| Vega Kiss Of Life | Frontiers Records FRCD488 |
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Vega is a very special British rock band. Featuring the acclaimed songwriting duo of James & Tom Martin (Keyboards & Guitars/Bass respectfully), teamed up with Kick/Eden vocalist Nick Workman, one of the good guys of the melodic rock scene. After three poorly recorded albums with Eden, I was hanging out of for Nick to get the credit and musical backing he has deserved since the wonderful Kick came to an untimely demise. Vega hits it right out of the park. The songwriting is as expected absolutely marvelous. Nothing but hook filled melodic gems, all of the standard we have come to get used to from these guys. Nick makes himself even more essential by co-writing the entire album. The production is also very slick thanks to John Greatwood (engineer for Tom Lord Alge) and the mix is wonderfully balanced, giving vocals a clear run without being too much and giving guitars and keyboards a nice level playing field. Style wise we are talking pure British melodic rock/AOR. There have been some great AOR releases in the past few years, but hardly any of the quality ones have been British. Vega put their hand up to be new leaders in that field with this killer debut. Song favourites are almost to numerous to mention. The opening double anthem salvo of Into The Wild and Kiss Of Life will have feet stomping across the planet, while the moodier One Of A Kind and the slow passionate ballad Too Young For Wings is near perfect. A.N. Other is another cool anthem, while Headlights is undoubtedly a perfect AOR song. But it doesn't stop there Heart Of Glass is perhaps the most urgent song of the album, followed by another double dose of heavenly AOR Heaven in Stay With Me and Wonderland. Another massive ballad is What It Takes, featuring a big big vocal and the album closes with yet another beauty of an anthem in SOS the keyboards alone making the song instant from the start.
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| Yngwie Malmsteen Relentless | Rising Force Records |
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Guitar shed-master Yngwie Malmsteen continues the unpredictable and inconsistent form that plagues his most recent era of releases. From the terrific Attack! to the utterly horrendous War To End All Wars, the quality has been all over the place. Relentless is somewhere in the middle of those. It isn't as completely dire as War, but is sure as hell isn't ever going to rank anywhere up with his best work. It sounds like Yngwie has again recorded on the cheap, as the production of this album is the worst fault a horrible muddy sound with vocals drowned out by the usual endless noodling. And the songs they just are not there. Half vocal, half instrumental, I hear that the vocal tracks are left overs from Perpetual Flame. If so they should have remained left over. Vocalist Ripper is a fine metal singer, but I still don't buy him as a good fit for this music. Yngwie needs a soulful hard rock singer to give his songs more passion. Either way it is an uninspiring and largely uninteresting album from one of the finest shredders ever. At 70 minutes in length .waaaaay too long. |
| Michael Bormann Different | AOR Heaven |
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Different is the album title and "different" is the theme of the music on this album. But no
MB hasn't turned pop/grunge or rap. He's merely taken his signature sound and given it a few twists. Mostly in how the songs have been structured and delivered. There is a certain stripped back approach in play here and the songs themselves are very commercial in nature. Not as heavy as previous works and stripped right back to acoustic in places. Michael's appealing voice remains the driving force behind these songs. Life Is A Miracle, To The Top and Who Really Wants To Get Older are the closest songs to traditional Bormann style, with other tracks like the feel good My Favourite Time and the big ballad Don't You Tell Me are more Bryan Adams in style. Think Twice is another great stripped back ballad while Somebody lifts the tempo again, but retains the same laid back approach. Bormann closes the album with a very radio friendly German language ballad Was Mir Fehlt terrific vocals here. It's a pleasant side step from his usual style and an enjoyable album, but I think the last album was hard rocking and really hit the spot, so perhaps this might be a step backwards for Bormann's solo career. Still, he rarely does anything wrong and his voice remains a force of nature. |
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Nelson Perfect Storm - After The Rain World Tour 1991 |
Frontiers Records FRCD490 |
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Perfect Storm captures Nelson at the very height of their fame after their debut album broke through in 1991 and saw them on the road in support of it. This is the original studio line-up also, the killer band that featured Bobby Rock and Brett Garsed. This is a raw, live capture of one of the many concerts the guys did that year. When I say raw .I mean RAW! More or less, this can be classed as an official bootleg. I'm thinking that of all the shows performed, is this the best recording anyone got of the band? Sure the performances are solid and the atmosphere is electric. The twins' vocals are spot on and the crowd (of mainly girls it would seem) lap up every note. But the recording quality .it just isn't good enough to be flogging off in 2010. I've played this through just twice and certain tracks several times .but that's all my ears can handle. I have heard better audience recordings than this and despite the cool set list and party atmosphere, I can only recommend this for absolute Nelson completists. The old studio demo bonus track the uptempo pop rocker Keep One Heart is included here because I gather it didn't fit on the Before The Rain compilation. If searching for this one extra track - it doesn't warrant purchasing this CD just for it, as enjoyable as it is.
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| Nelson Before The Rain | Frontiers Records FRCD489 |
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This is a far superior release than the live album. 76 minutes of unreleased demos is about as exciting a prospect for any die-hard fan of a band in this genre and that's exactly what Nelson deliver here. Before The Rain is just that the demos recorded by the guys before their deal with Geffen Records and their million selling debut After The Rain. What we have here is a collection of songs that ended up on the debut in stripped back one-man-band style recordings, which gives fans a nice insight into how their favourite tracks evolved. But even better is the inclusion of a stack of previously unreleased tunes that for whatever reasons were left behind at the time. The beautiful You're All I Need Tonight resurrected the new Lighting Strikes Twice album and the best track from it also makes an appearance. There are some other great tracks here the hard rocker Desire; Let's Get This Show On The Road; It's Gotta Get Better and Running Outta Time, another tough and aggressive number that later turned up on the Silence Is Broken album. Co-writers of the material include Marc Tanner and Jack Ponti, but the bulk of the credit goes to the melodic songwriting machine of Gunnar & Matthew Nelson. Production quality is varied throughout these are demos after all but they are still surprisingly good and easy on the ears.
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| Dan Reed Coming Up For Air | AOR Heaven 00051 |
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This isn't the funked up Dan Reed of the Dan Reed Project, this is Dan Reed, the solo singer/songwriter, in reflective mood and searching his soul through reflective lyrics and softly spoken sweet melodies and vocal harmonies. Going on the contents of this disc, you'd have to say that Dan remains a very underrated songwriter and craftsman. These songs have a simplicity to them that few can achieve without over-complicating things. There is a definite beauty to these tracks, stripped back to acoustic guitars, piano, steel guitar and an absolute ton of left of center instruments such as Turkish Kemence, Ude, Chinese Gu-zheng, lots of various percussion and even a couple of additional dialects in guest vocal appearances. This is a very spiritual album and will appeal to those that like intelligent acoustic based pop, with authoritative vocals and a world-music approach. It's kind of like Eric Martin's Somewhere In The Middle or Joey Tempest's Place To Call Home and more recently Richard Page's Peculiar Life. Just with more twists Lyrically the album follows Dan's inspiring personal ups and downs and his exploration of faith and a search for something deeper in life.
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| Appearance Of Nothing All Gods Are Gone | Escape Music ESM220 |
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Interesting album taking a leaf from Dream Theater the band and also from Dream Theater's vocalist James LaBrie's latest solo album being that the album is very progressive and fuelled by double kick drum flurries, but also vocals by guest singer Cookie Monster. "Metaaaaal
yummy yummy
" Actually that's vocalist Dan Swanφ (ex Edge of Sanity/ Nightingale) and he's only on 3 tracks. I'm not a huge fan of 7 track progressive albums I kinda like more musical ideas per record than 6 or 7 tracks .or 21 ideas packed into 6 tracks. But there is still plenty here to get your head around, with nearly 50 minutes of music featured. The middle of the album features 2 tracks at 10 mins a piece, so there's 20 minutes alone on Sweet Enemy and Destination. I never really "got" the band's debut. I have to say that this one isn't really floating my boat as either. It's long and complex and features more ups and downs than the Dow Jones, and the vocals .I'm just not feeling the vocals.
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| Captain Zapped Captain Zapped | Indie |
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Frontman of Circus Of Power was Alex Mitchell. What a great band too just great hard driving rock n roll with a sleazy edge. This is his new band Captain Zapped. WTF? Together with Billy Tsounis (guitars/keys), Alex has recorded one of the very worst albums in the history of this website, or perhaps rock n roll in general. This is a complete load of tosh. An utter embarrassment to all involved. It sounds as if it was recorded in a garage without electricity, on a farm where the only harvest on offer was really bad weed. This is really and truly utter shit. Zero production value; zero effort on vocals (droaning half spoken at best); zero quality of songwriting and horrendous artwork complete with Alex dressed in a cape and leather caveman loincloth (and accompanying skull) on the back. Musically it is all over the show stoner rock, 70s psychedelic nonsense, God knows what else. I just hope this review reaches people before they actually pay for this shit. Except for The Last Hard Men, this is the worst CD I have ever heard. |
| Steve Lukather All's Well That Ends Well | Mascot Records M7308 2 |
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This album has been out sometime now and is receiving high acclaim and solid sales, so this review comes a little after the fact. But it comes also as a warning to anyone who has not yet heard the new Luke album do so now! It is no secret that Steve has been going through a rough emotional time in his personal life and far be it for anyone to comment on that. But the true class of great singer/songwriters is they write what's in their heart and what they are living through at the time. So Luke the songwriter has laid open his soul on All's Well That Ends Well and it is hard not to get wrapped up in that emotion. Especially when the songs and performances are just that good. This for me is probably the most natural solo album of Luke's career. I still adore the debut album (which will probably remain my all time favourite) and his last album too. But this album encompasses everything and has a real genuine quality to it as he blasts through the different moods and styles within. And I think also that this is the best produced album of Luke's career. Partner in crime CJ Vanston (co-writer also) has really excelled in bring the very best out of not only Luke, but every individual on this album. The mix is gloriously balanced and clear for so much going on and the clean sound allows the different emotions to take center stage. And I don't think I have heard Lukather play better than on this album. The solos are amazing, the craftwork behind the songs is incredible and the sound of Luke's guitar is just so clean it's glorious really. For those that haven't yet heard the album it sums up the Lukather sound. It's varied without being disjointed. I think there's a strong element of Toto's Kingdom Of Desire here and some Falling In Between as well as part Ever Changing Times and numerous other influences from throughout Luke's career like the Steely Dan jazzy blues rock of On My Way Home and You'll Remember (the latter with a monster curve ball hook). Other song highlights include the masterpiece intro Darkness In My World. I don't think Luke has written a finer song. Just perfect and so emotionally entwining. Can't Look Back has a catchy chorus, but it's the emotional verse and subtle guitar parts are what I love the best. Don't Say It's Over is a heartbreaking emotional ballad that features more stunning guitar work. Not to mention the vocals. Has Luke ever sounded better? Lukather leaves personal issues aside to take a jab at celebrity with the funky hard rock of Flash In The Pan before pulling the tempo right back for a dark and moody rocker with Watching The World. I've mentioned You'll Remember previously but boy this is a great song with two different approaches. The backing vocals ooze soul and really warm the track. Brodie's is a slow rocker with a great cynical lyric which even mentions 'Tiger Woods' ho'. Love it! And the closing instrumental Tumescent is some of the finest riffing you'll hear this year.
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Black Country Communion Black Country Communion |
J&R Adventures |
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Glenn Hughes returns to rock words I have wanted to hear for a long while. And the result is pretty damn good. This is one cracking groovy rock record. By now most that are interested would have heard this album such is my lateness with several reviews so I'll get straight to the point. This is a supergroup in the context of this music scene. Jason Bonham is a groove orientated drummer with great power and finesse. Derek Sherinian is one of the finest keyboard players in the world and Joe Bonamassa is the premiere blues rock guitarists this generation. Glenn Hughes? Well, you know his pedigree and talents, so enough said. How could it go wrong? The only real question I had was could Bonamassa play hard rock over the blues for long enough to make a full rock album? Well, perhaps not in the style Eddie Van Halen does, but for this album he is dead set perfect. BCC is a record that fell straight off an old-1975 pickup, falling alongside contemporaries of the time such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Cream. This is 70s rock with a monster groove, a whole bag of attitude and a healthy dose of musician self-indulgence. All perfectly captured and mixed by one Kevin Shirley. There are some terrific hard rock moments on here, but if that's all you are looking for, the lengthy jams and blues numbers might not as impress as much. I love it all, but perhaps a revised sequencing of the album might have given it a better flow. Song wise, Black Country is a dark rocker that kicks off in style, but it is One Last Soul that sums it all up for me. More tracks like this would make my year. The fast moving groovy melodic rocker has it all including that trademark Glenn Hughes scream. The Great Divide is an edgier and more contemporary rocker, showing the guys ability to diversify. Down Again is a blues drenched pure 70s rocker of earthy tones, thick organ parts. Beggarman rocks with a massive groove before blues hour kicks in. The 8 minute Song Of Yesterday is classic Zeppelinesque blues while No Time and a re-recording of Medusa plus the Bonamassa sung Revolution In Me continue the theme, albeit in a little more uptempo fashion. Stand is a more contemporary rocker again before the kick ass tune of the album blows through the speakers. Sista Jane rocks more of this next time please! It should have been further up the running order. Too Late For The Sun is an 11 minute self-indulgent blues/jam/rock fest. Strictly for fans of the guys and their mission, but I'm digging it. Good closer to a long album and some fine instrumentation within this.
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| James LaBrie Static Impulse | InsideOut Music |
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I love a good metal album and this is quickly becoming one of my favourites for the year. The best thing about this James LaBrie solo album is hearing him sing 4 minute songs again. I was a fan of Dream Theater for the best part of the 90s before just losing interest in their 7 track albums. To hear LaBrie in full voice behind 12 new tracks is great. 12 hooks, 12 choruses and plenty of hard driving melodic metal in between. One could be thrown off guard by guest vocals from Cookie Monster, but it's not LaBrie (or CM), but rather the drummer. Works ok for me, as LaBrie rather sounds in fine melodic form and sings over the top of a pounding rhythm section and a wall of guitars. The album opens with a trio of high energy songs, pounding the ears before a soaring slower track Euphoric offers a break. The opener One More Time is amazing. Over The Edge provides some more great soloing; I Need You has an instantly likable chorus hook and I Tried is almost a rock anthem! Just as you approach exhaustion listening to this onslaught of arena metal, the triple timed This Is War blasts through to take anything that's left. The album closes with the very fine ballad Coming Home the only track of its kind on the album.
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| Bangalore Choir Cadence | AOR Heaven 00048 |
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Another album that has been a decade or two in the making! David Reece returns to the Bangalore Choir moniker with some of the original line-up in tact and his solo partner/guitarist Andy Susemihl joining the gang. That makes for a pretty smooth cross over of sounds from the Reece album to the old Bangalore Choir. This album mixes old with the new (possibly favoring the new a little more). The production is first rate thanks to Andy's continuing work with David. The sound is definitely contemporary, but rather than David doing his heavier melodic metal style vocals, he very much tones that down to deliver the melodic hard rock style that made Bangalore Choir a cult favourite. The power hard rock or Power Tripping and the melodic rock of Martyr set up the album perfectly. Living Your Dreams Everyday is another melodic friendly track before Survival Of The Fittest toughens things up again. Other highlights include the soft ballad Still Have A Song To Sing; hard rocker Dig Deep; and the totally old-school Sweet Sensation. High On The Clouds is one of my favourite hard hitters and Surrender All Your Love closes the album with a lengthy server of soloing.
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| Houston Houston | Rocket Songs |
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This is yet another melodic gem out of Sweden. Hard to keep up with them all isn't it? Houston is basically the duo of Freddie Allen (drums) and Hampus Hank Erix (vocals) with a who's who of Swedish AOR-stars to fill the rest of the album duties. Tommy Denander, Ricky Delin, Thomas Vikstrom, Mats Olausson to name the main players. Erix has a glorious voice for AOR and mixes between a deeper subtle voice and a high pitch wail for choruses and when the occasion arises. It makes for a great blend of warmth and emotion that carries through the album. Main order of the day here is light and fluffy and keyboards galore. This is pure 80s Euro-AOR folks. As pure as it comes. Hold On for example is about as glorious as it gets and is an instant classic to my ears. Lots of soaring vocals here and some changing moods through the album, but always a catchy chorus and when it calls for it some over the top moments. The emotional One Chance is a wonderful layered guitar/keyboard ballad with a nice hook which moves straight into the fluffy uptempo AOR of another winner Give Me Back My Heart. Misery is catchy as hell and reminds me of Street Talk at their best. The mid-tempo Now is another classy track with a sentimental message without being cheesy at all.
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| White Widdow White Widdow | AOR Heaven 00050 |
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It's nice to give some Aussie talent a big of publicity for a change and these are a fine bunch of lads too. All of them (but frontman Jules especially) have been part of the melodic scene here in Australia and proudly promote everything melodic when possible. They are this very week performing as Ted Poley's backing band here in Oz, so what better time to review their debut album. This is about as 80s as it gets, but without that dated production. Big guitars and solos without a hint of down tuning? Check! Big swirling keyboards? Check! Melodic vocals and chorus harmonies? Check! Ok, so that all established the sound of White Widdow is their own, while also borrowing from the genre as a whole. Think White Sister, Survivor, Treat, Dokken, Aviator, Bon Jovi and Australia's own Roxus. Yes, that's straight from the bio, but it's also pretty accurate. There is nothing ground breaking or overly original here, but can be a compliment also. As long as it is well done and this album is. Highlights include - Tokyo Rain, a solid trademark rocker to kick off an album of this style. We've Got The Wings, with soaring chorus vocals and big 80s keyboards; the rock ballad Don't Fail Me Now is instant; Spirit Of Fire is pure Roxus; and the power ballad Shadows Of Love is perfectly pink and fluffy. The last 3 songs run seamlessly together giving the album a final 12 minute blast of high energy melodic hard rock.
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| The Poodles No Quarter (Live) | Frontiers Records FRCD484 |
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Great band
three great albums and now the live companion piece for the fans. So what do we have on here? 13 tracks and a drum solo, comprising of the best tracks from the 3 albums to date. This is a nice, loud, raw recording with the band in good spirits and high in energy. The guitar especially presses through the mix and right through my ears. Listening to the way the guys have sequenced this, they really have come up with some amazing tunes in such a short amount of time. Metal Will Stand Tall, Echoes From The Past, Night Of Passion, I Rule The Night and Caroline are all fantastic tracks and performed here with the energy of a live setting makes them all the more engaging. So that said this might not just be a fans only release. It might be a great introduction to the band for those yet to come under their spell.
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| H.E.A.T. Freedom Rock | Stormvox |
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H.E.A.T. - the adored Swedish melodic hard rock outfit! Why has it taken me so long to review this record? Most recently it just got lost in the shuffle, but originally I couldn't make up my mind about it. Basically I felt that the band took a different approach to that of the debut and I had mixed feelings. I think I'm clear now. The debut was much tighter and better produced and featured a more melodic hard rock sound. This album is far more AOR orientated, is not as well produced and vocalist Kenny Leckremo sounds more like soft rock hero Tim Feehan than ever before. I never caught that with the debut. There is a whole swag of great tunes on here though. This is about as catchy as it gets for melodic hard rock, but on Freedom Rock I don't see the peaks and valleys that the debut featured. A great album needs peaks and valleys so not to wear out the listener and to highlight the classic songs as best as possible. The debut was beautifully balanced. The tempo of Freedom Rock is largely uptempo with over the top choruses each and every time. The songs tend to blend into each other more than they should. And the harmony vocals this time around are too much. The effect is lost because they are overused. But that and the less polished sound are about the only criticisms here. Oh, and the lead single Beg Beg Beg. I thought that was really cheesy after the quality of the debut. Highlights include the monstrous anthems We're Gonna Make It To The End, Who Will Stop The Rain, Black Night, Nobody Loves You (Like I Do) and Stay. All prime stadium anthems in their own right. The 'Tim Feehan heavy' Everybody Wants To Be Someone is another favourite. Cast Away and the big ballad Shelter slow things down only briefly. Mixed feelings for an album that should be faultless for al the good material contained within. But the reality is I think they were trying too hard to be everything possible on every track. A few effects over used and not as tight production wise. But still a handful of absolutely classic AOR anthems as expected. |
| Ozzy Osbourne Scream (Deluxe Edition) | Epic Records Japan EICP-1422-3 |
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I know Ozzy Osbourne deserves a full review, especially when introducing a new guitarist (Gus G) to his world, but so much has already been said about this release. Me? I totally lost interest in all things Ozzy after the brilliance of No More Tears and Ozzmosis. But now we have this Japanese expanded release of Scream. It comes with a new song One More Time (fast moving hard rocker with groove); the Japanese bonus track Jump The Moon (3 minute modern rocker) and 3 live tracks - Let Me Hear You Scream, Bark At The Moon and No More Tears. Great recording of the live tracks lots of energy. And don't forget the Ozzy hand towel bonus! The album itself? Well decent. Still doesn't blow me away like his earlier work did. It has a very heavy contemporary feel, not straight up metal. It's seriously heavy, but Ozzy sounds in good voice for someone that can barely string two sentences together. Gus G has a well suited guitar tone and Zakk Wylde doesn't appear to be missed. |
| Asia Spirit Of The Night | Frontiers Records FRCD481 |
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Does the world really need another Asia live album? I say no, but as it was pointed out to me, this will probably sell more than the combined total of 3 other AOR projects. So what do I know? This is a pretty solid concert though. Wetton sounds in better voice than I've recently heard and there's more life on here than the dreary Wetton/Downes live releases (thank God!). Nice to see new songs Never Again, An Extraordinary Life and Soul Survivor included in the short set list (with long playing time). Naturally Only Time Will Tell, The Heat Goes On and Heat Of The Moment offer the best crowd responses of the night. Wetton starts to sound rough on Heat Of The Moment, but after 70 minutes of singing, I guess that's ok for these old fellas. Definitely a fan only release this, but there's still plenty of Asia fans out there and the accompanying DVD will no doubt be in high rotation for the weeks ahead. |
| Grand Illusion Brand New World | AOR Heaven 00045 |
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This is another release I regret not getting to earlier. Grand Illusion released a handful of albums before splitting and I've been a fan of them all. But not for long
as this sees the band back in full flight on a new label. The band really take up where they left off, delivering another high quality pomp/AOR release with the usual over the top vocals, massive harmonies and soaring choruses. Band stalwarts Anders Rydholm and Peter Sundell are here, but then add in guitar solos from Tim Pierce, Mike Slamer and Danny Jacob it just gets better. Drums are from Matt Bissonette and the whole package is precisely put together by Anders. Pompous AOR anthems, furious paced melodic rockers and sentimental ballads are all here, and the overall vibe of the whole album is quite a bit tougher and heavier than when the band started out. Overall a terrific release for those that love their melodic rock dished up with pomp and drama and massive vocals. Love the running time also! |
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| Allen/Lande The Showdown | Frontiers Records FRCD |
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Magnus Karlsson can do little wrong, so it was with the usual anticipation I awaited this third installment of the joint Jorn Lande/Russell Allen project. The first album was a revelation of power, force and melody. The sophomore release found itself falling a little short in the song department after the unexpected debut. Now with The Showdown, we have an album that retains the wall of sound that dominated the first two records a monster rhythm section, powerful entwined vocals and soaring leads and Magnus' own special guitar sound: sonically damaging to the ears, but glorious nevertheless. What I am really enjoying about The Showdown is the songwriting - encompassing better melodies, memorable choruses and songs that differ from each other along the way. This is probably the most melodic of the 3 albums to date. In essence, Magnus has brought us back to what made the debut so special. The hooks are there, the pace is varied and the mood is well and truly at the forefront. Highlights within the album are numerous. The Showdown is an epic opener; Judgement Day is great vocal-melody driven track and Never Again moves between tempos to deliver its big hooks. Turn All Into Gold is sensational and one of Russell Allen's best vocals of the album and one of the biggest choruses also. The equally epic and melodic Bloodlines follows, giving Jorn Lande his chance to shine. Then it's the big ballad Copernicus, delivering a powerful trilogy of highly melodic songs. 6 for 6 so far and We Will Rise Again delivers another AOR style chorus over metal guitars. No weak tracks here at all .it just keeps going and I'm thrilled to have an album of this quality featuring these two great singers giving it their all.
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| Salute Heart Of The Machine | Escape Music ESM215 |
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The second Salute album Heart Of The Machine sees the Mikael Erlandsson / Martin Kronlund machine step into high gear. This is a tougher, harder edge record with more guitars and an overall heavier feel. It is great to hear Erlansson sing anything really, such is the warmth of his vocals, so this album is welcome to my ears. And good to hear him place a musical difference between the more AOR styled Last Autumn's Dream. Kicking off with the in your face hard rocker Higher (an unreleased Dogface tune), the change of pace is clearly defined. Like A Falling Star is super-catchy faster paced, but slightly more melodic track in vein with the first Salute album. And it's the first of 7 co-writes between Kronlund and David Reece. These guys make a great paring. Feed Your Hunger has a great melodic hook, while I Will Be There is another Dogface tune that packs a punch emotionally and vocally. Elsewhere on the album, the moody Heart Of The Machine impresses, as does the chugging The Long Haul, My Part In This Pain and the epic closer Your Servant Tonight.
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| Two Fires Burning Bright | Frontiers Records FRCD474 |
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I've been slow to get a number of reviews online and Two Fires is one of them. But I deliberately held back on this one as I was swaying back and forth in my opinion of it. Now, that statement doesn't sound good, but it's not as bad as it seems. This is another good Kevin Chalfant release. The AOR star is singing better than ever and is the true star of this album. I just couldn't decide how good it was compared to the other Two Fires releases and whether the missing Josh Ramos factor was affecting my enjoyment of it. In the end I have to say it has affected me a little. Josh was an equal partner on the first two records, despite the second album suffering from horrible production quality. Providing the backing music is Kevin's own solo band; or the Two Fires Band as they are now known. So the transition has been made and this is the band. But Josh's finesse is missing a little. Musically the album is pure old school AOR. Sweet melodies and soaring vocals, plenty of guitar solos and keyboards to match. The production here is probably the best of the three albums, which is a definite positive. The opening two tracks rock nicely Is It Any Wonder and Lost In The Song are classic Chalfant style AOR. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid is a Neal Schon/Gregg Rolie/Chalfant co-write, which understandably sounds like a Journeyesque ballad. Not sold on it personally though. I prefer the more uptempo vocal/melody driven tracks Epic In The Night, Answer To My Prayers and Burning Bright. For whatever reason, I'm not appreciating the ballads on this album as much as I normally would. Shattered Without You misses the mark for me despite a big vocal and Still In Love is ok. The mid-tempo Relentless is another I'm not to fond of, but the guys do close with a quality ballad All For One.
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| Tom Galley creator of Phenomena Blind Faith | Escape Music ESM216 |
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The latest chapter in the Tom Galley/Phenomena series is the curiously titled 'Tom Galley the creator of Phenomena'. So is it a Phenomena record or just a Tom Galley record? Anyway
in keeping with the Phenomena way of things, this album features a number of melodic hard rock tunes featuring an array of different lead vocalists. Some work and some don't, giving the album a mixed bag result. It appears a little disjointed in places, but at the same time, there are some fine vocal performances within. The opening track with Mike Dimeo doesn't do anything for me, but Blind Faith is solid uptempo rocker with Rob Moratti on vocals. A tougher approach by Rob, which I like. The melodic metal of Fighting (Ralf Scheepers) is ok (the chorus is great) as is the Tony Martin sung Liar. Not classic but ok. I Was Gonna Tell You Tonight features Robin Beck and is a lovely layered melodic rock anthem. Angels Don't Cry (Mikael Erlandsson) is tough and gritty and features a commercial chorus. If You Love Her is Chris Ousey (Heartland) Lead Vocals and Tommy Denander Guitars. A dark and moody mid-tempo rocker here, with an equally dark chorus. Cool song and I'm guessing a taste of Chris' solo album to follow. House Of Love (Rob Moratti) is an over the top (vocally) ballad, while Don't Ever Give Your Heart Away (Steve Overland) rocks about as hard as you'll hear from Steve. Closing the album is One More Chance (Terry Brock) an uptempo hard rock track with a solid vocal, but restrained chorus.
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| Stratosphere Fire Flight | Escape Music ESM217 |
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Another Swedish project comprised of well known session guys this project the brainchild of keyboard virtuoso Jeppe Lund. This is another one of those hard rock/melodic metal type records, with progressive leanings and neo classical shredding for good measure. So who else could you possibly include on vocals? Goran Edman of course! And he's perfect for the role. This isn't a whole world away from last year's Geff project or the two recent Vindictiv releases. And there's a little Yngwie Malmsteen shred value too a definite plus for guitar fans. There's plenty of melody in here delivered at the speed of light (The Battle Within, Rendezvous, VIP, Fire Flight) and in ballad form also (Enemy Of My Soul, Princess Of The Night). There's even some mid-tempo melodic rock (Street Of Moscow, Shining Star outstanding vocals).
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| Unruly Child World's Collide | Frontiers Records FRCD482 |
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I didn't deliberately hold back on this review, as I have had the album a couple of months now. But the extra time has allowed me to gain additional insight into the record. I don't think there would be any AOR fans not excited at the prospect of hearing the great Marcie Free on vocals again and the added value of it being with the original Unruly Child line-up really had anticipation for this record at peak levels. I took to some of the record instantly and other tracks took some time. This is a real grower of a record. Even the songs I adopted instantly have further developed as I played this think over and over and those that took extra time are as good as any other tracks. It is now the most played record of the year for me and in undoubtedly one of the best of the year behind only one or two others. By the end of the year it may be in front. No one could expect the same beast that was unleashed in 1992. The band has grown and matured on other projects since then and then there is the whole issue of Mark Free's transition to Marcie. For those that have not yet ventured into this record, Marcie's vocals are 100% in tact as powerful as ever. In fact I rate the vocal performance on here as the best of the year bar none. Marcie has always had that uniquely passionate quality to her vocals over the years and when you listen you can hear the emotions of someone who has really lived and battled life. You can't buy that kind of experience and you can't train for it. It's just there and few other vocalists have that compelling edge. Think Steve Perry, John Waite, Lou Gramm, Pink (to name a current vocalist) and Rick Springfield to name a few. They live through their lyrics. So Unruly Child 2010 has grown up these guys are all wiser, more worldly and mature and the music reflects this. This is a more polished record than the debut, but for me I can hear all the classic UC inflections within and some new twists too. The album may be a little programmed in places and lacking the heavier punch of the debut, but there is little else to complain of. The mix for example is amazing so crystal clear with so many layers to make room for. For me this simply a sensational record. Every song is a winner, but not every song has as much impact as others. What I like about this album is it has peaks and valleys. The valleys are the moodier, more modern moments that offer the listener something new to absorb and appreciate. The peaks are those utterly classic anthemic AOR moments that Marcie Free is legendary for delivering. But even then, they are delivered in a way that no one else is doing or maybe can do. These guys are unique and I just love their style. A brief track by track as the album is out now: Show Me The Money A self-styled rip off of their own songs! Typical UC to kick things off mixing On The Rise and Take Me Down Nasty. Heavy beats and a big groove. Insane a more modern twist here with a little Led Zep classic vibe mixed in, especially during the chorus and backing vocals. I love the back and forth conflicting vocals from Marcie. When We Were Young utterly brilliant anthemic AOR with a progressive twist that makes the song both classic and original. Lush keyboards appear for the first time and a cool guitar solo too. Oh, and those vocals!!! One of the songs of the year. Tell Another Lie soft ballad with a semi-acoustic backing and an almost country feel to it. Soft, reflective, emotional and another wonderful chorus. Love Is Blind I adore the power behind this song. I need more music like this. Moody, brooding vocals and a building momentum and a twist or two before another anthemic chorus and more big vocals. Heavy guitars and lots of keyboards. When Worlds Collide another track that builds from a reflective beginning. Anything but predictable, with the sparse bridge before a lush layered chorus. More great lead vocals from Marcie and a nice thumping drum beat. The mix on this album is so clear. Talk To Me another building track with a softer exterior, but emotional heart. Semi-acoustic and beautiful. Life Death the heaviest track on the album, with a modern twist and some more Zeppelinesque overtones. A slow verse but pumping chorus it provides really pronounced shading between the more melodic songs. Read My Mind oh, this is just amazing. God I love this song. The harmonized into is wonderful, then the melody of the piano but the urgency of the verse gets me every time. Stunning vocals from one of the greatest ever. And the chorus is simply a 'how to do it' manual for AOR songwriting. Lush, memorable and perfect. Neverland is another grittier rock track that once again provides a balance between the AOR anthems. Still, this chorus is another winner too. Very First Time classic classic classic classic classic. Perfect. Exactly what Marcie Free has always been about. Melodic perfection. You Don't Understand A nice dark 6 minute slower track with a gritty guitar edge to close the album. Not quite a ballad, not quite acoustic, not quite a rocker. Another intelligent rock tune.
Welcome back Marcie (and the rest of the gang), it has been way to long. When's the next album due?
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| Nelson Lightning Strikes Twice | Frontiers FRCD486 |
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Nelson's long awaited new studio album was almost not what you are hearing now. The guys had completed a modern pop/sampled/dance style record that had little to do with the music the name brings to mind. But it never found a home and remains unreleased. Gunnar Nelson was then working on a solo album before Frontiers stepped in and asked the guys to go back to their roots and make a new classic style Nelson album. What exactly is classic Nelson? The guys have stepped through hard rock, melodic rock, power pop and country following their debut, so their sound is I guess defined by melodic choruses and the harmonious vocals of Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. In this case, classic Nelson is a reflection of their much loved debut album After The Rain. It's taken the boys 20 years to come full circle and once you get into this album it's easy to see it as the sequel to that fluffy 4 million selling debut. Lightning Strikes Twice is for the most part, a bubbly, uptempo feel good melodic rock record with plenty of pop vocals and some heavier guitar moments to balance it out. Whereas the band has been somewhat more serious in nature and theme on other records, this one is all about the good times. Call Me, Day By Day and Ready Willing And Able are all big party anthems, with lots of guitars, big solos and big harmonies and In It For The Money is almost Love & Affection Part 2. Then You're All I Need To Night is one of those instant melodic anthems you just love this album's After The Rain almost. Big ballads are covered here too - To Get Back To You is a very smooth and pleasant tune. Take Me There is a little heavier, but equally as memorable. A couple of tunes fail to work for me. The Styx/Damn Yankees styled groove rocker Come isn't as instant and Change A Thing is missing something. My favourite tracks on the album are the darker tracks. I've always enjoyed that side of the band. The moody, twisting How Can I Miss You?, with it's biting satire and the slightly more aggressive vibe is catching as is When You're Gone. But the best song on the whole album is the epic mood-rocker Kicking My Heart Around, which closes the album. Big chorus and big guitars while the verse is different to say the least. Very cool.
Life remains for me the guy's best album (perfect power pop) and Imaginator also remains a favourite, but LST is a fine example of a veteran band returning to their classic sound without losing their spirit and integrity.
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| Strangeways Perfect World | Frontiers Records FRCD483 |
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Rush job. As hard as it is to say, this record should not be on the market like this. In a scene that strives to maintain credibility with overfed and over opinionated fans, an album of this quality simply gives too much fuel to stoke the fires of discontent. If it wasn't for the vocals of Terry Brock, this album would not have been released. Well, at least not by any label. But hard questions need to be asked by all those involved. This record wasn't beyond saving it just sounds rushed, badly produced and in several places, just dead boring. There is no A&R going on here. No one telling the band this simply isn't good enough, no one sticking their neck out to suggest the band ditch release schedules to re-record and improve and no one telling the guys this is not the long awaited follow-up to one of AOR's great cult releases the band's Walk On Fire album. Terry Brock delivers as we all know he can, but even then he isn't beyond criticism the vocals sound like one take affairs there is definite room for improvement especially based upon his own recent outstanding solo output. Perfect World could be a killer AOR tune if it wasn't muddier than a pig in a rainstorm. Same for the softly sung and presented AOR-lite of Borderlines. But a plodding drum beat and a horrible guitar tone take away from the sentiment. Movin' On is a strangely aggressive grungy rocker, which pretty much does nothing for me at all, or any Strangeways fan I would guess. Time is another ballad that is soft and sparse. There's a nice sentiment there, but once again, plodding drums sound horrible. Strangeways are beginning to make Dare sound heavy metal. When the emotional chorus does come, there's a sense of what could have been had the song been worked on for longer. Crackin' Up Baby is another slow, slow ballad with no attempt to get out of first gear. Terry's vocals are beautiful and the song eventually finds another beat, but the whole guitar solo/instrumental part is horribly mixed and hurts my ears. Liberty is another slow track, but one with a little more spirit and some guitar presence. Still horribly mixed and not really a track that does anything for me at all. Yet another ballad with One More Day, but at least this one has a bit of fire in it and Terry sounds good. This is another track that I would have loved to see more done with it. The 7-minute plod/bogfest that is Bushfire is simply tragic. What a self indulgent snoozefest of a track. What the hell was anyone thinking with this one? It goes nowhere from the very start, yet there's 7 minutes of it. Too Far Gone hints at that old AOR feel we are now hanging by a thread to hear from these guys. It's another slow track (of course), but builds to a decent chorus. The horrible guitar sound that runs throughout this record continues to overshadow anything good though. If you managed to survive Bushfire, here's another almost identical, non-directional 6 minute plodder to tip you over the edge. Can't Let You Go sadly goes nowhere and takes painfully long to get there again. The album mercifully closes with (yes, a ballad), but one of the better tracks of the album a fine emotive building ballad. It should have been make to keep build, but again falls short of exploding. And I think there's some fine guitar playing going on under that boggy production somewhere .shame I can hardly hear it.
I really love the two former Terry Brock fronted albums - they are fabulous. But this is more reminiscent of the band's 90s output, which was anything but AOR.
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| Kiske Somerville Kiske Somerville | Frontiers Records FRCD479 |
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I've got a love/hate thing going on with Michael Kiske. I simply love the two Place Vendome albums they are really powerful melodic rock records. But I was less than impressed with his three solo projects. Thankfully this album sees him firmly back on the hard rock route. As good as the vocals are, the true stars of this album is producer/musician Mat Sinner and guitar legend (in the making) Magnus Karlsson, together these guys have produced some stunningly good songs and production to give this album a monster sound. The songs come courtesy mainly of Sinner whose trademark intensity and angst is all over this record. Sinner and Karlsson provide the crux of the musicianship on the record also, so all fans of Allen/Lande and such will no doubt warmly embrace this. Vocals are split 60/40, with Kiske leading the way and American Amanda Somerville drifting in and out of verse and chorus as a harmony vocalist and at times a lead vocalist. The choruses are certainly more even split in the mix. It makes for an interesting contrast. The songs and musicianship really are first rate intense and loud and tracks like Arise just crunch through the speakers. Then there is lush orchestration too especially on End Of The Road. This project is almost an extension of the Place Vendome albums - not as melodic, heavier...with the exception that I felt more from Kiske's vocals on those albums. I'm not sure it is the most apt description, but he sounds a little stiff here in places. Amanda's vocals add melodic tone and texture throughout and I would expect the stir caused by this release will ensure a sequel in the next year or two. Kiske and Place Vendome fans need this. |
| Issa Sign Of Angels | Frontiers Records FRCD480 |
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The debut Issa album is a text book melodic hard rock release. First ingredient big production from Ronny Milianowicz (Saint Deamon); next
quality song contributions from Joacim Cans (Hammerfall), Thomas Vickstrom (Candlemass), Daniel Flores, Soren Kronkvist (Crash the System) and more; finally hire the best session guys in the Swedish scene and put it all together. The Swedish songstress delivers one of the tighter releases of the year not a note out of place here. Everything about this album is big. Vocals, guitars, production songs. The two opening rockers soar, and then the powerhouse ballad Give Me A Sign changes the pace, but not the intensity. The uptempo River Of Love is a superb anthemic rocker with sweet vocals; What Can I Do is an intense and moody modern rocker suited for radio; while Closer maintains the modern sound, but throws in an old-school chorus. Unbelievable sounds like it could have been lifted from any of the last Harem Scarem albums; such is the structure of this fine ballad. For the backend of the album it's more of the same mid-tempo, polished modern melodic rock, ending with the heaviest track of the album Fallen Angel. Terrific album and probably an essential purchase for fans of European style melodic hard rock with a contemporary edge. If we are going to push this genre forward, it will be with releases such as this. If there was any criticism to be made it would be that the album perhaps lacks just a little spark; urgency that seems to have been rolled out with the super tight production. Otherwise an impressive package and a debut to be proud of. |
| Heart Red Velvet Car | Sony Legacy |
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Ok, first thing anyone is going to say about this review (and myself) is 'oh, he only likes 80s Heart'. Well, yes and no. That's my preference when listening to the band, but their first chapter delivered some truly iconic rock songs such as Barracuda. And I'm also realistic enough to know that "Top 40 Heart" is not what the Wilson gals want to be doing in 2010 (or anytime since 1995 for that matter). It's not ever going to be the style used on any new Heart material. I get it. I can wish otherwise, but that's my problem, not theirs. Second thing I will hear is how Heart post 1995 is all about getting back to their roots and the core of what the band used to be in the 70s. I get that also. And I appreciate that is where their loyalties now lie. So, I'll take this album for what it is but I still can't help but find it boring. Just as I did with Jupiter's Darling. I haven't listened to that record since the week it was released and I doubt this album will get much playtime beyond this review either. As far as other critics go, it looks like I'm on my own here, as I've read a lot of positive comments. I didn't like the last album for the same reasons. I just think that modern day Heart is all about the Wilson Sisters' desire to feel authentic, but left behind are all commercial attributes that brought the band a lot of fans from Heart (1985) through to Desire Walks On (1995). Choruses are not a focus here. Big hooks aren't either. That's not to say that Ann can't be melodic she is as always, an outstanding emotive vocalist. The album is largely acoustic driven singer/songwriter material with the exception of the Zeppelinesque riffing of WTF, Wheels and Death Valley plus the back end of Red Velvet Car. I'm finding that I just don't like the all-to-brief choruses and while the vocals are always sensual, electric and supremely delivered, I find the choruses here just plain annoying. The verse of Queen City is beautiful, and the instrumentation of the challenging Wheels is intense, yet both songs have annoying choruses that put me off. The tracks I am attracted to are the more rocking WTF, but also the raw emotional Hey You and the Nancy Wilson sung Sand. But the majority of tracks leave me cold in the long run. The production is great, the vocals are unquestionably good, but the end result isn't appealing enough for me. |
| Line Of Fire Momentum | Tribunal Records |
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The least you can ask and expect of a band is to grow with each release and it's clearly evident here that Line Of Fire have done just that. Just about everything on their second album Momentum moves the band forward. Better songs, tighter production and ever improving vocals. I've really enjoyed living with this release. It's one of those Goodbye Thrill/Farcry feel good AOR/American Hard Rock releases, with one foot in the hard rock camp and melodies and vocals from the AOR School of Finesse. The Steve Perryesque vocals of course make for the obvious comparisons to Journey but I think this album is more in the vein of the band's early harder rock edge than the syrupy AOR side they tend to get recognized for. The vocals of Shawn Pelata are edgy but melodic and the guitar work of Nikki Diamage is more reminiscent of George Lynch than Neal Schon. Line Of Fire are part Journey, part Boston, part Dokken-lite. And it's a great mix. There are a ton of songs on here that work great. It Takes Time, Obsession, Give Me All, I'll Be The One, Fire Never Dies, Undone and Ghost in Your Heart (two songs with great harmonies). The ballad I'm Crying (For You) has sentiment is spades and a killer solo. In fact there are killer guitar solos and moments of shred right the way through the album. Terrific stuff. The only advice I would add to make album number three even better is beef up that bottom end and guitar riff sound and get a truly kick ass drummer to fire up the overall sound. |
| Sora Desire And Truth | Avenue Of Allies 10 01 0009 |
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This is a very solid hard rock release from Guitarist/Vocalist Erol Sora. The album has been out sometime now, but it's never too late to discover new tunes. As with Erol's debut album, Desire And Truth picks up where that left off, delivering another 10 tracks of blues based hard rock. I think this album comes across as more focused and consistent that the debut. What we have here is a really strong hard rock album that reminds me of an Ian Gillan solo project. Tracks like Taste Of Rock N Roll, What's It Gotta Do With You And Me, Winter and Invitation really coast along with purpose, Sora's bluesy rough vocals playing off the hard edge guitar work beautifully. There aren't a lot of words needed to describe some releases and this is one of them. It goes about the job 10 tracks of relatively the same length ands style, but appealing for the quality in which they are delivered. |
| Edge Of Forever Another Paradise | 7Hard 7H-028-2 |
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Shame on me for taking so long to get to this wonderful album. This is a definite highlight for me of 2010 just because it is so well put together and the enthusiasm and energy of the band shines through brightly. Co-written, produced, engineered, mixed by Alessandro DelVecchio who also sings and plays keyboards, Edge Of Forever deliver a typically European blend of melodic hard rock and occasional AOR touches. I'm also quite harsh on albums with accented vocals, but why are Alessandro's so appealing, even with that wicked Italian accent boldly steering these songs? Simply put this is a glorious album of uptempo and energetic songs, fuelled by keyboards and guitars with a big sound and strong rhythm section. Distant Voices, Another Paradise, Edge Of Life and the closing Against The Wall all rock the way you'd expect. And don't forget two amazing ballads the soaring I Won't Call You and the more intense What I've Never Seen. Two very passionate songs. Throw in a cover of the Flashdance theme track What A Feeling and you have a very complete album here of high quality, well produced melodic hard rock. |
| Bret Michaels Custom Built | Poor Boy Records |
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For someone who now more or less lives off his former glories as a reality star/celebrity who controls his image with utmost control, I cannot for the life of me figure out why he puts out such mediocre garbage as a solo artist. The last Poison album sucked, Bret's last two solo albums were received with complete disinterest by the majority of media and Poison fans and now when on top of his game having beaten a life threatening brain hemorrhage, being hired as the Celebrity Apprentice and somehow getting past the sleazy train wreck image Rock Of Love gave him Bret has the best chance of being taken seriously as a musician once again. He really appears to be a genuinely likeable guy and a decent bloke. But what do we get here? Another half baked release of remakes/remixes, new country try-hard tunes and a fricken horrendous club remix that has the equivalent appeal of a lump of coal at Christmas. The new version of Driven absolutely bites the big one, the duet with Myley Cyrus is embarrassing to say the least and other tracks are rehashed from 2005 and shit a brick the country schlock just has to stop! An utterly horrendous mess of styles and ambitions, that falls flatter than a pancake just steamrolled by a 40-ton Diesel. Michael's attempt at musical credibility is done. He has none whatsoever as a solo artist. A kick-ass Poison album with huge production is the only way forward now. |
| Meatloaf Hang Cool Teddy Bear | Mercury Records 273 4097 |
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A Meatloaf album doesn't come around too often, so when it does you need it to be good. You expect brilliance
or at least hope for it! Meat has recorded more albums without the aid of Jim Steinman, but the big man is inextricably tied to the iconic producer because of the massive and lasting legacy of the Bat Out Of Hell albums. I enjoy pretty much everything that Meatloaf releases he is just that kind of personality that appeals to me, but there is always that nagging feeling of what could have been with the addition of Steinman. Same goes with Hang Cool Teddy Bear (a seriously questionable title). But what this album delivers is a noticeable chance of production style with in demand Rob Cavallo taking control and bringing Meat's sound into the new millennium albeit with the old Meatloaf trailing not far behind. As with most of his non-Steinman albums, there are a couple of fillers on here and a couple of WTF? moments. But the performance, energy and showmanship during the rest of the songs have me convinced .eventually. I'm still a believer. I didn't gel with this album at all initially, but it kept drawing me back in the sign of a classy album and strong songwriting. Now for the most part I love it. Nowhere near as much as Bat 1 & 2 (and even Bat 3 maybe), but I think its miles better than Couldn't Have Said It Better and Welcome To The Neighborhood and equally as good as Bat 3 in places. There's a definite urgency in the production and performance here Peace On Earth and Living On The Outside are superb big rockers, Los Angelosers is tongue in cheek fun (despite a horrible video), If I Can't Have You is a massive anthem worthy of Steinman, and the ballad Did You Ever Love Somebody is more subtle, but equally effective. On the flipside Love Is Not Real is epic madness featuring Brian May, Steve Vai and Justin Hawkins; Like A Rose is confrontational and a bit delusional, but works for me if my mood allows; Song Of Madness is kinda cool for all the wrong reasons. Then California Isn't Big Enough comes along a super heavy duty rocker that knocks me for six each listen what a cool song. A coupe of songs towards the end just edge along, which isn't what anything on a Meatloaf album should do. Overall, a really good listen and an album that grows on you to impress in all the right places. Not Bat 4, but another memorable chapter in the 'Loaf Legacy. |
| Eden Into The Within | Z Records |
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No doubt a few folks will wonder what I have against UK guitarist Vince O'Regan. Absolutely nothing at all personally. I've met the guy, I liked the guy and I think he is a fine guitar player. But there is no way in holy hell he should be let anywhere near a recording console or mixing desk. The results are always an utterly bloody atrocious mess. You would think he and the folks around him would understand that by now. It gives me no pleasure at all to declare that as a producer, he has now destroyed three Eden albums, 2 Pulse records and a Bob Catley album that based on the songs would otherwise have been terrific. This album, like the ones before it, is simply too hard on the ears to crank at any volume. It is simply impossible to appreciate any of the music within as it is badly mixed to the point of embarrassing, poorly recorded and drowned in a sea of tinny guitars. Take the big rocked up opening track Anything Goes. Such potential! The guitars are muddy, the cymbals thin and drums hollow, and the bridge to the chorus is almost undeterminable due to the extra guitar riff being buried in the mix, plus there is no change to the drum pattern aside from a brief one-two as you hit the change. The vocals sound impressive, but are drowned out by a seriously bad mix with the main guitar riff and plodding drum beat louder than anything else. Revolution Man is no better the vocals are muffled and almost inaudible at the start of each verse. Same goes in other songs. It doesn't get better anywhere through the album. It is just a mess. And that really sucks. The biggest sin is wasting the time and effort writing some decent songs with big potential and getting everyone together to record, deliver good performances...only to piss it all away. I've actually talked to two guys in the band and they weren't happy either, just as other guys in the previous bands felt. Let Vince write and play, but for God's sake get a few bucks together and hire a producer/mixer to do the job properly. It simply does not matter how good the songs are on any album if the end result is unlistenable and that's exactly what this is. Yes, I have been extremely hard with my attitude towards the production here - but it is a case of "how many times has the same thing been stated already...". Tragic when the best thing about the album is the artwork. |
| State Cows State Cows | Avenue Of Allies Music |
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I have dealt with some pretty crappy band names in my time, and State Cows is right up there on the list. The name gives no indication of the music within for me it represents a hokey country music style rather than the ultra smooth Westcoast pop the album is. The music here sounds like it came off a Steely Dan album from 1980 and is so soft and smooth they make the Doobie Brothers sound like Iron Maiden. This is prime Westcoast pop in the vein of Bill Champiln, AOR, Marc Jordan, George Benson and Jay Graydon. The band may be Swedish, but they sound as if they have been hanging out together in Malibu forever. Keyboards and vocals dominate, but a jazzy horn section and some plucky guitar riffs make for a great musical journey for fans of this genre. Too soft and jazzy for my personal tastes, but it remains a fine representation of the Westcoast genre and is very well produced. Of definite appeal to fans of any of the artists mentioned in this review. |
| Sedona Golden Valley | Avenue Of Allies Music |
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Smooth
very smooth
more classy Westcoast here, but Westcoat/AOR this time, a lot more appealing for me than the jazzy pop form of Westcoast performed by State Cows. Sedona are a French band and have a skill set perfect for this genre. The songs contrast between straight light-AOR in the vein of Tim Feehan, to breezier Westcoast numbers, with several featuring slide guitar and a real country twang. I'd recommend the album for all AOR fans, but the country influences at times is probably not going to appeal to some. But the David Foster/Toto/Chicago-esque pop moments are tasty to these ears. A broader taste in smooth music will be needed to appreciate this. But what I can say is that the album is very well recorded and has a nice beefy bottom end sound, something not always present in recordings of this style. Production quality and the quality of the whole package warrant investigation for fans of light AOR and Westcoast pop. |
| Angeline Confessions | Avenue Of Allies Music |
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These Swedish guys sent me a copy of their album even before they signed with Avenue Of Allies. My first impression was that these guys were very good a little diverse but typically Swedish in their approach and sound and would make some waves in the scene. Seems that is now coming to fruition. The band has been around a long time, but their debut only arrives this year. Their sound is influenced by modern pop production and some contemporary artists, but is dominated by melodies and catchy choruses. Hard to describe really, but they have a definite groove on several songs - Lenny Kravitz style such as on Fuel For The Fire; and then turn around and deliver a perfect radio friendly pop song in Confessions. The opening track and Blackout carry more groove with a somewhat 70s vibe, while other tracks are more contemporary pop. It's certain a varied and unusual sound, but they seem to make it work with a distinct vocal and tight production. Worth checking out for fans of the Scandi way and those with an open mind to varied styles within one record. |
| Wheels Of Fire Hollywood Rocks | Avenue Of Allies Music |
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Wheels Of Fire is a vehicle for songwriter, vocalist and keyboard player Davide "Dave Rox" Barbieri, an Italian musician with his heart in mid-80s Hollywood rockland. The style of the album is just that keyboard and guitar driven mid-80s melodic hard rock. Think Johnny Lima with a 1983 production. Although this is an Italian band, they try their hardest to sound American, but the accent on the lead vocals is just too strong to pull that off. The production is pretty decent and the performances within are energetic. The music is somewhat predictable, but rocks along nicely and thanks to the production, can be enjoyed by fans of old school melodic rock. The down side for me here is the accent on the vocals and the extremely clichιd lyrics. It's a good debut for the band, but improvements will be necessary if they are to gain a decent following in this scene. Michele Luppi of the Los Angeles project guests throughout, so that might be another selling point for curious fans. |
| Joey Summer Written On The Horizon | Aveue Of Allies Music |
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Avenue Of Allies has been turning up some interesting artists in their quest to build up the label. And I believe some of them will gain lasting traction. Joey Summer is a Brazilian melodic rocker, who is delivering his very first album with English lyrics. His vocals are rough and raspy at times, but holds the melodies well. There's a hint of an accent, but not as strong as some other releases and doesn't affect the album at all. There are a few notable guests on the album like Jaded Heart's Michael Muller, who performs on the cover of the Michael Bormann written Anymore good rocking track too. Fredrik Bergh and Goran Edman write and guest on the great AOR track Don't Believe. They also contribute the song Tables Turning, another slice of Street Talk style AOR. And Kee Marcello wrote the smooth closing ballad Rough Ride To Paradise. In-between those tracks are Joey's own compositions, which rock the album up a little more. He is a fine guitarist, but not the best vocalist I've ever heard, still the album works as a decent slice of classic style melodic hard rock, with some European influences. |
| Terry Brock Diamond Blue | Frontiers Records FRCD 475 |
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This is melodic rock perfection. Terry Brock can do no wrong as a vocalist, his tone and emotional delivery is made for this kind of music and the pairing of Terry with guitarist/producer legend Mike Slamer is heaven indeed. We all know Slamer crafts his albums like a DaVinci masterpiece, with every note accounted for and delivered to make each melody shine on its own. And Terry brings songwriting skills few others posses, his lyrics are always memorable and his delivery is flawless whether it be rocking along or crooning a ballad. Diamond Blue is perhaps a little mellower than anticipated, but overall a little more uptempo than the Slamer/Brock album that preceded this. But that's not a negative point this is such an appealing album that tempo just doesn't enter into it. And despite featuring the same team as that album, this solo album does have its own feel. The opening title track Diamond Blue is simply melodic bliss, with a killer AOR chorus, soaring guitar solo and upbeat tempo. Perfection. This is a blueprint release for how AOR should be delivered in 2010. Old school harmonies, but a sharp, contemporary "classic" production. It's You and Jessie's Gone are wondrous AOR gems with soaring choruses and emotive guitar playing and an all-powerful rhythm section. That's what I really love about Slamer productions the rhythm section simply snaps into place and really drives the songs. No More Mr. Nice Guy is a slamming hard rocker with a menacing tone. Cool change of pace to the album, then it's a 180 degree turn for the soft and soulful ballad The Rain. Beautiful vocals here truly. Broken turns the album heavy again menacing in some ways, but very moody, especially with the gut-wrenching chorus. Love this tune Face In The Crowd is the exact opposite - a light and breezy AOR classic, while Why turns the album moodier again. Too Young is another uptempo hard rocker with a big anthemic chorus. The ballad Soldier Falls contains one of the best heartfelt vocals of this or any year. Just glorious in its soaring harmonies and emotional subject matter. Another slow track closes the album, but I'd take a whole album of ballads when they are the quality of tracks like Face The Night. If anyone asked me to play the best example of the genre I love right now, this would be the album I'd go to. Fabulous performances all-round and flawless production. Essential! |
| First Signal First Signal | Frontiers Records FRCD 476 |
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Interesting release this. The first album to feature Harry Hess on vocals throughout, but without any musical input from either him or long time side kick Pete Lesperance. Some state this is Harry's long awaited return to AOR, but for me he never left. He couldn't write a non-melodic tune if his life depended on it. A real songwriting genius if you ask me. But...with the help of some well known writers for the genre (Erik Martensson, Martin Brothers, Richard Marx), Dennis Ward and his musical team have put together a highly attractive set of classic melodic rock/AOR tunes with one eye on the style of the Harem Scarem debut and another on still sounding contemporary for today's market. To that end of the deal they have delivered. And there's little doubt about Harry's own performance here, so what amounts to a tantalizingly good prospect on paper, has indeed paid off with the finished product. The opening chords of the album and the power in which they are delivered leave no room for misunderstanding. My City is a storming melodic rocker in the vein of the first two Harem albums, so if that's what fans were asking for here it is. When You Believe is perhaps the anthem of the album, steaming along at a frantic pace with a monster layered chorus. Part Of Me features a different kind of sound it is the first of two Richard Marx covers from his recent Emotional Remains CD. This is obviously more contemporary, which is fine by me, but I don't like the guitar sound here at all, but Harry's vocals are still classy. Crazy is a great old-school melodic rock ballad with a big chorus. Goodbye To The Good Times is the first of another double set of covers this time old Mark Free demos. This is a killer song, but in this case I think Harry's vocals might be a bit to gravelly for the tune itself, which was perfect for Free's more soulful style. I'm not sure who wrote First Signal, but this is brilliant and exactly the right kind of material the whole album should have been formed from. My guess is it's a Martin Bros. track. Feels Like Love This Time is a pretty good uptempo rocker, but Into The Night is another gem of a track and from the style I'm guessing the Martin's are at it again here killer track. When November Falls is the other Richard Marx tune so you know its all class and in this care Harry does a really great version of it. Very smooth and modern while retaining the Hess/Harem sound. Yesterdays Rain is a classic example of an uptempo hard rocking melodic WET/Eclipse tune just with Harry fronting the band this time. Naked Desire is the other Mark Free demo featured and I'm pleased to say Harry does a great job in this. The song is one of the best Free demos ever and Harry does it justice here. A great album of modern sounding classic AOR if that makes sense? Fresh production, but classic sound perhaps is the better description. Either way there is a definite homage being paid here to the first two Harem Scarem albums, but I miss Pete's guitar sound and any album that mixes up songwriters has the challenge to sound cohesive and I think on that might just be the weak point of the album. Still, great vocals and plenty of anthems for Hess fans to lap up. |
| Stan Bush Dream The Dream | Frontiers Records FRCD474 |
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Stan Bush is one of those iconic AOR names that has managed to stay relevant, popular and consistent during the second half of his career. Dream The Dream sees Stan teamed again with writing partner Holger Fath (keys and guitars also) and follows a similar musical path to that of In This Life (2007). This is another extremely well produced and supremely slick album with Stan in fine voice as always. As with every Stan Bush album there are some new classics delivered and for fans of old-school AOR mixed with a slightly updated sound and contemporary production, this won't disappoint. Never Turn Back is a typical high energy Stan Bush album opener while I'm Still Here is anthemic as possible. Don't Give Up On Love and Two Hearts fulfill the required quota of moodier melodic rockers before the big Bush ballad In My Life ticks the final box of required song styles. Best of the second half is the anthemic rocker If This Is All There Is and the moody Dream The Dream. The rest is strong and consistent, but a little predictable and I think Stan definitely plays it safe. Throwing in a new version of The Touch is pushing that song's history just a little too far. The modern rock version is unique, but out of place here and should be retired from any further re-working. Of the trio of albums delivered for Frontiers in recent years, this is the least essential for me, only because it treads an all too familiar path without offering anything new. Most tracks could have come from any previous Stan Bush album. But it remains very enjoyable and consistent and the quality of the end product is certainly of appeal to all Stan Bush/AOR fans. |
| Jorn Dio | Frontiers Records FRCD467 |
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I think regular readers will be aware of just how high a regard I hold for Jorn and his talent, and how frustrating it can be with his material sometimes. I'm still waiting for that stunning classic I know he can deliver. Although received with some skepticism when first announced, this covers album of all Dio related songs (and one original tribute track) really does do the great man (Ronnie James Dio) justice. And it also does great service to the name Jorn Lande. He mimics, or interprets the Dio material here with aplomb and delivers a crushing hard rock album that's beautifully produced and immensely passionate. There are some obvious cuts (Stand Up And Shout, Night People, Kill The King, Sacred Heart) and some less obvious album cuts (Invisible, Lord Of The Last Day, Push), but all of them are delivered with all dials to 11 and Jorn's vocals are simply brilliant. The Jorn band is as powerful as ever and this album is I think an essential for all fans of Jorn to have in their collection. Jorn's original tribute track Song For Ronnie James is a very tasteful and reflective homage from a vocal great to a vocal legend. Heavy, heavy heavy! |
| Terra Nova Come Alive | Frontiers Records FRCD469 |
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The last we heard from Ron and Fred Hendrix was for the amazing debut album Two Of A Kind (where's the follow-up already?). Now they are back where they started with a new Terra Nova album. Picking up where they left off with the last album Escape, mixed with the production quality and melodic base of the Two Of A Kind record. Come Alive, Holy Grail are the album's two best AOR anthems, followed closely by the mid-tempo Here Comes The Night. The big ballad Those Eyes is also classy old-school AOR. Under Pressure sounds more like Grand Illusion with it's frantic pace, over the top harmonics and backing harmonies. Cool song. From here the band lose it a little for me. The material in the second half of the album is a bit grittier and not as memorable as the first half. Do Or Die pretty much just dies and the chorus of Who Can You Count On is great, but the verse not so. Same with My Own Way. A certain potential there with an awesome chorus, but in-between it is a bit Queen-esque pomp that doesn't fit the song. The closing ballad The Final Curtain is also a miss for me just not warming to it. A decent album with some sure fire hit material, but also a few fillers. I was expecting more after the guys involvement in the knockout Two Of A Kind record, but this falls short of that. Very good, but not quite essential. |
| Ferreira Better Run! | Escape Music ESM213 |
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Ferreira is of course Marco Ferreira of Goodbye Thrill fame and several other projects (Venturia, Solo, etc). The man keeps busy! This is the third solo album for Marco, but the first to carry the shortened Ferreira moniker. This is a harder rocking version of Goodbye Thrill and more contemporary too. The band has a smoking rhythm section in Gus Monsanto (bass) and Alex Ferreira (drums). Patrick Sebastian supplies the guitar muscle. The production is decent, but not earth shattering. The problem here is that there is some sonic differences between tracks, which gives the album a lack of consistency. And it doesn't help to be critiqued just after reviewing a Mike Slamer release! But songwise the guys know a good tune and there's a lot to like here. Marco has a great voice for the genre and the harmony vocals add extra atmosphere during chorus breaks. This is pretty heavy compared to Goodbye Thrill in places uptempo and free flowing. Secret Damned Society is an immediately catchy opener with a nice hard edge guitar delivery. Vocals on the frantic I Want Out are terrific and I only wish there was a bigger recording budget to give Marco the chance to be better recognized amongst his peers. Knocking On My Doors sees the band slow things down into AOR territory before things get a little more aggressive again on the fun belter Better Run! Rescue Me is a bit of a mess however and could have used a clearer mix. There are a couple of heavy almost alternative themed tracks on the album Defense Trust The Enemy is awful (sorry Marco!) and Rule In Self isn't much better. Either side of those tracks though are some more solid melodic hard rockers, the best being the ultra moody History We Make, which closes the album on a high. Worth investigating for those that like melodic music with a bit of gusto and an updated feel. A few fillers, but a few killers too, so take a listen. Goodbye Thrill fans will hear a few tunes here that have the power sometimes missing on that band's records. |
| Jon Mullane Shift | Escape Music ESM 214 |
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Any album featuring a member of Harem Scarem is going to raise eyebrows in this scene. From the top we have Canadian singer, songwriter and multi instrumentalist Jon Mullane. The new album (his second) is produced by Harem's Creighton Doane (who also plays drums) and Harem guitarist Pete Lesperance is also credited as playing on the album. I'm not sure where, but he's on there somewhere I guess. The bulk of guitar work is supplied by Mullane himself. So all these Harem references has you excited right? Well forget it, as this album has nothing to do with Harem Scarem now or then and little else to do with the melodic rock scene. Rather, Shift is an album of contemporary rock/pop with samples, production effects and a somewhat programmed danceable beat throughout even if that beat is delivered by guitars and a drum machine. To be fair it isn't these aspects which kill this album for me as I remain a big fan of commercial pop when done well and can appreciate just about any kind of music when done well. This isn't. Not to my ears at least. I just don't find any redeeming qualities in the majority of songs featured here. The effects and drum programming can be distracting and Mullane's vocals are nothing of any particular note. And the songs themselves just don't work. Maybe the moody trio of songs - the ballad The One That Got Away and the modern pop of Change Your Life and Go The Distance are pretty good .these tracks actually sound like commercial modern rock and something Creighton might be involved in. The rest are all just beats and no melodies . The remix of the opening song to close the album is beyond pointless, making this a 9 track album with 2.5 decent songs. After repeated listens I still can't say this is something I would want to listen to again. |
| Y&T Facemelter | Frontiers Records FRCD462 |
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I don't have a whole lot to speak about in regards to the new Y&T. That's no reflection on the band or the quality of the album it just that after 13 years between records, not much has changed for the band. Now that's a good thing in this case. Y&T return to their roots with this high energy hard rocking release. The production is no frills - not the best I've ever heard and the vocals are a little rough around the edges at times, but the energy is undeniable. On With The Show crashes through the speakers with the bombastic riffs which don't let up until track 8 the nice softer style ballad If You Want Me. I prefer the band when they keep it up tempo Shine On, I Want You Money and I'm Coming Home are all great. Following the ballad it's back to business with the crunchy AC/DC hard rocker Hot Shot and the groovy Blind Patriot. Y&T have delivered a really solid album from start to finish, returning to their hard rocking, raw, basic formula, albeit with a few additional years under their belts! I don't think it is earth shattering enough to draw in a legion of new fans, but I reckon it will keep all the old ones more than happy. |
| Vince Neil Tattoos & Teqila | Frontiers Records FRCD463 |
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I went into this record without any enthusiasm at all. Vince Neil created one classic album with his solo debut, but I put that down more so to the presence of guitar ace Steve Stevens. His Motley Crue and solo live performances are scratchy at best and to say his voice is an acquired taste is an understatement. Then throw in the added (lack of) appeal in that this is a mostly covers album and I really didn't expect much. But, to my surprise, this album is really well produced and has a terrific in-your-face guitar attitude and Vince does his best to bring new life into some old tunes. Covering the likes of ZZ Top, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, Sex Pistols and even Elton John, the album is cranked to the max thanks to producer Jack Blades and a hot shot band featuring Jeff Blado (guitars) and Dana Strum (bass) both from Slaughter; Zoltan Chaney on drums and Neil of course. Two new songs are surprisingly cool Tattoos And Tequila has attitude and spunk and Another Bad Day is a mid-tempo ballad with a bit of heart. Those two are produced by Marti Frederiksen. The album punks up a lot of the tunes, but all in all it works and the raw energy behind the performances certainly gives the album a big enjoyment factor. |
| Vanden Plas The Seraphic Clockwork | Frontiers Records FRCD464 |
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Interesting band this. And an interesting, if not super intense release from Germany's premiere concept-metallers. Four years on since their last concept opus, the band delivers an even more intense and diverse record. This is not an easy listen. This is not for AOR fans or those that live for 4 minute songs and instant choruses. The story line covers a dramatic science fiction story - the concept album was penned by vocalist Andy Kuntz and which chronicles a journey in place and time from 16th century Rome to Jerusalem in the year 33 A.D. Yes indeed! How you write catchy melodies and memorable lyrics to such a theme is beyond me, so congrats to Andy for pulling it off. Vocalist Andy Kuntz has a likeable higher range voice (not unlike Michael Eden) and helps make the material all that more listenable. He brings light to some otherwise fairly dark sounds and moods. Songs range from 5 to 13 minutes in length and cover moody slow songs to double kick drum prog-metal riff-fests. Like I said not an easy listen, but very very well produced and mixed and a definite worthy successor to the Christ-O release from 2006. |
| Pretty Maids Pandemonium | Frontiers Records FRCD459 |
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Honestly, sometimes it is very hard to keep track of the number of European hard rock/metal outfits that grace these pages. But one I have no trouble remembering is Denmark's Pretty Maids. They are fortunate enough to have their own style and sound, distinct enough to recognize their work. On Pandemonium the guys deliver an album of expected melodic hard rockers, but less expected is their ability to tone it down several notches and create some truly memorable AOR-ish tracks. The album mixes it up, and produces a couple of the year's most memorable melodic rock anthems. The gruff and over the top vocals of the opening track Pandemonium give way to a more sensitive and melodic vocal on the equally powerful INVU, which features a great chorus and the utterly brilliant Little Drops Of Heaven which is even better and one of 2010's melodic gems. Nothing I love more than moody and melodic songs, backed with power. One World One Truth heads back into hard edges riff territory, but still delivers a great chorus. The melodic hard rocker Final Day Of Innocence isn't far away from what was offered up on the latest Treat album. My next favourite song is the uptempo rock ballad Old Enough To Know and the melodic gem Breathless. Impressive stuff from Pretty Maids here. An album that should be remembered for the rest of the year and feature heavily on some Best Of lists. |
| John Waite In Real Time - Live | Frontiers Records FRCD460 |
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While long time fans continue to sit around waiting for legendary AOR vocalist John Waite to decide what to do next, another filler release has been issued to buy the singer extra time. In Real Time is a warts and all recording just the kind I like, with little (if any) overdubs and a 'live on the night' mix. Sadly it only features a mere 10 tracks (2 others are filler/interludes) about 7 or 8 short of a great value live recording from one of the best vocalists in the business. Because of this, we find a lot of cool tracks left out of a hit-filled catalogue of tunes. One cover, 3 Babys tunes, two Bad English tunes, and only 4 tunes from his 9 solo albums. Very disappointing set list. But the performance does give something for fans to be happy about. John's voice cracks in a few places, but shines brightly in other areas. I like the energy of the record and the honest performance. Certainly this is of definite appeal to all JW fans, but shame it is such a short album a brief snapshot of a long and illustrious career to date. |
| Tony Harnell & The Mercury Train Round Trip | Frontiers Records FRCD468 |
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Acoustic albums are often used as fillers between bigger projects or something to maintain momentum for an artist coming off a big release. And they are often thrown together in quick time. Neither is true for this long in the works release from Tony Harnell. He has spent a good part of a full year recording this and the effort shows in the dynamics of the music featured within. This is immaculately produced and mixed to perfection (by Danger Danger's Bruno Ravel). And that's a vital key to the success of this release as it isn't a simple acoustic release by any stretch. It is a layers-thick, lush re-arrangement of song Tony has sung over the years (Westworld, TNT, Startbreaker) in stark new stripped back arrangements, accompanied by a full band of musicians playing such instruments as ukulele, additional percussion and from Amy Harnell, additional female vocals and descant recorder. It works great. One of my favourite ever acoustic themed albums was Tony's own Morning Wood release, which I regard very highly to this day. This is a sequel almost, but featuring some obscure and hit TNT songs getting reworked quite noticeably. Intuition sounds amazing as does Somebody Told You; Shame features Sandy Saraya on vocal duet; and Lonely Nights and 10,000 Lovers are mixed up, but retain their original character. Tracks range from a groovy, semi-electric jazz (10,000 Lovers), to vocal and guitar only (Satellite), to the slow and brooding intensity on Uninvited. Lots of styles and variations but all of them unplugged and re-arranged. Another great release from Tony Harnell and worthy of picking up for any fans of his new and old. |
| Yoso Elements | Frontiers Records FRCD466 |
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As the name suggests, this is indeed a musical blend of the pop/prog elements of Yes and the punchy rhythms and complex keyboard style of Toto. Original Toto vocalist Bobby Kimball fronts the band, rounded out by Yes alumni Tony Kaye on keyboards and Billy Sherwood on vocals and everything else. There is a certain pre-programmed feel to the album, with all tracks written by Sherwood/Kimball. There are some solid performances here Bobby sounds good and the keyboards are lush at times. But after such a time spent living with this album, I am still not convinced I have it figured out. Or even like it! There really should be no question really as everything about it suggests it will fit my tastes perfectly. But I am still struggling to decide which songs I like. There are plenty of hooks, but I'm not sure if they are catchy enough. There is a nice balance of uptempo and slower tracks at times, but I can't seem to get into the album as a whole. I'm really at a loss to pin down exactly why I don't appreciate the album as much as I should. Maybe some of the vocals are too consistently high in pitch, maybe some of the choruses just don't work for me. The opening track that features almost no lyrical content besides the band's name is annoying and elsewhere I am just not being charmed by the music on offer. Time To Get Up is a perfect example I should adore this song!! Big chorus, catchy hooks but I find it annoying at times. It is a great sounding album, but I guess the songs just aren't hitting the spot. I'm going to get some feedback on this review and I'm going to read each comment with interest as maybe someone else can point out where I'm going wrong here or perhaps, someone else will agree with me. What appears to be a perfect album in theory, just finds me struggling to appreciate and therefore, the overall score reflects my view of this. |
| Shining Line Shining Line | Avenue Of Allies 10 04 0012 |
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I have a bunch of Avenue Of Allies releases to cover here, but I'll start at the top with the best of them all to date. Shining Line is the brain child of Pierpaolo "Zorro11" Monti, together with his longtime friend and bassist Amos Monti. The project features a range of great vocalists in the melodic rock world, each of them given a great song to "shine" on. And shine they do the songs here are absolutely great. The production is very good considering likely budget constraints and at the heart of the album is some classic style AOR anthems with some simply great vocal performances. One of the best vocalists in recent years is Erik Martensson (Eclipse, WET) and he blazes through the opening uptempo feel-good track Highway Of Love. Much loved Harry Hess comes in next with Amy a wonderfully melodic song with an early Harem Scarem vibe. Strong Enough (Lead vocals: Robbie LaBlanc) could have come from the Blanc Faces release and Heat Of The Light (Lead vocals: Robin Beck) shows Robin in full passionate, power ballad power. Can't Stop The Rock is another anthemic rocker with Last Autumn's Dream frontman Mikael Erlandsson taking control. The Meaning Of My Lonely Words is an all too rare glimpse of Von Groove's Michael Shotton singing and is a big big ballad. The Infinity In Us (Lead vocals: Michael Voss, Guitar solo: Vinny Burns) is yet another great melodic rocker with a big chorus and the uptempo moody ballad Still In Your Heart features lead vocals from Sue Willets & Bob Harris who sound amazing together! The world needs more Bob Harris vocals! Homeless' Lullaby is one of the better vocals I have heard from M.ill.ion's Ulrich Carlsson & Midnite Club's Carsten "Lizard" Schulz. Follow The Stars gives American vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Phil Vincent some well deserved air time and the hard rocker Unbreakable Wire is another boost to Brunorock. The complex three part epic Under Silent Walls closes the album with a different vibe altogether, adding some moody instrumental moments to vary the album even further. Good stuff for this debut album that came out of the blue. The pressure will now be on for a follow up! |
| LA Guns Covered In Guns | Cleopatra |
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What an up and down decade this lot have had. From the dumpster-worthy Man In The Moon, to the average Tales From The Strip to the in-form classic that was Waking The Dead. Then there's the B-Sides release and another covers album Rips The Covers Off. Why on God's green earth the guys would want to go the covers route again is beyond me. And their choice of "cool" covers is certainly questionable. Why cover a classic Def Leppard tune a million dollar budget (literally) vs $120 and a slab of beer? And is including Buckcherry's Crazy Bitch an attempt at looking relevant and cool? Elsewhere there's Let There Be Rock (AC/DC) ok; Break My Stride (Matthew Wilder) and Little Saint Nick (Beach Boys) both embarrassing and sonically dire; Rock & Roll All Night (Kiss) predicable and safe (pretty hard to get Kiss wrong, eh?). The only real joy I took from this album was their cover of Cry Little Sister (Theme from The Lost Boys) by Gerald McMann. Phil Lewis does a really good vocal here, but that's about it. I really used to follow this band religiously. Then the break up and subsequent two-LA Guns policy made them look silly. The music hasn't been the same since and this release is another big fat nail into their career coffin. |
| Wild Side Speed Devil | Escape Music ESM210 |
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Norwegian rockers Wild Side recorded this, their second album, at Ronnie LeTekro's studios. Produced by the band WildSide with Andy LaRoque, the sound is very good for a release of this size. Big sound and big guitars, all evenly mixed. Speed Devil is an unremarkable, yet solid album of AC/DC meets Motley Crue style hard rock with a dash of Yngwie guitar theatrics thrown in for good measure. Add some accented Vince Neil vocals from singer Joachim Berntsen and you'll be close to the band's sound. This kind of European hard rock is easy to come across, so each band needs to have an identifying mark. I'm not sure these guys have that, but the songs are good enough to win over some fans just not sure how many. Mine Tonight, Paranoid Circus and Wild One are all driving rockers with conviction, Won't Let Go has a cool riff and the only change of pace comes form the ballad Love For You and the closing end of the album. Uptempo, big riffs and a sense of excitement are the key factors to this pretty enjoyable hard rock record. |
| Third Eye Recipe For Disaster | Escape Music ESM209 |
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I normally have a lot of time for Escape Music releases. I find that label A&R Khalil Turk has a good ear for melodic rock that has a habit of growing on you and making itself memorable for all the right reasons.
I'll have to side-step that judgment for this release. Third Eye is a Danish metal outfit, with some decent sounding riffs with a progressive edge, but the vocals are just beyond abysmal. When they aren't screaming in full Geoff Tate glory, or whining with a really off-putting accent, they are either growling, talking or howling along in the background. I just can't get past them. I'm wondering if anyone else will be able to either. I've seen a couple of positive reviews for this, but I can't fathom why. I like it powerful and I can take good prog-metal anytime, but this is neither. |
| Triumph Greatest Hits Remixed | Frontiers Records FRCD461 |
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A sequel to Triumph's Classics from 1989, Greatest Hits Remixed is a 14 track update of that hits package and comes on the back of the band's US Festival 83 Live release. Not sure this is an essential release, but the bonus DVD of clips certainly adds value for money. I've followed this band since Thunder Seven in the early 80s and Rik Emmett remains one of my favourite singers. I'd love nothing more than a new studio album from the band if Rush can still rock, then so can these guys. C'mon already! I'm going to presume this signing by Frontiers is a foot in the door to persuade the band to work on a new album for them. I hope so But, as for this compilation re-mixed? Re-mastered sure but I'm not hearing a lot of difference here between the originals and these re-mixed hits. A little brighter perhaps and certainly a little louder. For those new to the band or only familiar with a couple of tunes this is certainly a terrific starting point. The Canadian trio is responsible for some of the most memorable rock anthems of the 80s and their legacy and place in rock history should never be understated. |
| Drive She Said Dreams Will Come | AOR Heaven |
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Dreams Will Come is supposed to be the re-introduction of this classic AOR act to the public and a prelude to an all-new studio album. If that be the case based on the new recordings here I would put a halt to that immediately. New band recordings of tracks written by Mark Mangold and covered elsewhere are Fools Game (Michael Bolton) and I Found Someone (Cher). Both classic AOR tracks, but here are reduced to B-Grade covers due to some horrible vocals from the once golden Al Fritsch. The mix isn't much better either. I Found Someone is particularly nasty. A crying shame. Two brand new tracks are also included. Try 2 Let Go is stunningly bad. Almost semi-industrial in it's design, the track is as far from expected Drive She Said style as that awful Bieber kid would be singing for Crimson Glory. The other new track Dreams Will Come is closer to classic AOR but just sounds horrible. Vocals, drums, guitars all horrible. Shame again as the chorus could be a killer. The rest of the album is DSS as we remember them. The rest of the album is "best tracks" - Don't You Know What Love Is, Maybe It's Love, Hard Way Home, Driving Wheel all hold fond memories. A little dated now in that 1983 keyboard drenched style, but at least it had a decent production and great performances from all. This once mighty pomp-AOR institution have not aged well and I would hope that if there will still be an all-new album, some serious rethinking be done before it comes to fruition. |
| 8 Point Rose Primigenia | Escape Music ESM211 |
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This is more like it. Heavier than Third Eye, more progressive than Third Eye and infinitely more classy than Third Eye. If you are going to spend some money on a metal release, make it this one. Swedish metallers 8 Point Rose have a really big sounding record here with riffs, beats and progressive twists throughout. This is a seriously heavy record, yet the vocals remain ever likable. Marcus Nygren has a pleasant tone when screaming or diving into the darker, lower notes. It makes all the difference. The band has toured a bit and it shows in the cohesive nature of the songs here. You can tell if a band has gelled, even in the studio. For a metal album, the songs here are relatively short. All around the 5 minute mark and the guys haven't forgotten choruses take a listen to the metal anthem When Chaos Rules Our Lives. A heavier and less progressive Dream Theater might be one description, but the guys have their own sound. Like I said seriously heavy in places, but equally melodic in other areas. A solid debut unlike that of Third Eye. These guys will definitely be back for more and I'll look out for that. |
| Ratt Infestation | Loud & Proud/Roadrunner |
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I wouldn't call myself a big Ratt fan. I have a couple of the older albums and their last studio album, but generally don't get excited about the band. And some of singer Stephen Pearcy's solo outings have been absolutely diabolical. So what happened here? Basically they nailed it! Pearcy sounds great the best I have heard from him and the songs are simply Ratt doing what Ratt always did best. High energy hard rock with a sleazy edge and pounding rhythm section. Best of all, these songs have as much melody and all-round quality as any Ratt release I've heard. Just pure energy here from the opening anthem Eat Me Up Alive, to the single Best Of Me (don't worry guys, Van Halen will forgive you) and the frantic A Little Too Much and Last Call. Full on Ratt N Roll. I've said this may times before, but what is it that brings a band to simply be the best they can be at what the fans want them to be. Why do some bands get it like Ratt, Whitesnake, Tesla, FM, Treat and some bands like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi don't? Well, simple those that get it are the ones that listen to the fans and forget about trying to change styles repeatedly to remain relevant whatever that means in their minds. Personally, I think that If it comes from the heart, it will sound relevant no matter what and that's what Ratt have done here and why they are on the receiving end of a lot of great publicity. |
| Scorpions A Sting In The Tail | Universal |
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The Scorps are back with another album and an apparent backflip after their last album Humanity Hour 1. That album moved the band into a new decade, with a more polished modern rock feel and won a lot of praise for its quality and credibility. So a little confusing to find them throwing that away to head back into classic hard rock territory. Normally a welcome relief for classic fans and perhaps still that for some. No problem with that myself, as I've always enjoyed the band's 80s output, which this album most closely mirrors. The anthem deluxe Raised On Rock clearly shows the direction of the new album which mixed Savage Amusement with some Def Leppard production techniques and that straight ahead rock sound. Sting In The Tail is as catchy as it gets, yet very simple; The Good Die Young is a typical Scorps ballad; Rock Zone is a little lyrically lame, but it does "rock"; Loreli is another big ballad; Turn You On is a solid hard rocker before we head back into ballad territory again as we do yet again for the last track Best Is Yet To Come, which might just be the best of the 4 featured. In-between in the great pop/rock anthem Spirirt Of Rock delivers one of the best choruses of the album. Consistent, enjoyable and ultimately, just quality Scorpions. Will it be their last ever album? Doubt it! |
| Asia Omega | Frontiers Records FRCD 455 |
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Asia continues their comeback with studio album number 2 since reforming. Here they follow the path set out by Phoenix. Thankfully though, the guys have discovered second and third gear, allowing this album to feature more a mix of uptempo tracks and a greater variation in pace overall. There are still too many songs that make David Cassidy sound like Black Label Society, but at least this time they are armed with better melodies, strong choruses and a more typically Asia sound. I rated Phoenix too high in hindsight as I haven't played it since, but it was still a crowd pleaser for many. Many other complained of the lack of spark. Check this album out instead. Much better. Shame though that one of the best tracks on the album comes from a rehashed Wetton/Downes track Finger On The Trigger. Still, the lush mid-tempo Through My Veins has a real moody vibe and appeal, Holy War runs along at a fast tempo (for these guys!) and Listen Children is simple, uplifting and most reminiscent of early Asia. An album highlight for me. Light The Way is almost frantic for these guys and I'm Still The Same and I Believe are pure uplifting AOR. Ballad Ever Yours is slow, but has a wonderful lead vocal. End of the World is even more haunting. There Was a Time also slow, but wrapped around great melodies and lush orchestration. Don't Wanna Lose You Now is a nice heartfelt ballad with lots of harmonies to finish the album. A really terrific album this and one I think Asia fans will be highly enamored with. Lots of harmonies and layers of orchestration and John Wetton sounds more inspired than I have heard him in years. I was beginning to think of him as the weak link, but on this record he rules. Terrible cover artwork though. |
| Tesla Alive In Europe | Frontiers Records FRCD457 |
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Another live album on the market right now sees Tesla also running through their catalogue of albums for fans in Europe this set taken from numerous shows in July 2009. And another very 'live' record warts and all, which I appreciate, but I have to say that Jeff Keith's vocals are a little hoarse and raspy throughout this set. And again, great to hear new material alongside the band's classic tracks. I'm one of those Tesla fans that doesn't think the guys have made a step wrong over the years, aside from a few filler tracks here and there. The mix is superb, especially the crisp guitars and vocals, although I think the drum sound is a little dry throughout. Another one for die-hards, but few else. Recommended for fans of the band. Minimalist packaging though. |
| Extreme Take Us Alive | Frontiers Records FRCD456 |
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I like my live albums, loud, raw and 100% live. No overdubs thank you. Even at the risk of making some musicians look human! Extreme's double CD/DVD is one of those nice raw recordings that capture the band exactly as they are. Loose, improvisional and inspirational. Great to see these guys together again and the crowd in this case are totally dedicated to the band and makes a lot of noise throughout. The band jam like their lives depend on it always a joy to hear such talent having fun on stage. Recording quality is great and the mix nice and clear, in that raw sense of a live album at least. A number of highlights for long time fans, but how could you go past the nearly 7 minute long Play With Me? New songs Ghost and Star make for a more enjoyable listen than the studio cuts and it is great to see all eras of the band's history included in the set list. Essential for Extreme and Bettencourt fans. |
| FM Metropolis | AOR Heaven 00040 |
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It has taken a long time for the guys to get back together and for this album to materialize, but it has been worth the wait. I can't see any FM fans being disappointed by this as it is simply FM at their very best. The production is great; there is a real solid thump to this album, which features material on the heavier side of what FM have delivered over the years. Steve Overland sounds as sharp as ever, the harmony vocals are all in place and the trademark British melodic rock sound is delivered over 13 quality songs. Overland may be appearing on different records quite a bit in recent years, but there is no repeating himself here. The stand alone sound of FM is unique and this album is no different. Rocking with tracks like the opening thumper Wildside, Flamingo Road and the Foreigner-esque Over You; to the moody monster Hollow, Bring Back Yesterday and Unbreakable. All great songs. Uptempo, mid-tempo and smooth ballads are all featured on this classic British melodic rock album capturing a band that sounds fresh and energetic after a long time in hiatus. |
| Crashdiet Generation Wild | Frontiers Records FRCD458 |
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I have wide ranging tastes, as long as it's all rock n roll! I love AOR, melodic rock, hard rock and take in a bit of melodic metal, pop, progressive and sleaze rock and whatever else this site's duties requires me to listen to. So it is no wonder I have been so happy with the music around in the past few months. Something for everyone and all releases seriously good quality. And no label has come close to Frontiers over the last few months. Now they are delivering one of the best hard sleaze albums of 2010 with the new Crashdiet album a record that takes all the attitude of the late 80s Sunset Strip, mixes it with the dirty streets of Vegas and rolls it in a coating of Swedish glam. Crashdiet's power punch album is as consistent as you could hope for with highlights stretching throughout the album. The hard blast of Armageddon, the 'Chris Laney' sonic boom of So Alive and the killer first single Generation Wild which would easily have been a charting song back in 1990. The guys slow it down just slightly for the moody Save Her, which features one of the coolest verse vocal hooks in recent years. Just love the angst and attitude of this track. Chemical is another really commercial kick ass track and Beautiful Pain closes the album with another angst filled blast. Simon Cruz is a wonderful vocalist perfectly suited to the band and I dare say a real find for the band after the untimely passing of former singer Dave Lepard. This one of the best produced albums of its kind in a long time. It features a huge wall of sound. Hard rock lovers need to investigate. |
| Mass Sea Of Black | Escape Music ESM207 |
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Utterly brilliant! Mass are an acquired taste, but if you are already a fan, you are going to flip over this album maybe the band's best ever in a long history. The Robert Plant like vocals mixed with a Led Zeppelin/Zebra/Dokken hybrid is not for everyone, but if you are looking for something different with a ton of attitude, this is a great album to check out. Established fans already happy with the guy's comeback album Crack Of Dawn are going to be positively blown away here. Great songs, the best production I have heard from the guys and a crystal clear mix make this a winner. Falling From Grace is frantic, fast and in your face; All The Years Gone starts acoustic before erupting into a monster chorus and The Right Side and Ashes To Ashes are classic eerie Mass madness. More acoustic guitars and a much lower vocal register for the feel good Coming Home. The acoustic ballad More Than A Friend has been updated with strings and more vocals than the earlier version found on MRCD5. Till We Meet Again is another great ballad. All That I Needed, Justify and Sea Of Black rock hard to give the album an interesting mix of rockers and ballads. |
| Serpentine A Touch Of Heaven | AOR Heaven 00042 |
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A lot has been said of these guys on the message boards after some high profile promotions and a YouTube video clip. Some like, some don't (isn't that true of everything?), but if the facts are presented fairly, then one would have to back these guys for creating a solid album of classic AOR elements featuring the vocals of man of the moment Tony Mills (Shy, TNT, State Of Rock). Tony certainly lifts the profile of these British lads, but it isn't his voice that makes this record it is the quality of the songs. Nothing new here, nor anything adventurous, simply 9 fine old-school melodic rock/AOR tunes featuring a lot of layers and a very good production. Only the drum sound could have used with more tweaking. It lacks impact in certain places and could have given more power to some songs. Highlights are the anthems A Touch Of Heaven, Whatever Heartache, the moodier Lonely Nights and the killer mid-tempo AOR track For The Love Of It All. The album took a while to grow on me, but is laden with melodies check out Fashion and the moody Love Suicide. Only 1 filler here the closing track Unbreak My Heart. I hated the original and Tony Mills does his best to make it listenable. Doesn't work for me, but I know others dig it, so that's fine. |
| State Of Rock A Point Of Destiny | Metal Heaven MHV00081 |
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It's that Tony Mills again! Well, it shouldn't look like he's on every album this month, as I should have reviewed this back in February. Still, if you add TNT and Shy to the 2010 schedule, it does seem like the Year Of The Mills. State Of Rock is basically German melodic rockers Frontline with Mills on lead vocals. So the album does represent the Frontline sound for the most part a slightly complicated European blend of hard rock and Journey style AOR for those unfamiliar with the band. 10 songs here of consistent quality. I don't go for the opening track so much, but after that the hooks and Frontline layered keyboard and vocal sounds ring true. Without My Love and Heartless Dreamer are great, Hanging In The Balance is intense and Freedom is a big heavy rocker with the best chorus of the album. Count Me Out sounds like old school TNT and A Point Of Destiny gets heavier still. Don't Make Me Cry is a big epic ballad, but Tony's voice runs out of charm here. The vocals are just too high for my ears. Friction is a great hard rocker that might just be the best track of the album and Somewhere is an ok rock track to close the album. |
| Chris Laney Only Come Out At Night | Metal Heaven MHV00083 |
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Another solo album from producer/guitarist Chris Laney just one year after his killer breakthrough debut album. And no surprise here Chris takes up exactly where he left off, using the same blueprint as the debut to deliver another high octane sleaze fuelled hard rock gem. This should probably be purchased right alongside the Crashdiet release, but beware your ear drums could require surgery after prolonged listening to both albums. Chris' voice is somewhat of an acquired taste, but if you have the debut album, there is no reason why you shouldn't have this too. More dynamic songs, big vocals and wailing guitars and that Swedish sleaze touch that has its own unique style. Plenty of highlights and most of them upbeat and in your face Only Come Out At Night, Rockstar, Crush and Love So Bad. On a slower note B4 It's 2late shows a slightly different side of Chris. Two songs of special note the very commercial One Kiss Tonight (anthem heaven!) and Playing With Fire. Two really really great songs and the most melodic Chris Laney has delivered yet. |
| Newman The Art Of Balance | Chrome Dome CRDO-10-01 |
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Newman, or multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and vocalist Steve Newman, never disappoints. With precision regularity, a new album appears and stays true to the formula he has developed over several years now. And as with each album's release, we get to discover another set of traditional British melodic rock gems, and a few new classics per album too. Staying on course with the heavier direction of the last album or two, The Art Of Balance won't disappoint any fan of Newman and should serve to further enhance Steve Newman's production and songwriting credentials. Some of the earlier material was more traditional AOR, but the last two albums have been stripped back harder rocking material and the opening Hero To Zero shows where this album is heading. Edge Of The World, Endless and The Miracle all rock along at a fair pace before the glorious AOR sound of old returns for the lush Stay With Me. Tumble Down is one of the best rockers of the album and kicks off the second part of the album with a bang. Break It Down is another classic from Steve and Forever is another classy ballad. More great stuff from Newman always take a little bit to sink in and grown on you, but then it's stuck in your head forever. |
| Silent Call Greed | Escape Music ESM206 |
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Good band these guys. Swedish hard, intense progressive melodic metal, with some fine keyboard swirls and dramatic arrangements, all with the very likable vocals of Andy Kravljaca making sense of it all. His upper register vocals suit the music and give comparisons to Dream Theater and Goran Edman. Long songs without being epic 5 to 7 minutes in general and 60 minutes of music to absorb. It isn't easy when there is so much going on, but that's the trademark of progressive music. The band can slow it down for more intense slower numbers (Through The Endless Night) and even close out with an epic acoustic based ballad (Clavain's Tale). This is a quality album with a huge sound that should be investigated by all fans of heavy progressive music. They are one of the finer bands out there, but could use some further chorus development to take them right over the top. |
| Firecracker Born Of Fire | Escape Music ESM208 |
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First thing that hits you with Firecracker is some Yngwie styled guitar heroics, it certainly got my attention. But then the vocals kicked in. The band is a pre-cursor to the quality Swedish prog-metal band Vindictiv, featuring the band's founder Stefan Lindholm. This is a softer, less progressive version of the Vindictiv sound, even though the 9 songs still nearly make a 50 minute album. There is some terrific guitar work on this album, but it is pretty clear to see why it never got a deal back in the day and I'm thinking it might have been better off left behind. The songs just don't have the attention grabbing melodies of Vindictiv and the move to Goran Edman was certainly a step up from vocalist Tommy Kerevik used here. He's a good singer, but just doesn't seem to fit in here. This is an ok album, but there is so much around these days that anything less than great is going to struggle to be remembered or make any kind of inroads into the market place. One for die hard Vindictiv fans perhaps. |
| Treat Coup De Grace | Frontiers Records FRCD453 |
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The name says it all. This album is a real treat to listen to. Melodic Gold to these ears and a perfect album for any mood, anywhere, anytime. Treat haven't made an all-new studio album since 1992 and more than make up for time here, with a breathtaking 13 track tour de force. Production is staggeringly good courtesy of guitarist Anders Wikstrom and the mix is perhaps the clearest and crispest sound I have heard in years. You could measure the precise centre of an atom using the same tools to balance between instruments and vocals here. This is my W.E.T. for 2010 strong melodic vocals, soaring melodies, huge production, thumping rhythm section and powerful guitars tough but melodic, plus a great chorus on every track. And through 13 tracks and 1 intro here, every track has something different to offer and favourites vary depending on the mood at hand. Every track is mesmerising to my ears. Heavy in places, lighter AOR in other areas, but perfectly balanced and one of those albums that demand to be played from start to finish without pause. Two big stadium rockers kick off the album in grandiose style textbook European hard rock. On Papertiger it gets even better, with a thumping Talisman style bass line driving the song along until it just blows up into the biggest chorus this side of The Final Countdown. Roar follows the same path, just heavier and more intense. And when the chorus hits, you sure as hell are 'ready to roar!' A Life To Die For is the power ballad Europe wish they could still write and is up there with the best the likes of what H.E.A.T. and Brother Firetribe deliver. Tangled Up thumps along in the same vein as the opening tracks, leading into the moody, but super heavy Skies Of Mongolia. Oh boy here we go again an authoritive melodic verse that gets blown away by a huge chorus. Gold I say! Heaven Can Wait is a more direct rocker with a more subtle chorus, but melodies that get better each listen. I'm Not Running is another multi-layered dramatic moody rocker that oozes intensity and layers and layers of instrumentation. No Way Without You kicks along at breakneck speed in a Motley Crue kinda style before a glorious anthemic fist in the air chorus blows the lid off the album yet again. Huge! We Own The Night is a stunning melodic AOR track with a moody verse and another absolutely glorious AOR chorus with soaring vocals. Track after track, this album delivers. Surely it couldn't get any better? Surely the quality has to drop somewhere? Not at all. All For Love is yet another uptempo melodic rock anthem with sing-along chorus any band would be proud of. Closing the album is a fast and furious rocker Breathless. Crunching guitar riffs and a melodic vocal end the album on an adrenaline filled high.
PS. I forgot to mention that Anders was involved in co-writing with Gotthard in recent years, so there is definitely a huge appeal on this record for Gotthard fans.
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| Crazy Lixx New Religion | Frontiers Records FRCD452 |
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Damn, another very fine album to review and another to highly recommend to readers. Crazy Lixx burst onto the scene a year or two back and created waves with a high energy slice of dirty old-school rock n roll/sleaze, mixed with commercial hard rock. On New Religion, Swedish master of the moment Chris Laney jumps behind the desk to steer the band into mainstream commercialism, with the power of their influences still in place. The band takes the power and attitude of early Motley Crue, mixes it with Aerosmith, Pink Cream 69 and Def Leppard (especially the big layered choruses and backing vocals). Add in Chris Laney's influence and you have one monster sounding hard rock record with some killer choruses. Another album with track after track that delivers the goods. Heavier than fellow Swedes Treat, more hard rock than Poison and dare I say it as heavy as we wish Def Leppard was still capable of. Rock In A Hard Place is a simply stunning in your face hard rocker with all the attitude of the last Chris Laney record just with better vocals. My Medicine is in the running for 'Chorus Of The Year'. It just never ends. This rocker takes Def Leppard's Let's Get Rocked and blows it into microscopic pieces. More energy, more attitude and an even bigger chorus. 21 Til I Die is similar, but even faster (yet lighter), but still pumping. Blame It On Love shows the band can deliver something more melancholy, albeit with seventeen layers of harmony vocals. Few albums deliver a four by four knockout to open the album such as this does, but there's still more. Elsewhere on the album the anthems continue with the fist pumping Road To Babylon, The faithful PC69 cover Children Of The Cross, the speeding freeway rocker Lock Up Your Daughter, the Wig Wam style glamtastic She's Mine, the hands in the air hard rock ballad What Of Our Love and the moody Voodoo Woman that closes the album.
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| Auras New Generation | Frontiers Records FRCD454 |
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Often an album that sticks to a certain formula is accused of being predictable or safe. That may be the case with some albums, but when they are this damn good, it simply doesn't matter.
This may be a musically safe and familiar record, but it does the scene good to see newcomers capable of delivering quality old-school AOR like this. If there are no new bands dedicated to the craft of 80s melodic rock/AOR, then it will forever be left to the dinosaurs to fill the needs of fans and dare I say that need might slowly shrink. So here we have a top notch group of musicians from Brazil in the form of Auras. Wow, what a fabulously enjoyable album this is. Of course there are the usual comparisons to Journey and Steve Perry due to the nature of the sound, but what I hear here even more distinctly is another great AOR hero Kevin Chalfant. In fact, this could easily be a new Two Fires record. The lush layers of keyboards and guitars are there as are the layered vocals and some outstanding lead vocals. And being mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward, you just know that the sound is going to crunch through the speakers. From the glorious anthemic opener Beauty Of Dreams, you just know you are onto something special here. Forgive and Forget packs more punch and a crisp lead guitar (not to mention some honky tonk piano!); Never Give Up is pure Two Fires; In My Arms has sentiment in spades; Reach Out has an urgent, attention grabbing chorus and the utterly brilliant New Generation just sums up everything I love about this style of music. Check it out. Elsewhere Just The Way Love Goes is another Chalfant style gem with a little Toto thrown in; Out Of Love is my pick of the album as far as slower tracks and Love To Survive closes the album on a upbeat high.
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| Stage Dolls Always | AOR Heaven |
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When one of your favourite bands only puts out an album ever 3 or 4 years (folks, we are all getting older here no time to lose!), you pin a great deal of expectation to each release. Stage Dolls are one of those bands and have rarely disappointed I just love their high-tech pop/rock sound and the soulful raspy vocals of Torsten. Their last album was simply classic too. But on this occasion they sure have disappointed. And to repeat myself somewhat, when an album comes along every so rarely from an artist, and it then is hardly played, you know something is definitely up. There is a question in my mind over the direction of this album (more laid back and 'earthy' and a lot of female backing vocals), the main problem is a severe lack of penetrating song writing. The songs just seem tired and uninspired and I hate saying that. Hate it! But the songs just aren't as catchy as we have come to hear from Stage Dolls and the usual exuberance of energy the band emits is just not here for me. Even the chorus of the album's opening rocker falls flat and I can only find myself singing along to one or two songs on the album. One of them is the soft and slow ballad Raining On A Sunny Day slow, but undeniably sentimental. The mid-tempo feel-good Highway's Open is another. The mix of acoustic and electric guitars works well with the pace of the song. Better Off Pretty works ok for a softer track and the country tinge of Where The Blacktop Ends is reasonably catchy, but the style is questionable. The closer is an acoustic ballad with duel male/female lead vocals. A soft and gentle track with strong sentimental vocals and lyrics, but still sounds out of place here. On the negative side of things Rollin' just sounds noisy and Taillights has no real chorus and too many female backing vocals. The boogie rocker Saturday Night would be an ok filler on any other album, but here just sounds like another flat rocker.
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| Human Temple Murder Of Crows | Escape Music ESM202 |
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This is a huge leap forward in quality for Finland's Human Temple. I recall the 2004 was a notable debut and made mention of the powerful vocals of singer Janne Hurme. One comment mentioned the heavy accent of his words, which is still in play, but the mid-range tone of his voice is very likable and has a certain Jorn-esque feel to it. Murder Of Crows is a far heavier release a darker feel, heavy keyboards and a much more powerful production. Not My Fault is a powerful intro to the album with a dramatic keyboard soaked chorus; Empty Stages is a lighter, faster moving rocker with a melodic chorus; Just One Night has some 80s keys thrown into the mix and a more melodic rock approach; Promised Land is an epic 6 minute Whitesnake style hard rocker and Lie has a heavy Joey Tempest vocal in there and more 80s keys, but the production isn't as sharp. The quality and the direction both drop a little for a few songs mid-album. The production is quite varied across Yours Cold Blooded, Ghost Of You and Emily. These songs are more diverse and not as memorable as the first half of the record, but we're back on track with the excellent Secret and then the album closes with an enjoyable uptempo melodic rocker What About My Broken Heart.
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| Hard Time Is Waiting For No One | Escape Music ESM205 |
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No pun intended, but the hype was pushed a little too hard for the H.A.R.D. debut. I didn't think there was anything overly memorable there and quickly forgot it. Time Is Waiting For No One is a definite step in a more positive direction, but the guys still have some work to do. First good move here was the inclusion of singer Bjorn Lodin. The Swedish singer has the experience needed to bring these guys to a new level and his voice is well suited to the style this album moves in. I couldn't really pin a style on the guys before, but this time it is easy. The new album is a straight forward, no nonsense melodic hard rock record, with a big nod of the head towards AC/DC. Stripped back riffing, gruff, raspy vocals and some pounding bass and drums make this a good driving record. What I don't hear is too much variation in pace of style across much of the album and similar chorus structures do tend to allow one song to bleed into another at times. There are three or four slower songs that break up the hard rockers, all which work well. In fact, these songs are the ones that deliver the true surprises of the album. The acoustic driven closer Four-leaf Clover, the earthy Nona and the sentimental and especially the melodic ballad Love Goes With Everything, where Bjorn's growl is turned down and the guys prove they can change gears. Same with The Pace And The Flow which sees the song achieve both things for the album that its name suggests.
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| Liberty & Justice Light It Up | Retroactive Records RAR7881 |
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This is by far the best album to date from the all-star Christian rock project Liberty & Justice. Justin Murr, the man behind the project (bass, co-writer) has once again assembled a wonderful cast of new and old faces of the hard rock scene to deliver his message. This is perhaps the most diverse group assembled also. Chris Jericho to Marq Torien, to Harry Hess and Ted Poley. One thing I have always pointed out with L&J releases is the always diverse array of styles and production values within each album. Too varied and with not enough quality control. Something which can fall out of the control of the organizer when using so may artists and studios to create a cohesive project. I'm happy to report that the majority of this album is very consistent and follows a similar musical path perhaps the most melodic rock friendly path of all the L&J releases to date. But in the negative column, the album kicks off with the two worst songs of the whole set. Light It Up (with Phil Lewis and JK Northrup) is heavy and has a decent aggressive hook, but the recording quality is plan bad. And even worse is the horrendous quality of The Other Thief (Dale & Troy from Bride). Unlistenable to my ears. From here though, things pick up, with the very wise decision to involve Vic Rivera in the writing and recording process. Vic's production style is very melodic friendly and always a smooth ride, although I'm still waiting for Vic's drum tracks to kick the required amount of ass his songs deserve. Blink is a nice upbeat melodic rock featuring Louise Lowrey (Vixen); Do What You Believe is a moodier mid-tempo track featuring CJ Snake (Firehouse). Man Vs Mother Nature is almost a Poley/Rivera track in disguise, as Ted Poley features and the song could easily be on the duo's debut album. Great melodic rocker here with the best chorus of the album, but the drums Vic the drums!!! Treading Serpents (Les Carlsen of Bloodgood) is heavier until the very melodic chorus bursts through. Beautiful Decision is Harem Scarem (Pete and Harry Guest) meets Vic Rivera great combination and another classic melodic rock tune already previewed on the MRCD5 compilation. Drunk Dead Gorgeous could almost be a super heavy Poley/Rivera tune except Marq Torein's razor blade vocals could not be mistaken for Ted Poley! And Greed features Robert Mason on lead. A bit rough this one, but the guitar solo and chorus are well worth it. Aside from Vic's vital input into this album, elsewhere on the album you can hear the terrific melodic ballad For Better Or Worse (Shawn Pelata & Stephen Chesney); the acoustic ballad Every Reason To Believe (Kelly Keeling) and two absolutely great Steve Brown co-writes Wrestling With God (Brown and Pete Loran of Trixter) and Best Time We Never Had (Chris Jericho and Phil Collen). Both tracks rock one classic, one modern
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| Darkology Altered Reflections | Rock-a-holics Records |
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This album has been out a while now, but is well worth mentioning, especially for fans of heavy progressive metal. Screaming vocals, dark, heavy guitars, twisting beats, intricate drum fills and solos and 9 long epic songs await. Production quality is impressive, with emphasis placed on the guitar leads. The band has quite the pedigree, with vocalist Kelly Carpenter (Beyond Twilight, Outworld) joining guitarist Michael Harris (Arch Rival) and drummer brother Brian Harris (Firewind) with bassist Mike Neal. Extensive instrumental passages break up the songs and give prog fans something to appreciate. Comparisons to Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Arch Rival and Megadeth can be made. But this is strictly one for the metal heads! |
| Arch Rival In The Face Of Danger | Rock-a-holics Records |
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Dayton, Ohio metallers Arch Rival have their debut album In The Face Of Danger re-issued by Rockaholics Records. I hadn't heard this album before and always have the fear that yesterday's classics have a hard time making any impact on the ears of today's fans, if not already familiar with the album in question. But I really dig this release. To me it is a quality dose of old-school 80s metal (which it was!), cleaned up and presented along with 2 bonus live tracks and a full 12 track DVD with bonus features! Value for money? Yes indeed! Take a little Racer X, Dokken, Impellitteri and XYZ even and mix it all up and Arch Rival is what you get. Quite impressive really and one of those albums that sounds just a little dated, but considering the age, it has held up beautifully. |
| Giant Promise Land | Frontiers Records FRCD449 |
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You are on a hiding to nothing when to roll out such an iconic name as Giant, dressed up in a new wrapper. Bringing back Giant without the legendary voice/guitarist/writer/frontman of the band in Dann Huff was always going to be a risk and a hard sell. In comes vocalist Terry Brock (much loved and respected in his own right) and guitarist John Roth (Winger) to join originals Mike Brignardello and David Huff. There are a few Dann Huff co-writes on here and a couple of solos, but let's be frank it isn't really Giant as we knew it. So, the only way out of this the only way to move forward was to deliver a knockout album in a similar style to what Giant is loved for. And that's exactly what the guys have done. Argue all you like about the name the contents of the album are terrific and I'll be playing it for quite some time to come. Highlights are many on this rather diverse album. I don't agree with a couple of things, but on the whole fabulous. The pounding anthem Believer (another Erik Martensson epic) is brilliant; Never Surrender is hands in the air feel good melodic rock; I'll Wait For You is a John Roth written anthem that shows he has a lot more to offer and sounds remarkably Giantesque. The boogie rocker Complicated Man and the emotional and heartfelt Dying To See You are two Brock/Roth co-writes and two highlights from the album I'd love to hear these two guys write more together. The smooth mid-tempo Promise Land and the more uptempo Through My Eyes are two fine Dann Huff/Mark Spiro AOR tunes previously covered by Spiro as a solo artist. Why the change of name to Promise Land from Promised Land is beyond me and rather daft really. The original song was Back To The Promised Land and the lyrics are "promised land", so why? Our Love is another great ballad (Dann Huff/Terry Brock co-write). The mid-album coupling of Prisoner Of Love (Erik Martensson/Miqael Persson) and Two World's Collide (Dann Huff/Billy Smiley) are straight out of the 'I Can't Get Close Enough song handbook', so Giant fans should feel at home immediately with those tracks. I think the album closes with the weakest track on the album (Save Me), so that's a shame, but elsewhere there really isn't much to complain about. What I really took out of this album is the genius guitar playing of John Roth. The guy really shreds and this is an album that features a lot of guitar just as one expects from the Giant name.
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| Brian Howe Circus Bar | Frontiers Records FRCD450 |
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Brian Howe's first solo album in 13 years is 2010's answer to Rick Springfield's 2007 release Venus In Overdrive. That is, a brightly delivered collection of pop/rock songs from a classic melodic rock artist, delivered in a polished modern rock format. Using the slick production values of today's pop artists, but with the warmth of his unmistakable vocals, Brian Howe captures the best of both worlds here pushing the genre in a forward direction, while never abandoning everything we love about melodic music hooks, choruses and great vocal melodies. This is easily Brian's best work since the Bad Company days Bad Reputation and Here Comes Trouble in particular. And it completely buries his mellow Tangled In Blue album. This album rocks and just like the Springfield album it flows beautifully from one track to the next. So many similarities between these two albums both open with almost perfect pop songs (I'm Back vs What's Victoria's Secret); Howe's I'm Back is just brilliant and as catchy as it gets. Both use a little heavier guitar to drive the catchy chorus home (There's This Girl vs Mr. PC) and both engage a little groove and swagger (It Could Have Been You vs Venus In Overdrive) and both feature killer mid-tempo (Surrounded vs I'll Miss That Someday) and smooth ballads (Flying vs Oblivious). Further into the album How It Could Have Been is as good as anything from Howe era Bad Company as is Feels Like Coming Home which features an outstanding vocal melody. The stand alone track of the album is an AC/DC style rocker If You Want Trouble, which was the direction Brian was heading in during earlier attempts to get a solo record done. I'm glad he changed tack to deliver this gem. The song doesn't really fit here, but it's a lot of fun and BH rocks! The only track I really wish wasn't here is the Bad Company cover How About That. It is one of my favourite Howe songs, but it has been done already, time to move on. Holy Water is also re-recorded and included at the edge of the album, but on this occasion Brian slows it right down and it really works.
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| Rick Springfield / Jeff Silverman From The Vault | Frontiers FRCD448 |
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I'm proud to say that this release was my idea, well me and Jeff! It came from dealing with songwriter/producer Jeff Silverman, who was part of Rick Springfield's 70s touring band and later went on to co-write a number of pivotal songs with him. I was licensing a version of the then unreleased RS tune Right Planet, Wrong World for the Rick Springfield Tribute album (which might even get released one day). The version in question featured James Christian on vocals. Jeff and I were talking about doing an album of his songs as sung by various melodic rock singers including Stan Bush, Marcie Free and of course, Rick. Jeff says he has enough Springfield and Free tunes to almost make an album each of those, so we set about trying to bring his Marcie Free sung demo material to Angelmilk Records. It didn't work out, but Jeff suggests that Rick might go for a similar idea. He did and that's where this baby started. A deal was struck for Angelmilk to release an album of RS/JS demos before the label fell apart, so I suggested to the guys that Frontiers might be interested. They were and here we are. In setting up the track listing for this CD, songs were included that Rick wrote and produced with Jeff at his studio. These demos can be split into two parts the Sahara Snow era "high-tech" synth tracks and those that were later included in the Karma recording sessions. The Karma tracks in particular have a strong and consistent sound reminiscent of a sound that sits between Rock Of Life and Karma. The Sahara Snow tracks that were part of the Silverman sessions were themselves an album of various outtakes and sessions. Of the Karma era tracks, Religion Of The Heart was one track I insisted be included, having had the original version before the Karma record was completed. The alternative lyric featured here and stripped back feel give a more authentic emotion to the tremendously personal track. Dancin' On The Edge Of The World is a well known unreleased RS track, previously covered by Chris Ousey (as The Distance) and Marcie Free (also unreleased). It is a brilliant straight up 80s AOR anthem that could have come from Rock Of Life; almost matched in its brilliance by Right Planet, Wrong World, which was criminally ignored until now. The Sahara Snow-like pop ballad You Write The Book was one of two unreleased-in-any-form gems included here. The more traditional power ballad Woman II is another slice of high-tech early 90s Rick. Hey Eileen is another gem that is hard to find - a killer little pop song and a tribute to Rick's mother. And the demo of Dream In Colour still features Marcie Free's backing vocals, a track Marcie has cut as a solo artist, which remains unreleased. But there are two extra tracks that are included at my request that don't feature Jeff Silverman in any way. However, given that the album featured a couple of other Karma demos, I felt these two songs needed to be shown in their full original glory. Two of Rick's best ever songs, but better versions! My Depression is simply an astounding song, detailing Rick's life path and being brutally honest about his experiences. It was recorded almost in reggae style for the Shock Denial album which I was completely aghast with, as had this original version a few years before it was finally officially recorded. This version is a far superior, super sonic rocker with beefed up guitar parts and a more prominent rock beat. And In Veronica's Head is another first class RS rocker that again delves into a murky subject base, but was a little more polished once the Karma record was done and mastered. This version fits the mood of the Karma demos beautifully alongside Religion, Itsalwayssomething and Depression. Plus it includes a longer and fresher guitar solo to fade out that track showing more of that RS rock edge. I requested the inclusion of two other tracks the absolute gem that was tagged on the end of Sahara Snow (the raw rocker Lust) and Rovianne, which both fit the Karma style demos. That request was denied on the basis Rick might re-record those for his next studio album. I hope so! And at the same time if I had my ultimate wishlist of tracks, I would have left off a couple of the more programmed/synth tracks such as Monkey and Why Don't You Dance. But then the concept of the album would be lost a little.
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| N.O.W. Force Of Nature | Escape Music ESM204 |
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I really like this album. This is a cool record. Not just because it's a very fine and classy old school melodic rock album, but because it reaches into a few different areas for inspiration, rather than just straight forward 80s AOR. There are more classic rock influences here than straight AOR there's Queen, Foreigner and Boston even and a strong does of 70s pomp. The man behind the music Alec Mendonca and his band hail from Rio, with additional drums recorded in Sweden with producer Martin Kronlund, who mixed this record to perfection. Vocalist for the project is the always impressive Philip Bardowell, who brings a certain authentic feel to the album. In fact, I could not imagine anyone else singing these tunes. His voice is more varied than on the recent Places Of Power record and explores some darker texture, not to mention some fine Foreigner-esque moments. Song highlights are many - Listen To Your Heart has a Journey Be Good To Yourself feel mixed with 1985 American radio; Lonely Soul has that classic 70s/80s American radio feel to it something Alliance are very good at producing; and You has a pomp/epic Queen feel to it. Idol's Grace is bombastic and dramatic and rocks pretty hard; Peace Of Mind is pure Rick Springfield AOR; No Time For Goodbyes features some of the album's better guitar work. Elsewhere I can't really pick any weaknesses. It's a diverse, dramatic and energetic record that stands on its own right now. Something a little different for melodic rock fans that are looking for something that doesn't follow the same old pattern.
And lastly and somewhat off topic - I'm getting sick of the "dot" band names guys just leave the dots out! But I'll forgive that in lieu of the fact this album contains some great songs.
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| Jayce Landberg Good Sleepless Night | Escape Music ESM203 |
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After being on such a positive roll, I can't in good conscience endorse this. Anyone that corrupts the glorious Goran Edman will filtered vocals and production effects needs a good talking to. Jayce's first record was just ok I expected an upward curve for this second album, but this takes a serious dive south. The songs just don't grab me, the style is allover the show without consistency and Goran Edman has almost no impact here. The opening track is all vocal effects and horrible guitar twiddling that goes nowhere. The second is a rough and tumble grungy punk rocker. Again, Goran sounds terrible. Goran never sounds terrible! At least there is a sneak peak at his upper range squeal. Track three is a kinda grubby modern rocker with a go nowhere chorus. The Thorns is an ok 6 minute piano ballad; Invasion was sounding pretty good until the high pitch shrieking started; All I Want To Do Is You is a welcomed, almost straight forward hard rocing track, but then there's the lame lyric.
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| Wig Wam Non Stop Rock N Roll | Frontiers Records FRCD443 |
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A new Wig Wam album is now an event on the melodic rock calendar thanks to the class of the band's first two releases creating a high profile for them. A new label in Frontiers for album number 3 sees the band mix things up a little bit. I love all three albums this band has produced, and place this ahead of the debut, but someway behind the last album despite still containing some fabulous songs. This album has a slightly different guitar tone not tuned down at all, but darker and not as sharp as previously was the case. And the style of songs delivered here vary more so than before with most working, but a couple less so. To describe it accurately it sounds as if two or three solo albums have been combined to make a new band record. It isn't as focused as the first two records. That said tracks like the utterly glamtabulous anthems Do Ya Wanna Taste It and Wild One are amazing, separated on either side by the less instant, but heavier Walls Come Down and C'Mon Everybody (which I believe Flash is singing). Man In The Moon is a tasty mid-tempo ballad which leads into my favourite track of the album the in your face, uptempo anthem Still I'm Burning. Except Teeny's on vocals here. Mixes up the album even more, but what a killer track. Would like to hear more like this and Teeny's voice is different but likable. The super fast All You Wanted and Non Stop Rock N Roll has the darker hard rock vibe of Walls Come Down while From Here is a soft acoustic ballad a complete u-turn from the tracks preceding it. Rocket Through My Heart is a terrific uptempo rocker with a glam edge again, continued on with Chasing Rainbows (except a bigger chorus was needed here). The bonus track to close the album is Gotta Get It On nothing that really blows me away.
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| Keel Streets Of Rock N Roll | Frontiers Records FRCD445 |
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I've never been a huge Keel fan. I have some albums, but can't pin point why they didn't get higher rotation over the years. Perhaps the gravelly vocals of Ron Keel haven't always held an appeal and the AC/DC friendly riff rocking was covered elsewhere in my collection. So their return held little expectation for me, leading me to be pretty impressed with the new album. Returning after a long absence can put a lot of pressure on a band and quite often the expectation of fans doesn't match the quality or style of what the band delivers. Not so in this case Streets Of Rock N Roll is straight out of the Keel 80s handbook. Ron Keel may sound even raspier than ever, but he can still hold a tune with attitude and the Marc Ferrari delivered guitar parts have all the authority of the band's classic albums. The production is first rate and bursts through the speakers. There is a nice heavy rhythm section and clear lead guitar parts throughout. Song wise, the band stick to the old formula, which is what I think all fans were hoping for. Streets Of Rock N Roll features some great melodies; Hit The Ground Running has that hard rocking 80s sound, but a contemporary production; Come Hell Or High Water rocks with a uptempo swagger Kiss would be proud of; Does Anybody Believe sounds very familiar indeed (can't place it), but is a nice change of tempo with the acoustic guitars and The Devil May Care is filled with attitude. Towards the end of the album you have the super heavy Gimmie That and the melodic rocker Hold Steady, which adds further texture to the album.
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| Rock Sugar Reimaginator | RockSugar/Indie |
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Oh Lordy! Where do I start with this one? The fine gentleman of Loud & Clear (singer Jess Harnell, guitarist Chuck Duran and drummer Alex Track), together with new bassist Johnny Five have formed Rock Sugar the ultimate metal "covers" band that were marooned on a desert island for 20 years with only a teenage girl's music collection to keep them company. The result some seriously messed up songs inspired and twisted at the same time but ultimately the best party album you will ever own. This is a novelty album I guess, but due to the nature of the songs and the brilliant way they have been performed and recorded (production is mega), there is no limit to the number of times you'll spin this before moving on. And let me guarantee you that every party held, out this gem will come again, leading to several more party guests leaving with the CD on their shopping lists. It is just one of those discs you play and people freak out to before demanding a copy. What am I talking about? Well, Rock Sugar have taken some classic pop, AOR, hard rock and metal songs all landmark tunes in their own right and mashed them together. I think there's something like 34 songs featured on this 13 track album! This is the type of experiment that could fail with epic proportions, but I love the songs chosen here (for the most part) and I love what has been done to them (some deserved it!). Let's take a look at this Don't Stop The Sandman Metallica's Sandman meets Journey's Don't Stop Believin I was about out of patience for covers of this song (there are other Journey songs people!!!), but boy, does this work a treat. The heaviest Steve Perry ever recorded right here. And Jess sounds amazing! Nice harmonies too and what kick ass guitar playing. We Will Kickstart Your Rhapsody yes, Queen meets Queen meets Motley Crue. And of all the tracks here, this one meshes the best of all I think. Nearly 6 minutes of head crunching beats. Crazy Girl Ozzy Osbourne (the devil) meets Rick Springfield (the golden boy). Yes, Crazy Train and Jessie's Girl in this metalled up version of the RS classic. Voices In The Jungle I didn't pick this one until the chorus. Utterly brilliant and a great mash of metal meets melody, with the GNR classic hammering away the whole while, supplemented with lyrics from the Til Tuesday hit single Voices Carry. The chorus is purely Voices Carry a song I absolutely love. This one works brilliantly. Here Comes The Fool You Wanted Cinderella's Nobody's Fool mixed with Bon Jovi's Wanted Dead Or Alive and Eurythmics' Here Comes The Rain Again. Sadly there are not many good Eurythmics songs and this ain't one of them even with Bon Jovi trying to steer it in a better direction. Not as much into this track. Shook Me Like A Prayer AC/DC's Shook Me mixed with Madonna's Like A Prayer. This is better stuff and mashes rather well together too. Fantastic rocked up chorus of both the Madonna tune and the AC/DC chorus. Killer! Straight To Rock City Wow, who would have thought that Paula Abdul ripped off the riff to the Kiss classic Detroit Rock City? Another unlikely pairing here, but it works and rocks along at a frantic pace. Praying For A Sweet Weekend This is another favourite. Bon Jovi's Livin' On A Prayer mixed with Loverboy's Working For The Weekend with Chuck on vocals here. Wonderful songs both feel good iconic rock songs and it is amazing how well they blend together here with chorus' from both songs again featured. And adding to the mix is the lead guitar riff from GNR's Sweet Child O Mine. Yes you have to hear this! Heaven And Heaven the clear mixing of another two classic ballads Heaven from Bryan Adams and Heaven from Warrant. Speaks for itself! Breakin' The Love 10CC meets Judas Priest? That's something that probably shouldn't be contemplated unless really intoxicated, but the Rock Sugar guys make it legal for you. I Love Sugar On Me Another one of my favourites Joe Elliott has seldom sounded so good! This time he is joined by a very raspy Joan Jett! The groove of both songs fits like a glove and presents yet another WTF moment for your guess the next time you host a party. Round And Separated Ratt (Round And Round) meets another iconic Journey classic in Separate Ways. Doesn't work quite as instantly as well as the first Journey track, but is still frighteningly good. Closing the album is a true epic (as it should be!) Aerosmith (Dream On) meets Supertramp (Breakfast In America) and Led Zeppelin (Whole Lotta Love) in Dreaming Of A Whole Lotta Breakfast. All three songs blended here which takes a bit of listening to, but has to be respected!
Oh and if you enjoy this albumand haven't heard of Black Sweden - look up the review! If you have that album, you need this!
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| The Murder Of My Sweet Divanity | Frontiers Records FRCD442 |
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A left turn here for Frontiers the label and for drummer Daniel Flores. This new Swedish project is more akin to Evanescence and Nightwish. The heavy, symphonic beats both live and programmed (Flores) are matched by a deafening guitar tone of Daniel Palmqvist and the swirling keyboards of Andreas Lindahl. There is a real market for Symphonic metal in Europe and this album sounds a million dollars with its wall of sound and high end production. The subtle keyboard fills and added production effects go a long way to creating a truly interesting musical landscape. Vocal wise you cannot fault the warm and inviting vocals of Angelica Rylin. Song wise there is so much to get into here it is hard to separate highlights. The obvious choice is the lead single Bleed Me Dry, which would be at home on radio stations worldwide. A lot to listen to here some 54 minutes of intense music, melodies and rhythms. You'll need an ear for this style of music though. I can take it or leave it generally, but there is something very appealing about the ingredients that have come together to create this record. I dare say that number two will be even better with some live dates under their belt.
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| Bruce Kulick BK3 | Frontiers Records FRCD446 |
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I respect Bruce Kulick as a guitarist immensely, his time with Kiss was something I followed and enjoyed and since then I feel he has been an under rated participant in the rock community.
But I am struggling with this new album and have been since I first played it. I am a vocal and melody guy. If an album or song isn't driven by those two elements then I am always going to struggle. The choice of vocalists on this album and decisively modern styling's of the tunes aren't overly appealing. The opening track is simply brilliant though a rolling hard rocker with sensational groove and a growling vocal from Bruce himself. I could easily go with more like that. But the Gene Simmons track Ain't Gonna Die doesn't do much for me at all, nor does the John Corabi acoustic driven rocker No Friend Of Mine. Nick Simmons (son of Gene) sings on the horrible grunge drenched Hand Of The King. I'll Survive is simply void of any real hook but Dirty Girl is much better. A great hook here and vocals from the now departed Knack vocalist Doug Fiegler (RIP). I'm The Animal is another grungy Kiss style rocker with some attitude. The instrumental Between The Lines (featuring Steve Lukather) is a great tune and the acoustic ballad Life is another winner, featuring a soft, understated vocal from Bruce.
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| Grand Design Time Elevation | Metal Heaven MHV00077 |
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Well, what do you know another great band out of Sweden! This time it is Grand Design, a band featuring vocalist and main man Pelle Saether. And bugger me if this doesn't sound completely like prime era Def Leppard! From the lush harmony vocals, the lead guitars, production style and most of all the extract drum sound that the band carried through albums like Pyromania, Hysteria and Adrenalize. In fact, this album could be the natural follow-up to Adrenalize. Of course, if you are not a fan of the over-programmed stadium rock sound of Def Leppard, then this may also not appeal. But throw in a little Swedish glam flair and some higher pitched vocals (TNT-ish) and mix it with Let's Get Rocked and you'll get Grand Design. The album sounds massive, with some of the biggest choruses I have heard for sometime. Layers and layers thick with vocals. And I love the guitar sound right off Pyromania at times, as is the mood of some of the darker tracks on here Air It Out for example has the same vibe as Die Hard The Hunter. Tracks that stand out and kick my ass include Love Sensation (awesome); Piece of The Action (darker and heavier); Sad Sound Of Goodbye (Stage Dolls style ballad, accent in the vocals shines through here); Hello Mr Heartache (big melodic chorus) and Sheik Iddup (straight ahead stadium rocker).
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| Last Autumn's Dream A Touch Of Heaven | Escape Music ESM |
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These Swedish AORsters have taken over the reins from Harem Scarem and Heartland for their consistency in delivering a quality release each and every year. This is their seventh studio album and classic AOR album #6 (the second album remains the pink elephant). I wasn't into this album as much as I normally am early on, initially rating it as one of the band's weaker efforts. But once the infectious melodies and subtle hooks of Caught In Between, Top Of The World and Come Rain Of Shine sink in, this quickly became another favourite. And maybe one of the band's better efforts overall. The ballad Candle In The Dark is just perfect AOR; while the happy go lucky Last Mistake is a JSS tune originally written by Jeff and drummer Jamie Borger and featuring JSS on backing vox. See My Baby Jive is more akin to a 60's disco or bop-along Christmas Tune, but it works; Renegade is another passionate ballad and What's On Your Mind is a great uptempo anthem with a knockout chorus. The acoustic driven How Long is another gem and the band dip into covers again with a straight forward rip of Cheap Trick's Surrender. Closing the album is the very fine and heart touching 6 minute ballad Jenny's Eyes. A special mention has to go to bassist Nalley Pahlsson (from Treat) who stands in for Marcel Jacob (RIP). They could not have picked a better match. And once again I must say that I really am a sucker for Mickael Erlandsson's vocals. The raspy, emotional tone is just perfect for this material.
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| Tara's Secret Vertigo | Black Cat Music BCM005 |
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British melodic hard rockers Tara's Secret have been around a few years now. This is their second album and sees them leaping way ahead of the expectation curve, delivering an album that blows the first one out of the water. Indie bands are always constrained by budgets and lack of investment, but Tara's Secret obviously know their way around a studio and have made the best of what they had at their disposal. The record sounds loud and in your face, clearly mixed and features a really nice guitar tone throughout. The vocals of Johnny Trowbridge have also leapt ahead from the debut. His gritty and often raspy voice is far stronger here and has a touch of Danny Bowes (Thunder) and even Dennis DeYoung (on the big ballad The Last 2 Know which also features Dante Fox's Sue Willetts). Wonderful song The opening three rockers are all from the Gotthard/Whitesnake songbook moving into that harder rock field and away from melodic rock as such. But it works the new direction and beefed up sound has energy the debut didn't and also fills a gap in British rock n roll that Thunder will now leave behind. Album highlights include the stomping She's My Baby; the opening Rock N Roll Beauty Queen; another tasteful piano ballad One More Chance (more DDY!) and the straight ahead rocker My Reward.
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| Secret Smile This Is Our Time Now | Envision Records |
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This album suffers from the T.T. syndrome. Terrific songs Terrible production. And that's a shame, because there really are some wonderful melodic rock songs on here, delivered in a classic 80s pop rock setting. Reminiscent of early Rick Springfield and Van Stephenson, the songs all capture a time we'd love to return to and the choruses never disappoint. But the whole thing sounds bloody terrible. Almost to the point of being unlistenable. I'd really love to see the guys go to someone like Dennis Ward with the original master files and see what could be resurrected and doing a re-release of the album. Hell, maybe I'll ask the band. It would be a shame to see these songs lost to a wider audience because the album sounds like a bad demo. The guys were shopping this album around when I was still doing A&R for Angelmilk and I said then that something had to be done about the production. It seems that never happened. Tracks like I Believe In You, Wasn't Meant To Be, Don't Want To and Heaven Only Knows are seriously good, but they are going to get lost among a very crowded field of competing releases. The problems are too numerous the drum and cymbal sound is demo quality, the vocals are muddy and the guitars are all over the mix and at times hurt the ears. And together it just sounds empty. This might have passed the grade back in 1995 when indie bands were just getting the hang of things, but with advances in recording technology and the affordability of mix engineers today, the band have thrown away 12 great songs. Great band, but a completely wasted opportunity here and that's tragic. |
| Bon Jovi The Circle | Universal/Def Jam |
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Bon Jovi have been pretty consistent in their releasing of albums since coming back into the scene with Crush. But they have also been consistent in confusing fans by being all over the place as far as direction. It seems they are not content or convinced in their role as an iconic 80s rock band still existing and staying popular modern times. We've had the career encompassing live album (fail), the mega-box set (average), the re-workings album (epic fail), the big rock album Have A Nice Day (higher pass) and most recently the country album (mostly fail). Now we have the "big rock album" that isn't a 'big rock' album at all. Their 'rock' sound has evolved into true contemporary setting, which worked for them well when mixed with their traditional sound on Have A Nice Day (mainly due to the quality of songwriting), but fails them here on The Circle. As far as I can see it, this is a pure Jon Bon Jovi album, with side-kick Richie Sambora relegated to do as he is told alongside the other members of the band (who are they again??) JBJ has dubbed this a 'big loud rock album'. Dear, oh dear fail! It is a rock album, but it is nothing akin to the Bon Jovi of yesteryear and doesn't come close to the great (and still contemporary) effort Have A Nice Day was. I have given this album so much airtime waiting for it to grow on me, but it just doesn't. And it isn't necessarily the new modern pop/rock sound that doesn't work for me I just think the songwriting here is second rate compared to the band's best. In my opinion the band - sorry, JBJ is trying too hard to be something he isn't. Bon Jovi is (was) an iconic hard rock band. Jon just accept that! You are not Coldplay and you are not U2! Producer John Shanks has to go. It is still ok to turn the guitars up, and it is still ok to have a pounding rhythm section. And it is sure as hell is still ok to sound like you did in the old days. Right now I just see too many other bands doing what Bon Jovi used to do, only better and here in the now (Winger, Kiss, Gotthard, Danger Danger). Track By Track: We Weren't Born To Follow is most likely a left over from the last few albums as it didn't cut the grade then, easily surpassed by It's My Life and Have A Nice Day. When We Were Beautiful is the worst offender for the band wanting to be Coldplay. I really like the possibilities here, but the vocals are whiney and the underlying guitars are tragically underutilized and should have exploded into the track. The song builds mood and suspense and then wastes it all by going nowhere. Work For The Working Man sees the band ripping themselves off with the bass line for You Give Love A Bad Name before disappearing into a bland chorus better suited for a John Mellencamp album. Superman Tonight has been heralded as the song of the album and it is a decent mid-tempo sentimental rocker. But personally, I don't feel that sentiment it's all a little flat. Finally a hard rocker even if it is only mid-tempo. Bullet has a promising beat to kick things off before sounding like a rip-off of themselves yet again this time Keep The Faith. The guitars kick in briefly, but the chorus just doesn't sound right at all. It sounds forced and is completely ineffective. Thorn In My Side is where the band sounds most natural on this record. Although filled with a modern tone, the beat kicks the song along nicely and the chorus is actually worth remembering. The mid-tempo breezy storyteller track Live Before You Die is a JBJ solo tune if there ever has been one. Typical JBJ themes of life and love and a replication of other songs included on each of the band's recent albums. Lush orchestration lifts the track beyond the standard ballad, but very safe generally. Brokenpromiseland has a cool name and I expected something cool from it. I was disappointed though when the song became another Coldplay/U2 modern rocker. And why is JBJs vocals really annoying on this record? I used to love this band and his delivery. Love's The Only Rule has a great beat and an in your face tempo, and is a more quality track, despite being a long way from the band's classic sound. But it also shows that no matter what the style, if you can deliver great songs, the rest will come with it. This album needed more songs like this. Fast Cars is a sappy Coldplay style pop rocker that does absolutely nothing for me and is a huge drop in quality after the last track. Happy Now tries to rock, but it largely forgettable and falls into the same tempo/vein as 4 or 5 other songs on the album. Learn To Love is another forgettable formulatic Bon Jovi ballad with a modern twist.
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| Blackwood Creek Blackwood Creek | Frontiers Records FRCD438 |
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Kip Winger is smack in the middle of a real purple-patch of quality songwriting. Fresh off the acclaim and glory of a killer new Winger album, Kip goes way back to where it all began and puts together his old childhood band that disbanded in 1980. As you would expect, Blackwood Creek have a slightly different sound than both that of Winger and Kip's more intense solo work. It features elements of both, but the band has its own straight ahead rock sound, uncluttered by layers of unnecessary effects (in this case), sticking to the basic premise of a great song delivered without fuss. Delivering the chemistry of a seasoned touring band, Blackwood Creek is driven by a hard edged guitar, pumping rhythm section and Kip's distinct vocals in this case sounding like a mix between the grittier recent Winger style and his more melodic solo style. The urgent, uptempo Out In Outer Space has a great beat and strong chorus, sliding into the more acoustic driven Def Leppard melody of Nothing But The Sun. Your Revolution is another amazing song, the partnership of Winger and guitarist Peter Fletcher delivering some true quality songwriting and more memorable hooks. Dead Stung and Jimmy and Georgia feature a groovy modern vibe, while the dreamy acoustic ballad After Your Heart has sentiment in spades. The dual lead vocals on Albatross works well, the moody verse giving in to a hook filled chorus. The trio of rough and ready rockers - Rich and Greed, Joy Ride and Love Inspector get a little rawer and in your face and take the album in a different direction. Then things close with a 6 minute acoustic/electric experimental mood piece where the guys get to flex some musical muscle.
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| Spin Gallery Embrace | Frontiers Records FRCD441 |
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In many ways the new Spin Galley mirrors the story behind On The Rise. Several years since the debut, the band is now without key vocalist, songwriter and founding member Chris Antblad (pursuing a writing and solo career) and finds itself having to prove themselves all over again as a fresh project. But comparisons to the debut are always going to be made as the name remains the same. Chris wasn't interested in working as Spin Gallery again, nor was third vocalist Magnus Weidenmo, but Tommy and Kristoffer enjoyed working together and wanted to continue the name. The debut (recorded for Atenzia Records) was a wonderfully slick slice of contemporary Westcoast pop/AOR with that dual vocalist approach used to great affect. The new album is definitely a different affair. Primarily Tommy Denander on all instruments and programming and vocalist Kristoffer Langerstrom, Embrace continues the Westcoast style of the debut; with a strong Toto influence (Tommy's guitar tone and solos and the percussion arrangements in particular). There is credit to Glen Marks for 'Live Drums', but to my ear a lot of the album remains heavily programmed in the same style as other Denander projects as Radioactive, Los Angeles and AOR. Same goes for the overall sound of the album and Tommy's trademark guitar/keys/bass sound. You know what to expect there. I'm not blown away by the production I think it is ok and is mixed well, but those not enamored with the Denander sound will find the same challenges here to overcome. And the quality of production does vary through the album. There are moments of high-tech precision and other tracks like Eyes Wide Open which sound rather low budget. Vocalist Langerstrom has one hell of a unique voice. While I think he sang beautifully on the debut album in conjunction with Chris Antblad, thrust into the spotlight here on his own, there is not as much variety on offer. The higher range and whispering approach isn't going to be for all. Those aspects discussed, there are some strong songs on offer here the songwriting has again proven to be Tommy and Kristoffer's strong point. There is no denying the melodies and hooks within are numerous and some very catchy Denander style AOR is on offer here Embrace, Just A Momentary Why (featuring Robin Beck in duet on lead vocals), You Do The Things You Do (marvelous hook, and featuring Dan Reed on sultry vocals!), Tic Toc (moody coolness) and the glorious chorus hook of Everything Fades are all worth checking out.
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| On The Rise Dream Zone | Frontiers Records FRCD439 |
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A mere 6 years since On The Rise's debut album comes the follow-up Dream Zone. Some changes have taken place since the debut not long after the release of the acclaimed self titled album, the duo of Terje Eide (lead & background vocals, guitars) and Bennech Lyngboe (lead & background vocals) split, leaving Terje as the lone member and driving force behind the name. The new album has familiar elements to that of the debut the style is certainly the same commercial, light and breezy 80s European AOR, but this time there is only one vocalist. The production style is also different this album still has a consistent sound, but this time a more stripped back and less polished style. A little rougher and a little rawer. I prefer the slick sound of the debut, but that's ok. I'm enjoying this album for what it is a classic style AOR release with a European flavor and there are some more fine songs on here. Lifeline and Lost Your Track are both terrific Survivor-esque tracks co-written by rising star Christian Wolff. Fly Away and Why Wait Another Day are also great melodic rock tunes with distinct chorus hooks. Why Wait is the third Wolff co-write and an album highlight. The moody and mellow Howling At The Moon is another highlight featuring one of the better harmony vocal displays. The closing bonus track Find A Way is maybe the best track of the whole album not sure why it is relegated to bonus track status at the end of the album. Very cool Mecca style AOR. It between these highlights are some ok tracks, but I must say that those highlighted are all co-writes. Terje is a terrific guy, but perhaps he benefits most from working with a co-writer. Some of the tunes penned by himself struggle to flow as easily as the others and the chorus hooks are not as immediate. There is just something missing and I sense that in several places throughout the album.
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| Mr. Big Back To Budokan | Frontiers Records FRCD427 |
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How many times have they said it will never happen? Never say never especially in this business! Best thing about this killer double live album is the chemistry clearly on display between the band members dispelling any cynical conclusion that the re-union is just for money and not for the sake of making great music again and celebrating music already made. The band has an incredible catalogue of tunes and the best are on display here live favourites and some deep album cuts in-between the obvious hit singles. And after several years break, it's great to hear how fresh the songs sound and how rocking these guys really are. Like many bands of the era, they got some stick from the uneducated for having a hit ballad to their name. Patooey! At the heart of Mr. Big is four rock music icons and rock is what they do best. I love this band with a passion, dating back to their debut album and even Eric Martin as a solo artist before that. Despite my geographical disability, I managed to see the band live on their Lean Into It tour one of my favourite shows ever! And they are on fire again here. This is a lengthy set list that sees solos and improvisation sit alongside the regular songs with ease and although not a fan of solos too much per se, I really do enjoy them in this setting. Best tracks here is a subjective choice, depending on what your personal favourites are but for me its Take Cover, Green Tinted Sixties Mind, Promise Her The Moon, Addicted To That Rush, Colorade Bulldog and their now classic cover of The Who's Baba O'Reily just to name a few!
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| Dare Arc Of The Dawn | Legend Records/NL Distribution |
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Never ever count the years between Dare albums it will only leave you frustrated and feeling old. But thankfully 2009 is an "on" year and Dare have returned with another accomplished dose of highly produced, super-slick British AOR to feast upon and keep your ears happy until at least 2012! Darren Wharton really is the master of personal lyrics and haunting melodies, wrapped in layers and layers of keyboards and guitar parts. Dare's sound is unique and unmistakable. And on Arc Of The Dawn, the band has not deviated from the formula that got them this far. I really love this band, but started feeling some frustration at the lack of variety and the ever softening structure of their songs over the last album or two. I'm thankful that Darren Wharton has turned that around somewhat and mixed up the tempo here and has also re-introduced guitar as the dominant instrument of most songs. There was some confusion if original guitarist Vinny Burns was to record guitar parts for this album and as soon as I heard it, I presumed he had. But I'm assured that time did not allow that to happen and the duties for this album were handled entirely by Richie Dews. Congrats Richie you sound fabulous and the more prominent guitar takes me back to the excellent Calm Before The Storm album. Dublin and Shelter In The Storm really are stand out tracks of pure Dare brilliance. When likewise. And the huge ballad Still Waiting is just brilliant, with the guitar parts lifting the song into orbit mid-way through. The only disappointments I have to register here is the repeat performance of the songs King Of Spades and I Will Return (Return This Heart) from the debut album. I know the reasoning behind this, but I have those tracks already and they will never be beaten. The reworking of Thin Lizzy's Emerald into a moody Dare style track is more acceptable and really very cool. And another cover is included, with a fairly straight-forward cover of the classic Cheap Trick ballad The Flame. Some will love this, others not, but it's fair to say that the song fits Darren Wharton's voice and style to a tee and personally I rate it highly.
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| Mike Tramp The Rock N Roll Cirkuz | Sony Denmark |
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Mike's going to kill me for this. I've previously been painted as a Tramp fan-boy due to my very positive reviews and coverage of Mike's music. And I guess that is true to a point I love Mike's solo work and I grew up on White Lion and rate Recovering The Wasted Years as one of the finest solo records of the decade. But here is proof that I will always call it as I see it regardless of who the album review is for. And with The Rock N Roll Circuz, I feel that Mike has shifted into a direction I'm not as keen on and think that some classy songwriting has been affected by choice of musical direction. In part the part where this album really works Mike returns to the storytelling feel of his Recovering and More To Life Than This albums, delving into the Springsteen meets the more laid back White Lion approach that gives Mike his solo sound. Lyrically Mike sticks to his familiar theme of life, love and doing it all for Rock n Roll. Songwise, the one minute intro track is of little consequence, but the opening All Of My Life is just golden. Everything I love about Mike's work and about rock n roll in general. Back To You has a more modern approach, but is still 100% Mike and another winner. Come On is the first sign that other musical elements have crept into the music, with a slight mid-west country feel in play. Still, another memorable song. Anymore is a heartfelt ballad, with acoustic guitars driving the song and strings bringing that country feel to the forefront. Highway is another uptempo sing-along favourite not as prominent with the acoustic influence and rocking along nicely. Elsewhere on the album is the mid-west/country tinged ballads of The Road and Wiseman; while Rockabilly gets a run on No Tomorrow and Sunshine; and John Mellencamp gets a nod with Between Good N Bad and Lay Down Your Guns. More traditional Tramp fare comes in the form of the haunting orchestral ballad When She Cries, featuring a wonderfully heartfelt vocal.
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| Los Angeles Neverland | Frontiers Records FRCD437 |
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I was pretty kind to the debut Los Angeles album despite featuring the worst CD cover in living memory. Glad that has improved this time around
The album also features a better production effort from Fabrizio Grossi and a majority of original songs co-written by lead vocalist Michele Luppi, rather than covers. Tommy Denander is back in full flight as lead guitarist so you know what to expect there. So, good guitar playing, decent production (although it does sound a little sterile at times) and some good song choices. So why doesn't it quite all come together properly? Great question and one I'm not sure I can fully answer, despite giving this album a lot of attention prior to writing the review. I think that at the heart of it, the CD just doesn't flow very well. This sounds more like a collection of songs rather than a record crafted from start to finish. And despite being quite fond of Italian vocalist Luppi's vocal tone (and undeniable power), I can't help but get side tracked by the extremely poor pronunciation on these songs. In places the pronunciation is among the absolute worst I have heard from any European singer attempting to sing in English. It's very obvious especially where he tries to cover Richard Marx (Noting To Hide) and Wait For You (another Martin Brothers gem) that it sounds horrible. Shame to make a point of that and I didn't mention that issue when reviewing the debut, but here I find it very distracting. I think there are some great songs here, but it is the delivery of them and the fact I don't think the album flows very well that effects my enjoyment of the album as a whole. Highlights as they stand on their own two feet are the ballad Promises; the aforementioned Wait For You (accent aside); the feel good AOR anthem Higher Love and Welcome To My Life. Special mention must go to keyboardist Eric Ragno who is all over this record and makes it that much better for his involvement. The keyboard fills throughout the album really are a joy and are beautifully mixed in within the layers of the songs.
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| 101 South No U-Turn | AOR Heaven 00039 |
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Another incredibly hard review for me to write as founding member, songwriter and keyboardist Roger Scott Craig is a wonderful guy and a strong advocate for musician's rights and anti-downloading laws. And between the bands Fortune, Harlan Cage and 101 South, he has recorded some world class AOR music that to this day I still enjoy. For me the pinnacle was Harlan Cage's Forbidden Colours. The side project from HC was 101 South, featuring vocalist Gregory Lynn Hall. The two albums preceding this one featured a slicker, softer sound than Harlan Cage, but with that same moody overtone. The new album No U-Turn keeps that style in tact, but falls a long way short of its predecessors due to seriously below par production quality. End Of The Game, From What You Know Now and When You're In Love are prime examples of what could have been with a better sound. The vocals are up front in the mix, but Hall sounds a lot rougher than I remember him being. Very raspy this time around. Musically, the instrumentation lacks punch and the drums are really placid, rather than being the driving force behind the music. There are still some highlights on offer the seriously good classic moody, mid-tempo AOR of Lonely Heart for one. Just wish it had a bigger sound behind it. What Are You Gonna Do Anyway could have been pomp anthem of the year if given the full production treatment previous albums received. Yesterday's Gone is another uptempo track with comparisons to Harlan Cage, but the programmed drums and the guitars buried in the back of the mix just destroy it. The great Chris Thompson takes over lead vocals for the haunting ballad Blue Skies, which is one of the stronger songs of the album.
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| Mastedon 3 | Frontiers Records FRCD432 |
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I haven't had any prior experience with Mastedon just one of those bands you miss from time to time. But I love John Elefante's voice! Who can forget his incredible Young And Innocent track from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack, his other more melodic Elefante project and of course production work with Petra and being a two time member of Kansas. Mastedon in 2009 is a fair distance from the two hard rocking albums from nearly 20 years back. Mastedon 3 is more reflective of an artist that has matured and takes in all of Elefante's musical influences over the years. This is one mighty fine record that is a little traditional AOR, a little pomp and a little progressive. The end result is a superb sounding record with some epic moments, some breathtaking arrangements, big harmonies and a brilliant vocal performance from John. The album impresses on a number of levels. The production and crisp mix are spot on and John's vocals are just heavenly power and melody at the same time. The organ soaked melody of Revolution Of Mind is just about everything I love about this kinda of music genius stuff. The 6 minute Nowhere Without Your Love is epic AOR with one of the year's biggest and most passionate chorus harmonies. Truly immense and glorious to the note. A definite Kansas influence here, but nowhere near as much as the 10 minute true epic that follows One Day Down By The Lake. This tune is absolutely classic 70s rock and classic Kansas, even featuring Kerry Livgren on guitar. The heart pumping Water Into Wine rocks, while It's About Time offers another true vocal highlight of 2009. Then another highlight in You Can't Take Anything. Great lead guitar courtesy of Dave Amato and another sensational vocal that wraps around the harmony of the song and strengthens it. Lying is yet another winner, making this one of the most consistent records of the year. That's What You Do is another feel good melodic rocker with a punchy verse, but melodically blissful chorus. Closing the album is a really inspired, haunting cover of the Kansas classic Dust In The Wind. Magic!
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| Blanc Faces Falling From The Moon | Frontiers Records FRCD431 |
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The La Blanc Brothers delivered a strong classic AOR themed debut album three years back. A little too much time between records, the legacy of Blanc Faces hinged on the duo delivering an album to prove the debut was no one-off and they were capable of continuing to deliver. Well, Falling From The Moon does deliver. There are no surprises here and nothing we didn't hear on the debut, but that's ok. The formula remains intact, but this time around everything has been done better. The production is much stronger and the super crisp mix (from Dennis Ward) gives every layer room to breathe. The performances are terrific especially the vocals and the songwriting. The album delivers some highly catchy commercial American AOR. You don't get much better than the opening duo of I Come Alive and Falling From The Moon. The vocals have a little Mecca/Joe Vana feel to them, letting emotions come to the fore in the ballad Everything. It's All About The Love showcases the extreme commerciality of the record, with 80s keys giving the album its poppiest moments. It's here and a few times elsewhere that things tend to get a little cheesy, but that is outweighed by the gems like the moodier Deep In The Heart. That's where I'd like to see the guys take their music the punchier side of things, such as this track, Don't Take It Away and I Come Alive. The Survivor-esque ballad Light Of The World is another superb moodier track and I Will is like Glass Tiger goes Midwestern AOR. The big ballad Fly is another Mecca moment and closes the album in style.
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| Markonee See The Thunder | Escape Music ESM199 |
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This is one of those albums that needs repeat listens to appreciate. I didn't get into it at all first couple of listens, but over time it does reveal its charms. See The Thunder is what you would have to describe as a fairly straight forward hard rock release from this Italian outfit. The album is self produced, but mixed and mastered by Beau Hill, so the sound is pretty tight. It is one of those to the point, no frills affairs. Not the catchiest material ever, nor the best musicians ever, but overall very neat and tidy and something that is going to appeal to fans of European hard rock. The vocals of Gabriele Gozzi need a little getting used to. When he's at his best he sounds a little like Little Angels' frontman Toby Jepson and the band has that melodic guitar/bass/drum sound that Little Angels had. The punchy hard rocker Shores Of Another Sea best illustrate this, as does the following sleaze rocker The Big K. There's some good rock n roll highlights in The Cross Between The Lies and the more melodic Brand New Day and the keyboard lite Cherry Blossom. Closer I Believe In Father Christmas has nothing to do with Christmas at all, but still manages to deliver a good strong chorus and closes the album with a punch.
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| Angel House The Gun, The Love And The Cross | Escape Music ESM200 |
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Angel House has been around several years and this is their second full length release. Based in Birmingham, UK, the band centers their sound around traditional British hard rock and a dash of bluesy free flowing sleaze, a la The Almighty and AC/DC. I must say that I have tried and tried, but I'm still struggling with this album. I just don't see it having the wider appeal of some other titles released this year. Rough and gruff vocalist Pete Easthope is one issue I don't feel his voice is strong enough to make any kind of impact. The music itself is ok but very loose, very raw and very underdone as far as production. The energy of the record is undeniable and I imagine these guys would sound much better live. But on record it falls a little flat and is missing that sonic impact required to elevate what are some decent songs into another league. Lots of guitar here and a loose, energetic feel and definitely designed to be played loud.
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| Kings Of Modesty Hell Or Highwater | Escape Music ESM |
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A strong debut here made more credible no doubt by the several years of playing together the band has under their belt. Kings Of Modesty are a big, loud in your face rock band from Finland specializing in the style of melodic metal that has made big names out of Leverage, Nightwish and Jorn Lande. There are strong melodic ties here lead vocalist is Jason Flinck of Brother Firetribe (Bassist) and the album is mixed by Leverage guitar wizard Torsti Spoof with Jari Mikkola. The sound is obviously big and the tempo matches. This is an at-times furious, kick drum fuelled assault on the senses, with soaring vocals, huge guitar riffs and solos plus a pounding, relentless rhythm section. But all the while the vocals of Flinck keeps things melodic and flowing. Never Touched The Rainbow may be the boisterous opener, but Hourglass is my pick for melody driven metal. What I like about this album and others that I've rated well over the years, is the band's ability to really deliver some heavy tunes, but always produce a memorable hook and chorus to come back to. The keyboard friendly Staring Eyes is a great example of that. In between some melodic numbers are true metal epics like Hell Or High Water and Miracle. The only slower numbers are the moody Once Upon A Time and the closing ballad Two Hearts Collide.
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