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HOT NEW REVIEWS
PAGE 99
‘PAGE 99’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Detroit, Michigan, USA comes the
sensational new project/band PAGE 99. They are formed around JOHN H. NIXON, who
wrote 8 out of the 11 include songs, but he also played almost all the
instruments (drums, bass, percussion, piano, synths, horn arrangements,
background and lead vocals) as well as producing, arranging, mixing and
mastering this first PAGE 99 record. John is therefore actually the brain
behind PAGE 99, which he started working on in 2019, and after 2 years the
result is this superb debut album. Named after the 70s Westcoast/AOR band PAGES
and the classic 99 song by TOTO, this CD is a dream come true for anyone into
classic westcoast from 40 years ago. Besides John, other involved musicians are
lead singer RUSS FITZPATRICK, guitarists CHIP KIPPS, COLTON WEATHERSTON, DUANE
HARLICK (also lead vocals), and ANDREA DI PUCCIO, sax player MIKE NIXON, and
bassist BILL SALISBURY. The mix of various (fantastic laid-back) lead singers
and by using also other musicians gives the whole feeling of an actual band and
it is also clearly done in the way it happened on countless records back in the
late 70s/early 80s with the use of multiple singers and musicians on an album.
11 songs are included in total, and opener midtempo Fantasy World is right from
the start making things very clear that we are dealing here with superb high
class sensational late 1970s/early 1980s US Westcoast/Yacht/AOR with memories
of all the countless acts from that period in music history. It’s smooth,
rocking where it needs to rock (the guitarsolos), jazzy and groovy like in the
1970s and richly filled with crystal clear lead- and harmonyvocal driven catchy
hooks and a killer chorus on top of it all, coming across like a perfect mix
between TOTO, AIRPLAY, BILL LABOUNTY, JAY GRAYDON, PAGES, GREG GUIDRY and a bit
of EARTH, WIND & FIRE. Following Harmony taps out of a more uptempo light
AOR/Westcoast rock style, reminding of classic DAKOTA, but also very close to
YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX. Back to the ultra-smooth 70s AOR-Fusion Yacht with the
groovy Sunrise On The Water, which would make HALL & OATES and YOUNG GUN
SILVER FOX very jealous! Then we get to the cover of the Westcoast classic
Nothing You Can Do About It, which is of course the original AIRPLAY tune and
PAGE 99 does a truly authentic cover version here. Finally Been Forgettin’ is
the classic groovy Westcoast tune that immediately gives you that summer
feeling of the nostalgic past when the world was a much friendlier place than
it is now (as it seems). In fact, the whole CD has that vibe, sounding smooth
and ultra-relaxed in the classic Westcoast/Yacht Rock tradition, so it’s
basically picture perfect for the summer sun beach moments. Show Me is the
first ballad ish song, sounding quite poppy, but definitely damn close to the
classic Lukather sung TOTO ballads from the 1980s. The tempo is back up with
the groovy summer midtempo CHICAGOish September, which is not the EARTH, WIND
& FIRE song by the way. Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong? is another sensational
midtempo groovy Westcoast classic, which is not that strange, because it’s a
cover of the KENNY LOGGINS (This Is It/Heart To Heart) classic! Kenny is
another name along with MICHAEL MCDONALD (I Keep Forgettin’/What A Fool
Believes) and of course STEELY DAN/DONALD FAGAN that all come to mind while
listening to this wonderful lightweight Yach-Rock/Westcoast album. Must be The
Weather follows and is a great uptempo Poprocker with Westcoast harmonies,
reminding me of CRISTOPHER CROSS a bit, and also featuring cheerful keys in
classic early 80s style (a la JAY GRUSKA). While The Music’s On is another
uptempo piece, sounding crystal clear once again, with a catchy YOUNG GUN
SILVER FOX ish chorus and the TOTO cover Lea closes the album very nicely.
Without a doubt, we have something special here, a true westcoast/yacht-lite
AOR album in the best late 70s/early 80s style, so basically a must-have for
anyone into the aforementioned acts. More info at: https://page99.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Here we have a very
cheerful sounding album from KANDY GUIRA, who comes out of Burkina Faso and
melts the traditional sound of her country with modern electro pop melodies. 12
songs can be found on her official full-length debut album. She already
released material in the past, such as the EP Tek-La-Runda in 2019, but she now
officially releasing a full album titled Nagtaba, which means Together. The songs
are happy and have that typical African rhythm and tribal gang vocals driven
melodies, while as aforementioned here and there we can hear modern electro pop
influences such as can be heard right from the start during the catchy Wasindi,
Vie Chere and the synthpop driven Karango. On the other hand there is also
enough traditional African music upfront, like during Pagabirawa, Anna Yeele
and Pagbatem, so it has the best of both worlds! This is a very happy album
that should get you through this rainy summer we are currently facing, although
the actual release will be done in October 2021, so this is a real Indian
Summer release and let’s keep our fingers crossed we will get that by the time
this album will be released! Meanwhile, check out this talented singer
at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY4TWsr4sokuD4BnjqyjuyA
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
SLICK
ROCK CIRCUS 'SIX 66 BUCKS EP' (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
Mixed and mastered at
the famous Sky Studio in Munch, Germany by BOBBY ALTVATER (BONFIRE, JADED
HEART, SHAMELESS, WASP), the sound quality of the first album of the German
band SLICK ROCK CIRCUS is very impressive. The music of this 3-piece band
(guitarist ALEX DETROIT, vocalist STACEE LUV and bassist PAT DETROIT, with as
guest drummer RUUD BARLEY) is obviously 80s influenced, mixing Glamrock, Sleazy
Hardrock and Teutonic German Metal, kinda close to legendary German bands such
as CHARON, VICE, HIGH TENSION and VAMP, if anyone can remember them! Anyway, 5
songs are on this lovely debut album and it really feels like we’re back in
1985 when listening to the catchy W.T.C. The band also has a touch of melodic
hardrock (BONFIREish) here and there, such as can be heard during Welcome To
The Circus. One of the highlights is the catchy midtempo 80s party rock anthem
Chattanooga Rocket! Not a single weak moment can be found and I am safe to say
that if you like your rock to sound 80s and in typical German style, somewhere
between BONFIRE/CACUMEN, VICE, VAMP, VICTORY and CHARON, then check out this
SLICK ROCK CIRCUS a.s.a.p.! More info at: www.slick-rock-circus.de
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
NOT
MOVING 'LIVE IN THE EIGHTIES' (GO DOWN RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
NOT MOVING was a band
from Italy and they recorded material back in the mid-late 1980s, which now has
been released by GO DOWN RECORDS. The songs were recorded live in Italy and
Germany and reflect a cool post-punk/garage rock sound which nowadays is quite
popular again, but back in the 80s deeply firmed in the underground. Imagine a
mix between DEAD KENNEDYS and THE MURDER CAPITAL on a song like Suicide Temple,
but any of the 13 included songs are a joy for fans of outrageous fast and
furious uptempo dirty mean garage rock/post-punk, with as interesting side-fact
that the band featured a keyboardplayer in their line-up! Check out more info
at: www.godownrecords.com/not-moving
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
HELLAMOR/RED
STONE CHAPEL 'MAJOR LEAGUE HEAVY ROCK' (GO DOWN RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
HELLAMOR and RED STONE
CHAPEL are 2 bands who shared the stage multiple times, so releasing a split
record seems like a good idea. The result is this CD, with in total 4 songs of
each band. Musically HELLAMOR is into the dirty mean doom/sludge metal/fuzz
direction and they are doing this quite well, while RED STONE CHAPEL is
slightly more aggressive like MASTEDON. They have a combination of almost THE
DOORSish somewhat depressing low octave speaking vocals and aggressive metal
screaming and shouting. Metalfans will definitely like both bands, because they
both deliver quality material here. More info at: www.facebook.com/hellamorofficial and www.redstonechapel.band
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
THE
HORNETS 'HEAVIER THAN A STONE' (GO DOWN RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
Out of Italy comes THE
HORNETS, a band formed in 2017 and they are now making their debut with Heavier
Than A Stone. 9 songs are included and musically speaking it is entering the
70s classic rock genre, with influences of THIN LIZZY here and there. The 9
songs are not too complicated and are mostly straight-ahead uptempo, with as
highlights get Out, Rockstar’s Syndrome and the groovy Not So Easy. The band’s
line up consists of 2 brothers (STEFANO FRANCIA on guitar and vocals and
ALBERTO FRANCIA on bass and vocals), guitarist GIOVANNI ARTIOLI and drummer
ANDREA ROVITUSO). Nice record and interesting to check out if you like
no-nonsense classic rock the 70s way! More info at: www.godownrecords.com/the-hornets
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
ANADA
MIDA 'KARNAK' (GO DOWN RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
Only 3 songs are on
the new album of ANADA MIDA, which were recorded live in the studio and at a
festival, both in Italy. The music of the band is 70s inspired psychedelic rock
with classic rock and a lot of prog influences. The focus is on instrumental
groovy 70s orientated rock/fusion passages (especially during jam With Mario),
although during the song The Pilot, there is a guest singer joining them, CONNY
OCHS. Without a doubt, this is a great band to check out, especially if you’re
into bands like BLUE OYSTER CULT and 70s instrumental groovy rock as well. More
info at: www.godownrecords.com/ananda-mida
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
TY
COATES' BOMBERS 'MAN DOWN' (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
In the late 1980s
ex-PARTY BOYS lead singer/guitarist TY COATES formed a new band with members of
THE ANGELS and STATUS QUO, and they were called THE BOMBERS, but despite an
album in 1990 (Aim High) and some success across Australia, the band split up
after only being together for a few years (1988-1990). However, now 30 years
later Ty reformed the band with the widow of the late original BOMBERS
guitarist STEVE CROFTS, CHRISTINA CROFTS on guitar, as well as bassist MICK
CARTER (ex-SWANEE) and drummer RYAN MATHISON. Together these 4 talented
musicians recorded a great classic hardrocking album titled Man Down under the
bandname TY COATES’ BOMBERS that contains 10 great tunes. There is also quite
some diversity going on, with slow and faster songs, starting off with opener
The Phoenix, which is a very catchy uptempo rocker with a strong melodic chorus
to sing-a-long to, a bit reminding me of KROKUS and CHOIRBOYS. Other highlights
on this rocking album are the rough uptempo classic Hardrock piece Any Other
Way (a la ICON), the superb very melodic AORish semi ballad No Danger (pure 80s
inspired), Get Up And Get It On and the lovely Southern Rocking From A
Distance. Ty has a fantastic voice and the material is really good, so I would
definitely recommend this old school sounding classic hardrockalbum (with also
a few bluesy rocktunes here and there) to anyone who misses the 1980s as much
as I do! More info at: www.badreputation.fr
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
TRUCKER
DIABLO 'THE TAIL END OF A HURRICANE' (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
It took some time
before the new album of the Northern Ireland based band TRUCKER DIABLO was
released, which was of course due to the corona pandemic, but now The Tail End
Of A Hurricane is available through the French label BAD REPUTATION RECORDS.
It’s the 5th album so far of this excellent band and without a
doubt, it’s a super strong album from start to finish and musically speaking
it’s not far removed from other melodic hardrockbands out of Northern Ireland,
such as STORMZONE, MAVERICK, etc. although GOTTHARD, BONFIRE and SARGANT FURY also
come to mind while listening to The Tail End Of A Hurricane. The band consists
of Tom Harte (vocals/lead guitar), Simon Haddock (rhythm guitar), Jim McGurk
(bass) and Terry Crawford (Drums). The focus is mostly on catchy uptempo
melodic rock, with as highlights Big Truck Keeps On Rolling, Rock Kids Of The
80s (a tribute to the classic 80s, with a DANGER DANGER tongue in cheek touch
and a THIN LIZZY/DEF LEPPARD guitar riff as well as mention of Jessie’s Girl!),
Don’t Hold On To Hate (reminding me a bit of SARGANT FURY’s debut album), the
catchy Set The Night On Fire, the rocking but very melodic Tail End Of A
Hurricane and the AORish songs The Edge Of Tonight and This Burning Heart (both
featuring lovely choruses!). Almost every song is featuring a deadly catchy
chorus, so I could mention them all, but I definitely also want to include the
superb Woodstock To Vietnam here as well. The only song that is different from
the rest is the ultra-fast Insects that is actually a melodic punk/hardcore
song a la IGNITE, but apart from that ‘still melodic chorus’ punky driven tune,
fans of aforementioned bands (especially SARGANT FURY!) will absolutely love
this high class catchy pure melodic hardrockalbum! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/TRUCKERDIABLO and http://bigtruckkeepsonrolling.com
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
BOO
SUTCLIFFE 'BLINK' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of Yorkshire, UK comes
singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist BOO SUTCLIFFE, who delivers a great
diverse album titled Blink. It’s his debut record, which was mixed by STEVE
WHITFIELD (THE CURE, JANE WEAVER…) and features besides Boo on vocals, acoustic
guitar and several other instruments, other musicians such as bassist PAUL
HECKINGBOTTOM, guitarist ROGER KINDER, drummer ANDY MCCARTHY and a few more.
Boo has a good strong voice, his songs are melodic and pop orientated, which
can be heard right from the start on the opening balladry of Meet me In…The
music is a mix of folk, Americana indie and pop, and definitely suitable for
radio airplay, because the songs are super melodic and quite catchy, such as
the lovely uptempo Americana pop/rocker Running Man, which is a duet with RUTH
BOSTOCK. JOHNNY CASH, RYAN ADAMS and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN influences can also be
heard here and there, although vocally Boo really has this ‘pop’ kinda tone in
his voice (a la ROBBIE WILLIAMS), which is not bad at all, but somehow this
makes his music very suitable for radio airplay. A song like Promises even
reminds me a lot of DANNY VERA, so I think by now you will understand what this
more or less sounds like. Blink is a great recommended debut album to check out
at: www.boosutcliffe.com
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
TOM
BEAUJOUR & RICHARD BIENSTOCK 'NOTHIN' BUT A GOOD TIME - THE UNCENSORED
HISTORY OF THE 80S HARD ROCK EXPLOSION BOOK' (ST. MARTIN'S PRESS/USA IMPORT)
The 1980s were at the
time a very fun period with lots of laughter, party, feel-good music and loads
of bright colors all over the place, no matter if it was at school, at work, at
a party or in a music video. This was probably an answer to the late 1970s when
Punk basically made people angry and likewise what followed were the depressing
and dark 1990s. Back to the 80s, like it or not, it was a period in time of the
music history where something happened on the visual side, although the music
itself was only in the early 80s innovative, because after MTV was introduced
around 1981, the majority of the major labels were constantly looking for the
big trend that was aired over there, so eventually the result was that towards
the end of the 1980s everyone started to sound the same. If we forget about the
fact that the music in the 1980s became repetitive during the decade, there was
still enough to enjoy and just have a good time, which is also what this book
is all about. Nothin’ But A Good Time is a really cool and interesting book to
read. It is of course named after the famous POISON song and is a 520+ pages
counting book filled with hundreds of stories and quotes taken from interviews
that were done by the authors TOM BEAUJOUR and RICHARD BIENSTOCK. They had the
privilege to work for REVOLVER, NEW YORK TIMES, ROLLING STONE, BILLBOARD, SPIN
and such through the years, so they could interview each and every one who was
part of the 1980s Hair Metal/Glam/Hardrock scene which this book is all about.
The result are so many interesting facts and details about the scene in the
1980s, you will still be amazed how different the world was 30-35 years ago.
How about LITA FORD, OZZY and members of MOTLEY CRUE, SKID ROW, GUNS’N’ROSES,
WARRANT, WINGER, TWISTED SISTER, CINDERELLA, QUIET RIOT, RATT, BON JOVI, MOTLEY
CRUE, POISON and many others! This book is the real deal if you want to learn
what the 80s Hair Metal in the USA was all about! In contrast to the regular
books which are a summary of facts, a story or a discography/biography, this
book is different in it’s approach. It builds up chronically, because it starts
with the early 80s MOTLEY CRUE and ends with NELSON in the early 90s before
NIRVANA killed the 80s look and sound, but the chapters are a collection of
inside details by countless musicians whom were all part of that 80s scene, so
you can’t get any closer than that. Every time you open the book on a certain
page, you will discover a new funny or amazing quote. I can honestly say that
this is a book you carry with you for over a longer period, just so you can
read a few quotes and think by yourself that the 80s must have been the best
time of your life if you wanted to just have a good time… The book is available
through: https://us.macmillan.com/smp/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ED
BRUCE ‘SEE THE BIG MAN CRY’ (BEAR FAMILY RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
And here we have
another collection of rare typical 1950s/1960s sweet American popmusic, this
time from singer ED BRUCE, who is best known in especially the USA as an actor
in Western shows and films during the 1980s/1990s, but between 1956 and 1965 he
recorded quite some material for SUN and WAND RECORDS. 30 songs are included
here and none of them were previously released on CD. The musicstyle was a mix
of sweet popsongs and some rockier uptempo 50s rock and roll, not far removed
from ELVIS, BOBBY VEE, NEIL SEDAKA, GENE PITNEY, BOBBY RYDELL, etc. etc. This
is definitely another great collection of songs that have been lost throughout
the years, but are now getting an official high quality release on BEAR FAMILY
RECORDS. Highlights are a ballad like The Greatest man and an uptempo piece
like the fantastic titletrack See The Big Man Cry, which both could have been
absolute classics, but are probably unknown for most of us. The final song is a
song by another teen 50s/60s pop idol called TOMMY ROE, but the other 29 songs
are all ED BRUCE classics you really need to hear when you’re into any of the
aforementioned artists! The CD is available through: https://www.bear-family.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
SONNY
BURGESS ‘ROCKS’ (BEAR FAMILY RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
In the Rocks series of
BEAR FAMILY RECORDS we have another wonderful release filled with classic
50s/60s rock and roll/Rockabilly. It concerns here a collection of recordings
done by SONNY BURGESS. He started his career in the 1950s and continued to make
music until as recently as 2004, of which several songs are included here besides
songs taken from recordings of the previous decades, going back all the way to
the year 1956! Musically he never changed during all those years, because from
start to finish this is rock and roll in its original sound. BILL HALEY &
HIS COMETS meets ELVIS PRESLEY would be a way to describe the music on this CD,
although if you like for example DANNY VERA you will also love SONNY BURGESS
and then understand where Danny gets his inspiration from. Songs like Big Black
Cadillac, the superb Red Headed Woman, My Heart Is Achin’ For You, Daddy Blues,
Rock On Mars and many more are all classic 50s rock and roll like you hardly
hear nowadays and that’s a pity, because this was fun music with no complicated
lyrics and structures, just basic simple straight-ahead upbeat rocking songs
and therefore highly recommended to check out this forgotten musician, who
sadly died a few years ago at the tender age of 86 years old. The CD is
available through: https://www.bear-family.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
GNOSS
‘THE LIGHT OF THE MOON’ (BLACKFLY RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
The Light Of The Moon is the 2nd album
of the Glasgow, Scotland based band GNOSS. Formed around Aidan Moodie -
Acoustic Guitar & Vocals, Connor Sinclair - Whistles, Flute & Backing
Vocals, Craig Baxter - Bodhran & Percussion and Graham Rorie, Fiddle,
Mandolin, Electric Tenor Guitar, GNOSS delivers 12 fun cheerful songs that are
a mix of celtic, folk and light poprock, sometimes instrumental, but also
featuring strong vocal melodies here and there. All together they remind me a
lot of the Irish band KEY WEST, which I discovered by accident when walking the
streets of Liverpool a few years ago and saw them perform live downtown. GNOSS
are such a band as well, bringing a smile to your face and perfectly suitable
to cheer up people during this on-going pandemic. Its lovely relaxing melodic
uptempo folk pop/rock with a focus on strong melodies, with as highlights The
River, the instrumental Good Crieff (with clear Celtic influences), Cold Clay,
and the instrumental Adelaide’s. Every now and then there’s a calmer emotional
moment, such as during Becky’s, but most of the time this is really great
melodic uptempo celtic/folk pop! As I have Scottish roots myself, I would love
to see these guys live one day! Fingers crossed this will all be possible in
the near future again and meanwhile, for more info on GNOSS please go to: https://gnossmusic.bandcamp.com/ and http://www.gnossmusic.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
PHIL
MATTHEWS AKA THE VILLAGE ‘GHOSTS IN THE STATIC’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of Derby, UK comes
singer/songwriter/musician PHIL MATTHEWS who is also known as his alter ego THE
VILLAGE, so therefore he released his latest album under this moniker. He has
performed all over the Midlands and delivers here a great mixture of raw
sounding melodic singer/songwriter album that has the feeling of BOB DYLAN and
NEIL YOUNG, yet with an own identity, as well as typical British classic
somewhat quirky pop/rock (in a way like THE KINKS also did sometimes). However,
there’s even more to discover, such as the bluesy Lone Horseman Came Calling
for example. 10 songs are included in total on Ghosts In The Static, with as
highlights What Can I Say, THE KINKSish Tommorow Loves You More Than Yesterday,
and the uptempo poppy The Wizard. Check out this talented diverse musician for
yourself at: https://www.thevillage.me.uk/ and https://thevillage2.bandcamp.com/album/welcome-to-the-village
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
SENDELICA
‘AND MAN CREATED GOD’ (FRUITS DE MER RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
FRUITS DE MER RECORDS
is a very interesting label that focuses on psychedelic, prog, kraut,
acid-folk, spacerock and such mainly underground music that is mostly based
around long instrumental songs, which is also the case with SENDELICA, a band
that has been part of the label’s roster for over 10 years, with album and
single releases. Their new album And Man Created God is a great 4 songs
counting record that musically goes back to the 1970s instrumental
krautrock/progrock sound, yet it doesn’t sound dated at all. There is enough
variety going on here, revealing influences from other genres as well, such as
synthwave and jazz, although mainly this band will be labelled as innovative
instrumental progrock with their focus on calmer long melodic passages. It’s a
great experience to discover the music of SENDELICA and you can check them out
at: www.fruitsdemerrecords.com
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ANDY
BOOT ‘ON TRACK… CARAVAN – EVERY ALBUM, EVERY SONG BOOK’ + LAURA SHENTON
‘DECADES: CURVED AIR IN THE 1970S BOOK’ (SONIC BOND PUBLISHING/UK IMPORT)
The amount of books in
the Every Album, Every Song and Decades series of SONIC BOND PUBLISHING is
unstoppable, which is probably partly due to the on-going pandemic worldwide.
Authors everywhere around the globe start writing about their favorite bands,
really digging into all the recordings some of the greatest bands delivered to
us the past 5 decades. The latest 2 books in these series are the legendary
Progacts CARAVAN and CURVED AIR. Both were influential in their genre and they
were both very popular during the 1970s. CARAVAN was one of the main bands in
the so-called Canterbury sound, which involved bands melting jazz and progrock
in the Canterbury area. These bands focused on mainly instrumental innovative
complex but melodic passages and along with SOFT MACHINE, CARAVAN built a
bridge between the genres jazz, prog and rock during the 1970s. A lot of 70s
major label signed bands continued making music, both performing and recording,
but most people will always remember their 1970s material. This new book by
ANDY BOOT discusses each and every song they ever recorded, so definitely
interesting to dig into while listening to this band that is after 50 years
still going strong with their original singer PYE HASTINGS. The other book is
about CURVED AIR, another 70s act that was very popular back then, melting prog
with folk and fusion, and author LAURA SHENTON has written a book that tells
the story of this band in their popular decade of the 1970s. Although they
continued after the 1970s, CURVED AIR had all its fame and fortune during that
decade, so definitely the most interesting decade to read about and that’s
possible in this well-written 128 pages counting book. Both books are available
through: https://www.sonicbondpublishing.co.uk/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
DURAND
JONES & THE INDICATIONS ‘PRIVATE SPACE’ (DEAD OCEANS/COLEMINE
RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
DURAND JONES & THE
INDICATIONS might be one of the finest retro soul/disco acts from the past 20
years and their 3rd album Private Space is without a doubt
another sensational release that should easily reach even more people than
their previous 2 albums. The Indiana, USA based band is formed around Durand
Jones (vocals), Aaron Frazer (vocals, drums, percussion, synthesizer), Blake
Rhein (guitars, synthesizer, percussion), Steve Okonski (piano, fender Rhodes,
hammond organ, synthesizer, vocals) and Mike Montgomery (bass, vocals) and when
listening to their music there is no way you would think this has been recorded
recently, because it sounds so authentic. Opener Love Will Work It Out is a
slow starter that has the classic retro soul vibe of the 1960s/1970s thanks to
the superb vocals of Durand, while following Witchoo (and later on The Way That
I Do) is pure 1970s funky disco soul as if we’re back 45 years in time when
KOOL & THE GANG and EARTH, WIND & FIRE were on top of the charts. 10
songs are included in total and from start to finish this is high quality music
that captures the perfect vibe to celebrate a 70s disco-soul-funk party, but
also with a certain calmer emotional retro soul kinda vibe like BILL WITHERS,
AL GREEN and even SAM COOKE during a superb song like More Than Ever. I can’t
wait to catch these guys live on a North Sea Jazz stage (like in 2018), because
that’s where they belong! Check them out at: https://durandjonesandtheindications.com/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
TORRES
‘THISTIER’ (MERGE RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
Thirstier is the new
album of TORRES, a band formed American singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
MACKENZIE SCOTT, who recorded 10 songs during the lockdown and she now released
them as her 5th album on MERGE RECORDS. The included music is
very strong and quite catchy 90s melodic alternative rock with memories of
GARBAGE sometimes, yet TORRES has an own identity for sure, which is thanks to
her superb unique voice. I have to admit that songs like Don’t Go Puttin Wishes
In My Head, Constant Tomorrowland, Drive Me, Hug From A Dinosaur and the superb
hand In The Air are very impressive and radio-ready memorable rocksongs that
even recall CRANBERRIES and NO DOUBT besides the GARBAGE comparison, although
during the hi-tech electronic synth pop sounding Kiss The Corners even 80s KATE
BUSH comes around the corner! Check out this interesting highly recommended new
TORRES album at: https://torrestorrestorres.bandcamp.com/album/thirstier
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
SQUIRREL
FLOWER ‘PLANET (I)’ (FULL TIME HOBBY/ KONKURRENT)
American
singer/songwriter ELLA WILLIAMS is the musician behind SQUIRREL FLOWER and
Planet (I) is the 3rd full-length record. 12 songs are included
and the album starts quite calm with I’ll Go Running, but it gets rockier
during the following Hurt A Fly, a lovely midtempo alternative 90s inspired
rocksong. The album is quite diverse, mixing calmer singer/songwriter
orientated material with rockier alternative songs. Ella’s vocals are very
strong and especially during the calmer material, she sounds really beautiful.
A song like Deluge In The South for example is a wonderful melodic
singer/songwriter piece, but what makes the album such an interesting adventure
is that the aforementioned calmer song is followed by a slow almost doom/90s
altrock orientated piece titled Big Beast (even a bit like THE CRANBERRIES).
Thankfully the focus is always strong melodies, which is thanks to Ella’s
impressive vocalwork. Planet (I) is therefore a recommended and diverse album
that rocks at the right moment and calms things down when there’s need to do
that. Check out SQUIRREL FLOWER at: https://squirrelflower.bandcamp.com/album/planet-i
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
TROPICAL
FUCK STORM ‘DEEP STATES’ (TFS RECORDS/JOYFUL NOISE/KONKURRENT)
Out of Melbourne,
Australia comes TROPICAL FUCK STORM, an alternative 4-piece rockband with a
noisy dirty mean complex alternative rocksound that sounds quite distorted in a
way we heard it in the past by bands like SONIC YOUTH, SMASKING PUMPKINS,
PIXIES and such, yet perhaps even more noisy when listening to a song like The
Dunkey on their 3rd album Deep States. The band’s line up
consists of Erica Dunn (vocals, guitar), Fiona Kitschin (bass), Gareth Liddiard
(vocals, guitars), Lauren Hammel (drums), so we have shared female and male
vocals, and personally I prefer the slightly more clean and melodic vocals of
Erica, because this makes a song like Suburbiopia or New Romeo Agent sound
quite strong and memorable. Gareth is not too convincing on some of the songs
and he seems to be very angry at the world when listening to most of his songs
(except the excellent TALKING HEADS meets IGGY POPish Legal Ghost and the
calmer closing track The Confinement Of The Quarks). On the other hand, fans of
pure classic 90s alt rock with noisy complexity and strange different
arrangements, they should definitely check out this band, because they
obviously are the alternative to the alternative with their unique sound. More
info at: https://tropicalfstorm.bandcamp.com/album/deep-states-2
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
J LEE
AND THE HOODOO SKULLS ‘BEGGARS SOUL’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Fronted by singer/songwriter
JASON LEE BARRATT, J LEE AND THE HOODOO SKULLS from Surrey/UK deliver a
sensational 2nd album in the shape of Beggars Soul. The lineup
of the band further consists of Harun Kotch (Lead Guitarist and
co-writer/producer), Wayne Riches (Drums – formerly with Skin of SKUNK AKANSIE)
and Mike Hartnett (Bass), and together they recorded 10 excellent rocking
tracks that melt the best of 50s/60s/70s rock’n’roll/classic rock and retro
vintage blues rock elements, yet they give it a modern touch as well. Opener
Baby Blue is an awesome uptempo retro bluesy classic rocker with a sound that
fits somewhere between THE BLACK KEYS, PHILIP SAYCE and the guitar riff of THIN
LIZZY’s Chinatown. Everything sounds perfect here to make it a winner for the
fans of real 70s classic rock and gladly it continues this way until the end of
the album with many more highlights, such as Beggar’s Soul, Come Home, the
soulful 60s influenced Need You So Bad and the T-REXish Got Over You. There is
a lot of diversity going on here and it’s all done at an incredible high level,
so this could easily become huge if they’re lucky enough to get the attention
from the mass media and radio. More info can be found at: https://www.jleeandthehoodooskulls.com
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
BELLE
MORTE ‘CRIME OF PASSION’ (AURAL MUSIC/WORMHOLEDEATH/POLAND IMPORT)
BELLE MORTE comes out
of Minsk, Belarus and they were founded in 2015. The band is formed around lead
vocalist/songwriter ANASTASIA SCHEBROVA (aka BELLE MORTE), who is a graduated
soprano, while the rest of the band consists of Sergey Butovsky (bass guitar),
Maria Shumanskaya (keyboards), Ilya Rogovoy (guitars), Ilya Petrashkevich
(guitars) and Rostislav Golubnichiy (drums). The band’s music is clearly in the
bombastic melodic modern female fronted Gothic Metal style of NIGHTWISH, AFTER
FOREVER, a heavier WITHIN TEMPTATION and EPICA, with a focus on both vocal
melodies and orchestral sounding passages, Opera Metal with superb vocals of
Anastasia, who clearly lifts the material to higher places. BELLE MORTE does
have some amazing catchy radio-ready tunes like WITHIN TEMPTATION, yet with a
touch of AFTER FOREVER’s most melodic material, especially during lovely songs
like If Only You Knew, To Get Her and Beauty and the Beast (even a bit
KAMELOTish!). The songs are well-constructed and also feature classical music
parts, such as a cello solo, a piano-led part, but also beautiful melodic
guitarsolo’s. Of course people might find it sound a bit too bombastic here and
there, and the NIGHTWISH/WITHIN TEMPTATION similarities are obvious, but BELLE
MORTE does it extremely well, providing a bunch of fantastic catchy tunes that
belong to the finest this genre has brought us the past few years! The epic
ballad Beauty Meant to Kill also needs to be mentioned here, because it is such
a beautiful song that in the hands of WITHIN TEMPTATION would have been a huge
hit! Let’s hope BELLE MORTE will get attention, because they absolutely deserve
it! Well done for sure and a must-have if you’re a fan of any of the
aforementioned bands! More info at: https://bellemorte.bandcamp.com/album/crime-of-passion
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
BARRY
GOUDREAU’S ENGINE ROOM ‘THE ROAD’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Already back in the
1960s guitarist BARRY GOUDREAU was in bands that would feature later BOSTON
members and despite he was part of the BOSTON team for a few years during their
most successful 1970s period, it seemed like main guitarist/writer TOM SCHOLZ
did not want such a talented musician in his band. Eventually Barry went solo
and he also did some side projects, which were quite successful in the AOR
market, such as RTZ and ORION. The last few years he has a new successful
project going on, which is BARRY GOUDREAU’S ENGINE ROOM, with whom he released
a great debut record titled Full Steam Ahead back in 2017, and now there is the
sensational follow-up The Road. Besides Barry on guitar, the other involved
members are drummer Tony DePietro, bassist Tim Archibald, lead
singer/keyboardplayer Brian Maes and lead/backing singers MaryBeth Maes, Terri
O’Soro and Joanie Cicatelli. Opener Love Will lead The Way is a strong fresh
sounding midtempo melodic rocker with the BOSTON signature of course, yet Barry
is definitely more straight-ahead with heavy blues rock influences and somehow
does even remind me of very early (and Too Hot To Sleep era) SURVIVOR during
the guitarwork. Las Vegas is a cool uptempo heavy rocker with a touch of ZZ
TOP, including superb vocalwork of lead singer BRIAN MAES and great Hammond and
Guitarwork overall, in the end sounding like a true Classic Rock gem! Word To
The Wise follows and is a superb slowtempo heavy blues classic rocksong that is
not too far removed from modern day guitar slingers like JOE BONAMASSA, PHILIP
SAYCE and KENNY WAYNE SHEPHARD, yet also with a touch of Southern Rock a la
LYNYRD SKYNYRD and even AXE and BLACKFOOT. It’s amazing that Barry does not get
the recognition he absolutely deserves, because his guitarplaying is stunning
and he writes all these amazing new original songs that his former bandmate Tom
Scholz hasn’t done in ages. There’s not a single weak moment to be found on the
new album, with as other highlights the soulful AOR ballads Come A Time and
Shade (FREEish), the bluesy The Rhythm Won’t Stop, the amazing 1970s HEART ish
Edge Of The Knife (superb female vocals during this song!), the heavy LED
ZEPPELIN (and again 70s HEART) orientated heavy rocker The Camel’s Back (also
on this song superb female vocals) and the midtempo bluesy melodic rocker What
they Say. Definitely a must-have and very diverse sensational classic rock
album to check out a.s.a.p. at: https://www.barrygoudreausengineroom.com/index.html
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
ELLIS
MANO BAND 'AMBEDO' (JAZZHAUS RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Swiss band ELLIS
MANO BAND is formed around vocalist CHRIS ELLIS and guitarist EDIS MANO, who
are the main members, while the rest of the lineup consists of bassist SEVERIN
GRAF and drummer NICO LOOSER. 10 songs are included on their 2nd album
Ambedo. Opener The Horrible Truth is a fantastic uptempo bluesy melodic classic
rocker, with exceptionally superb vocals of Chris and some great guitar riffs
by Edis. Following Sweet Sin is a lovely calmer groovy midtempo pop/rock piece
with a relaxing summer ish vibe and Ambedo Mind is even more going into a
smooth westcoast jazz/bluesy direction like ROBERT CRAY BAND meets JOHN MAYER.
There’s a bit of LENNY KRAVITZ to be heard in the music of ELLIS MANO BAND as
well, sometimes rocking harder, while most of the time taking the time to go
into a very melodic soulful groovy (westcoast-tish) pop/rock direction. I think
by now you will understand that this band is something special and doing things
at a very high level. Other highlights on this wonderful new ELLIS MANO BAND
album are the amazing soulful melodic rockballad The Fight For Peace (with a
big award to the perfect vocalwork of Chris once again!), the superb Heartland
ish uptempo melodic rocker Johnny & Susie (SPRINGSTEEN influences, but
rockier) and the uptempo shuffle radio-ready Americana meets Westcoast
pop/rocker Keep It Simple (JOHNNY CASH meets DANNY VERA). There’s also a great
guest performance by the well-known LACHY DOLEY (GLENN HUGHES, JIMMY BARNES,
JOE BONAMASSA), who performs Hammond Organ during the excellent groovy rocker
The Question, which sounds like JIMMY BARNES meets THE BLACK CROWES). This is
definitely a band to check out a.s.a.p. if you like KRAVITZ, MAYER, CRAY, BLACK
PUMAS, BARNES, DE WOLFF, etc. etc. The album has already reached the number 2
position in the Swiss Album Charts, so make sure to check out this sensational
band a.s.a.p. at: https://www.ellismanoband.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
THE
FLYING CARAVAN 'I JUST WANNA BREAK EVEN' (PAELLA RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
I Just Wanna Break
Even is the debut album of the Alicante, Spain based band THE FLYING CARAVAN.
They are formed around Izaga Plata, on lead and backing vocals; Pedro Pablo
Molina, on bass; Antonio Valiente, on lead guitars; Juan José Sánchez, on
keyboards; Lluís Mas,on drums and percussion; Manuel Salido, on sax; Juan
Carlos Aracil, on flute; and Jorge Aniorte, on vocals and backing vocals, while
on guest we can hear bassist Antonio Valiente. Together they created a
wonderful long progressive/symphonic rockalbum that is split over 2 CDs that
contain 7 songs in total, of which a few are more than 16 minutes long, with
the 36 minutes counting A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups as the absolute epic
highlight. It all starts with the instrumental symphonic rock piece Get Real,
which takes you straight back to the 1970s and is clearly KAYAK/CAMEL
orientated. Next track Flying Caravan has fantastic 70s Pomp Rock synths and
when the female vocals join in, the result is a lovely midtempo Symphonic
Pomprocksong that does reflect similarities to RENAISSANCE and YES, yet a bit
more uptempo and rocking, although when listening you would honestly think this
is from 1975 and that’s a true compliment, since such authencity is not heard
much nowadays! It’s extremely melodic and precise, which easily makes this synth/keyboard
driven sympho/progband a must to check out if any of the aforementioned bands
is up your alley. Upstream To Manonash follows in a slightly calmer symphonic
direction, because this is a beautiful calmer semi-ballad with some great
soaring guitarwork. Next track Love’s Labour Mislaid is a melodic chorus driven
calmer symphonic rock song with once again cheerful keys. Closing CD 1 is The
Bumpy Road To Knowledge, another nice calmer symphonic melodic rocksong with a
great sax solo by guest MANUEL SALIDO. CD 2 opens with the aforementioned 36
minutes counting A Fairy Tale For Grown-Ups, which is a lovely epic tune where
everything comes together, meaning that the best of the band is being put into
this song that consists of 7 parts and it is basically the dream for every fan
of 70s prog/symphorock. Closing this wonderful album is an alternative version
of The Bumpy Road To Knowledge. Without a doubt, this 80 minutes counting
symphonic rock album is a highly recommended release to anyone who misses the
classic 70s symphorocksound of bands like CAMEL, KAYAK, RENAISSANCE, YES and
such. More info on THE FLYING CARAVAN can be found at: https://theflyingcaravan.bandcamp.com/album/i-just-wanna-break-even
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
TRENTE
'AVEUGLE & SOURD' (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
Aveugle & Sourd is
the 3rd album of the French band TRENTE and the first thing I
noticed when looking at the songs was the mention of a guest, because closing
bonustrack Libre Comme L’Air features none other than DANNY VAUGHN of TYKETTO!
Immediately I was getting excited, because this could mean TRENTE is a
Melodic/Classic Hardrockband and indeed when putting on the CD, it is clear
that we are dealing here with a Classic Rock and Roll band in the 70s/80s
spirit, yet with a modern approach, so it doesn’t sound dated at all. They sing
in the French language, but that’s not a problem at all, since this makes it
sound very authentic and besides, the band has a strong lead singer/guitarist
(STEF REB). The other members in the band are THIERRY VELLY (guitar), FABRICE
TROVATO (drums) and WILLIAM FOURMENTAL (bass) and together these 4 friends have
been making music as TRENTE since 1999. 11 songs are included on this new
album, of which the highlights are opener Malfame, the melodic AOR/Melodic
Rocker Libre Comme L’Air, the uptempo catchy classic rocking titletrack Aveugle
& Sourd and the midtempo melodic AOR/rockballad Autant (a la classic BEAU
GESTE!). This is one of the better sounding French Rock/Hardrockbands I have
heard the past few years and it definitely makes you long for the summer
holidays in this lovely country! Check them out at: https://badreputation.fr/ARTISTS/en/THE-RANDOM-RIOTS/TRENTE
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
GLASGOW
COMA SCALE 'SIRENS' (TONZONEN RECORDS/SOULFOOD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Sirens is the 3rd album
of the Frankfurt, Germany based band GLASGOW COMA SCALE. This band was formed
around PIOTR KOWALSKI (guitars, programming), MAREK KOWALSKI (bass) and LALA
ADAMOWICZ (drums), and this new album was obviously recorded with a different
mind due to the corona pandemic. They also recorded it in a different studio
than the 2 previous albums, with the help of producer KURT EBELHAUSER
(BLACKMAIL) and while listening to the 6 long songs, I am still safe to say
they deliver a high quality sound that is musically speaking in the
instrumental modern post-progressive rock direction in the style of LONG
DISTANCE CALLING. These guys are doing their kind of music very well and I can
easily recommend them to anyone who likes the popular typical modern day
instrumental post-progressive rocksound, because a song like Magik is really
incredible and absolutely takes you into this lovely hypnotic melancholic
melodic rocking mood in a way also PORCUPINE TREE did many years ago, yet
without vocals. More info on this exciting new release can be found at: https://www.glasgowcomascale.de/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
SUPER
FLORENCE JAM 'SUPER FLORENCE JAM' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Sydney, Australia
based band SUPER FLORENCE JAM was quite active 10-15 years ago, performing live
constantly in Australia and recording material, of which this 2009 same titled
EP was released independently, but sadly they never managed to release
something officially through a label until now. Eventually they split up and
some of the members formed the label BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS, which became quite
successful in the progressive rock genre. This same label has now re-released
the EP officially on a silver pressed CD, so we can hear the talent of this
band after all these years. The album was mastered by the famous GEORGE MARINO
at Sterling Sound, New York, and contains the original 6 songs. Opener Ghetto
Project Fabulous is an uptempo RUSHish progressive rocker, with a clear 1970s
approach, which becomes even more prominent during the LED ZEPPELINish The
Circle (which also reminds me of the overhyped GRETA VAN FLEET) and the lovely
catchy uptempo 70s rockers Marcy and Ten Years (brilliant chorus!). Obviously
the band was at the time following the footsteps of other Aussie rockers
WOLFMOTHER who had just had their breakthrough. However, SUPER FLORENCE JAM
feels more authentic and closer to the classic 70s rocksound. If you want to
hear a perfect cross between 70s RUSH and LED ZEPPELIN (including high pitched
vocals), then look no further than this band’s official debut CD, which
hopefully will lead to a reunion and also new material being released. More
info at: https://superflorencejam.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
THE
NERVE 'AUDIODACITY' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Australian label
BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS continues re-releasing older records that would otherwise
never be known. In this case it concerns the 2013 digitally recorded the debut
album Audiodacity by the Australian band THE NERVE. They did not meet each
other before they recorded this album and after finishing it, they finally got
together and performed live with each other. This was 8 years ago and now in
2021 it has been officially released on CD. The band has a tight and very
modern sound, which can be heard right from the start during the aggressive
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH orientated 14 Again. Things get a little more
traditional Hardrock during the following Witness, but the rap-metal/metalcore
influences can be heard on more songs on this album, in combination with a
groovy 90s Hardrock sound in a catchy melodic songs such as Be Myself and
Excuse Me (reminding me of mid 90s TALISMAN somehow). It’s a mixture of heavy
and modern with some more traditional melodic parts, just like a lot of
American Hard/Heavy Rockbands are doing nowadays. It’s done well for sure, but
hopefully they will drop the aggressive vocals on a future record, because this
is not necessary to do at all, since lead vocalist EZEKIEL OX has a great clean
voice. The guitarwork by GLENN PROUDFOOT is quite impressive for sure, so all
together a nice band to check out at: https://thenerveaustralia.bandcamp.com/album/audiodacity
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
EDREDON
SENSIBLE 'VLOUTE PANTHERE' (LES PRODUCTIONS DU VENDREDI/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Free Jazz is the name
of the genre that EDREDON SENSIBLE from Toulouse, France is playing since 2016.
Vloute Panthere is their debut album and I have to say that the band clearly
has am own style, which goes beyond borders and digs deep into improvisation,
yet without losing the control and ability to come up with memorable melodies,
such as can be heard during the catchy rhythmic Blirprulre and the melodic
String et Bermuda. The band consists of Jean Lacarrière (saxophone tenor),
Tristan Charles-Alfred (saxophone baritone), Antoine Perdriolle (drums,
percussion) and Mathias Bayle (drums, percussion), and while listening to the
album I feel this band will live really get you into a certain happy mood,
because they clearly flirt with drum battles here and there, while during the
first couple of songs it’s on the other hand quite complex and experimental.
This combination makes them a very interesting band to catchy live when that’s
possible again. More info on this band at:
https://edredonsensible.bandcamp.com/album/vloute-panth-re
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
THE SUN
OR THE MOON 'COSMIC' (TONZONEN RECORDS/SOULFOOD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
The German band THE
SUN OF THE MOON are clearly influenced by the classic 70s kraut/progrocksound,
because the 6 long songs on their debut album Cosmic reflect an authentic pure
70s sound that is obviously close to legendary bands such as CAN, PINK FLOYD,
KRAFTWERK, TANGERINE DREAM, etc. They have however an own ‘modern’ identity,
just like for example PORCUPINE TREE and I feel this album will absolutely make
a huge impact within the progrock community. The songs leave a lot room open
for exciting instrumental passages, but also vocally THE SUN OR THE MOON is
keeping things interesting enough by adding such beautiful melodic verses like
classic PINK FLOYD. Mix all these bands together and you have the sound of the
album Cosmic. The band was formed in 2019 by Frank Incense (vocals, bass, baritone
guitar, guitar, electric sitar, electronics, keyboards), George Nowak (guitar,
theremin, flute), Susanne Baum (keyboards) and Niclas Ciriacy (drums and
percussion), and without a doubt, this is a highly talented band with a bright
future. Not a single weak moment can be found here and many highlights are
notable, such as the fantastic epic Eldorado, which already sounds like a
progrock classic! There’s also Jazz influences during the closing track
Quicksand, which features a saxsolo by LEON BINDER. However, most of the time
it is in the 70s krau/progstyle, with a modern approach, so if you call
yourself a progfan, then you absolutely do not want to miss this superb album!
More info at: http://www.thesunorthemoon.com/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
SAMMY
BOLLER 'KINGDOM OF THE SUN' (CANDYRAT RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Out of Detroit comes
guitarist SAMMY BOLLER (ex-CITIZEN ZERO), who delivers a marvelous solo debut
album titled Kingdom of The Sun on CANDYRAT RECORDS. Despite it’s an
instrumental album, the melodies are all over the place, thanks to the
fantastic soaring guitarwork of Sammy. No matter if it’s uptempo rocking like
Kingdom of The Sun or midtempo like Sunrise/Sunset or Cloak Of Light, it’s all
very melodic rock orientated, with of course an obvious 80s instrumental guitar
influence (EDDIE VAN HALEN). This is definitely a sensational instrumental
melodic hardrockalbum with a focus around Sammy’s phenomenal guitarwork.
Assisting him are bassist STEVE LEHANE, drummer DYLAN WALSH, bassist GREG
DUDLEY and drummer JOHN DUDLEY. 11 songs are included and not a single weak
moment can be found here. Sammy is a truly gifted guitarist, who can sing by
only playing his guitar and those kind of guitarists are the best for sure. The
melodic guitarsound of Sammy fits somewhere between NEAL SCHON and DAVE
MENIKETTI, and I can highly recommend it to any fan of instrumental classic
melodic rock! This has got to be one of the best instrumental releases of the
past few years! More info at: https://www.sammyboller.com
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
TROPE
'ELEUTHEROMANIA' BEATS MEE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Eleutheromania is the
debut album of the Los Angeles based band TROPE, who were formed back in 2016.
The band is formed around Diana Studenberg – Vocals, Moonhead – Producer &
Guitar, Joe Ciccia – Guitar, Todd Demma – Bass and Sasha Siegel – Drums, and
they managed to use MIKE FRASER (AC/DC, METALLICA and countless more) as their
engineer, while the legendary TED JENSEN (HALESTORM, BILLY JOEL, EAGLES and
millions of other classic rockalbums from the 70s/80s and beyond) mastered the
album. This combination should already be a guarantee for success and while
listening to this first album of TROPE, it is clear we are dealing here indeed
with a high quality band that brings us melodic progressive rock/prog metal
with a definite modern American touch, kinda like KING’S X and TOOL, yet with
superb female vocals and a focus on catchy choruses, such as during the
fantastic Plateau that almost reminds me of EVANESCENCE. I think by now you
will get the picture how this more or less sounds like. Perhaps not really
original, the performance is of an incredible high level and thanks to Mike and
Ted, it all sounds crystal clear and picture perfect. One of the other
highlights is the TEARS FOR FEARS cover Shout, which is done exceptionally well
in an own style. I am safe to say that we have here a true winner! More info
can be found at: https://tropeband.bandcamp.com/album/eleutheromania and http://www.tropetheband.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
PLENTY
'ENOUGH' (BURNING SHED/UK IMPORT)
The 1980s Liverpool,
UK based band PLENTY was best known for featuring singer TIM BOWNESS, who later
hooked up with multi-instrumentalist STEVEN WILSON to form the band NO-MAN.
Anyway, in 2018 Tim reunited with his old bandmates of PLENTY (BRIAN HULSE on
guitars, pianos, synths, drum programming, DAVID K. JONES on bass, TOM ATHERTON
on drums and several others perform on this new 2-CD set) and they recorded an
album back then. During the lockdown they did even more recordings and as a
result another PLENTY album is now available, which consists of 2 full-length
CDs that feature material recorded during the spring of 2020 and the spring of
2021, but also 7 songs that date back to the period 1986-1990, so it’s a
mixture of old and new, as well as a bunch of covers (such as a SUZANNE VEGA
tune!). In total 19 songs are included, so there’s enough to enjoy here for
sure. Musically speaking it’s clearly 80s (calmer) new wave/pop/rock orientated
with influences from countless acts that were popular back then, such as THE
BLUE NILE, THE CHAMELEONS, PETE GABRIEL, KATE BUSH, TEARS FOR FEARS, DAVID
BOWIE, etc. etc. The result is a great compilation CD of a band that could
easily breakthrough now as this kind of retro 80s pop/new wave/light post-punk
is quite popular again with acts like THE EDITORS, MAXIMO PARK, INHALER, SLOW
READERS CLUB, SEA GIRLS, etc. etc. PLENTY was however less uptempo rocking as
those acts, and perhaps closer to the classic 80s albums of TEARS FOR FEARS and
BLUE NILE, so adding light prog and neo-romantic influences besides a somewhat
melancholic darker touch. Thanks to the amazing vocals of Tim, who sounds like
the singers of those 2 bands, the sound of PLENTY is close to them, but Tim
is/was also clearly influenced by DAVID BOWIE and the singers of TALK TALK and
TALKING HEADS, so basically there you have the whole 80s package! Highlights on
this excellent 2-CD set are Sacrifice, the beautiful The Walker (TEARS FOR
FEARSish), Forest Almost Burning, Towards The Shore and Bleed A Little More.
Hopefully after the corona pandemic, they will be able to perform live on
stage, but until then please check them out at: https://burningshed.com/plenty_enough_cd and https://timbowness.co.uk/plenty-enough-old-borrowed-and-older/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
DIM
GRAY 'FLOWN' (GRIM DAY RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
The Oslo, Norway based DIM GRAY was formed
over the past 10 years while the 3 members were studying in the Norwegian
capital city. Eventually they formed a band and started recording music
together. Their influences are basically coming from every thinkable genre (chamber
pop, indie, folk, black metal, pop, prog, etc. etc.), but in general you might
call their debut Flown a modern progressive rock record. DIM GRAY consists of
Håkon Høiberg (electric guitars), Oskar Holldorff (synths, piano) and Tom Ian
Klungland (cymbals) and without a doubt this first album is a sensational and
very diverse record that will definitely have a huge impact in the prog
community and beyond. It starts with a melancholic dark and calm hypnotic song
(Again) that sounds a bit like a cross between SIGUR ROS, FLEET FOXES and
PORCUPINE TREE, while the following song the Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever
is a superb melodic progressive rock with all the ingredients a prog fan is
longing for. Melodies are all over the place here and after hearing just these
first 2 songs it is clear DIM GRAY is a band to check out a.s.a.p.! This
Norwegian trio could become a huge player in the future! Other highlights on
their wonderful debut album are Rath, Light Anew, the light MUSEish Dreamer’s
Disease, the bombastic Ouroborus and the catchy 80s influenced Black Sun (TALK
TALK meets MUSE). Make sure not to miss this band, so go check them out
at: https://dimgraymusic.bandcamp.com/track/flown
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
SUITCASE
SAM 'GOODNIGHT RIVERDALE PARK' (CURVE MUSIC/CANADA IMPORT)
Out of Canada comes
singer/songwriter/guitarist SUITCASE SAM, who delivers a great
Americana/Roots/Country-rockalbum with a sorta Southern (US) Rock touch influence,
despite the fact he comes out of Toronto. Along with a group of session
musicians to assist him, such as MARLON CHAPLIN (piano), CHARLIE CRENSHAW
(bass), BRENT RANDALL (organ), GABE GIRARD (drums) and many more, SUITCASE SAM
recorded a great album that is clearly grabbing back to the past musically
speaking, because there are also influences of 1920s jazz for example in a song
like the short the Maple Leaf Stomp and the honky-tonking Edge Of Town. He has
been in the music business for over 10 years and after a few EP releases, he
released his official first full-length album in 2019, which is now followed up
by Goodnight Riverdale Park. There are also some slight influences of a JOHN
COUGAR and TOM PETTY to be heard here and there, such as during the lovely
Frankie And Me, Morning Mail and Honey I Know. However, he has an own identity
most of the time, with a musicstyle that is not heard much nowadays, although
the insiders will know what I am talking about when I mention comparisons to
DANNY VERA, LEON REDBONE, HANK WILLIAMS, JIMMIE RODGERS, etc. It’s best to
check out this talented singer/songwriter for yourself, because his voice is as
unique as the aforementioned similar country/Americana roots rockers and
musically speaking it is also completely different than anything else right
now, so therefore very interesting to check out. More info at: https://suitcasesam.net/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
RISE
AGAINST 'NOWHERE GENERATION' (LOMA VISTA RECORDINGS/SPINEFARM RECORDS)
The Chicago based band
RISE AGAINST is one of the major bands of the American 90s classic melodic
punkrocksound since their formation in 1999. They quickly built up a huge
reputation and delivered high quality albums the past 2 decades. The band’s new
album is the superb Nowhere Generation, which is a super melodic mostly uptempo
punkrock album with a focus on extremely catchy memorable choruses and crystal
clear vocals of their singer Tim McIlrath. Along with IGNITE, they are the
absolute finest bands in this genre. The rest of the band consists nowadays of
bassist Joseph Principe, guitarist Zach Blair and drummer Brandon Barnes and
highlights on the 11 tracks counting new album are The Numbers, Sudden Urge,
Broken Dreams, Inc., Monarch and Middle Of A Dream. A great new record that
will absolutely be loved by fans of the band! More info at: http://www.riseagainst.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
SUPERFECTA
'DISCONNECT' (RUSTY CAGE RECORDINGS/UK IMPORT)
The 2nd album
of the London based band SUPERFECTA was released back in 2018, but I had not
heard of them before, so therefore now a review of this strong record. Their
music is clearly Stoner Rock based, with a focus on crystal clear vocalwork and
catchy choruses melted with big fat groovy guitar riffs. They are doing this at
an extremely high level that reminds me a bit of MONSTER MAGNET, with also some
ALICE IN CHAINS influences, although SUPERFECTA is more uptempo and also quite
melodic here and there, such as can be heard during the fantastic uptempo
Mannequin, which is an instant winner for people to sing-along-to (THE CULT
meets MONSTER MAGNET might be a good description here). The band released their
debut album Primal Instinct in 2014 and as mentioned, Disconnect followed 4
years later. Their line up consists of Danun Todd (guitars), Rob Negrini
(vocals), Matt Vella (drums) and Carl “Costa” Highman (bass) and the other
highlights on this great 2nd SUPERFECTA album are Insomnia and
The Abyss (both reminding a lot of classic ALICE IN CHAINS) and the Classic
Rockers A Little Secret and Two Thirds. As already mentioned, the material is
extremely tight and absolutely rocks big time, while it is also very melodic
overall, which is thanks to the superb vocals of singer Rob. Check out this
sensational band at: https://superfecta.bandcamp.com/album/disconnect
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
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