|
|
HOT NEW REVIEWS
MAD
SYMPHONY ‘MAD SYMPHONY’ (MELODIC ROCK RECORDS/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
The amount of new
Canadian rockbands each month is stunning lately, because here we have yet
another one from rock hotspot Vancouver. They are called MAD SYMPHONY and their
same titled debut album is released on the Australian label MELODIC ROCK RECORDS.
The band is formed around Wes Hallam (Drums), Kevin Wright (Lead Vocals), Dave
Groves (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Ted Tosoff (Guitar/Vocals), Amrit Prasad (Bass)
and Mike Russell Keys/Vocals) and this first album is quite a surprise, because
it sounds really impressive. The somewhat rougher vocals of Kevin reflect a
sorta MIKE TRAMPSish touch, yet musically speaking opener Do It All Over Again
is uptempo melodic rock with a strong proggy twist, but it also features a
catchy WHITE LIONish chorus (partly due to the MIKE TRAMPish vocals). The
production/sound quality is massive and does reflect a mid/late 80s approach.
The following The Next Door is going for a 1970s classic rock approach,
sounding quite groovy and midtempo, but this song also contains a great catchy
memorable AORish chorus that comes across like a mix between NAZARETH, FOGHAT
and STYX. Following Sell me Out taps almost out of a pure 1980s Hair Metal
direction, yet they cleverly include some Pomprock elements in there as well,
while the ultra-melodic uptempo Nothin’ is a very strong melodic rocker in a
TYKETTO style, yet with a typical 80s German sound somehow (AIDEAN, CRAAFT,
VICE, DAYTONA, DOMINOE, etc.). The album’s finest song has got to be closing
track Bittersweet Bye Bye, which at first sight jumps back to the late 80s Hair
Metal/Melodic Hardrock ish sound again in the beginning, yet it does have a
clear proggy influence during an interesting intermezzo halfway the song and
towards the end, the chorus and keys/guitar duals is heading this lengthy
sensational epic song into pure 70s Pomprock Heaven a la CATS IN SPACE! Job
done well here for sure, because it’s overall a mixture of all kinds of 70s and
80s rockstyles. I can’t wait for the future to come when this band will release
more albums! Check out MAD SYMPHONY at: https://www.madsymphony.ca
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
FICCION ‘SOBRE LA IRA DE DIOS’ (INDEPENDENT/VENEZUELA IMPORT)
The band FICCION was
formed long ago, way back in 1976 and have meanwhile released several albums.
They hail from Venezuela and it’s such a pity that we don’t hear more music
from South America, because especially in the progrock and hardrock/power/metal
genres this continent has so many bands out there, but only a few make it
across the Atlantic (such as ANGRA). This band FICCION is playing high quality
70s progrock and they were kind enough to send me their 2013 CD Sobre La Ira De
Dios. The trio consists of Jose Ignacio Lares, Jose Pepe Martinez and Edgar De
Sola, and their main influence is ELP. It all starts with quite a melodic
uptempo rocking song sung in Spanish, while the following Cinco Vientos
Malignos is a lovely piece of instrumental progressive/symphonic rock in the
classic 1970s direction. The band delivers a great diverse album here with a
focus on instrumental classic 70s progrock that has a lot of room for
innovative YESish tempo changes and cheerful keyboardwork, but also KANSAS
influences can be heard such as during the violin/classical music influenced
Tango Metamorfico and ASIA similarities are present during the bombastic 80s
pomp/Symphonic driven uptempo piece Microllage, which also reminds me a bit of
3 and VINCE DICOLA. 3 songs feature vocals, but the band is mainly focused on
the instrumental side of prog and they do this very well for sure on this
album! Check them out at: http://rockhechovenezuela.com/F2/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
ONE ARM
‘MYSORE PAK’ (ATYPEEK MUSIC/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Formed all the way
back in 1992, the Parisian band ONE ARM performed all over Europe, released a
2-track vinyl, a tape and appeared on numerous compilation albums, but never
managed to release a full album. They recorded a demo in 1998, but split up
eventually and now 20+ years later this last recording has been released as a
CD titled Mysore Pak. The included music is 90s/80s underground minimal no wave
Post-Rock that doesn’t sound dated at all actually, because this is now
vintage. Originally ONE ARM was an all-female band, but along the way 2 male
members joined them when recording this demo album. There are some similarities
to SONIC YOUTH, THE JESUS AND THE MARY CHAIN and besides post-punk rock, we can
also trace krautrock influences and all these sounds come out best during the
uptempo City, while the song Top Tone has a very interesting guitar riff and
sorta middle eastern influence as well, sounding very hypnotical. Interesting
band that sadly has split up many years ago, but this new CD release of a demo they
put out back then is worth checking out for sure! More info at: https://soundcloud.com/onearm-music/sets/mysore-pak
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
PHURPA
& QUEEN ELEPHANTINE ‘ITA ZOR’ (ATYPEEK MUSIC/4IB RECORDS/MISOPHONIA
RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
This is a
collaboration between the Russian PHURPIA and the avant garde rock band QUEEN
ELEPHANTINE from Hong Kong (but now based in Philadelphia, USA). The music they
create is experimental dark semi-instrumental music that reveal influences from
ancient Tibet music and also Krautrock here and there, yet always sounding very
minimalistic and haunting. Ita Zor is the name of the album, which is split in
5 parts, but actually forms 1 long concept song. There is throat singing to be
heard in the background, same as for example a band like THE HU, but then the
music on this album is clearly more experimental, very minimalistic and as
mentioned interesting for especially those who are also into experimental
(semi) instrumental krautrock that is focused on strange sounds, noises and
effects. Check it out for yourself at: https://phurpa.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
DE
PRESS ‘BLOCK TO BLOCK’ (APOLLON RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/PLASTIC HEAD/GERMAN
IMPORT)
This concerns the
re-issue on LP and CD of a release from 1981 by the Norwegian/Polish band DE
PRESS. When the first sogn Kalhoz starts, it is clear we’re back to the early
1980s, because this uptempo New Wave ish Post Punkrocker is clearly resembling
the classic sound of that era. DE PRESS sung partly in Polish and when
listening it’s amazing these guys have such an international sound, but never
really broke through, because they did everything picture perfect here. Their
singer sounded like a cross between the singers of JOY DIVISION and THE
EDITORS, and so is their music, although perhaps a bit more rockier. They
released another album, which is also re-issued, but Block To Block is their
debut album from exactly 40 years ago. Fans of the Post-Punk/New Wave sound of
the early 80s and the current retro movement, they will absolutely love this
album. It was hard to get for many decades, but now thanks to this re-issue
much easier to get, although it will be a limited pressing. Make sure to get a
copy a.s.a.p., because from start to finish this is a wonderful album, with as
most potential hit song the ultra-catchy pure early 80s sounding Bo Jo Cie
Kochom. Check out more info at: https://depress1.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
DE
PRESS ‘PRODUCT’ (APOLLON RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/PLASTIC HEAD/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Besides the re-issue
of the 1981 debut album of the Norwegian/Polish band DE PRESS, also their 2nd album
Product from 1982 has been re-issued onto CD and LP by APOLLON RECORDS. The
band switched to English lyrics only (except 1 song I believe), so this makes
this album sound even more international. The music is pure early 80s Post-Punk
Wave/Rock like a cross between JOY DIVISION, THE CURE and also of course THE
EDITORS, yet without the big synths. If released as a new album now, it would
easily gain so much attention, DE PRESS would become huge, but who knows,
thanks to this re-issue everyone learns about this short-lived Norwegian/Polish
band from 40 years ago. Highlights on this superb 2nd album are
In A Position To Know, Signals, Product and Other Man’s Sin. A classic
Post-Punk Masterpiece that is now getting it’s well deserved 2nd chance!
Check out more info at: https://depress1.bandcamp.com
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
NEUMATIC
PARLO ‘RANDOM TOASTER’ (UNIQUE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/THE
ORCHARD/MEMBRAN/GERMAN IMPORT)
The German band
NEUMATIC PARLO sounds very international on their 2nd EP Random
Toaster. The band throws in Post-Punkrockers here and there, but also a
beautiful melodic psychedelic pop song such as Ghost that almost sounds like a
cross between 80s nostalgia of SPLIT ENZ and a lighter 90s MANIC STREET
PREACHERS/STEREOPHONICS. 5 songs are included and it’s a very diverse record,
Real Insight is a fun late 60s influenced uptempo Indie Poprocker, Airplane is
a calm melancholic almost krautrock ish tune a la TAME IMPALE, while Nicolas
Winding Refn is quite a challenging noisy psychedelic rock trip and finally
Lake Perris State Recreation Area is basically pure 80s THE SMITHS. All
together a very interesting band and hopefully a full length record in the near
future. Check them out at: https://neumaticparlo.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CAPTAIN
KICKARSE AND THE AWESOMES ‘GRIM REPERCUSSIONS’ (BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Sydney,
Australia comes CAPTAIN KICKARSE AND THE AWESOMES, and their album Grim
Repercussions was released 10 years ago. As part of the 10th anniversary
release series of their label, this album has now been re-released. I was not
familiar with this band at all, so it’s great to see it now getting a
re-release. This 3-piece band formed around guitarist PHIL MCCOURT, drummer
ALEX O’TOOLE and bassist ALEX WILSON (sleepmakeswaves) delivered an
instrumental masterpiece with Grim Repercussions. This is instrumental
challenging experimental progressive rock at it’s very best, with still enough
melodies to keep the attention, as otherwise it would be an endless jamming
session. It is a fantastic album that anyone who likes the recent bulk of
instrumental progrock album releases need to check out, because CAPTAIN
KICKARSE AND THE AWESOMES already set a milestone with their album Grim
Repercussions 10 years ago. Great to see it re-released now! More info
at: https://birdsrobe.bandcamp.com/album/grim-repercussions
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
FEELING
OF PRESENCE ‘OF LOST ILLUSION’ (TONZONEN RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
FEELING OF PRESENCE is
the new solo adventure of German multi-instrumentalist ANDREAS HACK, who is
best known as member of the band FREQUENCY DRIFT. On his FEELING OF PRESENCE
debut album Of Lost Illusion he plays all instruments except the E-Harp/Mellotron
(NERISSA SCHWARZ) and the drums (WOLFGANG OSTERMANN). The included music is a
very interesting mixture of instrumental relaxing prog/symphorock, synthwave
and 80s sci fi movie themes and each of the 6 included tracks is a joy to
listen to, because it really takes you into this fantastic synth/keyboard kinda
dream that doesn’t seem to end happily! Definitely a highly recommended
instrumental release! More info at: http://feelingofpresence.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ROGER
CHAPMAN ‘LIFE IN THE POND’ (RUF RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The legendary British
singer/songwriter ROGER CHAPMAN started his career back in the mid-1970s and
became known as the FAMILY singer, while also STREETWALKERS is one of his bands
and of course his solo adventure brought him successes here and there. MIKE
OLDFIELD’s Shadow On The Wall from 1983 is a memorable song on which he sung
and throughout the decades he did so many things as a singer that it could
easily fill up complete books! Anyway, after 12 years Roger released a new
studio album under his own name. He gets help from FAMILY’s POLI PALMER as
co-writer/producer and PROCOL HARUM’s GEOFF WHITEHORN guests on guitar. The
music is a mix of various styles he did, although it’s all concentrated mainly
around the Blues/Rock. His voice has aged well, still sounding as good as back
in the day, with the raw tone. Although it might not be the greatest record he
ever released, Roger definitely delivers a quality record here. More info at: http://wordpress.rufrecords.de/roger-chapman
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ALWANZATAR
‘DEN GLEMTE DALEN’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Now here we have a
very interesting release from Norway called ALWANZATAR, which is a one-man’s
band formed around KRIZIA of the band TUSMORKE. This is a Synthwave based
journey that also reveals influences from classic early 90s Techno and a bit of
prog here and there, with Krizia playing the flute but overall the hi-tech
hypnotical Synthwavesound is dominating here. 5 songs are included and if you
like me have a memory of both 1988/1989 when Acid was very popular and the year
1991 when in Europe Techno started to become very popular among the youth, then
you exactly know how this sounds like. The only difference is that the
repetitive dance beat is replaced by a slightly different groovy drumbeat and
the flute from the 70s prog/sympho can also be heard, while some might even
trace 70s TANGERINE DREAM krautrock influences here. ALWANZATAR delivers a
great instrumental record and for more info please go to: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/den-glemte-dalen
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
VESTAMARAN
’BUNGALOW REX’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Out of Bergen, Norway comes VESTAMARAN,
and they are making their debut with Bungalow Rex. Each of the 5 members played
in other bands before, but with VESTAMARAN they surely seem to have taken a
step into the right direction for becoming more popular. The band is formed
around KRISTIAN NICHOLAS LINDSETH (guitar, bass, piano, keys), JON BOLSTAD
(drums), KJARTAN ERICSSON (guitars, keys), KJELL ARNE KJAERGARD (lead vocals,
synth, glockenspiel) and ENDRE AASEBO (guitars, bass, piano, synths) and their
first album starts like a typical modern (yet retro) melodic indie
pop/rocksound in Error Come Save Me that is not so far removed from a band like
BEAR’S DEN and THE WAR ON DRUGS for example. Following Risky Pigeon rocks more,
has some TOM PETTY influences and is basically a very impressive strong melodic
rocking tune. The band is quite diverse and seems to take the best of both
worlds, classic melodic 70s rock from the past is melted with today’s modern
indie pop/rock, with always a focus on catchy melodies. The result is an
international sounding record that could easily become huge! Other highlights
are the fantastic uptempo 70s melodic rocker Cutest Offender (BLUE OYSTER
CULTish!), the melodic ballad My Finest Eye, Follow Me and Only For You (very
much sounding like THE WAR ON DRUGS). Concluded, this VESTAMARAN is a highly
recommended band to check out at: https://vestamaran.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
MARIUS
LEIRANES ‘LANGTIDSPERSPEKTIVX’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
The Norwegian MARIUS
LEIRANES is best known as member of the progrockband PIXIE NINJA, but he now
delivers a great synth driven instrumental album titled Langtidsperspektivx.
The included music is including influences from prog, jazz and rock, but
overall it feels like a Synthwave meets Krautrock journey throughout 5 songs.
Marius plays keys, synths and some other instruments, while as guests he
invited flautist Ketil V. Einarsen (WHITE WILLOW, WESERBERGLAND), guitarists
Gaute Storsve (WESERBERGLAND) and Thomas Meidell (THE SAMUEL JACKSON FIVE),
drummer/percussionist Trond Gjellum of PANZERPAPPA and SUBURBAN SAVAGES, while
Jacob Holm-Lupo (WHITE WILLOW, THE OPIUM CARTEL) is co-producer and mixer. The
result is a great ‘dreamy’ synth driven adventure that also reminds me of BLADE
RUNNER here and there, with as absolute highlight the superb Synthwave Heaven
of Granatsjokk. Check out more info on his label’s website at: https://www.apollonrecords.no
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ANDERS
BUAAS ’TAROT’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
ANDERS BUAAS is a
Norwegian guitarist, composer and producer who is known for being part of the
bands ABSOLUTE STEEL, JERNSKJEGG, BLOFF, GJORMEBRYTERNE and he also toured as
guitarist for PAUL DI’ANNO and TIM RIPPER OWENS. He is a fantastic guitarist
and now releases a new solo album titled Tarot, which is a beautiful and very
melodic instrumental work that is a special project that has been in the works
for several years. Tarot contains 22 brand new pieces of music, each describing
a card from the Major Arcana in the Tarot deck. It’s actually a collaboration
with the amazing artist Verena Waddell, who has made 22 original paintings to
accompany Buaas´ songs and the Tarot cards. The music comes from Anders
himself, who plays all the instruments and absolutely delivers an instrumental
masterpiece in which you can find a lot of different influences, but mostly
this is an instrumental soaring prog guitar based adventure, although the whole
package is very diverse and range from Middle Eastern, Folk, Synthwave straight
to AORish material, so there’s something for everyone here! Check out this
album a.s.a.p. if you want to hear top-notch instrumental ultra-melodic music.
More info at: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/tarot
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
CASTAWAY
HOUNDS ‘COME ON DOWN’ (APOLLON RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Out of Norway comes
CASTAWAY HOUNDS and they deliver a very nice debut album titled Come On Down on
APOLLON RECORDS. The included music is modern retro stoner rock and also some
late 60s psychedelica meets a bit of shoegaze here and there when they drop the
electric guitarsound a bit. It’s a mixture of all kinds of rock styles, coming
across like a mix between THE BLACK KEYS, THE WHITE STRIPES and ARCTIC MONKEYS,
sounding very international in the end. There are mostly great raw rockier
songs such as the uptempo punky Run Run Run Runner, Couldn’t Be More Fine, the
grungy Loose Lips Anything At All and Should I Quit?, but also a few calmer
moments such as the beautiful Ain’t Made Of Gold and Teenage Wasteland, as well
as the TEENAGE FANCLUBish Wherever We Are that feels like we’re back in early
90s College Rock! Great job sure and a recommended band to check out at: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/castaway-hounds-come-on-down
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ATRAVAN
‘THE GREY LINE’ (STREFA MUSIC/PROGMETALROCK PROMOTION/POLAND IMPORT)
ATRAVAN is a band from Iran and they
deliver a superb debut album with The Grey Line. It took some time to finish
the record, because they started writing it back in 2016, but now the album is
available and is probably one of the few Iranian progmetal releases out there.
The band is formed around Masoud Alishahi/vocals, Shayan Dianati/guitar, Arwin
Iranpour/bass, Marjan Modarres/piano, keys and Shahin Fadaei/drums, while on 2
songs there is a guest singer Pedram Niknafs. Basically this is very impressive
pure Progressive Metal, sounding very melodic, sometimes edgier, but also
pretty clean in a THRESHOLD kinda way, with the use of Neo-Prog keys in
combination with the somewhat rougher EVERGREYish vocals and SOEN like
instrumental passages, it’s an absolute winner for the progmetal fans out
there! The absolute highlight is the lovely epic Dancing On A Wire and the
titletrack The Grey Line (which has a beautiful guitarsolo and even a touch of
SAVATAGE), but the whole album is a highlight and the bonustrack Ocean of
Sorrow should also be mentioned, so I can only conclude that this is a
must-have release for all the die-hard progmetal fans out there! Check out this
band at: https://atravan.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
JAMES
DIGIROLAMO ‘PAPER BOATS’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Nashville comes
the talented singer/songwriter JAMES DIGIROLAMO, who has a lot of experience
while working as a session musician and touring sideman through the years. His
new solo album Paper Boats is a lovely calmer melodic singer/songwriter pop
album in the best classic 70s tradition of PAUL SIMON, JIM GROCE, JAMES TAYLOR
and such. If this was the 1970s, James would become a superstar, because he
writes and sings with so much love, passion and joy for the music, it all
sounds very natural and extremely melodic, sometimes even touching a bit the
classic 70s westcoast pop sound, with a song like Pure Joy sounding like a
cross between STEELY DAN and YOUNG GUN SILVER FOX. It’s a pity only 6 songs are
included on the CD, because you definitely want to hear more of this great
American singer/songwriter. Check out more info at: https://www.jamesdigirolamo.com/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
BELLOWHEAD
’REASSEMBLED’ (HUDSON RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Out of the UK comes
the Folkrock band BELLOWHEAD, and despite they split up in 2016 after 12
successful years that brought us 5 album releases, of which some charted quite
well, it was the corona lockdown that brought them back together online. The
result is a great live recording of their most popular songs, recorded in
person during a show they did together in a mansion house just outside of
London. It was broadcasted live on the internet, with 10,000 tickets sold. If
this was a one-off reunion is uncertain, but the live recording was captured on
audio and now released on both LP and CD. 17 songs were played that night by
Benji Kirkpatrick Bouzouki, (Guitar, Mandolin, Banjo, Vocal), Brendan Kelly
(Saxophones), Ed Neuhauser (Helicon), John Spiers (Melodeon, Concertina,
Vocal), Jon Boden (Fiddle, Vocal), Justin Thurgur (Trombone), Nick Etwell
(Trumpet), Paul Sartin (Fiddle, Oboe, Vocal), Pete Flood (Drums, Percussion,
Vocal), Rachael McShane (Cello, Fiddle, Vocal) and Sam Sweeney (Fiddle,
Bagpipes, Vocal). The result is a lovely collection of modern folk rock
classics that were created by this wonderful band BELLOWHEAD in their short
existence during the 2000s and 2010s. Hopefully they will record new material
and perform live again when it is allowed again, because they certainly do a
great job in delivering some of the finest folk rock of the past decades. In
the 1970s bands like STEELEYE SPAN and FAIRPORT CONVENTION were extremely
popular, so if you want to hear a new band playing new original self-written
songs in that style, then do check out BELLOWHEAD. More info at: https://hudsonrecords.co.uk/product/bellowhead-reassembled
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
CONFUSION
FIELD 'DISCONNECTED COMPLETE' (INDEPENDENT/FINLAND IMPORT)
Out of Finland comes
CONFUSION FIELD, a band formed by multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter TOMI
KANKAINEN back in 2017. Along the way 2 other musicians joined him, MARKUS
JAMSEN (guitars, keys) and PETRI HONKONEN (drums). Now the band’s debut album
Disconnected Complete is released and I have to say it sounds sensational from
start to finish. Over 50 minutes of beautiful melodic progressive rock
perfection can be heard, split over 9 songs in total. Tomi has a very relaxed
voice and the material is the kind of prog we all love so much, with memories
of classic PORCUPINE TREE, AIRBAG, VON HERTZEN BROTHERS, 90s MARILLIO, etc.
etc. Not a single dull moment can be found on this first CONFUSION FIELD album.
It’s a wonderful adventure that might belong to some of the finest prog created
over the years. As absolute highlights I would like to mention Sky is Never The
Same, Nothing Holds The Storm, Become Invisible and Anxiety Reflected. Make
sure not to miss this future classic progrock masterpiece! More info at: www.confusionfield.com
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
FINAL
STEP 'DISCONNECTIONS' (SHACK MEDIA/SIREENA/BROKEN SILENCE/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Switzerland
comes FINAL STEP, a band formed in 2003 by guitarist/composer MATTEO FINALI,
who gathered along the way other musicians to join him on his musical
adventures. MIRKO ROCCATO (sax), ALESSANDRO PONTI (hammond, keys), FEDERICO
BARLUZZI (bass) and DARIO MILAN (drums) are playing on the 3rd FINAL
STEP album Disconnections, which is a lovely instrumental mixture of 70s music
styles, such as rock, prog, jazz and blues, ending up sounding like a mix
between SOFT MACHINE, KING CRIMSON, BOB JAMES and a regular 1970s Funkband
(PARLIAMENT). It all starts calm with the balladry Prelude, but when the
titletrack Disconnections kicks in, we are heading into this lovely
instrumental mixture of styles, which changes a lot of times during each song,
but the funk, jazz and prog of the 1970s are clearly the main attractions
throughout this album. If you long back to the classic 1960s and 1970s when
this kind of improvised mixture of styles was well-appreciated by the mass
media as well, then this FINAL STEP is yours to take, because this kind of
well-constructed high class music is not signed to major labels or picked up by
mass media anymore sadly. Check out all info at: www.finalstep.ch
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
OMEGA
'WORKING' (SHACK MEDIA/SIREENA RECORDS/BROKEN SILENCE/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Hungarian band
OMEGA is an institute, just like bands such as GOLDEN EARRING, STATUS QUO,
ROLLING STONES and a few more of such iconic bands that have been active for
almost 60 years! OMEGA was formed back in 1962 (!) and they have released more
than 20 albums during the next 60 years, although the last couple of years the
end of the band is sadly in sight, because a few original members died very
recently. Thankfully they have a glorious discography and the 1981 album
Working is now re-issued onto CD by SIREENA RECORDS. At the time the band began
to record in Germany along with TONY CAREY, which resulted in an international
sounding English sung album. It’s great to see it being released on CD 40 years
later! The music is very 1970s orientated, with some of the early 80s keys
upfront thanks to Tony’s involvement. Opener Love Games is an uptempo STATUS
QUOish rocker, while following Inside Outside is even reminding me a bit of
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA. It gets 70s proggy with the beautiful epic
semi-ballad Laughing On The Inside, which also reveals some URIAH HEEP
influences. Other highlights on this Hungarian classic are the uptempo
symphonic AOR rocker Working (ASIAish), the cheerful uptempo rocker Something’s
Goin’ On (some light pomprock influences) and the 70s APRIL WINEish melodic rockballad
Thinkin’ Of You. It’s quite a diverse album that really feels like the late
1970s American rocksound, with a focus on melodies in each department of the
band. Fans of aforementioned bands will definitely like this re-issue of a long
lost album from the legendary Hungarian band. More info at: www.sireena.de
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
CHARLOTTE
KEEFFE 'RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW' (DISCUS MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
CHARLOTTE KEEFE is a
musician who is best known as a trumpet player playing live, so this marks her
first official album release, which consists of material recorded live over the
past 3 years. She is assisted by members of the London Improvisers Orchestra
and she does not only play trumpet, but also flugelhorn and electronics. The
result is a fine piece of somewhat experimental, yet melodic trumpet soaring
jazz, with as one of the absolute highlights the lovely A Horse Named Galaxy,
which also features great guitarwork by MOSS FREED and is a song that reminds
one of the good old 1960s jazz days. Experimentation is done a lot as well,
especially when the full orchestra is playing along, such as can be heard
during the closing titletrack Right Here, Right Now. It is clear that this was
played live, with lots of improvisation, because you discover something
completely different the more you listen to this record. Check out more info
at: www.discus-music.co.uk
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
INCLUSION
PRINCIPLE 'THE 4, THE 8, THE 10' (DISCUS MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Now here is an
interesting release, because DISCUS MUSIC is known for its experimental jazz
orientated releases, but INCLUSION PRINCIPLE’s The 4, The 8, The 10 is by far
their most challenging album so far, which is due to the modern take and
extremely electronic progressive influences throughout the 6 included songs.
This makes the new album of the British duo INCLUSION PRINCIPLE a recommended
piece to the open minded music fans out there. Consisting of label
founder/owner MARTIN ARCHER (sopranino, soprano & baritone saxophones,
clarinet, flute, recorder, chimes, organ, electric piano, synths and software
instruments) and HERVE PEREZ (field recordings, sound design, beats and keys
programming, electronics, also and soprano saxophones, shakuhachi), the two
have been making music together the past 15 years and on this new album can
hear their will to be innovative. Its experimental in a good way, because it
connects with the old krautrock movement here and there (CAN), 90s SWANS, early
90s experimental trance music (Ornament of Light – part 1: In Praise Of
Dependent Origination), some of today’s electronic synthwave genre (Arising and
Passing Away), a touch of jazz as well (Object of Refutation) and weird noises
(such as during Ornament of Light – part 1: In Praise Of Dependent
Origination), so there is loads to explore during this adventurous CD. All
combined, an interesting album that really makes you want to push the repeat
button, because you discover something new every time! More info at: www.discus-music.co.uk
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ESCAPE
'FIRE IN THE SKY' (AOR HEAVEN/GERMAN IMPORT)
The British band ESCAPE has been around
for over a decade now, with a few releases in the beginning, but Fire In The
Sky took a while to finish. The members have played separately and together in
several bands in the past, with as best known member guitar player Vince
O’Reagan (BOB CATLEY, LEGION). The rest of the line-up consists of Graham
Beales – Vocals, Pete Betts – Bass, Irvin Parratt – Keyboards and Bob Pears –
Drums. The bandname ESCAPE has been used multiple times in the past, mostly
connected with the AOR/Melodic Rock genre due to the JOURNEY reference
probably, and also this ESCAPE is playing AOR/Melodic Rock with a typical
British sound that is akin to mostly the 90s records of TEN, NEWMAN,
SERPENTINE, PRAYING MANTIS, LOST WEEKEND, THE PROMISE, GENEVA, LIONHEART and
countless others. The insiders among us will then understand what to expect
here. It might not be really original, thankfully the result is that they did a
great job in capturing the classic British AOR/Melodic Rocksound here, with as
finest songs are Heroes In The Night (lovely uptempo AOR rocker with a catchy
chorus and superb guitarwork, a bit like classic SHY), Temptation (80s
orientated uptempo AOR with again an excellent chorus, not unlike JOURNEY here
and there), the beautiful AOR ballad Restless Heart and the ultra-catchy uptempo
picture-perfect uptempo AOR rocker Coming Home (very much like SHY!). Perhaps
it might be vocally not always be absolutely crystal clear (like a cross
between the singers of NEWMAN and HEARTLAND), yet the whole package does make
up big time and therefore this new ESCAPE album is recommended to fans of
aforementioned bands, so for more info please go to: https://www.escape-band.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
DEVILS
IN HEAVEN 'RISE' (AOR HEAVEN/GERMAN IMPORT)
It must have been at
least 20 years ago that I first heard the original recordings of the Australian
AOR band DEVILS IN HEAVEN, which were done in the early 90s. They only managed
to release a mini-CD in a limited pressing and they sadly split up after a
while, so eventually they were just like countless other bands not able to get
a lot of attention outside their local area, which was the Australian island of
Tasmania. The band’s singer DAVID WHITNEY did some solo recordings, but towards
the end of the 1990s most of the members of the band went out of the music
business. Thankfully, after all those years AOR HEAVEN now releases the
ultimate DEVILS IN HEAVEN CD, which contains most of the material the band
recorded along with David’s solo songs, so finally a lot more people can enjoy
the timeless classic AOR of this band, because these should have been much
bigger. Their sound fitted exactly between the very first HAREM SCAREM and
ROXUS, so the AOR/Melodic Rockfans will be delighted to get this gem a.s.a.p.!
David’s voice was amazing and connected so well with the AOR music of his band.
This was the kind of AOR you hardly hear anymore, because it had a lot of soul
in the vocal department, outstanding hooks and choruses, picture perfect
arrangements and a huge massive sound (some of the songs were recorded in
Hollywood with sir ARTHUR PAYSON – known for producing records of RATT, MITCH
MALLOY, KANE ROBERTS and many more). Despite all the new AOR bands out there,
DEVILS IN HEAVEN’s first official full-length CD is a blessing, because this is
the real deal, although it concerns recordings from 25-30 years ago. A total of
14 songs is included, featuring the original 5 songs from their EP Liberation,
along with other unreleased songs by the band and David’s solo work. For me
personally a dream come true to see timeless AOR classics such as Liberation
(big sounding uptempo melodic rock like early HAREM SCAREM meets HUNTER’s
Dreams Of Ordinary Men and a touch of 80s INXS and NOISEWORKS), The Night Is
Over (an absolute 80s AOR Classic like a mix between AVIATOR, the first HAREM
SCAREM and ROXUS), Ships In The Night (SUPERB AOR a la HARLAN CAGE/FORTUNE) and
the semi midtempo soulful AOR ballad Say A Prayer (once again a la first HAREM
SCAREM) being released on CD again! There’s also a lot of songs I didn’t hear
before, so this makes it a joy to check out this wonderful AOR HEAVEN release.
From those other songs I would like to point out the catchy All Night (uptempo
AOR like a cross between 1st HAREM SCAREM and PREVIEW), the
poppy 80s hi-tech AOR/Poprocker Listen To My Heart (a la GLASS
TIGER/HAYWIRE/1927) and the midtempo AOR ballad Dreams (a la SAFIRE/ROXUS).
Before I inform you about the rest of the history of the band and its members,
please check out this CD a.s.a.p. if you’re an AOR fan, because we will have an
interview soon with David himself. If you count ROXUS as one of your favorite
Aussie AOR bands, then you absolutely need to check out this DEVILS IN HEAVEN
CD! More info at: www.aorheaven.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
| CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEW REVIEWS |
| GO TO THE REVIEWSINDEXPAGE |
| BACK TO HOMEPAGE |