which can best be heard during
the somewhat more commercial tunes like the fantastic Cruel cruel world that
even reminds me a bit of GARY MOORE or JOE BONAMASSA musically speaking, so
with a clear ear for blues melodies, although the vocals of Lachy sound more
like someone who has been singing for decades if you know what I mean. He has
that kinda tone in his voice that makes you immediately interested, sorta like
LENNY KRAVITZ (like the song Make or break, but then with incredible hammond
solo!), the singer from KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD (Mix tape) or even GLENN HUGHES
(like in the soulful ballad Into the alone). The threesome line-up of THE LACHY
DOLEY GROUP sound a lot older than they actually are, because these are all
youngsters and besides Lachy also in the band are drummer JACKIE BARNES (son of
JIMMY BARNES and also drummer for legends ROSE TATTOO) and bassist JOEL BURTON.
Then we come to the big question, because this is soul bluesrock at it's very
best, but there's no guitarplayer in the line-up! Correct, because it is all
about the incredibly talented LACHY DOLEY, who not only sings extremely well,
but as already mentioned, he also plays hammond and clavinet and does it like a
new king, sounding like a guitar sometimes, easily reaching the level of a
hammond legend like JON LORD. Without a doubt, this time Lachy needs to get his
big break! Hopefully it will happen soon, meanwhile check them out at: https://www.lachydoley.com/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
The Blue
Poets 'All it takes' (Triple Coil Music/Broken Silence)
Now
here we have a sensational classic rockband from Hamburg, Germany with a sound
that has a lot of energy and 1970s influenced classic rock/heavy bluesrock
orientated a la CREAM, LED ZEPPELIN, RIVAL SONS and such. THE BLUE POETS is
formed around Marcus Deml - Guitar, Gordon Grey - Vocals, Felix Dehmel - Drums
and Phil Steen - Bass. Marcus is originally from Prague and he was already
involved in hundreds of album releases, while also leading the band ERRORHEAD
for over 10 years. Now he has a new band and I have to say that besides the
fantastic guitarwork of Marcus, also the superb vocalwork of Gordon needs to be
mentioned here. He has that kinda voice where you can listen to for a very long
time, because he can sing in all kinds of ranges, which makes it of course
likewise a pleasure to listen, as you never know what to expect. Together with
9 strong hardrocking tunes that go from slow to midtempo to uptempo, this album
is a must-have for fans of RIVAL SONS, BLACKSTONE CHERRY, BLACKBERRY SMOKE and
even a bit ALTER BRIDGE or even LIVING COLOUR (!), although the focus of the
guitarsound is most definitely lste 1960s/1970s heavy bluesrock orientated like
CREAM, JIMI HENDRIX and LED ZEPPELIN. A song like the slow but haunting and
dark sounding All it takes or the SUPERB 'new classic' sounding bluesy
semi-ballad Crawling (with a truly sensational guitarsolo as if GARY MOORE has
created something new) and closing track The day are songs that you absolutely
do not want to miss. On the other hand, hopefully next time some more uptempo
classic rockers as well, because one of the best songs is the catchy uptempo
classic hardrocker Cyber love. if you call yourself a music fan! Don't miss
this gem at: www.thebluepoets.com
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Point
Quiet 'Walking in the wild' (CRS/Continental Europe)
POINT
QUIET is a Dutch band playing Americana and they are doing this very well
actually. Walking in the wild is their 3rd album so far, with their previous
release Ways and needs of a night horse dating back to 2015. They are a 5-piece
band and use instruments like violin, electric piano, contrabass, pedal steel
guitar and such, so it all sounds very authentic for an Americana band out of
The Netherlands. Anyway, 12 songs are included and it is quite calm most of the
time, not that far away from JOHNNY CASH to name a comparison. Check out their
site for more info at: www.pointquiet.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Mississippi
Nova 'Mississippi Nova' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of Phoenix, Arizona comes the band MISSISSIPPI NOVA, a strong new classic 1970s
inspired hardrock/heavy bluesrockband with a same titled debut album. It's a
threesome band formed around Robby Reiter - Guitar, Vocals, Jaime Alexander
Chan - Bass and Tommy Hammer - Drums. Their album is released independently, so
it needs a lot of social media attention to get noticed, but after listening to
the album, I am convinced that these guys have got what it takes to become more
well-known. There's influences from late 1960s psychedelic rock like a mix
between CREAM and THE DOORS (especially during the catchy Blue eyed hurricane),
crossed with here and there a little but 90s Grunge/Alternative Rock (like in
What kind of love). In total 13 tracks are included and they sound at their
best during the psychedelica era heavy bluesrock, with as highlights the
aforementioned Blue eyed hurricane, Spring meddle (a lot like THE DOORS), the
70s classic heavy bluesrock sounding Losin' my mind and She took the boots to you and also the
Stoner/Doom influenced Spin the wheel. Definitely a band to watch out for in
the near future! More info at: https://mississippinova.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Invisible
Poet Kings 'Un-hit wonder' (Independent/USA Import)
The
Californian band INVISIBLE POET KINGS is formed around singer/songwriter BARRY
KEENAN, who has already had a long music carreer behind him, which includes
recording with legends like STING, BECK, GOO GOO DOLLS, PANTERA, DEVO,
CRANBERRIES. I even saw he performed a great AOR song called Fight for love for
a VAN DAMNE movie and in the bio there is lots more of these kinds of music
related stuff he did in the past. Fast forward to 2019 he was kind enough to
sent me a new INVISIBLE POET KINGS album that is titled Un-hit-wonder. Together
with 3 other musicians that complete the band's line-up, he recorded a very
strong record that is breathing a strong classic British pop/rocksound from a
long past, actually very 1970s based, with sometimes similarities to ALAN
PARSONS PROJECT, THE BEATLES (JOHN LENNON), 10CC, WAX, GODLEY & CREME and
such. The vocals remind me a bit of JEFF CANNATA, but the music is as said
mellower, although it breathes the same kind of melodies as Mr. Cannata. I
believe this new album is a sorta best of the band, because they already exists
for quite some time now. Especially the first couple of tunes (Love is the way,
It all comes down to you and If/Everything's going to be fine) are very nice
tunes with memorable choruses. Only the echo came back is one of the few
happier uptempo pop/rock pieces and I hope more tracks like that will follow on
a future release, because this is a really great catchy tune in the style of
powerpop legends like DWIGHT TWILLEY, JACK GREEN, the very first JOE JACKSON,
RICK SPRINGFIELD and such. The rest of the CD is slightly less rocking and
going for a more or less laid-back somehwat experimental mood. Barry also sent
me 2 of his solo-CDs released halfway the 2000s and the debut album of
INVISIBLE POET KINGS. Musically speaking the 3 albums follow the same kind of
British pop/rock style, with the 1998 record of the band being the best one.
This is a strong rocking affair, which could be described as semi-prog/college
pop/rock affair that even has some slight similarities to JELLYFISH or KING'S
X, with some CROWDED HOUSE meets SPLIT ENZ meets THE NITS kinda parts as well.
Lost in the shuffle is a fine example of that sound as well as the original
version of the earlier mentioned Only the echo came back, but also the midtempo
symphonic rocker Over and over again (SAGA meets CANNATA), the uptempo rocker
You can't stop a rumor and the catchy No time (best song of all recordings
Barry did, great uptempo tune with AOR ish chorus). The 2 solo-releases are
more acoustic orientated, with however the same kind of strong melodies
(BEATLES/JOHN LENNON ish) and featuring the strong voice and lyrics of Barry.
For singer/songwriter fans a recommended musician to check out on his 2
solo-releases that offer a mix calmer and experimental pop/singer/songwriter,
while the fans of mentioned acts might find something of interest in the
somewhat quirky old-fashioned British pop/rock sounding INVISIBLE POET KINGS
and it's releases. More info at: https://www.invisiblepoetkings.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Minus One
'Red black white' (Target Records/Mighty Music)
With
a bit of luck I discovered this band from Cyprus, because me and my girlfriend
booked a holiday to Cyprus next year and therefore we decided to go through the
country's current own popular rockbands. MINUS ONE from Nicosia sounded very
impressive actually and upon checking we learned that they represented Cyprus
in 2016 at the Eurovision Song Contest and in 2019 released their official debut
CD through the Danish label Mighty Music. I got in touch with the band and they
were kind enough to sent me their CD Red black white. 11 songs are included and
the recording took place at the Medley Studios in Copenhagen with producer
Soren Andersen (GLENN HUGHES, MIKE TRAMP). It sounds HUGE and thankfully also
the included music is of a very high level, which makes it a real pleasure to
talk about them, since they are sounding quite sensational. MINUS ONE have been
around since 2009, but it took them 10 years to release this first album. The
line-up consists of Andreas Kapatais - Vocals, Harry Pari - Guitars, Constantinos Amerikanos - Guitars,
Chris J - Drums and Max O-Matic - Bass. Opener The greatest has a very strong
chorus, but also some aggressive gang vocal parts and when listening to the
first couple of songs it is clear that the modern Hardrock is never far away
and it all sounds quite American orientated. What surprised me was the fact
that Andreas is a terrific singer without any accent. Overall, the band reminds
me quite a lot of WIG WAM if anyone remembers them, but you can also call them
an international sounding modern melodic hardrockband. Anyway, when the song
Girl started I got really interested in the band, because from that song it seems
like they pushed the right button and go for the classic Melodic Hardrocksound.
Girl is a great strong midtempo melodic hardrock tune a la GOTTHARD and
following track Psycho 5 is even better as this is fantastic uptempo melodic
rock, with strong hooks and a deadly catchy chorus. Then we are once again
surprised, this time via the song Nothing for nothing, which is another very
strong midtempo melodic hardrock tune a la GOTTHARD.
It
even gets more melodic, almost midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock ish with the big
anthem chorus of Run away (a la H.E.A.T.) and along with the awesome guitarsolo
this is definitely a contender for the best song of the year 2019! Another song
I absolutely want to mention is Sometimes, which is a lovely classic 80s Power
Ballad in the best Hair Metal tradition of bands like BON JOVI, WARRANT,
HEAVEN'S EDGE, WINGER, BATON ROUGE, WHITE LION, FIREHOUSE, etc. In this song
the lead singer shows he has one of the greatest voices I have heard lately! I
can't hardly believe that I discovered this band when booking a holiday, but
trust me if you're into high class Melodic Hardrock, then you really need to
check out this band, although please start with the song Girl. More info at: https://minusoneband.com/
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Cabela and
Schmitt 'Fan favorites and other releases' (Independent/USA Import)
CABELA
AND SCHMITT are American singer/songwriters whom have been writing together for
over 40 years now, but only since 2016 they have released actual albums. In
total they released 9 albums with well over 200 tracks included. They were kind
enough to sent me a couple of them, so I had a good listen to their music,
which is singer/songwriter meets classic rock in the mostly traditional 70s
direction. I have to say that most of their material sounds really underground
ish and is perhaps not of interest for the masses. On the other hand you get
some really authentical music here and a few of their songs are really
impressive actually. If we check out their 2/CD set Fan favorites, we need to
point out Hey can you see, which is a nice 70s based uptempo melodic
twin-guitar driven poprocker a la VANCOUVER (remember them?), but it's actuallly
the following track that really caught me by surprise. Wishing you well is a
lovely catchy keyboard driven uptempo early 80s AOR/Poprocker like BLUE OYSTER
CULT, STREETHEART, PRISM..., with a sound that is bringing a smile on my face,
as this is CLASSIC AOR in it's best tradition, even including a soaring
guitarsolo and a very catchy chorus. The only pity is that I didn't find more
songs in this style, because as mentioned most of the time the music moves into
a calmer singer/songwriter 70s pop / softrock / westcoast direction (DAN
FOGELBERG/DAN HILL), which is also quite good, but some more classic rock/AOR
would be fantastic of course! However, the story continues, because their
latest CD Dancing shoes goes slightly in the right direction, with some classic
rock type of material and a very nice uptempo AOR ish tune in the shape of
Channeling a lie. Nevertheless, I sill hope for some more material a la Wishing
you well in the near future. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.cabelaandschmitt.com/music/
(Points: 7.4 out of 10)
The
Buffalo Ryders 'Egghead' (Independent/USA Import)
And
here we have a new sensational band which is waiting to be discovered! THE
BUFFALO RYDERS is a threesome formed around bandleader Joe Risdon (Guitar/Vocals/Songs/Mix/Artwork),
drummer Mike Lupica and bassist Tommy Sprung. They hail from the Ohio state in
the USA and were kind enough to sent me their album Egghead. 7 tracks are
included on this well-produced album, which musically is typical modern retro
heavy stoner/bluesy classic rock that sounds at first sight a lot like THE
BLACK KEYS, yet it also has clear similarities to bands from the 1970s like
BLUE CHEER, VANILLA FUDGE, CREAM and such. The big groovy heavy fuzz sound with
superb guitarwork is notable in each and every track, with as best songs Ownin',
Left unsaid and Talkin'. However, we also need to mention the uptempo Beggin'
which is almost pure 1970s BLACK SABBATH, including the guitarsound and the
OZZY like vocals. Fans of the big fat groovy 70s classic heavy rocksound will
definitely love this highly recommended band! Hear it for yourself at:
https://thebuffaloryders.bandcamp.com/album/egghead
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Ironic
Punishment Division 'Come and take it' (Independent/USA Import
Another
Ohio, USA based band, formed around one-man called NEIL HESS. He has a voice
which you might easily recognize as he has an own kinda tone, reminding me a
bit of classic metal vocalists (LANCE KING, GEOFF TATE direction). The music of
IRONIC PUNISHMENT DIVISION also goes into the classic metal direction, actually
pure Doom Metal sometimes! 4 tracks are on the EP and as mentioned, Neil is the
only member here, playing and singing everything. He is definitely able to sing
and play, although I feel the drumming and production lacks a bit here,
sounding very independent. Not bad at all, but keep that in mind when checking
this out. I think it all could sound much better if a full band would be formed
around Neil, so he can concentrate full-time on the vocal part. Nevertehless,
the BLACK SABBATH/CANDLEMASS orientated Doom Metal will be of interest for sur
for the fans out there. Check out more at: https://ironicpunishmentdivision.bandcamp.com/album/come-and-take-it
(Points: 7.2 out of 10)
David Earl
Lewis 'Various recordings' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of Texas comes rock singer/songwriter DAVID EARL LEWIS. He sent me a few of his
albums, including a covers CD (which features among others the classic Rebel
girl, the legendary 38 SPECIAL/SURVIVOR song), the mini-CD Employee of the
month (with a ncie uptempo AOR tune titled Lonely night) and an album titled
LP. LP is the most interesting here, as this album features some nice late
1970s/early 80s American Rock which combines elements of Southern Rock, AOR and
Classic Rock. A song like the uptempo Whole lotta love captures this just
perfectly, while closing track I've been loving you is a nice light AOR/Poprock
tune. Not all the songs are interesting, because some of the others are a bit
average, but David does his best and ends up with a nice record that fits
somewhere between EDDIE MONEY, ZZ TOP and DONNIE IRIS, although the best comparison
I could come up with are TIM KARR and DONNIE MILLER if anyone remembers them!
David did everything on his own, but I do hope next time he will use real drums
instead of programming them, while also vocally I am not too sure about his way
of singing. On the other hand his voice is recognizable for sure and it seems
like David has been in the music business for quite a while. I think it's best
to check it out for yourself at: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/DavidEarlLewis
(Points: 6.0 out of 10)
Highway
Hunters 'Highway hunters' (Independent/Canada Import)
Now
here we have a super sensational band from Montreal, Canada, which was formed
in 2017 and already in 2019 releases a superb debut album. The band is a
threesome, featuring Marine (UNCLE KRACKER, COREY HART) on lead vocals and
Hammond/Organ (!), Yanni (CLAUDE DUBOIS) on bass/vocals and Olivier (MARIE-MAI)
on drums/vocals. Marine has a fantastic rock voice (a la DARBY MILLS) and the hammond
organ sound she shows here makes them standout between the rest of the vintage
classic rockscene, because it has a very prominent part in their music (like
URIAH HEEP and DEEP PURPLE in the past). It replaces the guitar completely,
because there is no guitarist in the band's line-up, so also the bass and drums
are more important here than in the standard rockband, because they also can do
their share here with solo's. Anyway, 10 songs are included and as mentiones,
this is Vintage Classic Rock at it's very best without sounding dated at all!
You might compare them a bit to THE BLUES PILLS crossed with BETH HART, but
then with a really original approach due to the Hammond Organ being so
prominent and making them a really awesome sensational band! Best songs are
opener Ain't got no mama, the uptempo rockers It's time, Fallin' and the JIM
PETERIK (ex-SURVIVOR) penned Firebrand (which is by the way followed by the
song Survivor (LOL)), and also the big heavy slowtempo sounding Down the river should
be mentioned, as this song has a catchy big beat with sing-a-long chorus. A
huge surprise here, this band from Canada, a definite one to check out a.s.a.p.
and if only they are lucky, they could easily become the next big thing! More
info at: https://www.highwayhunters.com/
and https://highwayhunters.bandcamp.com/album/highway-hunters
(Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Ditchwater
'Never say never' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of Chicago comes DITCHWATER, a band formed way back in 1996, with already quite
some recordings before Never say never, which is their latest album. The band's
line-up consists of Mike Meadows - Vocals, Mark Anderson - Guitar, Kevin
Eischen - Guitar/Vocals, Mason Brown - Bass and Mike Tignino - Drums.
Technically speaking their 25 years as band experience contribute to a very
high level on this new record, because the material sounds very impressive from
start to finish. They combine modern metal sounds with classic traditional
twin-guitarsounds/solo's and catchy melodic choruses, with as final result an
album packed with material that easily reaches the high level of bands like
MYSTIC PROPHECY, NOCTURNAL RITES and such. Songs like Against my better
emotional reasons and My last breath are awesome heavy midtempo melodic metal
tunes a la ALTER BRIDGE, while the uptempo The end and hands held out are
dangerously close to MYSTIC PROPHECY. This is Melodic Metal at it's very best,
sounding modern and here and there aggressive enough for the Metalfans among
us, but melodic enough for people who like their songs to sound memorable. A
cross between ALTER BRIDGE and MYSTIC PROPHECY is without a doubt the best
description for DITCHWATER from Chicago. Check them out for yourself at: https://ditchwater.net
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Ian
McFarlane 'The encyclopedia of Australian
Rock and Pop BOOK' (Third Stone Press/Australia Import)
As a collector of encyclopedia
books, I am always interested in books about a country’s own rock/pop scene,
especially when it concerns countries that are quite far from Europe. In the
current internet/social media world it is easier to discover bands from the
Asian, Australian and South American
parts of the world, but 30 years ago it was almost impossible to really get a
good view on such music scenes. Even nowadays Japan and most parts of South
America are still hardly discovered when it concerns the musicscenes. In the 1980s
we had a hard rock magazine which featured once a report on Australian bands and to make that special, one of
the editors went to Australia to
discover what was going on down under. He came back to introduce us to all
these great unknown bands and now 30 years later I am thinking about those
years which seem like centuries ago. Anyway, in this age, the encyclopedia
books also seem to disappear sadly, because we have of course Wikipedia.
Nevertheless, every now and then we have a new encyclopedia that covers
something special, which is the case here with 'The encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'. Author Ian McFarlane went
through each and every part of his country’s past music past and present. I
have to say he covered a lot of alternative rockbands, which seems to be his
favorite musicgenre, so the main focus is on such rockbands and I can tell you
there is a lot of them out there, both now and in the past. Having said that,
it is not a total Aussie rock book, because a lot of rare Aussie AOR/Melodic Rockbands
are not included, such as DE MONT, AVION, SAFIRE and quite a few others. On the
other hand, it contains over 1,000 entries and covers a wide music range,
because we can read all about AC/DC, THE AVALANCHES, RICK SPRINGFIELD, . It is
a rather heavy and large book, which will in general completely inform you
everything you need to know about Australian
music. It is a nice well-read mixture of biographies, facts, opinions, line-up
details, record discographies, etc. He really took the time to review each and
every band in detail and the result is a very impressive massive book that will
keep you busy for many hours. As usual for an encyclopedia, it is always a
handful item to grab when you need to know more about a certain act. Ian has
been writing about Australian music for a
few decades now and therefore he has the knowledge to accomplish the best book
about Australian music ever and I can
conclude he has succeeded in his mission!
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Electric
Peace 'Kill For Your Love' (Banned Records/USA Import)
Out
of California comes ELECTRIC PEACE and they were formed way back in the 1980s.
This band managed to release a bunch of records in the 1980s and after that the
information becomes scarce, but they seem to be still active and Kill for your
love is a compilation CD which has been released by Banned Records. I believe
ffrom the original line-up not many people are left, as some have died in the
1990s, but if we only have a look and listen to this CD, it is clear we have
musically something interesting. Kill for your love is filled with the kind of
raw Garage Punk-Post/Rock which is nowadays played by new acts like LIFE,
FOUNTAINES D.C., THE MURDER CAPITAL and such.
However, ELECTRIC PEACE already did this back in the early 1980s along with
countless other bands. BAUHAUS meets DEAD KENNENDYS meets THE CRAMPS would be a
nice description. Songs like Kill for your love, Nothings yours nothing mine,
Drinking and driving and such are nice rockers in the style of mentioned acts,
but the band also goes here and there for calmer somewhat theatrical Gothic
meets THE DOORS like tunes, such as Angel, Somethings wrong and Tom Dooley
(late 60s psychedelic, pure THE DOORS). Especially the vocals make this album
standout, because they sound like a mixture between JIM MORRISON, IAN ASTBURY, GLEN
DANZIG, EDDIE VEDDER, JELLO BIAFRA and BILLY IDOL! There is musically diversity
enough here and fans of mentioned bands/singers will absolutely love this CD.
Check out for more info their site at: https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/ElectricPeace
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Sasha
& The Shades 'Girls' (Independent/UK Import)
The
London based band SASHA & THE SHADES is definitely one of the latest new
acts to keep your eyes open for in the near future due to the high quality of
music they present here on this 2-songs counting CDR! The band's line-up
consists of Sasha Adamczewski on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Eli Rose also
on lead vocals, Tom Julian Jones on lead guitar and harmonica, Jim Dawkins on
bass, and Paul Winter-Hart on drums, and finally Arthur Palmer on Keys,
Accordion and Backing vocals. The first song on the CDR they sent me (Girls) is
an Indie pop/rock tune with a sorta 1970s approach, while the other
"sensational" song (Morning blues) goes even further back with a
kinda late 1960s kinda Psychedelic bluesy rocksound (a la THE DOORS and THE
ANIMALS). They have more songs available at: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2Nv2MSE7Tuv5XpmdkfznaA?si=pk96aS96RYKUpaBXplTSuw
and https://soundcloud.com/sashaandtheshades
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The Ides
Of March 'Play on 55th anniversary' (Ides Of March Records/ USA Import)
55
years ago the Chicago based THE IDES OF MARCH was formed and in 1970 they had a
major US hitsingle with their song Vehicle, which was a, instant classic that
combined rock, runk and soul in a way we also saw from bands like CHICAGO,
BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS, CLIMAX BLUES BAND, etc. at the time. Leader of the
band was and still is multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter JIM PETERIK, who
later in the 1970s formed one of the greatest AOR bands of all time, SURVIVOR.
THE IDES OF MARCH were active for only a few years in the 1960s and early
1970s, but after Jim left SURVIVOR in 1990, THE IDES OF MARCH have been on and
off performing again in different line-ups. Today's line-up consists of JIM
PETERIK - lead vocals, guitar, LARRY MILLAS - rhythm guitar, bass guitar,
vocals, BOB BERGLAND, bass guitar, sax, vocals,
MIKE
BORCH - drums, vocals, SCOTT MAY - keyboards, vocals, HENRY SALGADO - trombone,
vocals, TIM BALES - trumpet, vocals and STEVE EISEN - Sax, percussion, vocals. Since
2010 they also have been recording new material and the new 2019 released
studio-album is titled Play on. This new album of THE IDES OF MARCH is clearly
AOR based, thanks to JIM PETERIK, who of course for the past 40 years is known
as being one of the greatest AOR songwriters, writing many AOR classics. 14
songs are included and as bonus the original vintage version of the classic
Vehicle is added. Anyway, the songs are very strong and show a full band that
is still alive and well performing great new timeless classic rocksongs with
influences from AOR (the choruses), old Rhythm&Blues brass sections and
soulful vocals, mainly of Jim himself. Play on, This miracle, Song about Mary,
She and Rule of Three are just a few example of songs that could easily be
classified as pure AOR, yet just with a slightly different approach like we
have known from for example CHICAGO in the past. I think you can say that this
album sounds like a perfect joint venture between CHICAGO and SURVIVOR! For me
personally it is one of the biggest surprises of 2019, because despite it's not
pure AOR, it easily beats all the wanna-be classic AOR releases of FRONTIERS
RECORDS. In a world where computerized music is the only thing you hear on the
radio, THE IDES OF MARCH show that original music played with real instruments
are a blessing to hear and it doesn't sound dated at all! Definitely a highly
recommended album to check out a.s.a.p. at: https://theidesofmarch.com/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Smokin' values: A headbanger's guide to 900 NWOBHM
Records Book' (Wymer Publishing/UK Import)
Canadian
author/writer MARTIN POPOFF has already written more than 50 books about heavy
metal and he also wrote about 7900 record reviews in his career. Not sure how
many I reviewed up until now, but I’ll bet it’s not that far removed from 7900
as well. Anyway, Martin has definitely written more books than undersigned,
with so far still his finest work being the 4 volumes of The Collector's Guide
to Heavy Metal. Especially the 1970s and 1980s volumes were by far the best
ever written encyclopedia’s about Hardrock and Metal. In the past Martin
already wrote about the NWOBHM, which resulted in a book called The New Wave Of
British Heavy Metal Singles. Now reviews out of this long-out-of-print book
have been rewritten/expanded, along with reviews of NWOBHM albums of the
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal have been combined all together in this new
book Smokin' values: A headbanger's guide to 900 NWOBHM Records. It also
includes a few hundred rare 45 picture sleeve and album cover images. Anyway,
the book is not as good as Martin’s earlier guides about Metal, but
nevertheless it still is a nice encyclopedia in the A-Z format featuring in
total 900 reviews from Martin. His main focus is the somewhat lesser known acts
in the NWOBHM period of 1979-1983 and this is also the purpose from him, as to
make sure that people will go and check out these rare records, either on the internet
or search for an original copy. It is always for me personally a journey when
going through these books as to whether some interesting undiscovered records
are included and when it comes to down to a Martin Popoff book, this always is
the case thankfully. Need to be said that the NWOBHM book once written by Malc
MacMillan is the ultimate guide, but Martin criticizes much more in-depth on a
certain record, so therefore this is another recommended book to own if you’re
into ‘NWOBHM! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Thin Lizzy 1969-1976: From Dublin to Jailbreak Book’ +
Thin Lizzy 1977-1983: The sun goes down Book' (Wymer Publishing/UK Import)
If there is one
band which is highly underrated, then it is definitely THIN LIZZY. The
legendary Irish band should be praised as being quite unique in its time period
and even nowadays it is clear, they were different than all the other
hardrockbands which emerged during the 1970s. Also compared to the current
hardrockscene, they still standout big time, which is of course mainly due to
the fact that PHIL LYNOTT was one of the greatest frontmen of all time. He
should be mentioned alongside FREDDIE MERCURY, DAVID BYRON, ROBERT PLANT, MICK
JAGGER, ROGER DALTREY…The fact he was black, Irish, singing with a deep almost
Soul kinda voice and fronting a Hardrockband was completely refreshing back in
the day. Combined with a band that had developed an own sound with its twin-guitarsound,
Phil and THIN LIZZY influenced many bands and artists in the years to follow.
Being the first real Irish stadium rockband, they were an inspiration for U2
and influenced the whole NWOBHM movement (including IRON MAIDEN!) and later on
METALLICA, but also BON JOVI and thousands more, while even non-rockacts were
attracted to Phil’s appearance and songwriting (SADE!). Phil himself actually
was the greatest poet ever in Hardrocking history, writing books/songs that
made BOB DYLAN run for his money and lyrically he therefore gave THIN LIZZY a
unique place in the hardrockscene.
Basically, THIN
LIZZY had an own unique Hardrocksound that also secretly combined all kinds of
other influences, such as singer/songwriter, melodic rock, soul/r&b, pop,
etc. etc. , all thanks to PHIL LYNOTT, a man with a vision and many talents and
someone who on stage became the stage itself. This is something that only
happens when you’re the absolute best and therefore he should be mentioned as
one of the greatest frontmen ever! Anyway, many bands have been written already
about either Phil or the band, but MARTIN POPOFF’s 2 books about THIN LIZZY are
going into further detail of the band itself. It is divided in 2 periods, 'Thin
Lizzy 1969-1976: From Dublin to Jailbreak Book and Thin Lizzy 1977-1983: The
sun goes down Book'. If you’re a fan of the band or a music fan in general,
these are the kind of books you start reading and will not stop reading until
you have finished. It is such a fascinating story about a band that started as
any other band in the 1970s, but developed themselves so much that they paved
the way for many musicians for even bigger carreers after their departure as
member of THIN LIZZY, such as SNOWY WHITE (PINK FLOYD), DARREN WHARTON (DARE),
JOHN SYKES (WHITESNAKE), MIDGE URE (ULTRAVOX) and of course the legendary GARY
MOORE. He actually might have become even bigger than THIN LIZZY afterwards
when he went solo and influenced a whole new genre (NIGHTWISH owed big time to
his “Over the hills and far away” song from the 80s) and countless new
Bluesrock guitarists picked up the guitar in the 1990s when he scored major
hits with songs from his ‘Still got the blues’ record.
Anyway, what
makes this book also such a valued treasure for the THIN LIZZY fans is the
incredible gig list marked at the end of each book, which gives you a clear
detailed view of every single performance they ever did and that is really
amazing, because this definitely involves a lot of research and work. THIN
LIZZY and its members, especially Phil & Gary, they have contributed so
much to a lot of various music genres, so they should be forever remembered as
being one of the greatest Hardrockbands of all times. Thankfully there are
still enough fans, musicians and writers out there whom pave their respect to
this band and Martin has written 2 great books that give us a lot of new
stories, new interviews with members, pictures and is basically a must-have for
any THIN LIZZY fan! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Wheels of steel: The explosive early years of the NWOBHM
Book and 'This means war: The sunset years of the NWOBHM Book' (Wymer
Publishing/UK Import)
2 more books on
that legendary short-lived NWOBHM movement, written by MARTIN POPOFF and these
are much better than his NWOBHM guide he wrote, because here we really learn
new things and are basically taught the complete history of the NWOBHM. It
starts in 1970 with the likes of PURPLE, SABBATH and HEEP, followed up by
PRIEST, MOTORHEAD and RAINBOW in the mid 1970s, while towards the end of the
1970s right after the whole Punk movement, the real movement starts to take
shape in countless new young and exciting British bands (like MAIDEN, SAXON,
TYGERS OF PAN TANG, DEF LEPPARD, DIAMOND HEAD...) following the footsteps taken
by the earlier mentioned acts, yet with the attitude of 1977-1978 Punk. The
results are all to be read here in this book, which takes you on a great
journey through the British Islands of the 1970s in book 1, which ends in 1980,
while book 2 focuses on the final 4 years of the NWOBHM, 1981-1984. Without a
doubt, for Metal in general, the NWOBHM movement has been one of the most
important parts in the history of the genre, because for example how else would
METALLICA and MAIDEN become the big starts in the Metal world. Martin goes
chronically in detail from the very first seconds of the origins of the NWOBHM
movement back in the early 1970s and runs through the end of december 1984 when
most UK bands had switched their sound to an Americanised AOR/Melodic Rockstyle
in order to become the next BON JOVI. These 2 books are a must-have for anyone
who likes to know the complete chronically history of a subgenre, which left
it's mark on the Metal map worldwide forever and ever. Be sure to check them
out, as also a lot of rare pictures/ads/quotes, etc. can be read throughout the
whole story. Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Who invented Heavy Metal Book' (Wymer Publishing/UK
Import)
Now here we
have a fascinating and very interesting unique book which focuses on the
question “Who invented Heavy Metal?” To answer this question, author MARTIN
POPOFF did an incredible research and included basically every possible fact
that contributed to the shape of a genre, which gave many people hope and joy,
although it is also one of the few genres that is either hated or loved. Heavy
Metal has always been ignored by the mass media, despite the fact it is such a
popular genre. This is such a shame, because the genre has so much talent to
offer and once you're hooked you will never get out of the Metal addicition.
The journey to find the answer starts at 1250 BC during the Battle of Jericho
and ends with the Montreux Casino burning down during a FRANK ZAPPA concert,
after which DEEP PURPLE wrote one of the ultimate Metal riffs of all time
(Smoke on the water). In between that period we have a fantastic read
throughout 250 pages that really discusses in detail all the elements that
brought a genre to life in the late 1960s/early 1970s. I can easily say that
Martin has written his bible here! It is right up there with his earlier
Collector Guide books and should be owned by anyone into real Hardrock and
Metal. A lot of pictures and record covers are included to give the whole story
a nice read. It is a journey you definitely want to make if you're interested
in getting to know the origins of this worldwide popular genre called Heavy
Metal. I can only say to you that this book should be on top of your wanted
booklists! Available through: http://www.martinpopoff.com
and www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Swords and tequila: Riot's classic first decade Book'
(Wymer Publishing/UK Import)
There are so
many underrated bands out there that I lost count somewhere someday and RIOT
happens to be one of those bands that remains heavily underrated. Books about
such lesser known bands are of course more interesting than the books about
bands that have already been praised a million times. Concerning RIOT, this is
definitely a band that should have been bigger than that they have ever been.
They put out so much great material, but somehow they never escaped the cult
status. Especially in their early years, they could be named alongside for
example Y&T musically speaking, so the American equivalent of the NWOBHM
sound. When listening to their albums Narita and Born in America, you could
hear an incredible energetic band with memorable hard hitting melodic metal
songs. Together with Y & T and GAMMA/MONTROSE, RIOT started it all for US
Metal in the 1970s. MARTIN POPOFF wrote probably the very first book of these
US Metal legends, whom sadly quit after original guitarist MARK REALE died in
2012. Nevertheless, the legacy is there and this book tells the story of the
early years of RIOT, 1975-1985 in which they released the legendary albums Rock
City, Narita, Fire Down Under, Restless Breed and Born in America. A lot of
things went wrong in those years and despite they tried several times, released
many more great albums during the 1990s and 2000s, somehow luck was never on
their side, including the tragic deaths of both their original vocalists (GUY
SPERANZA and RHETT FORRESTER) and as already mentioned also the loss of their
founding guitarist in 2012. On the other hand it makes up a strong story to tell
and Martin proudly presents this in his book. The focus is on songs like
“Warrior,” “49er,” “Road Racin’,” “Outlaw,” “Don’t Hold Back,” “Altar of the
King,” “Violent Crimes,” “Vigilante Killer,” and of course the
classic “Swords and Tequila,” after which this book is named. A lot of rare
pictures and memorable complete the whole story on RIOT. Anyone into classic
metal need to learn about this legendary New York band, which more or less
sounded like a pure NWOBHM band, but then from the US of A. Available
through http://www.martinpopoff.com/html/sword-and-tequila.html
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Rock the nation: Montrose, Gamma and Ronnie redefined
Book' (Wymer Publishing/UK Import)
The sad suicide
of legendary guitarist RONNIE MONTROSE in 2012 must have influenced MARTIN
POPOFF to write a book on this musician, because as far as I am aware, nobody
has ever written a book on him. Ronnie worked with many great singers and
musicians in the past, but is best known as putting out some of America's
earliest Heavy Metal under the name of MONTROSE, with SAMMY HAGAR up front
doing lead vocals. In this book we can learn basically everything about this
highly underrated guitarist, who actually started his career playing in the
bands of VAN MORRISON and EDGAR WINTER. However, once he went for his own bands
MONTROSE and later on GAMMA, it was clear that Ronnie was destined to become
one of those guitarists who enjoyed a lot of respect from the musicscene
itself, but sadly did not really had his big break. In contrast to for example MOORE,
MALMSTEEN, BECK and BLACKMORE, MONTROSE's albums were not giving him
superstardom, although inside the musicworld a lot of people praised his
recordings. The MONTROSE and GAMMA records he left us behind are definitely
great classic pieces of American Hardrock and Metal that should get a lot more
attention. However, he had a tough life and fought the battle of cancer,
drinking and eventually demons that got him into a depression, which ended in a
sad suicide. Besides his own work, he also played as a guest on many records
and it is clear that we can read the complete story on him in this excellent
book. Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Martin Popoff 'Wind of change: The Scorpions story Book' (Wymer
Publishing/UK Import)
Legendary and
successful bands always seem to be perfect writing material for books, but THE
SCORPIONS is one of the happy few of whom not that many books have been
dedicated to (I do remember a rare HERMAN RAREBELL book I have somewhere in my
music library). Author MARTIN POPOFF makes an exception, as he wrote a crystal
clear story about the band, from the early days when they were actually looking
for a own sound, straight through their amazing successes during the 1970s and
1980s when they reached superstardom with their arena ish hardrock, up until
their current status, which seems to be an endless announcements of comebacks.
Actually, they are one of the few bands besides for example ROLLING STONES and
GOLDEN EARRING that have been active since 1965 and also been recording and
touring for almost all those decades. Their last few studio-albums with new
material are also still quite good and really recommendable, while live on tour
they show they are still on top of the game. Martin easily nailed it to write a
complete book that tells the whole story of a band that is actually quite
underrated if you know all the facts and things that happened during their
55-year anniversary which will by the way be in 2020! It’s a nice read with the
usual pictures (not many unfortunately!) of old and new line-ups from the
band’s glorious past and like any successful band, there are enough stories to
read here (ups and downs), which is thanks to Martin’s incredible network,
because he was able to interview most of the (ex-) members including Klaus
Meine, Uli Jon Roth, Herman Rarebell, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, along
with the likes of legendary manager David Krebs, Ralph Rieckermann and Francis
Buchholz. This makes this probably the ultimate book on this legendary band THE
SCORPIONS. Fingers crossed if indeed 2020 will be the end for this amazing band.
Meanwhile, get this book a.s.a.p.! Available
through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Alan Perry & Tony Mottram 'Visions of Motorhead Book' (Wymer
Publishing/UK Import)
MOTORHEAD lost it's
main icon, lead singer/bassist LEMMY back in 2015, while some of the other
ex-members (4 in total!) also lost their lives in the (recent) past. Eventually
this meant the end for a band which had an enormous influence on Heavy Metal in
general. Now there is a photo book available which covers the period from the
late 70s through to the late 80s, including rare pictures featrung the classic
3-piece lineup with Phil Taylor and Fast Eddie Clarke. Ironically this whole
line-up does not exist anymore, as all 3 members from that original line-up
have sadly died. This makes the book of course very interesting to have,
especially if you're a fan of the band. Photos are from the collections of
photographers Alan Perry and Tony Mottram, and include amongst others never
before seen images such as shots from recording sessions and video shoots plus
back stage at the tenth anniversary gig at Hammersmith, June 1985, while there
are many rare LEMMY pictures that have not yet been published. Definitely a
must-have book, especially to those who are LEMMY fans and I know there are a
lot out there! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Neil Daniels 'Iron Maiden: The reading performances Book' (Wymer
Publishing/UK Import)
All IRON MAIDEN
fans out there should save their money for this must-have book compiled by NEIL
DANIELS. This is what we call a coffee-table book that is perfectly suitable to
lay open on a table in the living room. It is a beautiful collection of
pictures shot during each and every performance of IRON MAIDEN at the famous
READING FESTIVALS (1980, 1982 and 2005). Of course the early days are the most
interesting ones to look at since this clearly documents a band in transit to
become the world’s greatest Metal band. In the beginning there was PAUL DI'ANNO
fronting the band and BRUCE DICKINSON fronting SAMSON at the same festival on
the same day in 1980, but we all know what happened next, because Bruce became
the frontman of IRON MAIDEN and went on to become a real icon in Metal history.
He actually did his last performance with SAMSON at Reading'81 before entering
the IRON MAIDEN heaven! Anyway, the excellent pictures present a band that went
from being a small club band to a large stadium act that still lives on.
Already in 1980 you could see a band with a bright future, paralizing thousands
of youngsters to overwhelm them with the finest metal that came out of the
NWOBHM movement and pictures tell sometimes more than a bunch of words, so this
pictures book is one you don’t want to miss if you’re a MAIDEN fan! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Black Sabbath 'Going through changes Book' (Wymer Publishing/UK Import)
Books on BLACK
SABBATH are not that rare, but Going through changes is a rather impressive
well-packaged book with a focus on exclusive photos from the OZZY OSBOURNE
period in the 1970s. The book itself is in a black cardboard box and also
contains several pictures printed on 170gsm silk paper (1. Tony Iommi, 2. Ozzy
Osbourne, 3. Geezer Butler, 4. Bill Ward, 5. Full group), so without a doubt,
this is a must-have book. As mentioned, it's all about pictures here and the
somewhat larger size of the book makes it interesting to put it open on a
certain page and lay it down on a table in the living room. It is a limited
edition book, so definitely one to get a.s.a.p., because it might become a
collector's item. This is a highly recommended coffee-table style book! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Frank White 'Ronnie James Dio: A life in vision Book' (Wymer
Publishing/UK Import)
RONNIE JAMES
DIO was one of the vocal Gods in music history and thankfullly there is an
enormous collection of recorded studio albums and live material in which this
can be heard very clearly. He was the ultimate frontman in Rock and Metal,
despite the fact he was very small, but when on stage his voice and presence
was unbelievable and anyone who has seen him live will probably admit that he
was one of the best, right up there with for example FREDDIE MERCURY. Anyway,
not that many books are available on him actually and when it is, most probably
it concerns a biography. The new book Ronnie James Dio: A life in vision by
Frank White is a superb photographic journey that covers a big part of his
career. New Jersey photographer Frank White captured DIO from his first ever US
show with Rainbow in 1975 straight through to 2009 with HEAVEN& HELL, just
a few months before he lost his fight with cancer in May 2010. The book has the
same package as the elsewhere reviewed BLACK SABBATH Book, which means it is
available in a limited edition black cardboard box, which also contains printed
pictures on paper. It all looks really beautiful and photos speak more than
words, so this is a photobook which you can easily open up on your table in the
living room. DIO himself had an amazing career, which brought him many great
gigs with either RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL or solo and the
great thing here is the period, which covers 35 years of DIO. This has not been
done before in a book and therefore it is a total must-have. Pictures are taken
at many various places, such as New York's Madison Square Garden, festivals in
Sweden and the Netherlands, Ronnie relaxing off stage, at TV studios, charity
events, etc. It's a joy to see him again on these pictures, once again showing
how great he was. More than highly recommended book! Available through www.wymeruk.co.uk
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Barry Lewis 'Vaguely lost in shangri-la: Photographs from the
Glastonbury Festival Book' (Flood Gallery Publishing/UK Import)
Glastonbury is
probably the ultimate festival when it comes down music, performance and arts.
Although known for it's incredible line-up in music performances, there are
also parts at the festival which are more focusing on arts and all things out
of the ordinary. This is not that known by many, because we only actually see
the live performances, but award winning photographer BARRY LEWIS compiled a
book in which he put his work at the Glastonbury festival. the book is titled
Vaguely lost in shangri-la: Photographs from the Glastonbury Festival and is
basically a celebration of the more eccentric, colourful, weird and wonderful
side of the iconic festival. In short, no pictures on music related acts, live
performances or any of that, but an overview of pictures taken of a complete
different part of this huge festival. Available through https://www.thefloodgallery.com
(Points: 7.6 out of 10)
Garth Cartwright 'Going for a song: A chronicle of the UK Record shop
Book' (Flood Gallery Publishing/UK Import)
What do DAVID
BOWIE, DUSTY SPRINGFIELD, ELTON JOHN and PETE BURNS have in common? Well, they
all first entered the music industry via working in record shops. Author GARTH
CARTWRIGHT wrote a book about the rise, fall and rise of the independent record
shop in the UK. As a frequent record shop visitor myself, I witnessed this
myself in the past 40 years, because not only in the UK itself, but worldwide
this happened. In the 1970s and 1980s record shops were everywhere and a lot of
money was made via selling records, but towards the end of the 1980s things
started to change, with the change of LP into CD format first, whcih was a
turnaround in the music business resulting in record shops forcing to start
selling CDs instead of LPs. The ones that did not accept this were facing hard
times throughout the 1990s and only the real good ones, the upper level quality
shops survived by continue selling LPs. However, when internet took over the
world and the digital format (Napster, Spotify) entered the music business, the
real big downfall of record stores followed, especially during the big economy
crises towards the end of 2000s. Little did anyone knew out there that the rise
of the LP/Vinyl format would turn the world upside down again during the 2010s.
Now in 2019 it seems like we are overwhelmed by new record stores popping up
everywhere, record fairs being organised every week and even grocery stores are
selling the LP format! The internet has also contributed big time here, as
nowadays there is an incredible online buying and trading community besides the
already mentioned stores and fairs. I think we’re safe to say that Vinyl/LP is
now at the absolute highest point of popularity again as music format, but it
took 25 years for this resurgence. The CD format is slowly dying and the people
buying vinyl nowadays are mostly the real musicfans and they make it all happen
again in this rather digital world. This book is a very nice story about the
history of the record shops in the UK, concentrating on that aspect that it now
has turned again into a social gathering of real musicfans, just the way it was
back in the day when the first stores appeared in the shopping streets across
the country. Garth conducted 100+ interviews with many record shop pioneers,
noted musicians and record collectors, so the detailed research makes this book
a definite must-read for any record collector. It is of course for the UK
buying recordfans a real must, because all the important record shops that ever
existed or still exist are deeply reviewed and discussed. Therefore the book is
a must-have for the UK record buying public, but on the other hand the stories
are just too much fun to pass if you're a record buying fan outside the UK and
it definitely gives you the need to visit the active shops someday soon! At
least I already did in Brighton, Liverpool, Belfast and Bangor the past few
years! Go check it out for yourself by reading this book, but then you first
have to purchase a copy through: https://www.thefloodgallery.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Eve & David O'Sullivan 'Bake in Black: Music inspired baking Book'
(Flood Gallery Publishing/UK Import)
Books in music
are usually not that awkward in it's approach, because most of the time it
conerns biographies or encyclopedia, but sometimes we receive a book where we
are completely surprised. Bake in black: Music inspired baking book is one of
those unique books, as it draws influence from the world of rock and heavy
metal to create awe-inspiring edible tributes in the kitchen. Meaning that it
is actually a cooking book based on classic songs/bands from the rock/metal
history, in total 58 sweet indulgences are included and some of them look not
only funny and very 'Rock'n'roll, but of course also very tasty. If you're a
rocker and don't like cooking, this will definitely wet your appetite to start
baking! From cakes to brownies, biscuits and cookies, through to doughnuts,
pies, tarts and desserts, this book has it all and as mentioned, they are based
on classic rock/metal bands and songs, such as Pantera 'Far Beyond Risen', Sex
Pistols 'God Save The Cream', Led Zeppelin 'Glazed & Infused' and Meatloaf 'Battenburg
Out Of Hell', Slayer 'Reign in reed velvet', Alice Cooper 'Schools out', Kiss
'I was mint for loving you', Thin Lizzy 'Whisley in the bar', etc. etc.
Definitely a recommend book to anyone who likes baking, but the rockers reading
this book review will be even more interested in checking this out. A perfect
rocking and very original gift for the holidays or for a birthday! Available
through: https://www.thefloodgallery.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Todd Slater 'The rock poster art of Todd Slater Book' (Flood Gallery
Publishing/UK Import)
Music and art
sometimes come close to each other, especially when you’re a record collector, because
then you are constantly looking at real art while listening to the music. In
music it is actually all about art when it comes down to marketing and
promoting a new record or a band in general. Not only record covers, but also
band logo’s, advertisements and for example concert posters are all safe in the
hands of art creators, artists and directors, all in order to help and promote
a music event or band. TODD SLATER is one of those art creators, who actually
operates out of a converted garage studio on the outskirts of Austin, Texas. In
less than a decade since graduating from art school, he has created hundreds of
posters featuring the music industry's hottest acts, including RUFUS
WAINWRIGHT, SONIC YOUTH, THE WHITE STRIPES, FOO FIGHTERS, RADIOHEAD, THE
KILLERS, THE BLACK KEYS, TENACIOUS D., ARCTIC MONKEYS, JACK WHITE, PRIMUS,
JANE'S ADDICTION, BAND OF HORSES, THE BLACK CROWES and countless more. A book
has now been released titled 'The rock poster art of Todd Slater’, which
combines his work in a beautiful crafted Hardback covered massive book that
counts in total 288 pages and is a real eye catcher for any fan of art and/or
music. The book is quite large and as mentioned very heavy, but it's one of
those books you can just lay open in your living room as the work included
inside is all about big colored pictures of the touring posters Todd created
between 2004 and 2015. Each chapter is a new touring year and featuring the
original artwork of the band tours from that certain year. It is definitely
something you can look at for a long time, because this is beautiful art. If
you manage to get a book, then you are definitely one of the lucky ones to own
something extremely beautiful! More info at: https://www.thefloodgallery.com/products/todd-slater?variant=6112086785
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Gallows
Circus 'Gallows Circus' (Independent/UK Import)
Out
of Kent, UK comes the sensational band GALLOWS CIRCUS. They sent me their 5
tracks counting same titled debut album from 2017 and I cannot believe these
guys have been praised a lot yet, because they sound killer here! They have an
awesome vocalist (Ian Day), who can easily sing any rocktune, which can be
heard right from the start during opener Game on. He sounds really terrific, as
if he's been down the road for ages, but I believe this is just his first
recording (!). One of the finest songs is the somewhat calmer groovy melodic
rocker Good for my fever that has some of the best independently produced
vocalwork I have heard in years! In that song he almost sounds like a mix
between JIMI JAMISON (SURVIVOR during their Too hot to sleep album), STEVE LEE
(GOTTHARD during their earlier years), JUNO ROXAS (ROXUS) and COREY GLOVER (of
LIVING COLOUR). Of course then I also need to mention the semi-melodic
rockballad Holding my breath where Ian shines again! The band's slightly modern
retro melodic heavy rocksound is in general not too far removed from bands like
ALTER BRIDGE, RIVAL SONS, THUNDER, BLACK STONE CHERRY and a little FREE can
also be heard during the calmer parts of the semi rocker Bones to pick. However
GOTTHARD fans might also enjoy this a lot! The production is huge and the
material as already mentioned mostly groovy melodic heavy rock orientated with
a bluesy twist and even some big Metal riffs (check out the groove in Bones to
pick halfway the song). They have got a cool logo and I am desperately looking
forward to a possible new full-length record, which could definitely be the
next big thing in Classic Rock! Fingers crossed GALLOWS CIRCUS will give us a
long future ahead with many great releases. I am also quite eager to watch them
live and see if their singer Ian is really one of the greatest new Classic
Rocksingers from the UK. Meanwhile check them out at: https://www.gallowscircus.co.uk/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Joe Olnick
Band 'Iguana' (Independent/USA Import)
Out
of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania comes multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording
engineer JOE OLNICK, who already released 6 albums, of which we reviewed a few
sometime ago. His new instrumental album Iguana starts with an incredible
groovy tune called Sticky floor nightclub. This song has a really great strong
beat that is definitely thanks to the bass of Jamie Aston and drummer Stew
Bradley. However, when the guitarsolo kicks in, Joe takes over and he is
clearly in charge here, leading the way to a great instrumental rock guitar
album that offers 5 more tunes after that groovy opening tune. One of the other
highlights besides the JAMES BROWN ish first track, is the semi-melodic rocker
Misadventures in hi fi. Recommended instrumental rock, which you can check out
at: www.joeolnick.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Rod Melancon
'Pinkville' (Blue Elan Records/USA Import)
Rod
Melancon has a voice you will never forget! That's the first thing that came to
my mind when listening to his new album Pinkville. He has one of those deep raw
gritty voices like for example TOM WAITS, ROBBIE ROBERTSON, VAN MORRISON or
JOHNNY CASH. Once you heard it, it will stick in your head forever and you will
recognize immediately the next time you hear it. he sometimes talks in an
almost TOM WAITS meets LOU REED kinda way, while when he starts singing he can
easily put on a rockvoice. Musically speaking Rod taps out of the classic
Americana Rock book, because throughout the album you can hear all kinds of
references to his favorite acts, such as TOM PETTY, TOM WAITS, ROLLING STONES,
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and even BLUE OYSTER CULT passes by. The result is a very
strong impressive record that should easily be praised much more, because it is
really good, trust me. Songs like Westgate, Rehabilitation and The
heartbreakers (excellent tune!) are memorable tunes that combine the best of
classic rock (ZZ TOP), Americana (JOHNNY CASH), some LOU REED/TOM WAITS ish
talking and a 60s raw punky garage rocksound a la THEM/STONES. Actually the
whole feeling is like a TARANTINO Soundtrack, so I think the music fans out
there by now understand what to expect here! Make sure not to miss this album,
because Rod has got all it takes to become the next big star! If he was a
Dutchman, he would by now be a huge star over here! Anyway, check out this
Texas based singer a.s.a.p. at: http://www.rodmelancon.com/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Cam Cole
'I see' (New Age Records/UK Import)
Now
here we have one of the latest new discoveries in the rockworld, because CAM
COLE is a busker playing on the streets of Camden Town in London, UK. However,
he managed to release an official full-length CD titled I see, which will
definitely bring him a lot of attention. The included music is the result of
one man only! Cam is a real busker, playing everything on his own at the same
time, while still sounding like a full rockband! He plays guitar and footdrums
while singing and end up sounding like a rocking bluesy band with some folk and
singer/songwriter influences. I see is definitely a rockalbum in the end, which
reminds me a bit of a cross between THE BLACK KEYS, JIMI HENDRIX/CREAM, LENNY
KRAVITZ and ZZ TOP. Cam can definitely sing very well, while his guitarplaying
is sounding very retro 1970s and well for the drums, it's a good catchy beat
for sure! As mentioned on the back of the CD cover, this one should be played
loud and proud! This is vintage classic rock in it's most authentic way, so be
sure to check out this album if you can! More info on CAM COLE at: http://www.camcole.com/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Barmy Rote
'Unnecessary' (STF Records/Germany Import)
Out
of Germany comes BARMY ROTE, a band formed in 2007 and now releasing their
latest album Unnecessary on STF Records. We don't have much info on them
unfortunately, but musically speaking they are pretty good actually. They are
labelled as an Indie Rockband, but on this album I would rather say they play a
sorta Gothic Melodic Rockstyle and thankfully, they do this quite well. 10
songs are included and especially uptempo rockers like Run, Dead pussy part 2
and Death on wheels are very nice to listen to and are reminding a bit of a mix
between KILLING JOKE, LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH, SISTERS OF MERCY, L.A. GUNS and
a voice that sounds a bit like JAMES HETFIELD. Check them out for yourself at: https://www.barmyrote.de/
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
Wicked
Plan 'Land on fire' (STF Records/Germany Import)
The
Swiss band WICKED PLAN releases their 3rd album with Land on fire. This female
fronted Melodic Metalband sound quite professional, although you need to get
used to the vocalwork first, because singer Natali Keller almost constantly
sings in a higher octave and a bit forced here and there. On the other hand,
it's not bad at all what we get to hear, but the Melodic Metal is very cliche
tingled nevertheless, so you really have to understand it's nothing new we get
to hear on Land on fire. CRYSTAL VIPER, ACID and LULLACRY are similar bands and
80s DORO is a good comparison. Fans of mentioned female fronted Melodic
Metalbands will find something of interest here, especially when you listen to
songs like Wings of fire, Son of the devil, Land on fire and Metal in my heart.
PRIMAL FEAR's RALF SCHEEPERS makes a guest appearance during the song Soul
hunter, do the die-hard fans of traditional Melodic Metal will more or less
understand what to expect here. More info at: www.wickedplan.com
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
Thorbjorn
Risager & The Black Tornado 'Come on in' (Ruf Records/Germany Import)
Come
on in is already the 10th album of Danish singer/songwriter/guitarist Thorbjørn
Risager, but it's the first one I get to hear and review. I must say it sounds
really refreshing for a bluesrockalbum, because it is so much more than that
actually. Thorbjorn has a full band backing him up (Emil Balsgaard - keys, piano,
Peter Skjerning - guitar, Kasper Wagner - sax, Hans Nybo - sax, Peter Kehl - trumpet,
Søren Bøjgaard - bass and Martin Seidelin - drums) and if you listen to the
first 2 songs on this new album, we can hear freshly updated sounding uptempo
bluesy classic rock with a strong modern approach, in a way we know that from
for example THE BLACK KEYS or even RIVAL SONS. These 2 songs (Come on in and
Last train) grab you right from the start with it's catchy beat and without a
doubt, these could easily turn out into big radio hits. Things slow down during
the lovely summer ish sounding Nobody but the moon, which has a slight SANTANA
meets STING kinda approach, with a vibe and melodic chorus you will be humming
along for days after you heard it! It is clear we are dealing here with a very
impressive record, which is thanks to a big production, excellent musicianship,
strong songwriting and of course, Thorbjorn has a superb voice that has a deep
dark bluesy range in a way we know it from the classic days of the past (MUDDY
WATERS). Musically speaking it is more diverse, here and there rocking quite a
bit, but during a song like Two lovers we are definitely drifting in that slow
Missisippi Delta Blues a la BB KING and MUDDY WATERS. There are also JOE
BONAMASSA and KENNY WAYNE SHEPHARD similarities to pick up, such as during Sin
city, which is as close to Bluesrock as you can get, with a stompin' beat like only
a busker or old school blues guitarist can do! And there's BB KING influences
also all over the place in a song like Over the hill.- I am safe to say that
this 2020 release will end up high in the yearly charts of many people if they
are of course exposed to it! Check it out for yourself at: https://risager.info/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Kings
Union 'Spirals' (Charlie John Records/Australia Import)
The
band KINGS UNION is coming out of Melbourne, Australia and are a 3-piece band
formed around singer/songwriter/bassist/guitarplayer Kev Wilson, guitarist Ian
Norsworthy and drummer Jason Wilson. The debut album is titled Spirals, which
contains 8 tracks in total. Opener and titletrack starts pretty heavy and rocking,
uptempo melodic heavy classic rock with a sorta sleazy apprach. However,
following track Underwater love is definitely going the melodic route, because
this is excellent uptempo melodic rock with a very catchy chorus. Up next is
Lost butterflies, which basically combines the heaviness of the first song with
the melodic chorus style of the second song, basically this is almost a melodic
progressive metal orientated tune and the strongest track so far. Back to
somewhat calmer material during the semi melodic indie rocker Grounded, while
Allied & angels is a slightly darker moodier 90s kinda Alternative rocker,
with also a bluesy guitar riff. To the sea is again a bit proggy, same goes for
Wolf, which also reveals SOUNDGARDEN influences. Closing track Medway delta is a
nice pure 90s inspired midtempo alternative melodic rocker. More info on this
recommended Aussie band at: https://kingsunion.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Mikey Hamptons
& The Meows 'Okay I'm ready to rock now' (Season Records/USA Import)
Out
of Amityville, New York comes singer/songwriter/guitarist MIKEY HAMPTON, who
basically plays good old fashioned classic traditional American rock and roll,
with influences from NEIL YOUNG, TOM PETTY, OZZY, WEEZER... When listening to
the song Fine on his new CD Okay I'm ready to rock now I was somehow suddenly
reminded so much of the legendary band ENUFF'Z'NUFF, because Mikey sings in the
same way as the singer of that band (with some OZZY OSBOURNE similarities as
well!) and also the somewhat mixture of flower power, melodic classic rock and
powerpop gives it the same approach. Not all of the songs are following this
route, but in general I feel that ENUFF'Z'NUFF meets WEEZER is a very good
description for MIKEY HAMPTON and his love for THE BEATLES is also notable
(just listen to Guide for example). The songs are mostly uptempo, melodic and
with a retro feeling. Not bad at all, so please check it out for yourself at: https://www.reverbnation.com/mikeyhamptonsthemeows
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
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