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HOT NEW REVIEWS
WOBBLER 'DWELLERS
OF THE DEEP' (KARISMA RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
The progressive
rockband WOBBLER comes out of Oslo,
Norway and was formed back in 1999. They have released 4 albums so far and so
their new album Dwellers of the deep marks their 5th release.
The band’s line up consists of Lars Fredrik Frøislie - keyboards, backing
vocals, Kristian Karl Hultgren - bass, bass clarinet, bass recorder, Martin
Nordrum Kneppen - drums, percussion, recorder, Andreas Wettergreen Strømman
Prestmo - vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, percussion and Geir Marius Bergom
Halleland - lead guitar, backing vocals. We can find 4 long songs here and
musically speaking it is high quality 70s progrock, calmer with a focus on beautiful
melodies/vocals, kinda YES ish and instrumental of a very high level, with many
tempo changes. Opener By the Banks is calmer, while there are uptempo rockier
parts during Five Rooms and the closing track Merry Macabre is an epic song.
The songs are very long as already mentioned, but in the world of prog that is
quite normal and WOBBLER fulfills the needs of the progfan, because both
songwise, vocally and instrumentally speaking everything sounds crystal clear!
This is very impressive material and for YES fans a must-have! I am safe to say
that WOBBLER will only become bigger in the future, as they take the progsound
to a higher level on each new album! More info at: https://wobbler.bandcamp.com/album/dwellers-of-the-deep
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
JACK
CHESHIRE 'FRACTAL FUTURE PLAYS' (LOOSE TONGUE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Now this is quite an original release,
because musically speaking there is a lot going on in the world of JACK
CHESHIRE. Jack is coming out of London, UK and he combines dark melancholic
baroque singer/songwriter pop (NICK CAVE) with 70s Progressive Rock and rounds
it off with some late 60s Psychedelic Pop influences. The result is a very
impressive album that contains mostly calmer songs with the instruments being played
by Jack himself (Guitars, Electric Bass, Synths) and drummer/producer Jon Scott.
There are a few guest musicians as well, but Jack and Jon are the most
important musicians here. Jack's voice is in the lower range most of the time,
hence the NICK CAVE and LEONARD COHEN comparisons, but thankfully it doesn't
sound too depressing, which is also due to the songs that reveal some great 70s
influenced synth driven prog here and there. The instrumental Spectrum takes us
straight into classic 1970s Progressive Psychedelic Rock, with even a touch of
Krautrock, a very exciting and diverse tune. The other instrumental song Blue
is an experimental jazz meets prog piece. Most of the vocal songs follow the
mixture described earlier in the review, with as highlights Tunnel vision,
Widescreen and Landscape Dissolving. Interesting release and for more info
please go to: https://jackcheshire.bandcamp.com/album/fractal-future-plays
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS 'DESTINATION... DESTINATION LUST PART 2 - CHICKSVILLE USA - THE WORLD
OF LOVE, SEX AND VIOLENCE' (BEAR FAMILY RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
CHICKSVILLE USA is a compilation series on
BEAR FAMILY RECORDS that is based around erotic themes of the glorious 1950s
and 1950s, sung by mostly legendary female vocalists, although there are also
male singers to be heard on this 2nd volume. 33 songs are included in total and
of course the legendary MARILYN MARTIN and JAYNE MANSFIELD are present, but we
can also hear a lot of less known artists, such as JERI SOUTHERN, KAY MARTIN,
DIANE MAXWELL, BILL DARNELL and many more. The booklet tells us all about each
performer and it is nice to hear the classic pre-THE BEATLES sound of the
1950s-1960s, because we all know what happened after THE BEATLES broke through
around 1964. Garage Rock followed and the sound of this CD almost vanished
completely, which is a pity, because it was quite innocent and still more or
less appealing to a certain erotic degree. Available through: www.bear-family.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS 'KRAUT! TEIL 4 - DIE INNOVATIVEN JAHRE DES KRAUTROCK 1968-1979' (BEAR
FAMILY RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
One of 2020’s finest compilation series
has got to be the Krautrock series on BEAR FAMILY RECORDS. I was stunned by the
packaging of the first volume, and the following 3 volumes are in a similar
style. Each volume continues 2 full-length CDs that contains the best and most
important bands of this ‘lost’ era and each release also has an extensive
booklet that informs you everything about all the included bands. For people
who are not aware of the phrase Krautrock, this musicstyle was given to bands
in Germany that more or less were experimenting with other music styles.
Overall you could nowadays label the genre as Progressive Rock, but back then
the Krautrock movement actually went much further, because especially in the
1970s all over the world musicians were looking for new directions and also got
the chance to experiment. Record labels, managers and producers didn’t control
the label’s releases as much as they did after the Punk movement in the late
1970s. The first 3 volumes handled the North, South and the Midlands, while
this final volume is featuring acts from Western Berlin. After ELVIS showed his
moves in Germany while being in the army in the late 1950s, it was in the 1960s
that Hamburg became the place to be and THE BEATLES got their first fame and
fortune over there. In the 1970s Berlin was the hotspot to look for new music
and of course we all know that DAVID BOWIE was one of the artists who was
extremely influenced by all those rare sounds. TANGERINE DREAM and KLAUS
SCHULZE are the 2 big names on this compilation, with a total of 34 minutes of
playing time. New Age, early Trance and experimental Prog were basically
invented here through the weird synth sounds of those acts. This can be heard
on their songs on Disc 2 of Volume 4, but first we start with Disc 1 that is
more rock orientated than Disc 2 .
The first 3 bands are quite rocking, with
the fantastic 70s Hardrock of KARTHAGO, BIRTH CONTROL and the proggier OS
MUNDI. DISSIDENTEN is very experimental and flirting with World Music, while
METROPOLIS is one of the finest bands on disc 1, because this is a female
fronted late 60s sounding psychedelic rockband a la SHOCKING BLUE and JEFFERSON
AIRPLANE. LOKOMOTIVE KREUZBERG is combining uptempo URIAH HEEP ish 70s Hard
rock with the quirky German speaking punk/poprock of the late 1970s/early
1980s. TON STEINE SCHERBEN’s song is a sorta semi-ballad combining rock, prog
and pop elements, in a clear 1970s style. MYTHOS is as 70s based as you can get
probably, with a FOCUS kinda vibe, although perhaps also going a bit more into
classic 1970s progressive rock with a lot of instrumental improvisation. EMTIDI
was an interesting male/female duo that combined prog, folk and pop, and
actually should be seen as a very early RENAISSANCE kinda band. AGITATION FREE
was basically pure classic instrumental 70s progrock with some interesting
melodies all throughout their featured song Malesch. Closing band on disc 1 is
the experimental ASH RA TEMPEL, which shows some bluesy late 1960s FLEETWOOD
MAC influences, which is also due to the excellent guitar work. ASH RA TEMPEL
was the in-between band of KLAUS SCHULZE by the way, but musically speaking was
quite different than his solo work or the albums he released with TANGERINE
DREAM around the same period in the early 1970s.
Disc 2 opens with the finest examples of
influential German Krautrockacts of the 1970s, which are of course TANGERINE
DREAM and KLAUS SCHULZE. Klaus began his music career in TANGERINE DREAM (and
ASH RA TEMPEL), but left rather quickly to start on his own. The 2 songs
included here are monuments and show how influential the Berlin school was and
still is. TANGERINE DREAM’s Phoedra and KLAUS SCHULZE’s Ways of changes are 2
amazing journeys of music diversity that saw the German create prog music for
the future to come and actually it was the start other new genres, such as
trance, new wave and new age. The synth based material of these acts also
changed a lot in the movie industry, because eventually it would replace the
orchestra as background music in movies, with of course in the 1980s countless
sci-fi soundtracks that featured these weird sounds that TANGERINE DREAM and
KLAUS SCHULZE already created back in the early 1970s. Anyway, 4 more songs are
included on this disc 2 of volume 4, and I have to say that this disc shows the
most influential and experimental side of the classic Krautrock past of the
1970s. The acts CLUSTER, HARMONIA, HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS and HUMAN BEING all
followed the footsteps taken by TANGERINE DREAM and KLAUS SCHULZE, so more
Synthesizer based 70s sounds.
Concluded, this is an absolute must-have
for anyone to check out and do yourself a favor to complete the collection, 4
times the 2-CD/Booklet sets that will give you the entire story of the rich
German Krautrockpast! Available through: www.bear-family.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
TWISTER
'CURSED & CORRECTED' (OFF YER ROCKA/CARGO RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
As soon as the first song Save us yourself
plays through the speakers, it is safe to say that we are listening to the
latest sensational Melodic Rockband to emerge from the British Islands. They
are called TWISTER and despite they are not bringing anything really new to the
genre, they do have a cool high class catchy 1980s influenced Melodic Hard Rocksound
with soaring guitars, strong vocals, catchy hooks and big anthemic melodic
choruses, so it has all the ingredients to appeal to any fan of classic 80s
Melodic (Hard) Rock. Their debut album Cursed & corrected is a super professional
sounding record that recalls the days of classic SKID ROW, BATON ROUGE,
HEAVEN'S EDGE, DOKKEN, NELSON, FIREHOUSE, TRISTER and such late 80s/early 90s
American style mainstream Melodic Hardrock, yet with a touch of today's modern
rocksound to make it sound very fresh and up-to-date for everyone. The result
is a great record you can listen to from start to finish without ever touching
the skip button. TWISTER was formed in the town of Durham around Stevie Stoker
–Guitar & Vocals, Jake Grimes –Guitar & Backing Vocals, Ryan Lee –Bass
& Backing Vocals and Jack Corbett –Drums & Backing Vocals, and we can
find 13 songs on the album. Highlights on their wonderful first album are the
superb Natural survivor (picture perfect 80s driven uptempo Melodic Rocker,
with it's very catchy chorus and soaring guitarsolo, this is a song you'll be
humming along to for weeks after hearing it), Trees (another catchy uptempo
sing-a-long melodic rocker with a pure 80s Hair Metal ish chorus and guitars
that remind me a lot of classic FIREHOUSE), Monroe (catchy Melodic Hardrock at
it's very best!), 64 White lies (fantastic classic Melodic Hardrock, massive modern
sound and a big anthem for sure!) and Trading hearts (another energetic uptempo
80s influenced melodic rock anthem! One of 2020's highlights for sure and a must
to check out if you like high class professional Melodic Hardrock! More info
at: https://www.officialtwister.co.uk/
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
RAIN
'SINGULARITY' (GIANT ELECTRIC PEA/UK IMPORT)
Everytime I see the name of bassist JOHN
JOWITT, I must think of all the bands/projects he was involved with in the
past, both in the studio and live on stage (in especially the prog venue of the
world, De Boerderij). Now his name is included in the line-up of the band RAIN.
The bandname might not be really original, because we have seen many bands with
the name RAIN in the past, but musically speaking this is high quality
progressive rock. Anyway, another well-known name is drummer ANDY EDWARDS, who
played with John in the bands IQ and FROST. It has to be said that aside from
the rhythm section, the other 2 members are less familiar, but John and Andy
are not stepping in to something average here, because RAIN's other members are
2 talented musicians, namely Rob Groucutt on vocals, keyboards and guitars and
the younger excellent guitarist and vocalist Mirron Webb. The band will be
acting as a band, so after covid is demolished, we can look forward to another
new exciting prog outfit to tour live. The music is likewise Progressive Rock,
but a little poppier and quite accessible, reminding a bit of classic IT BITES,
RUSH and SAGA, so it is song based with a lot of room for the keys and proggy
rhythm section and a short guitarsolo here and there, while the choruses are
actually quite catchy, harmonyvocal driven and super melodic. A song like the
uptempo Dandelion is one of the finest examples here, because this is a truly
marvelous uptempo tune that combines the best of the 3 aforementioned bands. In
total we have 5 long songs included here and it's a pity it's all over in 45-50
minutes, because RAIN brings a lot of joy and exciting new music for the
proggies. If you call yourself a progfan and you want to hear not too much
complexity, but still a professional mature sound (think IT BITES meets SAGA
meets HAKEN meets FROST), then you're ready to go here for sure! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/RAINprogband
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
SAINTED
SINNERS 'SAINTED SINNERS' (EL PUERTO RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
SAINTED SINNERS are all about classic
(melodic) 70s inspired hardrock in the style of RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE,
WHITESNAKE, GOTTHARD, etc. The band is formed around vocalist DAVID REECE
(ACCEPT, BANGALORE CHOIR, etc) and guitarist FRANK PANE (BONFIRE, FRANK PANE
BAND), while the other members of the band on their same titled debut album
from 2017 I received for review, they feature FERDY DOEMBERG of ROUGH SILK and
AXEL RUDI PELL on hammond, keys, slide guitar, MALTE FREDERIK BURKERT (bass)
and drummer BERCI HIRLEMAN. The band's line up has changed meanwhile, and they
even released a new album recently, and hopefully we are able to hear and
review that one soon. Back to this wonderful debut record, the first couple of
songs are a wet dream for fans of classic 1970s Hardrock, with a focus on
classical guitar driven uptempo Hardrocksongs with rather cool Hammond solo's,
biting guitarwork and strong raw bluesy male vocals, like the perfect cross
between DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE STUART SMITH and AXEL RUDI PELL.
Opener Knight of the long knives for example is a superb classic hardrock
chorus driven tune like the afforementioned mixture. Other highlights are Blue
lightning man, Evangeline and Truth is a lie. Must-have for fans of the
mentioned bands, and as already mentioned, after this 2017 album the band
released 2 further records to explore. More info at: http://www.saintedsinners.com/ and
available through https://suburban.nl/shop/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
CONSORTIUM
'13TH HOUR' (ANGEL AIR RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
I had never heard of the British band
CONSORTIUM before, but in the 1960s and 1970s they did release a string of
singles, of which some charted very well. Anyway, ANGEL AIR RECORDS released a
CD filled with material the band recorded in 2009, so they more or less
reformed and made a comeback int he late 2000s. However, if you listen to the
music, it surely sounds like it was recorded in the mid 1970s! Thankfully in a
good way, because the authentic sound makes it look like a re-issue of an old
1970s album actually. There is a mixture of 1970s Classic Hardrock and 1970s
Pomprock from start to finish, with good lead- and harmonyvocals, biting
guitarwork and memories of QUEEN, THIN LIZZY, STYX, CITY BOY, TRICKSTER and even
a touch of early NWOBHM a few times. Actually this is a really good overlooked
band that should get more attention for sure! It seems the band recorded
another album before 13th hour titled Rebirth in 2006, so they tried 10 years
ago and succeeded to record their best material to date, but the unfortunate
thing is that it passed by without any notice. Hopefully this review will get
people moving again to check out this band again. Classic 1970s Hardrock/Rock
all the way here, with many highlights and a really good fun listen! Available
through: https://suburban.nl/shop/
and http://www.angelair.co.uk/?tcp_product=consortium-13th-hour
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
WEATHER
REPORT 'LIVE IN LONDON' (ANGEL AIR RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
WEATHER REPORT is a legendary American
Jazz/Fusion band with an extensive history between 1970 and 1986. The new live
album that is released through ANGEL AIR RECORDS is 'probably' a radio
broadcast from the early-mid 1980s and I must say that it sounds very
professional and is of a very high level, so a real nice welcome for the fans
of this legendary band. It even sounds like it was recorded recently, with the
line-up of Joe Zawinul (keyboards), Wayne Shorter (sax), Omar Hakim (drums),
Victor Bailey (bass), Mino Cinelu (percussion) and Jose Rossy (percussion). 6
long songs are included, with a lot of diversity and improvisation, while
keeping those lovely melodies and classic WEATHER REPORT melodies all over the
place. In case you're not familiar with this band at all, then this might even
be a nice starting point, because live they were one of the best in their genre
of melting Jazz, Fusion and Prog in the classic 1970s authentic way. Available
through: https://suburban.nl/shop
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
BIG BIG
TRAIN 'THE DIFFERENCE MACHINE' (ENGLISH ELECTRIC RECORDINGS/SUBURBAN)
14 years ago the British band BIG BIG
TRAIN released their album The difference machine, a well-crafted 1970s sunding
Progrock classic that still sounds modern after all these years. The line-up
back then featured Sean Filkins - lead vocals, Gregory Spawton - guitars/keyboards/backing
vocals, Andy Poole - bass and Steve Hughes - drums, while guest musicians
included Becca King - viola, Tony Wright - alto saxophone/tenor saxophone/flute,
Nick D'Virgilio - drums/backing vocals, Dave Meros - bass and Pete Trewavas - bass. The resulting album
is filled with lovely high class calmer melodic progrock with some jazz/fusion
influences, like a mix between SPOCK'S BEARD, THE FLOWER KINGS, WEATHER REPORT,
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR and 1970s GENESIS. Fans of such classic prog/fusion
will absolutely love the 8 tracks that can be heard on this album. Meanwhile
the band has released a few more records and built up a huge reputation, but it
all started to take shape with this 5th album The difference machine. Available through: https://suburban.nl/shop/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
ELEPHANT
TREE 'THE DAY OF DOOM' (MAGNETIC EYE RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
Out of London comes ELEPHANT TREE, a band
with an ultra-heavy slow fuzzy underground Doom Metal sound that comes across
like a mix between CANDLEMASS and SOLITUDE AETERNUS. Their new album is a live
record titled The day of doom, which sounds from start to finish fabulous and
really captures the band at their very best, with massive heavy Doom Metal
guitar riffs that would make 1970s BLACK SABBATH very jealous. I was not really
familiar with the band before, but this live album makes me eager to check out
their studio-albums as well, although I know that live the guys give you a real
authentic sound! Available through: https://suburban.nl/shop/ and more info
at: https://elephanttreeband.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-day-of-doom
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
THE
BABOON SHOW 'I NEVER SAY GOODNIGHT' (KIDNAP MUSIC/ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
THE BABOON SHOW is a Swedish band that has
been active for almost 20 years, with many releases and despite they are
described as a 1970s sounding Punkrockband, the material on their latest EP I
never say goodnight is more melodic and even reveals influences of classic
rock/hardrock/metal like a mix between JOAN JETT, GIRLSCHOOL, PRIEST, MOTORHEAD
and such. 4 songs are included and it's really a joy to listen to catchy
sing-a-long melodic heavy rockers such as I never say goodnight and Which way
will you go. This is high quality pure Rock and Roll, with a sorta raw sleazy
metal and punk vibe like it was done a lot in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I
look forward to review a full-length record of this excellent band! More info
at: http://www.thebaboonshow.de/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
SHIRLEY
HOLMES 'DIE KRONE DER ERSCHOPFUNG' (ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Berlin, Germany comes the German
speaking band SHIRLEY HOLMES and Die Krone der Erschopfung is their latest
release. This female fronted band is playing a strong mixture of Punkrock and
Melodic Alternative Rock, with a lot of energetic uptempo rockers, such as the
lovely Wieder sehen, Konzoom and Schallfront, baby. 10 rather short songs are
included, so it's all over quite fast, but on the other hand you will get a lot
of joy and pleasure here. I'll bet live this band will definitely bring you a
good party with their fun sing-a-long tunes that also have a modern raw edge,
so it's not polished at all, perhaps you could mix NENA and NINA HAGEN with THE
DONNAS, then you're close to SHIRLEY HOLMES. More info at: www.shirleyholmes.de
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
FRAU
DOKTOR 'ONKEL PUNK' (ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
I was not familiar with the German band
FRAU DOKTOR, but they have been around for a while and Onkel punk is their
latest release. It's their 6th album since 1998 when they released their debut
album Muss! They were formed in 1995 and have meanwhile built up a strong
reputation. The band's music is a mix of Ska and Melodic Punk/Rock, and also
this new album shows a cheerful band with 12 catchy tunes sung in mostly the
German language. More info at: https://fraudoktor.de/
and https://rookierecords.bandcamp.com/album/onkel-punk
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
LETO
'WIDER' (ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Post/Poppunkband LETO comes out of
Hamburg, Germany, and Wider is their 2nd album so far. They have a professional
melodic sound that is clearly influenced by both American and British Melodic
Powerpop/Punkpop, yet with German lyrics. A song like Schatten is very catchy
and could easily become a huge hit! DIE TOTEN HOSEN is likewise a good
comparison, but LETO is doing things a bit more like the aforementioned
American and British counterparts. The only difference is of course they are
singing in the German language, but that's not a problem at all actually. It
makes them sound unique and different than the rest, and as mentioned, most of
the fun radiofriendly uptempo rockers here are memorable and should live go
down very well. Check them out for yourself at: https://www.letohamburg.de
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
NOSEBLEEDER
'NO' (FLIGHT 13 RECORDS/ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Cologne, Germany comes NOSEBLEEDER,
a band with a professional and international melodic punkrocksound that also
touches early Hardcore as well. Influences come from DAG NASTY, LEATHERFACE and
such. 10 supershort songs are on the band's latest album. Some are around the 1
minute playing time, which is also a pity, because songs like the uptempo (I
killed) Laura, Trigger and Erebus are quite catchy tunes actually. It's all
over in 15 minutes, but nevertheless it is an enjoyable record that is a must
hear for fans of classic uptempo melodic punkrock. More info at: https://nosebleederband.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
TALCO
MASKERADE 'LOCKTOWN' (ROOKIE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Venica, Italy based band TALCO has
been active 2001 and they have released a lot of albums so far. Locktown is
their latest and despite they are described as a Ska-Punkband, they do have a
sorta melodic acoustic folky punkrocksound on their new album. The songs are
melodic and melancholic, quite memorable and nice to listen to. I wouldn't say
they sound a lot like for example MANA, but on the other hand it has a similar
kinda feeling. The band actually now has adopted the name TALCO MASKERADE, and
despite I might not be familiar with their earlier releases, I think if you
like TALCO's past albums, you will love this Locktown as well. Check out more
on them at: https://www.talco-punkchanka.com/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
DAYS
BETWEEN STATIONS 'GIANTS' (STATION ONE/GLASS ONYON/USA IMPORT)
The American duo DAYS BETWEEN STATIONS has
been active for quite a while now and Giants is their latest album release. It
takes about 6 to 7 years before they release a new album, but thankfully the
music is of a very high level, so it's not a big issue it might take a little
longer to hear new material from them. They are basically a duo formed around Sepand
Samzadeh / guitars and Oscar Fuentes / keyboards, yet the guests are completing
it as a band/project. Most important name who appears as guest, but actually
plays bass, drums and is singing on a number of songs besides co-producing the
album, it's none-other than prog legend BILLY SHERWOOD (YES, WORLD TRADE).
Other guests include XTC vocalist COLIN MOULDING, PINK FLOYD backing singer
DURGA MCBROOM and backing vocalist INID ABIZA. When we listen to the first song
Spark, we are listening to a sensational high class Progrock masterpiece that
has a playing time of 16 minutes, but in contrary to what you might expect,
DAYS BETWEEN STATIONS is song based on this album. This first is very melodic,
with strong PETER GABRIEL ish vocals and a Symphonic 80s kinda Rocksound in the
style of YES. In that same style is the lovely Another day and the titletrack
Giants, which are actually pure British Neo-Prog/Symphonic Rockers like the
perfect mix between PALLAS, LONELY ROBOT and ARENA. This is without a doubt a
lovely high quality record that should be in the hands of every progfan out
there! More info at: https://www.daysbetweenstations.com/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
PROJECT NAYUTA 'TSUMIBITO NO KIOKU' (INDEPENDENT/JAPAN
IMPORT)
All the way from Japan comes the PROJECT
NAYUTA. 3 songs are on their album Tsumibito no kioku, which takes us straight
into complex progressive rock in the best 1970s/1980s style, yet with some
typical Japanese elements, especially during the female vocals. All 3 songs are
quite lengthy, with closing track Crystal dragon being a 26 minutes counting
song that goes in various directions. Instrumental this is superb high class
Prog/Symphonic Rock with nice duals between the keyboard and guitar, while
vocally you might have to get used to the typical Japanese way of high pitched singing.
For those of you who are familiar with LOUDNESS, MARI HAMADA, MISAKA HONJOH and
such legendary acts, you should think of them when speaking of the vocalwork
here. Instrumental however PROJECT NAYUTA is definitely touching classic YES,
ELP, KING CRIMSON, GTR, ASIA and such. Here and there a bit pompous, with even
80s ish keyboardwork, while at other times complex sounding like KING CRIMSON
and U.K. did 45 years ago. It's an interesting journey into the Japanese way of
life, which is different than ours, but for the open-minded progfans out there
definitely recommended! More info at: https://linkco.re/5xaYgy1y?lang=en
and https://nayutakeikak.base.shop
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
MESSENGER
'IN TO WIN' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Springfield, Virginia comes
MESSENGER, a Christian Melodic Hardrock/Metal band with a classic traditional
sound filled with strong catchy melodies (STRYPER, WHITECROSS, HAREM SCAREM),
although the guitarwork also reveals typical modern American heavy rock
influences (CREED, SHINEDOWN, ALTER BRIDGE). The band seems to be taking the
best of both worlds and on their 3rd album In to win, this sounds quite
impressive actually for an independent band. Formed around Frank Clifton
Herring – Vocals, Vlad Gurin – Guitar, Rich Sandoval – Bass and Mike Zahorchak
– Drums, I am somewhat surprised this band is still independent, because they
sound as good as most label signed acts here in Europe. They deliver big time
on great songs like Time machine, Blind-sided, Take flight (a SENSATIONAL song
with superb vocals and an epic classic midtempo Melodic 80s Pomprock/Metal
sound that recalls memories of RAIL, MYTH, FIFTH ANGEL, RIOT and WINTERKAT), Anchor
(a lighter version of MANOWAR meets HAMMERFALL), the melodic rock ish ballad
Last supper and the catchy Messenger at arms. Despite a few weaker songs, such
as Give a shout!, this is a very enjoyable record most of the time! Go check
them out if you like high class melodic heavy rock/metal that combines the best
of the classic and the present American hardrock/metalsound! More info at: https://messengermetal.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
it's almost impossible to keep track of
all the new bands that are out there, but we try our best and VULTRESS from a
small town close to the city of Indianapolis was kind enough to sent me their
high quality debut album Hypnopomia. The three-piece band is formed around Jordan
Gaboian (guitar) Paul Uhrina (drums) and Anthony Capuano. (Vox/keys), and on
their very first album we get to hear modern sounding Progressive Rock, with
some Math Metal influences, a lot of groovy complexity, some theatrical parts
and FRANK ZAPPA weirdness. All together VULTRESS has an own identity, which
should be praised for sure. There are memorable melodies and if you listen to a
song like Tether, you will hear so many influences and music styles combined,
because thanks to guesting sax player ETHAN STUTZ there is even a part Jazz to
be heard here. 5 songs are included in total and it's a blessing to listen to
them all, because they reveal a band that could become huge in the future,
which is thanks to their original creativity and complex ideas, while still
breathing out catchy melodic choruses. If you want to hear a cross between
let's say TOOL, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, TOOL and FRANK ZAPPA, then look no further
than this VULTRESS! More info at: https://vultress.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
MAGICK
BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER 'MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER' (THE JOHN
COLBY SECT/SPAIN IMPORT)
Out of Barcelona comes MAGICK BROTHER
& MYSTIC SISTER, a band named after the same titled GONG album from 1969.
Musically speaking GONG is also an inspiration I think, because what we
basically get here is superb instrumental 1970s orientated Prog/Krautrock with
interesting spacey synths and fuzzy guitars. 10 songs are included on the debut
album of MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER, a band formed around Eva Muntada:
piano, synthesizers, organ, mellotron & vocals, Xavi Sandoval: bass &
guitars, Marc Tena: drums & vocals and Maya
Fernández: flute. I absolutely love what they are doing and despite I call
their music prog/kraut, there is more to explore here, because you also get
some groovy funky vibes here and there (Waterforms and Movement 2), some jazzy
fusion in a song like Love scene, some comparisons to even THE BLACK PUMAS,
while also thanks to the flute, FOCUS similarities are also possible. However,
most of the time this band has their own kinda 1970s inspired
prog/krau/psychrocksound and with fantastic songs like Utopia, Yogi tea, Echoes
from the clouds and Les Vampires, MAGICK BROTHER & MYSTIC SISTER shows they
are a band to keep your eyes wide open for in the future. Check them out at: https://magicbrothermysticsister.bandcamp.com/album/magick-brother-mystic-sister-2
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
EXNOVIOS
'APACHE 45' VINYL SINGLE' (THE JOHN
COLBY SECT/SPAIN IMPORT)
EXNOVIOS is a psychedelic rockband from Pamplona,
Spain formed around Juan Pedro Maravi, Txema Maravi and Nicolás Ruiz y Tamu. I
received a 45" vinyl single with 3 of their songs, and I must say it
sounds very impressive. The band has released a couple of full-length records,
so I am quite eager to learn more about them. Side A of this vinyl single
contains the sensational midtempo based rocker Apache, while flipping over to
Side-B we are surprised by the great uptempo garage rocker Dimelo a mi and
finally, the midtempo Magia eterna is a very melodic tune. The band combines
perfectly classic late 1960s psychedelic rock with a lot of melodies and they
do it in a way it still sounds modern and retro at the same time. Definitely a
band to explore further in the future, so go check them out for yourself at: https://exnovios1.bandcamp.com/album/exnovios-apache
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
IGGY
POP AND THE STOOGES 'THE ROAD TAPES '73-'74: YOU THINK YOU'RE BAD, MAN?' (CHERRY
RED RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
If you're a die-hard IGGY POP or THE
STOOGES fan, then you will absolutely love this new BOX set of Iggy. However,
the sound quality should be classified as poor I'm afraid, because this seems
like a tape recorded live concert. In fact it concerns 5 different concerts
Iggy performed with THE STOOGES in 1973 and 1974, spread over 5 CDs in a nice
red coloured boxset on CHERRY RED RECORDS. The packaging is wonderful and the
setlists look very promising, but sadly the sound quality is not really good.
Thankfully we do have a nice booklet to look at and if you don't mind the
quality of the recordings, you can hear how authentic and raw Iggy sounded back
in the day, a real Rock and Roll tiger! However, only recommended to absolute
die-hard fans! Available through: www.cherryred.co.uk
(Points:
6.0 out of 10)
A
BURIAL AT SEA 'A BURIAL AT SEA' (MOMENT OF COLLAPSE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
The same titled debut
album A BURIAL AT SEA was recorded in Belfast, while it was produced and mixed
in Liverpool, and this connection is quite interesting, because in 2019 I
visited both cities and I was really impressed by the local music scene. A
BURIAL AT SEA is an Irish band that brings us very diverse instrumental music that
is progrock based, but is also open for other styles (post-rock, jazz/fusion,
math-rock and modern rock), which is thanks to the involvement of trumpets into
their line-up. The band consists of guitarist DARA TOHILL, guitarist/trumpeter
JOEL DURKSEN, trumpeter JOHN NAYLOR, bassist PADRAIG KERR and drummer PATRICK
BLANEY. The resulting first album is a lovely instrumental album, with many
highlights, such as the superb D’Accord, You really did grow after all and Lest
we remember, while we can also hear some harmonyvocals during the splendid
melodic Lightening blanket that also reveals the Math-Rock influences. They are
slightly calmer than their label mates from WOLFREDT, but definitely as good as
them and I really enjoyed A BURIAL AT SEA a lot, so hopefully we will be able
to catch them live soon. Meanwhile, check them out at: https://aburialatsea.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
WOLFREDT
'TIDES' (MOMENT OF COLLAPSE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Out of Tallinn,
Estonia comes the band WOLFREDT, which started as a one-man-project by
drummer/guitarist MARGUS VOOLPRIIT back in 2008. Meanwhile, Tides is the 3rd album
and Margus is joined by several other musicians (guitarist ANDRES SOOSAAR,
bassist PERTTI JOHANSON and drummer KALLERVO KARU) on this new album, which
gives it a richer fuller sound. In fact, this might be one of the strongest
instrumental releases of 2020! WOLFREDT is all about instrumental
Post-Progressive Rock, with calmer ambient ish parts (during the beginning of
The forgotten man and the songs Moebius strip and the superb closing track The
ebb) and uptempo straight-ahead rockier parts, such as can be heard during the
fantastic Colossus. There are similarities possible to LONG DISTANCE CALLING,
SLEEPMAKESWAVES, TIDES FROM NEBULA and such, but when listening to the
diversity in the 7 included songs, you can safely say that WOLFREDT has an own
identity. Besides the aforementioned Colossus, another highlight is the
wonderful midtempo Ghost in the machine. Without a doubt, this is a must-have
album for any fan of instrumental hypnotical Post-Progrock! More info at: https://wolfredt.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
TEMPLE
OF SWITCHES 'VARIOUS ALBUMS' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Formed in 2012, TEMPLE
OF SWITCHES from California, USA has a lot to tell via their 3 album releases
so far. As the bandname suggests, there are a lot of switches within this band,
but more about that later in this review. Their same titled debut album was
released in 2015, of which opener Federal offense is a very catchy chorus
driven uptempo melodic rocker with a slight prog touch, yet sounding quite 80s,
which is a good thing for sure. Following The vortex is proggier and close to a
mix between RUSH and SAGA, with some interesting keyboards and Spanish guitar
halfway the song. The lead- and harmonyvocals are overall quite excellent and
make the band sound very melodic (STYX/ENCHANT/YES style). I am quite surprised
this is an independent band, because they are of a very high level musically
speaking, combining the best of prog, sympho, aor and melodic rock. The
positive side (part two) is pure progrock, with calmer and heavier parts, this
song drifts almost straight into the epic 1970s direction. Calling all is an
instrumental prog/symphonic rocker with nice keyboards, while The unwritten is
an uptempo melodic progrocker and closing track of the band’s first album is
the epic Desert sands, which has some slight 1970s Pomprock (STYX)
similarities.
In 2017 the follow-up
Helium parade is released and there is clearly a change in style and the
line-up has also changed, because the fantastic lead singer/keyboardplayer of
their debut album, KEVIN MCCONNELL, he left the band. Guitarist MIKE MONDA
takes over the other instruments on a lot of songs, in fact he’s doing
everything on his own on 5 tracks! He gets help on a few songs from drummer
Craig Camp and vocalist Clara Hembree, but most of the time Mike is doing
everything by himself, including the vocals. The music style has also changed
as mentioned, because it’s less melodic and there are no similarities possible
like their debut album. Instead, the progrock takes a more darker modern
approach, with a lot of room for instrumental passages. I am not sure if we can
speak of an improvement here, because the classic progsound of their debut has
been put aside in favor for this darker modern semi-instrumental direction,
which isn’t that bad, but after hearing the first album I know they can do much
better.
And then we are in the
corona year of 2020 when the band releases their 3rd album The
wings of mind and once again a lot of changes, because now a lot of old and new
musicians are appearing, including new lead singer JIM CHAVEZ and guitarist
TENK VAN DOOL, who takes over from Mike, as he left the band. Original singer
KEVIN MCCONNELL also makes his comeback and musically speaking the band grabs
back to their debut thankfully, yet with a more theatrical progmetal touch that
you can hear rightaway on the opener Melba. PSYCHOTIC WALTZ and FATES WARNING
come to mind here and that is definitely an improvement compared to their
previous album Helium parade. There is actually a lot of diversity going on,
because of the use of various singers. Other interesting songs are the proggy
Pondering, the slow bluesy AOR song Don’t cry to me, the light QUEENSRYCHE ish
Crusader and the lovely 70s inspired prog-pop masterpiece One for all. It’s
great to see the band releasing now a strong new album again and perhaps this
is their most ambitious and diverse album so far. Definitely a band you might
want to check out at: https://tenkvandool.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
MERRY
HELL 'EMERGENCY LULLABIES' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of the Northwest
of England comes MERRY HELL, a fun and happy melodic folk/punk pop/rockband
with a focus on catchy singable chorus driven uptempo tunes on their albums.
Emergency lullabies is their 6th album so far, and it contains
14 tracks in total, as played by Andrew Kettle: Vocals, Virginia Kettle: Vocals
& Guitar, Bob Kettle: Mandolin & Bouzouki, John Kettle: Guitars, Nick
Davies: Bass, Lee Goulding: Keyboards & Banjo, Neil McCartney: Fiddle &
Backing Vocals and Andy Jones: Drums. They remind me of a calmer melodic
polished version of DROPKICK MURPHY’S meets BLACKMORE’S NIGHT, yet it’s better
to mention they have an own face by now, which is thanks to the superb vocals
of both singers, as well as the strong backing vocals on each and every song.
There are a lot of memorable songs to be found here, such as the uptempo Leave
it to the ground, the folky semi melodic rockballad Three little lions (with a
superb singing Virginia), Sister atlas (even a tiny bit reminding of 1970s
HEART) and I don’t want to be cool. This band is on the edge of melodic rock,
folk and light punk, with a strong sound that should appeal to a wide audience!
Check them out at: https://merryhell.bandcamp.com/album/emergency-lullabies
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
DAVE
SCHOEPKE 'TESSELLATED RESONANCE' (INDEPENDENT/GLASS ONYON/USA IMPORT)
Tessellated resonance
is filled with solo drum music from a musician called DAVE SCHOEPKE, who is
from Milwaukee Wisconsin, USA. The emphasis is on form, tone, and composition
rather than drum exposition. Drum songs is another possible description, and
it’s all done by Dave himself. The 11 included songs are showing a lot of cool
rhythms via his drumming skills, and it was recorded before all the covid
lockdowns in the early months of 2020. Check for yourself at: www.daveschoepke.com
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
ANYONE
'ON THE ENDING EARTH...' (TOGETHERMENT RECORDS/GLASS ONYON/USA IMPORT)
Actually I was not
really familiar with the Californian band ANYONE, but apparently they were
formed back in 1995 by RIZ STORY (guitar, vocalist, songwriter, producer) and
featured once members of FOO FIGHTERS and KORN amongst many others. Anyway,
they released several albums on ROADRUNNER RECORDS throughout the 1990s, but
eventually split up in the mid-2000s. In 2014 the band reformed and went
independently, where they managed to release a few more records, of which On
the ending earth… is the latest CD. Musically speaking it is high quality
melodic progressive rock with classic rock influences, kinda like a mix between
LED ZEPPELIN and RUSH. Thankfully it is done really well, with great vocal work
(ROBERT PLANT meets GEDDY LEE meets OZZY meets LENNY WOLF), well-constructed
songs in classic 1970s style and lovely melodies all throughout the album, with
as highlights the beautiful songs All that lives is born to die, Sip the
pleasure of days, Sister wrong way, A Love Letter to Humanity and Want, while
closing track Fade to black sounds like DAVID BOWIE doing a RUSH song! I was
quite overwhelmed by the incredible high quality of this album, and I am sure
many more people will love it if they found out about this release. Check out
more at: https://www.anyoneden.net
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
MILLENNIUM
‘RARITIES/THE SIN' (LYNX MUSIC/POLAND IMPORT)
The Polish band
MILLENNIUM has been around for a very long time now, with many album releases
so far, and in 2020 two new albums of this legendary band were released on
their label LYNX MUSIC. They were formed in the mid-1990s and never changed
music style or label in all those years, so now almost 25 years later on those
2 new albums we can still hear their wonderful brand of melodic progressive
rock that sounds like early MARILLION, PENDRAGON and such, yet they do have an
own identity, which is thanks to the superb vocals of lead singer LUKASZ GALL,
who sounds a bit like STING actually! Anyway, the band further consists of
bassist Krzysztof Wyrwa, drummer Grzegorz Bauer, guitarist Piotr Płonka and
keyboardplayer/guitarist Ryszard Kramarski. The first album I will review here
is their Rarities album, which is a compilation of unreleased songs and/or
songs that can only be found on EPs or a Best of album, or are done in a
different version than the original album version. If we go through the finest
songs on this album, we have to mention the superb Time vehicle, with its
soaring guitars, relaxing smooth sax, cheerful keys and lovely vocal melodies,
this is an absolute classic not to be missed if you’re a fan of
Neo-Prog/Melodic Progrock. Another highlight is the beautiful Envy, which is an
acoustic version of a track from their lovely new album The sin, sung here
exceptionally well by Lukasz. Ecosong ethno is another fantastic song with
brilliant vocals and melodies, while the song itself is a sorta mix of prog and
world music, even a bit reminding of classic PETER GABRIEL. If we move over to
their official new studio album, The sin, we are blessed with the feeling that
the band has delivered another masterpiece. From start to finish, this is how
we like to hear our prog! Highlights on the band’s new album are Lust, Wrath,
Sloth, Greed and closing track Envy, which is one of the most beautiful
progsongs of 2020! Everything sounds perfect on this album and it gives you
such a relaxed feeling while listening. This band is right up there with the
other big names in prog, such as PENDRAGON, IQ, MARILLION and together with
MARK KELLY's MARATHON, this new MILLENNIUM album is the absolute finest piece
of new prog that is available at the moment! Definitely a must-have if you call
yourself a proggie, but I dare anyone to check out this album, because
MILLENNIUM has so much to offer, which makes it a pleasure to listen to their
music. More info at: http://www.millenium.art.pl/
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
JASMENO 'JASMENO' (LYNX MUSIC/POLAND
IMPORT)
JASMENO is a Polish project that started
in 2017 and now releases it’s same titled debut album. The included music is
80s inspired, but then from a Synthwave/Gothic/Synthpop kinda view, with also
elements of classic krautrock, electronic and new wave music. It’s
synth/keyboard driven, with however lots of other elements, which can already
be heard during the instrumental opener Plankton and also the catchy midtempo
Daydreams, with its strong melodic chorus, it reminds me of MAGIC DANCE in
their early days. However, most of the time ULTRAVOX and DEPECHE MODE come to
mind, and JASMENO do it really at a high level, because also vocally it is not
far removed from MIDGE URE for example. Anyway, the band is featuring Andrea
Noah Boma Boccarusso: lead vocals, choirs, electric guitars, accoustic guitar,
Lecia Louise Mcphail-Bell: vocals, choirs, electric guitars, accoustic guitar,
Piotr Chomicz: electric guitars, Anna Heron: vocals, choirs, Robert Jakubiec:
trumpet, Gabriela Gutierrez: harp and Slavomir Maria Nietupski: synthesizers,
organs & programming. 10 songs are included, and it is a pleasure to listen
to the album from start to finish, with as other highlights besides the aforementioned
songs, the ULTRAVOX ish Precarious and tough and Liquid paradise. If you’re
starting to become interested, please go to: https://jasmeno.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
ANDY SUSEMIHL ‘ALIENATION’ (SM NOISE
RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The German guitarist ANDY SUSEMIHL
delivers his 7th solo album with the 2021 record Alienation. He is a former UDO
guitarist, played with SINNER, ACCEPT, DAVID REECE, RITCHIE KOTZEN and
countless more. On this new album he gets help from Peter Baltes (ACCEPT),
Francesco Jovin (UDO/JORN) and Andre Labelle (VINNIE VINCENT), so we are
definitely heading into an international sounding record that has a clear 1980s
influence musically speaking, but it doesn’t sound dated at all. As soon as the
first song Another day, another turn kicks in, we’re on our way for a great
portion of high class uptempo Melodic Hardrock. Everything sounds perfect here,
with fantastic vocals from Andy himself, strong guitarwork, a catchy chorus and
overall a great vibe! 12 songs are included and there’s not a single weak
moment to be found, because from start to finish it is high quality typical
German Melodic Hardrock in the style of MAD MAX, CASANOVA, VICTORY, BONFIRE and
such. Besides that lovely opener, other highlights are the midtempo Monkey
town, the fantastic catchy uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker Common sense, the superb
midtempo melodic rocker Over my head, the JOURNEYesque uptempo AOR/Poprocker
Hands on the wheel and the big melodic rock anthem The game (a la FIREHOUSE).
Nice surprise here and I am quite eager to hear more of Andy’s past work. Check
out all on ANDY SUSEMIHL at: https://www.andysusemihl.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
FROZEN NIGHT 'IN VAIN' (LYNX MUSIC/POLAND
IMPORT)
Out of Zakopane, Poland comes FROZEN
NIGHT, a new melodic Prog/Power Metalband making their debut with In vain. The
band consists of bassist Maks Bieniara, drummer Kacper Puchała, guitarist
Szymon Wajda, guitarist Bartosz Klamerus and vocalist Mikołaj Wirowski. Their
music is heavier than most other albums on LYNX MUSIC, but still melodic
thankfully. THRESHOLD meets ICED EARTH could be a nice description, but FROZEN
NIGHT is in development and this debut shows they have something to offer, but
there are enough opportunities to improve in the future. The songs are based
around classic metal guitar riffs that are combined with melodic memorable
choruses, and among the 8 included tracks, the highlights are The alley of
apathy, The anthem of lonely and Wake me up again. A few times we can also hear
extreme metal influences in a couple of screams, but I am glad this doesn’t
happen too often, and so we can recommend it to the prog/power metal fans out
there, although I have to say that vocally speaking it is not reaching the
level of aforementioned bands. More info can be found at: https://frozennightofficial.bandcamp.com/album/in-vain-3
(Points: 7.0 out of 10)
KRYSZTOF LEPIARCZYK 'ALBUM PIESNI' (LYNX
MUSIC/POLAND IMPORT)
I don’t have that much information on this
release, because it is Polish orientated, both lyrically and the whole background
of the album, but it concerns here the 3rd album of keyboardplayer KRZSYSTOF
LEPIARCZYK. On the album he gets help from vocalist Marek Smelkowski (PADRE),
guitarist Jerzy Antczak (ALBION, GEORGIUS), drummer Grzegorz Bauer (MILLENNIUM)
and bassist Piotr Lipka (LOONYPARK). The result is a lovely relaxing
Neo-Progrockalbum that reminds me a bit of EVERON, with also a few touches of
80s New Wave. One of the absolute highlights is the fantastic Daremne zale,
with lovely soaring guitarwork and a strong catchy chorus. It’s quite a diverse
album actually and despite Krysztof is the leader and it’s all situated around
his majestic symphonic keyboardwork (just check out the start of Bol zasnal for
example!), he also leaves a lot of room for the other musicians to show their
skills, and Marek is a great singer. Although it’s all sung in the Polish
language, it is still very a pleasant listen from start to finish. More info
at: https://www.facebook.com/krzysztoflepiarczykofficial/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
MARS PROJECT 'LAST PASSENGER' (LYNX
MUSIC/POLAND IMPORT)
Last passenger is the 3rd album of the
Polish multi-instrumentalist (Guitar, Keyboards, Sampler, Loops) MAREK SIKORA.
9 instrumental songs can be found on this album, which was recorded in Krakow.
It’s progrock connected, but with a clear open-mind, because other musicstyles
pass by frequently. It’s actually a very relaxing album that is perfectly
suitable as background music. At times you could almost call it New Age music,
but on the other hand, I would prefer to mention open-minded prog related
music. It feels very good and I would recommend you to check it out for
yourself if you’re into instrumental music at: https://lynxmusic.pl/index.php/component/muscol/M/154-mars-project
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
BRAD
BROOKS 'GOD SAVE THE CITY VINYL RECORD' (MOUTH MAGIC/USA IMPORT)
The story behind the making of this vinyl
record is remarkable and it makes the album even more sensational than it
already is musically speaking. 5 years ago Brad started recording this album,
but right before he went into the studio he found out he had throat cancer, so
it is a miracle that the album is now released. It has 12 tracks in total and
they are clearly showing the man's ups and downs during those tough years of
his life. Brad was kind enough to send me the beautiful vinyl record of this
new album, and the minute I put it on, I knew this was going to be really good!
Brad released his debut album Harmony of passing light in 2012, so hopefully I
will be able to hear that record as well, because God save the city is a
sensational album! Besides Brad on Lead Vocals and a bit of Harmonica, the
other involved musicians are Erik Schramm: Guitar, Pie Fiorentino: Guitar, Adam
Rossi: Keys, Andrew Griffin: Drums, Joey Dibono: Bass, Vicki Randle:
Backgrounds & Percussion, Loralee Christensen: Backgrounds and Ralph
Carney: Horns & Mojo. Together they have created a great pure American
music sounding record that gives me a lot of memories of the good old past,
without ever sounding dated.
Opener and titletrack God save the city is
a strong classic uptempo American soulful Rock and Roll tune, sounding raw and
edgy, with Horns added it has a HANOI ROCKS, ROLLING STONES and a SOUTHSIDE
JOHNNY & THE ASHBURY JUKES vibe, but fans of might like this as well! Following track Feel
the might is a different adventure, but surely a good one, because this is classic
1970s inspired Westcoast-Pop/AOR with that funky groovy vibe we know from the
good old days when acts HALL & OATES, PLAYER and such light Soulful
Yacht-AOR acts were ruling the charts. It even reminds me a bit of FRANKE AND
THE KNOCKOUTS, which is due to the superb vocals of Brad, who reminds me a lot
of FRANKE PREVITE! If you want a more modern comparison, then I should mention
YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX or THE BLACK PUMAS, but here and there I also hear about
similarities to classic SLY & THE FAMILY STONE. I think by now you'll get
the picture what this more or less sounds like!
The soulful AOR continues on the ROBERT
TEPPER (yeah, the guy who created one of my favorite songs ever, the Rocky 4
anthem No easy way out) co-written song Why do you hurt, so another hit for the
fans of classic 70s Westcoast! Back to the old HALL & OATES school with the
groovy soulful rocker Strange fruit numb, which even sounds like a lighter THE
BLACK CROWES meets STEELY DAN. Once again, the vocals of Brad are amazing, and
I am surprised he has not yet been discovered worldwide! His voice reminds me
so much of such legendary singers like BENNY MARDONES, DARYL HALL, ROBERT
TEPPER, FRANKE PREVITE, etc. etc. The most soulful song on Side-A is the ballad
The chance, another pure HALL & OATES ish tune. Closing up the first side
of the vinyl record is Millionaires, another ballad, but this time piano based.
Flipping over to Side-B, it starts with
the uptempo Lee Marvin's Uzi, a catchy early 80s type of Powerpop/poprocker. Angel
of angels grabs back a bit to the retro 1960s, with a slight ROY ORBISON meets
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN meets MICHAEL STANLEY ish Heartland Pop/Rock touch, but you
could also label it as Working Class Americana with a lot of Soul, whatever you
call it, it's a great song to play loud and proud! Do the same for me is a
lovely 80s orientated midtempo AOR/Poprock tune with a slight touch of QUEEN,
and then I mean that Brad sounds really close to the legendary FREDDY MERCURY.
Heartbreak of fools follows and is a little more going into a retro soulful
poprockstyle that resembles ELVIS COSTELLO and especially JOE JACKSON in his
late 70s/early 80s period. Burn it off is a calmer light Americana/soulful
Country ish tune that sounds like it could have been a ROLLING STONES song, but
it's definitely written by Brad himself, and so are all of the songs. Scared I
was is a very emotional piano ballad that closes the album in a RUFUS
WAINWRIGHT meets QUEEN/FREDDY MERCURY style.
Concluded, this is a highly recommended
album from a superb singer who thankfully survived a horrible disease and is
now making a huge comeback via this sensational release! More info can be found
at: https://bradbrooks.bandcamp.com
and https://bradbrooksmusic.com
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
ROYAL
HORSES 'A MODERN MAN'S WAY TO IMPROVE VINYL RECORD' (OKEMAH ROADS RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
In the UK and especially the USA there are
countless bands playing 'real' Classic Rock. The reason that in mainland Europe
this is absolutely not common is due to the fact that both the UK and the USA
founded Classic Rock more or less and likewise delivered so many groundbreaking
acts during the 1960 and 1970s. The influences of all those bands are passed on
to each new generation, with as result that most of the new Classic Rockbands
still originate from the UK and the USA. ROYAL HORSES is yet another fine
example, because their debut album A Modern Man's Way To Improve is filled with
pure American Classic Rock that combines influences from all the elements that
shaped this genre a few decades ago. You can hear blues, southern rock,
hardrock, boogie, country, rockabilly, rootsy americana and rock and roll via
the 10 included songs, and only the Americans really know how to handle that
well enough to make an impression. ROYAL HORSES hail from South Mississippi,
USA and is formed around DANIEL FIRTH (Percussion, vocals), SHELBY KEMP
(Guitar, vocals) and KENNY PAUL MANN (Double bass). 10 songs are on the vinyl
record they sent me, and from start to finish there is a lot to enjoy here,
because diversity is the name of the game here.
Opener Bottom of the chart is a raw dirty
mean uptempo rocker with a rootsy and southern rock approach, a little bit
reminding of THE BLACK CROWES crossed with LYNYRD SKYNYRD. The midtempo A
modern man's way to improve follows and is perhaps a little bluesier mixed with
a lot of Heartland Rock, sounding like a mix JOHN COUGAR, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and
TOM PETTY. Things slow during the Country/Americana ish Valley of the new,
which has some memories of NEIL YOUNG. Speeding up the tempo again during the
excellent heavy boogie rocker Who do you know? that has clear similarities to
ZZ TOP and SEASICK STEVE. Closing Side-A is the lovely authentic bluesy semi
melodic southern rockballad There she walks that even recalls memories of the
legendary BADLANDS, although RIVAL SONS, BLACK STONE CHERRY, ROBERT JON &
THE WRECK, VOLTAGE and such acts will also like this a lot! The guitarsolo's
and tempo changes make it a deadringer for fans of the classic 1970s Southern
Rocksound of bands like BLACKFOOT, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, etc.
Side-B opens with an almost honky-tonk but
rockier approach to a classic sounding country/rockabilly/bluegrass kinda
uptempo piece titled Leave a light (Sweet lane). Following track Call it war is
moving in the same direction at first sight, although the twangle of the guitar
gives it also a THE ALLMANN BROTHERS BAND sorta touch, while during the chorus
things rock out pretty hard in classic 1970s rockstyle (MOUNTAIN, FOGHAT, etc).
Rattlesnake smoking a cigarette has a JIMI HENDRIX ish guitarsound, while the
speaking and slightly hysterical type of singing sounds like a mix between THE
BLACK KEYS, SEASICK STEVE and a QUENTIN TARANTINO movie soundtrack. Ruby do
picks up the Rockabilly sound again, yet in a Classic Rock jacket as if ELVIS
joined LED ZEPPELIN! Closing the album is BLD, a beautiful close-harmonyvocal
driven calmer melodic rock ballad that somehow reminds me a bit of TESLA
(remember their MTV unplugged performance from 30 years ago?), with a soaring
guitarsolo to finish it off nicely.
Anyway, this band delivers a fantastic
debut and hopefully it will turn out into a success, which they definitely
deserve. Check them out at: https://www.royalhorsesband.com
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
SORCERESS
OF SIN 'MIRRORED REVENGE' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
When looking at the frontcover and especially
when listening to the debut album Mirrored revenged of the British band
SORCERESS OF SIN, it is clear that we are dealing here with something special
and of a very high level. Normally the kind of Melodic Power Metal this band is
bringing on their first album is done by mainland European bands, but here it
really concerns a British affair formed around vocalist Lisa Skinner, guitarist
Constantine Kanakis, drummer Paul Skinner, bassist Topher O’Meagher (ex-GEHITKA)
and bassist/orchestral background/producer Tom Maclean (former guitarist of
HAKEN, TO-MERA, PSION). The result is a massive sounding album that most of the
time is full speed ahead with uptempo Melodic Power Metal songs from almost
start to finish. IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and PRIMAL FEAR come to mind more
than a few times, although it also has as mentioned a very mainland European
kinda touch, which is probably due to the female vocals (EPICA/AFTER FOREVER
style). Lisa has an amazing voice that can go up pretty high in octave (Soprano
Opera directions) such as can be heard in Aradia, while on the other hand she
has the voice of a screaming Metal Goddess, who can easily compete with BRUCE
DICKINSON and ROB HALFORD on such strong uptempo Melodic Power Metal pieces
like Multifaceted survival, Mirrored revenge and the superb Parallel lies. And
she easily reaches the aforementioned Soprano Opera voice of FLOOR JANSEN of
AFTER FOREVER/NIGHTWISH here and there, which can be heard very clearly during
the epic symphonic gothic metal ballad Echhoes of existence besides the earlier
mentioned Arcadia. It's all there, with a crystal clear production and
excellent guitarwork as well, so I guess by now you will understand what to
expect from SORCERESS OF SIN! More info at: https://www.sorceressofsin.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
UNCUT
'BLUE' (LES AIR A VIF/SEASON OF MIST/FRANCE IMPORT)
The French band UNCUT goes back to the classic 1970s
when guitar solos and big fat groovy guitar riffs were common in the music
world. They do it exceptionally well on their debut album Blue, which is
basically a high class groovy Classic Rock meets Bluesy Hardrock orientated
album, with also a few times a calmer laid-back late 60s Psychedelic bluesy
approach, such as during the start of THE DOORS influenced Blue eyes lover and
Bee blues, although both develop into superb epic songs with all the
ingredients needed to become retro classic 70s rock/hardrock pieces . The band
is from the city of Poitiers and consists of Alexy Sertillange (vocals and
baritone guitar), Enzo Alfano (guitar) and Pablo Fathi (drums). Most of the
time they are rocking quite hard on the album, and as mentioned, this is done
at a very high level, with soaring and screaming guitars, and major riffs,
while vocally the band is also sounding very international, because Alexy has a
great voice without an accent. Highlights are the groovy heavy rockers Family
blues, Snake boogie, Highway to cagne, the midtempo DEEP PURPLE ish Small steps
and the 2 earlier mentioned sensational epic songs, but also the fantastic slow
heavy blues rock/metal ish The trap that sounds like a mix between LED ZEPPELIN
and BLACK SABBATH. Quite a surprise to hear such a great high quality Classic
Rockband from France, so make sure to check them out at: https://uncut-trio.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ROB
PHILIPS SIREN 'BEYOND THE RAINBOW' (GOM RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Florida, USA based
band SIREN has a long way in music history that begins in the 1980s when they
were signed to a German label and released a couple of albums. After they split
up in the 1990s, the band’s original guitarist and vocalist ROB PHILIPS
eventually re-started his own version of Siren in 2005 called ROB PHILIPS SIREN,
in which he is the vocalist and is musically speaking more diverse than the
original SIREN. The Heavy Metal related SIREN also reactivated in 2016, and even
released an album in 2020, so there are now two versions of SIREN around.
Beyond the rainbow is the 3rd album of ROB PHILIPS SIREN, and
although I have heard the early SIREN albums from the 1980s, I was not familiar
with Rob’s SIREN, and I must say it sounds more interesting actually. The
line-up on this album is Bass – Christopher Bonelli, Drums – Mike Cupino,
Guitar – Todd Grubbs, Keyboards – Chip Gardner and Lead Vocals – Rob Phillips,
while the legendary JIM MORRIS (the man who produced countless legendary
(death) metal albums from the late 80s on in his own Morrisound studios in
Tampa, Florida) mixed and mastered the album. 11 songs are included and as
mentioned, it’s pretty diverse, although mostly based around melodies, taken
from classic rock styles such as Bluesy Heavy Rock, Melodic Hardrock and
Progressive Rock. Bluesy melodic hardrock like a mix between BAD COMPANY,
WHITESNAKE and GLENN HUGHES ish vocals, this can be heard especially during
songs like Lawless life, Empty ocean and Sundown. Catchy uptempo melodic rock
is included as well, with as best songs No vacancy, High wire and , which are
all a bit reminding me of the classic early 80s British sound of a band like
PRAYING MANTIS with some THIN LIZZY ish guitarwork, and you might even trace
some prog elements in there as well. Also very impressive are Prog/AORish
semi-ballads such as Forever now never and Sympathetic response, while pure
Progrock can be heard in a midtempo song like Crazy legs or End user, which
recall a bit FATES WARNING instrumentally speaking. All together a great
diverse sounding record, which you can check out at: https://robphillipssiren.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-rainbow
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
PLUS 33
'OPEN WINDOW' (INDEPENDENT/FRANCE IMPORT)
Here we have a fantastic instrumental progressive/symphonic rock affair
from start to finish in a 5 parts counting journey through Water (18 minutes),
Earth (13 minutes), Fire (8 minutes), Air (7 minutes) and an Epilogue (5
minutes), all brought to you by the British/French band PLUS 33 via their debut
album Open window. PLUS 33 is actually a musical project led by Didier
Grillot from Strasbourg/France, who recorded this album at the Loft Music
Studios in Newcastle in 2019. Didier (composition, piano, keyboards) was joined
by other musicians from the UK, such as Lloyd Wright on guitars, Paul Susan on
the bass guitar, Dave Wilde on saxophone and flute and Adam Sinclair on drums.
The resulting album is a mix of various styles that is somewhere between Jazz,
Progressive/Symphonic Rock and Classical Music. It is calm and atmospheric in
classic 1970s style during the beginning, but also here and there we drift into
pure Symphonic Rock, while also some jazzy parts can be heard and things get
even quite rocky (Fire for example has a Post-Progrock part), so all together this
is a great healthy mixture and a wonderful instrumental journey through all
kinds of sounds. Well done and recommended to check out at: https://plus33.bandcamp.com/album/open-window
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
THE
BATS 'FOOTHILLS' (FLYING NUN RECORDS/NEW ZEALAND IMPORT)
The New Zealand based band THE BATS have been active
with the same line-up since New Year's Eve 1982! They have already released 10
albums, but somehow I am not really familiar with them. Thankfully their 10th
album Foothills is a nice starting point, because this is a strong new record
that will mostly be interesting for fans of melodic Indie Pop/Rock. The band
consists of Robert Scott: vocals and guitar, Paul Kean: bass and backing
vocals, Kaye Woodward: guitar and backing vocals and Malcolm Grant: drums.
Robert seems to be the main man here, because he wrote all the songs. 12 songs
are on the album and most of the time it's filled with beautiful
calmer 80s/90s inspired melodic Alternative Indie-Poprock like THE SMITHS, THE
WAR ON DRUGS, WILCO and BEAR’S DEN, although it is actually reminding a lot of
R.E.M. and 80s New Zealand acts like THE GO-BETWEENS and SPLIT ENZ, with as highlights
the fun 80s sounding uptempo Warwick, the midtempo close-harmonyvocal driven
psychedelic pop/rock of Beneath the visor, the melancholic and very melodic As
you were and the catchy uptempo Field of vision. The best is kept until the
end, namely the lovely melancholic calmer folksy semi-ballad Gone to ground and
the closing uptempo alt. pop/rocker track Electric sea view, which is a perfect
cross between R.E.M., THE WAR ON DRUGS and THE SMITHS. They are more or less
quite popular in the underground movement outside New Zealand, while in New
Zealand of course most people already discoverd this talented band. Now it's
time for you to check out THE BATS at: www.thebats.co.nz
and https://thebats.bandcamp.com/album/foothills
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
MELISSA
SULLIVAN 'LATE LAST NIGHT' (DARING SPARROW ENTERTAINMENT/IT'S ALIVE MEDIA/USA
IMPORT)
American singer-songwriter MELISSA SULLIVAN is making
her debut with the album Late last night. She recorded the CD at the Sir Tiger
Studios in Culver City, California along with the musicians Edward Maxwell
(upright bass), piano player Peter Adams (who arranged the music), Sylvain
Carton (Bb and bass clarinet, baritone sax), Blair Sinta (drums), Chris Steele
(drums, percussion), Noah Hoffeld (cello), Leah Paul (flute), Felipe Frago
(cucia), Raelon Bolton and Rafael Saliba (back-up vocals). The resulting album
is quite enjoyable to listen to, which is of course mostly due to the amazing
vocalwork of Melissa herself. She has an incredible voice, while the music is
jazzy and smooth, with a pop melody and a light funky vibe, such as can be
heard during the awesome opener It’s a love, although songs like He’s bad and
Lost mind are classic 1940s/1950s female fronted bar-jazz like it is hardly
created nowadays. Well done for sure and especially hats off to the amazing
voice of Melissa. There’s also time for singer/songwriter in classic 1970s
style, with a focus once again on vocal melodies, such as can be heard in a
song like the CAROLE KING ish Miles away. And how about the SADE ish Marcella,
with its sorta Latin jazzy pop vibe. There are also sometimes similarities to
KATIE MELUA or CARO EMERALD, but with a voice like Melissa, she actually has an
own identity and her own unique way to create songs that really shape that own kinda
sound. Final highlight I would like to point is the piano-led pop/rock song
Adrian, but basically every song is a precious little diamond for fans of a mix
of old school jazzy pop and singer/songwriter pop. I hope she forgives me, but
a piano-led song like Skylark even reminds me of the old
CARPENTERS/STREISAND/MIDDLER records my mother used to play when I was young,
which makes it a bit sentimental and very nostalgic, which is definitely a
compliment. The album is diverse enough to keep you entertained from start to
finish, so make sure to check it out at: https://melissa-sullivan.com/music
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
TLITO/TOM'S
HANK 'VARIOUS ALBUMS' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Minneapolis, USA we have an interesting band
called TLITO. Their music is semi-instrumental, of a very high level,
Post-Rock, Progressive Rock and Progmetal are melted together perfectly, with
amazing guitarwork here and there. Sometimes it’s quite heavy, while at other
times very calm, but always extremely melodic and fulfilling the dream of any
fan of instrumental prog related music. PORCUPINE TREE, ULVER, OPETH, LONG
DISTANCE CALLING and such names come to mind, but there’s more to discover
here. This is one of those bands which would be signed to a label in Europe for
sure! Besides 2 great albums of TLITO, there are also 2 albums by an even better
band called TOMS HANK in the package that was sent to me. Musically speaking,
TLITO was quite atmospheric, but TOMS HANK is heavier and a bit more vocal/song
orientated (no idea who sings!), basically pure melodic prog metal in the FATES
WARNING style. I am quite safe to say if these were official releases instead
of the CDR’s and digital releases, then especially TOMS HANK would be going for
the upper league of melodic progrock/progmetal! Thankfully there is an official
silver-pressed disc (CD) included, which is Aquasquatch that was officially
released in 2017. This band is formed around Jared Emery – Guitar, Chris Lyons
– Bass and Jacob Ewert - Drums & Keyboards, and the album is an enjoyable
(mostly instrumental) journey through everything that makes melodic
progrock/progmetal such a great interesting adventure every time you’re
listening. Definitely recommended to check out at: https://tomshankband.bandcamp.com/album/aquasquatch
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
REVOLUTION
HIGHWAY 'REVOLUTION HIGHWAY' (GROOVEYARD RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
Although
the same titled debut album of REVOLUTION HIGHWAY was released back in late
2018, I somehow must have missed it's release back then, but it's never too
late to write a review of an album, especially when it's as good as this one!
The band consists of the fantastic legendary American singer DAVID FEFOLT
(FIREWOLFE, ANGELS OF BABYLON, FIFTH ANGEL, MASI, HAWK, VALHALLA, etc.) and the
Greek guitarist STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS (SUPER VINTAGE, FREEROCK SAINTS and
several other bands), who also wrote most of the songs together, while the
rhythm section is filled by John Christopoulos on bass and Chris "Rock
Machine" Lagios on drums. The result is one of the finest Classic
traditional late 1980s American Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock releases of the past
few years, with a powerhouse sound, superb guitarwork, a driving rhythm
section, amazing vocal work and really strong songs from start to finish. For
example an amazing song like Into the darkness fits right between early
TYKETTO, HARDLINE, BADLANDS, VICTORY, FIFTH ANGEL, Y&T and BANGALORE
CHOIR's finest moments. There's also this lovely groovy and bluesy approach to
most of the songs, which reveals some influences of classic GUNS'N'ROSES meets
WHITESNAKE meets AEROSMITH meets classic FREE / LED ZEPPELIN / BAD COMPANY.
David is an amazing Rock/Metal singer with a voice that easily reaches the
strength of RONNIE JAMES DIO, DAVID COVERDALE, JAMES CHRISTIAN, PAUL SHORTINO,
DAVE MENIKETTI and such singers. This is Hardrock with a soul that listens very
well throughout the 11 included songs, of which the other highlights are
Renegade, The streets of Hollywood, the superb Sister of the devil and the
catchy uptempo I need your love (THIN LIZZY meets WHITESNAKE meets BLACK STAR
RIDERS). If this was released 30 years ago, it would have surely been a major
label hit, but on the other hand, musically speaking they have released a
timeless record, because it sounds as modern as it would have been 40 years ago
or 30 years ago or 20 years ago, etc. Make absolutely sure to check out this
fabulous album and I truly hope a follow-up will follow, as these guys are the
real deal! More info at: http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/revolutionhighway.html
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
SUPER VINTAGE 'SHINING LIGHT' (GROOVEYARD RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
I
reviewed REVOLUTION HIGHWAY the other day, and from that band's Greek guitarist
STAVROS PAPADOPOULOS also comes a band called SUPER VINTAGE. The most striking
thing here is that Stavros is also a singer besides a shredding guitarist, and
we can hear this on the band's 5th album Shining light. He doesn't have the
incredible Rock God voice of REVOLUTION HIGHWAY's David, but thankfully still
sounds good enough for this kind of bluesy Hardrock, and he sings without an
accent! The band is based in Greece and also features guitarist PANAGIOTIS
ZABOURLIS, bassist JIM MORALIS and drummer CHRIS LAGIUS. Shining light from the
corona year 2020 contains 11 strong songs with a clear Bluesy Melodic Hardrock
approach, a little bit WHITESNAKE ish and sometimes very close to classic
BADLANDS and PAUL RODGERS' BAD COMPANY, especially during the superb semi
melodic rocker Birds on a wire, which is definitely the best song on the album!
On this song Stavros shines as a soulful singer and makes his guitar soar at
his very best! The material is a little lighter than REVOLUTION HIGHWAY, and
very close to classic bluesy hard rock with quite a lot of Southern Rock
influences throughout the album, such as the BLACKFOOT/LYNYRD SKYNYRD ish
Southern son and Take a ride, both sensational pieces of pure Classic Rock!
Another highlight is the beautiful calmer bluesy melodic semi rock ballad
Shining light (WHITESNAKE ish) and how about the sensational calmer and
extremely melodic Too long that even has a touch of VAN ZANT, and is acoustic
guitar/harmony vocal driven with an almost 1970s kinda feeling a la AMERICA as
well. This album surely surprised me a lot, as it is very diverse and ticks a
lot of boxes (Bluesy Hardrock, Classic Rock with a soul, Southern Rock and
Melodic Rock, so I would say check out this excellent Greek band at: http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/supervintageshininglight.html
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
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