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HOT NEW REVIEWS
RICHIE
MAYER ‘THE INN OF TEMPORARY HAPPINESS’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMFIRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT)
Obviously influenced by THE BEATLES,
American multi-instrumentalist releases a great melodic old-school fashioned
power pop/rock album on which he does almost everything on his own (Lead and
backing vocals, acoustic and electric 6 &12 string guitars, bass guitar,
mandolin, keyboards, drum pads, percussion, Navajo flute). The sound of the
album is late 70s/early 80s orientated classy fun (mostly) uptempo
powerpopsound, including the catchy hooks and choruses that are filled with THE
BEATLES harmonyvocals. She’s Taking It Too Well is a prime example of this
sound, reminding of legendary bands such as SHOES, THE RASPBERRIES, THE
ROMANTICS, THE RECORDS, CHEAP TRICK and such. It rocks from time to time pretty
good and is really of a very high level, with as other highlights the midtempo
rocker You Don’t Get Me High Anymore, the catchy THE CARSish Sunshine Blues and
the beautiful ultra-melodic Come Back Caroline. Richie has a 40-year music
history that started in the Chicago Powerpop/New Wave movement in a band called
LOOSE LIPS and later on he released several solo albums, including a Juno award
winning record in 1991 titled Call My Name. It’s great to see him releasing a
strong new album that is a must-have for fans of classic 70s/80s Powerpop.
Check for yourself at: https://richiemayer.bandcamp.com/album/the-inn-of-temporary-happiness-2
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
MICHAEL
JOHNATHON ‘COSMICBANJO’ (POET MAN RECORDS/HEMFIRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
MICHAEL JOHNATHON is an American folk
singer-songwriter, producer, author, and playwright and he already delivered 17
albums so far, but also published several books, a play, composed an opera and
much more. His latest album is titled Cosmicbanjo, which is the follow-up to
his previous album The Painter, which was dedicated to VINCENT VAN GOGH.
Michael has a fantastic clean voice that makes it a joy to listen to the
story-telling songs on his new album Cosmicbanjo. The material is very diverse
actually, although JOHNNY CASH influences can be heard very clearly, especially
during the fantastic Darlin’ Corey, but an instrumental piece like The Baghdad
Breakdown takes us straight into the Middle Eastern part of the world somehow.
It’s amazing how much diversity you can create while playing just the banjo,
but on the other hand Michael also has a strong voice and musicians around him
to give it a richer sound that stretches further than the typical calmer folk
singer-songwriter sound. Check him out at: http://www.michaeljohnathon.com/
JOHN
AULABAUGH ‘SWEET AS YOU’ (AMI PRODUCTIONS/HEMFIRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Champaign, Illinois, USA comes
singer/songwriter/guitarist JOHN AULABAUGH, who has so far released 3 solo
albums and worked with musicians from acts like FOO FIGHTERS, PEARL JAM, NORAH
JONES, PINK, etc. Although his music is referred to Americana, this new album
Sweet As You he recorded with several other musicians (including
multi-instrumentalist JASON ROBERTS (NORAH JONES, DANIEL JOHNSTON), who also
produced several songs), it’s more rockier and reveals other influences as
well. Opener Sanity reveals a somewhat late 60s/70s psychedelic rocksound with
a raw edge, while the melodic calmer Indie/Dreampop influenced following track
A Reason throws in more up-to-date Alternative Rock influences, and it’s during
this song John’s vocals remind me a bit of TOM PETTY. It’s an interesting
mixture of styles, mainly late 60s/early 70s mixed with the 90s, but sounding
quite melodic as well, and with a certain reference to WAR ON DRUGS and BEAR’S
DEN during the uptempo pieces, while dark folk Americana indie like FLEET FOXES
meets TAME IMPALE can be heard during a beautiful late 60s THE BEATLESish song
such as Clementine. It definitely rocks from time to time and live John should
be able to grab you with his intense approach of making true honest authentic
rock, but he also takes his time to calm down in a dark authentic folky
Americana direction. Other highlights are the slow dark hypnotic Ghost Of
Sympathy, the psychedelic Feels So Right (even a bit like TEENAGE FANCLUB) and
Childhood’s End. It’s a very diverse album, because you can even hear a Country
meets NEIL YOUNG influenced song (Abilene), so despite it might be described as
Americana, there’s a lot more to discover! Recommended CD to check out at: https://johnaulabaugh.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-as-you
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
KAJA
& TETRA ‘MIDVINTERVAKA VINTRA SOLSTICO’ (KAKAFON RECORDS/HEMFIRAN/SWEDEN
IMPORT)
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
MALCOLM
MACWATT ‘SETTLER’ (HANDMADE MUSIC/NEED TO KNOW/UK IMPORT)
Settler is the new album of
multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter MALCOLM MACWATT, a London, UK based
musician who originally comes out of the North of Scotland. He already released
several albums in the past, and Settler is his latest adventure. It’s a strong
authentic folky Americana singer/songwriter album with superb vocals of
Malcolm, but also a string of guest vocalists, such as JAIMEE HARRIS, LAURA
CANTRELL, ELIZA CARTHY, GRETCHEN PETERS and KRIS DREVER. He tells stories
through his songs and the influences not only come from the British Islands,
but also the Americana influences are clearly present due to Malcom’s love for
America. Especially the duets are beautiful melodic pieces hat resemble some of
the best Americana sounds I have heard in the past few years. Highlights are
The Curse Of Molly McPhee, My Bonny Boys Have Gone, Trespass and John Rae’s
Welcome Home. Check out more info at: https://www.malcolmmacwatt.com/studio-albums
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THE PH
PROJECT ‘SHINE’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
It’s a pity that THE PH PROJECT only
released their material on CDR, because their new 2021 EP is a sensational old
school Melodic Progressive/AOR/Rockalbum. This album screams for an official
silver disc CD release or a vinyl release, so yes it’s that good and it should
really be officially released physically for the future generation! THE PH
PROJECT comes out of Long Beach, California, USA and there are 7 songs on their
EP CDR. The first 2 songs Shine and Mountain are reflecting a classic American
melodic progressive rock direction, a bit like ENCHANT, but on the other hand
THE PH PROJECT also adds other influences, such as can be heard during the
rawer bluesy Pretty Little Monster and Bacon And Eggs (THE BLACK KEYSish) and
the melodic calmer Fun Gone Bad. The band consists of Hugh Vanderlinden and
Paul Kaminski, while on vocals we can hear the fantastic singer CHRIS PAUL
OVERALL. The band’s mix of prog, blues, aor and melodic classic rock works
really well and I can easily recommend you to check them out! Hopefully a vinyl
release of their work soon, because it all sounds really impressive! More info
can be found at: https://thephproject.net/ and https://thephproject.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
JIMMY
CAVALLO ‘ROCKS’ (BEAR FAMILY RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
During the 1950s BILL HALEY, ELVIS
PRESLEY, BUDDY HOLLY and such icons became the face of a new genre called rock
and roll in the USA. The mostly fast upbeat tunes that combined jazz and rhythm
& blues was very popular among the youth and influenced many young musicians
to follow the same path, and JIMMY CAVALLO was one of them. The tenor sax
driven uptempo 50s rockabilly music he made with his band HIS HOUSE ROCKERS
during the 1950s and 1960s is not that well-known, but when hearing such songs
like I’m With You, Rock, Rock, Rock, Ha Ha Ha Blues and Cherry pie (not the
WARRANT song!) it feels like we stepped in a time machine back in time to the
mid-1950s. This wonderful collection on CD by BEAR FAMILY RECORDS contains
recordings Jimmy and his band did between 1956 and 2006, although the main
focus is 1956-1960. They continues to play in the following decades, and Jimmy
was active until his death in 2019. The most recent recording is a song from
2006, which was titled I Feel That Old Age Coming Up, and this was without a doubt
a classic 50s sounding rock and roll tune. A nicely documented CD compilation
that comes along with a lovely 36-page booklet that tells the complete story of
this legendary musician from Syracuse, New York. It’s available through: www.bear-family.de
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
SALT
HOUSE ‘WORKING FOR ZEUS’ (HUDSON RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
Out of Scotland comes SALT HOUSE, a band
formed around 3 well-known musicians (vocalist, guitarist and harmonium player
JENNY STURGEON, fiddler, viola player and vocalist LAUREN MACCOLL, and vocalist
and guitarist EWAN MACPHERSON) who on their own also do a lot of music
adventures in especially the folk and singer/songwriter world. Here they are
working together as SALT HOUSE and they actually recorded this new album
Working For Zeus at home during the winter 2020/2021. There are guests to be
heard as well and in total there are 5 songs, which are all a joy to listen to.
It’s actually an EP that musically speaking is sounding very melodic and
story-telling, combining elements of singer/songwriter, pop/rock and celtic
music with shared male/female vocals. My personal favorite is the FIRST AID
KITTENish close-harmonyvocal sung Wood Of Dreams. You can tell that these are
gifted musicians from the British Islands that also need to perform their music
live on stage to bring the message even more clear to the public. That will
probably be difficult due to this pandemic, but meanwhile you can check out
their beautiful music at: https://salthouse.bandcamp.com/album/working-for-zeus
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
BROTHERS
IN ARMS ‘SUNSET CLARK’ (DEKO ENTERTAINMENT/UK IMPORT)
BROTHERS-IN-ARMS is the brainchild of
guitarist/composer JACK FROST (SAVATAGE, LIZZY BORDEN, SEVEN WITHCES,
BELLADONNA…) and he decided to record a real classic American 80s rock sounding
album with a bunch of his friends that include drummer Karl Wilcox (DIAMOND
HEAD), bassist Alex Jansen (HARDLINE), keyboardplayer Charlie Calv (ANGEL,
SHOTGUN SYMPHONY…) as fellow musicians, special guests Dave Amato (REO
SPEEDWAGON) and Mick Mahan (PAT BENATAR), and a handful of legendary vocalists
such as KEITH ST. JOHN (LYNCH MOB, MONTROSE…), ANDREW FREEMAN (LYNCH MOB,
HURRICANE…), PAUL SHORTINO (ROUGH CUTT, QUIET RIOT…), STEVE OVERLAND (FM,
OVERLAND…) NICK WALSH (SLIK TOXIK), JESSE DAMON (SILENT RAGE) and TODD POOLE
(ROXY BLUE, SALIVA). Overall this project reminds me a lot of that
long-forgotten MARC FERRARI & FRIENDS project from 1995, which was also
musically speaking was in the same style and also featured a lot of legendary
singers, and if I remember correctly KEITH ST. JOHN was also present back then
and so is he now on this BROTHERS IN ARMS CD. There are 10 songs included in
total, and opener Bitch is Crazy (featuring KEITH ST. JOHN) is a lovely faster
classic late 80s/early 80s Hair Metal piece that has a lot of VAN HALEN /
EXTREME influences. The ANDREW FREEMAN fronted Last To Know is pure 80s
American Hardrock in the style of ROUGH CUTT and KEEL, yet with a superb
melodic/AOR chorus that could have been in the hands of early 90s TALISMAN. The
City Never Sleeps is basically pure 80s uptempo classic AOR in the style of
early FM, which is not that strange considering the fact that STEVE OVERLAND
sings here. TODD POOLE is up next, singing the hard rocking Feel The Love.
Things get very melodic with Keith behind the mic during the superb midtempo
melodic rocker Make You Mine. Following Ties That Bind brings Andrew back on
vocals, and this is a really great strong 80s DOKKENish uptempo melodic rocker.
Andrew’s vocals are really spot-on for this kind of 80s hardrock, but actually
each and every song is a winner here! How about NICK WALSH on Long Way From
love, a true 80s uptempo American Melodic Hardrocker that remind me of such
cult 80s acts like VYPER (Prepared To Strike) and BLITZKRIEG (Ready For
Action). PAUL SHORTINO’s unique vocals on My Heart Knows gives it that ROUGH
CUTT sound, while Todd’s vocals during Wasting Light remind me of DAVID
COVERDALE, and also the song has a WHITESNAKE touch. Closing the album is
Voices Are Calling, which is sung by JESSE DAMON, and this is a great melodic
heavy rocker with again that lovely 80s American sound. Make sure to get
yourself a copy of this CD if you call yourself a dedicated 80s American
Hardrock/Hair Metal fan! The CD is available through: https://www.dekoentertainment.com/product-page/brothers-in-arms-sunset-and-clark
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
TRANSPORT
AERIAN ‘SKYWOUND’ (MELODIC REVOLUTION RECORDS)
Dark theatrical epic doomy progressive
rock/metal is how I would describe the style of TRANSPORT AERIAN, a Belgian
band that already released 3 albums before they released their 4th album
Skywound on MELODIC REVOLUTION RECORDS in October 2021. The band is formed
around singer/multi-instrumentalist HAMLET, Umut Eldem (keyboards, organ,
piano), Paul De Smet (drums), Stefan Boeykens (guitar) and Rachel Bauer
(additional vocals & narration), and it is clear that BLACK SABBATH and
SAVATAGE are huge influences when listening to this rather strong album, but
there’s more to discover. Secretly there are also classic progrock influences
to be heard, and on past albums there were even guest appearances by members of
CURVED AIR and AYREON, so I guess if you mix all these aforementioned bands
then you more or less understand where this TRANSPORT AERIAN is going to. It is
a very diverse album that has calmer and heavier parts as expected and this
keeps everyone motivated to keep listening to this concept album of the band.
Lyrically it is focused on the tragedy of an ordinary loving couple caught in
the turbulent events of the world preparing for the war and standing on the
brink of global catastrophe, so it not too positive, but the positive thing
comes from the performance that is of a very high level, with as highlights
Lunatic, Shall Not Be, the haunting Latgalian Gothic (which indeed has
gothic/dark wave influences), the lovely proggy Falling 20 (with even some
PORCUPINE TREE influences), the 80s synthwave ish Fracture 2 and the epic
progressive rocker The Effect. As you can see, there is a lot of diversity to be
found here, and it takes you some time to really get into the band’s sound, but
that makes it also an interesting album to visit at: https://transportaerianmrrartist.bandcamp.com/album/skywound
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
GEOFF
PROUDLEY ‘TALES FROM STRANGE TRAVELS’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Right from the start this album grabbed my
attention, because it sounds very natural and authentic. GEOFF PROUDLEY is an
English composer/songwriter/keyboardist who played in the 80s Progrockband
COLTSFOOT, but after that band went on hiatus he focused on writing for radio,
television, library and other forms of media. However, in the late 2010s he
returned to the scene with a solo EP and now he releases his official first
full-length album titled Tales From Strange Travels. He does everything on his
own here, composing and playing the piano and keyboard as main instruments.
Despite it was recorded during the pandemic, the 12 included songs sound really
cheerful and reflect an 80s neo-prog meets new age meets 80s sci-fi/action
movie meets retro wave sound, so a melting pot of instrumental keyboard
orientated music, with here and there a touch of classical piano music. The
result is a lovely trip that you can easily put on loud and proud to experience
the wonderful spacey journey Geoff creates during lovely songs like Return To
Skara Brae, The Grand Entrance (with a guitar sounding riff), One Way In – But
No Way Out and the sensational uptempo pieces Open hand and Fuse. This is a
must-have for fans of ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, KRAFTWERK, TANGERINE DREAM, MAGIC
SWORD, BRAD FIEDEL, ALAN SILVESTRI and such keyboard/synth driven instrumental
music. More info can be found at: https://www.geoffproudley.co.uk/ and https://geoffproudley.hearnow.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
DAMIEN
MCGEEHAN ‘KIN’ (MUSIC NETWORK/BLOODY GREAT PR/UK IMPORT)
Having spent a week in county Antrim,
Northern Ireland, 3 years ago in a dark cold period, I understand what it
sometimes can feel like living there when you’re all alone. The beautiful
natural landscape gives it a real peaceful surrounding despite the fact that
the sun is missing most of the time and the history of Northern Ireland is
mainly connected with The Troubles. During the on-going pandemic many musicians
were stuck and had to stay home as well, which resulted in musicians like
DAMIEN MCGEEHAN recording music at home or in a studio nearby, such as is the
case with his 2nd album Kin which was recorded in a studio in a
small town in county Antrim. The music sounds in contrast to the current times
very cheerful and friendly, with a typical Celtic approach, yet Damien also
introduces other music styles because besides him on fiddle, mandolin and tenor
guitar, there are several other musicians (Pauline Scanlon and Shauna Mullin on
vocals, Kieran Munnelly on flute and whistles, Liam Bradley on drums/percussion,
Conor McCreanor on bass, John McCullough on piano/Hammond organ, Rory Hoffman
on clarinet, James Simmons on trumpet and Jeff Adams on trombone) to help him
out to give the album a real band, almost rocking feeling here and there. His
wife SHAUNA MULLIN sang on 3 songs, but it’s mainly instrumental music that
combines Celtic influences with all kinds of other music influences from all
over the world, such as jazz, rock, soul, latin, african etc. etc. Highlights
on this wonderful album are Dulaman na Binne Buidhe, Runnin’ on Bourbon, James
Munroe (superb hit potential groovy soulful bluesy midtempo pop/rocker, with
superb vocals and a sound like KHRUANGBIN meets JOE BONAMASSA/BETH HART in a
Celtic setting) and the TOM WAITS cover The Briar And The Rose. Interesting and
very diverse album that feels really good to listen to! More info at: https://damienmcgeehan.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
CATFISH
KEITH ‘LAND OF THE SKY’ (FISH TAIL RECORDS/BLOODY GREAT PR/UK IMPORT)
The Chicago, USA born acoustic blues
guitarist/singer CATFISH KEITH has been in the music business since the early
1980s, releasing many albums and performing with some of the big names, such as
RAY CHARLES, JOHN LEE HOOKER, ROBERT CRAY, THE EVERLY BROTHERS and many more.
His new album land Of The Sky continues what he does best, and that’s acoustic
blues music based around the acoustic guitar and Catfish’s voice. The result is
a nice journey of covers and original songs that will especially please the
people who want to hear original blues the way it was played in the fields
almost a century ago. Honest, authentic and with still a sense of humor here
and there, these are the real story-telling musicians, so make sure to check
out CATFISH KEITH’s new album (his 20th!) in case you’re a fan of
artists like JIMMIE RODGERS, WOODY GUTHRIE, JIMMIE DAVIS, WALTER DAVIS and
such, but also MUDDY WATERS fans will love this honest true blues musician.
More info at: https://www.catfishkeith.com/product/land-of-the-sky-cd/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
STEREO
NAKED ‘UNSEEN COURSE’ (INDEPENDENT/BLOODY GREAT PR/UK IMPORT)
STEREO NAKED is a male/female duo from Cologne,
Germany with a modern yet authentic melodic folk pop/rock sound. The duo
consists of Julia Zech (banjo, piano, Vocals) and Pierce Black (Doublebass,
Vocals), and Unseen Course is their 2nd album so far. The duo
is assisted by a long list of guest musicians whom give the duo a rich full
sound. There are 12 songs on the album and it all sounds very melodic,
basically formed around the banjo guitar, soulful vocals of Julia and
close-harmonyvocals, it has the same melodic folky Americana pop/rock sound as
for example acts like FIRST AID KITTEN, MUMFORD AND SONS, LAKE STREET DRIVE,
THE STAVES, OF MONSTERS AND MEN, THE CIVIL WARS, etc., although here and there
STEREO NAKED grabs back even further with a sorta 1930s jazzy touch as well.
Some of the songs are instant winners for the radio to become huge hits, such
as There We Go, Sanity, Patterns and the 1930s jazzy Give Me Back My Mojo?.
Yes, we’ve heard it all before, but thankfully STEREO NAKED does however truly
deliver a great record in this unstoppable modern folk genre that already
brought us a lot of new talents the past 10 years. Check out STEREO NAKED
at: https://www.stereonaked.com/ and https://stereonaked.bandcamp.com/album/unseen-course
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
ELLES
BAILEY ‘SHINING IN THE HALF LIGHT’ (OUTLAW MUSIC/CENTRAL PRESS PR/UK
IMPORT)
The Bristol, UK based singer/songwriter
ELLES BAILEY returns with a great new solo album titled Shining In The Half
Light. Along with Joe Wilkins on Guitar, Jonny Henderson on Keys, Matthew Waer
on Bass and Matthew Jones on drums, she recorded 10 great new rocking tunes
that have the typical ELLES BAILEY sound, which is basically the retro heavy
blues rockstyle we have seen the past 20 years by a lot of other acts, such as
JOE BONAMASSA, THE BLACK KEYS, BLUES PILLS, WHEN RIVERS MEET… Elles has an
amazing voice, and right from the start with the superb Cheats And Liars, it is
clear that we are dealing with something special here. Her new album could be
her big break, but sadly the pandemic does not make it possible for her to
perform outside the UK at the moment, and for many upcoming young musicians it
disturbs their plans to reach a wider audience, which is so sad, because Elles
for example could easily become one of the new major female singers in the near
future. Thankfully she is still very young and she still has a lot of years
ahead of her to reach that well-deserved breakthrough! Highlights on this new
album are the catchy melodic midtempo rocking The Game, the soulful ballad
Colours Start To Run, the Gospel influenced Who’s That, and the uptempo rocking
Sunshine City. Check out all info on Elles at: https://www.ellesbailey.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
MLYN
’FOLWARK‘ (GUSSTAFF RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
The Polish band MLYN is formed around
Sebastian Milewski (keys), Cezary Rosiński (live electronics) and Michał Wdowikowski
(drums), and Folwark is the first album I get to hear, although I believe they
have already released some material before this new record. It’s an interesting
experimental instrumental 70s inspired Krautrock affair with all the elements
included to perhaps make it a future classic in this genre. There’s a lot of
complex electronic music, some progrock influences, a portion freestyle
avantgarde-jazz, and most of the time really weird synth noises to be heard
during each and every of the 6 included songs, but it all feels very natural
when heard all together melted into a song and therefore it should definitely
appeal to fans of KRAFTWERK, TANGERINE DREAM, CAN, AMON DUUL, LA DUSSELDORF,
NEU, etc. etc. It’s a very exciting and fascinating album that hides a lot of
secrets when you listen carefully, so there’s a lot of stuff to discover here.
It feels like we are thrown back to the 1970s when in Germany countless bands
started experimenting with music just like MLYN does now. Great job and every
song is a highlight to listen to! More info can be found at: https://mlyn.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
TRUPA
TRUPA ‘B FLAT A’ (GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
TRUPA TRUPA is a band from Gdansk, Poland
formed around Grzegorz Kwiatkowski, Tomek Pawluczuk, Wojtek Juchniewicz and
Rafal Wojczal, and B Flat A is their 6th album so far. Their
music is described as Post-Punk like THE BEATLES meets JOY DIVISION, but by now
TRUPA TRUPA has developed an own style that sounds really sensational on their
new album. The band switched labels several times, but are now at home with the
GLITTERBEAT RECORDS label. The Post-Punk revival of the past 5 years has
brought us a lot of new breed and TRUPA TRUPA is no exception, although they
sound a little different, with certain influences of electronic music and world
music in their post-punksound, which is different than for example bands like
LIFE, FONTAINES DC, IDLES, SHAME, DEAFDEAFDEAF, THE MURDER CAPITAL… whom seem
to be driven mostly on fast straight-ahead rock only based material. TRUPA
TRUPA are doing a terrific job here to sound original within the
Post-Punkworld, and their new album is therefore an absolute highlight with
many great new songs, of which the highlights are Kwietnik, Twitch, Lines, and
Far Away (in this song we can finally trace the THE BEATLES influences). Check
them out at: https://trupatrupa.bandcamp.com/album/b-flat-a
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
FRANCESCO
DI CRISTOFARO ‘SPEIRA’ (LIBURIA RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
FRANCESCO DI CRISTOFARO is an Italian
multi-instrumentalist who played everything on his own on his new album Speira.
No traditional instruments like a bass, drums or guitar are used here, because
Francesco plays bansuri, zurna, baglamas, bouzouki, accordeon, dizi, bawu,
sylophone, electronics and he used field recordings, so you can imagine that
the sound on Speira is quite original and could be classified as instrumental
dark ambient like music, almost Krautrock ish that is even quite close to KLAUS
SCHULZE, but then with a World Music vibe. 5 songs are included, but with
titles like 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, it should be seen as 1 long concept
song that is musically speaking is as already mentioned a mixture of
experimental calm, yet spooky dark electronic ambient krautrock/wave, strange
field recording noises and some elements of world music. If this sounds
interesting, which it is definitely, then check out more info at: https://liburiarecords.bandcamp.com/album/speira
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
LOW
SIFFER AND THE HOWLING DEMONS 'TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (PURE STEEL
RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Sweden comes LOU SIFER AND THE
HOWLING DEMONS, and Too Old To Die Young is their 3rd album so
far. They are formed around Lou Siffer – bass, K. Oz – vocals, Kahn Ibbal –
guitars and Zack Rilegious – drums, and their music is pure straight-ahead
dirty mean sleazy uptempo heavy rock and roll with a punky attitude. Short,
fast and still catchy is the name of the game here during the 12 songs on the
album. Songs like Sucks To Be You, The Last Word, Too Old To Die Young and
Can’t Slow Down all fit somewhere between classic HANOI ROCKS, LA GUNS, SHOTGUN
MESSIAH, MOTORHEAD and TURBONEGRO. Great new record of these true authentic
Swedish rock and rollers. More info at: https://lousiffer.bandcamp.com/music
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
WHITE
HEAT 'RUNNIN' FOR LIFE' (KARTHAGO RECORDS/PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN
IMPORT)
A long time ago I bought some vinyl
records of the 80s Belgian band WHITE HEAT, but actually I never really
bothered playing time. Now I receive a re-issue on CD of their 3rd album
Runnin’ For Life, which was originally released back in 1985. Along with 4
re-recorded songs, this CD is a nice welcome for fans who waited all these
years to bring back life into this long lost 80s band. The sound is powerful
thanks to a strong remastering and so we can really enjoy some fine 80s melodic
hardrock that reminds us of the classic days when bands like VANDENBERG,
VENGEANCE, TNT and PRETTY MAIDS were dominating the European Hardrock/Metal
scene. To some it might sound dated, but this is the real deal for classic 80s
melodic hard/heavy rock. I am surprised that a lot of the songs sound really
good actually, with as highlights True Love, Feel It and Runnin’ For Life. Of
course it never became a classic, because there was a lot of competition with
much better productions, but secretly this is one of those great lost 80s
hardrock/metal albums you just want to listen to sometimes, and now thanks to a
great remastering it sounds better than ever, while you also get new material
that shows the band still sounds pretty good 35 years later! More info
at: https://puresteelrecords.bandcamp.com/track/runnin-for-lif
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
SPLIT
HEAVEN 'ELECTRIC SPELL' (PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
After the instrumental opener Gerudo
Valley, which starts with a sorta Latin music intro, while it develops into a
faster power metal piece, I was very impressed by the high level of this album
of the Mexican band SPLIT HEAVEN. During the 1990s I received countless albums
and demos from South America and Mexico, but in the new century it was very
quiet from that part of the world, although I am quite sure the scene continued
all those years. SPLIT HEAVEN for example was established in 2014 and Electric
Spell is their 5th album so far. They signed to German Metal
label PURE STEEL RECORDS, who did a great job here, because the CD of SPLIT
HEAVEN sounds really sensational. Basically it is your typical Melodic (Power)
Metal sound like we know it from PRIEST, MAIDEN, PRIMAL FEAR and HELLOWEEN, yet
done at a very high level thanks to a strong lead singer (JASON CONDE-HOUSTON),
a lot of very catchy mostly uptempo tunes (Sacred Fire, Soul Possessor,
Revolucion (a la TIERRA SANTA/AVALANCH), and Hellion’s Night), a massive
sound/production and instrumental it all sounds top-notch due to the other
bandmembers (guitarist AMAND RAMOS, guitarist/bassist CARLO HERNANDEZ and
drummer TOMAS ROITMAN. Fans of a sound that is PRIEST’s Painkiller meets 80s
MAIDEN meets 80s HELLOWEEN will absolutely love SPLIT HEAVEN! Check them out
at: https://splitheaven.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
MINDLESS
SINNER 'MISSIN 'PIECES' (PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
The legendary Swedish cult band MINDLESS
SINNER was active during the 1980s with several album releases, but as this
didn’t led to any success the band quit towards the end of that decade.
However, they reformed a few years ago, released new albums and meanwhile all
their old stuff is also re-released on both CD and VINYL. Their album Missin’
Pieces was originally released back in 1989 and now gets a second chance. 5
demo tracks from 1986 are added to the original 10 songs. Musically speaking it
is typical 80s Melodic Rock, sounding quite commercial actually, kinda like 220
VOLT, TREAT, EUROPE, DAVINCI, FATE and such sounded during the 1980s. Although
vocalist Christer Goransson does not have a strong voice and the songs are not
really original, especially with song titles like Rockin’ In The Heat Of The
Night, Hold On, RunAway, nevertheless it’s a nice pure 80s Swedish/Scandi
Melodic Rockalbum that can easily be picked up by fans of the mentioned bands!
More info at: https://www.puresteel-records.com/bands/view/372
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
REDSTACKS
'REVIVAL OF THE FITTEST' (PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
REDSTACKS is a new Dutch band that is
formed around Jeffrey Revet – keyboards, Jouke Westerhof – guitars, Tim Beudel –
drums and Rob van der Loo – bass, with a list of special guest singers
appearing on their debut album Revival Of The Fittest, such as Paul Adrian
Villarreal, Martin van der Starre, Jan Willem Ketelaers (AYREON, KNIGHT AREA),
Nick Holleman, Timothy Drake, Laura Guldemond (BURNING WITCHES) and Thomas
Meeuwis. Although it is described as Hardrock/Metal, there’s more to discover
here and this debut album is therefore definitely a must to check out. Without
a doubt, in general the album has a sound that takes the best of the 70s and
80s Classic Rock, with a strong focus on melodies. Opener 1st Overture 1848
somehow has a sorta 80s uptempo Christian Pomp/AOR/Melodic Rocksound in a way
it reminds me of the so-called ELEFANTE sound/production of that era, so it has
similarities to MASTEDON (Lofcaudio/It’s a Jungle Out There) and even KANSAS
circa the 80s, which makes this a sensational start of the album. Following
song Oceans digs even deeper into that classic 80s Christian AOR/Pomprock sound
with memories of PETRA, ALLIES, SWEET COMFORT BAND, KANSAS, WHITE HEART and
such, also featuring big harmonyvocals during the catchy chorus and some proggy
elements in the instrumental department. The album continues with this American
Classic Rock/AOR/Melodic Pomprocksound (PETRA meets KANSAS) during the rest of
the album, while you can also pick up Classic Hardrock influences (especially
70s RAINBOW and even 80s TNT) and as other highlights I would like to point out
Jealousy, Dreamworld Junkie, Dystopia Now, Money and the catchy closing uptempo
Angels In Crime. This album completely took me by surprise, because it is a
rather sensational one that has a different sound than the usual new album
releases in the Hardrockscene. It has a real authentic feeling you don’t hear a
lot nowadays and the use of different lead singer is giving it a very diverse
approach. Make sure to check out REDSTACKS at: www.redstacks.nl
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
PSYCHOPRISM
'R.I.S.E.' (PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
R.I.S.E. is the 2nd album
of the American band PSYCHOPRISM, a classic US Metal sounding band, yet they do
have a Neo-Classical European Metal touch as well, which is due to the use of
duels between the shredding guitar and the keys. QUEENSRYCHE and CRIMSON GLORY
are really close calls when hearing superb songs like Struggle, Faultline,
Beyond The Perceived, Opportunity Knocks and the superb The Answer Will Come
(hello QUEENSRYCHEs Empire!). The band does a wonderful job for sure and it is
a joy to listen to their new album. PSYCHOPRISM were formed back in 2012, and
features the amazing high-pitched lead singer JESS RITTGERS (GEOFF TATE will be
jealous!), guitarist BILL VISSER, drummer KEVIN MYERS (GOTHIC KNIGHTS), bassist
ERICK HUGO (ASHES OF AMBER) and keyboardplayer ADAM PETERSON. Despite it might
not sound really original, the guys are delivering the classic US Melodic
Prog/Power Metalsound in all it’s glory, so fans of ASKA, QUEENSRYCHE, FATES
WARNING, SHADOW KEEP, CRIMSON GLORY, REDEMPTION, NEVERMORE, WARLORD, PSYCHOTIC
WALTZ, HEIR APPARENT, LETHAL, etc. etc. must check out this album a.s.a.p.!
More info at: www.facebook.com/Psychoprism
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
CUSTARD
'IMPERIUM RAPAX' (PURE STEEL RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
The German band CUSTARD has been around
since the early 90s, and Imperium Rapax is their 7th album so
far. The music of this 5-piece band is pure classic Teutonic (Power) Metal in
the classic GRAVE DIGGER, BLIND GUARDIAN, MANOWAR, RAGE, POWERWOLF style. The
band is formed around Stefan Klempnauer (Guitars), Chris Klapper (Drums),
Carsten "Oscar" Reichart (Guitars), Oliver Strasser (Vocals) and
Markus Berghammer (Bass), and I don’t it cannot be any closer to true heavy
metal than this with lyrics about the ancient Roman Empire. Thankfully it is
all done at a very high level, so fans of the aforementioned bands will
absolutely love this record from start to finish, with as highlights Res
Publica, Blessed By Baal, and Ode To the Flames. Oliver is a strong singer with
a typical Metal voice, while the material is sometimes very close to MANOWAR,
yet with a slight IRON MAIDENish influence during the hooks and choruses of
most of the songs. Definitely a recommended CD to fans of pure classic
traditional bombastic melodic metal. More info can be found at:
https://puresteelrecords.bandcamp.com/album/imperium-rapax?action=buy
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
ASHES
OF ARES 'EMPERORS AND FOOLS' (ROCK OF ANGELS RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
ASHES OF ARES is the dream come true for
the fans of true US Melodic Power Metal, because this band was formed back in
2012 by ex-members of ICED EARTH (vocalist MATT BARLOW and guitarist FREDDIE
VIDALES) and ex-NEVERMORE drummer VAN WILLIAMS, and so far they have released 2
albums. Their new album is titled Emperors And Fools, and without a doubt this
massive sounding record is a total must-have for fans of classic ICED EARTH US
Melodic Power Metal! The album even features a duet between Matt and TIM RIPPER
OWENS (also ex-ICED EARTH) during the closing epic track Monster’s Lament. Due
to the fact that ICED EARTH is on hold for perhaps the coming years, because
band leader/guitarist JON SCHAFFER is about to be trialed for his involvement
in the capitol attack in 2021, I would bet my money on ASHES OF ARES, because
they deliver the same kind of high quality Melodic US Power Metal as ICED EARTH
does on their albums. Highlights on this 3rd album are I Am The
Night, Our Last Sunrise, Emperors And Fools, and What Tomorrow Will bring.
Must-have to check out if you want to hear Melodic US Power Metal at it’s very
best! More info at: www.ashesofares.com
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
EINSEINSEINS
'ZWEI' (TONZONEN RECORDS/SOULFOOD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
There is not much information on
EINSEINSEINS or III, but they are a German trio which was founded in Berlin
around the year 2015 and I believe Zwei is their 2nd full-length
album so far. They are using guitar, drums and bass/synthesizer as their main
instruments, but the names of the involved musicians is kept secret so far. The
music is mostly instrumental, but here and there featuring robotic like vocals
(like DAFT PUNK), while they draw their inspiration from legendary krautrock
bands such as CAN, NEU!, KRAFTWERK, TANGERINE DREAM, etc. 6 songs are included,
and it all starts with electronic late 70s krautrock of the KRAFTWERK kind
during the first couple of songs, but as the album develops, there are also
other influences to be heard, such as fantastic 80s inspired synthwave during
the catchy melodic Regit Etarak and Nachtigall (both MAGIC SWORDish), but also
rocking out during the post-punk orientated semi-instrumental Gasetagenheizung
(IGGY POPish). Concluded, there is enough diversity to keep up the interest
from start to finish, and the band does a wonderful to take you into their
journey, which is the by the way a concept about digital globalization in order
to come to a peaceful world. Check out more info at: https://einseinseins.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
PIRATE
'LEFT OF MIND' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The debut album Left Of Mind of the
Australian band PIRATE was released back in 2009 and now it gets a re-issue due
to their label BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS 10TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
SERIES. The band’s line up consists of Shan Abey - guitar, Tim Adderley – drums, Ben Norvill – bass
and Joel Woolf - vocals, synth, saxophone, and musically speaking they are
playing groovy modern progressive rock with experimental twists, but
nevertheless they also keep things quite melodic actually, especially during
excellent songs like Animals Cannibals, the instrumental sax driven Rough
Shuffle, the uptempo In The Balance and Daggers. 8 songs are included and after
repeated listens to this album I can conclude they are very original and
perhaps one of the finest Aussie progrockbands of the past 10 years! They
combine the sounds of classic 70s KING CRIMSON, WEATHER REPORT, BILLY COBHAM,
SOFT MACHINE and such with the modern day progrock of TOOL, LONG DISTANCE
CALLING, SLEEPMAKESWAVES, etc. The result is an exciting experimental yet
melodic progressive rocking album that you can check out at: https://birdsrobe.bandcamp.com/album/left-of-mind
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
ECHOTIDE
'INTO THE HALF LIGHT' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Originally released in 2017, the
Australian band ECHOTIDE’s album Into The half Light is re-released by their
label BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS. The trio around Samuel Mead (Drums, Percussion,
& Tabla), Matthew Martin (Piano, Keyboards, & Sampling) and Michael
Gagen (Electric
Guitar, Bass Guitar, & Additional Keyboards) delivered a great piece of
calmer relaxing instrumental melodic post-progressive rock that is all about
long melodic passages that shape a certain trance you get into while listening
to this beautiful album! The 7 included songs are all a perfect listen when you
want to relax, so ECHOTIDE is doing things more at ease than some of their
counterparts in the modern instrumental post-progrock genre. Recommended to
check out at: https://echotide.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ORSAK:
OSLO 'SKIMMER / VEMOD' (CARGO RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
ORSAK: OSLO is a band which was started by
guitarist Christian Andersson when he moved from his hometown Gothenburg,
Sweden, to Oslo, Norway. Together with drummer Øyvind Minsaas he started
the journey to record something and in July 2014 they released their first EP
Torggata Sway. In the following years they were joined by Bjarne Karlsson
(keys, now guitar) and Peter Nilsson (bass), which resulted in more recordings
and now they release their new album Skimmer/Vemod. Musically speaking this is
a great adventurous instrumental cocktail of progressive rock, psychedelic
rock, krautrock and other experimental twists. If you like for example
PORCUPINE TREE, OZRIC TENTACLES, LONG DISTANCE CALLING and such music, then you
will absolutely love ORSAK: OSLO. Recommended if you’re into the exciting dark
moody and (usually) slow instrumental post-progressive/psychedelic rock sound
of the aforementioned bands. More info at: https://orsakoslo.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
LORD
FRIDAY THE 13TH 'IRRATIONAL ANTHEM TAPE' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Straight out of Austin, Texas, USA comes
the sensational band LORD FRIDAY THE 13TH. They are formed around
the siblings Felix (vocals) and Sloane (guitar) Lenz, while the rest of the band
consists of Pete O’Hanlon on bass, guitar and backing vocals, Evan Wals on
drums, keys and sax, and Becky Walsh on guitar and backing vocals. Recorded in
Ireland (!), the included songs were mixed by BRENDAN BENSON (of THE
RACONTEURS), so they are already making their way in the music business, and
the funny thing is that I received a cassette tape of their EP Irrational
Anthem, which is of course really cool! 4 songs are included and basically the
music ticks a lot of boxes from the classic rock sounds of the past, although
they call it trash-glam-punk themselves, and likewise this can also be heard,
but there’s more influences, such as garage rock, powerpop and some indie
pop/rock. The performance is of a very high level, and vocally Felix has a
strong voice. They do have a sort of SUB POP RECORDS kinda approach, yet more
melodic and also reflecting classic rock/powerpop influences in their rather
catchy rocking sound. Highlights are definitely the uptempo Powerpop/Garage
Rock mash-up of closing track St. Judy and the uptempo punky glamrocker Patent
Leather (NEW YORK DOLLSish, with a touch of early THE DAMNED). Great band to
check out if you want to hear real authentic dirty mean rock and roll! More
info at: https://www.lordfridaythe13th.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
MAN OF
MOON 'DARK SEA' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Originally from Edinburg, Scotland, the
duo MAN OF MOON is now based in Glasgow, and they were kind enough to sent me
their sensational full-length debut CD Dark Sea. The duo consists of Chris
Bainbridge and Michael Reid and 10 songs can be found on their first album. The
music is influenced by the classic traditional dark post-punkrock genre, so we
can easily mention here bands like BAUHAUS, JOY DIVISION, ECHO & THE
BUNNYMEN, etc. but MAN OF MOON do have an own identity as well, and what they
are doing on this album is of a very high level. It would not surprise me if
they breakthrough someday soon, although there is a lot of competition out
there of course with countless other bands (WHITE LIES, THE SLOW READERS CLUB,
FONTAINES DC, etc. etc), but when hearing such wonderful songs like the uptempo
post-punkrockers The Road, Strangers (with even some early 90s rave/techno
house synths slipping through) and Rust, the dark alternative psychedelic
rocking Ride The Waves (with some krautrock influences), but also a slow dark
doomy tune like the heavy When We Were Young, I can honestly say that MAN OF
MOON should become huge in the near future. They are already working on a new
album, so 2022 might give them their big breakthrough, yet due to the pandemic
we keep our fingers crossed if we will be able to catch them live somewhere
soon. Meanwhile keep your eyes wide open for this superb new duo and you can
check them out at: http://www.manofmoon.net/ and https://manofmoonband.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
THE ROUTES
‘SHAKE FIVE/MESMERIZED/INSTRUMENTALS 2’ (DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS/JAPAN IMPORT)
The instrumental band THE ROUTES is coming
out of Oita, Japan and they play an authentic mix of classic late 60s British
bluesrock, mid 60s British beat and 60s American psych/garage punk, with here
and there Krautrock and Surfrock influences (THE SHADOWS) in a classic
Tarantino kinda spaghetti western movie jacket. The result is an exciting 12
songs counting adventure on their 8th album Shake Five. They
are formed around CHRIS JACK (guitar, organ, bass) and BRYAN STYLES (drums,
percussion), who both originally come from abroad but are living and working in
Japan for many years now. Chris was born in the UK but after meeting his
then-girlfriend YOKO ONO (no joke, but that’s her real name and she is not THE
Yoko Ono!), they got married under one condition, which was settling in Japan
and so they did. Chris enjoys life over there and he plays with local musicians
(of whom Bryan happens to be a New Zealander who also lives in Japan), although
THE ROUTES is his main band where he does most things on his own except for the
drumming (Bryan) and the bass on some records (the 9th album
Mesmerized and the 10th album Instrumentals 2 for example) when
TORU NISHIMUTA is involved. Chris was kind enough to send me 3 aforementioned
THE ROUTES albums that were all released in 2021! I am really enjoying the
incredible authentic sound of this band, because it really captures that vibe
from the mid/late 1960s when real rock was about to take shape. Chris is an
excellent guitarist, who shreds like a surf rocking guitar hero from the 1960s
decade and I’ll bet HANK MARVIN of THE SHADOWS would be jealous when hearing
him rock our really hard on songs like Ain’t It Black, Callmocho Stomp, Ant
Hell, and Yeti Spaghetti (pure THE SHADOWS!).
The album Mesmerized has a slightly
different approach, because Chris sings here and the material is rockier.
Opener Broken Goods for example is a lovely late 60s Psychedelic punky Garage
Rocker with a sorta early 80s retro quirky powerpop touch, kinda like THEM/THE
WHO meets THE KNACK. The following 9 songs continue this retro rocking sound
and deliver such great tunes like I’m Sorry (even a bit early ALICE
COOPERish!),the titletrack Mesmerized and the catchy punky rockers Two Steps
Ahead and Leave My Bed.
The 3rd album of 2021 of
THE ROUTES is Instrumentals 2, which is as the title suggests an instrumental
album, which is more or less in the same style as the album Shake Five, but
perhaps a bit calmer, although the uptempo rocking Can’t Be Helped rocks out
pretty well. Concluded, this is a great band to check out and Chris definitely
deserves everyone’s attention. More info on THE ROUTES at: https://theroutes.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
JR
MOORES ‘ELECTRIC WIZARDS: A TAPESTRY OF HEAVY MUSIC – 1968 TO THE PRESENT -
BOOK’ (REAKTION BOOKS/GRANTHAM BOOK SERVICES/UK IMPORT)
It’s always hard to write a complete book
about a certain subject, especially when it’s about the heavy rock/metal genre
within the music world, because you have to be very well informed to make a
book that truly describes the history from the very beginning and it’s
development throughout the years until the present day. From an American point
of view it’s even harder, because especially in Europe the development was more
or less perfectly followed and labeled in detail, while in the USA heavier
music was usually labelled as Rock and Roll or Metal. A fine example is the
missing of VENOM in this book, because this British band is one of the most
important bands in the Metal world. They introduced us to Black Metal after
all, which is an underground genre that has followers all over the world, but
author JR MOORE is probably not aware of this. Anyway, despite missing such
details and also not mentioning bands like URIAH HEEP, THIN LIZZY (why on earth
U2 is mentioned and not Lizzy is beyond me!), RONNIE JAMES DIO (he is the Metal
God!), DEEP PURPLE (Child In Time is one of the most important proto-metal
pieces of all times!) and a lot others, it is a nice book that chronically
starts somewhere in the 1960s and describes what followed in the next decades
regarding heavy music (and not specifically rock or metal). BLACK SABBATH are the
absolute founding fathers of Heavy Metal, so they are mentioned a lot of times
and later on METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST (although not much) and IRON MAIDEN are
passing by. It’s a story about heavy music in general, told in about 500 pages,
and besides Metal, there is also a lot of room for other genres that are
qualified as heavy in the eyes of the American author, and then we see
bandnames like NIRVANA, SOUNDGARDEN, MINISTRY, U2, THE STOOGES, SEX PISTOLS,
THE BEATLES, etc. Usually when I see heavy and BLACK SABBATH, I would think
it’s about Metal, but in this case the book handles basically every ‘heavy
music’ genre, so therefore also other genres like post-punk, industrial,
grunge, stoner rock, and numerous more pass by while reading the book. If you
ignore the aforementioned missing bands, and just read the book, then you will
still learn a lot about the development through the years of Heavy Music,
because JR is a gifted writer that shows us what happened between 1968 and the
present day in that field. We can trace the heavy sounds of later decades
always back to the way rock and metal sounded back in the late 1960s, so
therefore it’s nice to read this book, because you have a lot of times the
Eureka effect. Heavy Rock music started with bands like BLACK SABBATH, BLUE
CHEER, FRANK ZAPPA, THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN and such, while following decades
gave us countless new bands that combined all kinds of other elements with the
standard heavy rocksound, which resulted in a lot of subgenres that can almost
all be found in this book. JR is mainly focused however on the alternative side
of rock and metal, because the 19 episodes in the book jump rather quickly
between late 60s/early 70s proto metal/acid rock through late 70s punk to a bit
of 80s death/thrash and a lot of 90s/00s grunge, industrial and such.
Personally I find the missing of Progressive Rock / Progressive Metal (RUSH,
QUEENSYRCHE, FATES WARNING, DREAM THEATER), Power Metal/Gothic Metal
(NIGHTWISH!!!), AOR/Melodic Hardrock/Hair Metal (JOURNEY, BON JOVI), the
biggest rockband of all times QUEEN and the biggest heavy rockband of the past
25 years (FOO FIGHTERS) an absolute downer, so perhaps this can be enough for a
follow-up to this book and focus on the more melodic but still heavy side of
music? Anyway, you can get a copy of this book through: www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
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