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HOT NEW REVIEWS
TEMTRIS
'RITUAL WARFARE' (AURAL MUSIC/WORMHOLEDEATH/UK IMPORT)
Formed all the way back in 2000, the
Sydney, Australia based band TEMTRIS has already released 4 albums, but this 5th album
Ritual Warfare is the first one I get to hear and review. Without a doubt we
are dealing here with a high quality traditional melodic (power) metal band
formed around Anthony Fox on Guitar, Genevieve Rodda on Vocals, Nik Wilks on
Bass, Nicholas Bolan on drums and Nadi on guitars. 8 songs are included and
musically this is prime-time classic melodic metal with a focus on classic
melodic twin-guitarwork, high-pitched vocals of the incredible singer Genevieve
and a pure late 80s sound, yet without sounding dated at all. If 80s US Melodic
Power Metal a la QUEENSRYCHE, AGENT STEEL, HEIR APPARENT and such are your
favorite acts, then you absolutely need to check out this sensational band.
Everything sounds picture perfect here, with as absolute winners the uptempo
One For All, Seven Sins Of Man and Forever and the midtempo Tempus Aeturnum,
but any song will be loved by fans of the aforementioned bands. Check out the
sensational Aussie band TEMTRIS at: https://www.reverbnation.com/temtris
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
BABA WAZO
'ANIMAL' (LA BELLE ELECTRIQUE/INOUIE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Here we have an exciting French trio
called BABA WAZO formed around Basile Théoleyre (vocals, guitar, trumpet),
Maximilien Helle-Forget (keys) and Benjamin Colin (drums, percussions) with a
very strong and impressive upcoming EP CD release titled Animal. They combine
French Chanson, World Music, Jazz, Electro and a bit of Westcoast-Pop,
resulting in a very relaxing smooth summer sound that can be heard 5 exciting
songs here (excluding the short prelude). The material is lightweight, very
melodic and thanks to Basile’s excellent vocals an enjoyable adventure to
experience. Beautiful songs like L’Esprit Cavalier and Paresse could easily
become huge hits if only radio would pick this up! You can check out more info
on this exciting French band at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8-D9K3BpPg and http://veevcom.com/baba-wazo-presente-animal/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
KRISTIAN
MONTGOMERY & THE WINTERKILL BAND ‘THE GRAVEL CHURCH/PRICE OF POVERTY’
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of
Massachusetts, USA comes the extremely talented KRISTIAN MONTGOMERY, who was
kind enough to send me his latest 2 CDs. The music on these albums is very
diverse and reflect all kinds of rock and roll, a mash-up of Americana,
country, Blues, Classic Rock, etc, done quite excellent with superb vocals of
Kristian and he has a great ear for song orientated material. The Gravel Church
is from 2020 and has as highlights the melodic rocking (semi) ballads Polly
Amorous, That Bird Won’t Fly and You’re New, the beautiful calmer indie singer
songwriter Hjertebygger, A Life Like This (a bit BEATLES ish) Take You Home
(midtempo melodic bluesy/southern rocking a la VAN ZANT/LYNYRD SKYNYRD) and the
uptempo country crossover rock ish She’s No Cadillac, while as closing track we
can hear the Irish classic traditional Auld Lang Syne. The new, 2021 released album
Price Of Poverty starts rockier with the superb slowtempo bluesy southern
rocker They’ll Remember My Name. Following Tired Of Being Tired is calmer,
while the uptempo Working Hands has some clear country and rockabilly
influences. A Warm Grave is a lovely calmer southern rocking ballad. Next track
Don’t Call Me Baby is a great catchy uptempo rocker, even a bit reminding me of
DANNY VERA somehow. Things slow down again during the following southern
flavored calmer ballad Soul For A Soul, while the midtempo rocking That Kind Of
Love will be interesting for the fans of classic rock/melodic rock/southern
rock, as it reminds me quite a bit of classic VAN ZANT/LYNYRD SKYNYRD again. A
bit more uptempo, but in the same lovely classic rock/southern melodic rockstyle
is the fantastic I’ll Find My Way Home. American Fire has again the
country/rockabilly/steel guitar touch a la DANNY VERA, while closing track Just
Driving Around also has that same approach. No fillers to be found on these 2
wonderful super diverse records that contain every piece of classic rock, blues
and country you can imagine, all sung perfectly by the amazing KRISTIAN
MONTGOMERY, who absolutely delivers a breakthrough! Check him out at: https://kmwkb.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
TO HELL
WITH TRADITION ‘STITCHES’ (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of the beautiful German city of
Heidelberg comes the talented multi-instrumentalist ACHIM HOFMEYER, who
delivers his debut as TO HELL WITH TRAITION. It starts calm with Bridges, while
the following uptempo Powerpopish tunes The Climb and Rewrite remind me of
classic JOE JACKSON crossed with a modern touch of THE KILLERS or KEANE, both
crystal clear polished catchy radio-ready fun songs with lovely melodies. And
so it goes on throughout the rest of the album, sounding very British and
featuring in total 14 strong songs. Towards the end of the album it all gets a
bit less uptempo, so the best material is definitely during the beginning.
Nevertheless, Achim is a very talented musician, who can sing quite well in a
typical British way, so definitely recommended to check out at: https://www.achimhofmeyer.com/tohellwithtradition_en/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS ‘EDO FUNK EXPLOSION VOLUME 1’ (ANALOG AFRICA/GERMAN IMPORT)
ANALOG AFRICA returns with another great
compilation of rare African music from the past. This time it concerns music
recorded back in the 1980s in the Nigerian state of Edo, and it’s capital city
Benin city. There was a lively vibrant scene back then and I don’t think many
people outside of Nigeria are familiar with this kind of music, which was
called Edo Funk. This was a mixture of Western 80s keyboard dominated popmusic
and African traditional music, which as a result was very interesting and quite
exciting. 12 songs from that period have now been collected together and
released as Edo Funk Explosion Volume 1. If we have a look at the highlights I
need to mention the catchy keyboard dominated song Popular Side of AKABA MAN
AND THE AFRICAN PRIDE and the fun Caribbean style music songs by SIR VICTOR
UWAIFO AND HIS TITIBITIS and OSAYOMORE JOSEPH AND THE ULELE POWER SOUND. A few
of the songs by the same artists at the beginning of the album as well as AKABA
MAN AND THE NIGIE ROCKETS are more traditional African music orientated, while
there is quite some funky 70s groovy and even Reggae to be heard as well,
because OSAYOMORE JOSEPH’s My name Is Money is quite close to BOB MARLEY. Some
songs are quite lengthy and also have that 70s groovy funk disco touch,
although the true Edo Funk sound does have its charm reflecting clear African
music influences and featuring a cool 80s synth touch. If you want to hear something
completely different, then go for this highly recommended compilation CD, which
by the way has a very interesting extensive well-written booklet inside. Its
available through www.analogafrica.com
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS ‘CAMEROON GARAGE FUNK’ (ANALOG AFRIKA/GERMAN IMPORT)
ANALOG
AFRICA deliver once again a sensational compilation CD filled with rare African
music from the past. This time it concerns 16 songs recorded back in the 1970s
in the country of Cameroon. Its already the 32nd compilation CD of the label
and as mentioned, it is loaded with lovely quality music that probably not many
people are aware of. Thanks to ANALOG AFRICA we can hear a lot of fantastic
rhythmic music with a groovy 70s vibe, kinda like SANTANA, but then in the
shape of rare acts like JEAN-PIERRE DJEUKAM and JOSEPH KAMGA. Absolute
highlights are the JAMES BROWN / BLACK PUMAS kinda mixture of LOS CAMAROES
(their song Esele Mulema Moam is superb!), LOUIS WASSON ET L’ORCHESTRA KANDEM
IRENEE (lovely!), JOHNNY BLACK ET LES JOKERS and PIERRE DIDY TCHAKOUNTE
(superb!). The Cameroon music scene was very diverse, because NDANGA ANDRE
DESTIN (jazzy Caribbean), CHARLES LEMBE (pure Cuban Latin jazz of an excellent
high level), PIERRE DIDY TCHAKOUNTE (French singing, JAMES BROWN similarities
again, with a lot of 70s soul and very well done) and the pure 70s funky
African rhythmic WILLIE SONGUE ET LES SHOWMEN. There is actually very little
pure African traditional music to be heard here, but that makes it so
interesting, because there was so much diversity going on 50 years ago in the
music scene of Cameroon, so anyone who likes to know more about this unknown
scene from back then, please check out this lovely compilation CD at: www.analogafrica.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CITRUS LOVER 'CITRUS LOVER'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The band CITRUS LOVER is coming out of the San
Francisco Bay area and is a trio comprised of Sidhartha Rai (Vocals &
Guitar), Alex Remiticado (Drums) and Joshua Venegas (Vocals & Bass). Their
music is pure late 1960s/early 70s orientated psychedelic classic rock with
memories of bands like THE DOORS, CANNED HEAT, BLUE OYSTER CULT, JEFFERSON
AIRPLANE, etc. etc. 7 songs are on the album, of which opener All In The Mind
is a great slow THE DOORSish psychedelic rocker. The following uptempo Weeping
Sky is as close to the early 1970s as you can get, a fantastic pure melodic
classic rock tune! Then a slight interesting change in direction, because the
relaxing vibe of Tired reveals some soul and 70s funk influences, kinda like we
have seen in the past few years by bands such as BLACK PUMAS and DE WOLFF. The
next song Give Me A Shade has a touch of 90s Shoegaze somehow, even a bit
reminding of TEENAGE FANCLUB. Brailleman gets back to the groovy funky sound
like DE WOLFF and BLACK PUMAS again, while Gold is a great uptempo classic
rock/psychedelic rocker like CANNED HEAT, THE DOORS and GRATEFUL DEAD. Closing
track Father Time is another great groovy classic rock tune with a lot of soul
and some lovely guitarwork. I feel this CITRUS LOVER has a bright future,
because this kind of rock is very popular nowadays, so make sure to check them
out at: https://www.citruslover.band/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
BLACK VALENTINE 'NEW REALITY'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
New Reality is the 6th album of the
L.A. based band BLACK VALENTINE. They are formed around Frank Yanno on Guitar
and vocals, Jesse Wolff on Drums, and Duke Carpenter.on Bass, and they have a
very tight high quality sound that combines the best of the past classic
rocksounds. The band’s new album is a collection of songs written and recorded
during the Pandemic that expresses the range of emotions we all felt like
Isolation, Loss of Identity, Change, Political Divisiveness and Attacks on our
Democracy, Manipulation fueled by Social Media, Riots, Police Reform, and more.
Basically it is the New Reality we all around the globe have been facing sadly,
but thankfully the included music is very impressive and showing that BLACK
VALENTINE is a band to watch out for in the near future. Better The Devil You
Know for example is a superb midtempo classic melodic rocker with a strong
chorus and lovely soaring guitarwork. It feels like the good old 1980s for
sure, yet with a modern raw edge to it. The superb Crown of Thorns features
even more sensational guitarwork, while the song itself is an early to mid-90s
ALICE IN CHAINS ish tune. Other highlights are Adverbs (lovely PHIL
VINCENT/DOKKENish melodies during this almost FOO FIGHTERS kinda semi melodic
rockballad), New Reality (uptempo 90s melodic hardrock, like HAREM SCAREM meets
Y&T meets TEER meets TALON meets CONEY HATCH) and the semi melodic
rockballads Together Apart and Baby, Don’t You Cry (OZZYish). Actually there is
no weak song to be found among the 12 included and to my surprise it seems that
guitarist Frank has been singing for the first time on a BLACK VALENTINE record
and he definitely does a great job, so we look forward to future releases of
this sensational band! Check out this band at: https://www.blackvalentinemusic.com/product-page/new-reality-cd
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
ASTRAKHAN 'A SLOW RIDE TOWARDS
DEATH/ASTRAKHAN'S SUPERSTAR EXPERIENCE' (MELODIC PASSION RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The Swedish band ASTRAKHAN is very ambitious, which is
partly due to the corona pandemic, because they sent me 2 albums they released
in 2020 and 2021. First there is the 2020 album A Slow Ride Towards Death,
which is their 3rd studio album so far. The band consists of
vocalist Alexander Lycke, guitarist Johan Hallgren (PAIN OF SALVATION), drummer
Martin Larsson and bassist Per Schalender (ex-PAIN OF SALVATION, ex-ROYAL HUNT)
and musically speaking this album is filled with high quality melodic
progressive metal with a slightly dark doomy melancholic approach, yet also loaded
with superb melodies and incredible vocalwork of the talented Alexander. They
remind me a bit of EVERGREY and CIRCLE OF SILENCE, so a bit theatrical here and
there, groovy guitar orientated and featuring catchy melodic choruses. One of
the absolute highlights is the sensational Youtopia, an amazing song that
easily reaches the level of the aforementioned bands. ASTRAKHAN is definitely a
band with a huge potential and besides their own original strong material, the
band also worked through the years on a side-project that featured the band and
several guests to perform the Jesus Christ Superstar in its entirety live on
stage and eventually that happened, of which Astrakhan’s Superstar Experience
is the resulting CD. MATS LEVEN is one of the guests to perform as JESUS, and I
have to say that the band did a great job, especially since it was recorded
live. Personally I am always more interested in original work, because their 3rd album
A Slow Ride Towards Death must not be overshadowed by this rock opera project,
because therefore it contains too many memorable songs that you definitely need
to hear! Check out everything on this band at: https://astrakhan.bandcamp.com/ and https://melodicpassion.com/artists/astrakhan/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10
JOHNNY O'NEIL 'TRUTH OR DARE'
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of the Minneapolis area comes JONNY O’NEIL, a
singer/songwriter/guitarist with a sensational solo debut album titled Truth Or
Dare. Johnny plays guitar, bass and sings, while the other musician in his
‘band’ is Joachim Baecker on drums (RATTLIN’ BONES, JACK DOUGLAS, MICK RONSON,
FUNHOUSE…). There are several other guests, including backing singer BRIAN BART
(DARE FORCE) and keyboardplayer DANNY PEYRONEL (UFO, TARZEN, HEAVY METAL
KIDS…). Johnny is also a member of DARE FORCE, the legendary 80s Melodic
Rockband and the material on Truth or Dare is a mixture of old never-before released
DARE FORCE songs, new tunes, an acoustic piece Johnny wrote when he was 16
years old and a BEATLES cover (Revolution). The result is a great rocking album
that feels like the good old 80s melodic us hardrocksound, such as can be heard
very clearly during the uptempo Comin’ For You, which is even a bit RATTish,
but there’s also groovy and bluesy Classic Rock to be heard and if you’re
familiar with DARE FORCE you will more or less know what this sounds like.
Johnny has a great voice and the songs are very strong, with as other
highlights the lovely opener Snake In The Grass, the GUNS’N’ROSES ish Tell me
What You Think You Know and the pure 80s melodic rocker Red Suns In The Sky. If
you want to hear a mixture of old school 80s US Hardrock and bluesy classic
rock, then check out this awesome album at: https://www.johnnyoneil.com/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
THE WALLFLOWERS ‘EXIT WOUNDS' (NEW WEST
RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
If you’re the son of an absolute legend, you usually
follow the same path and in the case of singer/songwriter/guitarist JAKOB
DYLAN, he formed a solo project/band called THE WALLFLOWERS back in 1990. Jakob
is of course the son of BOB DYLAN, and without a doubt, he is also gifted in
writing a memorable tune here and there, which could already be heard on the
first 6 albums of THE WALLFLOWERS. Jakob has a much stronger voice than his dad
and musically it’s also more melodic and uptempo based than Bob has ever been!
In-between the past 30 years Jakob also performed under his own name for a
short while, but during the pandemic a new THE WALLFLOWERS album has been
recorded. Exit Wounds is the title of this wonderful new album, which might as
well be Jakob’s finest effort so far. Together with BUTCH WALKER (the legendary
producer and musician behind many acts, such as SOUTHGANG, MARVELOUS 3, PINK,
WEEZER, TAYLOR SWIFT, KATE PERRY…) as producer and several guest musicians,
Jakob recorded 10 strong new songs as THE WALLFLOWERS. After a calm start with
the beautiful melancholic Maybe Your Heart’s Not In It No More, the following
Roots And Wings is a fantastic relaxing midtempo rootsy Americana/Westcoast ish
melodic pop/heartland rocker in the style of classic TOM PETTY crossed with a
bit of BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and BRYAN ADAMS. Following songs I Hear The Ocean and
The Dive Bar In My Heart are even more going into the SPRINGSTEEN direction,
with great typical The Boss ish Heartland rocking choruses. The calmer
country/Americana ballad Darlin’ Hold On is a very nice duet with SHELBY LYNN,
while the uptempo rockier Move The River is a wonderful catchy hookladen
melodic tune that could almost be classified as classic AOR/Melodic Rock,
reminding me a bit of the legendary BENNY MARDONES. Following calmer
singer/songwriter orientated songs I’ll Let You Down and Wrong End Of The Spear
have clear BOB DYLAN ish similarities, while Who’s That Man Walking ‘Round My
garden is a cool catchy uptempo guitar driven Powerpop/Poprocker (very much
like 90s BRYAN ADAMS) and closing track The Daylight Between Us is a very nice
calmer SPRINGSTEENish epic melancholic singer/songwriter/Americana semi-ballad.
Concluded, this is a sensational and highly recommended diverse new album of
THE WALLFLOWERS! Do not miss it! More info can be found at: https://www.wallflowersmusic.com/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
THE PINK STONES ‘INTRODUCING… THE PINK
STONES' (NORMALTOWN RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Out of Athens, Georgia comes the sensational new band
THE PINK STONES, who deliver their debut album with Introducing… The Pink
Stones. Their sound is clearly American, with a focus on 70s orientated
‘alternative’ Country-Rock, yet with also a touch of South Georgia Southern
Rock and a tiny bit of Psychedelic Classic Rock in a way reminding of a mixture
between POCO, BLACKBERRY SMOKE, ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND and GRAHAM PARSONS. The
band is formed around Hunter Pinkston - Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, harmonica,
percussion, Will Anderson - Piano, organ, vocals, Adam Wayton - Bass guitar,
Logan Brammer - Guitar, pull-string guitar, vocals, John Neff (DRIVE-BY
TRUCKERS)- Pedal steel guitar and Jack Colclough - Drums, percussion. The
beautiful artwork of the album already makes it a pleasure to put on the disc
and from start to finish we are straight back 50 years in time when all of the
major labels signed similar acts. Highlights are the catchy uptempo 70s
southern country rocker Barroom Blues, Let’s Sit Down and Miss Wind Turbine.
The vocals are sometimes a bit going into the nasal NEIL YOUNG direction, but
THE PINK STONES are definitely more melodic and song orientated, so all
together it’s a very nice debut we have here. Check it out at: https://thepinkstones.bandcamp.com/album/introducing-the-pink-stones and https://www.thepinkstones.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
RILEY DOWNING ‘START IT OVER’ (NEW WEST
RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
RILEY DOWNING is a Missouri, USA based
singer/songwriter who also worked with bands like THE DESLONDES and TUMBLEWEEDS
in the past, but is now releasing his solo debut Start It Over on NEW WEST
RECORDS. Riley is a gifted singer/songwriter/guitarist who is helped by John
James Tourville (fiddle/pedal steel guitarist, also of THE DESLONDES), producer
Andriija Tokic (ALABAMA SHAKES), Dennis Crouch (mellotron, JOHNNY CASH, DOLLY
PARTON), bassist Jack Lawrence (JACK WHITE, THE RACONTEURS), keyboardplayer
Jeff Taylor (ELVIS COSTELLO, GEORGE STRAIT), Peter Keys (Mellotron, LYNYRD
SKYNYRD), drummers Meg Coleman (YOLA) and Jimmy Lester (LOS STRAIGHTJACKETS) on
his first solo album. The included music is a melting pot of typical American
music styles, such as country, blues, folk, Americana and a little bit of rock
and roll, yet with a dark melancholic approach. JOHNNY CASH is therefore the
best comparison, because Riley not only sings in the same low octave as Johnny,
but also musically it is in a similar direction. Highlights are the more
uptempo rockier orientated pieces such as Deep Breath, Good To See Ya and the
superb Never Coming Home. This is one of those albums you put on and it then
immediately gives you the feeling you’re driving on the highway somewhere in
the USA. Job well done and for more info please go to: https://www.rileydowning.com/
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
JAN VAN BIJNEN ‘MODEST MAN’ (HOWLIN’
CHICKEN RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
The Dutch multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter JAN
VAN BIJNEN is a gifted musician, because he plays a lot of instruments
(guitars, dobro, mandolin, mandola, pedalsteel, banjo, ukele, bass, double bass,
piano, hammond organ, vibraphone, drums, percussion) and sings and writes all
of the songs on his co-produced debut album Modest Man. Through the years Jan
built up an impressive career by doing session work and production for
countless huge Dutch artists, but as of 2016 he founded VERBRAAK / VAN BIJNEN
along with fellow multi-instrumentalist JOOST VERBRAAK, who co-produced and
played on Jan’s solo album, so all together he also wants to get recognition
besides his session/production work. Modest Man is a great calmer
Americana/Singer/Songwriter orientated album featuring 10 strong songs that
clearly shows the incredible talent of Jan as a musician and singer. The music
is perfect for late night summer evening settings when everything calms down
and you want to hear such relaxed music as on this album, which here and there
reminds me of SIMON & GARFUNKEL (Foodstruck Kinda-Love) crossed with NEIL
YOUNG and a lot of RYAN ADAMS. Recommended album to fans of singer/songwriter
and Americana music. More info at: http://about.me/janvanbijnen
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
LOS LOBOS ‘NATIVE SONS’ (NEW WEST
RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
The legendary L.A. based LOS LOBOS are best known for
their incredible 80s hit La Bamba, but they have been recording and performing
music since 1973, so there’s much more out there from them! Native Sons is a
new album, which is a tribute to all their influences, which include all kinds
of music, although roots-rock, singer/songwriter, soul and tex-mex rock are
definitely their favorite genres to combine. The band is nowadays still
consisting after all these years of original members David Hidalgo - vocals,
guitars, Louie Pérez, Jr. - vocals, guitars, Cesar Rosas - vocals, guitars,
bass, Hammond B3 organ, Conrad Lozano - vocals, bass and the 1984 joined Steve
Berlin - saxes, midisax, keyboards. During the pandemic LOS LOBOS recorded this
new tribute album, their 17th studio album overall, and it
contains 12 cover songs and 1 new original song. The material is very diverse,
ranging from cheerful tropical Tex-Mex salsa rock and roll (LALO GUERRERO’s Los
Chucos Suaves) to excellent soulful Melodic Rock (THEE MIDNITERS’ Love Special
Delivery) to superb classic R&B influenced Soul Pop/Rock (BARRETT STRONG’s
Misery) to 70s groovy Rock (BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD’s Bluebird/For What It’s Worth)
to purest singer/songwriter L.A. Westcoast (JACKSON BROWNE’s Jamaica Say You
Will and their own original Native Son) to Rockabilly (PERCY MAYFIELD’s Never
No More) to 60s Rock and Roll (DON&DEWEY’s Farmer John) and even a cover of
the THE BEACH BOUS classic Sail On, Sailor. They pay tribute here to the best
L.A. has brought the past 70 years by covering all kinds of legendary
musicians/bands and musically speaking LOS LOBOS shows that no matter which
music style they do (rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, zydeco, folk, R&B,
blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional music such as cumbia, boleros and
norteños), they can do it all very easily and Native Sons is therefore a
sensational album everyone will love, because there’s so much diversity going
on. Check it out for yourself at: https://loslobos.bandcamp.com/album/native-sons
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
JOHN HIATT WITH THE JERRY DOUGLAS BAND
‘LEFTOVER FEELINGS' (NEW WEST RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
The American singer/songwriter JOHN HIATT has a long
music history that started back in the early 1970s and gave him a megahit
during the 1980s with the classic Have A Little Faith In Me. Of course he
released and wrote many more songs on his 20 solo albums and also people like
BB KING, BOB DYLAN, BONNIE RAITT and countless others recorded songs he wrote.
Now 50+ years after he first walked into the historic RCA Studios to start his
music career, he entered the same building during the pandemic to record 11 new
original songs along with THE JERRY DOUGLAS BAND. The result is this new JOHN
HIATT album, on which he sounds as good as ever. Musically speaking his typical
cocktail of blues, jazz, singer/songwriter and American is sung perfectly by
John with his unique voice. His voice and music is as unique as for example
RANDY NEWMAN, RY COODER and VAN MORRISON, so I think the insiders will then understand
what this new record is all about. John shows that at the age of 68 years he is
still able to write great new songs and despite the absence of drums, you can
feel the honesty, but also the fun and easiness John had together with Jerry’s
band to record this wonderful new album. Check out more info at: http://www.johnhiatt.com/
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
T. HARDY MORRIS ‘THE DIGITAL AGE OF ROME’
(NORMALTOWN RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Due to the pandemic the complete music industry was
hit hard when it comes down to performing music live on stage, but on the other
hand, the amount of newly recorded music was incredible and still continues to
do so. Once its hit and go for live shows again, it will probably take some
time before we get another wave of new music. T. HARDY MORRIS is another
musician who was about to release a new album and then start touring in the
early months of 2020, but corona decided something else and so now we are
looking at an album that took some time to record and finish. The Digital Age
Of Rome is a very personal album of T. HARDY MORRIS, a
singer/songwriter/guitarist from Athens, Georgia, who in the past played in the
bands DEAD CONFEDERATE and DIAMOND RUGS, but also worked on a solo career of
which this new album is his 4th so far. There’s a long list of
guest musicians on the album, including DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS drummer Brad Morgan
and singer/songwriter FAYE WEBSTER. The included music is quite dark and
melancholic, especially during the beginning, but during the lovely titletrack
The Digital Age of Rome, Shopping Center Sunsets, the catchy 80s ish Love Takes
and Just Pretend Everything Is Fine (JOHN COUGARish) and the strong TOM
PETTYish rocking First World Problems also quite melodic and very hit potential
actually. The album gets better and better after playing it several times and
especially during the 2nd part T. Hardy gets quite sensational.
Overall you could compare the light rocking singer/songwriter/alternative indie
rock style to RYAN ADAMS crossed with a touch of late 1960s psychedelic
pop/rock (THE BYRDSish), here and there 90s TEENAGE FANCLUBish College Rock,
but T. HARDY MORRIS actually has an own identity, yet with a modern Indie
Poprock approach also slipping through (a la TAME IMPALE, THE WAR ON DRUGS,
FLEET FOXES and BEAR’S DEN), so it will appeal to a lot of people I think.
Check out all info on this talented musician at: https://thardymorris.bandcamp.com/album/the-digital-age-of-rome
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
WILLIAMSON BROTHERS ‘WILLIAMSON BROTHERS’
DIAL BACK SOUND RECORDS/KLANDERMAN PROMOTION)
Alabama based
Multi-instrumentalists/Singer/Songwriting brothers BLAKE and ADAM WILLIAMSON
are best known as members of the band LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES. Ever
since they went into the music business, they have been active, but this marks
their debut as the WILLIAMSON BROTHERS. The same titled debut album is filled
with catchy early 90s US Indie/Powerpop/College-Rock in the style of DINOSAUR
JR., TEENAGE FANCLUB, THE JAYHAWKS, THE POSIES and such. Opener Take Back The
Summer sets the record straight, as this is a very catchy fun uptempo summer
friendly poprocker/powerpopsong that also has a bit of CHEAP TRICK as
comparison. Following I Hate It Here is going for a slower Indie pop direction,
and the rest of the album continues this mixture of calmer slower indie pop
songs and uptempo ‘almost early 80s sounding’ Powerpop rockers, such as the
fantastic God For Government, Pressures On, and This War. Definitely a good
album to check out if you’re into any of the aforementioned acts. More info
at: https://williamsonbrothersal.bandcamp.com/album/williamson-brothers
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
GLEN FOSTER AND FRIENDS ‘FEELIN’ ALIVE’
(INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
The Canadian musician/singer/songwriter GLEN FOSTER
was reviewed by us in the past, and he now kindly sent me his new album Feelin’
Alive!. This album contains recordings that took place during the past corona
period. In total 16 songs are included, and it is divided in 4 parts that were
recorded live and in the studio at various locations on several dates in 2020
and 2021. Glen played a solo show, a duo show with MAGGY AND THE FALCON, a show
as GLEN FOSTER GROUP and finally there is some bonus material that was recorded
in the studio. Although the sound quality is not really perfect, the joy and
emotion of Glen’s music is definitely appealing and shows a great
singer/songwriter playing in various settings at his very best. Check it out
for yourself at: https://glenfoster.ca
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
PLATENS ‘OF POETRY AND SILENT MASTERY’
(ART OF MELODY MUSIC/ATOMIC STUFF PROMOTION/ITALY IMPORT)
I remember it well reviewing the debut album of
PLATENS, an Italian band formed around the brothers DARIO (vocals, guitars,
bass, keys) and ALEX GRILLO (drums), who released their debut album back in
2004 on FRONTIERS RECORDS. Fast forward to 2021 and their 3rd album
Of Poetry And Silent Mastery is released, this time on the ART OF MELODY MUSIC
label. Musically speaking it is pure Melodic Rock/AOR with a focus on catchy
hooks and memorable choruses, which can be heard right from the start with the
fantastic midtempo Conspiracy that sounds like a cross between CITA/GUILD OF
AGES and JADED HEART, so it is clearly 1990s based with a lot of orchestral and
keyboard arrangements. Following Wait For Me is uptempo melodic rock at its
best, reminding me a bit of FAIR WARNING, ZENO, TNT and even a calmer VISION
DIVINE/LABYRINTH during the catchy chorus, so there’s a bit of Italo Power
Metal to be heard as well, although the tempo stays in the AOR/Melodic Rock
field. So far so well, and thankfully the full album is loaded with such lovely
soaring guitar vs rich keyboards driven 90s Melodic Rock/AOR with catchy hooks
and strong memorable choruses. Other highlights are Easily (very catchy uptempo
melodic rock with a fantastic pure AOR chorus a la WORK OF ART/HEAT), the
uptempo melodic heavy rockers Paralyzed and Open Arms and the 80s dut-dut
keyboard driven uptempo early BON JOVI (Runaway) ish Where The River Flows.
Concluded, a great return from this Italian band! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/platensmusic/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
WINE GUARDIAN ‘TIMESCAPE’ (LOGIC IL LOGIC
RECORDS/ATOMIC STUFF PROMOTION/ITALY IMPORT)
The Italian band WINE GUARDIAN was formed back in 2008
by Lorenzo Parigi (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Stefano Capitani (Bass, Backing
Vocals) and Davide Sgarbi (Drums, Backing Vocals), and now 13 years later they
have released their 2nd full-length album entitled Timescape.
Musically speaking we are clearly heading into high quality melodic progressive
metal with mostly clean vocals by the fantastic sounding Lorenzo, who can also
play the guitar as a JOHN PETRUCCI kinda guitar God! The music reminds me a lot
of DGM, though here and there a bit edgier and rawer (a few growls can be
heard), although the beautiful melodies in each and every song make it a
pleasure to listen to. The band has definitely released a lovely picture
perfect melodic progmetal album that will be loved by the fans of the genre.
Not a single weak moment to be found during the 7 long tracks counting new CD,
of which the absolute highlights are Little Boy, the instrumental Magus and the
SAGA meets QUEENSRYCHE ish Digital Dharma, but I also need to add here the
superb calmer YESish closing track 1935, which is the clear calm moment between
the mostly prog metal orientated material. Concluded, WINE GUARDIAN is a highly
recommended band to fans of the melodic prog metal sound! More info at: https://www.wineguardian.it
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
TOUCH ‘TOMORROW NEVER COMES’ (DEKO
ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT)
One of the most surprising and anticipated comebacks
was definitely the announcement of TOUCH releasing a new album after an absence
of 40 years! The back in 1978 New York formed TOUCH was only active for a very
short while, but their 1980 released same titled debut album was an absolute
classic Pomprock/AOR gem that is even now 4 decades later one of my personal
favorite albums of all times. It is basically a perfect 10! Although they
recorded a 2nd album in 1982, which was never officially
unreleased, the band split up sometime later. Thankfully many years later
FRONTIERS RECORDS released all the unreleased TOUCH material along with the
classic debut in a fantastic 2-CD set package, resulting in a renewed interest
in the legendary short-lived band. However, we had to wait before a corona pandemic
would hit the world before real dreams would come true, because all 4 original
members (Mark Mangold (songwriter and keyboards), Glen Kithcart (drums), Craig
Brooks (guitars/vocalist) and bassist/vocalist Doug Howard) reunited in 2020
and started working on a new official album. Tomorrow Never Comes is the title
of this new album and I am so glad to see that we are finally able to hear new
material of TOUCH, and more importantly, it was also recorded by the true
original line-up of the classic debut album! There is no classic like Don't You
Know What Love Is to be found on this album and of course it is absolutely
impossible to reach the insanely high level of their 1980 debut album, because
looking back now, that record is one of the finest pieces of music ever
created! On the other hand, there’s still enough to enjoy here for the TOUCH
and Melodic (Pomp) Rockfans in general. Opener Tomorrow Never Comes is a
fantastic start, because this is a lovely uptempo Melodic Rocker with a catchy
chorus and it shows that these 4 guys can still create new original music in
the classic TOUCH style. Following Let It Roll is even more going into the
classic TOUCH style, although it needs to be added that vocally speaking
hitting those high notes is not as easy as it was on their debut album. On the
other hand, TOUCH had and still has the privilege of various vocalists within
their line up! Swan Song has many classic 70s Prog and US Pomprock influences,
and is the longest and probably most exciting tune on the album. Try To Let Go
has clear LED ZEPPELIN-Physical Graffiti influences, a great midtempo heavy
rocker with a 70s vibe, while the catchy ultra-melodic AOR chorus does ‘touch’
the classic TOUCH record for sure! Fire And Ice is a fine mid 80s type uptempo
melodic hard rocker, sounding quite good overall, although nothing really
spectacular compared to the other songs and somehow reminding me of TOUR DE
FORCE (remember them?). Following Trippin’ Over Shadows is a very good
laid-back midtempo early 80s AOR/Westcoast ish song, while Frozen Ground is a
superb midtempo Classic AOR/Pomprocker with a lovely catchy chorus that is
perhaps one of the strongest of the entire album! Lil Bit Of Rock N Roll is as
the title predicts a typical 70s rock and roll tune, so no complexity and just
having a good time like in the old days! Next track Glass is a nice midtempo
prog/pomprocker, while Scream At The Sky is a slowtempo THE BEATLES influenced
psychedelic proggy early 70s rocking piece. Wanna Hear You Say is back to
classic late 70s/80s uptempo AOR/Melodic Rock with a fun catchy chorus to
sing-a-long to and closing track Run For Your Life is a nice BOSTONish uptempo
melodic rocker. TOUCH is back on track here for sure and just like the new
records of STYX and DENNIS DE YOUNG, the pandemic gave us a lot of great new
original high quality music in the classic 70s US Pomprock style and that’s
what we have been waiting for all those decades from these heroes and all of
this is definitely thanks to this terrible virus!
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
TEN YEARS AFTER ‘NATURALLY LIVE’ (FAST
WESTERN RECORDS/DEKO ENTERTAINMENT/USA IMPORT)
TEN YEARS AFTER is a legendary long-time running
British Blues/Classic Rockband that are close to 60 years now in performing and
recording, although they took long pauses during several decades (especially in
the 1980s). Of course their main leader ALVIN LEE died 8 years ago, but 2 of
the original members (keyboardplayer CHICK CHURCHILL and drummer RIC LEE) are
still present in 2021 and along with the 2014 joined members MARCUS BOFANTI
(vocals, guitars) and bassist COLIN HODGKINSON, the band keeps on performing.
Marcus is a real joy to listen to, both vocally and his guitar playing is of an
incredible high level, so you could almost call it the MARCUS BOFANTI BAND playing
mostly old TEN YEARS AFTER songs and thankfully they do this extremely well,
which can be heard on this superb live CD that was recorded on the 24th of
March 2018 in Erfurt, Germany. The sound and performance is amazing and show
that with Marcus on board, this band has a bright future ahead of them. 15
songs are included in total and at times they do remind me a bit of GOLDEN
EARRING and WISHBONE ASH besides of course TEN YEARS AFTER and RORY GALLAGHER.
Not a single weak moment and fingers crossed we will be able to catch this band
live once covid restrictions are over, because they sound really sensational
nowadays, perhaps better than they have ever been! This new live CD is
available through: http://www.ten-years-after.co.uk/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
GRAEME SCARFE ‘ON TRACK… PETER GABRIEL –
EVERY ALBUM, EVERY SONG’ (SONIC BOND PUBLISHING/UKIMPORT)
PETER GABRIEL is a real legendary singer/songwriter
who is thankfully still with us and with a career he has had, it was only a
matter of time before a full book would be written about it. His time in
GENESIS during the 1970s was obviously very interesting and helped to shape the
way for the future of Progressive Rock. His solo adventure began quite quickly
actually and still continues to do so, because the book On Track… covers all
his solo albums, including his recent ones, which are then again actually made
up of older material. Nevertheless, Peter has always delivered high quality
material that even kept his progfans interested, even during the 1980s when he
flirted with popmusic. Anyway, such a character as Peter is unique and I doubt
if we ever get so many characters in the music world like we had during the
1970s. Many have left us by now, but Peter is still with us and the book by
author GRAEME SCARFE is a well-written book to read while listening to Peter’s
extensive catalogue, because the 142 pages review all of Peter’s solo albums,
every song he recorded solo between 1977 and 2021 is reviewed in detail. Graeme
did a great job here and definitely a recommend read! The book is available
through: www.sonicbondpublishing.com
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
FORGOTTEN GARDEN ‘BROKEN PIECES’
(INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of the North of England comes the sensational
FORGOTTEN GARDEN, a duo formed around Danny Elliott (all instruments except
drums) and Inês Dias Rebelo (vocals). Inês originally comes out of sunny
Portugal and she has a beautiful voice, while the 4 songs on the debut EP
Broken Pieces are lovely calmer melodic dreampop/rock orientated with a focus
on ‘dreamy’ melodies. Opener Snowflakes is one of the absolute highlights,
because this is a sensational melodic uptempo pop/rocker with lush vocals of
Inês. She sounds magical during the titletrack Broken Pieces, a calmer song
with acoustic guitars only. Not a single weak moment to be found and when
listening to this fantastic duo, I think it’s only a matter of time before they
will be picked up by a major label and release a full-length album. Without a
doubt, a magical combination is what this FORGOTTEN GARDEN is all about and
more info can be found at: https://screamliterecords.bandcamp.com/album/forgotten-garden-broken-pieces
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
FERAL GHOST ‘SPEED OF LIGHT’ (RHINESTONE
RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Speed Of Light is the 2nd album of the
London FERAL GHOST. It is the follow-up to their 2014 debut A Gathering Storm.
The band consists of Danny Warwick – vocals, guitar, Chloe Hunter – vocals,
percussion, Andy Watt – guitar, Lisanne Otten – keys, Marino Donati – bass and
Paul Castleman – drums, and together they create catchy 70s inspired polished
melodic soft pop/rock with a strong focus on crystal clear vocals, catchy hooks
and melodic multi-layered close-harmonyvocal driven choruses like it was done
by British major label signed bands about 45-50 years ago. When they go for the
most smooth poppy direction (such as during It’s Been A Long Time My Friend and
Speed Of Light), SMOKIE does come to mind, but FERAL GHOST rock harder and are
therefore interesting for the melodic rockfans. Highlights among the 12 included
tracks are the lovely uptempo melodic rockers Roll The Dice, The Lighthouse,
Say It’s Not Too Late (AORish) and the midtempo melodic rocking closing track
Here We Go Again. I personally think there are chances to become even more
interesting, because when listening to the midtempo epic Pomprocker The Mirror,
we get to hear a really sensational and rockier band than on the rest of the CD
when they even remind me a bit of STYX! In the end, this is quite a surprising
release that sounds very cheerful and summer-sun-ready! Back in 1976 this could
have been a guarantee for many hitsingles, while now it might be a bit harder,
although it will probably find its way to the fans of polished melodic
pop/rock. More info at: http://www.orcd.co/feralspeedoflight
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
LEE AARON ‘RADIO ON! VINYL RECORD’
(METALVILLE/PIAS)
The legendary Canadian vocalist LEE AARON returns with
one of her finest albums in decades! A few years ago we interviewed her and
also reviewed her previous (hard) rock album Fire And Gasoline, and while
listening to the new vinyl record Radio On! I am quite eager to do another
interview with one of the finest female voices around, because this new LEE
AARON vinyl album is sounding very good. Ever since the early 1980s, when she
released a string of sensational records (such as the classic album Metal
Queen) in the Hardrock/Metal direction, she has been part of my music
collection, and when she released her 1987 same titled album, she even moved
into classic AOR territory. Throughout the 1990s she slowly expanded her music
horizon and went into a jazzy and bluesy direction, but during the mid-2010s
Lee went back rocking again and now in 2021 she releases a very strong classic
rock album that is as good as her classic albums from the 1980s. Together with
bassist Dave Reimer, drummer John Cody (PRISM), guitarist Sean Kelly (HELIX,
CRASH KELLY, GILBY CLARKE), and Lee herself on vocals and keys, LEE AARON
recorded Radio On! Produced by MIKE FRASER (AC/DC, AEROSMITH, VAN HALEN), from
start to finish this is a great album that is also musically quite diverse, yet
with a strong focus on classic rock overall. Lee’s vocals are still incredible
after all these years and as I already mentioned, she beats almost every other
female rock singer around nowadays, even at her age, and besides, she still
looks very well as well some 40 years after she went into the music business. I
received the beautiful vinyl record edition, which comes in various colors,
while the packaging is done in a gatefold edition that contains all the
information and lyrics of the 12 included songs, but also has great pictures of
Lee and her old transistor rocking’ radio that has stickers of her favorite
rock acts from the past, such as THE RUNAWAYS, HEART, AC/DC, THE BEATLES, THE
GUESS WHO, THE WHO, etc. It all starts with Vampin’, a nice midtempo classic
rocker with those lovely fantastic vocals of Lee, it reminds me a bit of
ALANNAH MYLES, CHRISSY STEELE and HEADPINS, so a real Canadian female fronted
rocksong. Following Soul Breaker is a superb uptempo catchy 80s AOR/Melodic
Poprocker with a great catchy chorus and some very fine 80s orientated
guitarwork, kinda sounding like a cross between HEAPINS and TORONTO. Cmon is
more or less in the same direction, yet perhaps even more going into classic
Canadian Poprock territory like early BRYAN ADAMS, PRISM, HARLEQUIN and a touch
of very early PAT BENATAR. Mama Don't Remember is a nice classic rocker that
has a slightly simpler STATUS QUOish meets bluesy approach, but this song also
reveals a bit of JOAN JETT/THE RUNAWAYS influences sneaking in when we get to
the chorus. Titletrack Radio On is up next and this is another catchy melodic
poprocker that sounds like a cross between early 90s BRYAN ADAMS and late 80s
JOAN JETT. I think by now you will ask yourself why this album reminds me of so
many other acts and artists from the past when discussing the songs and not
just mention it sounds like LEE AARON herself, well, this is a big compliment,
because it shows the diversity and authenticity of this lovely sounding vinyl
record! Radio On! might be the most Canadian rock record I have heard in ages!
Anyway, back to the album, Soho Crawl closes side-A of the vinyl record, and this
is a nice CHEAP TRICKish early 80s Powerpop/Poprocker.
Side-B opens with the sensational Devil's Gold, which
is something completely different, because this is a marvelous semi Southern
Rockballad with a very relaxing vibe, kinda LYNYRD SKYNYRDish. It’s a beautiful
song that just feels really good and is showing a different side of Lee.
Russian Doll is sadly one of the few weaker songs on the album, because this is
a somewhat simpler boogie woogie rocker, while Great Big Love is a nice groovy
slowtempo bluesy rocker. Wasted is an interesting song that starts as an
acoustic ballad with Lee singing at her very best and quite emotional actually,
but develops into a great groovy Hardrock song like early LEE AARON meets 70s
HEART. Had me at Hello moves into the same direction more or less, with again
70s HEART similarities. Closing track Twenty One is a beautiful AORish ballad
with a singer/songwriter feeling, quite calm compared to the rest, but a very
nice ending to a great comeback album of this superb legendary Canadian female
singer. Soon an interview with Lee and for now, go get this lovely vinyl record
and check out her website for more info at: http://www.leeaaron.com
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
ERADICATOR ‘INFLUENCE DENIED VINYL RECORD’
(METALVILLE/PIAS)
METALVILLE RECORDS is great German record label that
is quite diverse musically speaking. I received a couple of great Thrash Metal
records on vinyl record, namely GODSLAVE and this ERADICATOR. I was not
familiar with this German band, but when you receive their new album on a vinyl
record, it is definitely interesting to dive into this band. The sound of the
record is massive and basically they are playing pure late 1980s Bay Area
Thrash Metal in the style of bands like TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, ANTHRAX and
such. The full package is complete here, because everything sounds perfect.
This band has a great singer with a melodic clean voice, the songs are melodic
enough to stick in your memory and the diversity of the songs is just enough to
keep the interest and with the fantastic (twin) guitarwork it all feels very
authentic. The band released their debut The Atomic Blast back in 2009 and
Influence Denied marks their 5th album so far. Their line up consists
of guitarist/vocalist Sebastian Stöber, bassist Sebastian Zoppe, drummer
Jan-Peter Stöber and guitarist Robert Wied, and together with producer
Sebastian Levermann (ASPHYX, ORDEN ORGAN, BRAINSTORM) ERADICATOR recorded a
lovely classic late 80s Bay Area orientated Thrash Metal record. It’s full
speed ahead most of the time, with in total 10 fast uptempo pieces that seem to
have no compromise or whatsoever and are therefore highly recommended if you’re
into bands like XENTRIX, FORBIDDEN, DEATH ANGEL, early METALLICA, TESTAMENT,
etc. etc. Highlights are Driven By Illusion, Hate Preach, the lovely Echo
Chamber and Mondays For Murder, and basically this is the way Thrash Metal used
to sound and needs to sound like, so make sure to get a copy of this vinyl album
a.s.a.p. if any of the aforementioned bands are up your alley. Check them out
at: https://www.eradicator.de/index.php/de/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
GODSLAVE ‘POSITIVE AGGRESSIVE VINYL RECORD’
(METALVILLE/PIAS)
In the slipstream of the great new ERADICATOR vinyl
record comes another lovely Thrash Metal vinyl record on METALVILLE RECORDS. It
concerns the German band GODSLAVE and their 6th album Positive
Aggressive, which is a concept record by the way. The band is formed around
Thomas Pickard – vocals, Bernhard Lorig – guitar, Manuel Zewe – guitar, Michael
Koch – bass and Tobias Huwig – drums, and they go the extra mile with their
Thrash Metal, because somehow their new album sounds just a bit better than
most of the other Thrash Metal albums released nowadays. This is partly due to
the superb pure Metal vocals of singer Thomas, but also the guitarwork is of an
extremely high level. This is pure 80s Thrash Metal with tempo changes, gang
vocals and a focus on melodies throughout each and every song in both the vocal
and instrumental passages, and a lot of diversity, because there are obvious
influences from other Metal styles as well to be heard. If we have a look at
the album’s highlights, we can inform you what is going on here, because songs
like How About No?, Positive Aggressive and Straight Fire Zone are picture
perfect melodic Thrash Metal songs that feel like you’re back to the early
METALLICA sound, sounding both aggressive and melodic and catchy at the same
time, which is only possible if you know how to accomplish that. Somehow they
also remind me of a cross between MYSTIC PROPHECY and BRAINSTORM here and
there, but when Straight Fire Zone kicks in, you might add GRAVE DIGGER as
well. Basically they reveal in such songs their typical German pure Teutonic
Metal influences and that is good to see, because crossed with the 80s Bay Area
Thrash Metal style, it is clearly showing an own identity. Other highlights on
this massive sounding vinyl record are Flap of a Wing (catchy chorus, close to
Power Metal), King Kortex (even has a MANOWARish chorus including the phrase
Hail The King, very impressive) and Final Chapters First (almost pure Power
Metal!). It might not be really original, GODSLAVE are doing things the exact
right way to make this a sensational record in this genre. I can easily highly
recommend this vinyl record, because it might be one of the best Thrash Metal
albums released in the past decades. Check out all info on GODSLAVE at: http://www.godslave.de/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
SLAVEDOWN
'THE ENEMY INSIDE VINYL RECORD' (LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
Out of
Girona, Spain comes the massive sounding band SLAVEDOWN and the vinyl record
The Enemy Inside is their 2nd album so far. The album follows up their same
titled debut album from 2018. The band is formed around Marc Corso - Vocals,
Andreu Runo - Guitars, Big Villano - Drums and Sue Gere - Bass and their high
quality major label sounding new album is clearly influenced by the American
heavyweight champions of AUDIOSLAVE, DOWN, SOUNDGARDEN, PANTERA, MASTEDON,
ALTER BRIDGE and such. It means that we actually get to hear modern sounding
slowtempo massive guitar riff dominated Doom Metal meets Stoner Rock, with raw
slightly aggressive vocalwork (in a LEMMY style), but still featuring strong
melodic choruses, such as during the lovely Come And See The Monster Rise, Not
To Fall back Again (a song with superb guitarwork), You Can't Have It Anymore
and Deliver Us From Evil. All together the vinyl record I received from their
Spanish label LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS is quite a nice one and recommended
to fans of the American way of modern melodic metal, yet it's done by a Spanish
band! More info at: https://lafamiliarevolucionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-enemy-inside
,
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
PLOMO
'OF TOADS, FOXES AND WOLVES VINYL RECORD' (LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS/SPAIN
IMPORT)
Out of Barcelona, Spain comes the
sensational female fronted band PLOMO and their 'new' album Of Toads, Foxes And
Wolves was sent to me as a vinyl record and I am glad the Spanish label did
this, because this shiny vinyl album sounds absolutely marvelous from start to
finish. The band was formed in 2003 and they released a CD in 2007, but sadly
PLOMO broke up eventually in 2014 after they recorded the material which has
now been pressed onto vinyl record as Of Toads, Foxes and Wolves. It's a pity
the band is not around anymore, because this new album sounds very impressive.
The line-up of the band at the time featured Jake Klamburg - Lead Drums, Sara
Morla - Lead Vocals, Quim García - Lead Bass and Alfonso Cameno - Lead Guitar.
The record has a stunning packaging, with beautiful pictures and an OBI strip,
so there's much to look at while listening. It feels rather strange this
material was recorded back in 2014 and not released until now, because PLOMO
sounded really amazing. 8 songs are included in total, starting with Angel of
Starvation, which is a fantastic 70s inspired classic rocker with superb strong
crystal clear vocals of Sara. She has the perfect voice to keep you entertained
the whole time, while the music reminds me of a cross between 70s HEART, COVEN
and a bit of BLUES PILLS, so there's a touch of stoner/doom rock, psychedelic,
progressive rock, folkrock and hardrock in their sound. Following Felix the
Toad is a short instrumental, while Under the Earth is back to the classic 70s
rocksound of HEART again, with some mighty guitar riffs out of the classic
BLACK SABBATH book, so there's the COVEN comparison again. Slow melodic
Doom/Psychedelica Classic Rock might be a nice description of the fantastic
lengthy Let me in, which sounds like a cross between THE DEVIL'S BLOOD, BLUES
PILLS and DOOL, including a superb melodic chorus that recalls memories of
HEART and TANTRUM. Side-B of the record opens with Don't fear the Wolf, which
is basically pure early 70s BLACK SABBATH meets 70s HEART, so yet another
sensational slow tempo classic doom/rocker. Lord Hunter of Souls continues the
classic 70s rock/hardrocksound, with once again superb vocal melodies and a
catchy chorus that would really make HEART and BLUE OYSTER CULT jealous for not
writing! Fox in a Cage follows in the same sensational style, while closing
track Shipwrecked Babies is a superb midtempo piece that has clear 70s LED
ZEPPELIN/70s HEART similarities. If you're into bands like COVEN, THE DEVIL'S
BLOOD, DOOL, BLUES PILLS and also 70s SABBATH, 70s HEART, then you absolutely
need to check out this superb female fronted band from Spain. As mentioned
earlier in the review, PLOMO as a band is sadly not existing anymore, but who
knows after this beautiful vinyl release, the band will reform again. Check
them out at: https://lafamiliarevolucionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/of-toads-foxes-and-wolves
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
CLOACA
'VERTIDO TOXICO VINYL RECORD' (LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
Out of
Spain comes CLOACA, a 2-piece band formed around Rata Ray (Drums, Chorus) and
Bento Carroña (Guitar, Vocals). They deliver their debut album with Vertido Tóxico, which was sent to me on vinyl. The music is mostly uptempo
melodic punkrock, and I have to say that it sounds quite good actually. The
vocals are strong and the 2 guys have a tight ‘band’ sound, which is Punk
based, but also reveals dirty mean trash rock and roll influences and among the
10 included songs the highlights are Ataúd, Desfase (catchy
tune!), Doña Furia and Paralizado (fantastic), while closing track La llamada
de Cuthulhu has a touch of rockabilly humor rock and roll. However most of the
songs have the classy trashy garage punk rock and roll sound we all love so
much, with a focus on a memorable chorus and as you can see for yourself the
band sings in the Spanish language, which for me personally is no issue at all,
because it makes it sound therefore very authentic. Check out this vinyl
release at: https://lafamiliarevolucionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vertido-t-xico
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
MEXICAN
CUCO 'MEXICAN CUCO VINYL RECORD' (LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS/SPAIN IMPORT)
It’s great to see a lot of unreleased
material from the past being pressed onto vinyl nowadays, so it will be forever
documented for future generations to come. In the case of the vinyl record I
received from the Spanish label LA FAMILIA REVOLUCION RECORDS, it concerns a mini LP
vinyl record of the Barcelona, Spain based band MEXICAN CUCO that contains 5
instrumental songs that were recorded live in analogic systems in Barcelona in
2007. 13 years later this piece of lovely music is released on vinyl. The band
consisted of Nacho Olvier/Rythm and Lead Guitars, Mariano Gil/Lead and Rythm
Guitars, Iván Romá/Bass Guitar and Jordi Ayuste/Drums, and their same titled
debut album is pressed in a 12'' vinyl at 45 rpm for the highest quality sound
and when looking at the beautiful artwork of the album, we can see some
fantastic cartoon/tattoo style drawings and along with the included music, it
is a joy to listen to this vinyl record from start to finish. The album has 5
great instrumental songs that musically speaking is mostly heading into uptempo
Stoner fuzz guitar driven Classic Rock that truly rock hard, of which the
closing track Desnúdate is the finest song, although this song is calmer than
the first 4 songs. Make sure to check out this band, because it will probably
become a collector’s item. More info at: https://lafamiliarevolucionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mexican-cuco
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
ROXVILLE
'FALLEN FROM GRACE' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
It’s so great to see
so many new Melodic Rockbands popping up in the UK, just like it did 40 years
ago during and after the NWOBHM movement. The rockscene has never been so alive
and well as nowadays in the UK! ROXVILLE started in the early 2010s and they
slowly worked their way onto this debut full-length CD Fallen From Grace. The
band consists of guitarists Rocco Valentino and Chaz Jones, Jamie Sloane on
vocals, Gab Soulavy on keys, Geos Letona on bass and Jerry Sadowski on drums,
and their first album is a sensational pure 80s Hair Metal/Melodic Hardrock
affair in all its aspects, musically, vocally, songwise and production are all
top-notch! If you long back to the days of FIREHOUSE, WHITE LION, DEF LEPPARD,
KNOW ILLUSION and such big sounding anthemic Arena Melodic hardrock, then look
no further than this superb sounding ROXVILLE from London. 13 songs are
included, and opener Crash’n’Burn is a great uptempo melodic heavy rocker that
immediately shows that we are dealing here with a high quality band. Following
Come Alive is a fantastic pure 80s DEF LEPPARD meets HEAVY PETTIN’ ish midtempo
melodic rocker with a big massive anthemic chorus. Let You Go is up next and
when listening to this song, it is like we go further and further back to the
classic 80s, because this uptempo melodic hair metal rocker is a perfect cross
between VICTORY (ft. FERNANDO GARCIA), early GUARDIAN and TESLA, with Jamie
sounding like one of the best 80s hard rock singers I have heard in ages! Gone
follows in a similar direction, pure ballsy 80s melodic hardrock that also
reminds me of MELIDIAN and DOKKEN. Whipped follows and is a bit rougher
Hardrock, once again pure 80s, but this time more akin to something DANGER
DANGER and DAMN YANKEES also did on their albums back in the late 80s/early
90s. Desert Storm is a lovely midtempo melodic rocker, while Turn It On is the
first slightly weaker song, but still a nice midtempo 80s rocker. Beyond Repair
is a good groovy midtempo melodic rocker that sounds like a cross between GREAT
WHITE and TESLA, although some WHITE LION can also be traced here. Solitaire is
going for a more AOR/Melodic Rock direction, and it is a very catchy tune
indeed! Bad Blood switches to a fantastic uptempo melodic hardrock direction
that reminds me quite a bit of BRITNY FOX circa Bite Down Hard, JESSE STRANGE
and FIREHOUSE. Following Blues Fever is groovy swinging pure TESLA circa 1987,
Electric is yet another lovely 80s melodic rocker in an early BON JOVI style
and closing track Had It Coming is excellent big-time Anthem/Arena Hardrock
that is again dangerously close to classic late 80s VICTORY. ROXVILLE is a band
to keep your eyes wide open for and if you’re a fan of DAMN YANKEES, DEF
LEPPARD, NELSON, WINGER, FIREHOUSE, WARRANT and that kinda late 80s/early 90s
MTV Hair Metal/Melodic Hardrock then check them out a.s.a.p., because if this
was 1989, then ROXVILLE would have become huge in the USA! Their CD is
available through https://www.roxvilleband.com/buy/p/fallen-from-grace
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
SHOWDOWN
'SHOWDOWN' (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
I remember a band
called SHOWDOWN from the USA, and they released a great AOR record in the 80s,
but here it concerns SHOWDOWN from Bielefeld, Germany. They were kind enough to
send me their same titled debut CD and when I looked at the frontcover, it
definitely brought a big smile to my face, because it looked like BON JOVI
circa 1985! Musically speaking the German SHOWDOWN is also pure 80s orientated,
yet more going into a Melodic Metal/NWOBHM direction when listening to the strong
opener The Chosen One, which sounds like a cross between TOKYO BLADE and PRETTY
MAIDS. The band does also have AOR/Melodic Rock influences, which can be heard
during the following catchy Just one Night, which has nice keys and lovely
twin-guitars besides a catchy early/mid-1980s BON JOVIish chorus. Anyway, the
5-piece band consists of Nikki Z (vocals), guitarist Glen Vega,
guitarist-keyboarder Alek Saint, bassist Keith Louis and drummer Johnny
Machine, and the 11 songs on their debut are definitely sounding very
impressive. The sound/production is quite good, the guitarsound is perfectly
80s inspired, vocally there is a typical German accent to be heard, but that’s
no problem at all, and all of the songs are catchy and diverse enough to keep
the interest until the end. They picked not only influences from NWOBHM and
AOR/Melodic Rock, but also Glam Metal a la MOTLEY CRUE can be heard during a
song like the midtempo Black Viper. I love the guitarsolo’s, which complete the
80s circle here, no matter which 80s rockgenre SHOWDOWN is doing. The
highlights are definitely during the beginning of the CD, because during the 2nd part
it gets a bit weaker, although closing track Thunder Town is quite strong. In
addition, the band also sent me a CD single they recently recorded, In The Name
Of Love, a nice uptempo melodic heavy rocker that somehow reminds me a bit of a
mix between AXXIS, DOMAIN and DEMON. Hopefully this all will be pressed onto
vinyl someday, because then we’re totally going for the 80s approach! If you’re
a fan of all that is 80s (Glam/Hair Metal, NWOBHM, AOR/Melodic Rock) and like
the mixture of these rockstyles, then look no further than these 5 young German
guys! More info at: http://showdown-band.com/BAND/
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
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