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HOT NEW REVIEWS
DIRTY VELVET 'FAR BEYOND THE MOON' (FASTBALL
MUSIC/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
BLACK HAWK 'SOULKEEPER' (FASTBALL MUSIC/BOB
MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
THE GROUND SHAKER 'ROGUE ASYLUM' (FASTBALL
MUSIC/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
Rogue Asylum is the 2nd album of the Swiss band THE
GROUND SHAKER, and they deliver high classic modern (American) melodic
hard/heavy rock. They are formed around lead singer GINO REIGN, who lived in
the USA for a while, and he gives the band an international touch, because his
vocal skills are quite sensational. The production is major label ish and the
13 included songs are very strong. Highlights on their new album are Mask Of
Insanity, A World Which I Only I Can See (lovely proggy melodies), the superb
Onna Bugeisha and . Without a doubt, THE GROUND SHAKER is going a step forward
to reach the top of the major league of Swiss Hardrock on their highly
recommended new album Rogue Asylum. More info can be found at: https://thegroundshaker.com/
DEN EDIE 'RADIO SONGS' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
EYE ‘ANTHOLOGY’ (PRIDE & JOY MUSIC/GERMAN
IMPORT)
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
THE WHISKEY FOUNDATION 'LEISURE' (SUN KING
MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Munich, Germany comes THE WHISKEY FOUNDATION,
and they were formed back in 2011. Leisure is their 4th album so far, and without
a doubt it is a true winner for fans of authentic soulful funky 70s classic
rock and roll. They remind a lot of DE WOLFF, yet there is more to discover for
sure. The band is formed around Murat Kaydirma (vocals, harmonica),
Julian Frohwein (piano), Pascal Fischer (guitar), Franz
Klein (bass) and Janis Gursky (drums), and after repeated listens to their new
album, I am safe to say that THE WHISKEY FOUNDATION is a sensational band that
has an international sound that could give them a lot of attention outside
Germany for sure. Opener Lesire is a psychedelic groovy rocker with a clear THE
BLACK CROWES meets BLACKBERRY SMOKE ish approach. A very strong start, but it
gets really sensational during the slightly calmer No Turning Back that almost
feels like a DE WOLFF meets BLACK PUMAS kinda groovy soulful bluesy westcoast
melted rocking funky trip back to the early 1970s. The vocalwork and
instrumentally speaking, it is both sounding picture perfect, and so is the
production and songwriting skills of the band. CANNED HEAT influences are all
over the place during the catchy Let's Roll On that also has a southern rocking
DOOBIE BROTHERS touch during the guitarwork, while vocally JOE COCKER is a
close-call, so only 3 songs away on this album, and it is clear in which
direction you need to think when checking out THE WHISKEY FOUNDATION. Other
highlights are the THE IDES OF MARCHish funky Equality, the 70s North Sea Jazz
ish trip Information and . Do not miss this sensational band and check them out
at: http://thewhiskeyfoundation.de/
FUNNUS 'MONO' (INDEPENDENT)
FUNNUS is a Dutch music project formed around
multi-instrumentalist RUBEN VERMEULEN, who started in the Black Metal scene
during the 2000s, but with side-project FUNNUS he is more going into an
atmospheric calmer shoegaze/post-rock direction that sounds very impressive on
the 2nd album Mono, which was released independently. FUNNUS was already
started back in 2006 and every now and then other musicians joined him, but on
this new album he did almost everything on his own, except for the vocals on 2
songs that were done by guest singer SABINA KOOL. The music is very laid-back
and feels like a journey through misty mountains, making you feel very relaxed
with the lush hazy clean vocals, somewhat noisey guitars and the overall
atmospheric sound of the 7 long songs that are included. This is an album you
might want to check out if you're into post-progressive rock/shoegaze, even if
you're a PORCUPINE TREE or OPETH fan, because it has more or less a similar
kinda feeling. More info can be found at: https://funus-official.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
ICE AGE 'WAVES OF LOSS AND POWER' (SENSORY/THE
LASER'S EDGE/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
The Swiss band ECHOLOT was formed back in 2014 in the
city of Basel, and Curatio is their 3rd album so far. The band
is formed around guitarist LUKAS FURER, bassist RENATO MATEUCCI and drummer
JONATHAN SCHMIDLI. I couldn’t find any info on who is singing, but I think they
are switching vocals between the bandmembers. I have to say that this is the
weakest point within ECHOLOT, because instrumentally speaking they bring high
class doom/prog/heavy psychedelic rock/metal that fits somewhere between
CANDLEMASS, ELDER and OPETH. 4 long songs are included where they explore the
diversity of doom metal with the aforementioned prog metal and heavy
psychedelic rock influences. Vocally it is not that strong, and the black metal
screams here and there are also https://darkseacreature.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 7.0 out of 10)
MIKE SPINE AND THE UNDERGROUND ALL STAR
BAND ‘GUIDED BY LOVE’ (GLOBAL SEEPEJ RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Seattle, USA comes MIKE SPINE, who has been active in the music business since 1995. Guided By Love is his latest album, which he recorded with a lot of guest musicians he called the Underground All Star Band. The included music is a mix of folkrock, singer/songwriter, country and Americana pop/rock. There are influences of TOWNES VAN ZANDT, NEIL YOUNG, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL and much more to be heard throughout the 11 included songs. The songs are a mix of uptempo and calmer pieces, and it is a pleasure to listen to this talented singer/songwriter who recorded the album in Portland, Oregon, and it was released on his own label GLOBAL SEPPEJ RECORDS. Check out more info at:
https://mikespine.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 7.1 out of 10)
DOUG COLLINS & THE RECEPTIONISTS ‘TOO
LATE AT NIGHT’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Minneapolis, USA comes vocalist/guitarist DOUG
COLLINS, who recorded the album Too late At Night with his band THE
RECEPTIONISTS (Chuck Varley - bass, vocals, Randy Broughton – Pedal steel and
Billy Dankert – Drums). Musically speaking we are heading into country tingled
twangle americana rootsy pop/(heartland light) rock in a style that melts
influences of ROY ORBISON, NICK LOWE, HANK WILLIAMS, very American sounding and
Doug does this job very well. Mexico MO, Mama’s Shoes and the catchy Hardest
Part are a couple of the highlights. Check more for yourself at: https://www.dougcollinsmusic.com
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
DREW YOUNG ‘BOURBON & BAD DECISIONS’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
DREW YOUNG comes out of New Orleans and he has been
making music for over a few decades, releasing several albums, of which Bourbon
& Bad Decisions is the latest. He wrote about 60 songs during the covid
period, and now released a full album with 12 of those songs. His music is a
mix of country, americana and slide guitar driven pop/rock, and it does sound
quite well and very melodic. Drew has a great voice, very typical American country
orientated and the music is quite radio-ready, so for the American market this
is a definite winner. DANNY VERA is a comparison I could make here for the
Dutch readers among us, but Drew is definitely leaning more towards the
polished American way of rootsy americana country than Danny. Check it out for
yourself at: https://drewyoung.bandcamp.com/album/bourbon-bad-decisions
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
EVRAAK ‘EVRAAK’ (AURAL
MUSIC/WORMHOLEDEATH/ITALY IMPORT)
Out of Japan comes EVRAAK, and their same titled album
on AURAL MUSIC/WORMHOLEDEATH is their very first full-length record. The CD
consists of 3 songs that are taken from their first EP released in 2020, and in
addition included are 3 new songs. The 1 hour counting experience is very
interesting, because EVRAAK is a female fronted complex progressive rockband,
with here and there some jazz influences due to the sax player in their
line-up, but you might even trace some Arabic rhythms here and there. The band
was formed in 2018, and their line-up consists of Hayawo Kanno (Gutar/Compose),
Koji Kawashima (Bass/Compose), Marina Seo (Vocal), Takeshi Yoshida (Drums),
Miki Hasegawa (Keyboards) and Tenor Mantaro (Sax). The music is as already
mentioned progressive rock, but leaning towards the experimental complex side
of the genre, so there is a lot to discover here, but every song also has
beautiful calmer moments. The band’s signature tune is Sacrifice, but every
song of the 6 included is a joy to listen to, because there is so much to hear,
and Marina has a good unique voice. It’s not possible to compare this Japanese
band, because like most other bands from Japan they have their own unique
identity, and that makes them a highly recommended band to check out! More info
can be found at: http://evraak.com/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
BIFROST ‘HER DEN’ (INDEPENDENT/SPAIN
IMPORT)
BIFROST comes out of Santander, Spain and Her Den is
their 3rd album. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist OVIDIO
ABASCAL, guitarist ALFONSO SERRANO, bassist JOSE C. GOMEZ and drummer DAVID
FERNANDEZ, and they make high quality melodic US Power/Progressive Metal with
influences of VICIOUS RUMOURS, ICED EARTH and FATES WARNING. I have to say that
everything sounds really good here, and for an independent release it is of a
very high level both musically speaking and the production. Ovidio has a good
strong and powerful voice, although you can hear an accent, so perhaps it would
sound even better if sung in Spanish. The guitarwork is very impressive, and
the songs are melodic, yet proggy and power metal enough for the headbangers
among us. Especially when they go progressive metal all the way, such as during
So Close To Chaos or the DGMish Corruption We Pay, the band sounds really good.
Not a single weak moment to be found here, and they are therefore definitely a
recommended band to the fans of heavier but melodic US Power/Progmetal. More
info at: https://bifrost.bandcamp.com/album/her-den
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
JEFFK ‘TAR’ (GOLDEN ANTENNA RECORDS/BROKEN
SILENCE/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Tar is the 2nd album of the Leipzig,
Germany based instrumental band JEFFK. Their music is strong atmospheric calmer
instrumental post-progressive rock in the style of LONG DISTANCE CALLING and
the instrumental side of PORCUPINE TREE, although I could name a lot of other
bands as well, because at the moment there is a huge wave of bands playing this
style. JEFFK consists of Börge Meyn: bass, keys, Matthias Poese: guitar, keys
and Steffen Ziemann: Drums, and their music might be instrumental post-progrock
like countless other modern bands, they do have a swinging groove thanks to the
drummer who gives the band an almost prog metal kinda approach, while the
guitarwork is pure post-progrock, very laid-back and dark sounding. 6 songs are
included, and despite the somewhat depressing frontcover of an empty swimming
pool with no view, the music is definitely very interesting and also quite
uplifting, so fans of the aforementioned genre and acts, they should definitely
check out JEFFK at: https://jeffk.bandcamp.com/album/tar
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
AGGIE FROST ‘PERLEMOR’ (APOLLON RECORDS/
CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Now this is an interesting release from the Norwegian
electro-pop musician AGGIE FROST, who delivers her first solo album titled
Perlemor. Her music is electronic calmer pop orientated with vocals that have
some similarities to BJORK, although Aggie is more a popsinger who comes up
with strong memorable melodies in her voice. The songs are sung in the Norwegian
language, so it might be hard to follow, yet it makes it very interesting and a
pleasure to listen to actually because the melodies are sometimes really
beautiful, just listen to the album’s highlight Stille for example, or the 80s
inspired midtempo synth driven Nattebyen. Check for yourself in case you’re
becoming interested at: www.facebook.com/aggiefrostperlemor
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
SVNTAX ERROR 'THE VANISHING EXISTENCE'
(BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/MGM/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Australian band SVNTAX ERROR is a very interesting
dark progressive rockband with influences from psychedelish rock and 80s gothic/calmer
dark new wave, while there are also some experimental moves of the krautrock movement
to be heard on their 2nd album The Vanishing Existence. The band is formed
around BEN AYLWARD (guitar and vocals), MATTHEW SYRES (guitar and theremin),
BEN EADIE (drums) and PETER YATES (bass). Vocally it sounds really good, as Ben
has a very relaxing way of singing, and instrumentally it is calm but
interesting, because there is a lot to discover musically speaking, such as can
be heard during especially the instrumental songs Radio Silence and 215 Days.
Broken Nightmares and Relentless on the other hand are somehow very catchy
melodic uptempo songs that even remind me a bit of THE SOUND or other early 80s
darker new wave bands, but most of the time the music is calm, laid-back and a
bit dark sounding with a focus on long instrumental passages. The band's
diversity and original sound makes them one of Australian's most interesting
new bands to check out. Fans of prog, post-rock and even dark new wave should
definitely look up SVNTAX ERROR, because they have clearly an own identity on
their new album. More info can be found at: https://svntaxerror.bandcamp.com/album/the-vanishing-existence
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
KODIAK EMPIRE 'THE GREAT ACCELERATION' (BIRD'S ROBE RECORDS/MGM/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
2 years after their debut Silent Bodies, the
Australian progressive rockband KODIAK EMPIRE returns with their new album The
Great Acceleration. They have somewhat an American modern progressive rocksound
that is dangerously close to THE MARS VOLTA. 5 long songs are included, and
from start to finish we are drown into a sea of melodies and experimental
post-progressive rock changes. The guys are doing a really good job and
absolutely deliver a high class piece of action here on this new album. Check
out more info at: https://kodiakempire.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-acceleration
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
THE BITTERSWEETS 'LESSON ONE' (THAT'S
ENTERTAINMENT/APOLLON RECORDS/PLASTIC HEAD DISTRIBUTION/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
THE BITTERSWEETS are a band that originally started as
a project by JOHN MARTINSEN and ARNE THELIN back in 1995, but eventually turned
into a band that recorded 1 CD in 1996. Sadly the band split up and now almost
27 years later there is a re-issue on LP of this album. Basically they were all
about playing punky powerpop in the early 80s style. A song like Good Looks is
basically pure THE RAMONES, while All Set To Go is more catchy Powerpop and
this way of dealing with classic punk and powerpop and a touch of raw garage
rock can be heard throughout the whole album. Always a pity a band breaks up
and only leaves behind one album, but thankfully this re-issue takes them out
of the deep basement of long forgotten bands, and the pressing of 250+ limited
LP versions of this 1996 album should go down well for fans of the classic
early 80s no-nonsense uptempo powerpop punky garage rocksound we all love so
much. More info at: www.apollon.no
ROBERTA ROMAN ‘LA PETITE NAPLES, OPERATION SULTAN’
(ENTOURAGE CONTEMPO/ABSILONE/SOCADISC/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
The new album of guitarist ROBERTA ROMAN tells the
story of the Neapolitan community that exiled in Marseille, known as
Marseille’s Little Naples, which was sadly destroyed by the French authorities
in 1943 during the WW2. The music should give you an idea about this little
village inside Marseille. 80 years later a lot of people were unaware what
happened back then, so this CD is definitely a lesson about French (and
Italian) history. There are a lot of guest musicians and guest singers to give
the whole album a very diverse approach, although the music is mostly
French/Italian folk orientated with all kinds of other influences (fado, tango,
Spanish folk, world music, rap, etc.). The result is a great album that will
especially live on stage have a huge impact, because you can feel there is a lot
happening here that needs to be seen as well, so who knows that will also
happen one day in a sorta theatrical setting. For now, more info can be found
at: www.roberta-roman.com
(Points: 7.9 out of 10)
LUIS DE LA CARRASCA ‘BARO DROM’ (ANDALOUSE
ALHAMBRA/INOUIE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
LUIS DE LA CARRASCA is an Andalusian
musician/singer/songwriter who has been in France since 1991. He is a
self-taught Flamenco guitarist and his new album is likewise a Flamenco music
album from start to finish. It actually sounds pretty good, and Luis is a very
gifted singer who gives the material the fado touch the way it needs to sound.
If you’re becoming interested then check him out at: www.luisdelacarrasca.com
(Points: 7.9 out of 10)
TOUFIC FARROUKH ‘UNTAMED ELEGANCE’ (SCALE ART
& CULTURE/BASO DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Saxophone player/percussionist TOUFIC FARROUKH is
bringing together the best of jazz, Arabic, Brazilian, Balkan and Classical
Music on his beautiful new album Untamed Elegance. There are a lot of guests to
be heard, and he also gives them the time to shine on each and every song. The
material is calm and very melodic, almost smooth jazz orientated, yet with
those other World Music influences just a bit different. Without a doubt, this
is one of the better (semi-instrumental) jazz orientated albums so far in 2023,
and Toufic is a name to remember, although the insiders probably already know him
from his past work. The music is super melodic and still has both a swinging
groove as well as a classical music kinda touch, but could always be linked to
jazz, although here and there (especially during the vocal featured songs)
there is more to be heard than jazz, so World Music Jazz could probably be a
better description here. Take it from me, this is a high quality record that
has a lot for you to discover. More info can be found at: www.touficfarroukh.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
LIA ‘COMO UNA FLOR SIN RAICES’ (INOUIE
DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Singer/songwriter LIA is influenced by her South
American roots, and that can be heard clearly on her new album Como Una Flor
Sin Raices. The music is calm, melodic and she sings it very well, filled with
a lot of emotion. She is helped by the musicians LUCAS HENRI (contrabass,
mandoline, guitar), SANTIAGO GERVASONI (clavicorde) and drummer/percussionist
PAUL HEROUX. The music is a celebration and a joy to listen to, sometimes very
emotional and calm (Como Una Flor Sin Raices), while at other times uptempo,
fun and summer friendly (Agua Feroz). It is a definite South American music
empowered album that has a lot to offer. More info at: http://www.lianaviliatcuncic.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
EDREDON SENSIBLE ‘MONTAGE EXPLOSION’ (L’AUTRE
DISTRIBUTION/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Toulouse, France comes the interesting EDREDON
SENSIBLE quartet, which is formed around TRISTAN CHARLES ALFRED (baritone sax),
drummer/keyboardists ANTOINE PERDRIOLLE and MATHIAS BAYLE, and JEAN LACARRIERE
(tenor sax), and together they make explosive music that is a mix of free jazz
and trance music played on drums, keys and sax during 8 songs on their album
Montage Explosion. The music is loud, but still melodic enough to keep everyone
entertained and happy, and they are doing a really good job to sound rather
original in combining freestyle jazz with modern trance music while using their
instruments and no computers. I’ll bet live on stage they will be an
entertaining bunch of musicians. Most of the songs are instrumental and quite
experimental and complex sometimes, yet with the exception of the calmer
atmopsheric Quand lu pastour Bai Amouda that features guest female singers and
this song is also musically speaking somewhat different. Reason why the
following song Where is un alcool Japonais qui aime is the most experimental
song on the CD. Check them out if you’re a fan of freestyle complex jazz with a
modern trance music kinda approach. More info at: https://facebook.com/EdredonSensible
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
LUMSK ‘FREMMEDE TONER’ (DARK ESSENCE RECORDS/PLASTIC
HEAD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The Norwegian band LUMSK has been around for over 16
years now, but they have been working on their new album Fremmede Toner since
2009 (!), as it is a collection of poems by Norwegian author ANDRE BJERKE and
his translations of the most famous poets in Europe and North American like
NIETZSCHE, GOETHE, SWINBURNE, ect. The band really wanted to create songs that
reflect the vibe of the times when these poets were written. The music is
superb high class melodic progressive rock with a folk touch and some prog
metal riffs, but the strong female vocals give it a sweet melodic approach in a
way that it has some WITHIN TEMPTATION/DELAIN memories, yet LUMSK is more folk
metal orientated than those symphonic metal bands. On the other hand, most of
the 12 included songs could also be classified as calmer melodic progressive
folk-rock a la RENAISSANCE or MOSTLY AUTUMN, so it fits right between all those
mentioned acts. LUMSK is without a doubt a great band with a wonderful new
effort, so go ahead and check them out at: https://www.instagram.com/lumskband
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
FARGO ‘GELI’ (KAPITAN PLATTE/APOLLON
RECORDS/CARGO/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
4 long instrumental songs about 4 different German
cities is presented on the new album of the band FARGO. Founded in 2012, they
have slowly built up a reputation in the instrumental post-progressive
rockscene, and their music has similarities to SIGUR ROS, RUSSIAN CIRCLES, LONG
DISTANCE CALLING, etc. They should not be confused with the legendary (also)
German Hardrockband FARGO from the early 80s, because this Leipzig, Germany
based FARGO sounds completely different and their album Geli is very modern product.
Dresden, Regensburg, Berlin and Pforzheim are the songtitles and as
aforementioned, the band is a must to check out if you’re a fan of atmospheric
somewhat dark instrumental post-progressive rock. More info at: https://fargo-official.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
FRODE FIVEL ‘ALL YOU SEE’ (APOLLON
RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Fredrikstad, Norway comes FRODE FIVEL, a band
formed around Magnus Abelsen (guitar), Fredrik Brarud (drums), Andre Helle
(bass) and Knut Olsen (keys), and their new album All You See is a nice mixture
of melancholic indie pop/rock and Americana/singer-songwriter, sorta like NICK
CAVE meets NEIL YOUNG meets a typical Indie pop band. They are doing this at a
high level, and despite it sounds a bit dark, alternative and depressing at
times, FRODE FIVEL definitely delivers a good collection of new songs here that
for the fans of indie and dark singer/songwriter will be interesting to check
out. More info can be found at: www.facebook.com/frodefivelband
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
DRIVER’S LICENSE ‘DRIVER’S LICENSE’ (FIREDOME
RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
DRIVER’S LICENSE is a band from San Diego, California,
USA, and they are making their debut with this same titled album. The band
consists of Ronny Jones - Guitar & Vocals, Corky McClellan - Drums &
Vocals, Paul Winger - Guitar & Vocals and Andy Nossal - Bass & Vocals.
These musicians have already made a name in the past when they were active in
melodic hardrockbands such as BATON ROUGE, BLACK BAMBI and BLACKWOOD CREEK. It
is not that strange that their first album is also musically speaking in the
style of those bands. Opener Feed The Fire sets the record straight
immediately, because this is classic American Hardrock all the way, with a
sorta KISS Revenge GENE SIMMONS meets KEEL kinda approach if you understand
what I mean, while the following 99 And A Half is a close-call to BLUE OYSTER
CULT. The production is quite good and professional, while the musicians are
definitely showing their skills here. The heavy groovy Hello Mr. Pain taps out
of an almost EXTREME kinda groove, yet with a big fat OZZY kinda ZAKK WYLDE
guitar riff. The song Walks Like A Woman is a throwback to the days of BATON
ROUGE, a classic late 80s/early 90s melodic hardrock tune. Other highlights are
Obvious, Sleep and closing track Psychedelic Tangerines. Definitely a great
independent band that recalls the days of late 80s/early 80s American groovy
Melodic Hardrock or Hair Metal as it is called nowadays. More info at: https://driverslicense.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
ASHLEY SHERLOCK ‘JUST A NAME’ (RUF
RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
ASHLEY SHERLOCK is the latest new blues rock talent on
the RUF RECORDS label. After releasing 2 EPs, he is now releasing his first
full-length CD Just A Name. The Manchester, UK based musician has already
supported the likes of THE QUIREBOYS, KRIS BARRAS BAND and LAURENCE JONES, and
he is already building a huge name with his own kinda twist to the current
heavy blues rock sound. Besides Ashley on vocals and guitar, he is assisted by
drummer DANNY RIGG, bassist CHARLIE RACHAEL KAY and alto sax player NOAH SILLS.
Together they have recorded 12 songs that musically are a joy for the fans of
the current modern heavy blues rocksound like JOE BONAMASSA, LAURENCE JONES,
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD and such. I have to say however that Ashley really has an
own identity, which is good of course, but he is quite far removed from the
blues rock sometimes, especially during the beginning of the album. His voice
is amazing, soulful and at times going up to a very high octave, and his songs
show he is influenced by 90s Altrock, modern American rock and a little bit of
heavy bluesy hardrock of the late 80s as well, so this CD certainly is not a
straight-ahead typical blues rock record. TESLA and THE BLACK CROWES are
comparisons I can easily make when hearing such sensational songs like Trouble,
I Think That She Knows and Goodbye To You. Calmer songs like Time, Our Love and
Dear Elizabeth show that he can easily write a radio pop hit in the same way as
for example QUINN SULLIVAN or DAVY KNOWLES. Dear Elizabeth is an absolute winner,
and could almost be described as a semi melodic rock/AOR ballad like MITCH
MALLOY fronting FOREIGNER, and yes here in this song we can finally hear Ashley
shred a superb soaring guitarsolo, so this might be the highlight of the album
(along with the similar kinda song Last Call). The material is sometimes close
to the modern American radio-ready rocksound, with a light bluesy and southern
rock touch to make it sound a little bit different (closing track Backstage
Wall for example is such a superb song!). Ashley is a truly gifted singer and
guitarist, who is not shy to move away from the blues as already mentioned
several times, and this first CD is without a doubt one of the finest releases
on RUF RECORDS lately. SENSATIONAL! More info can be found at: www.ashleysherlock.com
(Points: 8.9 out of 10)
This is really wicked but interesting with all sorta
of ways to use the voices in a sorta outta-control space rock adventure like DAVID
BOWIE meets TUSK - FLEETWOOD MAC, which is basically 1970s experimental
weirdness, and FRANK ZAPPA would be proud for sure. There's some HAWKWIND and
heavy blues influences as well, but don't expect anything like the
aforementioned acts, because it is still sounding different than anything you
can imagine! The use of a minimalistic dark industrial alike sound in the
background in combination with the experimental voices, it is making MESON one
of the most unique acts around these days. They are as unique as last year's
HENGE, so there is an alien alike approach here as well!
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
LAURIE JONES ‘DARK HORSE’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of the beautiful town of Portland,
Maine, USA comes the sensational singer/songwriter LAURIE JONES, who is
described as the missing link between DUSTY SPRINGFIELD and TOM PETTY, but to
my ears she has a an own identity with a voice and music that is closer to
Melodic Rock/AOR actually (although the calmer songs have a slight
Americana/Folk-rock touch). Laurie has a fantastic voice that completely lifts
up the material to higher places. In fact, she is one of the better female
singers I have heard lately, and thankfully she can also write some really good
songs on her new album Dark Horse. It starts with a very nice uptempo
radio-friendly pop/rocker (That Summer) in the style of the praised BLACKBIRD
over here in The Netherlands. Following Light Side rocks harder, and this is
basically a superb pure melodic rocker with superstrong catchy AOR hooks and a
big fat rocking guitar dominated HEARTish chorus, coming across like a mix
between KT TUNSTALL, ANN WILSON and ROBIN BECK to mention a few names. After
the short calmer Dazed, we get to hear a lovely midtempo AOR/Poprocker entitled
Resurrecting Joan. From the other songs I would like to point out the strong
bluesy rocker No Hell that almost reminds me of ALANNAH MYLES in her good old
days, while closing track Letting Go is a wonderful melodic rock/AOR ballad.
This is definitely one of the better female fronted rockalbums I have heard
lately! More info at: www.lauriejonesmusic.com
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
HILLSBOROUGH ‘COMIN’ BACK FOR YOU’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The Australian band HILLSBOROUGH
delivers a nice debut album with Comin’ Back For You. They are formed around
Beata Maglai - Vocals, Percussion, Phil Usher - Vocals, Guitars, Drums and Glen
Russell - Double Bass, and their music is folksy rootsy Americana pop/rock with
a bluesy alternative touch. The mixture of male and female lead vocals as well
as the harmonization of both voices gives them a very melodic sound that does
remind me a bit of RYAN ADAMS and even JAKE BUGG here and there (although BOB
DYLAN also a huge influence I think). The best songs out of the 10 included are
Magnetic Lives, the uptempo titletrack Comin’ Back For You, the bluesy
Laughing Clown and the TOM PETTYish Stitches, and you can check more on them
at: https://hillsborough.bandcamp.com/track/comin-back-for-you
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
CROSBY TYLER ‘DON’T CALL THE LAW ON ME!’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Now this is outlaw sleazy dirty mean
gritty raw country at it’s very best, kinda like a mix between TOWNES VAN
ZANDT, JOHNNY CASH and JJ CALE, at least during the first song, which is the
titletrack. It sounds perhaps a bit more polished throughout the album, even touching
a sorta catchy pop country crossover part here and there. However, it’s all
done at a high level and Crosby has got a great raw voice to do this kinda
bluegrass-country stuff very well, while being assisted by Jeff Turmes (bass),
Dale Daniel (drums), Mike Khalil (lead guitar/pedal steel guitar), Aubrey
Richmond (fiddle/backup vocals) & Kimbra West (backup vocals). Nice job,
done well and you can check for yourself at: https://crosbytyler.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
MICHAEL JOHNATHON ‘GARDEN OF SILENCE’
(POETMAN RECORDS/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Garden Of Silence is already the 20th full
length album of American singer/songwriter MICHAEL JOHNATHON. The 11 included
songs are a nice adventure through the thoughts of this talented
singer/songwriter, who writes songs with melodies that recall nostalgic old
days, and especially with a great voice he has, it should easily appeal to fans
of JIM GROCE or DON MCLEAN. Check him out at: https://www.michaeljohnathon.com/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
JONO MANSON ‘STARS ENOUGH TO GUIDE ME’
(BLUE ROSE MUSIC/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA comes
singer/songwriter JONO MANSON, who delivers a very nice calmer 70s inspired
singer/songwriter pop album that reminds me a lot of such classic artists like
JAMES TAYLOR and JIM GROCE, although Jono has a real raw, almost soul kinda
tone in his voice, which makes it rather interesting to listen to, because it
gives the music a slightly different touch. Jono has been around in the music
business for at least 30 years, and he has released a lot of solo albums in the
meantime. On this new album he is assisted by Jason Crosby (keyboards and guitar),
Eric Ambel (guitar) and drummer Paul Pearcy, and from start to finish it’s a
nice collection of songs that is as said most of the time a throwback to the
1970s sound of aforementioned artists, with also here and there a fun RANDY
NEWMANish tune like No New Kind Of Blue or a real uptempo rocking tune The
Further Adventures Of Goat Boy And The Clown, so in the end quite a diverse
album that has a lot to offer. More info at: https://jonomanson.bandcamp.com/music
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
MATTHEW CHECK ‘WITHOUT A THRONE’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Although it’s a rather short album, New
Yorker MATTHEW CHECK definitely delivers a high class piece of Americana/folky
singer/songwriter music here that has clear references to JACKSON BROWNE, BOB
SEGER and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. Besides Matthew on Acoustic guitar, banjo &
lead vocals, other musicians joining him here are Thomas Bryan Eaton: Electric
guitar, pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro, mandolin & vocals, Miss
Tess: Vocals, John Pahmer: Piano, Eric Frey: Electric Bass and Glenn Grossman:
Percussion. 7 songs filled with classic 70s inspired singer-songwriter pop/rock
music in the style of aforementioned artists (although here and there we can
also hear a country twist such as during Pretty Mama). You can’t go wrong here,
because Matthew has a great raw voice that is needed to make this music sound
interesting. He even reminds me slightly of HUEY LEWIS, although the music is
of course slightly different. More info can be found at: https://matthewcheck.bandcamp.com/album/without-a-throne
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
KASKADEUR
'PHANTOM VIBRATIONS' (NOIS-O-LUTION RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The German band
KASKADEUR (previously known as STONEHENGE) returns with a 2nd album entitled
Phantom Vibrations. They clearly have an own identity, which on this new album
really comes alive very well. Melting stoner rock, progressive rock, doom
metal, heavy blues, krautrock and all kinds of other influences, the album
opens very strong with Bubble Burst. Lead guitarist ENRICO SEMLER has a
fantastic voice, and along with his friends JOHANNES WALENTA (keys), MICHAEL
PAUKNER (bass) and OLE FISCHER (drums), KASKADEUR is a tight steady band to
check out if you like an original sounding rockband. They sound up-to-date for
sure, although you can hear that their main influences come from the 1970s. The
diversity makes them such an interesting band, because after the somewhat heavy
stoner rock opener, the album gets a slight progressive rock touch with All Comes
From Nothing, which on the other hand has a very accessible poppy AORish chorus
in combination with the dut-dut keys. I am somewhat surprised this band has not
gotten much attention so far, because they are definitely a band you don’t want
to miss. Other highlights on their new CD are Join The Cult, Generation
Absolution (with a fantastic soaring guitarsolo), and An Opportunity Gone By.
Go check them out a.s.a.p. if you care for real original rock that combines the
best of all styles we love so much. More info at: https://kaskadeur.bandcamp.com/ and https://www.kaskadeur.net/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
LOVEFLOWERS AMERICANA ‘GOLDEN LEAVES’
(INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Sometimes in life you are in touch with
someone, but then suddenly the contact fades and many years later a familiar
name of the past drops somewhere, which in this case concerns the Swedish
musician PATRICK TIBELL. Back in the 90s AOR fanzine days I did he was a name I
encountered via my late friend Juha Harjula. Patrick was part of the AOR
project T’BELL, whom eventually released a pure AOR album on AOR HEAVEN.
Decades later I now receive a CD of a Swedish act called LOVEFLOWERS AMERICANA,
which is mixed by Patrick, and this was the first time I saw his name since the
late 1990s! Anyway, this here concerns a great Americana act that offers 6 nice
calmer melodic somewhat darker sounding Americana songs. Each tells a story and
it is a nice listen all throughout the album. More info at: https://loveflowers.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
MOSS FREED / UNION DIVISION
‘MICROMOTIVES’ (DISCUS MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
Guitarist/composer MOSS FREED recorded 2
experimental sessions with various musicians, and both of them have now been
released as a 2-CD set on DISCUS MUSIC. Basically you’ll get here very
experimental instrumental freestyle jazz where there is a lot to discover, and
it is quite frightening at times, which can already be heard during the album
opener Union Of Egoists. If ZAPPA and JOHN ZORN would join forces to create
something extraordinary, then this album could be the result. Freestyle jazz,
open-minded musicfans and improvised music are the right terms to mention here,
and if you are interested in checking out some of these crazy wicked extremely
complex freestyle adventures, then you definitely might want to look up this album.
Besides Moss on guitar, the other involved musicians are Laura Jurd – trumpet,
Charlotte Keeffe – trumpet, Sam Eastmond – trumpet, Tullis Rennie – trombone,
Rachel Musson - tenor saxophone, George Crowley - tenor saxophone, clarinet,
Chris Williams - alto saxophone, Rosanna Ter-Berg - flute, piccolo, Brice
Catherin – cello, Otto Wilberg - double bass, Steve Beresford – piano, Elliot
Galvin – piano, Will Glaser – drums, James Maddren – drums and Pierre Alexandre
Tremblay - electronics, electric bass. Well done and a highlight in the
freestyle/improvised music genre. More info at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/micromotives-147cd-2023
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
ORCHESTRA OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE ‘06’
(DISCUS MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
This is already the 6th CD
of ORCHESTRA OF THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE, a Multimedia jazz, electronics and art
ensemble from Sheffield, UK whom are delivering a high class improvised but
melodic adventure through the world of modern minimalistic
post-prog/fusion/jazz. The ensemble is formed around their label owner Martin
Archer (woodwind, organ, software instruments, voice), Steve Dinsdale (drums,
keys), Terry Todd (bass), Walt Shaw (drums, percussion, voice), Yvonna Magda
(violin, electronics), Lorin Halsall (acoustic and electric double basses,
electronics), Andy Peake (piano, keys) and Jan Todd (vocals, voices, laptop
electronics, software instruments, celtic harp, etc.). Right from the start
with the 13 minutes counting Forced Orbit we are heading into an interesting
adventure, because the music is calm, atmospheric, somewhat dark and balances
between minimalistic modern jazz and instrumental post-progressive rock, with an
ambient touch to complete the overall sound. It gets quite exciting and
especially live this ensemble could easily put you into a trance with their
modern use of electronic instruments in combination with the traditional
instruments. Definitely a recommended album to check out for both post-prog and
jazz fans out there! More info at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/theta-six-150cd-2023
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
FAMILY BAND ‘FAMILY BAND‘ (DISCUS
MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
Their same titled album marks the 3rd album
of the FAMILY BAND, which is a group of musicians that met each other at the
Leeds College of Music back in 2008, while they founded the band in 2015. The
line up consists of KIM MACARI (trumpet), RILEY STONE-LONERGAN (tenor sax), TOM
RIVIERE (bass) and STEVE HANLEY (drums), and the music they make on this new
album is a swinging classic style of uptempo fun jazz, which is something else
than the usual DISCUS MUSIC releases that are quite experimental.
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
STEPHEN GREW ‘CHASM – THE ST. JAMES
& ST. BASIL’S SUITE’ (DISCUS MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
This CD has 4 long songs that only
features STEPHEN GREW on piano. It is basically old school light freestyle
jazz, and the fact that it’s all done on a piano only is quite remarkable,
because it still keeps you busy and entertained due to the fact that Stephen is
a gifted pianoplayer who is not shy to do something different than the standard
stuff. Check for yourself at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/chasm-the-st-james-st-basils-suite-151cd-2023
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
PAUL DUNMALL ENSEMBLE ‘IT’S A MATTER OF
FACT’ (DISCUS MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
Out of Birmingham, UK comes PAUL DUNMALL
ENSEMBLE, and besides Paul on tenor and soprano saxophones, other musicians
joining him are Julie Tippetts – voice, Charlotte Keeffe – trumpet and
flugelhorn, Richard Foote – trombone, Steven Saunders – electric guitar, James
Owston – double bass, Jim Bashford – drums and Martin Archer – alto and
baritone saxophones, harmonica. The result is very experimental freestyle jazz
orientated with the remarkable unique voice of Julie giving it a further
dimension and own identity. It’s not easy stuff, but that’s what we are used to
when listening to releases of DISCUS MUSIC. However, there is a lot to discover
here, which is likewise thanks to the use of various instruments. Check more
info at:
https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/its-a-matter-of-fact-148cd-2023
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
SHIVER ‘MEETS MATTHEW BOURNE VOLUME 1’
(DISCUS MUSIC/NO MAN’S LAND/GERMANY IMPORT)
Matthew Bourne (piano, linn-advanced
memorymoog), Andy Champion (electric bass), Joost Hendrickx (drums) and Chris
Sharkey (electric guitar, live processing, production) came together for 2 days
of jamming at Matthew’s house after years of corona lockdowns, and part 1 of
this session event is now released in the shape of this CD. The music is
experimental, but not crazy or outrageous, because there is some good rhythms
and vibes going on here that give it memorable melodies. There’s even a bit 70s
funkiness and a lot of space-rock madness to be heard. The music is definitely
free-jazz/fusion/post-prog orientated, yet open-minded and in search for whatever
this might lead to. I could easily call this instrumental record a 70s
krautrock record actually, because that is how it feel, but I’ll bet both the
freestyle-jazz and post-progfans out there will like this as well! It’s one
long song, which is a 42 minutes counting jam session of the 4 musicians.
Definitely an interesting session, and I already look forward to part 2.
Meanwhile you can check more at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/shiver-meets-matthew-bourne-volume-1-149cd-2023
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
MUSHROOM GIANT ‘IN A FOREST’ (BIRD’S
ROBE RECORDS/MGM/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
MUSHROOM GIANT is an Australian instrumental
rock band formed around Craig Fryers (bass), Trent Horwood (drums), Simon Wade
(guitar/keyboards), and Derek Richards (guitar/keyboards). They were founded in
2002, and In A Forest is their 4th album so far. They have
built up a name within the underground instrumental post-progrock community,
and their name should be mentioned alongside bands such as LONG DISTANCE
CALLING, SLEEPMAKESWAVES, WE LOST THE SEA, MONO, etc. etc. Their new album is
an impressive adventure through the fields of this genre, with a focus on the
soaring dark guitar melodies of Simon and Derek, which is backed up by a groovy
rhythm of Craig and Trent most of the time. Live on stage they make the
greatest impact with all kinds of visuals added to their show, so let’s hope we
will be able to catch a show of them soon, but meanwhile check out this strong
new album and all other info at: https://mushroomgiant.bandcamp.com/album/in-a-forest-album
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
PAM RISOURIE ‘DAYS OF DISTORTION’
(ATYPEEK MUSIC/ICY COLD RECORDS/ARAKI RECORDS/SHOREDIVE RECORDS/PYRRHIC VICTORY
RECORDINGS/AUDIOGLOBE/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
Out of Paris, France comes PAM RISOURIE,
a band that releases it’s first full length album titled Days of Distortion
after a couple of EP releases in the past. The band’s sound is calm, very indie
pop/rock orientated, although dreampop and shoegaze are also present here most
of the time. BEACH HOUSE is a good comparison for sure, and despite it might
all sound a bit familiar, PAM RISOURIE are doing a nice job actually on this
debut album. Hear for yourself at: https://icycoldrecords.bandcamp.com/album/icr103-pam-risourie-days-of-distortion
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
LES DUNES ‘LES DUNES’ (KAPITAN
PLATTE/APOLLON RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
Out of Norway comes LES DUNES, an
instrumental trio formed around guitarist PER ANDREAS HAFTORSEN, bassist PER
STEINAR LIE and drummer MORTEN JACKMAN. They are playing a calmer almost indie
alike instrumental post-rock style that has a sorta 90s kinda feeling. The 8
included songs are very slow and calm, and it is a pleasure to listen to them,
although on the other hand not too much is happening either. That could be a
charm of it’s own, although the prog fans might want to hear more adventure.
Nevertheless, they have done a good job on their same titled very first album,
which you can check for yourself at: https://kapitaenplatte.bandcamp.com/album/les-dunes
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
MAGNIFY THE SOUND ‘DON’T GIVE US THAT
FACE’ (CRISPIN GLOVER RECORDS/STICKMAN RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY
IMPORT)
Since 2010 Trond Engum (guitar and
electronics), and Carl Haakon Waadeland (drums/percussion) have been exploring
all kinds of sounds, and their new album Don’t Give Us That Face is no
exception to the rule, because it is filled with unique material that is spread
over 6 songs that feel like one long journey. Krautrock a la TANGERINE DREAM or
experimental improvised instrumental electronic music a la SWANS/CAN might be a
good description, but MAGNIFY THE SOUND is even more experimental, calmer,
darker and definitely has an own identity that sometimes also feels like you’re
watching a movie with this album as background music. I think it’s best to call
this an improvised album with absolutely zero concessions, because MAGNIFY THE
SOUND takes you into an experimental interesting adventure that belongs
somewhere between earth, prog, kraut, electronics and horror movie motion
picture background music. Check for yourself at: https://facebook.com/MagnifyTheSound
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
ALICE
HOWE ‘CIRCUMSTANCE’ (KNOWHOWE/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Circumstance
is the 2nd album of the Los Angeles based singer/songwriter ALICE HOWE.
Produced and arranged by her creative partner, Freebo, a veteran bass player
and former BONNIE RAITT band member, the included music is a nice classic piece
of country crossover Americana pop/rock that reminds one of the old days
(especially BONNIE RAITT of early ILSE DELANGE). Alice has a beautiful voice
and her songs are all 11 of them wonderful melodic pieces of little adventures
through the fields of classic Americana country crossover pop/rock and
singer/songwriter music of the 1970s. Love Has No Rules is a slight exception,
because this is a superb uptempo AOR/Westcoast pop/rock kinda tune that even
reminds me of JAIME KYLE, and the late 70s disco/soul flavored With You By My
Side, while Travelin’ Soul has a great bluesy rock touch. Alice keeps you
entertained all throughout the album with all these wonderful newly written
melodies in an old school retro kinda approach of the 1970s. The incredible
photos of the CD booklet were taken by the legendary JIM SHEA (who also did iconic
album cover photos for LINDA RONDSTADT, JAMES TAYLOR, EARTH, WIND & FIRE,
RANDY MEISNER, POINTER SISTERS, EAGLES and countless others during especially
the 1970s singer/songwriter/disco/westcoast movement as well some memorable 80s
AOR/Rock album covers of AEROSMITH, TOTO, NIGHT RANGER, KANSAS, GIUFFRIA, ANDY
TAYLOR). All together a nice package and more info can be found at: https://music.alicehowe.com/circumstance
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
EXIT
STAGE LEFT ‘APPLEBERRY TREES’ (XPRNC/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
When
looking at the album cover, the name of the band and the title of the record, I
immediately thought of acts like RUSH, ZEBRA and THE BEATLES, and upon hearing
the first song Piece Of Gold I was rewarded because the Swedish band EXIT STAGE
LEFT sounds indeed exactly like a mixture of those 3 legendary bands, but
there’s much more to be discovered. That album opener is uptempo melodic
progressive rock with a clear 70s approach, even reminding of STYX, KANSAS,
STARCASTLE and such besides RUSH and ZEBRA. Everything sounds crystal clear
here, and fans of aforementioned bands should definitely look up this
sensational band a.s.a.p.! Thankfully following track Good People follows the
same path, and this is perhaps even better, because this is an absolutely
amazing melodic progressive AOR/Pomprock classic in the making here, even
reminding me of the more obscure acts of the golden late 70s/early 80s American
wave (ROADMASTER, AMBROSIA, AIRRAID, SUNBLIND LION and such). This is really
well done, sounding very impressive and it is quite surprising to hear
actually! End Of The Night is perhaps slightly more AORish with an TOTO/WORK OF
ART touch, although the proggy pomprockin keyboardsolo will once again whet the
appetite for fans of bands like STYX, KANSAS, RUSH, etc. EXIT STAGE left comes
out of Sweden as already mentioned, Borås to be exactly and Appleberry Trees is
their debut album. They were formed a few months before the pandemic, and their
line up eventually became bassist Robin Hellsing, drummer Jimmy Svahn,
keyboardplayer Daniel Lyngsaa Larsson and vocalist/guitarist Arvid Wilhelmsson.
Arvid is a strong singer with a high falsetto tone in his voice in a good way,
even reminding me slightly of ARNEL PINEDA of JOURNEY (!), while as mentioned
the music fits the classic 70s prog/pomprock keyboard/melodies dominated era of
bands like RUSH, YES, STARCASTLE, ROADMASTER and thanks to the pomprock
approach overall it has somehow an American kinda feeling. Vagabond’s Respite
sums up all these influences perfectly, and this song even reminds me of KAYAK
during their classic heydays of the 1970s, while there’s some classic 70s
JOURNEY to be heard during the AORish Son and even straight-ahead uptempo
catchy melodic rock during closing track Champs-Elysees. Guess what, there’s
not a single weak moment to be found here, it’s quite diverse in the end, and
all I can say is that you urgently need to check out this sensational Swedish
band at: https://www.facebook.com/ExitStageLeftofficial
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
EDIE
CAREY ‘THE VEIL’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The
Veil is already the 9th album of Colorado/USA based singer-songwriter EDIE
CAREY. Together with a lot of guest musicians she recorded a lovely new album
that features once again her incredible voice that takes you into her wonderful
world of melodies. 12 songs are included, and it is sometimes calm, collected
and emotional (I Know This) and at other times slightly more uptempo pop/rock
based such as during the fantastic The Chain. The variety gives the material a
nice mix of calmer singer/songwriter music and melodic light pop/rock. From
start to finish an enjoyable ride to experience, which is of course is
especially thanks to the amazing voice of Edie, who simply sounds like she’s
one of the greatest and most natural sounding female singers at the moment!
More info at: https://ediecarey.com/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
BILLY
JONES ‘ROY ON THE HILL’ (BEEJAYZUS MUSIC/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The
Gothenburg, Sweden settled BILLY JONES has lived and worked in various parts of
the world, but is now settled in Sweden where he recorded his latest album Roy
On The Hill. The music is a folksy singer/songwriter affair that sounds quite
nice and also very diverse. It definitely does have a Scottish/Irish kinda
approach, which is not that strange because Billy is originally from Scotland,
and also released several rock albums in the late 70s/early 80s. Now since
living in Sweden the music has become more folk/singer-songwriter orientated
and therefore I recommend it to the celtic/folk/singer/songwriter fans out
there. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/slaintemusic1
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
JEFF
LARSON ‘IT’LL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN – A TIM HARDIN TRIBUTE’ (MELODY
PLACE/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
This
here concerns a tribute to TIM HARDIN, a legendary American singer/songwriter
in the folk industry who died way too young 43 years ago. He left a legacy
which resulted in a late hitsingle here in The Netherlands after he died,
because in 1987 as theme song to a Dutch movie, Tim’s song How Can We Hang On
To A Dream became a huge hit and eventually one of the first vinyl singles I
bought for myself 36 years ago. Fast forward to 2023 and Swedish
singer/songwriter JEFF LARSON pays tribute via this 6 songs counting CD, which
was produced by another legend, GERRY BECKLEY of AMERICA. Of course How Can We
hang On To A Dream is also included. A nice tribute to a legendary musician.
More info at: https://www.jefflarson-music.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BOBBO
BYRNES ‘OCTOBER’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The
American singer/songwriter BOBBO BYRNES has already released albums before, but
this new one October is quite special, because it was recorded at the legendary
WINDMILL LANE STUDIOS in Dublin and the HANSA studios in Berlin, which of
course were once the homes for musicians like DAVID BOWIE, U2, KATE BUSH, THE
WATERBOYS and such to record their classic recordings we all know. Musically
speaking Bobbo is clearly influenced also by aforementioned musicians and
bands, because you can hear both DAVID BOWIE and U2 influences in his
acoustically performed folk singer/songwriter pop. He does a great job really,
with also a voice that would make you think he’s from Britain, but Bobby is
definitely an American singer/songwriter and a good one for sure, so check him
out at: https://bobbobyrnes.com/home
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
TODD
PARTRIDGE ‘AUTUMN NEVER KNOWS’ (INDEPENDENT/HEMIFRAN/SWEDEN IMPORT)
Out
of Auburn, Iowa, USA comes the talented singer/songwriter/folk troubadour who
has a voice and sound that recalls the 60s/70s singer/songwriter movement of
musicians like BOB DYLAN, PETE SEEGER, NEIL YOUNG and such. Todd is a little
bit better voicewise and also has some strong melodies throughout the 8
included songs on his new album Autumn Never Knows. Especially a folk rock
ballad like Sioux Falls is a very impressive song with interesting guitar
melodies and sensational classic folk rock singing of Todd. Stories are told
here from start to finish, and musically speaking this is a great adventure
that seems to come straight out of the 60s/70s. Besides Todd on vocals, guitar
and mandolin, other featured musicians are drummer Bryan Vanderpool (also on
guitar, banjo), bassist Jay Foote, violinist Kathryn Severing Fox and Sarah
Vanderpool on keys and organ. Together they have released a highly recommended
classic folk/singer/songwriter album, and for more info please go to: https://todd-partridge.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
WIFA
‘LOUKEN’ (KARAM PROD/INOUIE DISTRIBUTIONVEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
Straight in the
footsteps of LIRAZ and ALTIN GUN comes WIFA, a Tunesian born/France based
singer/songwriter with a similar style as those bands on her latest album Louken,
which is a mixture of traditional middle eastern music and modern pop melodies
in an electronic jacket. It sounds like you’re on holiday somewhere far away,
which is always a good thing. I believe it’s her 2nd album so far, and 9 strong
songs are included on the album. WIFA is an amazing singer with an unique
voice, and songs like Faker, Hob Mkkhobbi and Ye Shems are memorable tunes that will definitely
please the fans of aforementioned acts. She is helped by the musicians
Ratchopper : Arrangements, Arno de Casanove : Arrangements, Daniel Malet :
Guitars, Arno de Casanove : keys/trumpet, Goulven Kervizik : Violin, Souhayl
Guesmi (Ratchopper) : keys and beats, Skander Ben Abid : Clarinet, Nidhal Jaoua
: Kanun, Momén Mahri : Guitars, Mohamed Ben Salha : Kawala and Damien Fleau :
Saxophone, and all together they have created a rather impressive sound that
should definitely appeal to you if you’re a fan of ALTIN, GUN, LIRAZ and such.
Check more info for yourself at: https://veevcom.com/wifa-presente-louken/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
LEE
SMALL 'THE LAST MAN ON EARTH VINYL RECORD' (METALVILLE/P.I.A.S.)
In the shape of
a shiny gatefold sleeved red translucent vinyl record (only 500 copies) the new
album of British lead singer LEE SMALL arrives in my mailbox, and I must say
that this is definitely making a superb impression on yours truly. Thankfully
the included music is also of a very high level, but Lee of course is one of
the finest AOR lead singers around nowadays, so you almost can't go wrong here!
His soulful voice sounds like a cross between GLENN HUGHES, PAUL RODGERS and
STEVE OVERLAND, but still he has not reached the superstardom of those singers
somehow, so let's hope this new album might bring him more fame and fortune.
As soon as the
first song (the titletrack) of his new solo album (his 6th) is playing on the
record player, we are heading straight into his lovely classic way of singing
and making pure 80s AOR like we know it from his past bands and projects (which
you can see in 1 combined overview when looking at the liner notes of the LP
inner sleeve that mentions his full catalogue in pictures that includes SWEET,
WHITE SPIRIT, SHY, LIONHEART, PHENOMENA and countless others). There's a long
list of guests appearing on this new album, such as DAN REED (lead vocals on 1
song), multi-instrumentalists SONY STEVAN and TOMMY DENANDER and a lot more
musicians. The recordings took place in both London and Los Angeles, and 12
songs are included in total, of which the absolute highlights are the excellent
uptempo AOR/Melodic Rock pieces Neon Heartbeat, You're Not The Only One and
Silhouettes, and the amazing midtempo soulful westcoast-AOR pieces Let's Go
Together and In And Out Of Love (wonderful calmer songs like GREG GUIDRY meets
TOTO meets FRANKE & THE KNOCKOUTS), but also the midtempo Heaven Sent
sounds like a classic AOR tune to my ears, reminding me of a cross between
PHILIP BARDOWELL and MARK/MARCIE FREE.
The combination
of Lee's soulful vocals, the soaring melodic guitarsolo's, the catchy hooks and
AOR laden choruses, it all combined makes this album a true winner for the AOR
fans. Of course JOURNEY, TOTO, FOREIGNER and FM are clear similarities to draw
here, and therefore fans of these bands can buy this album without any doubts! Lee
does a great job sounding at his absolute best, the songs are almost all quite
strong, and the musicians really make it worth listen to the album from start
to finish. I am glad this album is released on vinyl, because it's one of those
albums you will play more frequently than the standard FRONTIERS RECORDS
releases, which is due to the fact that this album really breaths that classic
AOR sound we all long for. The packaging of the vinyl record is superb, with
all kinds of beautiful artwork drawings, pictures, the lyrics and extensive
information of everyone involved in the making of this new solo album of Lee.
Check out more info at: https://lee-small.com/home
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ASHRAIN
'REQUIEM RELOADED VINYL RECORD' (METALVILLE/P.I.A.S.)
I received the
debut album of the band ASHRAIN on orange vinyl, and as soon as the record is
playing on my turntable player I could hear that we are heading into high class
melodic metal that sounds perfect at all fronts. ASHRAIN was more or less
founded by NOZOMU WAKAI (guitarist/producer of DESTINIA, SHORTINO and SIGH) and
ex-ACCEPT bassist PETER BALTES back in 2020. In the following years they were
joined by the excellent lead singer LURI SANSON (ex-HIBRIA) and drummer ANDY C
(ex-LORDS OF BLACK), and now in 2023 their debut Requiem Reloaded is released.
10 songs are included, and right from the start with the superb uptempo Melodic
Metal pieces Are You Ready For Rock?, Requiem For Screamer (SENSATIONAL), Pull
On The Trigger and I Still Burn, it is clear that this is a band to watch out
for in the future! They sound like a magnificent cross between NOCTURNAL RITES
and MYSTIC PROPHECY, with a strong focus on catchy melodies and massive
traditional soaring guitarwork (IRON MAIDEN meets PRIMAL FEAR if you're not
familiar with aforementioned bands!). Luri is a fantastic melodic metal singer
with a voice that fits this kind of metal just perfectly, and Nozomu has a
guitar vibrato every (power) metal band would like to have in their line-up!
The vinyl
sounds excellent, while the excellent artwork of the front cover really looks
beautiful while listening to the album, which was by the way produced by SIMONE
MULARONI (DGM). There is a guest appearance by ELYES BOUCHOUCHA of MYRATH, and
despite the involvement of these 2 musicians (from the best prog metal bands
out there at the moment!), the music on this first ASHRAIN album is most of the
time straight-ahead uptempo Melodic (Power) Metal that will definitely whet the
appetite of fans of NOCTURNAL RITES!
There is no
single weak moment to be found here, and all fans of high class Melodic Metal
will go nuts when hearing this album! A must-have, and especially the orange
vinyl looking version of this album is a killer must-have! More info can be
found at: https://www.therockonline.nl/nieuwe-releases/ashrain-requiem-reloaded/
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
LAZULI
'11' (L'ABEILLE RODE/FRANCE IMPORT)
In the early
days of the corona pandemic I stumbled on the French band LAZULI, and
eventually I reviewed their previous album Le fantastique en vol de Dieter Bohm.
Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest French bands around nowadays,
because their mixture of melodic rock, progressive rock, world music/Folk,
French lyrics and a few touches of Arabic music, it is definitely giving them
an own sound. They are doing it really well, and also their 11th album 11 is a
sensational album that should appeal to anyone who wants to hear high quality
music, although it will mostly find it's way to the progressive rockfans among
us. The band was formed in 1998 and they are based in Southern France. The core
of LAZULI are the brothers Claude Leonetti (Léode: synth guitar) and Dominique
Leonetti (vocals, lyrics, guitars), while the rest of the band consists of
Arnaud Beyney (guitar, bass), Vincent Barnavol (drums) and Romain Thorel (keys,
bass keyboard and French Horn). It is a wonderful element that the songs are
sung in Frenchm, because this sets them apart from all the other bands out
there. The music is rich and full in it's approach, with as already mentioned
all kinds of influences, while vocally Dominique has a wonderful somewhat
higher pitched voice.
The album starts
with the beautiful calmer neo-progrock song Sillonner des oceans de vinyles,
while following Triste carnaval is a sensational midtempo song that even
touches classic aor/poprock during the rather catchy chorus. Qui d'autre que
l'autre is up next, and this is the kind of pure darker progressive rock we all
love so much, because it has various tempo's, a slightly rockier approach and
all kinds of melodies hidden here and there throughout the song, sorta like
PORCUPINE TREE, although LAZULI has an own identity after already 11 albums.
PETER GABRIEL influences are very clear during Egoine, which is a lovely song
that combines world music and progressive rock. Lagune Grise brings the sound
into a melodic ballad direction that even has a folk kinda feeling, while the
beautiful melodic soaring guitarsolo gives it a progrock push. The calmer
Parlons du temps has a slight comparison to 90s/00s MARILLION, and Le pleureur
sous la pluie is a midtempo song that gets rocking throughout the catchy
melodic chorus.
Up next is Les
mots desuets, a short calmer song. Then we have the midtempo darker bombastic
symphonic rocker La betaillere, which is probably the heaviest song on the CD. Mille
reves hors de leur cage slows things down a bit into FISH territory, and closing
track Le grand vide is a lovely calmer piano-led prog ballad that also has some
FISH similarities. I have heard quite some French sung music in my life, but
LAZULI is the closest thing to French perfection for sure. Check out their
wonderful new album a.s.a.p.! More info at: https://lazuli-music.com
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
AIR
RAID ´FATAL ENCOUNTER TAPE´ (HIGH ROLLER RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
Fatal Encounter
is the 4th album of the Gothenburg/Sweden based band AIR RAID. They were
founded back in 2009 by Andreas Johansson (guitar) and Johan Karlsson (guitar),
and after several line-up changes, they eventually found bass player Robin
Utbult and, later, drummer David Hermansson and singer Michael Rinakakis to
complete the line-up. Throughout the following 10 years they managed to release
3 full-length albums and an EP. Then came the pandemic, and it took them a
little longer to release a new album, but now in 2023 they have been able to
release their long awaited new album Fatal Encounter. I received an original
tape release of the album, which is very retro and cool 80s looking and
sounding, and thankfully this new one is perhaps one of the finest release so
far this year! The band's line up nowadays consists of Andreas Johansson
(guitars), Magnus Mild (guitars), Fredrik Werner (vocals since 2017, ex-OSUKARU),
Jan Ekberg (bass) and William Seidl (drums), so Andreas is the only original
member left from the first line-up. Musically speaking they are pure 80s
Melodic Metal, and they sure know their Swedish (and Danish) influences from
the past. Everything sounds picture perfect here, and also the packaging is
very well-done, because the frontcover looks beautiful, and the fact I received
an original Tape version makes it a pleasure to review this sensational album.
Opener
Thunderblood is a lovely uptempo classic melodic metal piece in the style of
80s PRETTY MAIDS circa Future World, while the faster uptempo melodic metal
piece Lionheart is dangerously close to classic 80s YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and AXEL
RUDI PELL circa JEFF SCOTT SOTO era, so with a lovely neo-classical touch and
some cool hooklines. The vocalwork is very strong, the melodies are terrific
and all over the place, while the guitarwork is quite phenomenal, so this is the
way Classic True 80s inspired Melodic Metal needs to sound like! Next up is In
Solitude, which opens with big anthemic harmonyvocals a la NATION if anyone
remembers them! The song itself is another MALMSTEEN/early TALISMAN/early
EUROPE style uptempo piece, this time a bit more akin to Melodic Hardrock.
Closing track of side-A of the tape is the superb uptempo neo-classical melodic
metal piece See The Light, which is a cross between EUROPE circa their first 2
albums and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN circa the JEFF SCOTT SOTO period, and it is of the
same high quality, so no holding back here at all!
Side-B of the
tape opens with Sinfonia, a short instrumental, while following Edge Of A Dream is a superb sensational uptempo
Melodic Metal piece with an incredible catchy AORish chorus as if JEFF SCOTT
SOTO joined 80s PRETTY MAIDS! This is perhaps my favorite song of the whole
album. Up next is the midtempo Let The Kingdom Burn, another strong song in the
style of the classic melodic metal masters, although here we can also smell a
bit of 80s Teutonic German Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal of the NOISEHUNTER, ACCEPT,
STEELER, VICTORY department! One By One follows once again in a faster uptempo
neo-classical melodic metal direction of the MALMSTEEN, PRETTY MAIDS,
HAMMERFALL kind. This song has a killer chorus that will be THE sing-a-long
anthem for fans of aforementioned bands! And finally there is closing track
Pegasus Fantasy, a cool cover of the Japanese anime classic of the underrated
MAKE UP.
All together
here we have one of the best albums released so far this year, a true Melodic
Metal Masterpiece! Check out AIR RAID a.s.a.p. at: https://airraidofficial.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
THOMAS
LASSAR 'FROM NOW ON' (ART OF MELODY MUSIC/BURNING MINDS MUSIC GROUP/ATOMIC
STUFF/PLASTIC HEAD/ITALY IMPORT)
It must have
been late 1993 or early 1994 when I bought the first album of the Swedish
melodic rockband CRYSTAL BLUE. The album was titled Out From The Blue At Last,
and I saw it in a local store (Plato at De Meent in Rotterdam) where it was
looking at me from a bargain bin while entering the store. It looked cool, and
even 30 years later I remember buying it! Anyway, their keyboardplayer was
THOMAS LASSAR, who now delivers his first solo album titled From Now On. The
included music on the CD is pure 80s AOR/melodic rock, not that far removed
from CRYSTAL BLUE or TALK OF THE TOWN, although perhaps a bit more akin to
JOURNEY, HUGO and LAST AUTUMN'S DREAM (which was another band Thomas was part
of) most of the time. He got help from fellow Swedish musicians, such as ROB
MARCELLO (guitar), AKE JENNSTIG (bass), FREDRIK AKERMO (drums), FREDRIK
FERNLUND (guitar) and a few others. 10 songs are included in total, and opener
When My Ship Comes In is a great JOURNEYesque uptempo Classic 80s AOR rocker
with some really strong guitarwork and a catchy chorus, in a way AOR needs to
sound like. It is also the best song of the album, but further highlights on
the CD are the midtempo AOR pieces Whatever I do, Turn Back Time (pure HUGO)
and The Only One (typical Swedish style, like AMAZE ME), and the TOTOish AOR
piece Take Me Higher (2nd best song especially due to the cool funky westcoast
groove). Although it is a bit AOR by the number orientated eventually, the fans
of aforementioned bands will definitely love this album! More info can be found
at: https://www.facebook.com/thomaslassarofficial/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
ANA
POPOVIC 'POWER' (ARTISTEXCLUSIVE RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
ANA POPOVIC is
a Serbian blues guitarist and singer/songwriter whom I have followed for quite
some time now. She started her solo career in the late 90s and hasn’t looked
back since then, as she has built up a strong reputation of delivering high
quality albums and performing in front of many people via various tours. Power
is her 10th album so far, and once again it is filled with lovely soulful
bluesy pop/rock based around the superb vocal and guitarwork of Ana. Along with
an all-star line-up of top-notch American musicians such as drummer Chris
Coleman (CHAKA KHAN, STEVIE WONDER, BECK…), Michele Papadia (Hammond organ,
keys), Brandon ‘Showtime’ Bland (Hammond organ), Jeremy Thomas (Hammond organ,
keys), Joe Foster (rhythm guitar), Jeff Bates (rhythm guitar), Claudio
Giovagnoli (saxophone), Davide Ghidoni (trumpet), Mark Mullins (trombone) and
bassist and co-songwriter BUTHEL, here we have another sensational album that
perfectly melts blues, pop and soul into a smooth rocking direction.
Opener Rise Up!
shows rightaway we are dealing with a high quality release, which is of course
always the case with a new ANA POPOVIC album. The funky groovy soulful bluesy
midtempo song has a really catchy chorus, superb vocalwork and also great
laid-back guitarwork by Ana herself. Ana is an amazing musician with both a
wonderful voice and a great ear for a melody besides playing the guitar
perfectly well. Other highlights on her new album are Doin' This (a tempo
changer, starting slow, but developing into an uptempo 60s inspired soul piece
with a catchy fast chorus and once again a soaring guitarsolo), Queen Of The
Pack (superb catchy uptempo bluesy funky soul pop/rocker), the light jazzy Ride
It!, Flocker'n' Flame (superb groovy bluesy rocker) and the uptempo closing
track Turn My Luck, with it's lovely catchy shuffle basic old school blues
beat.
All together a
really strong and highly recommended album! More info can be found at: https://anapopovic.com
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
BILL
WRAY 'BILL WRAY' (BAD REPUTATION RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC FRANCE/SUBURBAN)
The American
musician, composer and producer BILL WRAY was mainly active in the 1970s and
1980s when he wrote a string of legendary songs for DIANA ROSS, LOVERBOY,
TRIXTER, LISA HARTMAN, a lot of soundtrack tunes and much more. He also
released 3 solo albums, of which his 3rd Seize The Moment is now re-issued onto
CD by the French label BAD REPUTATION RECORDS as a same titled album of Bill. 2
bonustracks are added to the original 11 songs of the 1983 album, which besides
Bill on vocals (and his own band that consisted of is own brother and guitarist/bassist
JAMES BENTLEY WRAY, piano/synthplayer GEORGE ENETE, drummer GREG WORLEY) it
also features a long list of well-known musicians such as the TOWER OF POWER
horn section, TOM KELLY, MIKE BAIRD, CRAIG HULL, LENNY CASTRO, DENNIS BELFIELD,
RANDY BISHOP, etc.etc. This is one of those top-of-the-bill musicians all
star-line up to give it that early 80s American AOR/Poprock/Radiorock treatment
like it was done on countless other releases back then.
Opener (You're
a) Heartbreaker (written by RUSS BALLARD) is an instant AOR Classic, because
this is how it all sounded some 40 years ago in the US of A when you put on the
radio. Radioready early 80s uptempo hookladen classic AOR with a damn strong
chorus and soaring guitars/keys all over the place. To some it might be called
borderline early 80s Poprock, because during following song She Loves The Radio
there are a lot of similarities to BRYAN ADAMS, BERNIE LABARGE, MICHAEL ZEE,
MOON MARTIN, JAY FERGUSON, RICK SPRINGFIELD, EDDIE MONEY and such. I think
anyone who likes the early 80s sound of catchy American uptempo AOR/Poprock
will love this classic album of BILL WRAY. I have to admit that during the
album there are some poppier moments here and there as well, with also some
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY / MICHAEL STANLEY similarities, so it's a mix of various old
school styles, but most of the time AOR/Poprock fans will enjoy this album.
Further highlights are the midtempo AOR ballad Someone To Love, the RICK
SPRINGFIELDish Tonight, the pomping AOR tune Jealous (a la ) and closing track
Raised On The Radio (early 80s uptempo poprock and not THE RAVYNS tune!).
Nice to see such
a rare album from the past being re-issued and remastered onto CD, sounding
better than ever!
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
OMEGA 'GAMMAPOLIS
& LIVE AT KISSTADION' (MIG MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
OMEGA is a legendary Hungarian
Prog/symphonic rockband that started way back in the 1960s and especially
during the 1970s they became quite popular. Although for a while during the
1980s and 1990s they were less active, OMEGA always kept going and even
released a new album a few years ago. Sadly during the covid pandemic 3 of the
original founding members died, so from the original line up of the band from
the 1960s there is not much left anymore in 2023, and therefore it was decided
to quit performing as OMEGA in the future. A final farewell concert was played
earlier this month to complete the 60th year anniversary of the band, and so
the book OMEGA was closed in Hungary, just like for the Dutch the book closed
on GOLDEN EARRING after 60 years performing and recording as a band.
Anyway, I received a 2-CD set of their
1979 album Gammapolis and a live recording of a concert they played in 1979 in
Hungary, which was originally released as Live At Kisstadion. CD 1 contains the
studio album and after a really proggy start of the complex pure 70s epic piece
Dawn In The City and the calmer semi-prog ballad Lady Of The Summer Night, the
following songs Rush Hour, Start and Gammapolis go for a more uptempo poppier
approach, in line with the symphonic uptempo almost Pomp/AOR direction of KAYAK
in their later years or even CAMEL and ASIA, sounding very late 70s/early 80s
when keyboard dominated AOR (USA/Canada) and New Wave (UK/Europe) were around
the corner to cut all the musicgenres to razor sharp short uptempo radio
orientated tunes. GENESIS, YES and most other 70s progbands followed that same
path on their studio recordings, and so did the Hungarian band OMEGA, which is
best hearable on the album Gammapolis. However, live on stage the band would
show they were still a pure 70s prog/sympho band with long instrumental
passages. Especially a song like Help To Find Me on the Live CD is the perfect
combination of both worlds, mixing the old with the upcoming fresh new sound.
If you’re a fan of GENESIS, YES, KAYAK, STARCASTLE and KANSAS, then this is
definitely a band you don’t want to miss checking out, but I guess fans of the
classic 70s/80s sympho/prog sound of those bands will already be familiar with
OMEGA, although just in case if you’re not, then this 2-CD set is definitely a
nice way to start checking out their extensive discography. More info at: http://www.omega.hu/
(Points: 8.5 out of
10)
AGITATION FREE 'LAST,
FRAGMENTS & LIVE '74 CD+DVD' (MIG MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
I received a wonderful 3-CD + DVD Box of
the German band AGITATION FREE. This was a German experimental krautrock band
formed in 1967 by Michael "Fame" Günther (bass guitar), Lutz
"Lüül" Ulbrich (guitar), Lutz Ludwig Kramer (guitar) and Christopher
Franke (drums). They were one of many bands to emerge from the Berlin scene
which eventually became known as the krautrock movement all over Germany
throughout the 1970s. Some of the members also went on to join other
krautrockbands such as GURU GURU, TANGERINE DREAM and ASH RA TEMPEL, but
AGITATION FREE was one of the first bands to play an experimental music style
that would later be called krautrock. It took the band some time to release
their debut, but during the 1970s they managed to release 3 vinyl albums before
splitting up around 1974 after a farewell live concert in Berlin. Eventually they
reformed in recent years, released new and old material during the 90s/00s/10s,
so there is more than the 3 original albums. This beautiful box set contains
their 3rd album Last from 1976 (released originally after their
split, because it was already recorded in early 1974), a CD titled Fragments
(originally released in the 90s, but it contains a mix of live and demo songs
from mid 1974) and a live CD of a concert recorded in 1974. The collection all
together shows that AGITATION FREE was an incredible band live on stage and on
record, because they were perfectly finding that connection between
jazz-fusion, progressive rock, blues and world music via all kinds of
improvised passages during the long instrumental songs. Sometimes very
experimental like krautrockbands were known for, but also at times going for
the progressive rock direction and a touch of heavy 70s blues rock here and
there. I have to say that the Fragments CD is very impressive and still sounds
modern and up-to-date, kinda reminding in a way of so many new instrumental
post-progrockbands. The fans of kraut and post-progrock might already have all
their albums in their catalogue, but this box set is a nice addition, as it
contains interesting pictures/liner notes and a DVD in addition to 3 CDs,
making it a true gem and a full evening of krautrock happiness. More info
at: https://agitationfree.com/
(Points: 8.5 out of
10)
HACKBERRY 'BREATHING
SPACE' (CONSTRUCTION RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
Out of The Netherlands comes HACKBERRY, a
five-piece instrumental band that was formed back in 2015. Their line up
consists of Francesco Bonardi (Guitar), Marijn de Boer (Guitar), Tim Hidskes
(Keyboard), Simon Venema (Bass) and Chris Bechtum (Drums), and Breathing Space
is their 2nd album so far. Musically speaking they present us a
lovely instrumental journey through the fields of progressive rock and
progmetal, with a lot of influences from other styles to be heard throughout
the 4 included (long) songs. Of course it is hard to not mention bands like
LONG DISTANCE CALLING, RUSH, DREAM THEATER, OPETH and such, because you can
hear those inflluences all throughout the album. However, HACKBERRY has an own
identity that makes them standout between all the other instrumental bands out
there. If you listen very carefully you can trace some genious melodies during
their songs, especially the soaring twin-guitarwork here and there is
phenomenal during songs like Solitary March and Foreshadow. Without a doubt, we
have here one of the finest new instrumental bands out there, so go check them
out for yourself at: https://www.facebook.com/hackberryband
(Points: 8.7 out of
10)
BAI
KAMARA JR & THE VOODOO SNIFFERS 'TRAVELLING MEDICINE MAN' (ZIG ZAG
WORLD/MIG MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
Singer/songwriter
BAI KAMARA JR. was born and raised in Sierra Leone, Africa but he lived during
the 1980s mainly in the UK and is settled in Brussels, Belgium since 1990. The
past 30 years he released quite a few albums, and his latest one is titled
Traveling Medicine Man. The included music is a mix of bluesy rock and calmer
Americana with a soul, and everything in between, kinda like a mix between
ROBERT CRAY, JAKE ISAAC and GARY CLARK JR. with some MICHAEL KIWANUKA and even
SEAL similarities as well sometimes during the soulful vocalwork of Bai. The
album opens with the uptempo blues rocker Shake It, Shake It, Shake It, which
is a really strong catchy tune. On the other hand, the CD also offers calmer
Americana ish material such as If You Go, and a summer latin groove in a superb
song like Money Ain’t Everything, which even has the aforementioned SEAL
similarities. And how about the pure slow delta blues of Star Angel that easily
reaches the MUDDY WATERS/BB KING level of classic blues. Besides Kai on vocals
and guitar, other involved musicians are his band THE VOODOO SNIFFERS, and
without a doubt I can highly recommend this smooth relaxing album that is in
the end quite diverse actually. More info at: http://www.baikamara.com/bkj/
(Points:
8.8 out of 10)
PMAD
'WHOWHYWHEREWHAT/IN POWER' (INDEPENDENT/IRELAND IMPORT)
PAUL DILLON
comes out of County Galway in Ireland, and he performs and records solo as PMAD.
So far he has released 2 CDs, Whowhywherewhat in 2022 and In Power in 2023. He
does everything on his own, and musically speaking it is a mixture of 80s dark
gothic rock, some new wave and post-punk with a classic rock attitude, although
a band like SISTERS OF MERCY or NEW MODEL ARMY must have clearly influenced
Paul. The songs are a mixture of midtempo and uptempo pieces that most of the
time could be labelled as dark gothic rock (with here and there an electro
piece of adventureous experimental hi-tech craziness during the song Fury),
although the post-punk remark can also be made several times. Both albums go in
a similar approach, and if we concentrate on the new album In Power, 8 songs
are included, of which the highlights are the uptempo Post-Punk rockers Down
and Missing (a little bit like LIFE, THE MURDER CAPITAL and FONTAINES DC), the
DEPECHE MODE hi-tech wave piece Medicine and the dark gothic rocker Opinion.
The fact that Paul does everything on his own, and the material still sounds
like a full band, this makes it all quite interesting to check out. The fans of
the aforementioned bands might want to look up PMAD at: www.pMadtheband.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
GREEN
LABYRINTH 'SEQUENCES' (FASTBALL MUSIC/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN IMPORT)
We have seen
thousands of other Dutch/European bands playing the female fronted epic
bombastic melodic gothic symphonic melodic metal style that can be heard on the
2nd album of GREEN LABYRINTH, yet still it is a nice listen, because it is done
at a high level. The female fronted band from Switzerland also survived a
decade, because they were formed back in 2008 and their debut was released in
2014. After years of silence they are back with a new album entitled Sequences.
Their music is of course not far removed from EPICA, AFTER FOREVER, NIGHTWISH and
such, but on the other hand they are doing it very professionally. Their line
up consists of guitarist DAVID VOLLENWEIDER, bassist STEPHAN KAUFMANN, vocalist
SERAINA SCHOEPFER, keyboardplayer TOM HIEBAUM and drummer MAETTHU DAETWYLER.
The CD opens
with a long bombastic NIGHTWISH ish piece titled Dreamland, but following
Haunted is a fantastic song with a very catchy memorable melodic chorus and a
soaring guitarsolo. Further highlights are the uptempo NIGHTWISH meets AFTER
FOREVER piece Limited, the epic progressive power metal orientated Brave The
Storm and Meaning Of Life. Fans of aforementioned bands can easily grab a copy
of this album! More info at: https://greenlabyrinth.net/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
VANTAGE
POINT 'ALTERNATIVE VIEW' (POWER POINT MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
When you have
ex-IRON MAIDEN singer BLAZE BAYLEY and keyboardist/Hammond player DEREK
SHERINIAN playing on the opening song of your new album, then you must be doing
something right! In this case it concerns the Edinburgh/Scotland based VANTAGE
POINT, whom are formed around bassist/vocalist MURRAY GRAHAM, lead guitarist
LIAM KANE and guitarist JAMES MITCHELL. The drums and keys are taken care by
guest musicians, while a few of the songs also features different lead singers,
which actually isn't necessary since Murray is able to sing quite well actually
(although guest singer MARTIN JAKUBSKI is definitely the best one from all the
featured singers). Alternative View is already their 7th (!) album, but the
first one I get to hear.
Anyway, that
opening track 24 Hours Of Freedom is by the way a very catchy uptempo melodic
heavy rocker with a strong 70s URIAH HEEP approach and a very catchy memorable
melodic rock chorus. Other highlights are the faster uptempo PRAYING MANTISish
melodic rocker Tutankhamun, the 80s catchy AOR rocker Just When I Wasn't
Lookin' (featuring damn pretty strong memorable hooks and a TYKETTOish
harmonyvocal driven chorus), the straight-ahead uptempo melodic rocker Once
Upon A Time (including a superb soaring guitarsolo in the best 80s style you
can imagine) and the instrumental THIN LIZZYish Sands Of Time.
Definitely an
album to check out if you're a fan of authentic (read: non-FRONTIERS RECORDS
alike) classic rock/melodic rock! Despite the production might not be of a
major label level, the include music is honest with a real soul and that's what
counts! More info at: www.facebook.com/vantagepointrocks
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
WHO
ON EARTH 'BLAME' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
As soon as
opener The Price of the album Blame of the New Jersey based band WHO ON EARTH
blasts through the speaker, I knew rightaway we're onto something good, because
everything seems to sound perfect here! The vocals are spot-on, the guitarwork
is phenomenal and the overall sound is top-notch, while the particular song is
also a strong big sounding MANOWAR meets ICED EARTH meets DIO meets DEE SNIDER
kinda midtempo Melodic True Metal anthem. This could easily have been a METAL
BLADE RECORDS release, but WHO ON EARTH is an independent band with a release
on their own. Do not confuse them with the American melodic rockband from the
80s, because they were called WHY ON EARTH. Anyway, the band is formed around
vocalist COOSH, bassist PETE RIZZI and drummer JOE D'AQUI, and that's where the
mystery of the guitar is solved, because none other than MIKE ORLANDO (of
ADRENALINE MOB) plays all the guitar parts on this album, and he also produced
it. From start to finish this is Melodic US (Power) Metal at it's very best,
with as other highlights H8-Triarch, Down & Out (catchy melodic chorus and
an amazing soaring guitarsolo, US Melodic Metal anthem of the year!) and . Do
not miss this gem! More info at: https://whoonearthus.bandcamp.com/album/blame
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
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