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HOT NEW REVIEWS
FEATHERS AND GREED ‘PARI SHOKOGUN VINYL’ (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN
IMPORT)
Out
of Hanover, Germany comes one of the finest new Progressive rockbands of the
past few years, and they are called FEATHERS AND GREED. In the past 15-20 years
RPWL and SUBSIGNAL have become the most well-known and best German progbands,
but when listening to the 2nd album of FEATHERS AND GREED album Pari
shōkōgun, they might get serious competition now, because this new album, which
I received as a beautiful vinyl release, it
shows a strong impressive diverse progrockband that is keen to take on the
world with their melodies. The band’s line up consists of Jacob Jordan (Cello,
Vocals), Jasper Röthemeyer (Bass, Vocals), Luca-Yannik Gierth (Vocals, Keys), Lukas
Hagemann (Drums, Vocals, Keys), Marek Feddern (Guitars, Vocals) and René
Kretschmer (Percussion, Vocals), and their same titled debut album from 2019
was already reviewed by us in the past. The music they are creating together is
definitely the melodic precise progressive rock like we have known it for
decades, sometimes close to PORCUPINE TREE and PINK FLOYD, but FEATHERS AND
GREED do it at a very high level and introduce some other influences as well. 8
songs are included in total, divided over 2 sides on the vinyl edition. The
absolute highlight on side-A is the wonderful Hidden Interest that combines a
lot of influences and melodies that even makes me think of CROWDED HOUSE and
SPOCK’S BEARD, with even a funky rocking touch here and there, although it
still is a progressive rocksong, yet with pop/rock elements. Other highlights
on side-B are To be Honest and 255 0 0, both featuring more wonderful melodies
in both the instrumental sections as well as the poppy chorus, once again like
a mix between SPOCK’S BEARD, PINK FLOYD and CROWDED HOUSE. Concluded, this band
is on the rise to become one of the new sensations in the German progressive
rockworld!
If
you call yourself a progrockfan, then you absolutely do not want to miss this
gem! More info can be found at: https://feathersandgreed.bandcamp.com/album/pari-sh-k-gun and https://feathersandgreed.com/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
THE CINELLI BROTHERS ‘ALMOST EXACTLY…’ (INDEPENDENT/UK
IMPORT)
Ever
since I saw these guys live on stage I was triggered by their sound, because in
The Netherlands we have DE WOLFF, but in the UK there is THE CINELLI BROTHERS,
and both these bands play their own kind of melting pot of soul, blues,
old-school R&B, rock and anything else vintage. They are one of the hottest
live acts that you must-see when you get the chance! The band is formed around
the Italian brothers Marco Cinelli (Hammond Organ) and Alessandro ‘Nanni’ Cinelli
(Drums), whom lived in different places in Europe, but eventually they settled
themselves in the UK where they formed their band THE CINELLI BROTHERS and
along the way Stephen Giry (Guitar, Vocals) and Tom Julian-Jones (Guitar,
Vocals, Harmonica) joined them. Almost Exactly is their 4th album so
far, and it feels like their breakthrough album when listening to the record a
few times in a row! The diversity of this new album is incredible and reveals a
lot of influences.
Opener
Last Throw Of The Dice is a groovy funky bluesy rocker with the smooth vibes of
DE WOLFF and THE BLACK KEYS, while the following Leave It With You is a bit
more straight-forward uptempo, revealing a slight Westcoast/80s touch (YOUNG
GUN SILVER FOX) crossed with some 80s funky disco pop/rock (KOOL AND THE GANG),
while it has a beat a la GENESIS‘ Turn It On Again. Imagine how that would
sound like, well then you’re close to this song of THE CINELLI BROTHERS, who
make a twist on the following song Dozen Roses, because this is old school
retro 50s/60s smooth R&B that has OTIS REDDING and SAM COOKE written all
over the place. Time for some excellent blues rock during the superb Ain’t Blue
But I Sigh, which featured a lovely soaring guitarsolo. The calmer bluesy
ballad Nobody’s Fool almost has a sorta IAN SIEGAL meets American country kinda
vibe, while Prayer is a lovely duet between Tom and Stephen, showing the band’s
love for old school Gospel R&B. On the other hand, you can also definitely
pick up traces of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL during a song like Lucky Star
that smells like the late 1960s/early 1970s. Making It Through The Night on the
other hand has a 70s almost SLY & THE FAMILY STONE thing going on with a
rather cool guitarsolo, while Don’t Need No Favor is a fantastic smooth almost
HALL & OATES kinda Westcoast Blues Pop tune and closing track Fool’s
Paradise is a very nice laid-back LITTLE FEAT ish 70s swamp-blues-soul rock
adventure.
Concluded,
we have a true winner here with the mixture of all kinds of retro
soul/blues/rock sounds thanks to the Italian brothers and the lovely gritty
vocals of the 2 British musicians. Check out all info on this band at: https://www.cinellibrothers.com and please make sure to catch them live someday soon, because they are
the real deal!
(Points: 9.0 out of 10)
WOLFWOLF ‘TOTENTANZ’ (LUX NOISE/GERMAN IMPORT)
WOLFWOLF
is a band from Switzerland and they are formed around a duo called MR. WOLF
(vocals, drums) and MR. WOLF (guitar, keys, drum programming), with a few guest
spots here and there. The band’s music is thrashy garage rock and roll, kinda
sleazy here and there, with also a heavy blues rock touch as well, sorta
melting THE WHITE STRIPES, THE BLACK KEYS, MOTORHEAD and WOLFMOTHER. They are
coming out of the beautiful city of Basel and Totentanz is their 4th album so
far. They are doing a great job here, because it sounds impressive and very
authentic from start to finish. 13 songs are included, of which the highlights
are uptempo rockers like Heidi Is Alive, The Falcon, My Imaginary Friend and
Twenty One, although a slower tune like The Devil Knows also has an interesting
somewhat dark almost gothic rock kinda vibe. Make sure not to miss this
excellent band, because they have a lot of diversity to offer. More info at: https://lux-noise.bandcamp.com/album/totentanz
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
KRISTY COX ‘LET IT BURN’ (BILLY BLUE RECORDS/THE
ORCHARD/USA IMPORT)
As
soon as opener Let It Burn blasts through the speakers, it is clear that the
new album of Australian singer KRISTY COX is a high quality release that should
appeal to a lot of people worldwide. She is settled in the USA when recording
music, and meanwhile has built up quite a reputation. In Australia she has won
several awards, and Let It Burn is her 9th album. She started releasing albums
at a very young age and is still in her early 30s! This is her 2nd album with
the US label BILLY BLUE RECORDS and included musicians in her band are JASON
ROLLER (acoustic guitar, fiddle), JUSTIN MOSES (mandolin, resophonic guitar),
AARON MCDARIS (banjo) and JEFF PARTIN (upright bass). The earlier mentioned
opener and titletrack Let It Burn (written by Mike Richards and Jerry Salley)
is an incredible catchy uptempo Bluegrass tune that is combined with very
catchy vocal melodies like THE CORRS meets AMY MCDONALD on Bluegrass speed!
Following Broke Down In Georgia slows things down, although still with the
folk/bluegrass touch and once again featuring a very catchy melodic vocal
driven chorus. The CD continues this way with the mix of uptempo and slower
tunes, never forgetting the bluegrass background (and a bit Country), yet
always featuring lovely catchy vocal melodies that gives it is a poppy
approach. Other highlights are the uptempo pieces The Wrong Girl, Front Porch
Of Paradise and This Side Of Blue. Especially fans of THE CORRS, early LARKIN
POE years (before they started rocking), THE WEBB SISTERS and such will absolutely
love this album, but also the Bluegrass fans absolutely need to check out this
sensation from Australia! More info at: www.kristycox.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
SONDORGO ‘GYEZZ‘ (COMING UP MUSIC/L’AUTRE DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE
IMPORT)
SONDORGO
is a band from Hungary whom are currently making an impact on the music
festivals all over the world with their innovative and exciting brand of music
that mixes old Balkan music with jazz and other music genres. The band consists
of three brothers, Áron, Benjamin and Salamon Eredics, plus cousin Dávid
Eredics and Ábel Dénes, the only non-family member, on bass. Together they make
active music that will get people moving upon hearing and on this new album
Gyezz, which they recorded within 24 hours, they have a special guest (the
legendary CHRIS POTTER on sax, who played with countless acts, such as PAT
METHENY, STEELY DAN, etc.) on 4 of the 8 included songs, which makes this a
special release that should gain them international attention for sure. There’s
a lot going on actually, because musically speaking it is very diverse, taking
all kinds of elements of World Music, Jazz, Balkan Music, etc. etc. It’s a joy
to listen to this high quality release and for more info please go to: https://www.sondorgo.hu
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
MYRIAD DRONE ‘ARKA MORGANA’ (BIRD’S ROBE RECORDS/MGM/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Originally
written in 2017, recorded and released in 2019, the Australian band MYDRIAD
DRONE’s debut album Arka Morgana has now been re-released by BIRD’S ROBE
RECORDS. The band consists (on this album) of SHANE MULHOLLAND (guitars,
vocals), DRANKIE DEMURU (drums), DOMINIC LEWIS (guitars) and MIKEY HARLAND
(bass), and their music is (mostly) instrumental progressive post-doom rock,
with an ambient feeling and a dark metal ish approach, although it’s also
called cinematic rock/post-metal, but I think you’ll get the picture when
mentioning these styles. If you like LONG DISTANCE CALLING, COLLAPSE UNDER THE
EMPIRE, MONKEY3, MAYBESHEWILL and such, then you will most definitely like the
slow down-tuned metallish instrumental dark ambient metalsound of MYDRAID DRONE.
When there are vocals, such as during the song Atonement, it ticks a sort of
OPETH box for me personally and that’s a big compliment! The production is
top-notch and the material is of a very high level, sounding as if they are
already on top of the major league and competing with aforementioned bands. Not
a single weak moment can be found on this album, and along with the addition of
a few new members, I can only imagine that the future looks bright for this
band and perhaps a new CD will pop-up someday soon. Meanwhile, better make sure
to check out this sensational release! More info at: https://myriaddrone.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
ECHOTIDE ‘AS OUR FLOODLIGHTS GAVE WAY TO DAWN’ (BIRD’S
ROBE RECORDS/MGM/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
In
2012 the Australian band ECHOTIDE released their debut album As Our Floodlights
Gave Way To Dawn, and now 12 years later it gets a re-release on BIRD’S ROBE
RECORDS. The band was originally founded as a side-project for members of the
Progressive Metal band ARCANE. Somewhere along the way part of that band (their
drummer/singer) also took part in another new project/band (the well-known
CALIGULA’S HORSE) and likewise the other members continued ECHOTIDE. The band’s
line up consisted in 2012 at the time of this release of MATTHEW MARTIN (keys,
piano, sapling), drummer GEOFF IRISH (who is now part of the earlier mentioned
CALIGULA’S HORSE) and MICHAEL GAGEN (all other instruments). It’s been a long
time since it’s original release, but still even 12 years later it sounds very
modern and up-to-date. Musically speaking ECHOTIDE is focusing on calmer
melodic instrumental post-progressive rock with a clear cinematic touch. It’s
one of those albums you can easily put on as background music. I am eager to
hear new material of them, but for now check out this 2012 release in case you
missed it! More info at: www.echotide.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
MARCAS MAC AN TUAIRNEIR ‘SPEACTRAM’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Speactram
is the debut album from Edinburgh based singer/songwriter MARCAS MAC AN
TUARNEIR, who is making Gaelic pop, so lyrically it might be hard to
understand, but on the other hand it’s the music and it’s melodies that count
and when hearing a song like Fighead’s A-H-Ochd, it is clear that there’s a
definite hit potential for especially the Gealic part of the world. It does
have a Eurovision Song Contest kinda pop vibe going on, but then in a good way,
because the aforementioned song is really catchy somehow. The music itself is
Pop, with an 80s touch sometimes, quite electronic overall, a little World
Music added and likewise celtic pop/rock influences here and there, but overall
it’s Popmusic with Gealic lyrics. Marcas has been working on his career since
2018, received several awards and I am safe to say that he might become a star
in the Gaelic world and who knows also elsewhere, because he does things quite
well on his first full-length album. More info at: https://marcasmacantuairneir.bandcamp.com/album/speactram-2
(Points: 7.3 out of 10)
SYLVAN ‘BACK TO LIVE’ (GENTLE ART OF MUSIC/NINETEEN
73/UK IMPORT)
De
Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands is seen as the most important
progressive rock venue in the world. I went to a lot of concerts during the
past 25 years, and a lot of them were progrockbands, including SYLVAN. This
German band was formed all the way back in the 1990s and they have slowly built
up a reputation in the progressive rockscene with their theatrical
neo-progressive rock that also captures some slight progmetal (QUEENRSYCHE)
influences here and there. Anyway, they performed a concert in 2023, which as
captured on film and audio, and the result is now this wonderful 2-CD set. The
band has a strong huge neo-progressive rocksound that sounds edgier than most
of the other bands in the genre. They once started as a MARILLION tribute band
over 30 years ago, but as soon as they changed their name to SYLVAN in 1998,
the band started to record own material, which resulted in 10 studio albums by
now. They did a live release a long time ago, so it was about time a new live
album would be released, especially since the band gets better year by year.
The audio was mixed and mastered by YOGI LANG (of RPWL), and all together the
12 long songs offer enough to keep you entertained for a long time. Lead singer
Marco Gluhmann has a characteristic voice which in the higher register does
remind a bit of GEOFF TATE, while guitarist JOHNNY BECK lets his guitar sing
through each and every song. Fans of SYLVAN will definitely be pleased with the
result, while perhaps people who are not familiar with them might want to join
as of now, because this live CD contains some of their best songs of the past
25 years in an excellent live setting. More info at: www.sylvan.de
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
CLAIRE LUZI ‘CE CORTA-JACA’ (LA RODA/INOUIE
DISTRIBUTION/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
CLAIRE
LUZI is a French mandolinist/singer who brings happy melodies in a relaxed
Brazilian kinda latin/bossa nova style. She has been doing this since meeting
guitarist Cristiano Nascimento in Brazil back in 2007 and her new EP CD
contains 5 new songs they wrote together except opener Ce Corta Jaca which was
written by Claire and Chiquinha Gonzaga. The resulting album is a fun summer
ish album that sounds like a typical Brazilian record, which would do well
during the sunny summer festivals. More info at: www.laroda.fr/artiste/claire-luzi
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
MUDDY GURDY ‘SEVEN’ (BUDA MUSIQUE/VEEV.COM/FRANCE
IMPORT)
MUDDY
GURDY is a French act which started in 2017 with a same titled album that was
recorded/written during a trip from Auvergne (France) to Mississippi (USA),
while the follow-up album Homecoming was released in 2020 during a trip back
home from Mississippi to Auvergne. Sadly one of the band’s founding members,
percussionist MARCO GLOMEAU died afterwards, but he always insisted that MUDDY
GURDY continued and so eventually the band became a trio and now releases
Seven, which is their 3rd album so far. Seven is a lesson in life and perhaps
even survival, because they left Louisiana as a six-piece after the recording
of Homecoming in 2020, but due to the fact that the spirit of Marco is still
with them, they called their new album Seven. The trio consists of
guitarist/vocalist TIA GOUTTEBEL, hurdy-gurdy player GILLES CHABENAT and
FABRICE BONY on percussion. It has a very natural feeling, because just like
the previous albums it was recorded in the natural surroundings of the
aforementioned areas in the USA and France. There is a lot of Delta Blues and
traditional music to be heard on the album and besides several covers (of
classics by HANK WILLIAMS, NINA SIMONE and MUDDY WATERS), we can also find some
very interesting original songs of MUDDY GURDY. I Got Loaded is a great groovy
DE WOLFF kinda tune that includes influences of delta blues, while the
fantastic Morning Comes rocks out big time and here and there MUDDY GURDY also
reminds me a bit of THE BLACK KEYS and even BLACK PUMAS, yet with a sorta own
identity that slips through the band’s World Music influences. And how about
the beautiful old school soul ballad Almost Lost My Mind, which is beautifully
sung and written by guest singer/accordion player RUBEN MORENO. As mentioned,
it’s a mixture of various music styles, although the old school delta blues is
present most of the time, especially when you hear a song like Laisser Mon
Coeur. This is definitely a highly recommended authentic field delta blues
orientated recording that shows the incredible high level of musicianship of
the trio and is a wonderful dedication to one of their founding members. More
info can be found at: www.muddygurdy.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
RITUAL ‘THE STORY OF MR. BOGD – PART 1’ (KARISMA
RECORDS/PLASTIC HEAD DISTRIBUTION/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
Founded
all the way back in 1988, the Swedish progressive rockband built up a
reputation during the 1990s, and eventually released 5 albums. It became quiet
after their final album in 2007, but 17 years later they are back in their
original line up (Fredrik Lindqvist/bass and all kinds of instruments, Johan
Nordgren/drums, Jon Gamble/keys and Patrik Lundström/vocals/guitars) with a new
album titled The Story of Mr. Bogd – Part 1, which is likewise a story about a
strange character called Mr. Bogd. It’s been a while since I listened to this
band, so it is sorta a re-introduction to them. Their music is as progressive
rock the way you want it to be, sometimes reminding of THE FLOWER KINGS, that
other legendary Swedish Progressive Rockband which had it’s peak during the 90s
and 00s. However, there is more to discover and also some symphonic melodic
rock elements are included, just to make things sound fresh and up-to-date.
Here and there a quirky tone (like QUEEN and CATS IN SPACE), yet overall RITUAL
is progrock all the way, although the focus is mostly on the vocal melodies
instead of long instrumental passages. The highlights on the new album are the
fantastic catchy uptempo symphonic melodic rocker Chichikov Bogd (a bit
reminding of classic 90s ROBBY VALENTINE and that other Swedish band A.C.T.),
the quirky theatrical Mr. Tilly And His Gang, the progtastic The Feline
Companion (a bit like PENDRAGON meets QUEEN) and closing track The Three Heads
Of The Well. I am quite eager to get back to their past catalogue after
listening to this wonderful new CD of them. Meanwhile, check out more at: https://ritual.se
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
COLLAPSE UNDER THE EMPIRE ‘NON-ALBUM SINGLES &
BONUSTRACKS’ (FINALTUNE RECORDS/BROKEN SILENCE/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN
IMPORT)
The
Australian duo COLLAPSE UNDER THE EMPIRE consists of CHRIS BURDA and MARTIN
GRIMM, and they have released countless impressive albums over the past 15
years, and this new release is another gem. This promo CD I received is
actually part of a bigger vinyl LP Box, because it contains 15 songs that were
previously only available as non-album singles and bonustracks. Without a
doubt, this CD is another must-have and once again shows the incredible high
level of musicianship of these 2 talented humans that seem to find a perfect
instrumental mix of all kinds of genres, although post-progressive rock is
definitely the most prominent style that can be heard on this wonderful CD.
There’s no difference with any of their other work, because also this album
feels like a lovely trip through the brains and thoughts of 2 musicians that
create all those beautiful melodies. If you have the money and the time, then I
would definitely recommend to purchase the complete box of all their work,
because it’s also included in there. Check out more info at: https://collapseundertheempire.com/works
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
SALTY MOSES ‘CHOOSING LIFE’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out
of the Washington State area in the USA comes songwriter/publisher DEL NORD,
who gathered around him a bunch of talented musicians and singers to record 5
songs that make up this EP CD entitled Choosing Life. David Beck sings and
takes care of most of the instruments, while Marty Muse (pedal steel, organ,
guitar, piano, producer, songwriter), Kimber Ludiker (fiddle, vocals), Dees
Stribling (drums) and some other vocalists accompany David and Del. Opener
There’s A Revolution is a beautiful song that is quite calm, but very melodic,
featuring strong lead- and harmony vocals. Musically speaking it is
Westcoast-pop/rock orientated, with a clear 70s approach, when such authentic
choruses were quite common. Another highlight is the lovely AMERICAish Borrowed
Time. Singer-songwriter, some bluesy soul, a tiny folky touch (especially
during The Narrow Path) and 70s pop/rock are melted perfectly, so this is
definitely an interesting album to check out if you like for example AMERICA,
LITTLE FEAT, CSNY, etc., but you’re not afraid of a LINDISFARNE/STEELEY SPAN
folk touch as well. More info at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2FayGGuq4TT7scH2TnNHnQ
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
MEER ‘WHEELS WITHIN WHEELS’ (KARISMA RECORDS/PLASTIC
HEAD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
As
soon as opener Chains Of Changes is playing through the speakers, it is clear
that MEER is quite an accessible band that is close to modern pop/rock and this
excellent song from their new album Wheels Within Wheels is a very strong
catchy uptempo piece that has a sorta modern melodic indie-pop/rock/wave
approach in a way it is not far removed from the currently popular
pop/rockbands out there, such as THE WAR ON DRUGS or even COLDPLAY for example,
yet they add this classic symphonic prog approach to make it sound just a bit
different than what you might expect. Some might say modern day MARILLION
during the calmer songs, but what sets them really apart is the symphonic
(almost classical music) influence during their rather poppy tunes and the way
they include vocal melodies all throughout the album is even giving them a
sorta ALAN PARSONS PROJECT touch (just listen to a song like Take Me To The
River!). Anyway, MEER was founded back in Norway in 2008 as a duo, but
meanwhile they have developed themselves into a 8-piece band consisting of
Johanne Margrethe Kippersund NESDAL (vocals), Knut Kippersund NESDAL (vocals),
Eivind STRØMSTAD (guitar), Åsa REE (violin), Ingvild Nordstoga EIDE (viola),
Ole GJØSTØL (keyboards), Morten STRYPET (bass), and Mats LILLEHAUG (drums).
This is their 3rd album so far and they are ready to hit the radio airwaves,
because this is picture perfect modern day popmusic with a symphonic/rock
touch. Other highlights are the superb catchy uptempo 80s influenced Golden
Circle that is even reminding me of NOTHING BUT THIEVES crossed with a bit of
classic 80s AOR, the ballad Today Tonight Tomorrow (is it possible to cross 70s
KAYAK with 80s AHA and 90s COLDPLAY) and the absolutely beautiful male/female
vocal driven Mother. Mix up all the aforementioned bands with a bit of
Norwegian mystic and a symphonic classical music touch, then you’re close to
the sound of MEER! More info at: http://www.meerband.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
VIBRAVOID ‘WE CANNOT AWAKE’ (TONZONEN RECORDS/BELIEVE
INTERNATIONAL/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
The
German band VIBRAVOID is a very active band with over 22 studio albums,
singles, Eps and countless live albums over the past 35 years and they have
been in the charts multiple times. Anyway, their new album is titled We Cannot
Awake and without a doubt also this album is a winner for fans of the band!
BEATLES, PINK FLOYD, CAN, 70s DAVID BOWIE, THE BYRDS are the main influences of
VIBRAVOID and I have to say that once again the band has delivered a great
classic late 60s/70s sounding psychedelic rock record that would have been huge
back in the day when this kind of music was extremely popular. Thankfully there
is now among the youth also an interest in this kind of psychedelic rock, so
make sure to check out this band in case you’re not familiar yet with one of
the greatest underground German psych/kraut/prog rockbands of the past 35
years! The highlights this time are the uptempo pieces Get To You, The End Of
The Game and On Empty Streets that also capture a catchy tiny early 80s
powerpop element as well, while closing track and titletrack We Cannot Awake is
a lengthy piece that is more going the slightly more experimental direction of
the 70s kraut, prog and psych world (HAWKWIND). All together a rather nice new
record of VIBRAVOID that has both poppy and experimental parts, yet is always
focused on bringing the lovely classic psychedelic rocksound of the 1970s. If
you like any of the aforementioned bands, this must surely be in your
collection! More info at: https://facebook.com/vibravoidofficial
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
YOMI SHIP ‘FEAST ETERNAL’ (INDEPENDENT/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE PR/GERMAN IMPORT)
There
must be something in the water down in Australia, because after covid it seems
like we get to hear and see countless new bands from sunny down under, and here
we have another sensational new band. They are called YOMI SHIP, they are a
3-piece band from Perth, Western Australia. The band’s line up consists of
JARRED OSBORNE, JADE CHAMPION and NICK OSBORNE, and their music is 70s
progressive/art/kraut-rock influenced, yet with a modern touch by adding some
unusual rhythms here and there. Influenced by acts like KING CRIMSON, THE MARS
VOLT and PINK FLOYD, they also remind me a bit of KHRUANGBIN, yet more a
progressive rock version then. The music is instrumental and throughout the 12
included songs we’re heading in different directions and surprised multiple
times by the band, although the album will mostly appeal to the progrockfans
out there! More info on this great new Aussie band at: https://yomiship.com
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
SCOTT WEIS BAND ‘LIVE IN EUROPE’ (INDEPENDENT/MAC
RADIO PROMO/USA IMPORT)
For
almost 20 years the SCOTT WEIS BAND has been building a career in the blues
rock world and now they release their 8th album, which is a live CD that
contains material that was recorded while touring in Europe. The band is formed
around bassist Robert Kopec, drummer Roger Voss and guitarist/vocalist Scott
Weis, and together this 3-piece band delivers superb high class authentic heavy
blues rock and this live CD shows they are the real deal live. The sound
quality is quite raw, but also authentic that way, and they could easily
perform at the legendary Culemborg Blues Festival, because they fit perfectly
on that Dutch festival. Scott is an amazing guitarist who easily throws some
excellent guitar riffs and solos in each and every song, while his raw vocals
to the rather strong blues rock songs is making this a sensational band to
check out at: www.scottweisband.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
PONTCHARTRAIN SHAKERS ‘PONTCHARTRAIN SHAKERS‘
(SOUTHLAND RECORDS/FRANK ROSZAK PROMOTIONS/USA IMPORT)
Out
of Southeast Louisiana, USA comes PONTCHARTRAIN SHAKERS, a band that is formed
around AMEDEE A5 FREDERICK (vocals, guitar, bass), JOJJO WIGHT (vocals,
guitar), LUCIANO LEAES (organ, piano), RED DE VECCA (bass) and EARL SMITH JR.
(drums), and they release their debut with this same titled CD. Both Amedee and
Jojjo take care of the lead vocals, and I have to admit that I absolutely love
the vocals of the male singer Amedee, because his partner’s vocals (Jojjo) are
less stronger I’m afraid. Thankfully Amedee sings most of the 10 included songs
and it’s his songs that are lovely bluesrockers. The band has built quite a
reputation in the New Orleans area, and with this first CD they mark a career
highlight so far. Songs like Time To Make A Change and Lousiana 1927 show the
band at their very best. Sometimes it reminds me a bit of JOHN NEMETH. Check
them out at: www.pontchartrainshakers.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
SORBOSES ‘SORBOSES’ (LL RECORDS/NORWAY IMPORT)
Out
of Norway comes the new band SORBOSES, and their same titled debut CD is a very
strong impressive album that sounds quite different than the usual
progrockalbums we receive from Norway, because it contains a lot of other music
influences as well besides the progrock elements. For example opener Bereaved
is a very smooth jazz-pop influenced piece and following Earmarked Destiny has
a Disco-Soul-Wave touch, while we can also hear some bluesy, pop/rock and
post-rock elements slipping through on some of the songs, so despite the band’s
connections with progressive rock (3 of the members were active in a
progrockband before SORBOSES), this new band has a great diverse CD out that
could easily reach a wider audience than the prog community. The band itself is
formed around the strong vocalist KARIN BAADSVIK, guitarist/drummer GEIR VENOM
LARZEN, piano/keyboardplayer METTE JENSEN, bassist ERIK ANDAS and trombone
player YNGVE HASNES. Absolute highlights besides the 2 aforementioned songs are
the calmer Futile Plea and Pro Tem (both sound like SADE meets ADELE in a
semi-progrock setting), the catchy uptempo poprocker Life’s Discord and the
melodic progrocking Fringe Dweller. Interesting release that makes you think
out-of-the-box and thankfully it isn’t stretching the instrumental
possibilities here, because melodies are the main deal in each and every song,
and the songs are mostly around the 4 minutes of playing time. This band could
easily score a major pop hit if they are lucky enough radio stations will pick
it up. Meanwhile, check them out at: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sorboses/1743973576
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
GABRIEL KELLER ‘HOPE DESPITE EVERYTHING’ (TAKAPROD/BAD
DOG PROMOTIONS/FRANCE IMPORT)
Now
this is an absolutely sensational CD release that comes to me from out of
nowhere. GABRIEL KELLER is a guitarist/composer out of the Lyon, France region,
and he was kind enough to send me his 2nd album Hope Despite Everything. He is
assisted by several guest musicians, while he plays guitar, percussion and
bass. There are also a few guest female singers, and all of them sing quite
well. Gabriel’s playing on the guitar is phenomenal, in the PINK
FLOYD/PORCUPINE TREE style, while the melodic progressive rock is song based,
with always the focus on melodies, both instrumentally and vocally speaking.
It’s all done at an incredible high level and this is one of those albums you
play over and over again, because it covers so much beautiful music. Gabriel
plays the guitar the way I love to hear it, as if the guitar is singing
melodies. Without a doubt, this CD is an excellent release that deserves to be
in the hands of every music fan out there! More info at: www.gabrielkeller.fr
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
JEFFREY MARTIN ‘THANK GOD WE LEFT THE GARDEN’
(LOOSE/UK IMPORT)
Somewhere
across between LEONARD COHEN, BOB DYLAN and JOHNNY CASH, dark singer-songwriter
folk is the name of the game here. Done very well at an exceptionally high
level, but something you need to be prepared for as to accept the music is not
cheerful or uplifting, but instead it’s focus on tough stories sung by Jeffrey
in a somewhat moody dark way like the aforementioned comparisons. One of the
absolute highlights is the beautiful Paper Crown, but any song of the 10
included songs will do when you’re into acoustic dark folk tingled music. It’s
Jeffrey on the guitar and vocals, nothing more nothing less, but it’s sounding
very interesting. More info can be found at: https://jeffreymartinportland.bandcamp.com/album/thank-god-we-left-the-garden
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
GARETH KOCH ‘GHOST STORIES’ (FOGHORN RECORDS/AUSTRALIA
IMPORT)
It’s
always a pleasure to receive packages from Australia, because it is after all
the other side of the world where they might bring us musically speaking
slightly different things and in the case of the CD Ghost Stories of the
multi-instrumentalist GARETH KOCH, we indeed get to hear some beautiful
instrumental music that has a certain nostalgic kinda approach. It’s
prog/psychedelic rock, melodic rock and world music combined, with a focus on
original rhythms (such as can be heard during Dance Of The Unblessed Spirits)
and crystal clear melodies via the electric guitar (Old Church). Gareth did
almost everything on his own here, except for some of the drum parts that were
taken care by DANE LEONARD. It’s a lovely instrumental record where you can
discover a lot if you listen to it multiple times, and it’s clear that there
are certain Indian Music influences here and there, while the use of a
classical guitar gives it an European touch, and when it rocks, such as during
the superb Amadeo, then we’re heading into classic melodic progrock. Definitely
a recommended diverse instrumental album you need to check out at: https://garethkoch.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-stories
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
KILBEY KENNEDY ‘PREMONITION K/THE STRANGE LIFE OF
PERSEPHONE RIMBUS’ (FOGHORN RECORDS/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
Now
here we have a lovely calmer pure progressive rockalbum in the classic PINK
FLOYD style, and it’s coming from down under. The duo is called KILBEY KENNEDY
and consists of STEVE KILBEY and MARTIN KENNEDY, along with a few guests
throughout the album, but Steve and Martin take care of most instrumental
passages and the vocals. I have to say it sounds really impressive and
progrockfans will absolutely love this album. The artwork of the CD is
beautiful and the 12 songs are a joy to listen to. It seems like it’s a concept
album and anyone who misses the days of the 70s PINK FLOYD need to check out
this album a.s.a.p. bands like AIRBAG or PORCUPINE TREE give the good old prog
a modern kick, but KILBEY KENNEDY go purely for the PINK FLOYD sound of the
1970s, and thankfully they are doing it at a very high level, so therefore it
is a recommended CD for sure! I also received another CD under the KILBEY
KENNEDY moniker entitled The Strange Life Of Persephone Rimbus, which follows
the same path as the Premonition K, although on this CD they have some more
guests popping up, and somehow this CD is a bit more uptempo and slightly
better. Anyway, both albums are recommended to the PINK FLOYD fans out there!
More info at: https://kilbeykennedy.bandcamp.com/album/premonition-k
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
GARETH KOCH & MARTIN KENNEDY ‘MUSIC IN THE
AFTERLIFE’ (FOGHORN RECORDS/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
On
the Aussie label FOGHORN RECORDS, we have seen numerous recordings by Gareth
Koch and Kilbey Kennedy (in which Martin participates), but here we have a
collaboration between Gareth and Martin Kennedy. Gareth takes care of most
instruments on this instrumental album titled Music In The Afterlife, while
Martin does the synths and ambient soundscapes. The result is a nice calmer
instrumental CD, which by the way has a beautiful frontcover, and the progfans
out there will definitely like this 70s based instrumental prog/kraut album
that even reminds me a bit of ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and TANGERINE DREAM. More
info can be found at: https://garethkoch.bandcamp.com/album/music-in-the-afterlife
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
THE SHEYANA BAND ‘RICOCHET’ (FOGHORN RECORDS/AUSTRALIA
IMPORT)
THE
SHEYANA BAND comes out of Tasmania, Australia, and is formed around
vocalist/guitarist SHEYANA WIJESINGHA, Wayne Rand on guitars/vocals, Dan
Jeffrey on bass, Leigh Hill on drums/vocals, and special guest Kelly Ottaway on
keys. They have already released a few albums in the past, and this EP Ricochet
was recorded during lockdown. The included music is strong rather catchy
uptempo rock that balances somewhere between classic rock, blues, melodic rock
and Americana. It’s done quite well and songs like Big Hearts, Remarkable Man
and Ricochet (70s HEARTish) are catchy uptempo melodic rockers with fantastic
vocals of Sheyana, who by the way partly grew up in London, and supported the
legendary Aussie AOR/Poprockband SOUTHERNS SONS with one of her former bands
during the late 90s. Fast forward to 2024, this new EP of THE SHEYANA BAND is
definitely showing we are dealing with a strong classic rocking band. Go check
them out at: https://sheyana.com
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
BEC TAYLOR & THE LYREBIRDS ‘LIMBS & ALL’
(FOGHORN RECORDS/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
Out
of Canberra, Australia comes BEC TAYLOR & THE LYREBIRDS, and Limbs &
All is the follow-up to their 2021 debut album Anchor. The band is formed
around Bec Taylor - vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin, keyboards, Hammond
organ, percussion, Sam McNair - vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar,
banjo, Sophie Chapman - vocals, bass guitar, Grahame Thompson - drums, cello,
Hannah Beasley - vocals, Wurlitzer piano, keyboards, Matt Dixon - pedal steel
guitar and Jacqui Bradley and Donal Baylor – violins. Their music is absolutely
beautiful, leaning towards the calmer side of folk and americana, yet still
with a band kinda ‘rocky’ touch, and especially due to the strong lead- and
harmonyvocals it is a very catchy album with lots of great memorable songs.
It’s melodic all the way and I can definitely recommend this strong Australian
band, check them out at: https://bectaylorandthelyrebirds.bandcamp.com/album/limbs-all
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
THE WISE FOOLS ‘THE WORLD IS A FREAK SHOW VINYL LP’
(INDEPENDENT/SWITZERLAND IMPORT)
Out
Of Switzerland comes THE WISE FOOLS, a 4-piece band formed around
vocalist/guitarist NADJA, guitarist RAFFAEL, drummer SYLVAN and bassist MARCEL,
and together they recorded recently their 2nd album entitled The World is a
Freak Show. They were kind enough to send me their album on vinyl, which looks
and sounds very impressive for an independent release! THE WISE FOOLS is
playing old-school melodic classic rock with an up-to-date modern touch. 8
songs are included, and right from the opening somewhat darker song
Kolophonium, it is clear that this is a tight rocking band with everything
sound quite perfect and crystal clear. There’s even a touch of progrock in this
first song, while Nadja has a strong voice that suits the melodic rocking style
of THE WISE FOOLS very well, especially during the catchy uptempo radiofriendly
melodic rock chorus driven Endless Discussions. This is actually quite a
sensational song, especially during the chorus when Nadja goes for a higher
range in the vocal department (when singing the verses Believe It And Will
Comprehend It), which makes it a song that stands out between the rest. Other
highlights on this big sounding well produced independent vinyl album are the
big fat groovy guitar riff driven midtempo classic rocker Dance In The Shadow
(featuring a lovely soaring guitar solo), the uptempo melodic hardrock tune
Domino Effect (not the GOTTHARD tune!) and the catchy uptempo melodic rocker
People In Boxes. Definitely a band to check out and you need to be quick,
because this is a limited vinyl release. More info at: https://www.thewisefools.ch
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
POLO MONTANEZ ‘JOYAS DEL GUAJIRO’
(LUSAFRICA/SONY/VEEV.COM/FRANCE IMPORT)
After
the death of the legendary Cuban singer/songwriter Polo Montañez in 2002, it
took some time for his band to continue, but eventually they moved on under his
name, but now as a band that consists of Amaury Romero Borrego – musical
director, arranger, bongo and minor percussion; Yosleny Chirino Vegas – lead
vocals; Gladys Perez Reyes – singer and maracas; Luis Romero Hernandez – guitar
and backing vocals, and Jose Angel Padron -conga and minor percussion. They
recorded a new album that sounds and feels like a true Latin pop/rock album in
the spirit of their late singer/songwriter. The melodies, music and rhythms
make it one of the better latin albums at the moment. Check for yourself at: https://www.lusafrica.com/artiste/polo-montanez
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
NICK MAGNUS ‘A STRANGE INHERITANCE’ (MAGICK NUNS
RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
A
Strange Inheritance is the 7th album of NICK MAGNUS, a keyboardplayer/composer
who has been in the music scene since the 1970s, starting in the legendary cult
progrockband THE ENID. Throughout the decades he worked with countless other
musicians, and especially his time with ex-GENESIS guitarist STEVE HACKETT
between 1978 and 1989, when he played on 12 albums of Steve as well as touring
with him, that’s what Nick is best known for. He also released quite a lot solo
albums, and on this new album several guest musicians and vocalists make their
appearance, including the aforementioned STEVE HACKETT on harmonica. Nick also
sings a few songs by himself, and actually does a pretty good job on a song
like Philadelphia. The music is quite relaxed laid-back progressive rock with a
focus on melodies. 70s GENESIS comes to mind more than a few times, kinda the
PETER GABRIEL era, but also a bit KAYAK, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT and such
similarities are possible, and I have to say that Nick does a really good job
here to come up with a classic 70s sympho/progrock album. Another highlight is
the pompy YES orientated uptempo piece Welcome To The Island, which features
guest vocals by GINGER BENNETT, and also the beautiful vocals of LOUISE YOUNG
make closing track To Whom It May Concern a great KAYAKish ballad. Concluded,
this is a highly recommended sympho/prog album in the classic 70s style! More
info can be found at: www.magnus-music.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
MICK KOLASSA ‘ALL KINDS OF BLUES’ (ENDLESS BLUES
RECORDS/FRANK ROSZAK/USA IMPORT)
The
American singer/songwriter/guitarist MICK KOLASSA has been in the business for
over a long time now, and All Kinds Of Blues is already his 15th CD. As the
title predicts, the album consists of songs that are quite diverse and do
reflect all kinds of blues rock. 13 self-written songs are included, and from
start to finish you get to hear all the different aspects of blues rock. He has
his club/tour musicians around him on the album, such as guitarists Jeff Jensen
and Dexter Allen, bassist Bill Ruffino, drummers James Cunningham and Tom
Lonardo, and harmonica player Eric Hughes among a few others. From start to
finish it is a relaxing pure old school traditional blues record with the
characteristic warm voice of Mick. More info at: https://www.mimsmick.com/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
BRUCE KATZ BAND ‘BACK IN BOSTON LIVE’ (DANCING ROOSTER
RECORDS/MICHELLE CASTIGLIA/USA IMPORT)
Obviously
this is a live album recorded in Boston by a band called BRUCE KATZ BAND, which
is a band formed around the incredible Hammond Organist BRUCE KATZ, the
sensational guitarist/vocalist AARON LIEBERMAN, drummer LIVIU POP and bassist
JESSE WILLIAMS. Together they performed an awesome show in Boston, which was
captured live on tape and now released on CD. It’s not just a blues record,
because it is more than that, because we can also hear jazz/fusion, rock and
even a bit of prog (during the cover of the southern rock classic ALLMAN
BROTHERS BAND classic In Memory of Elizabeth Reed). The strength comes from the
band itself, because Bruce is a very strong performer on the Hammond, but the
rhythm section does their job very well too, while especially guitarist Aaron
is phenomenal on the guitar, while he also sings here and there remarkably well
(just listen to Blues Before Sunrise for example). This is a lovely record to
put on and enjoy the incredible musicianship of this excellent Boston based
live band. More info at: www.Brucekatzband.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
HAVEN OF ECHOES ‘MEMENTO VIVERE’ (CONSTRUCTION
RECORDS/SUBURBAN)
The
duo HAVEN OF ECHOES consists of FREQUENCY DRIFT multi-instrumentalist ANDREAS
HACK and SPIRES vocalist/guitarist PAUL SADLER, and together they recorded
their debut album The Indifferent Stars back in 2022, which is now followed up
by Memento Vivere. The new CD also features drummer WOLFGANG OSTERMANN and
keyboardplayer/electric harp player NERISSA SCHWARZ (also of FREQUENCY DRIFT).
4 long songs are included on this album, which musically is a strong mixture of
progressive rock and calmer cinematic kinda post-prog rock, with a clear focus
on the vocal melodies in each and every song. EVERON and SUBSIGNAL fans might
enjoy this a lot. Opener Non Sum – Non Curo is a 17 minutes counting tune that
might be the finest effort of the duo so far, because it contains all kinds of
elements of the prog genres, while still featuring lovely melodies all
throughout the song. However, every song of the 4 included is a must-hear for
the progressive rockfans among us, with as other absolute highlight the
wonderful chorus of closing track Assimilation. More info can be found at: https://frequencydrift.bandcamp.com/album/the-indifferent-stars
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
AFTERIMAGE ‘FACES TO HIDE’ (INDEPENDENT PROJECT
RECORDS/ITSALIVE MEDIA/USA IMPORT)
INDEPENDENT
PROJECT RECORDS brings us another excellent release that is packaged extremely
well as a Special Edition CD version which I received for a review. AFTERIMAGE
was a band from Los Angeles, USA, and they only existed a few years during the
early 1980s, which is a shame because while listening to this CD it is clear
they had a superb sound. The band managed to release only a single and an EP,
but happily now get a second chance with the release of Faces To Hide, which is
a compilation of 22 songs in total, which is a mixture of the single songs, EP
tracks, demos and live recordings. Thankfully the sound quality is good, so it
is a pleasure to play these songs loud, even though they were recorded about 40
years ago somewhere somehow.
Nowadays
the post-punk revival in Europe is bringing us so many new bands from mainly
the UK and Europe, but this was also the case 40 years ago, and back then also
throughout the USA there were countless bands playing this genre. However, if
you like for example the newer generation of Post-Punkbands, such as
DEADLETTER, LIFE, FONTAINES DC, etc., then you will definitely like AFTERIMAGE
as well. Of course this band was influenced by the popular Post-Punkacts from
the early 80s, such as WIRE, BAUHAUS, TELEVISION, THE SOUNDS, JOY DIVISION,
GANG OF FOUR, MAGAZINE, etc., so I guess by now you will understand that this
AFTERIMAGE belongs in your collection if you’re a fan of any of the
aforementioned bands. The band was formed around ALEC TENSION (DANIEL VOZNICK)
on vocals, sax, keys, A PRODUCE (BARRY CRAIG) on guitar, keys, RICH EVAC
(RICHARD ROBINSON) on bass and HOLLAND DENUZZIO on drums, and of course now 40
years later it is easy to say that it’s quite unbelievable that this band never
had a big breakthrough, but you cannot compare the early 80s with the current
modern internet days, when a new band is hyped faster than the speed of light.
If AFTERIMAGE was a new band now, then without a doubt, they would easily
become a household name in the scene very quickly, but sadly 40 years ago a lot
of underground/new bands never got a chance to get their fifteen minutes of
fame. This CD however is a nice compilation of their music, and when hearing
such great razor-sharp post-punk anthems like Strange Confession, The Long
Walk, Satellite Of Love and No Dreams, I can easily recommend them to fans of
DEADLETTER, TALKING HEADS, LIFE, JOY DIVISION, etc. etc. Go check out this
early 80s underground L.A. band as soon as possible if the post-punk sound is
your cup of tea. More info at: https://www.independentprojectrecords.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
FAST TRAIN UNION ‘ANALOG OUTLIERS‘ (INDEPENDENT/CANADA
IMPORT)
The
Canadian band FAST TRAIN UNION has been active for quite a while now, and in
the past we reviewed some of their releases. They were formed back in 2006 and
their first 2 releases date back to the late 2000s and early 2010s, so this new
album Analog Outliers is actually their comeback album since it’s their 3rd so
far. Their line up consists of John Wetherilt/lead guitar and background
vocals, Paul DeMarinis/drums, Al Fitzgerald/ lead guitar and background vocals,
Michael Ashton Wetherilt/bass and Sean Potvin/lead vocals, and “collectively in
past incarnations members of FAST TRAIN UNION have opened for legendary acts
like EXCITER, ALIAS, TROOPER, RIK EMMETT, etc.”. Anyway, this new album of them
is a superb sounding record that sounds like a classic from the late 80s/early
90s when countless melodic hardrock albums were released on major labels in the
USA and Canada. The CD version contains 14 songs, and from start to finish it
sounds sensational. Opener Darkness is a killer tune, including a superb 80s guitar
riff (SCORPIONS/DOKKEN style), lovely vocalwork and a memorable chorus. This is
picture perfect uptempo 80s orientated Northern American Melodic Hardrock a la
HEAVENS EDGE, DOKKEN, early FIREHOUSE, KNOW ILLUSION, HURRICANE, etc. etc.
Following No Illusions has some dut-dut 80s AOR keys added, and this song is
also waving the flag for 80s uptempo catchy hookladen melodic hardrock in the
style of the aforementioned bands. SEAN POTVIN is an amazing lead singer with a
killer high octave range, so he is basically the 80s singer you want to have in
your band! If the very first FIREHOUSE album, SLYBOYZ and 80s STRYPER are your
favorite kinda melodic hardrockbands, then you absolutely need to grab a copy
of the new album of FAST TRAIN UNION, because this completely fills your
appetite. The album continues with Outliers, which is pure STRYPERish melodic
hardrock, and it seems like the whole CD is loaded with killer tunes, of which
other highlights include superb uptempo melodic hardrocksongs such as World Is
Burning (very catchy and with a killer guitarsolo), Falling Down (midtempo
melodic hardrock masterpiece, reminding me of THE WORKS/WALL OF SILENCE,
remember them?), When You’re Lonely (yet another killer classic 80s melodic
rock chorus a la SANTERS), Stand (a CD bonustrack) and closing track It’s Not A
Game. I can honestly say that FAST TRAIN UNION has released their finest effort
so far with this superb kick-ass new album Analog Outliers, which is basically
the dream for any fan of classic 80s authentic analog Northern American Melodic
Hardrock! More info at: www.fasttrainunion.com
(Points: 9.0 out of 10)
KYLE DANIEL ‘KENTUCKY GOLD’ (SNAKEFARM/SPINEFARM
RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
It’s
amazing that KYLE DANIEL releases a CD that could become one of the best
releases of 2024, because he comes from out of nowhere with this sensational
album. He originally comes out of Kentucky and played in a few bands before
going solo, and eventually he has settled himself in Nashville where he has
built up an impressive network around him. On his very first album Kentucky
Gold he gets help from Jaren Johnston (THE CADILLAC THREE), Brian Elmquist (THE
LONE BELOW), Mike Krompass (songwriter, multi-instrumentalist) and a lot more
musicians and (backing) singers form the Nashville scene. His debut album
Kentucky Gold is released on SNAKEFARM/SPINEFARM RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC, and
after hearing just a few seconds of the first song I knew this was going to be
one-helluva-ride. Especially THAT VOICE of Kyle is simply amazing to listen to.
His voice is characteristic and authentic in a way he already sounds like a
huge rockstar despite the fact that he has just released his very first
recording!
12
songs are included in total, and opener Can’t Hold Me Back has a slight modern
American Melodic Heavy Rock touch in a way it reminds me of KRIS BARRAS BAND,
but following Fire Me Up (which is a duet with MAGGIE ROSE) is a superb
Southern Rock fried bluesy groovy rocker filled with lovely soulful melodies in
the BLACKBERRY SMOKE / ROBERT JON AND THE WRECK style. Runnin’ From Me follows
in a pure Outlaw Country style that reminds me that other new hotshot JACKSON
DEAN. So far so good and musically quite diverse actually, moving between
outlaw country, southern rock and modern melodic rock, but always with that raw
dirty American kinda vibe, which is of course thanks to Kyle’s superb southern
fried voice. The diversity continues with the midtempo bluesy soul-AOR tune A
Man Like That, which has a sorta AXE / JIMMY BARNES / BENNY MARDONES vibe,
crossed with a slightly polished THE BLACK KEYS. Once again I have to add here
that Kyle’s voice is absolutely amazing, and if he is also able to sing live in
this raw authentic way, then he is one to watch out for in the future.
Thankfully his music is also sensational, and there’s now weak moment to be
found on his debut album. Kyle also plays guitar, and wrote or co-wrote most of
the songs. The slow semi-bluesy ballad Southern Sounds has a southern LYNYRD
SKYNYRD kinda touch, but also a bit of country is slipping through during this
song due to the fact that there is a guest singer named KENDELL MARVEL. Me
& My Old Man is the song that made me aware of whom Kyle reminds me,
because this midtempo Westcoast-middle-of-the-road light AOR song sounds a lot
like DUKE JUPITER, and if anyone remembers that band and their lead singer,
then you will understand what I’m talking about here. On the other hand he is
also compared to the mighty CHRIS STAPLETON, so then you will probably be even
more interested in checking out this sensational singer! I love the
twin-guitarsound towards the end of the song by the way.
The
CD continues with Summer Down South, which is a pure uptempo Southern Rocker
that also features as guests the band THE CADILLAC THREE. Following The Rain is
slowing things down, as this a calmer acoustic Americana driven song, while
Deep In The Woods is setting things back into that lovely midtempo southern
rock direction like BLACKBERRY SMOKE. Wild, Free & Easy is a radioriendly
summer ish uptempo aor/pop/rock kinda tune (a la JIMI JAMISON and JOHN FARNHAM),
which could easily become a radio hit worldwide. SARAH ZIMMERMANN guests during
the midtempo southern rocker Everybody’s Talkin’, while closing track Divided
We finishes the album in a calmer beautiful piano-ballad style, although halfway
the song gets a bit more uptempo.
Without
a doubt, this is a must-have CD if you like any of the aforementioned acts. You
will not be sorry and let’s hope Kyle will also do a little tour to show his
vocal skills, because he has a voice you will never forget! It doesn’t get any
better than this! Check him out at: https://www.kyledanielmusic.com/
(Points: 9.0 out of 10)
ROBSE ‘HARLEKIN & KRIEGER VINYL ALBUM’ (REAPER
ENTERTAINMENT/BERTUS)
The
German singer Robert-Martin Dahn is best known as the frontman of the epic
metal band EQUILIBRIUM, but here he introduces us his new band ROBSE, and their
debut album is called Harlekin & Krieger. I received the vinyl edition of
that first ROBSE album, which comes in a gatefolded sleeve with a dangerous
looking epic movie frontcover. Musically speaking it is mostly a
cookie-monster/brute vocal driven epic bombastic metal style with influences of
IMMORTAL, IN FLAMES, AMON AMARTH and such rather extreme vocal driven Metal
bands. There is light on the horizon, which is thanks to the wonderful vocals
of female keyboardplayer Elina here and there, and of course it would have been
nice to hear her singing more often, because she does have a beautiful voice after
all. This gives them a slight NIGHTWISH/AMARANTHE kinda vibe, yet the music is
most of the time more leaning towards the extreme side, which is no problem at
all because they are doing things at a very high level musically speaking. The
sound/production is also impressive, especially on vinyl it sounds quite
massive. The lyrics are in German, so that’s something you should not mind.
Although it is different than what we usually review, I have to admit that
ROBSE does something quite well on their debut album and the fans of aggressive
brutal Metal will absolutely love the album, which is especially recommended to
get on the shiny vinyl version. More info at: https://www.robse-band.com
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
SKYEYE ‘NEW HORIZONS VINYL ALBUM’ (REAPER
ENTERTAINMENT/BERTUS)
I
have not heard and/or reviewed many albums from Slovenia in the past 30 years,
but SKYEYE is definitely a band to watch out for, because their 3rd
album New Horizons is quite a sensational affair. The band was founded back in
2014, and meanwhile their line up consists of Jan Leščanec – vocals, Primož
Lovšin – bass, Mare Kavčnik – guitars, Jurij Nograšek – drums and Urban
Železnik – guitars 10 years later. The band’s new album New Horizons comes in a
beautifully gate folded package with all the information you need to know about
the recording and it’s songs, including the lyrics, beautiful artwork and a
large photo of the band in their best metal pose one can imagine! There is
enough to read and look at while listening to this double vinyl album, and
thankfully the quality of the music is also of a very high level, so basically
we have here an album to check out for sure, especially if you call yourself a
fan of classic 80s traditional melodic (European) metal. 11 songs are included
in total, and they are spread over 2 vinyl records.
Opener
The Descenders shows right away that we are dealing here with rather excellent
straight-ahead uptempo Melodic Power Metal that is focused on catchy singable
choruses and high pitched vocals, not far removed from NOCTURNAL RITES, MYSTIC
PROPHECY and such European Melodic Metal, although JUDAS PRIEST and HAMMERFALL
are also close-calls here. Of course IRON MAIDEN, DIO and MANOWAR kinda True
Metal influences are also all over the place, which is hearable during
especially the following uptempo Heavy Metal Anthem Fight!, which is a superb
mixture of the 3 aforementioned legendary Metal Kings! The band’s singer Jan is
an amazing singer who has the exact perfect voice for this kind of classic
melodic metal, while instrumental the band is also moving in a rather
sensational direction. As already mentioned, there is no single weak song on
this album, and despite I have not heard that many Metal albums in 2024, this
new SKYEYE album is definitely a contender for best Melodic Metal album of
2024! Other highlights are Far Beyond (the song IRON MAIDEN has not created in
the past few decades!), the epic Saraswati, and the fantastic catchy uptempo
classic 80s IRON MAIDEN ish Forgotten Nation.
If
you want to discover a new band with original self-written songs in the style
of classic melodic metal a la DREAM EVIL, HAMMERFALL, IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, JUDAS
PRIEST, MANOWAR, MYSTIC PROPHECY, NOCTURNAL RITES and such, then look no
further than this SKYEYE and their new album New Horizons! Make sure to grab
yourself a copy of the vinyl edition, which is a true Melodic Metal
Masterpiece! More info can be found at: https://www.skyeyeband.com/
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
VOODOO KISS ‘FEEL THE CURSE VINYL ALBUM’ (REAPER
ENTERTAINMENT/BERTUS)
In
Germany rock festivals are quite huge, and there are a lot of them organised
throughout the country, especially during the summer. One of them is the
well-known SUMMER BREEZE FESTIVAL, which was originally started by drummer
ACHIM OSTERTAG in order to have his own band VOODOO KISS on stage of a big
festival. Eventually, the festival became Achim’s baby, and the band split up
until a few years ago when VOODOO KISS came back to life and recorded their
self-titled debut album. 2 years later the band releases their 2nd
comeback album in the shape of Feel The Curse. I received a lovely red colored
vinyl edition of the album, which comes in a gatefold cover that includes the
much-needed information on the recordings, the lyrics of the songs and the band’s
line-up as well as a picture of the band and the cool cartoon artwork that is
all a great pleasure for the eyes while listening to the music. 8 songs are
included in total, and opener and titletrack Feel The Curse is a very catchy
uptempo 80s influenced melodic heavy rocker in the style of AXXIS, V2, VICTORY,
VOODOO CIRCLE and such classic German Melodic Hardrockbands. It’s like we’re
back in 1985, yet VOODOO KISS does not sound dated at all, because especially
due to the shared vocals of Gerrit Mutz (SACRED STEEL) and Steffi Stuber (MISSION
IN BLACK) and the huge production of their new album, the band sounds
traditional, but clearly a band of the modern age. The other 2 members of the
band are by the way guitarist MARTIN BEUTHER and bassist KLAUS WEILAND. The
album’s songs are actually based on a concept kinda story about the character
Dr. Evil, who wants to create a Bride of Frankenstein for himself. Other
highlights on their new album are the catchy AXXIS/ANGEL HEART/STORMWITCH ish
uptempo melodic heavy rocker Spellbound By Her Eyes, the very early EDGUY/MAIDEN/HELLOWEEN
orientated faster NWOBHM piece Dr. Evil and the superb strong uptempo melodic
rocker Lords Of Darkness.
Concluded,
this album might not be bringing anything new to the genre, but if you like
classic traditional 80s German melodic heavy rock/metal with a touch of NWOBHM
and some melodic hardrock influences, then this new VOODOO KISS album is
definitely a recommend one to check out. Make sure to grab yourself a copy of
the vinyl edition, because a lot of effort has been done to make it look absolutely
perfect and I think they succeeded really well! More info at: https://www.summer-breeze.de/en/bands/voodoo-kiss-217756/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
MICK PINI ‘PAPA VOODOO’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
MICK
PINI is a German based Leicester, UK born blues guitarist/singer/songwriter who
already has a 58-years (!) counting career going on and Papa Voodoo is his 26th
album. He collaborates here with CRAIG MARSHALL (AUDIO 54) and the 2 of them
recorded a nice blues rock album that is a mixture of instrumentals and songs
with Mick’s raw vocals. It’s blues in the old traditional slow way, MUDDY
WATERS and BB KING are clearly good reference points and there are some really
cool instrumental songs to be found, such as the groovy 70s inspired Make It
Last, which has a lovely vibe and is one of the finest instrumentals I have
heard in a long time! Another lovely instrumental is the relaxing bluesy Theme
For Icarus. There’s also hints of jazz, reggae (closing track You No Betta,
which he does really well!) and funk here, and although I appreciate the use of
digital technology, in the blues it is not used very often and therefore it
might take some time to get used to hear a drum/bass programming sound instead
of a real bass and drums. On the other hand, Papa Voodoo is a nice recommended
old school Blues record with just a modern touch added in the rhythm section.
More info at: https://www.mickpiniband.com
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
PARTNERS IN CRIME ‘RANDY GIRLS’ (INDEPENDENT/CANADA
IMPORT)
There
is a lot of diversity going on during the 8 tracks counting demo CDR I received
from the Canadian band PARTNERS IN CRIME. The first 2 songs capture a sorta 80s
psychedelic gothic rock meets powerpop kinda vibe, and these are really nice
tunes (Randy Girls and Million Dollars 85). Abnormal Psychotic Behaviour is
suddenly a complete change in style, although still with an 80s vibe, this is
pure disco/synth pop driven like NEW ORDER, and if it had been released back in
1986, it would have probably been a huge hit in especially Europe. Anyway, more
80s pop/rock can be heard during the catchy Dancing In The Shadows (even a bit
like BILLY IDOL) and the uptempo rockers Your Jealousy and On The Tube (early
80s powerpop gem). There is even a keyboard led 80s power ballad with female
vocals included (Don’t Leave Me Now), so this is quite an enjoyable affair. It
doesn’t have the big budget production of the 80s, but the music is authentic
and has potential for sure. Check out more info at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100066669215662
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
STEREOTIDE ‘ONE’ (INDEPENDENT/ALIVE!/GERMAN IMPORT)
Almost
40 years ago I saw a videoclip called Another Love by a German band called
FRONTLINE, and I was overwhelmed by the immense high quality of AOR/Melodic
Rock displayed on the MTV screen. It seems like the death of that genre in the
USA around that period led to an explosion of new AOR/Melodic Rockbands and
labels that were suddenly established in Europe and Asia (read: Japan), so the
1990s melodic rockscene was shifted to those 2 continents, and it was the
reason why I originally started Strutter’zine. Fast forward to 2024, FRONTLINE
is no longer active as a band, but their lead singer STEPHAN KAMMERER has a new
band called STEREOTIDE, and their debut album is titled One. Actually they have
been active since 2010, and meanwhile they did release some really successful
singles in Germany, but now it’s time for their official debut CD. Besides
Stephan on lead vocals/guitar, the other members are Chris (guitar/backing
vocals), Gabriel (bass/backing vocals) and Raphael (drums). 11 songs are
included in total, and opener Legendary shows a modern poppier sound, but still
with the melodies from the classic AOR/Melodic Rocksound of the glorious 80s,
which can heard even better during the sensational Home that clearly has
similarities to 1990s/2000s JOURNEY, and if you like for example WORK OF ART,
then you will absolutely love STEREOTIDE as well. Overall you can call it
radio-ready friendly catchy modern pop/rock with AOR hooks and melodies
sometimes, although 90s pop elements are also clearly present (United Again and
Anybody Out There) and at times it reminds me even a bit of MARK SPIRO. Anyway,
besides the first 2 songs, other highlights are the catchy poprocker In My
Head, the lovely Try It (RICK SPRINGFIELD meets JOURNEY circa 1986), Touch The
Sky (poppy ala KEANE, but could easily become a huge radiohit!) and Stand Up
(great strong 90s JOURNEY ish chorus, although even DI-RECT comes to mind
here!). It’s poppier than FRONTLINE, and not 100% AOR ish, but I can imagine
that the fans of JOURNEY, WORK OF ART, MARK SPIRO and the fans of somewhat
lighter AOR will definitely find something of interest while listening to this
surprisingly strong debut album of STEREOTIDE. Check them out at: https://www.stereotide.com
(Points: 8.2 out of 10)
PEO ‘VARIOUS ALBUMS’ (INDEPENDENT/SWEDEN IMPORT)
The
Swedish singer/songwriter/producer/musician PEO first came to my mind when he
released a sensational solo debut album almost 30 years ago. Look What I’ve
Started got a very good review in our magazine, because this album was filled
with lovely AOR. Little did I knew that he already had a 15+ year career going
on by 1995, which included performing with countless other acts (including
LEVITICUS) as well as producing, writing and recording on over hundreds of
albums! Around the same time I discovered the LEVITICUS classic Knights Of
Heaven, which included the absolute classic sing-a-long AOR/Melodic Rocker Over
The Hills. Anyway, in 1995 he started a solo career and now almost 30 years
later I got in touch with him and he was kind enough to send me some of his
releases, because apparently he released a lot of solo records between 1995 and
2024! In fact, during a few years he released multiple albums in 1 year!
Musically speaking he went many directions throughout the past 45 years in
which he is now in the music business. The Hardest Rock from 2011 grabs back to
his 80s melodic hard/heavy rock days with LEVITICUS, and I have to admit that
this is a very strong melodic hardrockalbum in the style of 80s WHITESNAKE,
RAINBOW and early EUROPE, with many highlights such as the uptempo rockers A
Violent Wind (early EUROPE meets PRETTY MAIDS) and Run For Your Life, the
midtempo classic RAINBOWish hardrocker Long Way From Home and the superb AOR
piece Fighting Against The Time. It helps of course that Peo is an amazing lead
singer who has a voice like the old DAVID COVERDALE, and after all these years
he still sounds like one of the best Swedish singers around.
Fireplace
from 2013 is another CD that was sent, another album I never heard before, so
it was a pleasure to listen to this wonderful album that musically speaking
harkens back to his 1995 solo debut album. Peo did almost everything on his
own, and his perfect AOR voice suits the calmer 90s orientated AOR/Westcoast
material very well. Highlights on this CD are opener From A Father To A Sun
(like a calmer TOTO song), the uptempo AOR/Melodic Rockers Summer’s Gone, Some
Things Never Change, Where Will You Run (SUPERB 80s orientated AOR CLASSIC,
best song PEO ever recorded!) and Faith, as well as the beautiful instrumental
closing track Vindication. Unbelievable I missed this AOR/Melodic Rock gem 10
years ago!
Orbit
Of Dreams is the following CD I received, which was released in 2018. Here we
have PEO going in a slightly bluesier classic hardrock direction, and once
again it sounds really good. RAINBOW and the very old WHITESNAKE sound comes to
mind more than a few times, such as during Sailor, Give A Little Love, Going
Home Again (lovely AORish chorus), Back Again and the smooth Better Take You
Home. His vocals are simply said superb, with that raw tone in his voice that
reminds of the DAVID COVERDALE in his best years (early 80s). The music has a
slight AOR touch during the lovely choruses, and as with every CD the
guitarwork is also of a very high level.
Fast
forward to 2024 and a new CD titled Have You Heard?, which might be his 18th or
19th solo album (!), and musically we are heading into a calmer (bluesy)
AOR/Westcoast/Melodic Pop/Rock ish affair, which can be heard right from the
start during Rolling Thunder. Other highlights are Your Money Doesn’t Know,
Every Moment, Judge and Just A Little Misunderstanding. I have to admit though
that this is not his strongest album, because the other 3 albums were clearly
stronger. On the other hand, this man is heavily underrated. These are only 4
of his CDs, but it seems like everything he does sounds sensational and
especially fans of classic rock, aor and melodic rock need to check out his
work. More info can be found at: https://peopetterson.bandcamp.com/album/the-hardest-rock
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
THE OUTFIT ‘GO’ (PAVEMENT ENTERTAINMENT/USA
IMPORT)
Go
is the 3rd album of the Chicago based band THE OUTFIT. The band is formed
around Andy Mitchell – Vocals, Matt Nawara – Lead Guitar, Mark Nawara – Drums
and Mike Gorman – Bass, and their new album Go was mixed in Los Angeles by
Grammy nominated, multi-Platinum producer and mixer Ulrich Wild (Pantera,
Static-X, White Zombie, Deftones, and Breaking Benjamin). The band’s music is
pure classic 80s/early 90s American Melodic Hardrock, but they sound up-to-date
for sure when listening to the album opener Monster, which is a killer song
with a very powerful sound. The lead vocals are spot-on, the guitarsound is
heavy but melodic and the chorus is deadly catchy. This is the way we want to
hear our rock and roll! There are some memories of HAREM SCAREM circa Mood
Swings, especially when you hear a song like Arrival Of Jane that also has some
slight EXTREME and MR. BIG references, yet then with an own identity. The album
continues with many more great melodic hardrock tunes, with as other highlights
Big Eyes (big time uptempo melodic hardrock at it’s best!), the pure 90s HAREM
SCAREM ish Mountain and the uptempo rockers Go and You Say. This is a superb
record and it is highly recommended if you like old school but modern sounding
Melodic Hardrock. The only pity is the short playing length of this full-length
CD, and the cover God Save The Queen (with a guitar riff a la POISON’s Talk
Dirty To Me!) could have been replaced by an original song. Nevertheless, check
out this lovely strong band at: https://theoutfit.rocks/
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
TOMMY AND THE TELEBOYS ‘GODS USED IN GREAT CONDITION’
(NOISOLUTION RECORDS /GERMAN IMPORT)
Out
of Halle, Germany comes TOMMY AND THE TELEBOYS, a band formed around Fabian –
Guitar, Gregor – Bass/vocals, Simon – Guitar/vocals and drummer Tommy, and they
are making their debut with God Used In Great Condition. The album starts with
a midtempo tune called Gib mir that reveals a sorta stoner rock approach, but
it’s following Jesus Crowd that shows an exciting uptempo rocking band that
connects Stoner Rock with a sorta slightly experimental Post-Punksound, and
actually this gives them an own identity. Together Forever starts with some
interesting Krautrock influences, but develops into a rather catchy streamlined
uptempo psychedelic garage rock piece that recalls memories of the early KAISER
CHIEFS / ARCTIC MONKEYS sound, yet with a rather cool electronic synth sound,
and this seems to be the best and most radio-ready tune on the album! On the
other hand, also here we can hear are a few experimental rocking parts,
especially towards the end of the tune. The rest of the album continues this
mixture of wanna-be catchy and melodic for today’s modern post-punk/garage rock
generation, yet also experiment a few times for the kraut lovers and rock out
pretty hard for the stoner rock fans among us. It’s an exciting mixture for
sure, and other highlights include Loverboy, Beach 23 and Night At The
Junkyard. Definitely an interesting band to check out, more info can be found
at: https://tommyandtheteleboys.bandcamp.com
(Points: 8.1 out of 10)
DOG EAT DOG ‘WALK WITH ME LIMITED ORANGE VINYL EDITION’
(METALVILLE/ROUGH TRADE)
Back
in the late 80s/early 90s I was into Hair Metal and I will always remember the
way when WARRANT released their wonderful 3rd album Dog Eat Dog,
because at the same time a crossover band called DOG EAT DOG released their
debut called Warrant, which was likewise a parody. Musically speaking they had
absolutely nothing in common, because DOG EAT DOG was doing a mix of Funk-Rock,
Hip-Hop/Rap, Hardcore and Metal, something a lot of bands started to do after
the Grunge had reached it’s first peak in the USA. The band released quite a
few albums throughout the years, but somehow their 2006 Walk With Me, which was
originally released on NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS, it never got the attention it
deserved back then. 18 years later it is released on vinyl by METALVILLE
RECORDS, and I received the lovely orange vinyl edition, which also contains
the lyrics, pictures of the band and a lot more information on this rather rare
album of DOG EAT DOG. Musically speaking it is perhaps their most diverse
album. 12 songs are included, and opener Showtime shows right from the start
their mixture of the diverse styles, and is in the end a rather groovy funky
little rocker. Next track Hell Yeah! dives straight into a more uptempo classic
hardrock direction, kinda late 80s/early 90s ish in the style of good old UGLY
KID JOE. Without a doubt, this is a really strong DOG EAT DOG tune that
deserves to be heard by all the fans of traditional classic hardrock. The
modern LINKIN PARK orientated mixture of rap verses and a damn catchy melodic
rock chorus is something we can hear during the strong hit potential Undivided,
which is also reminding us of the early 2000s days when this kinda crossover
rock-rap was extremely popular in especially the USA. M.I.L.F. is another
change in style, because this sounds like AC/DC meets UGLY KID JOE on ANTHRAX
kinda speed. Actually this is a very catchy tune that during a live gig will
probably bring everyone in a jumping mood. The titletrack Walk With Me brings
the rap influences back way upfront, which is also the case during the closing
track All Night, although that final song on side-A is rockier and features a
radiofriendly chorus.
Side-B
starts with ESB, a song with a Reggae ish vibe and a rather poppy chorus that
is ready for radio airplay. My Frustration is another crossover rap-rock tune,
and a rather aggressive one, while Summertime brings the fun and melodic
pop/rock sound back. Cannonball follows in a fast Thrash Metal style that has
similarities to ANTHRAX. Dark Secret is a strong midtempo 90s rap-heavy rock
tune that has a very catchy melodic chorus (again in a ANTHRAX kinda gang vocal
driven chorus style) and closing track Fun Lovin’ is another rap-rock 90s style
kinda tune that finishes with some fun old school bluesy acapella vocals.
Despite
it’s 18 years old now, this album still feels very modern, and the diversity
will make it interesting to check it out now, since the original release is
harder to get and this new re-issue on vinyl is therefore more than welcome.
The die-hard fans will likewise be the first ones to get a copy of this
re-release. More info on the whereabouts of DOG EAT DOG at: https://www.dogeatdog.nl/home/
(Points: 8.0 out of 10)
ERADICATOR ’THE PARADOX CREA WHITE VINYL EDITION’ (METALVILLE/ROUGH
TRADE)
The
Paradox is already the 6th album of the German Thrash Metal band ERADICATOR. I
was not familiar with them before, but I received a lovely looking cream white
vinyl edition of their new album, so it was time to get to know more about this
band. It’s always a bonus when inside the inner sleeves of a vinyl album we can
read all the info concerning a release, because everyone involved is mentioned
as well as the lyrics of the songs are printed. The band consists of
guitarist/vocalist SEBASTIAN STOBER, guitarist ROBERT WIED, bassist SEBASTIAN
ZOPPE and drummer JAN-PETER STOBER, and they have been around since 2004, so
this new release marks their 20th anniversary. Musically speaking ERADICATOR
recalls the glory days of late 80s San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal. There
are likewise influences of SLAYER, KREATOR, FORBIDDEN, DEATH ANGEL and such,
but the band also adds some death growls here and there, and I have to admit
that the guitarsound is really fantastic. This can best be heard during the
highlights of the album, which can mainly be found on side-B, such as the
beautiful The Eleventh Hour and the metal thrashing mad tune Hell Smiles Back.
Despite ERADICATOR does not do anything new in the Thrash Metal scene, they do
convince here with a great album that should be in the hands of the die-hard
Thrash Metal fans out there. Please get yourself the vinyl edition of this new
album of ERADICATOR, because it looks and sounds very impressive. More info can
be found at: https://eradicatorthrash.bandcamp.com/
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
DAS RAD ‘FUNFAIR’ (DISCUS MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
Funfair
is the 5th release of the Sheffield, UK based band DAS RAD, and with every
release they seem to get better and better. I think this is their most
progressive rock orientated album so far, and a really good one if you ask me.
Their line up on this new CD consists of Nick Robinson - guitars, mellotron,
Martin Archer - keyboards, woodwind, Peter Rophone - voices, acoustic guitar,
Jon Short - bass, double bass and Steve Dinsdale - drums, synthesizer. It’s a
long journey consisting of 13 tracks in total, of which some are quite lengthy,
but that’s not a problem at all, since it’s high quality music we are exposed
to from start to finish of the album. Opener The Kindly Ones is a calmer
interesting innovative song that is definitely close in being a pure progressive
rocksong, yet with the experimental side of jazz/fusion. I personally like the
way Peter is singing here (he joined the band in 2023), just laid-back in a
dark moody setting, while the keys and mellotron brings back memories of the
classic 70s krautrock days. A great start for a new album and very promising,
because the rest of the album contains much more long light experimental
(improvised) progressive krautrock orientated pieces, with as other highlights
Look In, Lookout Later and Grimbling. There’s some groovy jazz/fusion parts
also notable, and all together this mixture of all the aforementioned styles is
making them sound proggier than ever. I must say that overall this new DAS RAD
CD sounds very strong and quite sensational, especially during the album’s
absolute highlight Dissolving In The Mirror. Progressive Rockfans might be
surprised by this album, so go check it out for yourself at: https://discusmusic.bandcamp.com/album/funfair-180cd-2024
(Points: 8.6 out of 10)
BRAD VICKERS & HIS VESTAPOLITANS ‘PEACE IN MY
TIME’ (MAN HATE TONE/FRANKS ROSZAK/USA IMPORT)
Guitarist/singer/songwriter
BRAD VICKERS has been around for a while now. He worked with some of the
greatest blues musicians around (BO DIDLEY, CHUCK BERRY, etc.) and released a
lot of albums, but is now paying tribute to one of his bandmembers JIM DAVIS, a
saxophone player, who sadly lost his life suddenly due to a brain aneurysm in
2022. It’s a new CD, but only has 1 song that was recorded in one take back in
2010, with Jim on the tenor sax, Brad on bass and vocals, Arne Englund on
piano, Dave Gross on guitar, Margey Peters on vocals and Bill Rankin on drums.
The song is a nice calmer blues song with strong vocals. Great tribute for
sure! More info at: https://bradvickers.com/jim-davis-in-memorium
(Points: 7.5 out of 10)
PAUL ELLIOTT
‘GUNS’N’ROSES: LIFE & TIMES OF A ROCK’N’ROLL BAND BOOK’ (PALAZZO/GRANTHAM
BOOK SERVICES/UK IMPORT)
It’s
amazing how fast time flies, because I must have been 12 years old or something
when GUNS’N’ROSES’ music was played for the first time on the national radio
here in The Netherlands. The moment I heard songs like Paradise City, Welcome
To The Jungle and Sweet Child O’ Mine, time stood still in my little world back
in 1989, because here was a band doing something that appealed to me as a
teenager. From that moment on I forgot about BON JOVI, EUROPE, U2, INXS, GEORGE
MICHAEL, BILLY JOEL, FLEETWOOD MAC, GINO VANELLI and such acts I admired at the
time. This was a new band with an explosive original new hard hitting rock
sound that later on I discovered was a mixture of sleaze, punk, rock, glam, hard
rock, blues metal and anything else loud and against the standard mainstream
music of the 1980s decade. Me and my brother rented the CD, because obviously
with not much money to spent, it was all about recordable cassette tapes 35
years ago. In my life I have never played a cassette tape more than the
Appetite For Destruction debut album of GUNS’N’ROSES I had recorded from CD
back then. Fast forward to 2024, I received a book that covers mostly the 80s
and 90s days of the band, when they were on top of the world in the rock scene.
PAUL ELLIOTT followed them closely from the very early days on, and this
wonderful book tells the stories and interviews he did in the past 40 years
with the band and it’s members. He was quite close actually in those early
days, and along with hundreds of rare pictures of the band, this book gives you
a good idea of how life and times were during the 80s Los Angeles Hair Metal
era. Paul was able to come up with some great stories he remembered from those
days. He is a rock writer who interviewed them before they were huge and also
witnessed their first European performances, so that combined is likewise an
interesting read. The 200 colour photograps contribute perfectly to those
stories, and this is one of those books you will grab and instantly start
reading and looking at from start to finish without stopping. This is how I
personally like my book organized at it’s best, because you will never be
bored. Of course the story of the band members continued after their countless
breakups, but who cares if you have such a rich early history as a band,
because who wasn’t a fan back in the late 1980s! I regret to have thrown away
my old vintage sweater I wore at high school, but thanks to this book memories
come back from long but not forgotten days, and I’ll bet millions of other
people will feel the same. The book is available through: https://geminibooks.com/
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
STEVIE CHICK ‘FOO
FIGHTERS – THE BAND THAT DAVE MADE BOOK’ (PALAZZO/GRANTHAM BOOK SERVICES/UK IMPORT)
What
more can you say about multi-instrumentalist/Singer/Songwriter DAVE GROHL,
because after KURT COBAIN’s death in 1994, the NIRVANA drummer went his own way
and formed FOO FIGHTERS, a band that quickly rose to fame and fortune, and
actually now 30 years later are still one of the top live rockbands at a
festival when they are part of the line-up. Dave himself played with all the
great rock musicians, but he's also not shy to work with musicians from other
genres. The list is endless, because BRIAN MAY, STEVIE NICKS, PAUL MCCARTNEY,
RICK SPRINGFIELD, METALLICA, BEE GEES, RICK ASTLEY and such are just a few
names that come to mind. They either played along with Dave and his band FOO
FIGHTERS or Dave himself joined them on stage. He is a dedicated all-round
music fan who likes to take on every side job that enters his path. Sound City
was an amazing project he did for example, but FOO FIGHTERS is his main band, and
they have released quite a lot of records the past 30 years. Alternative Rock
author STEVIE CHICK contributed to the well-known magazines Mojo, Kerrang!, The
Guardian, etc, but he also wrote other books, and he now has written a book
about the FOO FIGHTERS. Without a doubt, it’s a great biography timeline
written book that tells all the stories around Dave and his band as well as a
part the earlier acts Dave was involved with (mainly NIRVANA) and the
side-project and collaborations throughout the past 30+ years. Along with a lot
of amazing pictures of Dave, his band and the guests whom joined him along the
ride since 1994, this is a lovely book to own, especially if you’re a fan of
Dave of course. The book is available through: https://geminibooks.com/
(Points: 8.4 out of 10)
PAUL ELLIOTT
‘AC/DC: FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK BOOK’ (PALAZZO/GRANTHAM BOOK SERVICES/UK IMPORT)
AC/DC
is of course one of the biggest rockbands ever. They are together with ROLLING
STONES and METALLICA standing at the absolute top of the hill. ROLLING STONES
since 1964, AC/DC since 1974 and METALLICA since 1984 (and some claim FOO
FIGHTERS since 1994 😉).
Anyway, AC/DC was and still is champions league when they perform at a stadium
somewhere in the world, despite their line up changes throughout the years.
Author PAUL ELLIOTT also wrote a book about GUNS’N’ROSES, and at the time of
publishing the AC/DC Book For Those About To Rock back in 2018, AC/DC was more
or less in a difficult situation, because the future didn’t look bright. Their
singer BRIAN JOHNSON was replaced by AXL ROSE, but it wasn’t working, so
despite this book doesn’t say anything about the fact that AC/DC actually made
a glorious comeback in the 2020s with a new album and Brian back upfront, the
book is still offering a lot to read and look at, because after all it starts way
back when the boys were all very young in the early 1970s. It’s a biography
timeline written book that tells the story of AC/DC up until 2018 after the
death of MALCOLM YOUNG, Angus’ brother and co-founder of AC/DC. Inside the book
there are a lot of pictures from the past, which for a fan is always a lovely
walk down memory lane. The moment AC/DC started, Rock’n’Roll had found it’s
Kings for sure, because no other band (except STATUS QUO perhaps) has kept
their sound the same for over 50 years and still get away it, because people
just love their simple basic effective rock and roll sound. In an ideal world
ROLLING STONES, STATUS QUO, AC/DC, METALLICA and FOO FIGHTERS could be lined up
for the biggest rock festival on earth, because most of the real main members
are still part of the band. I have to admit though that when looking and reading
this book, one can tell that AC/DC is nowadays actually only Brian and Angus,
but on the other hand, those 2 are definitely the key members, so let’s cherish
every moment they are still with us and let this book be a collector’s item for
the time to come, so you can look back at the glorious past of this legendary
Australian band! The book is available through: https://geminibooks.com/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
MIKE EVANS
‘FLEETWOOD MAC: EVERYWHERE BOOK’ (PALAZZO/GRANTHAM BOOK SERVICES/UK IMPORT)
During
the 1980s one of the first bands I became a fan of was FLEETWOOD MAC. Somehow
this band appealed to me as a teenager, so it was one of the first bands I
started collecting albums and singles from. I followed them closely until bands
like IRON MAIDEN, MOTLEY CRUE, POISON, WARRANT, FIREHOUSE and countless more
late 80s hair metal bands became my next music addiction. Eventually FLEETWOOD
MAC disappeared off my radar, although they have always held a sweet spot in my
heart. Now there is a new book that covers the complete story of the band since
it’s earliest formation in the early 1960s until the end of 2022 after the
death of one of the main members, the late CHRISTINE MCVIE. Author MIKE EVANS
compiled everything together, and he surely knows all the ins and outs of this
incredible band that went through a lot of fights and line-up changes, while
also musically speaking they changed a lot throughout the 7 decades they
existed. Mike himself was a regular contributor to the legendary UK music
weekly MELODY MAKER in the 1970s and later on wrote more music related articles
and books, so he followed the band over the years, although in this book it all
starts with the interesting 60s decade when FLEETWOOD MAC was a blues rock band
and delivered classics that are still regarded as some of the best British
Blues ever recorded. There is a lot to read here since it’s a biography styled
book, and every album’s song is widely reviewed by Mike, so it tells the entire
story of FLEETWOOD MAC. The beautiful extensive collection of pictures in the
book reveal perhaps even more, because the bandmembers were known for not
getting along very well, and breakups happened a lot of time, although the main
core of the band (MICK FLEETWOOD and JOHN MCVIE) stayed in-tact all those
years, despite their relationships with the female members of the band. Mike
did a great job here, and I can easily recommend it to any fan of the band, but
also the younger music fans will need this book to check out their impressive
back catalogue that is much more than just the standard pop hits they had in
the 1970s and 1980s. The book is available through: https://geminibooks.com/
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
49 WINCHESTER ‘LEAVIN THIS HOLLER’ (NEW WEST
RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
In
May of 2024 I was able to attend a wonderful concert of the American band 49
WINCHESTER. I reviewed their previous album Fortune Favors The Bold back in
2022, and now they headed over to Europe for their first ever European
headliner shows. Support act at the concert I attended in Amsterdam was a
fantastic singer called DRAYTON FARLEY. This singer/songwriter from Alabama,
USA did a superb performance that featured just him and his acoustic guitar.
Drayton has a superb crystal clear voice that suited the music very well, and
it is amazing to see such a talented singer here as a support act, because he definitely
has the potential to become much bigger. Anyway, 49 WINCHESTER from Virginia,
USA sounds better and rockier live than on their studio albums, and especially
their lead singer/guitarist ISAAC GIBSON has got a superb voice that sounded
amazing in Paradiso that night. The music is a mixture of country rock and
southern rock, and if you catch one of their shows both sides will fall in love
with their sound. At the time they played this concert, the new album was not
yet released, and those unreleased songs from that May evening gave me the
feeling that their new record was going to be their finest album so far,
because a new song like Tulsa sounded sensational, an epic southern rock piece
live on stage in Amsterdam that night. It’s a pity it was not sold out, because
Paradiso is one of the most beautiful venues on earth, and people truly missed
the magnificent moments when Isaac sang those amazing melodies in this old
former church. I am safe to say that this band will return someday soon,
because their concerts are a joy for the eyes and the ears.
Anyway,
the band released their 5th album during the summer of 2024, and it
is titled Leavin’ This Holler. 10 songs are included, and opener Favor is a
lovely country flavored southern fried uptempo piece that smells a lot like the
early 1970s when countless bands in the USA played this kind of music. In a
rather faster boogie flavored style is the following Hillbilly Happy, which
also has that early 70s approach, sometimes reminding me of the very early
POCO, CHARLIE DANIELS BAND, MARSHALL TUCKER BAND, THUNDER (USA, late 70s/early
80s band), BOULDER (the STAN BUSH fronted band from the late 1970s) and THE
ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND. I love the electric guitarsolos towards the song, which
gives them a southern rock touch, which comes out more upfront during the rest
of the album. Yearnin’ For You is classic honky-tonk uptempo country at first
sight, but it secretly also has a very catchy melodic pop/rock chorus packed
inside the hillbilly southern package deal that 49 WINCHESTER offers here. Make
It Count is probably the most straight-forward uptempo classic melodic rocking
tune on the album, with even a bit of 70s REO SPEEDWAGON slipping right through.
Closing side-A of the vinyl edition I bought of this new 49 WINCHESTER album is
the titletrack Leavin’ This Holler, which is a lovely country southern ballad
with a LYNYRD SKYNYRD touch.
Side-B
opens with the semi-southern rockballad Fast Asleep that even reminds me a bit
of BLACKBERRY SMOKE somehow. Then comes the band’s finest song ever, the “to-become-classic
in the future” Tulsa. This song is basically a (light) southern rock classic
like LYNYRD SKYNYRD used to make them during the 1970s, although also here
BLACKBERRY SMOKE, ROBERT JON & THE WRECK and such acts come to mind, while
I also hear some BLACK CROWES bluesy similarities here and there during the
chorus. Rocking out big time, with a catchy chorus, soaring guitarsolos and
tempo changes turn this epic into a future classic! Rest Of My Days follows in
a slightly calmer mood, although also this midtempo tune has got the early 70s
midwestern American country/southern rock vibe. Traveling Band is a nice
uptempo country rocker with incredible vocals once again of Isaac, and the
album closes nicely with the semi southern rockballad Anchor, which also has
BLACKBERRY SMOKE and ROBERT JON & THE WRECK similarities.
Concluded,
this is a lovely album to play loud and proud, and on vinyl it sounds really
authentic, as if it was recorded over 50 years ago! Without a doubt, if you
want to discover one of the finest country flavored southern rockbands around
nowadays, then check out 49 WINCHESTER at: https://49winchester.bandcamp.com/music
(Points: 8.8 out of 10)
INADREAM ‘STRANGE WORDS’ (ECHOZONE/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN
IMPORT)
INADREAM
is a German band with a British sound that combines elements of Post-Punk, New Wave,
80s Gothic Rock and a touch of Ska (not much, but the bio mentions it 😉). Strange words is their 2nd album, and I have to admit that
during the uptempo pieces the band sounds as good as the hundreds of British
bands currently playing the revival sound of 80s British Post-Punk. There’s a
clear touch of early 80s THE SOUNDS, THE CHAMELEONS, THE MISSION, JOY DIVISION
(on this new CD there is a cover of their song Dead Souls) and such to be heard
during great uptempo tunes like Strange Words, In A Dream, Horns And Halos and
especially Die Away. The foursome of the band consists of vocalist/guitarist
FRANK BOTTKE, guitarist THOMAS WULLNER, bassist DENNIS WULLNER and drummer
ACHIM BOCKERMANN, and their dark post-punkrocksound will definitely appeal to
the fans of aforementioned bands, but also if you like the current popular acts
in the genre, such as LIFE, FONTAINES D.C., etc. There’s not much variation
however and after a while the songs sound a bit the same, so there’s some work
to be done in the near future if the band wants to standout between all the
other bands in the genre. On the other hand, it’s not bad at all, so check them
out if this sounds interesting. More info can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/inadreamband/
(Points: 7.8 out of 10)
THANATEROS ‘TRANCEFORMING’ (ECHOZONE/BOB MEDIA/GERMAN
IMPORT)
THANATEROS
is a German band that was formed all the way back in the late 1990s, yet they
took a break during the 2010s, but reformed in 2019. Meanwhile they have
released quite a few albums so far, and they really built up a name in the goth-folk-rock
/ dark-metal music scene. Tranceforming is their 6th album so far,
and since reforming the only original member left is vocalist BEN RICHTER,
while the rest of the band consists of Chris Ryll/Bass, Chris Lang/Guitars, Christof
Uhlmann/Violin and drummer Markus Felber. Their music is fun melodic folk
rock/metal like many German bands are playing, because there is a huge scene in
Germany. THANATEROS might not be doing anything new, they are definitely doing
at a high level, and we can find many catchy uptempo sing-a-long tunes that
will easily find it’s way to the fans of the genre. Check them out at: http://www.thanateros.net/
(Points: 7.7 out of 10)
MADISON GALLOWAY ‘MADISON GALLOWAY’ (PURPLE BEE
RECORDS/CANADA IMPORT)
The
extremely talented singer/songwriter/guitarist MADISON GALLOWAY comes out of
the small town of Fergus, Ontario, Canada which is not far removed from
Toronto. Madison is one of the happy few who sings, writes and plays guitar on
her own songs, and this new same titled CD is her 2nd full-length
album so far. She has a great strong voice, while she also plays the guitar
very well, overall reminding me musically a bit of ANA POPOVIC, JOANNE SHAW
TAYLOR, ELLES BAILEY, BYWATER CALL, ERJA LYYTINEN, LARKIN POE… Her voice does
also remind me of the legendary Canadian rock singers ALANNAH MYLES, CHRISSY
STEELE and DARBY MILLS, while the music is modern bluesy melodic hardrock most
of the time. She gets help from quite a list of guest musicians, such as NIK
HIRST (mellotron, organ), BEN HEALEY (guitar), STACEY SHOPSOWITZ (bass),
JEREMEY KLEYNHANS (drums), Adam Cannon (drums) and a few more. 11 songs are
included in total, of which the highlights are Open Your Eyes, Love Like Yours,
the sensational Devil At My Door, Hatebirds and closing track Tides.
Concluded,
this is a highly recommended modern heavy blues rock record with superb
guitarwork and strong vocals, so what more do you need! Let’s hope she will
make it over to Europe to perform shows here in 2025, because she could easily
fill a spot at the Culemborg Blues Festival! Finger crossed, meanwhile check
out this talented Canadian musician at: www.madisongalloway.com
(Points: 8.7 out of 10)
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