|
|
HOT NEW REVIEWS
STONEFLOWER
‘FINALLY’ (AOR HEAVEN)
About 16 years ago I
reviewed the debut album Crack a little smile of the Norwegian band
STONEFLOWER, but the foundations of this band were already done 10 years
further back when a few of the members recorded an album with DIESEL DAHL (TNT
Drummer). I can remember that album and also reviewed it in one of the first
printed issues of Strutter’zine. Fast forward to 2014 when STONEFLOWER released
the follow-up Destination anywhere, which was received very well, but things
got really interesting when they decided to look for a new singer and record
another new album, where also few well-known guests would appear. The result is
Finally and the singer they found is an amazing talent named JOHN MASAKI (known
from NORWEGIAN IDOL show). He has an amazing vocal range and reminds me of a
cross between DENNIS DEYOUNG and TOBY HITCHCOCK. The band’s line-up further
consists of Svenn Huneide - Bass, Vocals; Tom Sennerud - Guitars, keys, vocals
and Geir Johnny Huneide – Drums, while the guests appearing here are drummers
Per Hillestad (LAVA, A-HA) and Steinar Krokstad (STAGE DOLLS), Tommy Denander
(Guitar, PAUL STANLEY, ALICE COOPER), Bjørn Ole Rasch (keys, SECRET GARDEN) and
Gunnar Westlie (Guitar, DA VINCI). The album was mastered by JK Northrup (KING
KOBRA) and is basically a wet dream for the AOR fans, because this is the exact
way to create an AOR Classic! 11 songs are included and it starts with the
uptempo Gonna let you go, a very catchy fresh sounding AOR tune that has a lot
of similarities to WORK OF ART. Following track What can be done also reminds
me of WORK OF ART a lot, pure midtempo AOR with a beautiful chorus. It becomes
very sensational during Believing, which is a superb pure 80s AOR tune that is dangerously
close to TOTO. It is clear that we are dealing here with AOR HEAVEN, with
picture-perfect vocals, hooks and choruses like we know it from the glorious
1980s. PRIDE OF LIONS and WORK OF ART are considered as the finest AOR acts of
the past 20 years, but with this new STONEFLOWER album we have another winner
that should be put right between the albums of those bands! When we continue
with the uptempo AOR of Calling all stations, we get to hear one of the best
AOR songs of the past 10 years, as this is an amazing catchy tune with a killer
chorus that is even better than anything PRIDE OF LIONS has ever done, pure AOR
brilliance that also reminds me a bit of RADIOACTIVE. Kaylee brings more high
class midtempo AOR with even similarities to FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS! Back to
classic uptempo AOR a la PRIDE OF LIONS with the lovely The devil never cries.
It is clear that everything is perfectly done here in making it perhaps the
finest AOR album of 2020! Shivering hands is a little poppy and adds a few different
arrangements halfway the song, but is overall once again another catchy AOR
chorus driven tune. The titletrack is uptempo AOR again, WORK OF ART meets
PRIDE OF LIONS, while Through the fire is almost like we are listening to
DENNIS DEYOUNG when he did a pure semi-AOR ballad (Show me the way), although
PRIDE OF LIONS also did such brilliant AOR ballads in the beginning. I think by
now you will understand that this is an absolute AOR HEAVEN CLASSIC that even
beats WORK OF ART’s last album! How does it feel is back to classic uptempo AOR
with a lovely chorus, dangerously close to the first PRIDE OF LIONS classic
album. Closing track Fall closes things nicely being a nice calmer piano-led
ballad. Without a doubt, we have a true winner here and any AOR fan looking for
the best of the best at the moment should stop looking and just grab this new
STONEFLOWER album. It is AOR perfection up to the highest degree! Make sure not
to miss this absolute gem that even delivers 2 of the finest AOR songs of the
past 20 years (Believing and Calling all stations). Check out this wonderful
band at: https://www.facebook.com/stoneflowertheband
and soon we will do an interview with them as well.
(Points:
9.2 out of 10)
WHITNEY
ROSE 'WE STILL GO TO RODEOS' (MCG RECORDINGS/CONQUEROO/USA IMPORT)
Now these are the kind
of releases which we really miss in Europe, because the new album of Singer/songwriter
WHITNEY ROSE is basically picture perfect crossover Country/Pop/Americana like
only the Americans/Canadians are able to produce. Whitney originally comes from
Canada, but went southwards to Austin, Texas to work on her music career and We
still go to rodeos is her 5th album so far. She has won several awards and
rapidly seems to become a star in America, so this new album might be her major
breakthrough. The album is really wonderful and perhaps nothing new musically
is brought here, the result is a sensational record that will even surpise the
regular musicfans, because this is definitely not just another country record!
It was produced by PAUL KOLDERIE (RADIOHEAD, HOLE, THE PIXIES, LOU REED...) and
12 songs are included in total. The first 3 songs (Just circumstance, Home with
you and Believe me, Angela) are really great uptempo Countrypoprockers that do
capture that typical sound like we know it from countless other mostly American
acts and I always somehow feel the need to mention then someone like JUICE
NEWTON as comparison, but it could actually be anyone in the Countrypopscene. I
have to say that Whitney has a really beautiful voice and I'll bet she will
impress even more live on stage. In a rut and I'd rather be alone (superb!!!)
are actually secretly very strong catchy early 80s uptempo AOR/Melodic Poprockers
that bring back memories of PAT BENATAR, DONNA CHRISTY, ELLEN SHIPLEY, ROSEMARY
BUTLER, HEADMASTER, JAIME KYLE and such female rockers from the glorious 80s
days, although perhaps some will also be reminded of THE CORRS here. Of course
there are also calmer songs, such as the beautiful ballads A hundred shades of
blue, Thanks for trying and Fell through the cracks (AOR ish a la JAIME KYLE),
where we can hear what an amazing voice Whitney has. What makes this album so
special is the enormous diversity in styles, because she jumps from country to
rock to pop to americana and also blues, because for example You'd blame me for
the rain is a slow bluesy tune and some good old rock and roll can be heard
during Better man. I think if you like for example ILSE DE LANGE, JAIME KYLE or
any female singer with a sorta poprock identity musically speaking that has a
slight country touch and of course who also has a strong clean melodic voice,
well then you will absolutely fall in love with the sensational WHITNEY ROSE. However,
she is so diverse that the closing track, which is the titletrack, this might
even be the biggest surprise, as this is a sorta light jazzy tune a la ELLA
FITZGERALD, a really beautiful little song that is totally different than the
rest of the album. It is perhaps the reason why you do not want to miss this
album! More info at: https://whitneyrosemusic.com/
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
TINY
BIT OF GIANT'S BLOOD 'GIGANTOSAUR VINYL RELEASE' (JUMBO RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Now this is a very interesting mixture,
because I hear a lot of influences in TINY BIT OF GIANT'S BLOOD's music.
Overall it's pure Classic Glam Rock with massive harmony vocals driven choruses
out of the classic THE SWEET/CITY BOY/QUEEN box, yet it sounds modern as well,
with influences from modern rock bands (especially THE DARKNESS) and here and there
some Punk Rock as well. The band comes out of Chicago and is formed around
vocalist Tony Rogers, guitarist John Scholvin, bassist Jackie Schimmel and
drummer Larry Beers. Their debut album is titled "Gigantosaur" and it
has just been released. When checking their website, the band pictures and song
titles, it is clear that we are dealing here with a band that is trying to
combine the big bombastic 70s rock with humorous lyrics and a lot of rock star
stage presence, ending up sounding and looking quite close to classic THE TUBES
in their 1970s period, although CHEAP TRICK is also a band to mention, but
there's so much more here. A song like "Girl Over Here" is a
close-call to THE DARKNESS's modern glam rock, while the uptempo "To Be Is
Beautiful" has some cool synths, galloping guitar work and a lovely catchy
melodic chorus, sounding like a cross between 70's URIAH HEEP and 70's QUEEN.
"Five Foot Heels" is another great uptempo rocker that sounds like
the perfect baby of classic QUEEN and THE SWEET. "Little People"
starts as a QUEEN piano-ballad with DAVID BOWIE-ish vocals, but halfway
transforms into an uptempo rocker like THE WHO. The band is also not shy from
classic late 1970s punk rock, because that can be heard in the song "Mick
Jagger Carries My Boots," which sounds like THE RAMONES meets GENERATION
X. Side-A (of the vinyl record they kindly sent to me for review) closes with
the bombastic ballad sorta-rocker "All Hail The Opening Band," which
has a great chorus and guitar solo and sounds not far from the 1980s power
ballad, although once again QUEEN influences are crystal clear too.
Side-B opens with "Faux Tuff," a
great uptempo 1970s rocker that has a guitar riff which is 100% identical to
TOTO's classic tune "Angela," although the song itself is something
THE TUBES could definitely have created many years ago. "If You Want
Blood" is the surprise of the album, because this is an AC/DC cover and
it's done quite differently, starting quite calm with synths, but ends up being
a rocker as well, just like the original classic tune. "Signoria
Dysphoria" takes another change in style, because this is a sorta Latin
pop tune with traditional Spanish guitar, quite nice, although the rockers
might skip here. On the other hand, this shows their love for QUEEN as well,
because that band of course did such tricks as well. It's like TINY BIT OF
GIANT'S BLOOD has listened very well to all those classic 70s rock bands,
because ROLLING STONES influences pass by during the uptempo rocker "There
Is Always More," which then again also reveals MOTT THE HOOPLE/SMALL FACES
influences, although halfway they switch it to a slightly faster punky tempo,
but also slow it down again to keep it QUEEN- influenced. It's all there and
very cool to hear. I think if they are able to do this live at a professional
level, they could become the next big thing. Who knows if that will happen...
In the end they are a highly recommended
band to people who want their glam rock to sound a bit extroverted and
theatrical like in the good old classic 1970s, kinda like QUEEN meets THE SWEET
and a bit of THE DARKNESS. More info at: https://www.tinybitofgiantsblood.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
LINA_RAUL
REFREE 'UGURU' (GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
Out of Portugal comes
LINA_PAUL REFREE, which is a duo consisting of RAUL REFREE (a well-known
producer who worked with ROSALIA, ELE RANALDO and many others) and Fado singer
(with classical training) LINA. She has released 2 records on SONY MUSIC, so
the both of them are high profile musicians with already a career. Now they
joined forces and what you get on their album Uguru is a very original sound,
which we have not heard before. When you listen to a song like Sta luzia or
basically any of the included tracks, it is a mix of classical music,
electronic music, krautrock (CAN/TANGERINE DREAM) and Fado singing (in a
laid-back way of singing). It sounds melancholic, dark and somewhat ambient with
as backing instruments a Mini-Moog, Rhodes, Roland Jupiter, Clavinet, Piano and
also a guitar. Although it doesn’t sound cheerful, happy and such, what more
important is that there is a lot of emotion in the material, which is of course
thanks to the beautiful voice of Lina. Paul is also a key factor here, because
he plays all these instruments and gives it that unique sound. Basically we
have something not heard before here and therefore even the people who don’t
like Fado singing, they should also hear this before making a good judgement,
because Uguru is a very original sounding record that will grab you for sure.
More info at: http://www.uguru.net/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
SERGIO
MENDOZA ORKESTA ‘CURANDERO’ (GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
SERGIO MENDOZA is best
known as member of the band CALEXICO, playing keyboards, accordion, percussion,
etc. , but he is also a founding member of the SERGIO MENDOZA ORKESTA. Formed
in 2009, this Latin Music band has already released 4 albums and now there is
the new album Curandero. Sergio grew up on both sides of the US-Mexican
frontier and so he combines the best of both worlds musically speaking on the
records of SERGIO MENDOZA ORKESTA. The included music on Curandero is very
cheerful typical Latin based, where we can find influences from Rock’n’Roll,
boogaloo, Cumbia, ranchera and Americana. The music puts a smile on your face,
as if it was Carnival. It is quite a sensational release you can listen to from
start to finish and also still quite diverse, because for example No te
esperaba is a more rockier affair (and also features CALEXICO leader JOEY
BURNS), Little space has a sorta reggae vibe, Cuban rhythms can be heard in the
SANTANA alike Why you looking that way and opener Paleta is pure Latin music
like we all know it. This is a super high quality release that should even
appeal to CALEXICO and SANTANA fans out there. More info at: https://www.orkestamendoza.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
75
DOLLAR BILL ‘I WAS REAL' (TAK TILL/GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
Now here we have an
interesting instrumental release, which is sorta dark avantgarde music with
rock and celtic influences, sounding quite haunting and hypnotic, especially
when you listen to the opener Every last coffee or tea that almost feels like
an old CAN or any Krautrock band from the 1970s, but done in a modern way. 75
DOLLAR BILL is the name of the band, which consists of percussionplayer RICK
BROWN and guitarist CHE CHEN. They found each other via MySpace many years ago
and through the years they tried out many different music genres and recorded
several records. I was real is the new album and it sounds indeed very diverse
and interesting for especially the fans of World Music and also proggies and
jazz fans will find something of interest here. Songs like Cort.-verso and
Tetuzi akiyama are more rockier tunes (and the best of the whole album), but
you can also hear African influences in a song like There’s no such thing as a
king bee and what about the 16 minutes counting titletrack, which is quite an
adventure that is a very slow and minimalistic song and very exciting and
challenging to listen to. In the end, there is a great mixture of old CANish
Krautrock, World Music, a big of jazz and all kinds of continental influences
to be heard in the experimental instrumental music of the duo 75 DOLLAR BILL,
whom are also accompanied by several guest musicians (sax, violin) that give
the whole sound a few needed breaks and different approach. Check it out for
yourself at: https://75dollarbill.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
TELEPATH
'MENTAL MUTATIONS' (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Out of Norway comes
TELEPATH, an one-man’s band formed around multi-instrumentalist JACOB
HOLM-LUPO, who plays synthesizer, keyboards, guitars and bass. He also does
samples, loops and programming, so the only pity on this TELEPATH album is the
fact there isn’t a real drummer active. That is not a real big issue, because
nevertheless we get to hear very high quality instrumental progrock/progmetal.
Jacob does almost everything on his own, but got help on 2 songs by a guitarist
and a mini-moog player. Jacob himself is also a member of the bands WHITE
WILLOW and THE OPIUM CARTEL, but with TELEPATH he is clearly taking control of
everything and also the music is somewhat different, although still touching
the Hardrock/Metal genre. If we go through the 10 songs that are included on
the new TELEPATH album, I would like to mention To the grave (Progmetal), No
more wishes (which has vocals, a sort of Doom Metal orientated slow and dark
pretty heavy tune), Race into the wasteland (this has somehow an Arabic rhythm,
although it is Progmetal), Bad machine (more experimental, slightly industrial,
but also features a cool guitar riff), Escape from the witch house (one of the
best songs, as this has a superb guitar melody line by guest guitar player
Pedro de la Rocque that really grabs you) and The dark blood of fate (calmer
with a spacy undertone and a cool keyboardsolo). More experimental and quite
interesting overall this new TELEPATH record, of which you can hear more
at: https://telepath1.bandcamp.com/album/mental-mutations
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
AIMING
FOR ENRIKE 'MUSIC FOR WORKING OUT' (PEKULA RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Music for working out
is the 4th album of the Oslo, Norway based duo AIMING FOR ENRIKE. I am not
familiar with their previous albums, but I can inform you that their new album
is filled with very interesting experimental instrumental music that is proggy
for sure, but also has clear influences from other genres such as Synthwave.
Especially the beginning is very experimental and is almost pure Industrial
Synthwave. In total we can find 9 songs on AIMING FOR ENRIKE’s latest release,
of which the highlights are Infinity rider (uptempo new wave ish tune with solid
keys), Hard dance brainia (big dance beat, midtempo tune, pure Synthwave and
very catchy), Diving within (a bit ambient) and closing track Spice girls,
which is more relaxing and calmer. A song like Ponzu saiko on the other hand is
quite aggressive and is pure heavy hard trance meets Mario bros kinda
weirdness, sounding very experimental, which might even appeal to the real
open-minded progfans (if you like those wicked instrumental parts of FROST and
HAKEN for instance). Anyway, concluded we have something of interest for sure
here, as AIMING FOR ENRIKE delvers high quality experimental instrumental music
that in the end feels like one big trip, because the 9 songs somehow feel
connected. Check it out for yourself at: https://aimingforenrike.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-working-out
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
LOZ
CAMPBELL 'BACK BITING THE BULLET' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of Sheffield, UK
comes singer/songwriter/guitarist LOZ CAMPBELL, who has already released a
couple of (mini) albums in the past and was kind enough to sent me her latest
EP titled back biting the bullet. 4 songs are included, which musically is
uptempo Melodic Hardrock orientated, kinda like classic LITA FORD. Her band
consists of Joe Fowley - Bass & Backing Vocals and Eddie Anderson, Chris
Furness, Myles Johnson – Drums, and the highlights on the EP are the first 2
songs (Back biting the bullet and The world was made to destroy you), which are
both cool 80s tingled uptempo melodic hardrock pieces. Loz is a very talented
guitarist and singer/songwriter, so I am sure we will hear much of her in the
future. Meanwhile, check her out at: https://lozcampbell.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BILL
BRESSLER 'NORMAL BOY' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
It’s always the case
that when you are in the new year, you missed some releases of the previous
year. BILL DRESSLER from New Jersey is definitely one of those acts whom went
unnoticed in 2019, although their debut Normal boy was actually released in
December 2019, so we’re not too far from the release date actually now (review
is written in March 2019). Formed around Bill Bressler (keyboards,
synthesizers, guitar, guitar & drum programming, vocals, talk box), his
band further consists of Mark Asch (vocals), Stephen Goldberg (vocals, acoustic
& electric guitars), Jeremy Abbate (lead acoustic & electric guitars)
and Vin Tabone (bass). Together they recorded a sensational debut album titled
Normal boy, which features in total 6 tracks. Fits and Starts opens the album
quite proggy, but there is more than meets the eye, as indie rock, new wave and
prog are melted together here on this short tune. Next track is the titlesong
Normal boy, which is quite excellent and has some AOR ish influences like
KANSAS/YES/STYX, with great vocals, very nice melodies/choruses and cool keys
here and there in 1980s style. Guitarist, A Little Song (Before We Go) and Reprise
of a Sort are very nice proggy tunes in the SPOCK’S BEARD/NEAL MORSE direction,
but the absolute winner here is The Walk, a 12 minutes counting powerful epic
Prog/Pomprock piece with great keyboardwork and close to classic YES, GENTLE
GIANT, 70s GENESIS… Without a doubt, this is a huge surprise, because BILL
BRESSLER delivers an excellent album which perhaps is a prog masterpiece that
should be in the hands of every progfan out there! TRANSATLANTIC, SPOCK’S
BEARD, KANSAS and all those legendary bands are good comparisons here, but
actually BILL BRESSLER has secretly added a lot of other influences as well in
their music, which gives it an own identity. Check it out for yourself as you
don’t want to miss this album: https://billbressler.bandcamp.com/track/normal-boy
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
DAVID
GUEZ 'AN IMPERFECT HARMONY' (GOLD MOUNTAIN MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
The first seconds of
this album gave me the immediate positive vibe which is very much needed in
these rare times our world is currently facing (corona). DAVID GUEZ is an
English musician based in Paris and An Imperfect Harmony is his very first
album. It was released in September 2019 and has a sound that could best be described
as 'classic pop' as it was made in the 1970s and 1980s. The album was mixed by
Kevin Killen (PETER GABRIEL, KATE BUSH) in New York and Stéphane
"Alf" Briat (AIR, PHOENIX) in Paris. The concept of the album is
based around a dreamlike fantasy with each track being a different phase within
a dream. If I am correct, there will be a part 2 of this concept. Thankfully
the 10 included songs can also be played seperately and so this is not the kind
of concept album with long instrumental passages and weird speaking parts. It
is a normal album with 10 very strong vocal/chorus orientated songs, starting
with opener The future, which is a sorta 80s Popsong with a lot of focus on
clean melodies and beautiful vocals, kinda like MIKE & THE MECHANICS or even
JOHNNY HATES JAZZ. Next track The haze is a very relaxing 70s orientated
westcoast/pop orientated midtempo tune in the style of AMERICA. Even more
melancholic and 70s melodic pop/rock orientated is The higher ground, a song
that brings back memories of classic ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (Eye in the sky/Don't
answer me era). The corners of your mind is a mixture between AMERICA and ALAN
PARSONS PROJECT, while The strangest part of you does also remind me a lot of
VENICE, so in the end we have a wonderful mixture of Westcoast and 70s/80s Pop
here from start to finish. It all sounds very relaxed, clean and safe, but at
an incredible high level and reminding of the past, with a melancholic vibe. A
higher plane, An imperfect harmony and An invisible man (superb!) are basically
all pure ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and that is a big compliment! Concluded, I would
definitely recommend this to anyone who likes any of the aforementioned bands,
especially AMERICA and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT. A sensational beautiful album that
you don't want to miss! Check out more on David at: https://www.facebook.com/davidguezmusic and
https://soundcloud.com/davidguezmusic and http://davidguezmusic.com/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
CONRAD
VINQOE 'A QUIET CONVENTION' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
The talented
singer/songwriter CONRAD VINQOE is based in London and has already released a
couple of albums. A Quiet Convention is his latest album, which is a
collaboration with renowned producer Sean Reed (BETH ORTON, DEXYS MIDNIGHT
RUNNERS) and musicians Ali Friend (Double-bass player who worked with FIONN
REGAN, RED SNAPPER) and drummer Sebastian Hankins (THE LEISURE SOCIETY). 13
songs are included and it all starts very calm with the short acoustic Is it
enough, but following track Paper moon is introducing us a warm uptempo
Americana sound with some strong melodies and reminding me a bit of PAUL SIMON
somehow. More folky rock can be heard on the strong Woman like you, while
melodic lush summerfriendly Americana pop/rock is hearable on the beautiful
Hidden traces, which also introduce some electric guitar and lovely
harmonyvocals. Acoustic peaceful singer/songwriter music is also incuded here
and there, such as the song Horses, and the rest of the album continues this
mixture of light uptempo Americana pop/rock and Singer/songwriter, with the
exception of the beautiful jazzy A place of my own that has a kinda 1940s
feeling. Conrad has a very nice relaxing tone in his voice and he is able to
write some great songs. Concluded, this is a recommended album to fans of
singer/songwriter/americana pop/rock. More info at: http://www.conradvingoe.co.uk/
SWEET
LIZZY PROJECT 'TECHNICOLOR' (MONO MUNDO RECORDINGS/THIRTY TIGERS/CONQUEROO/USA
IMPORT)
This is quite a
surprise from Cuba, because SWEET LIZZY PROJECT is a band from Havana, Cuba formed
around the great female singer LISSET DIAZ. They were taken under the wings of
THE MAVERICKS singer RAUL MALO, who signed them to his own label MONO MUNDO
RECORDS and co-produced their debut album Technicolor. Raul even sings a duet
here (The flower in the seed), a sentimental sappy melodic poprock ballad that
back in the 1970s might have become a huge hit! Anyway, the band delivers a
great album here, with a lot of various styles that range from rock to pop to
latin and all mixed together, which makes it a pleasure to listen to. Opener
Technicolor starts very interesting, as this is a rocker with some proggy
elements and also a slight light PARAMORE ish touch, although overall it could
almost be labelled as a melodic rocker. I did not expect later on that this was
actually the only song in this style on the album, because next tune Turn up
the radio is a very commercial popsong that could well turn out into a major
radiohit with it's catchy Latin rhythm and anthemic chorus to sing-a-long to. The
following Ain't nobody to call changes the sound into a strong uptempo rocking
direction and is actually so far the best song, because it rocks big time and
has an authentic slightly 70s/early 80s touch (THE KNACK), although in general
it does sound as modern as for example the retro rock of THE WHITE STRIPES
meets the jumping PARAMORE. We are once again surprised, because the Spanish sung
Tu libertad is a trip into summerfriendly Latin Pop and it is without a doubt
another radiohit ready song with it's catchy rhythm. The album is overall quite
commercial during a lot of songs, while the diversity also makes it
interesting, although personally I would have loved to hear more songs like the
titletrack that opened up the album. Now here and there it even feels like I am
listening to a new album of ILSE DE LANGE when hearing a catchy crossover
midtempo Countrypop tune like What was happening to me. It's not bad at all,
but I still feel the band can deliver an even more interesting album if they
would expand the prog and rock influences they showcased on that first song.
These words starts calm, but has a rocking explosion halfway that is almost
close to classic HEART. The remaining 3 tracks are nice, but except for the
guitarsolo in Vuelta atras, not really of interest. So a great diverse album,
but as mentioned, there is more possible here and a full-blown rockalbum could
be interesting. Nevertheless, a nice debut from this Cuban band! More info at: https://www.sweetlizzyproject.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
THE
CLAUDETTES 'HIGH TIMES IN THE DARK' (FORTY BELOW RECORDS/OM GOD
MUSIC/CONQUEROO/USA IMPORT)
Somehow I must think
of JOOLS HOLLAND doing a rockier song with CARO EMERALD when hearing a song
like the piano-led rock and roll driven 25/5. That is basically the best
description of the sound of THE CLAUDETTES, a band from Chicago who combines
Soul, 50s Rock and Rolll, Blues with Rockabilly and even Jazz. They are
foursome consisting of Johnny Iguana (piano), Berit Ulseth (singing), Zach
Verdoorn (bass, singing) and Michael Caskey (drums). They have already released
several albums and High times in the dark is their latest adventure to capture
that mixture mentioned earlier on in the review. Actually there is really not
much more to say, because CARO EMERALD doing rockier songs with JOOLS HOLLAND
is really the best description for THE CLAUDETTES, which of course is quite a
compliment. The 11 songs go by in a flash, but if we have to pick highlights I
would like to mention the melodic I swear to God I will, the quirky punky
uptempo Creeper wind and the poprocker One special bottle. Check it out for
yourself at: https://theclaudettes.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
DEAD
SUPERSTAR 'I DID IT FOR THE ROCK GODS' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of New York comes
DEAD SUPERSTAR, a stronng high class modern sounding Hardrockband, with a Retro
Sleazy touch. The band hails from Long Island in New York and is built around Mike
Bohm - Guitar, Brian Duke/Craig Matlon - Drums, Charlie O'neil - Bass, Terence
Keith - Vocals and Justin Goldat- Guitar. They have that typical American sound
with a lot of big chuncky guitar riffs and raw male vocals, while the overall
sound is huge and SHINEDOWN meets ALTER BRIDGE might be a great description
here. They were formed quite some years ago, back in 2005 and they have
released an album before I did it for the rock gods, which was entitled
Tribulations that was recorded in the studio of JOEY Z of LIFE OF AGONY.
Anyway, their new album is a strong affair that offers from start to finish
hard hitting rockers with still enough melodies to keep the interest for fans
of Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock. I could mention a long list of bands here, but I
think you'll get the picture how DEAD SUPERSTAR more or less sounds like when I
mention ALTER BRIDGE, SHINEDOWN, SOUNDGARDEN, KING'S X, AUDIOSLAVE, STONE
TEMPLE PILOTS, ALICE IN CHAINS, which means the big American modern
Hardrocksound that has ruled the airwaves over there since the turn of the
1980s into the 1990s. DEAD SUPERSTAR are doing it so well, you would think they
are a major label signed act, but they're not. If I have to point out
highlights I would mention Beware of the knife, You make me sick and Blood
moon. If you're starting to become interested, then check it out for yourself
at: https://www.deadsuperstarny.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
JOVIAC
'HERE AND NOW' (INVERSE RECORDS/FINLAND IMPORT)
Out of the city of Tampere, Finland comes
the Melodic Progmetalband JOVIAC, whom deliver their 2nd album with Here and
now. It is their first on INVERSE RECORDS, because their same titled debut was
released independently in 2017. The band's line up consists of Viljami Jupiter
Wenttola - Vocals, Guitar, Keys, Antti Varjanne - Bass and Rudy Fabritius -
Drums, and right from the start with the instrumental Intro, it is clear that
this is a very professional sounding band. 7 songs are included and when the
vocals and awesome melodic catchy chorus are delivered during the first 'vocal'
song Straws, we can conclude that this is a highly recommended Melodic
Progmetalband that is not too far removed from THRESHOLD, RPWL, BLIND EGO and
SUBSIGNAL, which means they are in the upper league of Melodic Progmetal. It is
nowadays hard to discover the gems, because there are so many bands releasing
albums, especially in Scandinavia, so I am really lucky to have found this band
from Finland. Straws is definitely the finest song here, but other highlights
are Black mirror, the titletrack Here and now and closing track. The band
combines quite perfectly brilliant instrumental prog parts with soaring guitar
solos and lovely clean melodies during the catchy choruses, so no complex
long instrumental passages can be found here, as the focus is clearly song
based and that is for me personally really great! Fans of aforementioned bands
will definitely like JOVIAC. More info at: https://www.joviac.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
GAUPA
'FEBERDROM (DALAPOP/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Sweden comes GOUPA, a band
combining Progrock, Stoner Rock Melodic Heavy Rock and Psychedelic Rock with
here and there experimental female vocals like NINA HAGEN, although lead singer
EMMA NASLUND can also really sing really well in a more melodic clean way.
Anyway, the band's line up is further completed by David Rosberg - Guitars, Daniel
Nygren - Guitars, Erik Jerka Sävström - Bass and Jimmy Hurtig - Drums. Feberdom
is their debut album, which consists of 8 songs that are mostly sung in the
Swedish language. Highlights are Where emperors grow, Mjolksyra and the uptempo
Totemdjur. Check them out for yourself at:
https://gaupaband.bandcamp.com/album/feberdr-m
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
Out of the small town
of Bonne Terre in Missouri, USA comes multi-instrumentalist BOBBY MCK (short
for BOBBIE MCKIEL) who was kind enough to sent me his new album Full circle.
When looking at the frontcover of the album I was expecting a very light
singer/songwriter affair, but when opener On the run kicks in we are heading
back to classic mid 1980s uptempo high class AOR/Melodic Rock. The guitarwork
is superb and truly coming out of the old school VAN HALEN/AUTOGRAPH style and
so is the melodic hardrockstyle. Also the following tracks (such as the great
songs Feels like rain and Lonely heart) are back to classic 80s uptempo
AOR/Melodic Hardrock with soaring guitarwork in a sound like it is still 1985
and reminding me of BOB WHEELER if anyone knows him. Vocally it sounds like a
cross between PHIL VINCENT and BILLY IDOL and the only pity is that there are
only 5 tracks included, because it sounds quite promising actually, so it would
be interesting to hear more songs. Hopefully we can review more of this sensational
guitarist soon. Check him out at: https://bobbymck.hearnow.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
BRANT
BJORK 'BRANT BJORK' (HEAVY PSYCH SOUNDS/ITALY IMPORT)
The Californian
multi-instrumentalist BRANT BJORK is best known as being a drummer of legendary
Stoner Rockbands like KYUSS, FU MANCHU and MONDO GENERATOR. However he is also
able to play and write his own songs and in fact he has already released 12
albums since starting a solo career in the late 1990s. His new album is simple
titled Brant Bjork, which contains 8 songs and he did basically everything on
his own. It starts quite slow and not that strong I'm afraid with opener Jungle
in the sound, but the following song Mary (You're such a lady) is much better
and with Jesus was a Bluesman Brant delivers a superb catchy uptempo rocker
with a strong catchy melodic chorus. Somehow I am reminded of BLUE OYSTER CULT
while listening to the album, especially when you hear a song like Stardust
& Diamond eyes. There's also some bluesy tunes here and there, as well as
the more melodic rocking kinda songs like the aforementioned Jesus was a
Bluesman, Cleaning out the ashtray and Duke of dynamite, which are highlighs
for sure. It sounds much lighter than his regular band material, but on the
other hand it still shows that Brant is a very talented musician on his own.
Check out more at: https://www.facebook.com/BrantBjorkOfficial/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
RUSS
BALLARD 'IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE' (WARNER MUSIC/BMG)
The name RUSS BALLARD
will forever be remembered as one of the big legends that helped to shape
Melodic Rock the way we know it nowadays, because it was in his first band
ARGENT he created a sound that later in the 1970s became known as Pomprock and
thanks to his songwriting credits for the 2 RAINBOW classics I surrender and
Since you've been gone, part of the foundations for AOR and Melodic Rock were
done. However, his real contribution to the AOR world happened in 1984 with his
same titled solo-album, which is an absolute AOR classic that is played almost
every month by yours truly. Anyway, he wrote and recorded many more music these
past 60 years and now at the age of 74, the English muli-instrumentalist
releases the new album It's good to be here. Russ did almost everything on his
own and despite it might not be as good as his 1984 classic, it is still a
really great AOR/Melodic Rock ish album that I can highly recommend. 13 songs
are included and it begins with a very strong midtempo catchy melodic rocker
titled My awakening, which has a really great memorable chorus. Things keep
rocking during the next couple of tunes, with as highlights Kickin' the can,
Colliding and The first man that ever danced. The last 3 songs are covers of
popular songs he wrote in the past, namely New York Groove (ACE FREHLEY), Since
you've been gone (RAINBOW) and You can do magic (AMERICA). Russ is a legend by
all means, with so many well-known songs written for others (KISS, RAINBOW, HOT
CHOCOLATE, etc), but also he has always continued an interesting solo career,
which brought many wonderful albums and even now in 2020 we can add another new
solo-album of him.Check out all on Russ at: https://russballardmusic.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THREE
COLOURS DARK 'THE SCIENCE OF GOODBYE' (FIREFLY MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
The line-up of the
British band KARNATAKA changed a lot of times in their 23 years of existence,
but 2 of the original founders whom left the band in 2004, they now formed a
new band together called THREE COLOURS DARK. RACHEL COHEN (singer) and JONATHAN
EDWARDS (guitar, synth, piano) both went their seperate ways after they both
left KARNATAKA, forming new Progrockbands THE REASONING and PANIC ROOM. Rachel
even briefly worked with MOSTLY AUTUMN, which makes the musical comparisons to
all those classy bands quite easy for this THREE COLOURS DARK. The music on The
science of goodbye is of an incredible high level, thanks to the beautiful
vocals of Rachel that sound like a cross between BARBRA STREISAND and ANNIE
LENNOX, but also the combination of prog, pop and rock music is perfectly
blended here. From start to finish it's a lovely adventure to experience and if
you're familiar with the mentioned bands you will more or less understand what
this is all about. There's some PINK FLOYD influences to be heard as well, but
actually I think THREE COLOURS DARK has a sort of own identity. Wonderland (How
can this be love?) is a lovely midtempo melodic progrock song with a strong
chorus, while the calmer almost jazzy Know you know reminds me a bit of ANNIE
LENNOX somehow and also has a lovely trumpet solo by Nathan Bray (MIKE
RUTHERFORD). THREE COLOURS DARK is focused on mostly calmer song orientated
material with a progressive background and besides the aforementioned songs,
other highlights are the fantastic Three colours dark, Tasted like Kryptonite
and the closing track The science of goodbye, which features lovely guitarwork
by guest Blues guitarist CHANTEL MCGREGOR, of whom we reviewed an album
recently. Concluded, this is a highly recommended album to check out if you
care about real music with a strong focus on beautiful vocal melodies. Check
out more at: http://www.threecoloursdark.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
EAMONN
MCCORMACK 'STORTYTELLER' (BEM RECORDS/CMM MARKETING/GERMANY IMPORT)
Out of Dublin, Ireland
comes blues guitarist/singer/songwriter EAMONN MCCORMACK, who delivers a great
7th album with Storyteller. His music career started in the late 1980s when he
went to the USA and learned the basics for playing Bluesrock. After a couple of
years he returned to Europe and started to develop his name in the
Bluesrockscene with many performances as support for the big boys in the blues
and also did quite a few album releases. Now it is time to present his
Storyteller album that likewise tells us a lot of stories about the past and
present. For instance his Irish roots can be heard already right from the start
during The great famine, a song about the 1840s Irish great famine when more
than 1 million Irish people died of extreme hunger 11 songs are included in
total and without a doubt the fans of classic Bluesrock will like this a lot,
especially songs like Cowboy blues, Gypsy women or Cold cold heart, while the
slightly rockier uptempo With no way out somehow reminds me just a little bit
of THE CULT meets BILLY IDOL! However, basically this is prime-time Bluesrock
and it might not be as good as for example WALTER TROUT, BB KING, GARY MOORE
and such, but nevertheless the fans of such Bluesrock will definitely be
interested in checking out Eamonn's new album. Hear and check more on Eamonn at:
https://eamonnmccormack.net/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
CONCEPTION
'STATE OF DECEPTION' (SOUND FACTORY/CMM MARKETING/GERMANY IMPORT)
The Norwegian band
CONCEPTION was formed back in 1989 and active until the end of the 1990s when
their lead singer ROY KHAN became the frontman of KAMELOT. They managed to
release 4 albums throughout the 1990s and all of them are now considered cult
classics. They played a complex technical style of Progressive Metal, sorta
like QUEENSRYCHE and PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, with exceptional vocalwork of Roy.
Recently they reformed and State of deception is their official comeback
full-length album. Musically not much has changed in those 20 years, so they
continue where they left back in 1998 on their previous album Flow. After the
short intro we head into the real opener Of raven and pigs, which is quite a
complex dark song that somehow sounds like DAVID BOWIE meets QUEENSRYCHE.
Waywardly broken is more the kinda classic Melodic Progressive Metal the way we
want to hear it, midtempo with strong vocal melodies of a superb singing ROY
KHAN. I will never forget the first time I got to hear the band, because that
was on the local radio (ERIC NOISE's Stadsradio programm Rockballads) with
their calm ballad Silent crying, which was more or less like QUEENSRYCHE's
Silent lucidity. Little did I know this band had so much other much heavier
material to offer, but also on this new album they present us a calmer
'piano-led' ballad in the shape of the beautiful powerful rockballad The
mansion, with guest vocals by AMARANTHE singer ELIZE RYD.Other highlights on
the new album are the groovy By the blues, the uptempo She dragoon, the epic
Anybody out there and also the absolutely beautiful closing track Feather
moves, which sounds very original and has a haunting melodi chorus that is pure
CONCEPTION! Concluded, this is a very strong return of CONCEPTION and it is
good to see them back in the scene. More info at: https://conceptionmusic.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
STORMFORCE
'AGE OF FEAR' (ESCAPE MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
When the opener
Because of you on the first album of the Canadian band STORMFORCE kicks in, it
feels really good to be hearing such high class 80s inspired Melodic Hardrock
again in this rather fabricated pop/rockworld. The vocals of singer PATRICK
GAGLIARDI remind me a bit of AXEL RUDI PELL singer JOHNNY GIOELI, so we have a
powerhouse vocalist here who can easily go up and rock out the way we want to
hear it! The music is also not that far removed from AXEL RUDI PELL actually,
although definitely more aiming for pure Melodic Hardrock only, which is a good
thing for sure! The titletrack for instance is seriously kick-ass uptempo
Melodic Hardrock where you just want to sing and shout along during the extremely
catchy chorus. If we have a look at the line-up of the band, we can find a
sensational guitarist in the shape of GREG FRASER, who brings us some excellent
riffs and solo's as if we're back in the 1980s again! Greg himself is actually
also a real legend, because he once fronted the band BRIGHTON ROCK. That band
did some great stuff on their 3 albums, but somehow they were too soft for the
rockers and too heavy for the popfans and eventually never really broke
through. How different this is with STORMFORCE, because with this band we are
entering a supersensational direction that is basically as already mentioned
Melodic Hardrock at it's best! Besides the 2 earlier mentioned songs, the band offers
many more winners on this first album, such as the SUPERB Breathe (Melodic
Hardrocksong of the year 2020 contender, like JADED HEART meets ICON meets AXEL
RUDI PELL), the semi melodic rockballad More than you know (reminding of early
90s bands like SAINTS & SINNERS, TYKETTO, BANGALORE CHOIR and such), the AOR
ballad Different roads and the lovely closing track Ringside (high class
Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock like AXEL RUDI PELL meets FIFTH ANGEL). Here and there,
we can also find some more dirtier gritty Hardrock/classic Hair Metal tunes
like Dirty Vegas and Ride like hell that show the band's diversity. The album
was produced by Darius Szczepaniak (THE BLACK CROWES, SUM 41), so expect a huge
sound, and it is released through the established melodic ESCAPE MUSIC label. I
think by now you will get the picture what this is all about. STORMFORCE from
the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls is Melodic Hardrock at the highest
possible level and a must-have for fans of JADED HEART, GOTTHARD, AXEL RUDI
PELL, HURRICANE, ICON and such. More info at: https://stormforce.ca/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
KALEVI
HAMALAINEN GROUP 'FIRST DAYS OF SUMMER' (ECLIPSE MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC
DISTRIBUTION)
KALEVI HAMALAINEN
GROUP is a band from the beautiful city of Savonlinna, Finland and was formed
in 2015. They developed in the following 5 years a great own instrumental style
that captures elements of Smooth Jazz, Fusion and Progressive Rock. First Days
of Summer is their debut album, which contains 8 lengthy tracks in total. The
band is formed around bandleader Kalevi Hämäläinen – Piano, compositions, Keys,
while the rest of the band is completed by Ilmari Hämäläinen – Drums, Juho
Koskivirta – Guitar and Valtteri Rouhiainen – Bass. Opener Grasshopper starts
quite rocky, being an uptempo progressive rocker, while the following songs
Flying desires and Exit 68 are more laid-back and reflect the Jazzy/Fusion
influences. Sense of Urban starts calm and jazzy, but develops into a lovely
midtempo Progrocker with really nice synths towards the end of the song. Midnight
sun is a beautiful almost melodic rock/westcoast ish ballad, but with For
better times we are back to more laid-back Jazz/Fusion/Westcoast in the style
of FOURPLAY. Phellooti is a sensational midtempo progressive/symphonic rocker
like a mix between TOTO and SAGA, and this is perhaps the strongest song on the
album, really rocking out big time with some cool hammond and synth like keys
and also precise guitarsolos. Closing track First days of summer starts as a
nice relaxing piano-led jazzy song, but develops into a great summer friendly
background smooth jazz-fusion kinda westcoast style that just feels very good
to listen to. Basically this album is a must-have for any musicfan who cares
about a perfect use of the instruments without getting drowned in endless
stretching complex improvisations, because KALEVI HEMALAINEN GROUP is very keen
on beautiful melodies being played on piano/keyboard, guitar, bass and drums. I
am safe to say that both the Jazz/Fusion and also the Progfans with an
open-mind will like this album a lot. Of course there are countless bands that
did this mixture of styles before, but this band is thankfully doing at a
similar high level and give it an own approach, so i can therefore highly
recommend First days of summer! SPYRO GYRA, BRAND X, FOURPLAY, instrumental
TOTO, DIXIE DREGS, WEATHER REPORT, SOFT MACHINE, VITAL INFORMATION and even
STEELY DAN or U.K.. are some of the bands that come to mind when listening, so
if this is up your alley, then please go to: https://eclipsemusicrecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/first-days-of-summer
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
THE
DOWLING POOLE 'SEE YOU SEE ME' (369 MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
When hearing the
opener and titletrack of the new CD of the British band THE DOWLING POOLE, it's
like we stepped in a time machine back to the U.K. of 1981., because this song
is as close as you can get to British quirky Powerpop from that period. I am
thinking of bands like XTC, 10 CC, THE KNACK, FISCHER Z, WAX and countless more
bands that ruled the airwaves back then. These guys are reproducing new songs
in a style long forgotten, although in recent years there has been a revival so
to speak of such classic Powerpop. See you see me is the 3rd album of THE
DOWLING POOLE, a London based band formed around multi instrumentalists Willie
Dowling (formerly of JACKDRAW 4, HONEYCRACK and the legendary Glamrockband THE
GRIP (of whom I bought a CD 25 years ago very cheaply and which now is worth
big bucks!)) and Jon Poole (formerly of CARDIACS) in 2013. They create
experimental and very quirky 80s pop rhythms and structures with sometimes
bizarre funny parts with catchy melodic pop choruses in the style of the
aforementioned bands. In 1982 they would have been extremely popular, but in
today's world they really need to be lucky if radio picks up a song from their
new album. 10 songs are included and once you get used to their somewhat quirky
early 80s UK Powerpop approach, then you will really enjoy their sound a lot. Highlights
are See you, see me, Human soup, Alison's going home (even a bit mid 1980s RICK
SPRINGFIELD!) and the light Progrock ish Sunrise. The sound of the album is
huge, also thanks to the mastering of the legendary JON ASTLEY (known for
producing albums of ABBA, TORI AMOS, TEARS FOR FEARS, STING, LED ZEPPELIN,
TOTO, ANATHEMA and loads more) If you care about any of the mentioned acts
earlier on in the review, then you will love this band for sure! THE DOWLING
POOLE is doing things as good as XTC and 10 CC did in their heydays! More info
at: https://thedowlingpoole.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
ALBERT
CASTIGLIA 'WILD AND FREE' (GULF COAST RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
The American guitarist
ALBERT CASTIGLIA was born in New York in 1969 to an Italian father and a Cuban
mother. He started as a professional musician in 1990 and was already named
Best Blues Guitarist in 1997! He was part of the MIAMI BLUES AUTHORITY and
played in the bands of JUNIOR WELLS and SANDRA HALL during the 1990s, but in
2002 it was time for him to start a solo career, which resulted in a lot of
studio-albums. After leaving RUF RECORDS, he switched to the Nederland, Texas
based label GULF COAST RECORDS and now there is the live-CD Wild and free. This
album was recorded live in the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, Florida on the 3rd
and 4th of January 2020. Without a doubt, we have here a winner for the
Bluesrockfans, because Wild and free is filled with superb high class Bluesrock
based around the wonderful guitarwork of Albert and he can also sing quite
well. Produced by MIKE ZITO, this is the kind of album you need to praise when
you're a Bluesrockfan. The amazing shredding in each and every song is
something the guitarfreak will absolutely love. Songs like Let the big dog eat,
Hoodoo on me, I been up all nigth or Keep on swinging are really brilliant
bluesrocksongs with an important role of course for the guitar talents of
Albert. Especially since this is recorded live, the improvisation of endless
shredding on his guitar is making him as good as for example the greats in the
Bluesrockworld like WALTER TROUT, JOE BONAMASSA, KENNY WAYNE SHEPHARD, GARY
MOORE, GARY CLARK JR., etc. etc. Do not miss this release if you call yourself
a Guitar/Bluesrockfan! More info at: http://albertcastiglia.net/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
CAPTAIN
BLACK BEARD ‘SONIC FORCES’ (AOR HEAVEN)
The Swedish band
CAPTAIN BLACK BEARD exists for over 10 years now and Sonic forces is their 5th album
so far. I have to be honest that I am not that familiar with their earlier
albums, but after a sneak preview of this new album, I was definitely keen on
checking them out. They have a lead singer who has a high pitched Metal voice
like EDGUY/MAIDEN, but the music is clearly more going into the typical Scandi
Melodic Rock direction. When hearing the first couple of songs (Headlights,
Lights & Shadows and Disco volante), we are hearing that lovely catchy
hookladen uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocksound like we know it from H.E.A.T., WORK OF
ART, NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and such. Perhaps not that original, but who cares
if it is done as well as over here on Sonic forces. Ever since their debut
album, the band has built up quite a reputation and even managed that BRUCE
KULICK made a guest appearance on their 2nd album Before
plastic, while they also toured a lot as support act for JOE LYNN TURNER, ROBIN
BECK, GEOFF TATE and HOUSE OF LORDS. They switched singers quite a few times in
the past and even featured THERION singer LINNEA VIKSTROM on their previous
album Struck by lightning as main vocalist. Recently new lead singer MARTIN HOLSNER
joined the band, which is completed by guitarist CHRISTIAN EK, bassist ROBERT
MAJD and drummer VINNIE STROMBERG. They went into the studio in 2019 to record
an album to celebrate their 10th year anniversary and along
with producer DAVE DALONE (H.E.A.T. guitarist), they recorded this very strong
Melodic Rockalbum titled Sonic forces. After the 3 uptempo catchy melodic
rockers, things slow down a bit to midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock in the shape of
the wonderful ultra-melodic Tonight that has H.E.A.T.’s debut album written all
over the place, although I also hear some similarities to a band like FROM THE
FIRE or even SHY here. Fear not that it takes long before things get uptempo
again, because following track Sonic forces is back to catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic
Rock again and actually most of the remaining songs on the CD follow that
direction, with as other highlights Midnight cruiser and Young hearts.
Basically we have here another high class Swedish AOR/Melodic Rockalbum that
will be eaten alive by fans of H.E.A.T., ONE DESIRE, WORK OF ART, NIGHT FLIGHT
ORCHESTRA, ART NATION and the countless other acts of the New Wave Of Swedish
Melodic Rock (NWOSMR) movement, but of course also if you enjoyed the older
acts in this genre. The only slight difference is that the lead vocals are
Heavy Rock/Metal orientated like IRON MAIDEN and EDGUY, but on the other hand,
this gives them an own identity. Check out all on this band at: https://www.captainblackbeard.net/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
THE
CURATOR 'TWENTY-SIX/12' (CROMERZONE/UK IMPORT)
ALISTAIR MURPHY is a
British singer/songwriter/producer who recorded quite a lot of albums under
different names, bands and projects the past 25 years, including working with
JUDY DYBLE (FAIRPORT CONVENTION), TERRY STAMP (THIRD WORLD WAR), TIM BOWNESS
(NO-MAN) and several others. His music fits somewhere between Progrock, Folk
and Singer/songwriter music, sometimes calmer and at other times rockier. With
THE CURATOR he has released several albums, of which the latest is
Twenty-Six/12, an album filled with high class music that is piano-led and very
atmospheric, with clear prog influences like in The light of setting suns that
is basically a stripped Neo-Progsong like MARILLION, 70s GENESIS and such.
Alistair has that typical British voice which needs to be present when making
this kind of Prog. I have to admit though I would have loved some drums and
guitars to give it a full blown Progrock approach, but on the other hand when
it is done in a more calmer direction, it has more impact and the lyrics are
then definitely more appealing as well. The light of setting suns is a
combination of Classical Music and English Prog like vocals a la PETER GABRIEL,
but actually each of the 6 songs that are included more or less feel like this.
However I wanted to point out especially the epic 20 minutes counting closing
track The light of setting suns as this is the finest song here, resembling
perfectly the sound of THE CURATOR. It gives a new dimension to prog for sure
and the open-minded progfans will definitely be interested to check this out
at: http://www.cromerzone.co.uk/Cromerzone/Alistair_Murphy.html
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
JUDY
DYBLE 'WEAVINGS OF A SILVER MAGIC - LIVE' (CROMERZONE/UK IMPORT)
Lead singer JUDY DYBLE
has a long music history and was one of the founding members of FAIRPORT
CONVENTION, but also recorded songs with musicians that later became KING
CRIMSON. Actually, she is therefore an important singer for the development of
Folkrock and Progressive Rock in the UK, although she quit the music business
in 1973. 35 years after the debut album of FAIRPORT CONVENTION, she finally
recorded music again, this time solo and since 2004 quite a few album have been
released as JUDY DYBLE. Weavings of a silver magic is a new live album that was
recorded at Cambridge St. Barbanas Church on the 10th september 2016. Along
with several musicians, including ALISTAIR MURPHY on guitar and piano, Judy
performs a nice collection of originals she wrote with him as well as a cover
of the KING CRIMSON classic I talk to the wind. The music is calm and based
around Judy's vocals. Check out more at: http://judydyble.com
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
RICH
LANG 'BACK TO FOREVER' (SCORE RECORDS /USA IMPORT)
I got in touch with
musician RICH LANG when I discovered an absolute gem of an unreleased album by
the legendary GREG GUIDRY. He of course released a couple of albums in the
AOR/Westcoast direction and I reviewed them a long time ago. Somehow in 1982
Greg also recorded his finest work Heart to heart, but sadly this has never
been released, but thankfully his producer RICH LANG put it on SPOTIFY not so
long ago. This album is loaded with the best possible early 1980s AOR/Westcoast
in the style of ALLIANCE, FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS, TOTO, DAVID ROBERTS, JOHN
O'BANION, STEEL BREEZE's Heart on the line, etc. etc. If you're a fan of such
acts, you will absolutely fall in love with such AOR/Westcoast classics like
Hungry heart, He's got you, Heart to heart, Do me right, Runnin' from love, Don't
stop, Not ready (hello JOHN O'BANION!), Lookin for a heartache and She's gone
(an absolute AOR classic with TOTO ish chorus). If only this would be released
on VINYL, because it is from an incredible high level. The songs, the
production, the musicianship and of course Greg's vocals, this is AOR/Westcoast
Heaven! Let's hope a label like AOR HEAVEN will pick this up and release it
officially on a silver pressed CD or even better, on vinyl, because that is
what this 1982 recorded album basically deserves. Thanks to producer RICH LANG
for sending me a CDR of this album, which deserves a rating of 9.3 out of 10!.
Anyway, hopefully to be continued soon, but meanwhile Rich also sent his own
music, because he released music himself too and Back to forever is his latest
album. The included music is calmer Westcoast/Pop with a lot of
Soul/Jazz/R&B influences, Quite calm and sort with a Smooth Jazz approach
as well, not bad at all, although vocally I have to say that you cannot compare
it to GREG GUIDRY. Check it out for yourself at: https://richlangmusic.com/
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
EVOLVE
'CHOOSE YOUR PATH' (INDEPENDENT/SWISS IMPORT)
Out of Switzerland
comes the band EVOLVE, whom were formed in 2005 by guitarist Patrick Wise,
bassist Cedric Savoy and keyboardist Benny Pendola. The line-up changed a few
times, but when drummer Sebastien Chavez joined in 2007 it became quite stable,
although the real adventure would be to find the right lead singer. They
recently found Jean-Marc Viller and he made it possible to record a full-length
debut album titled Choose your path. His voice makes them standout between the
rest, as he has a sort a JORN LANDE meets RONNIE JAMES DIO kinda vibe that
makes the band sounds a bit more Metal than the usual more melodic
Progmetalbands out there. The result is a very impressive Progressive Metal adventure
that sounds a bit raw and edgy due to the slightly 'aggressive' vocals, but it
is all done at a very high level and reminding me a lot of EVERGREY, CIRCLE 2
CIRCLE and SAVATAGE actually. Songs like the senational Time, Deal with
desperation, Liberty and Symbols are very good examples of how well EVOLVE
brings their raw Progressive Metal, with still offering memorable melodies both
in the chorus and the instrumental departments. It took them a long time before
releasing an album, but the result is definitely something to be proud of,
because this is Progmetal at it's very best. The absolute highlight for me
personally is the lovely ballad ish closing track Time, which is actually an
acoustic version of one of the earlier songs on the album and besides, it is a
hidden bonustrack, but overall a song you don't want to miss, because it shows
a different side of EVOLVE. Check the band out for yourself at: https://www.evolve-world.net/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
PARADISE
'PARADISE' (VEGA MUSIQUE/CANADA IMPORT)
In the past I have
reviewed quite a lot of bands named PARADISE, but this Canadian PARADISE is new
to me. The band is actually not really a new band, because they were formed
many years ago and their previous 2 releases were done in the early 2000s,
namely 2002’s “Rock Anthropologists On The Kon Tiki Voyage” which featured Mike
Plant (SWORD) and drum god Michel “Away” Langevin (VOIVOD) and follow-up
record, 2005’s “Hotel” included a collaboration with VOIVOD’s late Denis
“Piggy” D’Amour. PARADISE's current line up is composed of Frank Kelly
(guitars), Fred Kelly (bass), RL Black (vocals), Fred Crew Grrr (guitars) and
Mat Hias (drums) and this new album is simply titled Paradise. Included are 10
hard-hitting tunes that feature massive sounding Hardrock/Metal ish guitar
riffs and strong vocals that will definitely appeal to the fans of bands like
CLUTCH, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, KYUSS and such heavy Stoner Rockacts, although
I cam also hear some classic THIN LIZZY influences here and there. The songs
are nevertheless melodic and memorable and if we check all the songs, the
highlights are the opener Straight from hell (uptempo melodic heavy rock with
excellent guitarsolo and a strong chorus), Who do you wanna be (punchy midtempo
Melodic Heavy Rocker with a catchy chorus and awesome guitarwork once again)
and the uptempo Free ine xile and Long gone, with it's slight 80s galloping
tradtional Melodic Metal approach. However, any of the songs sound very good
and impressive and you can really tell that this is a highly professional band,
recommended to the fans of real Hardrock/Metal that is based around big massive
riffs, shredding guitarsolos, an uptempo rocking sound and the typical Metal
voice. Check them out at: https://paradiserockband.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS 'HEAVY PSYCH RECORDS 2020 SAMPLER' (HEAVY PSYCH RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
Heavy Psych Sounds
Records is a high quality record label from Italy that is focused on classic
rock mainly, but to be a bit more precise, they are specialized in Heavy Psych,
Stoner, Retro Rock, Vintage Rock, Proto Punk, Sludge, Acid Rock, Doom, Space
Rock, 70 Rock, Garage Psych, Fuzz Blues, Proto Metal and Occult Rock. Kinda
like High Roller Records, but then only focused on new acts playing this late
60s/70s sound. We recently reviewed volume 4 of their compilation albums Heavy Psych
Sounds Records Volumes series and now there is volume 5. Once again an
excellent compilation album of obscure new bands in the mentioned genres. This
time 17 bands are included and if we go through the tracklisting, the
highlights are the bands ALUNAH (fantastic, with superb melodies and strong
female singer), ACID MAMMOTH (OZZY like SABBATH Doom Metal), DUEL (awesome
uptempo Melodic Doom/NWOBHM Metal), NEBULA (groovy fuzzy 70s guitar riff driven
Hardrock at it's very best), NIGHTSTALKER (more 70s based Stoner Metal), the
proggy YAWNING MAN and the massive sounding RYTE. Hopefully we will get the
chance to review more of these bands in the near future, as some have full
length releases out. In the meantime, more info at: https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
NIGHTPORTS
W BETAMAX 'NIGHTPORTS W BETAMAX' (THE LEAF LABEL/KONKURRENT)
The musician-producers Adam Martin and
Mark Slater are together the band NIGHTPORTS and to follow-up their previous
album from 2018, they now teamed up with the talented drummer and percussionist
BETAMAX and recorded an album filled with high class complex instrumental
music. The drums are sounding quite amazing here and well it is very hard to
actually describe the music, but it feets somewhere between prog and jazz with
a focus on very modern approach. It is not an easy album to listen to, but on
the other hand there is a lot to discover here. It was recorded in one day on
the 23rd of February 2018 with The Comet Is Coming’s Betamax at Malcolm Catto’s
Quatermass Sound Lab studio. The result is very interesting and I can only
imagine how much improvisation has been going on while recording this album and
that is perhaps the charm and essence of this release. More info at:
https://nightports.bandcamp.com/album/nightports-w-betamax
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
THE
DOGS 'CROSSMAKER' (DRABANT MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Crossmaker is already
the 8th album of the Oslo, Norway based band THE DOGS, whom musically is
playing quite aggressive dark edgy heavy garage rock with songs that sound
quite punky, but also a bit of gothic rock can be heard here and there. They
also pay respect to classic acts like IGGY POP, THE STOOGES, NEW YORK DOLLS and
even some Industrial influences are notable (MARILYN MANSON). Especially the
beginning is very raw, dirty and mean with a punky heavy rocksound and a singer
who sounds quite agressive. This is absolutely no problem at all, because it
connects with the music, although I have to say that when the band goes for a
slightly lighter approach like the strong uptempo Toy guns in a butchery and Without
a warning, they come across like a great mix of IGGY POP and GUNS'N'ROSES,
showing some of their sleazy hardrock influences and also the slow Gothic like
The octopus embrace of drugs shows a completely different side of the band,
almost like LEONARD COHEN meets NICK CAVE. The midtempo catchy closing track
Make it hurt until we forget and also Love says nothing (pure Gothic Rock) once
again give us a lighter side of the band and let's hope this diversity will
continue on a future record! When they rock out very hard and rough, then It's
like THE DOGS are possessed somehow, which is definitely interesting, because
they bring it with a lot of energy that only makes you want to go out and see
them live somewhere. In between these raw tunes, there's as mentioned also room
for Gothic and even dark Singer/songwriter pop/rock influences, so in the end
an interesting band for sure! It might take a while to catch the live due to
corona, but you can already check out their music at: https://www.thedogs.no/
(Points:
7.9 out of 10)
HANNAH
WICKLUND 'THE INBETWEEN EP VINYL' (STRAWBERRY MOON RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
I discovered HANNAH
WICKLUND via an interesting vinyl compilation LP entitled The New Wave Of Rock
& Roll, which featured among many other new British Hardrockacts her superb
rocking tune Bomb through the breeze. She already released 2 albums and number
3 is coming in the near future, but meanwhile she released a very interesting
mini-EP titled The inbetween on vinyl record. The included songs are basically
only showing Hannah on vocals and guitar and nothing more. This is her stripped
sound and it sounds really amazing as well. Hannah has an amazing voice and I
think I am safe to say that she belongs in the BETH HART category. I have not
been able to hear her other 2 full-length albums, so I know her rocksong that
already blew me away and now there is also the stripped version of this song on
this vinyl EP. Here it sounds of course much calmer, but the impact might be
even stronger, as here you can hear the superb vocals of Hannah even better.
There are 3 more songs to be found here, all sounding quite good, but Bomb
through the breeze is the absolute winner here. This is one of those releases
you just need to have in your collection and hopefully we can hear and review
much more of this extremely talented British musician soon. Check her out at: https://www.hannahwicklund.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CLASS
M. PLANETS 'RAVENSWOOD VINYL LP' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The Portland, Oregon
based band CLASS M. PLANETS is basically the baby of
guitarist/vocalist/songwriter ADAM GOLDMAN. In 2013 the debut album of his
band/project CLASS M. PLANETS was released and now a follow-up is available.
Adam was kind enough to sent me the vinyl release of Ravenswood and I must say
that the artwork really impresses me and I was actually thinking this was going
to be a 1970s kinda Sympho/Progrock adventure. Instead we get typical American
Alternative College Rock with a sort of 1990s Twangle Pop sound that reminds me
a bit of R.E.M., although also bands like THE JAYHAWKS and even CROWDED HOUSE
come to mind. It's a very nice album that would have had a normal release if
corona did not get in the way, so now it has been sort of postponed to a mid
July release. Anyway, besides Adam on guitar and singing, there is a list of
other involved musicians that helped him along the way. Most of the material
goes in a similar direction, which is calmer and acoustic guitar driven, but
always keen on the melodies. The aforementioned comparisons are clearly notable
all throughout the album. It is all done very well and you wouldn't say this is
an independent release, because it sounds too good for that. Hear the music for
yourself at: https://classmplanets.bandcamp.com
and http://www.classmplanets.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BELLYBUSTER
'WHEN THE MORNING COMES' (INDEPENDENT/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of the Swedish city of Vaxjo comes
BELLYBUSTER, a great no-nonsense rock and roll band with a strong professional
sound on their debut album When the morning comes. The band is formed around Tomas
Olsson – Vocals and guitar, Martin Javerbrant – Bassguitar and backing vocals, Beo
Kjellson – Drums and backing vocals and Wincent Ek – Guitar and backing vocals.
Of course AC/DC influences are very notable during a catchy song like Out of
sight or On your own tonight, but BELLYBUSTER do it really well and with an own
touch, but more importantly, there is a lot of fresh energy to be heard on this
first album. It sounds like the guys have countless years of experience already
with such a professional sound, but When the morning comes is just a start and
much more will follow according to the band. Let's hope so, because they truly
deliver a lot of great music on their debut. 10 songs are included and this is
how good classic Hardrock should sound like. If AC/DC, DIRTY LOOKS, ROSE
TATTOO, KROKUS, KIX and such bands are belonging to your favorite acts, then
you will absolutely love BELLYBUSTER from Sweden. If you like one tune, you
will love all the included 10 uptempo straight ahead Hardrock sing-a-long
anthems! More info at: http://www.bellybuster.se
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
GON
MURUAGA 'POSTALES DE UN VIAJA SIN RETORNO' (ECLIPSE MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
GON MURUAGA is an Argentinian guitarist
who recorded a great instrumental album titled Postales de un viaja sin
retorno. On the album we can hear Gon trying out a lot of diverse
guitarplaying, while the songs are a mix of smooth and complex Jazz kinda
directions, but the experimental approach will also appeal to perhaps the
progfans among us. Besides Gon, other involved musicians are Ignacio Martin -
bass, Axel Filip - drums and Sebastián Sáenz - trumpet, flugel horn. Together
they create a lot improvised music here with in total 8 songs, some of them
being quite lengty and perhaps the highlight is kept until the very end with
the 10 minutes counting Circulo polar. Check it out for yourself at: https://eclipsemusicrecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/postales-de-un-viaje-sin-retorno
and http://www.gonmuruaga.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
FEATHER
MOUNTAIN 'NIDUS VINYL RECORD' (NORDSO RECORDS/DENMARK IMPORT)
Out of Copenhagen, Denmark
comes the interesting sensational Progressive Rockband FEATHER MOUNTAIN and
they were kind enough to sent me their debut album on VINYL RECORD! This kind
of self-promotion is of course always bringing a smile on my face and it's
definitely an additional motivation to really explore them into the smallest
detail. The band was formed in 2017 by bass player Andreas Dahl-Blumenberg,
drummer Christian Dahl-Blumenberg and lead singer Mikkel Lohmann, whom have already
played music together since 2013. In 2018 guitarists Jens Baalkilde Andersen
and Oliver Ramstedt joined and from then on they started working together with
producer Johan Emanuel Jørgensen on their debut album Nidus. The result is now
in our hands and I must say it is a very high quality album that actually could
have been an INSIDE OUT MUSIC release or on any of the other established major
Progrock labels. FEATHER MOUNTAIN's sound is quite modern, but also very
melodic, thanks to a superb clean singer (without accent!) and instrumentally
they bring out the best there is possible in progrock. MUSE meets PORCUPINE
TREE and a tiny bit op OPETH (a few brutal screams) is probably a way to
describe the melodic progressive rock of FEATHER MOUNTAIN, but there's more
than meets the eye and actually they have already created an own identity on
their very first album. 7 songs are included, of which some are quite lengthy
and for example Guilt of the absent marks part 2 is a lovely Progrocker, with
it's beautiful melodic chorus and interesting complex instrumental parts. However,
Side-A ends with the real highlight, which is the superb Melodic Progressive
Metal of In passing that has a lovely catchy chorus that sounds like a perfect
cross between HAKEN, FROST*, THRESHOLD and SUBSIGNAL.
Side-B's absolute
highlight is the 12 minutes counting epic melodic progrock/progmetal masterpiece
Balance act that is the song DREAM THEATER has been dreaming to make for ages
and this song captures the best of FEATHER MOUNTAIN into 1 song, featuring
brilliant melodies with lovely guitarwork in a perfect prog setting, while also
making room for calmer parts and ending into a heavy OPETH ish dark Progmetal
climax. There are as already mentioned a few brutal screams to be heard here
and there on a couple of songs, but overall the clean melodic vocals are
thankfully in the majority and FEATHER MOUNTAIN is clearly focuses on strong
melodies packed in a technical complex instrumental Progrock adventure. It's
all been done very well and I can therefore highly recommend the album to all
the fans of slightly heavier Melodic Progressive Rock (with some Progmetal
guitar riffs) like any of the mentioned bands. Check them out at: https://feathermountainband.com/
and https://feathermountain.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
PALE
GREY LORE 'ESCHATOLOGY' (SMALL STONE RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
I received a very nice
package from the US label SMALL STONE RECORDS out of Detroit, which is a label
I have had contact with a few times over the past 25 years since their
foundation in 1995, but I sadly also missed a lot of albums through the years
due to losing contact several times, so it was nice to see 3 new CDs being
delivered. I have to say that this is a high quality label with mostly superb
releases that all show a high class of delivered music, which is also the case
here. PALE GREY LORE is a band from Columbus, Ohio, USA and they were formed
back in 2014 by the brothers Michael (guitar, vocals) and Adam Miller (drums)
and Donovan Johnson (bass), while Xander Roseberry (guitar, backing vocals)
joined them a little bit later. Already in 2016 they released their debut
album, which was received quite well by the press and now it is time for the
follow-up Eschatology. The music is a mix of Doom, Stoner and Classic Hardrock,
with a strong 1970s approach, while Michael has a fantastic voice that makes
PALE GREY LORE standout between the rest. They have a very authentic sound and
do not fool around with any modern influences. 10 songs are included and Sunken
cities starts sensational, with superb melodies and a big fat groovy sound that
combines stoner rock and classic melodic doom metal. Following track Greed
springs eternal is a lovely uptempo stoner classic hardrocksong with those huge
70s BLACK SABBATH guitar riffs, but as already mentioned vocally it is cleaner
and more melodic (like URIAH HEEP). Before the fall slows things down to
perfect Doom Metal like BLACK SABBATH/CANDLEMASS and has some cool
twin-guitarwork towards the end in classic LIZZY/HEEP style. Regicide is a bit
heavier and more melodic metal, while the first calmer song is Waiting for the
dawn, a beautiful semi-ballad that is really close to classic 1970s URIAH HEEP
and even touches a bit of Prog/Pomprock like the legendary ASHBURY. Back to the
classic hard hitting 1970s riffs during the uptempo The rift, while the slow
Doom Metal of Void-curses is pure OZZY fronted BLACK SABBATH circa the early
1970s. Silent command is uptempo Stoner Rock with Classic Hardrock and
Psychedelic Rock influences and so is Undermined, while closing track is the
titletrack Eschatology, a 6 minutes counting epic that combines all their influences
and could well be considered as a 1970s Classic Rock Masterpiece!
Concluded, we have
here an absolute winner for any fan of classic 1970s Stoner/Doom/Hardrock with
massive BLACK SABBATH influences, but PALE GREY LORE still gives it an own
touch due to the extremely strong (clean melodic) vocals. I am very positive
about this album and in the Metalworld, they have the potential to become
really huge, because bands like BARONESS, WOLFMOTHER, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
or MASTODON have also reached a major public, so why not PALE GREY LORE. Check
them out at: http://www.palegreylore.com
and https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/eschatology
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
SEVEN
PLANETS 'EXPLORER' (SMALL STONE RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Explorer is the 3rd
album of the American band SEVEN PLANETS, which was formed back in 2007 by
guitarists LEONARD HANKS and JIM WAY, bassist MIKE WILLIAMS and drummer BEN PITT.
Together they create a sensational instrumental sound that contains influences
of groovy classic Metal, heavy Bluesrock, some Stoner Rock and a lot of
Progrock. It is clearly back to the 1970s here, although they keep it under
control here with still a fresh approach on the 8 included songs. It starts
quite heavy with the short Vanguard, which is Stoner Rock meets Progmetal ish,
but next song Plain truth in a homespun dress is more melodic and even a little
bit laid-back, while Explorer is a super melodic and beautiful well crafted
progressive rocksong built around a strong guitar riff. The Stoner Rock meets
HENDRIX/CREAM riffs are clearly present during 206 and as for the remaining 4
songs, they also follow the mixture of prog, stoner rock, bluesrock and classic
Metal as heard during the first 4 songs, so in the end you will be pleased with
almost 50 minutes of excellent instrumental guitar riff driven Hardrock/Metal
of the classic 1970s school! More info at: http://www.sevenplanetsband.com
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
IRATA
'TOWER' (SMALL STONE RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Out of Greensburo, North Carolina comes
IRATA, an exciting band formed back in 2017. Their line-up consists of Jon Case
- Bass and vocals, Jason Ward - Drums, vocals, and synth, Owen Burd- Guitar,
vocals, trumpet and guitarist Cheryl Manner. Cheryl is currently inactive in
the band, but did play on their latest album Tower, which was released in 2019
on SMALL STONE RECORDS. We are definitely hearing a sensational band here with
superstrong clean vocals and a sound that takes the best of a couple of
rockstyles, because there's BLACK SABBATH ish Doom Metal, Stoner Fuzz Rock, big
Progressive Rock guitar riffs and complexity, but also melodic choruses and
soaring guitarsolo's, so a real melting pot that works fantastic during superb
songs like Waking eye (perfect mix of Stoner and Progmetal), Weightless and
Golden tongue (both very catchy and very melodic!) and Innocent murmur (a clear
early 90s Alternative Rock kinda direction like JANE'S ADDICTION meets ALICE IN
CHAINS), but also the hypnotic Constellations should be mentioned as this
captures the best of prog, doom and melodic heavy rock in 1 superb tune!
Concluded, these guys are doing a great job, because they mix a lot of various
styles and thankfully still sound melodic enough to be remembered. Check them
out a.s.a.p. at: https://smallstone.bandcamp.com/album/tower
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
WASHED
OUT 'PURPLE NOON' (SUB POP/KONKURRENT)
Out of Athens,
Georgia, USA comes WASHED OUT, a singer/songwriter project formed around
multi-instrumentalist ERNEST WEATHERLY GREENE JR. Personally I am not that
familiar with his previous 2 albums, but on this new album Purple noon, it is
clear that we are dealing with high quality music and the beauty of it all, he
did everything on his own! Musically speaking and also perhaps due to that fact
he is a 'loner', the best comparison to make is then of course TAME IMPALE. 10
songs are included and I am safe to say that this album will give him a lot of
exposure, because it is of an exceptional high level. Opener Too late starts just
perfectly as it sounds very fresh, but still captures a sort of retro 80s ish
vibe with even a STING ish chorus. Lush dreampop can be heard in a song like
Face up, while Time to walk away is a midtempo pop piece. If I have to pick
favorite songs, I would like to add Paralyzed, Leave you behind and Reckless
desires, which are basically guaranteed hits with it's beautifully crafted
melodies that sound very melancholical and also just a little bit commercial.
Game of chance is another highlight, which is a really beautiful calmer piece
that once again reminds me a bit of STING somehow. Concluded, this new WASHED
OUT album could be a bigger breakthrough in Europe for Ernest, because in the
USA he has already made a big name. If he is lucky, one of the mentioned songs
will be picked up by the radio and becomes a hit. Definitely check out this
album when it's released, as it is a real summer friendly album! More info at: https://washedout.net/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
DOUGIE
POOLE 'THE FREELANCER'S BLUES' (WHARF CAT RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
Out of Brooklyn, USA
comes singer/songwriter DOUGIE POOLE and the freelancer's blues is his 2nd
album. Although he comes out of New York, his music is basically very much
going into a Country direction as we know it from the Memphis/Nashville area.
On the other hand, it is not entirely Country music based, because it feels
slightly different with a singer/songwriter/pop kinda approach. MERLE HAGGARD,
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON, WILLIE NELSON and such surely come to mind during a song
like These drugs aren't working, but if you listen to the first couple of
songs, they offer a modern pop touch to the classic country style. Dougie is a
real crooner, with a perfect voice and melodies that seem to come straight out
of the classic American songbook, with also here and there an ELVIS meets
JOHNNY CASH kinda feeling, such as can be heard during Los Angeles and
especially the closing titletrack, although opener Vaping on the job also
reveals some Americana influences like CALEXICO or FLEET FOXES. It has a bit of
everything and thanks to the help of several guest musicians, he is able to
give it a 'band' kinda feeling. Country/Americana Pop/Rock meets 70s
Singer/Songwriter might be the best comparison, although the second part of the
album is going a bit too much into the classic country crooner direction. Not
bad at all, but somehow I think Dougie can do even better if he drops a bit of
the crooner ish material. Check it out for yourself at: https://dougiepoole.bandcamp.com/album/the-freelancers-blues
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
MICHAEL
BORMANN'S JADED HARD 'FEELS LIKE YESTERDAY' (RMB RECORDS/GERMANY IMPORT)
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
GOLDEN
CAVES 'DYSERGY' (INDEPENDENT)
The corona virus has
spoilt a lot in the musicworld in 2020, because the Dutch band GOLDEN CAVES was
about to do an album presentation of their new record Dysergy around the corner
of where I live here in Dordrecht, but this has been postponed sadly. Thankfully
their new record has been released nevertheless, so there's something to enjoy
here for sure. GOLDEN CAVES already released an album in the past, so Dysergy
is their 2nd album. They were formed in 2013 when all five members were
students at the famous Dutch arts university Codarts (Rotterdam) and I remember
that in the past I reviewed another band which was formed over there. The band
consists of Vocals: Romy Ouwerkerk, Guitar: Alex Ouwehand, Keys: Elise Polman, Bass
guitar: Tim Wensink and Drums: Erik Stein. 10 songs are included and without a
doubt, this is an impressive album from start to finish. When opener Chromosome
blasts through the speakers, it is crystal clear that we have here another high
quality female fronted release from my own country! This excellent midtempo
Progressive Melodic Rocker touches the same high quality as UK bands like
MOSTLY AUTUMN, yet with a catchy poppier chorus that is typical Dutch
(DELAIN/WITHIN TEMPTATION/THE GATHERING). Following track Dignity goes a bit
more into the Progressive Rock direction, but it's Hide & seek when things
become really proggy. This song starts very calm, with beautiful vocals and
develops into a somewhat complex heavy progrocker with a chorus that shows the
amazing skills of Romy, because KATE BUSH similarities can be heard here.
Temperature continues their pure Progrocksound and we are pleased with a superb
sensational song up next. This is How to care, a sorta ballad ish song, but
packed in a progrock meets KATE BUSH ish approach. Things go back to big time
Progrock again on the song Happy dreams, while Samsara is a beautiful calmer
poppier song with ballad ish influences and sounding like a mix between KATE
BUSH and ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN. Little lonely is another great Melodic
Progrocker with a strong chorus and once again showing the fantastic skills of
Romy. Black hound follows and is a sensational uptempo modern sounding
Progressive Melodic Rocker that does sound like WITHIN TEMPTATION/DELAIN going
more proggy. The chorus of this song is very catchy and could bring them radio
airplay. Closing track Somehow is ending the album in a relaxing traditional
progrock featuring a lovely guitarsolo as well. Concluded, this album is a must
for the prog fans out there, but as you can see if you like the typical Dutch
female fronted Gothic/Metalsound, then you will enjoy this as well. In fact,
you will discover much more when listening to GOLDEN CAVES than the new records
of WITHIN TEMPTATION and DELAIN, so go check them out at: http://www.goldencaves.com
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
MARK
NEWMAN 'EMPIRICAL TRUTH' (DANAL MUSIC/WBA RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Out of New York comes
the sensational musician MARK NEWMAN, a guitarist/songwriter who has already
done quite a lot in the past, but Empirical truth is the first album I get to
hear and review. He has quite an impressive list of musicians with whom he
worked, including STING, WILLY DEVILLE, ELVIS COSTELLO, JOHN OATES and many
more. I am not familiar with his earlier albums, but this new album is
definitely a very strong release. Mark uses a bunch of fantastic singers to
sing his songs (STEVE BLUTH, JEFF LUBIN, JACOB KOCH, NAOMI MARGOLIN, MAAG
STANLEY and several others), all sounding very typical American (a la JOHNNY
VAN ZANT), while his music is also very American, with a strong Southern Rock
touch. 12 songs are included and after the bluesier southern rocking start of
Scapegoat, we get to hear a great calmer melodic southern rockballad titled Life
without you that reminds me of JOHNNY VAN ZANT. Southern rocker Mississippi
mile (JOHN OATES cover) follows and reminds me of classic DOC HOLIDAY, THE
OUTLAWS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD, while When I aim my gun is a lovely catchy melodic
tune, combining AOR and Southern Rock like only the Americans can do it. Seven
days is a very melodic calmer acoustic tingled piece with an incredible catchy
pop/AOR chorus. One more song about a highway is uptempo Americana meets
Southern Rocker. Sharin' the blues is a strong slow bluesy tune and following
track Pipeline is a really great uptempo bluesy southern rocker. FREDDIE SCOTT
cover Are you lonely for me is a superb soulful tune with even some Gospel
kinda harmonyvocals. Everything you know is the only instrumental song on the
album and a really great one actually! Roll um easy is a nice LITTLE FEAT cover
and closing track Lycanthropy is a nice light southern rocker. Quite a surprise
this album, with fantastic guitarwork by Mark and really impressive vocals here
and there by the guest singers, all together packed in 12 strong songs, so
definitely highly recommended to anyone who likes any of the aforementioned
bands. More info at: http://www.marknewman.us
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
DAVID
KUHN 'ON OUR WAY' (RMG/USA IMPORT)
Now this is really
nice as recently American singer/songwriter DAVID KUHN contacted me about his
new solo album On our way. It must have been somewhere in the 1990s I reviewed
and interviewed him and every now and then I still play his legendary album
Talk it over from 1997. It was a fun time to review all those independent AOR
releases from the USA back then, because there was still quite a lively scene
to discover throughout the 1990s. Nowadays AOR is almost completely dead in the
USA and is an European affair, but David's solo return is definitely worth to
mention here, especially since we go back 20+ years in time. Catching up again
is always a good thing, especially in these rare corona times! The new CD On
our way is slightly poppier than Talk it over, although it still reflects the
80s Poprock sound. 5 songs are included and after the very poppy start On our
way, things become more AOR/80s Poprock ish with the catchy Feeling good that
reminds me a bit of WANG CHUNG meets THE POLICE. Heading back out again is a
short poptune, while the midtempo Turning point is as close to 80s pop/rock as
you can get, with a sorta 80s IT BITES/GENESIS/YES (circa 90125) light progpop
touch. In fact, I am actually very much thinking of JON ANDERSON's 80s solo
material when listening to this album (both musically and vocally), so overall
it is less AOR and more 80s Pop with a light proggy touch. This can be heard
very clearly during closing track Time to say goodbye, a calm song that also
gives me an 80s DENNIS DEYOUNG kinda feeling. The songs are quite short, so it
is all over in a minute, which is a pity, because David's voice is still
amazing! I can't believe he has not released any solo albums between Talk it
over and this EP, because this guy has got a great voice and especially in the
past he wrote some sensational AOR rockers (CITADEL was his first band, a
Pomprockband from the late 1970s whom released 1 album and THE LADDER's song Time
soldier is one of the absolute best AOR songs of the 1980s!). I remember he did
release in 2013 an album as the KUHN BROTHERS, but let's hope he will record a
full-length solo-album in the near future and also goes for a more rockier
sound, because I think this new EP might be a bit too soft for the AOR fans
among us. Nevertheless, it is good to see him back with a nice release and hear
his voice again, which is still perfectly in shape. More info at: https://davidkuhnsongs.com/about-david
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
KINGS
OF DUST 'KINGS OF DUST' (SHOCK RECORDS/VANITY MUSIC GROUP/USA IMPORT)
Out of Phoenix,
Arizona, USA comes KINGS OF DUST, a band formed around well-seasoned musicians
whom played in legendary bands like BADLANDS, CRASH STREET KIDS and SURGICAL
STEEL. The music on their same titled debut album is also a mix of these bands,
combining classic 80s melodic metal of the IRON MAIDEN school with late 1980s/early
90s bluesy melodic hardrock a la BADLANDS/KINGDOM COME. The result is a strong
album, which was produced by bassist GREG CHAISSON (BADLANDS, SIRCLE OF SILENCE
and many other bands), mixed by lead singer MICHAEL THOMAS BECK (RED DRAGON
CARTEL) and mastered by BRAD VANCE (RAINBOW, GRAHAM BONNET, RITCHIE BLACKMORE,
WARRANT, etc) at Red Mastering in Newbury Park, California. 13 songs are
included and we definitely get to hear high quality stuff here! The best songs
are the uptempo rocking opener Like an ocean, the groovy My piece of mine, Ugly,
Mama and the uptempo Ya, that's me. I think this band will be best appreciated
by the fans of the classic late 80s/early 90s groovy melodic hardrock which
went through the major labels around that time. MAIDEN ish vocals are making it
sound slightly different, but if you like any of the mentioned bands, then make
sure to check them out at: https://kod.band/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
MATT
MITCHELL & THE COLDHEARTS 'MATT MITCHELL & THE COLDHEARTS' (INDEPENDENT/UK
IMPORT)
I discovered MATT
MITCHELL & THE COLDHEARTS via a wonderful new compilation vinyl record that
featured a bunch of great unsigned Classic Rockacts from the UK. I got in touch
with them quite quickly and they were kind enough to sent me their superb debut
album. MATT MITCHELL is as expected the leader of the band and upon checking
his resume, I learned that he was part of the AOR band PRIDE, FURYON and
several other acts, so actually we already reviewed some of his work in the
past. Now the Brighton based musician is back with a new band that backs him up
on this same titled debut album. Without a doubt, Matt absolutely delivers here
a fantastic record that is filled with a lot of excellent tunes that also
musically are quite diverse. His vocals are really terrific and give each and
every song the much needed push to jump out of the big rockscene. Opener Black
diamonds hits big time from the start and is a fantastic groovy heavy blues rocker
with awesome guitarwork and reminding a bit of RIVAL SONS and BLUES PILLS. Next
track Home is completely different, even a bit AOR/Melodic Rock ish with a
superb catchy chorus. Back to classic uptempo Hardrock with On & on that
even reminds me a bit of GUNS'N'ROSES and BANG TANGO. Dare you to watch follows
and this is a sensational uptempo Melodic Rocker that reminds me a bit of JADED
HEART, and here Matt shows he is an amazing singer, who absolutely deserves a
lot of attention. Kings & queens is also following this Melodic Hardrock
route, although this song reminds me a bit of GUN and KICK. Unavailable is back
to the groovy rocksound of the opening song, this time reminding a bit of THE
BLACK KEYS, so with a modern approach, although you can also trace some
AEROSMITH influences here. We're only halfway and it already is clear that Matt
has delivered a masterpiece, which seems to get unnoticed by the larger
audience, which is a real pity, because there are so many great songs on this
album. Do you wanna be my God is a nice Classic Rock ish tune that grabs back
to the 1970s, sorta like T-REX, HUMBLE PIE, ROLLING STONES and SMALL FACES. Old
enough & ugly enough is a calmer somewhat singer/songwriter piece with a
very light Southern Rock ish touch. The album continues with Wave goodbye,
which is a nice uptempo melodic poprocker, although so far the least
interesting track due to the fact it misses a strong chorus. Up next is
Everything to you, a short straight ahead rocker with strong drums, while Keep
me safe is a calmer sorta acoustic/Americana ish song that is actually not far
removed from JASON ISBELL or CALEXICO. Waiting for the sun is a nice uptempo
rocker a la ENUFF'Z'NUFF, but not really special if we compare it to the
sensational uptempo rockers in the beginning of the album. The final 2 songs
are an acoustic version of Home and a piano version of Dare you to watch, which
is really great, because those are the finest songs on the album and here they
are performed in a solo version that shine a big light on Matt as being a
superb singer. The conclusion is simple, because you absolutely do not want to miss
Matt's sensational Classic Rock debut album and therefore please go for more
info to: http://www.mattmitchellmusic.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
THE
MUGGS 'SLAVE TO SOUND VOLUME 5' (MUGGS MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
Slave to sound volume 5 is already the 7th
album of the Detroit based band THE MUGGS. I believe that I already reveiwed an
album of them in the past, but this is a fresh new 2020 album, which makes it
nice to see where they are now musically speaking. When listening to the new
album, it is quite unbelievable this band is still unsigned, because they play
awesome Classic Rock with a Powerpop/Melodic Rock touch as well, kinda like a
mix between CHEAP TRICK, THE B'ZZ, ZZ TOP and STRANGER, but also with some
bluesy rock influences here and there. The band was formed in 2020 and features
3 members, Danny Methric- Vocals, guitar, Tony DeNardo- Rhodes Bass and Todd
Glass- Drums. There are 11 songs on the new record and right from the start
they set the bar very high, because both Slave to sound and Gator are fantastic
catchy uptempo Classic Rocktunes with strong guitarwork and really fine melodies.
Things get a bit calmer at first sight on Occupied blues, but also this songs
rocks well enough as the song develops, although perhaps a bit more bluesier.
The rest of the album keeps rocking, but is also very diverse musically
speaking and so there are quite a lot highlights, such as the slow BLUE OYSTER
CULT ish After the ending, the melodic soulful poppy 60s influenced R&B ish
ballad Magnet and steel (a la SAM COOKE!), the lovely melodic Southern Rocker
Breaking my own and the sensational heavy slow bluesrocker Son and daughter
(mix between classic SABBATH/CREAM/ZEPPELIN and today's bands like RIVAL
SONS/DE WOLFF/THE BLACK KEYS).THE MUGGS is all about Classic American Rock of
the 1970s/1980s at it's very best, so everything you musically ever loved from
the US of A out of that period in history is brought to you on this album. Make
sure to check out their album at: https://themuggs.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
DEEPSHADE
'SOUL DIVIDER' (INDEPENDENT/WORM HOLE DEATH RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
And yet another
sensational new British band, this time from Wigan, and their latest album is
titled Soul divider. They were formed in 2013 and have already released a few
albums in the past. When opener Airwaves kicks in, we hear a strong
professional band with a so-called "music magazine/press" rocksound
that fits somewhere between THE SMITHS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE DOORS and
U2, so a little psychedelica in there, but overall midtempo melancholic rock
with a very melodic approach. The band's singer (and guitarist) DAVID RYBKA has
a superb voice and can play the guitar very well, while the other members in
the band are bassist TOMMY DOHERTY and drummer CHRIS OLDFIELD. After the
midtempo start we are heading into high class uptempo rock with the catchy City
burns that sounds even better than the much appraised INHALER. In fact, I am
quite surprised that DEEPSHADE has not yet ben widely regarded as the latest
sensation. I do have to add they rock a little more than for example BLOSSOMS,
INHALER and SLOW READERS CLUB and are perhaps less experimental than LIFE,
IDLES and THE MURDER CAPITAL. However, in-between they fit in just perfectly
with their British way of rocking and here and there they also throw in some great
groovier hardrock like in Burning up. I am very positive about this band and
from the remaining 7 songs after this rocking start, I can add as favorite
tracks Arches of innocence (uptempo big fuzzy guitar driven Stoner Hardrock), the
hypnotic Maryland (a la THE SMITHS) and the heavy closing track Ganzua with
it's Stoner/Doom Metal influences. Make sure not to miss this sensational band
at: https://deepshadehq.bandcamp.com/album/soul-divider
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
Out of Norwich,
Norfolk, UK comes the sensational band LITTLE RED KINGS, whom are delivering a
superb piece of classic British Melodic Rock on their 2nd album The magic show
part one. They were formed in 2011, released their debut in 2018 and now
follow-it up with an album that should gain them a breakthrough among the
Classic Rock community. Formed around the fantastic powerhouse singer/guitarist
Jason Wick, the line-up is further completed by guitarist Dougie Archer, bassist
Ben Beach, keyboardplayer Craig Stevenson and drummer Harry Wickham. The sound
is massive, the vocals are spot-on and the songs are simply brilliant, sounding
like a perfect cross between FREE/BAD COMPANY, THUNDER and a bit of BLACK
CROWES (and also RIVAL SONGS and ROYAL BLOOD here and there). The songs are
mostly uptempo and very melodic, while still keeping the mood swinging and
groovy like a classic British Rockband is known for and after hearing the
sensational first 3 songs (Harry's town, Almost over and That's what you do),
it is clear that we are dealing her with a sensational band that should touch
the hearts of any fan of classic rock! The band also slows things down here and
there (Mam's boy, Weather the storm and Norfolk border is even a bit NICK
CAVE/LEONARD COHEN ish!)) that show their love for almost singer/songwriter ish
material and it's in those songs where Jason's voice sounds really phenomenal.
However, the band is at their best when they rock and besides the earlier
mentioned uptempo rockers, other highlights are Peppermint (an almost Southern
meets Heartland Rocker with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN meets THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM kinda
influences) and the catchy melancholic superb melodic rockish Lose the light.
In the end, they are actually very diverse musically speaking, but when they
truly rock it's classic British rock at it's very best! Check them out a.s.a.p.
at: https://www.littleredkings.com/
and https://littleredkings.bandcamp.com/album/the-magic-show-part-one-promo-release-date-29th-may-2020
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
ROBERT
JON & THE WRECK 'LAST LIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY' (NOBLE PR/UK IMPORT)
ROBERT JON & THE WRECK from Southern
California have been playing live and recording albums the past 10 years with a
very stong sound and it must have been 6 years ago since we last reviewed an
abum of this superb Southern Rockband, but in-between they have built up a huge
reputation and with their new album Last light on the highway the massive
breakthrough should be just around the corner. It's only a pity that corona got
in the way, because European gigs have now all been cancelled or postponed, but
let's hope in the future to come these guys will get the chance again to show
their fantastic skills. Formed around the fantastic singer Robert Jon Burrison,
who has an amazing soulful voice that fits somewhere between JOE COCKER, the
BLACK CROWES singer CHRIS ROBINSON, PAUL RODGERS and HUEY LEWIS, the line-up is
further completed by Andrew Espantman: Drums; Steve Maggiora: Keys/Vocals; Henry
James: Lead Guitar/Vocals and Warren Murrel: Bass/Vocals.
The music is a sensational American
cocktail of Classic Rock, Southern Rock, Blues, Soul and anything else groovy
from the Americas. This can be heard right from the start with the groovy
rockers Oh Miss Carolina and Work it out that remind me of THE BLACK CROWES in
their heydays. Can't stand it shows their love for uptempo 1970s classic
Southern Rock friend ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, while the semi-ballad Tired of
drinking alone is a superb piece of mixing modern Southern Rock/Bluesy Rock,
Classic Rock and pop influenced Melodic Rock like DAUGHTRY and BO BICE meeting
VAN ZANT and THE EAGLES somewhere in a local bar! Back to sensational
twin-guitar driven uptempo classic Southern Rock with the ALLMAN BROTHERS
BAND/LYNYRD SKYNYRD mixture of Do you remember that could well be considered as
a new timeless classic in this genre.
This time around is a midtempo Classic
Southern Rocksong with a lot of hit potential, sounding like JOE COCKER
fronting a rockband! Rocking out big time in classic BLACK CROWES meets RIVAL
SONS meets AEROSMITH during the superb sing-a-long Don't let me go. Things slow
down again during the semi-ballad One last time and despite Gold is another
semi-ballad, this is a more commercial tune and is actually a ridicilously
strong catchy tune like BON JOVI or AEROSMITH haven't produced in the past 20
years, including a lovely chorus and soaring guitarsolo that will stuck in your
head for days and days to come!
The final song on the album is the
titletrack Las light on the highway and this is the absolute finest moment on
the record. The song is split in 2 parts, with part 1 being the calmer acoustic
part where a sorta BRYAN ADAMS kinda voice singing very emotional and the 2nd
part goes into classic 1970s Classic Rock/Southern Rock territory with amazing
soaring guitarsolos a la LYNYRD SKYNYRD and LED ZEPPELIN, while the song itself
also has some similarities to classic FREE and BAD COMPANY as well! A fantastic
way to end a sensational album that will probably be included in the top 10
albums of 2020! The level of this new album of Robert Jon is exceptionally high
and Last light on the highway is probably the finest Southern Rock album since
the classic 70s! Check them out a.s.a.p. at: https://robertjonandthewreck.com/
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
STONEWALL
NOISE ORCHESTRA 'DEATHTRIPPER' (TRANSUBSTANS RECORDS/SOUND POLLUTION/CLEAR
SPOT/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The Swedish band
STONEWALL NOISE ORCHESTRA is active since 2004 and already released a lot of
albums throughout the years, gaining a lot of exposure and are by now quite
established as a well-known act. Their 1970s inspired retro Hardrocksound is
very strong and influences of BLACK SABBATH, URIAH HEEP and MONSTER MAGNET are
obvious when listening to their music, but they also have an own identity,
which can be heard very well on their new album Deathtripper. The uptempo
Melodic Heavy Rockers Deathtripper, The storm (superb!) and Gravity as well as
the midtempo Bones are very sensational and indeed sound like aforementioned
mixture, but also reveal an own twist to this classic Melodic Heavy
Rock/Hardrocksound. The band's previous album The machine, the devil & the
dope was released in 2016 and the reason why it took them 4 years before this
new album is quite sad, because their guitarist MICKE ERICKSSON died of cancer
in 2018. This set them back of course for a long period, especially since they
were working on new material and thankfully they decided to continue and honor
their original guitarist with this new album that also features his last
recorded guitarwork. 9 songs are included and besides the aforementioned songs,
we also need to highlight the superb melodic midtempo Bound to bend the truth
(excellent vocals by lead singer Tony) and the uptempo catchy melodic rockers
Imaginary crown and Satanic love affair. If you're keen on classic guitar
driven 70s inspired Hardrock like good old BLACK SABBATH and URIAH HEEP, with
strong vocals and catchy melodic rock influences as well, then do check out
this Swedish band STONEWALL NOISE ORCHESTRA at: http://www.snoband.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
BAB EL
WEST 'HOUDOUD' (BIG BANANA MUSIC/VEEV COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
As soon as the new
album of the French band BAB EL WEST starts, it is clear that we are dealing
with the latest sensation in World Music that creates the perfect mix between
Western Rock and Middle Eastern traditional sounds. We have seen a lot of acts
playing this mixture the past few years and here and there it is called Desert
Bluesrock, which is definitely a good description, also for this band, but when
listenting to their material you can pick up much more music influences
(Maghreb Folk, Afrobeat, Soul, Gnawa, Pop...). They were formed back in 2011 by
Moroccan singer/guitarist HABIB FARROUKH when he met Bretons companions drummer
MARC DURPONT and bassist CLEMENT VALLIN, while travelling and later on Tunisian
qanun player (sorta harp instrument) NIDHAL JAOUA and Algerian guitarist HAMZA
BENCHERIF joined them. BAB EL WEST has been playing this kind of 'Rock' for
quite some time now in and around Paris, with a debut album release in 2017.
This follow-up Houdoud was released in late 2019 and this album is now
spreading it's word throughout the rest of the world. 9 songs are included in
total and right from the start with the rocking Al khil we are hearing a
sensational groovy band that should also appeal to the regular rockfans out
there besides the attraction they will get from the World Music community. The
band is providing a nice selection of rockier material and calmer songs, while
always holding on to a summer ish groovy vibe that should give you the warm
feelings of being in a southern sunny country. Overall, they remind me a lot of
TAMIKREST and ALTIN GUN, but then with an own kinda vibe. The album passes by
very quickly and besides the mentioned opener, other highlights are Escargot, El
baz and the superb almost classic 1970s progressive rock influenced Talk douft.
I can only imagine that their live shows will be a guarantee for a lot of
enjoyment. Let's hope this will happen soon, because without a doubt, BAB EL
WEST should become a household name in the future. More info at: http://www.babelwest.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
NIQOLAH
SEEVA '3NE' (VLAD PRODUCTIONS/VEEV COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
NIQOLAH SEEVA is a traveling musician and
composer, who melts Western and Western music influences via a Guit°arabia, which
is a hybrid instrument that is a unique mix between an electric oud and a
quarter-tone guitar, built by Jean-Yves Leray (France) and Abdellah Mourid
(Morocco), created and played by Niqolah Seeva in this new crossover project. The
music is a nice mixture of Eastern and Western music, with vocals that are
clearly in the Middle Eastern kinda direction. The material is overall World
Music orentated and not far removed from bands like TAMIKREST and ALTIN GUN,
but then less sensational I'm afraid and perhaps more interesting for the more
traditional World Music fans out there. Not saying it's bad, because you can
hear quality music in here, but somehow it is vocally less stronger than the
aforementioned bands. I would nevertheless recommend you to check it out for
yourself at: http://niqolah-seeva.com/
(Points: 7.1 out of 10)
ANCHOR
LANE 'CASINO' (R7 RECORD/NOBLE PR/UK IMPORT)
Out of Glasgow,
Scotland comes ANCHOR LANE, a no-nonsense kick ass Rock and Roll band with a
sound that fits somewhere between 70s Classic Rock, late 80s Sleazy Hardrock
and even a bit of 90s Alt/Grungerock of the ALICE IN CHAINS kind. The band's
debut album Casino was recorded at Vale Studios in the Midlands with legendary
rock musician, writer and producer Toby Jepson (WAYWARD SONS, GUN, LITTLE
ANGELS). ANCHOR LANE was formed back in 2015 by lead singer Conor Gaffney,
guitarist Lawrence O’ Brien, bass player Matthew Quigley and drummer Scott
Hanlon in their hometown of Glasgow and when listening to such strong groovy
Hardrocking songs like Fame shame, Voodoo and Casino, we are hearing a great
exciting young band with a lot of potential. Admitted, we have heard such
Classic Rock before, but for a first album, ANCHOR LANE truly deliver at a very
high level. The first 2 songs tap out of the uptempo Classic Hardrock corner
like we also know it from BLACK STAR RIDERS (this band's lead singer RICKY
WARWICK also provides back vocals on one of the featured tracks), but with
Voodoo and Casino, the band combines elements of bands like ALICE IN CHAINS/ALTER
BRIDGE with that of Classic British Rock of the FREE/THUNDER kind, which is a
very interesting mixture. The 10 songs that are included are passing by
quickly, as it is a very enjoyable ride for sure, with as one of the highlights
the stunning Shell of me, and therefore I can highly recommend ANCHOR LANE to
any fan of pure groovy Classic Rock. Check them out at: https://anchorlanemusic.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
BAD
TOUCH 'KISS THE SKY' (MARSHALL RECORDS/NOBLE PR/UK IMPORT)
Kiss the sky is already the 4th album of
Norfolk, UK based band BAD TOUCH, whom were formed back in 2010. The band's
line up consists of Stevie Westwood (Vocals), Rob Glendinning (Guitar), Daniel
'Seeks' Seekings (Guitar), George Drewry (Bass) and Michael Bailey (Drums), and
the new album was recorded, produced and mixed by Nick Brine (THE DARKNESS,
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, ARCTIC MONKEYS and countless more) at the legendary
Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales. The album was mastered by Pete Maher (U2,
ROLLING STONES, SNOW PATROL, JACK WHITE, THE KILLERS, etc. etc.), so it is
crystal clear the sound on Kiss the sky is quite perfect. 13 songs are included
and the groovy Classic Rock sounds like a mixture between THUNDER, THE BLACK
CROWES, TESLA, AEROSMITH, LITTLE ANGELS and RIVAL SONS. Despite nothing new is
brought here, the guys are doing a splendid job from star to finish with many
excellent hard hitting pure Classic Rock tunes. Highlights are the opener Come
a little closer (uptempo late 80s rocker), Let go (groovy swinging soulful
rocker a la THE BLACK CROWES), the melodic rock ish wonderful semi ballad See
you again and the lovely hardrocking Read all about it and the AEROSMITH meets
THUNDER ish titletrack. Recommended if you like the aforementioned bands! More
info at: https://badtouchrocks.co.uk/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEW REVIEWS |
| GO TO THE REVIEWSINDEXPAGE |
| BACK TO HOMEPAGE |