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Now this surely is a very exciting and impressive debut album of the Californian band TIME HORIZON that by some might be ranked next to NEAL MORE, TRANSATLANTIC, ENCHANT, CAIRO, ICE AGE and SPOCK’S BEARD, as it has a lot in common with typical American Progrock, but if you listen a little more closely it is like: “Wow, this is pure STYXish Pomprock as if we have stepped into a time machine back to the year 1977!”. They are actually a Christian band, but musically should be put right in between Prog, Pomp and AOR. Key members are drummer and vocalist BRUCE GAETKE and keyboardplayer RALPH OTTESON, who formed the band back in 2004. The smooth picture perfect clean vocalwork is superb and basically this is a dream come true for all the AOR/Pomprockfans, as a lot of the songs are reminding one of FAITH NATION’s first album, STYX, KANSAS, SWEET COMFORT BAND, TOUCH, SHOOTING STAR, so this is actually typical American Midwestern early 80s AOR/Pomprock with cheerful rich keyboards (STYX/ROADMASTER/STARCASTLE) and beautiful lead - and harmonyvocals a la JOHN ELEFANTE. This is really the American way of 1970s British sympho/progrock, so much more melodic and hookladen driven and with that JOURNEY/STYX/BOSTON AORish approach during the catchy choruses and the precise guitarwork. Quite sensational stuff actually, sounding very bombastic and in a pure late 70s/early 80s style, with melodies in each corner of every included song! Remarkable that so less about them has been said in 2011, as this is definitely high quality stuff that should please any AOR and Progfan out there, but also any real music fan will appreciate such high profile music. Although the whole album from start to finish is sensational, I really need to add some of the absolute highlights, which are opener “Life Fantastic”, “Age of Wonders” (STUNNING!!!!! One of the finest pure Pomprock songs I have heard the past few years, SUGARCREEK meets SHOOTING STAR’85 meets 70s KANSAS/STYX, a breathtaking chorus and lovely keyboardwork), “I am not alone (Til the Dawn)” (beautiful guitar melodies here, a ballad at start, but it gets uptempo Pomp/Progrock later on) and the titletrack is ELEFANTE/MASTEDON/KANSAS at it’s very best, as this is a lovely emotional tune. Like already mentioned there are also a lot of Progrock moments and the bands’ diversity is also hearable in a couple of instrumental tracks that even recall memories of TANGERINE DREAM, JEAN MICHAEL JARRE and ALAN PARSONS PROJECT. “Feel the Change” is the only more guitar orientated rocker, because this is a straight-ahead uptempo AOR rocker with a catchy memorable chorus, some BOSTON here and also TWO FIRES comparisons are possible during this song. However, all together this album should be described as a mix between 1970s STYX, JOHN ELEFANTE fronted KANSAS and NEAL MORSE, so typical Classic American melodic hookladen Prog/Pomprock with strong AOR influences and clearly focused on melodies, rich keys, precise guitarwork and crystal clear lead- and harmonyvocals. Besides the fact that the included music is very sensational and a must-have, TIME HORIZON is also a supporter of Living Water International (LWI). LWI is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping the poorest of the poor in parts of the world where clean drinking water is scarce. The sale of the first 1000 CDs of TIME HORIZON will go to Living Water International to help in their goal of providing clean drinking water to the needy. So it is for a good cause as well, can’t get much better than this I think! Musically speaking 2011 brought us WORK OF ART, MECCA, THE MAGNIFICENT and let’s just put TIME HORIZON right in there. All info at: http://timehorizonmusic.com/ and http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/timehorizon (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Hollywood based band KRASH KARMA is formed around a former guitarplayer of NINE INCH NAILS, RALF DIETEL, who shares the lead vocals in his new band with female drummer NIKI SKISTIMAS. The music is a mixture of aggressive typical modern American Metal with slight light-Hardcore influences (DISTURBED meets PANTERA meets SEETHER meets SHINEDOWN), Industrial Metal a la NINE INCH NAILS and PAIN, but also some very melodic parts, especially when the excellent female singer (and drummer) starts to sing (although that doesn’t happen a lot sadly). The band already achieved some success with several of their songs and they toured all over the world. Now they release their new album ‘Straight to the blood’ on a sublabel of the mighty EMI/SONY MUSIC. Although the production could have been better and not the whole CD sounds that impressive, fans of modern sounding light-Industrial Metal like PAIN meets SHINEDOWN, they should check out this band at: http://www.krashkarma.com/ (Points: 7.7 out of 10) DOMINELLI ‘DOMINELLI’ (RENEGADE PUBLICITY/CANADA IMPORT) A few years ago we reviewed a great AOR album of the band MATREX and now we can welcome the first solo-CD of that band’s singer TONY DOMINELLI. The music is slightly different, as this is more typical singer/songwriter orientated, yet still very catchy and melodic, although it hasn’t much to do with AOR/Melodic Rock. If anyone remembers the solo-CDs of JESS HARNELL, CARL DIXON and BRIAN HOWE and mix that up with a bit of DANNY WILDE, JOHN TAGLIERI and even BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and TOM PETTY come to mind, then you might have the sound that can be heard on DOMINELLI’s solo-CD. What is important for me is that the vocals need to be good and happily Tony is a great singer, so the melodies throughout the CD stick in your memory and it is a pleasure to listen to the CD. Lyrically it is a bit cliché-tingled, so perhaps for the die-hard singer-songwriter fans less interesting, but who cares if we can listen to some great songs, such as “I think I finally see”, “Every day”, the AMERICA/THE BUOYS sounding “White gloves”, the AORish ballad “You lead me on”, “When I was a boy” and the almost BRYAN ADAMS catchy uptempo driven poprocker “I like the way you dance” (radiohit ish!). The only song that sounds a bit awkward here is the 80s European Song Contest sounding “Catch me if I fall”. Anyway, fans of laid-back semi-acoustic melodic pop/rock in the style of mentioned artists and also if you happen to like AMERICA, ORLEANS and such 70s Westcoast acoustic guitar driven melodic harmonyvocal driven music, then do check out this album at: www.renegadeproductions.net and www.tonydominelli.bandcamp.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
KILLINGER are coming out of the Canadian city of Edmunton and their debut CD sounds massive, thanks to the involvement of some major names in the mixing (MIKE FRASER of AC/DC, METALLICA, TED JENSEN fame) and mastering (by TED JENSEN at STERLING SOUND New York) process, while the CD itself is distributed through SONY MUSIC CANADA. Basically everything sounds picture-perfect here and what do we get to hear then you might ask yourself! Well, KILLINGER is playing pure 1980s Metal and some of the songs sound like if we are listening to some 1985 Northern American Melodic Hardrock/Metalalbum, but this is really a new band with new recordings on a major label! All kinds of bands pass by when listening to the music of KILLINGER, because I hear similarities to THE SCORPIONS, STRYPER, KEEL, BLACK’N’BLUE, VICTORY, VENGEANCE, etc. etc. Especially the 80s kick-ass guitarwork, strong vocalwork and the overall production/sound is phenomenal and although not every song is a killer track, fans of 80s Classic Hardrock/Metal will love songs like “We are here”, “Holding on” (cool video by the way), “The sky” and the Melodic Rockballad “Listen”. Oh and GEORGE LYNCH plays a guitar solo as well, so make sure not to miss KILLINGER at: http://killingerrocks.com/ especially when you’re tired of the comic 80s parody Metal act STEEL PANTHER and want something in a similar style, but then seriously! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Although released in early 2011, the official full-length debut album of the San Diego, California, USA based band THE MATERIAL should definitely not be missed. Although the music sounds very much like other female fronted bands, such as PARAMORE, LILLIX, TANTRUM TO BLIND, FLYLEAF and WE ARE THE FALLEN, what we get to hear here is of an incredible high level that even puts some of the other bands to sleep! The band’s female singer Colleen D'Agostino Moreaux does not only look very good, she also has a superb voice that make the melodies of each and every song on this disc soar and without a doubt, this album is loaded with potential hits, such as “Appearances”, “Stay here forever” and the ballad “Let you down”. This kind of typical American modern female fronted catchy melodic poprock is actually the new wave of female fronted American catchy AOR/Poprock packed in a 2000s modern rockformat and that is something to appreciate, especially when it is done as well as on this record by THE MATERIAL. The level is sometimes even higher than PARAMORE and FLYLEAF, so make sure you check out this band a.s.a.p. at: http://blog.wearethematerial.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
JOHN PRATT is a recording artist, who is settled in California and has been playing and recording with several bands and projects ever since the 1980s. He released albums with bands like ROXBURY DRIVE and FIREFLY and now he releases a very strong solo-album. I have to say that it is a grower really, because it isn’t the cash-in catchy AOR one would love to hear, as ‘Turn the page’ is more a singer-songwriter AOR album that sounds a bit like GREGG ROLIE meets 1990s ASIA, kinda laid-back, with good harsh vocals and like mentioned before it is not as catchy as you want it to be and more thinkable semi-AOR. You will not find uptempo rockers on this album and somehow you can hear similarities to TALL STORIES, so light psychedelic AOR is also a way to describe JOHN PRATT’s music, though with very strong vocalwork. Here and there I also hear a resemblance to DIVING FOR PEARLS (like on their 2nd disc), but also instrumental it is sometimes pure AOR and one could even call it a better version of the recent BON JOVI sound, but in general this album should be put right between LANCE and MARK SPIRO, so I think you’ll get the picture by now! The list of featured musicians is quite impressive, because besides John on vocals and keys, we can welcome John Thomas: Guitars (Firefly, Toni Childs, Vixen), Wally Minko: Piano (Greg Rollie Band, Jean Luc Ponti), Ron Wikso: Drums (Greg Rollie Band, The Storm, Foreigner, Cher, Firefly), Michael Alemania: Keyboards (Wilson Phillips, Jack Wagner, Vixen, Firefly), Lance Morrison: Bass (Don Henley Band) and Chris Trujillo: Percussion (Tom Petty, Toto, Black Crowes, Roxbury Drive). The sound and the production is quite superb and so is the mastering by Ryan Smith at the legendary Sterling Sound, New York, NY. If you’re familiar with especially MARK SPIRO, you will absolutely love songs like “Take Me There”, “Never Said Goodbye”, “If What It Takes” and “Hold Me”. Quality stuff here, although speaking from an AOR point of view, this album is not your typical catchy AOR album like WORK OF ART, LIONVILLE, THE MAGNIFICENT, etc. but nevertheless definitely worth checking out at: www.johnprattturnthepage.com and http://www.johnprattturnthepage.com/ (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The Dutch band AUTUMN has been active for quite a long period and already managed to release 4 albums during that time. They have always sounded a bit darker and more complex than all the other Dutch female fronted Gothic Metalbands out there and with their 5th album ‘Cold comfort’ they even take it a step further and actually reach an incredible high level. This new AUTUMN album is one of the very few female fronted rockalbums that does not sound like PARAMORE, WITHIN TEMPTATION or NIGHTWISH, because ‘Cold comfort’ has a very original approach. The band has a great female singer called MARJAN WELMAN, who sounds clean and melodic, while the music is almost pure atmospheric Progressive Rock like OPETH, KATATONIA and PORCUPINE TREE, really capturing the 90s/00s darker slightly depressive moody ‘underground’ sound, packed in a mostly slow to midtempo kinda vibe, with almost Doom Metal ish guitarwork, but the vocalwork is close to THE GATHERING. In fact, it’s a bit the direction THE GATHERING was going to on their final record with ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN on lead vocals. Basically this is 60 minutes of listening pleasure and it has absolute nothing to do with the typical FF Rock, AOR and Gothic Euro Melodic Metal we hear on most female fronted albums, so it is an album you have to approach carefully and listen to over and over again before making up a good judgment. In the end, these kind of albums become classics and after several spins this new AUTUMN album might just as well become one. Do not miss out this excellent original release of AUTUMN, because any of the 9 (11 if you get hold of the limited edition release) tracks is a winner, with as absolute highlight the beautiful “Black Stars In A Blue Sky”, but as mentioned every song is sensational! More info at: http://www.autumn-band.com (Points: 8.9 out of 10) A NEW DAWN ‘SEVEN FACES OF TRUTH’ (CURRAHEE RECORDS/RAVENHEART MUSIC/UK IMPORT) The Dutch band A NEW DAWN has been active since 1997 and in this period they managed to release a few albums. ‘Seven faces of truth’ is their latest CD and despite their professional approach, the album will face a hard time to make a huge impact in this overcrowded female fronted Goth Metalscene. Not saying it is a bad release, but the vocalwork on the first couple of songs is not as strong as you want it to be. Fact is that A NEW DAWN has 2 female singers and a male grunter, which makes it sound a bit crowded and this is also making it quite difficult to fully make A NEW DAWN’s sound your own, but with the songs “Composition of Life” (this is the first track that sounds pretty good actually, vocals are better here, especially the one who is singing the first verse!) and “Theatre of Fears” (pretty impressive tune with an epic feeling and building up to a nice climax where the ladies sing harmonies together that sound pretty melodic) A NEW DAWN does show they can deliver. In the end, not bad at all, with some serious musicianship going on here, but nevertheless I really am afraid that overall this album will not make a huge impact, because especially the female vocals do not reach the level of other acts in this genre and they songwise speaking they are quite far from the major acts EPICA or AFTER FOREVER… More at: http://www.anewdawnband.nl and http://www.myspace.com/anewdawnband (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
And yet another Dutch female fronted Gothic band and despite the music of ONLY FATE REMAINS is not really original, because DELAIN and WITHIN TEMPTATION similarities can be heard a lot of times, the incredible high level of ‘Breathe’ is making them a true winner in this genre. The sound of their debut CD is massive and ONLY FATE REMAINS features an excellent female lead singer (EVA KNOKKEN). This band really is coming from out of nowhere and they deliver here an album that can easily be ranked right next to this year’s new albums of WITHIN TEMPTATION and NIGHTWISH. ‘Breathe’ is a sensational record that is a total must-have for any fan of today’s female fronted melodic rock/goth metal sound and a song like “The real you” could well become one of 2011’s finest tracks in female fronted rock/metal! What we have here is of an incredible high level that is right up there with all the other established acts in the genre and boy do I love this stuff, especially when it is done as good as on this first record by ONLY FATE REMAINS! Without a doubt, this is a band to keep your eyes wide open for and it’s also remarkable to see them on a UK label, so the Dutch labels missed the boat, because they are to me sounding even better than the major label signed DELAIN. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.onlyfateremains.com/ (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
HANGOVER HERO is a new band formed around ex-members of some very well-known established Dutch female fronted Gothic Metalbands like DELAIN, AUTUMN, AFTER FOREVER and EPICA. Each of the musicians wanted something different and with HANGOVER HERO they are definitely doing something completely different. The band mixes all kinds of rockstyles from the past few decades, so it is a very diverse record that might appeal to a lot of rockfans out there. SASCHA PAETH is the band’s fifth member actually, as he helped them during the recording process and even gave them their bandname, but the first CD has nothing to do with the Bombastic Power Metal Sascha is best known for. In fact, the Rock of HANGOVER HERO reminds me somehow a bit of FACE TOMORROW and MENNEN, but then a bit more diverse here and there. Opener “Play in a band” is not the album’s strongest tracks, as this song is a typical American almost EMOish Poprocker that sounds a bit dull after a while. Happily, the rest of the CD is much better, with as highlights “Wake up the sleeping” (a very strong pure Melodic Rocksong, the ballad “All I can be” (impressive radio-ready, very catchy and a great melodic chorus, American orientated), the excellent “Ivory towers” (British sounding uptempo rocker, as good as all those hyped bands from the UK, a chorus and vocals that touch classic 80s ULTRAVOX/MIDGE URE era and even THE EDITORS!) and “Harder” (nice uptempoo melodic rocker). Surprisingly this is a great band with a very strong vocalist by the way and a Rocking debut album that should be promoted big time! More at: www.hangoverhero.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10) CHRIS OUSEY ‘RHYME OF REASON’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) Lead vocalist CHRIS OUSEY has released so many albums with his band HEARTLAND the past 20 years, I lost the count somewhere along the way, not even counting the 2 classics he released with VIRGINIA WOLF and his other side-project THE DISTANCE. Anyway, now for the first time in his 30 year-career he releases a solo-CD titled ‘Rhyme of reason’. All of the songs were written by Chris, together with TOMMY DENANDER. Tommy is not the only established musician featured here, because the line-up is as follows; Chris Ousey – Vocals (HEARTLAND, VIRGINIA WOLF, THE DISTANCE), Mike Slamer – Guitars and Keyboards (CITY BOY, STREETS, SEVENTH KEY), Tommy Denander – Guitar and keyboards (RADIOACTIVE, ALICE COOPER), Neil Murray – Bass (WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE) and Gregg Bisonette – Drums (DAVID LEE ROTH, RINGO STARR). 12 tracks are included and musically it is a bit heavier than the AOR/Melodic Rock we usually hear on the records Chris is singing, but nevertheless if you’re familiar with HEARTLAND and VIRGINIA WOLF, then you will certainly enjoy this solo-record of Chris. Songs like “Mother Of Invention”, “To Break A Heart”, “Give Me Shelter” and “By Any Other Name”, but actually any of the included songs is a pleasure to listen to, so the Melodic Rockfans will definitely also like this album and especially when you’re familiar with Chris’ exceptional voice, this is a must-have. (Points: 8.3 out of 10) GARY JOHN BARDEN ‘ELEVENTH HOUR’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) Lead singer GARY JOHN BARDEN always reminds me of GRAHAM BONNET, because the 2 British singers have got an identical voice you either love or hate. Personally I am not a major fan of both singers, but I can imagine a lot of people appreciate them. Both singers have also been involved in quite a lot bands throughout their career and in between they kept their solo career going. Gary has sung in STATETROOPER, PRAYING MANTIS, SILVER, COMPANY OF SNAKES, but got his fame and fortune 30 years ago as lead singer for THE MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP. Through the 2000s he released a lot of solo-records and continues to do so with ‘Eleventh hour’, which was produced by MICHAEL VOSS. If you’re familiar with Gary’s previous solo-records, you’ll probably know how this new one will more or less sound like. I wouldn’t call this a classic, because therefore the Hardrock on ‘Eleventh hour’ is way too cliché tingled, reminding a bit of the overhyped 80s records of ALKATRAZZ, a band which featured GRAHAM BONNET on vocals by the way! It’s not bad at all, but on the other hand, most of the material goes in one ear and out the other, unless you’re a fan of Gary’s raw voice. (Points: 7.5 out of 10)
The Sao Paolo, Brazil based band ECLIPTYKA was formed way back in 1999 and so they have come a long way before releasing their official debut CD. The album is titled ‘A tale of decadence’ and musically it is a very Dutch female fronted Gothic Metal release in the style of AFTER FOREVER and EPICA, although the lead vocals of singer HELENA MARTINS are not as good as the singers of these acts. Actually she reminds me more of the DELAIN, NEMESEA and XANDRIA type of singers, which means a little less powerful and more smoother and sweeter. Nevertheless, the band’s debut CD sounds quite massive, with a very good production and instrumental ECLIPTYKA definitely delivers big time, with as constant highlight the superb guitarwork and also the choruses of a lot of the songs are very strong, with as finest tracks “Splendid cradle”, “Hate” and the closing NIGHTWISHish bonustrack “Berco esplendido”. Although for someone in Holland, this band does not sound very original, but nobody will be able to deny the incredible high level of this Brazilian band that just happens to sound very ‘Dutch’ on their great debut album ‘A tale of decadence’, which has been released on the Brazilian label DIE HARD. Check out more at: http://www.ecliptyka.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
The Finnish band MINUTIAN’s debut CD ‘Repercussions’ should be filed somewhere between modern Progrock and Progmetal, taking influences from TOOL, MASTODON and a lot of PORCUPINE TREE. 7 lengthy songs are included and the first couple of songs need to be re-listened a few times before you really understand MINUTIAN’s modern sound, but once you ‘get it’, then you will learn to appreciate their music. The vocals seem to sound better when the material gets more complex and slower and thanks to the massive sound/production of the CD, this is an interesting band to check out. One of the highlight is the very impressive “Cold & Tight”, but any of the included songs will please the fans of original modern Progrock. The feeling is somewhat atmospheric and I would definitely recommend it to fans of PORCUPINE TREE, although MINUTIAN sounds a bit heavier. Go check it out for yourself at: www.minutian.com/ (Points: 8.1 out of 10) EDENIAL ‘FROM THE END’ (RAVENHEART MUSIC/CODE 7/UK IMPORT) The world of female fronted Gothic Metalbands keeps getting bigger and the latest addition is the UK based EDENIAL. This band has a very strong female singer (although some improvements are still possible, especially during the lower level sung parts) and their debut CD is titled ‘From the end’. The CD starts very calm with a sort of calm epic semi-ballad, which is the titletrack, but the following 2 tracks (“Wind” and “The big day”) are both quite good uptempo pieces of melodic metal in the EPICA/AFTER FOREVER style, only a bit less sensational. Without a doubt, this is quality stuff that is quite nice to sit through from start to finish, although it isn’t groundbreaking, but definitely decent enough to listen to every now and then, especially if you’re a dedicated fan of the typical FF Gothic Melodic Metal! More info at: www.myspace.com/edenial (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
SILENT OPERA is the next female fronted band with a typical modern day sounding Gothic Metal album that follows the style once created by NIGHTWISH during the 1990s when they had TARJA on lead vocals. Although the material on ‘Immortal beauty’ is not bad at all, the soprano vocals are constantly way up in the higher range and this is something you either love or hate. If you’re a fan of TARJA fronted NIGHTWISH you’re going to love this album most definitely, but be aware that the 11 included songs do not offer anything new to the genre. A pity, because this Italian band has all the elements needed to become a quality band, but fact is that the material is not diverse enough to make a huge impact. Perhaps a future record will offer more sensational material, because despite the fact that this isn’t a bad record at all, I am afraid there are too many similar and better albums in this genre at the moment. More info at: www.silentopera.it (Points: 7.7 out of 10) BRIGHTEYE BRISON ‘THE MAGICIAN CHRONICLES PART 1’ (PROGRESS RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT) The Swedish band BRIGHTEYE BRISON has been around for quite a while now and their latest album ‘The magician chronicles part 1’ is their 4th album since 2003. The band is playing high class prog and especially this new record is filled with excellent prog that even reveals some Pomp influences. The lead vocals are very strong and the material has some experimental moves here and there, but overall it is your typical proggy record. What is quite surprising is the fact that only 3 songs are included, all of them being very lengthy, with as longest track the 23 minutes counting “The Rise of Brighteye Brison”. For progfans this is of course a very interesting band to check out. It’s all done very well and reflected in 3 long songs that you have to re-listen a few times before you understand it, because BRIGHTEYE BRISON has put a lot of different elements here for you to explore. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.brighteyebrison.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
The band IBERIA is coming out of Portugal and was already formed way back in 1986. They even managed to score a hit in 1987 with their song ‘Hollywood’ from their same titled debut. Touring and being played on the BBC Radio made them one of the more popular bands out of Portugal back in the 1980s, but after the release of their 2nd album ‘Heroes of the wasteland’ in 1990, they split up. However, like many other 1980s bands, they reformed recently and now present us their 3rd album titled ‘Revolution’. For me personally this is the first time I hear music of the band IBERIA and I can recommend it to anyone into no nonsense 80s party Hardrock in the style of SKID ROW, BRITNY FOX, VICTORY and if you’re familiar with TARANTULA and JOKER, you will probably like this band and their new CD ‘Revolution’ a lot. The CD has a quality sound and instrumental it sounds good enough for fans of the genre, but vocally there is some accent to be heard, although singer Miguel Freitas does remind me a bit of STEVEN TYLER of AEROSMITH here and there. The best song out of the 14 included is “Angel” and anyone interested in hearing their 1987 hitsingle can hear it in a new version as closing track on this new IBERIA CD. Check for yourself at: http://www.iberiarocks.com and http://www.myspace.com/iberiaband (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
FRAN SOLER is a Spanish guitarist who is delivering quite a masterpiece with his new album ‘No eyes’. Fran already released a few albums in the past, but is now releasing perhaps one of the finest instrumental albums of 2011. The production is very impressive and Fran’s guitarwork is really beautiful. He has a sort of STEVE VAI, JOE SATRIANI, NEAL SCHON and GARY MOORE kinda vibe in his guitar playing, which is making it a pleasure to sit through each and every of the 11 included tracks on the CD. The music is instrumental melodic rock most of the time, with as highlights “Y.O.U.” (lovely), “February in my mind” (GARY MOORE ‘Parisienne walkaways’ tribute?, really excellent guitarwork here in this ballad, very precise and quite close to NEAL SCHON/GARY MOORE) and uptempo melodic rockers like “Train to dreams”, “Revelation” and “Walking between the flames”. On 3 songs we can also hear vocals, namely “Negras sombras” and “20 años” (both great uptempo melodic rockers a la TIERRA SANTA, with very strong lead vocals) and closing track “Ningunos ojos” that has excellent female vocals and is an acoustic ballad a la NEXX. Fran has a really good ear for a strong melody on the guitar and the material on his new CD is a pleasure to listen to. The album has a big sound as well, so it is highly recommended! More info at: www.fransoler.net/ (Points: 8.8 out of 10) AGENTS OF MERCY ‘THE BLACK FOREST’ (FOXTROT MUSIC/GLASS ONYON PR/SWEDEN IMPORT) The Swedish band AGENTS OF MERCY is a sort of superband in the Progworld, because members of established bands like TRANSATLANTIC, THE FLOWER KINGS and KARMAKANIC reunite here and recorded a highly sensational progalbum under the moniker AGENTS OF MERCY. However, it is not the debut album, because ‘The black forest’ is already the 3rd record of the band, with as most well-known members ROINE STOLT on guitar and JONAS REINGOLD on bass. The music is ofcourse pure Progrock for the 21st century, in which there’s room for everyone and everything to make it an interesting concept album. The album has a massive sound and basically this is big time modern Progressive Rock in the style of THE FLOWER KINGS and SPOCK’S BEARD, so with a strong retro vibe and what is quite remarkable is the excellent vocalwork by Nad Sylvan. Basically this is a very enjoyable trip through the magnetic fields they call Progressive Rock nowadays. A song like “Elegy” is a really beautiful semi-ballad, while also several of the songs feature some great Classic Rockish guitar riffs. Almost 1 hour of Progasm is to be heard here and especially fans of mentioned musicians/bands will fall instantly in love with AGENTS OF MERCY’s 3rd record. The band or project has rapidly built up a large fanbase, thanks to the release of 3 high quality studio-albums and a live record within 3 years and performing on holy grounds, such as LORELEY and VICTORIA PARK LONDON. Do not miss this Prog-gem! More info at: www.agentsofmercy.com/ (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
10 tracks and around an hour filled with Alternative/Experimental/Rock from this UK based singer/songwriter called SAKARA on her debut album ‘Blood and stone’, that is basically what we get to hear when putting on the album she just released. SAKARA used to front bands like LICK ME TO DEATH, THE CRAFT and KUNDALINI and is now starting a solo career. I am not familiar with her earlier bands, but this album is quite interesting, sounding like a cross between light New Wave/1980s influenced (DALBELLO, LUBA, KATE BUSH), the modern semi-Industrial Pop/Rock of FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE and 1990s dark Goth/Doom ish early THE GATHERING/AUTUMN. The vocals of Lady SAKARA are very strong and the music is very interesting. This is the kind of stuff that should generate a lot of interest in especially Europe, so make sure not to miss out this album, which finds its highlights in “Bleed”, “Join you” and “Ishtar”. More at: http://www.ladysakara.com/sakara/info.html (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Not that long ago we reviewed the solo-CD ‘Under the ice’ of the Italian singer BARBARA RUBIN, who also fronts the Metalband LOREWEAVER. That band already recorded the album ‘Imperviae Auditiones’ back in 2008 and once again this CD is showing that if you have a great lead singer in your line-up, it is a lot easier to get noted, because it is that aspect that makes the difference with the countless other bands in this genre. What we have here is a mixture of strong vocals with a raw edge a la LITA FORD and an excellent melodic clean vocal part a la LANA LANE, all done by this great Italian female singer called BARBARA RUBIN. Musically speaking LOREWEAVER is playing proggy metal with most of the time a haunting melodic chorus, which sounds quite sensational during “Bogus” and “Dead Man Walking”. Actually this album is quite a surprise and is definitely worth listening to over and over again as there is a lot to discover. Let’s not forget to mention the massive instrumental sounding “Ride The Owl” and the beautiful ballad “UltraWorld” (excellent vocals). The songs stick in your head and after listening a couple of times one can hear that this band LOREWEAVER has something special, which is mainly due to the superb female singer. If a future record will see improvements on the production, then we should seriously watch out for this Italian band. More at: http://www.myspace.com/loreweaverband and www.reverbnation.com/loreweaver and e-mail them at: loreweaverband@gmail.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Now this is really interesting stuff, especially since SANKARA is a new band from Cardiff, Wales and in their bio it is mentioned that they are playing in the vein of THE KILLERS. Well, actually their EP ’Enigma’ is here and there more a melodic rock/aor gem. Of course there are some similarities to THE KILLERS, for example during the calm ballad “As they lay my body down” and we can even can hear some light prog influences. However, the songs “Enigma” and the uptempo “Exalted star” are almost pure Melodic Rock/AOR, with the latter featuring a really fantastic catchy AORish chorus. The guitarwork is very precise as in Classic Rock/UK Progressive Rock terms and the band has a very strong smooth lead singer (GARETH JONES, who also plays keys), so actually SANKARA is more or less a typical traditional Melodic Rockband with some prog influences and just a slight modern touch. They even remind me a bit of ENCHANT, CAIRO and such bands, so very melodic song orientated prog is what we get to hear and I have to admit that it sounds damn good. Who knows this band will have their big break in 2012, because they surely deliver already on this EP. More info at: www.sankara.co.uk (Points: 8.5 out of 10) CONSORTIUM PROJECT ‘1: CRIMINALS AND KINGS’ (LION MUSIC/BERTUS) Couldn’t find the original review of this album that was released in the late 1990s, but IAN PARRY’s ambitious project CONSORTIUM PROJECT started with ‘Criminals and kings’ and lasted 10 more years with 4 more albums to follow this first one, which has now been re-released. In case you missed this Neo-Classical Prog/Melodic Heavy Rock affair (IAN PARRY meets ELEGY), this is the best way to pick it up again, because this release comes along with 2 new never before heard bonus tracks (an acoustic version of “A Miracle Is All We Need” with PATRICK RONDAT on guitar and a demo version of “Evilworld” which features AYREON mastermind ARJEN LUCASSEN on bass guitar). The new remastering makes the album sound just a little stronger than it already was, so go check out this project if you missed it the first time round at: www.ianparry.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
In the 1990s IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY (Guitars, Bass, Hammond) released a really sensational record titled ‘Fallen angel’, which sadly didn’t get the attention it should have received, because without a doubt, this album might one day be seen as a ‘Classic’. Musically it featured classic 80s Melodic Hardrock with a bluesy touch, equal in style to Y&T, XYZ, 80s DOKKEN, WHITESNAKE, PAUL SHORTINO, ROUGH CUTT, HURRICANE, LILLIAN AXE etc. etc. Iain’s typical Californian guitar licks sounded superb and the lead vocals of the still unknown DANTE MARCHI and the legendary PAUL SHORTINO were and still are terrific. The 2 later albums of Iain were slightly weaker and also featured different singers, including CARSTEN SCHULTZ (EVIDENCE ONE) and GRAHAM BONNETT (RAINBOW), so it is not that strange that this newly released album ‘Vintage love’, which is a best of, has its ups and downs. The ups being put at the beginning, where we can find the best tracks of Iain’s debut CD, such as “Distant Memories” and the amazing “Hold On, both picture perfect Melodic Hardrock a la DOKKEN/XYZ/FIREHOUSE, really superb stuff!!! As the best of gets closer to the end, the music takes a more pure heavy Bluesrock direction with just plain stuff, although all together the complete CD offers enough quality material to enjoy from start to finish. Also a highlight is “Blink Of An Eye” (pretty good RAINBOWish melodic rock, with awesome guitarwork and strong vocals by RANDY WILLIAMS). For the die-hard fans, there is also an unreleased bonustrack included (“Red Head Rampage”), but I do hope that the next solo record of Iain will see him changing back to the glorious 80s guitar riff orientated Californian Melodic Hardrocksound of his debut, because those songs on this new best of CD are really timeless. Check out more at: www.facebook.com/iainashleyhersey (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
TALON has been on the scene for quite a long time and was previously known as VOXEN. They have done some really great stuff in the past, but due to a lot of line-up changes they lost some great lead singers to other bands, including recently New York native Chandler Mogel, who went on to join the rather successful Greek band OUTLOUD. Although their music has always been very strong pure 80s Melodic Hardrock, they softened their sound a bit in the past few years and ‘3’ is their most AOR based album so far, with keys more upfront and although the material isn’t bad at all, the current lead singer (Shawn Pelata of LINE OF FIRE) is not singing as good as TALON’s previous singers. Especially if you have JEFF SCOTT SOTO on board singing lead vocals on 1 song (“Take You All The Way”), it is a pity he didn’t sing all tracks. Nevertheless the 12 included tracks are nice typical 80s AOR/Melodic Rockers you can play anytime you like, as it’s all done quite well, but I am afraid it will not be one of 2011’s finest records in the genre. More at: http://www.reverbnation.com/talonofficial (Points: 8.1 out of 10) GAZPACHO ‘LONDON’ (KSCOPE/BERTUS) It seems like PINK FLOYD is still one of the most influential bands for new progbands, but also bands like RADIOHEAD and COLDPLAY were heavily influenced by the legendary UK progband. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t describe those bands as real progbands actually, as they are more going into a boring version of U2 direction instead of really creating something new and exciting (where prog is all about), but a lot of other people think differently. Anyway, despite GAZPACHO might be called a progband by some among us, I do feel that they are clearly more sounding like RADIOHEAD and COLDPLAY, although some similarities to the 90s/00s MARILLION can also be heard. The vocalwork however is very monotone and not really interesting to listen to over 2 CDs long, because that is what this new album of them is all about. ‘London’ is the title of the double-CD and is actually a live record, of course recorded in London. Instrumental it all sounds great and the songs are taking you on a nice journey through different worlds, but still I have my doubts about the struggling monotone vocalwork and also no real memorable songs can be found in GAZPACHO’s repertoire. Having said that I do not have any doubts about the fact that there are enough people out there who will enjoy this album. More at: http://www.gazpachoworld.com/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
‘Cor cordium’ is already the 14th studio record of the American band GLASS HAMMER. Musically speaking it is a continuation of the band’s well established British orientated Symphonic Rocksound. 6 long tracks make up 1 hour of enjoyable music that will please especially the fans of YES and PENDRAGON. Although nothing new is brought here, fans of typical classic 1970s type of Symphonic Rock can easily grab a copy of the new GLASS HAMMER record that as always features a beautiful painting by ROGER DEAN as album cover. Although hailing from America, they sound as British as possible and are one of those bands that keeps on releasing quality albums. More info at: http://www.glasshammer.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) KRUX ‘3 – HE WHO SLEEPS AMONGST THE STARS’ (GMR MUSIC/BERTUS) Swedish Doom Metal has always been based on CANDLEMASS, but the past few years the name KRUX has been mentioned as the new hope for this genre. Actually KRUX is formed around musicians who are also in CANDLEMASS, so it is no wonder that it is in the same style. Doom Metal is slow and of course based on the ole BLACK SABBATH dark guitar riffs, but in the case of CANDLEMASS and KRUX also very melodic, thanks to the strong clean vocals by MATS LEVEN. ‘He who sleeps amongst the stars’ is the band’s third record and once again it sounds quite massive and is a highly recommended piece to fans of the Doom Metal genre. One glance at the songtitles and you’re doomed (“He Who Sleeps Amongst the Stars”, “The Hades Assembly”, “Emily Payne (and the Black Maze)”, “Small Deadly Curses”, “Prince Azaar and the Invisible Pagoda”, etc.). Must-have for all Doom fans! More at: http://www.kruxdoom.se/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The Norwegian band AIRBAG is one of the latest discoveries in the world of pure Progrock the past few years. They sound very British and are fully moving into the modern field of the likes of ANATHEMA, PORCUPINE TREE, BLACKFIELD and of course the institution of PINK FLOYD. Although not very original perhaps, what they are doing on their 2nd album ‘All rights removed’ is of a very high level. The 6 lengthy songs are all basically picture-perfect modern day Progressive Rock with constantly the excellent precise guitarwork of Bjørn Riis and the pleasant vocalwork Asle Tostrup as well. I actually have not heard their debut, but reading the biography learns that the prog press was very excited about the album, which was titled ‘Identity’ by the way. I have to say that this is not just a progalbum, because it sounds bigger than that and AIRBAG should appeal to anyone who likes to hear crystal clear music that breathes the same air as the earlier mentioned bands. Closing track “Homesick Part 2” must be a dream come true for anyone who misses the days when PINK FLOYD delivered Classic material. Must-have for any progfan out there and they should already be put right next to the other new established acts in this genre of the past 10-15 years (RIVERSIDE, PORCUPINE TREE, BLACKFIELD, ANATHEMA and also the latest epos of OPETH). Go check them out at: www.airbagsound.com (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Bands called SEVEN or with SEVEN in their bandname are quite endless and usually they are moving in the Metal direction, such is also the case with the British band SEVEN7. Their 2nd album ‘Under eye’ offers high quality modern sounding Metal with big massive guitar riffs and melodic choruses, although there is that typical aggressiveness also notable most of the time. I am not familiar with their debut CD, but on this new album the band sounds very tight and at times quite catchy. Production is very good for an independent release and besides the fact that they can deliver musically some very strong material, the band also has a very good singer (Dave Brown) and all together the band sounds very American orientated. In the USA hundreds of bands can be found in the same style as SEVEN7, but somehow this London based band adds a few musical touches here and there that make them sound just a little different than for example SHINEDOWN, THREE DAYS GRACE, DISTURBED and such. The Middle-Eastern influences, the Progmetal riffs and the superb guitarwork (NICOLAS MEIER) sets them apart from mentioned bands and especially during a lovely track like “Three days” they show they can sound very sensational, because this song is almost reminding me of EVERGREY and THRESHOLD during it’s glorious chorus. There are some very impressive tunes on SEVEN7’s record, with as highlights the already mentioned “Three days”, “Run” (even some slight ALICE IN CHAINS influences, but still also Progmetalish), “You can have it” and the almost 9 minutes counting titletrack “Under eye” that closes the CD in pure Progmetalstyle (yet a little angry like MERCENARY and especially PAIN OF SALVATION are known for). Basically the band combines the aggressiveness and modern sound of the new wave of American Nu-Metal with the European more melodic Progmetal approach, so try to imagine a mix between DISTURBED, the old MERCENARY and EVERGREY, then you’re close to the sound of the very interesting British band SEVEN7. Without a doubt, a band you can easily check out and enjoy, more at: http://www.seven7.name (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The German band HEAVENFALL makes a strong debut with their very first album ‘7 sins’. It is clear that they are heavily influenced by KAMELOT and despite they might not 100% reach the big budget filled sound/production of their American heroes, ‘7sins’ does have a lot of catchy moments to please the KAMELOT fans. In fact, it is all done very well and for an independent release a very impressive album. Songs like “7 Sins” (catchy progmetal, very good piece of work, memorable stuff, PAGAN’S MIND/SEVENTH WONDERish), “Envy” (KAMELOTish and also very much reminding me of SERENITY’s uptempo Prog/Power Metal), “Gluttony” (hello KAMELOT!), “Dream of Mirrors” (hello KAMELOT!!!, very good, with nice keyboardwork as well) and “Robin Hood” (another KAMELOT chorus here!). The band’s lead singer Daniel Lähms is also singing melodies in the ROY KHAN style and although his vocals are not groundbreaking and you have to get used to it after a while, it gets better, especially during the excellent “Dream of mirrors” song that also features some excellent guitarwork. Actually this is quite a surprise release and without a doubt this is KAMELOT all the way! If you miss the old KAMELOT of THE BLACK HALO period, then this is for you! More at: www.heavenfall.de (Points: 8.6 out of 10) COLLISION PROCESS ‘COLLISION PROCESS’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT) Metalcore! Well, a few pieces of melodicness can be heard, but overall there is way too much screamin going on here, which is a pity, because the few clean vocals we can heard are very strong. Perhaps next time a full clean record instead of this ROMEO MUST DIE/DEFTONESish endless and pointless screaming from head to toe! (Points: -)
This foursome and quite young of age Midlands, UK based band starts as a typical Rock and Rollband during the first 4 songs of their debut CD ‘One good reason’. Basically this is typical traditional Hard Rock but with a clear reference to the glorious 70s Classic Rock movement and similarities to other new bands THE ANSWER, THE TREATMENT, ROADSTAR, JET and AIRBOURNE is quite obvious, although they aren’t shy from CRUE/LEPPARD influences as well (see “Girls I used to know”). However, the song “Wash away the tears” surprisingly gives the band a different face, because this is pure Melodic Rock and so are the songs “In your arms” and “Turn away”, all sounding like a cross between the UK based bands KICK/VEGA and GUN, with some WHITE LIONish choruses. And then the song “Sweet dreams baby”, which is an almost 1970s sounding acoustic close-harmony westcoast ish Popballad! So there is quite a lot of diversity going on here and that is what is making this ALREADY GONE an interesting band. However, they still have a long way to go, because the production/sound of their CD needs to be better next time and overall I feel that they can deliver some more stronger material, because now we can also find some average tracks included, like “Stop, drop, rock n roll”, “Let me be your slave” and “Sweet lady Jane”. Check them out for yourself at: http://www.alreadygone.co.uk/ (Points: 8.0 out of 10) HOSTILE ‘EVE OF DESTRUCTION’ (PEROXIDE MUSIC/VIGILANTE MUSIC/UK IMPORT) Metalcore! Sorry, but this is not something we discuss… (Points: -)
The Italian band ABSYNTH AURA is making their debut with the CD ‘Unbreakable’, which has been released on ANDROMEDA RECORDS. Without a doubt we have a winner here for all the fans of female fronted Rock, because ABSYNTH AURA features a really excellent female singer called CLAUDIA ‘Klod’ SAPONI and also musically speaking this band definitely delivers high quality music that sounds quite modern, but very catchy and super melodic. DELAIN, WITHIN TEMPTATION, LACUNA COIL and NEMESEA and such acts sometimes come to mind, but ABSYNTH AURA has a sort of own style, which sounds more guitar orientated than aforementioned bands and also much heavier, groovier and with a clear edge. Claudia does not only look very good, but is a really great singer, who can sing very easily and never misses a note. In fact, she is the reason why ABSYNTH AURA’s first album is lifted up way above any other female fronted release at the moment. Also credits need to go out to the other members of the band, because MICHELLE VIONI is a fantastic guitarplayer and the rhythm section gives the finishing touch to the material of the band. Like already mentioned, the music is modern sounding, but very catchy and melodic, mostly semi-ballad to midtempo orientated with big fat guitarwork and memorable choruses, with as highlights “Believe me”, “Desert flower”, “The fire in my eyes” and the titlesong. 2011 has been a very good year for the fans of female fronted rock/metal and one should not miss out this sensational Italian band called ABSYNTH AURA at: http://www.absynthaura.com and e-mail them at: info@absynthaura.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Definitely not something one receives every day, because the CD ‘Human encounter’ by multi-instrumentalist SALIM GHAZI SAEEDI comes straight out of Tehran, Iran! Music has no borders and one can hear that on this album, because we can hear the highly gifted musicianship of one man, SALIM GHAZI SAEEDI. He delivers here a good instrumental complex Progressive Rockalbum that mixes influences from current modern day progrock of the PORCUPINE TREE kind with some Arabic traditional music, ending up sounding quite original. 12 songs are included and although the music is not going a very heavy direction and also the drum programming is a little bit hard to accept sometimes, for a musician from Iran playing this western based music (although combined with eastern influences) it is a very interesting album to check out. In fact, Salim managed to play and record everything on his own and as a big admirer of World Music as well, he could easily be featured in this Dutch TV Program called ‘Vrije geluiden’ at: www.vrijegeluiden.nl/ but in the meantime, check out his music at: http://www.salimworld.com/ (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
Now here we might be talking about the next big band from the U.K., because WOLVENTRIX has a real own sound on their official debut CD ‘Ours till dawn’. This is partly thanks to the vocalwork of singer TOM WALKDEN, who has a unique vibrato that somehow reminds me of the 1970s way of singing Psychedelic Rock (THE BYRDS) and also BOB DYLAN and even SIMON AND GARFUNKEL in their early days. Also the music of WOLVENTRIX is hard to compare, because it combines all sorts of influences, but overall it’s a mix of classic 1960s British singer-songwriter music of the already mentioned BOB DYLAN kind and typical British Indie Pop of the 1980s-2000s period (SUEDE, THE SMITHS and RADIOHEAD). They have a lot of stories to tell on this album and the fresh production makes it a very pleasant adventure to go through each and every of the 11 included tracks that sound most of the time very melancholic and are quite slow in the tempo, but always melodic and very memorable as if you have heard them many times before, especially during the potential hitsingles “Wanderlust”, “Electrical storm” (this is one of those songs that will be adored by especially the Dutch press critics – read: DE WERELD DRAAIT DOOR and GIEL BEELEN), “Nostalgia” (midtempo, with a chorus that would make JON ANDERSON jealous!), the pure progrocker “Best ways to die” and the very original sounding “Sham white wedding” (remarkable tune, but irresistible catchy!). Although I have the CD version in front of me, it’s almost a must to get this piece of brilliance on vinyl, but I’m not sure if it is available on the ole record. Anyway, one way or the other, check out this great band that might become the new sensation in 2012 at: http://www.wolventrix.com/ (Points: 8.6 out of 10) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem except where noted) |
TIME
HORIZON ‘LIVING WATER’ (ANGELIC NOISE RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
KRASH
KARMA ‘STRAIGHT TO THE BLOOD’ (SPLITNAIL RECORDS/EMI/SONY MUSIC/USA IMPORT)
KILLINGER
‘KILLINGER’ (SUNMOR ENTERTAINMENT/SONY MUSIC/CANADA IMPORT)
THE
MATERIAL ‘WHAT WE ARE’ (SCM RECORDINGS/USA IMPORT)
JOHN
PRATT ‘TURN THE PAGE’ (BUSTIN’ FOR JUSTIN MUSIC/USA IMPORT/TSM SLW
PROMOTIONS)
AUTUMN
‘COLD COMFORT’ (METAL BLADE/PIMP)
ONLY
FATE REMAINS ‘BREATHE’ (RAVENHEART MUSIC/CODE 7/UK IMPORT)
HANGOVER
HERO ‘HANGOVER HERO’ (HUNGOVER RECORDS/PIMP)
ECLIPTYKA
‘A TALE OF DECADENCE’ (DIE HARD/BRAZIL IMPORT)
MINUTIAN
‘REPERCUSSIONS’ (INDEPENDENT/FINLAND IMPORT)
SILENT
OPERA ‘IMMORTAL BEAUTY’ (RAVENHEART MUSIC/CODE 7/UK IMPORT)
IBERIA
‘REVOLUTION’ (ESPACIAL MUSICA/PORTUGAL IMPORT)
FRAN
SOLER ‘NO EYES’ (INDEPENDENT/SPAIN IMPORT)
SAKARA
‘BLOOD AND STONE’ (RAVENHEART MUSIC/CODE 7/UK IMPORT)
LOREWEAVER
‘IMPERVIDE AUDITIONES’ (SG RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
SANKARA
‘ENIGMA’ (INDEPENDENT/WALES IMPORT)
IAIN
ASHLEY HERSEY ‘VINTAGE LOVE – THE BEST’ (AVENUE OF ALLIES/GERMANY IMPORT)
TALON
‘3’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)
GLASS
HAMMER ‘COR CORDIUM’ (ARION RECORDS/BERTUS)
AIRBAG
‘ALL RIGHTS REMOVED’ (KARISMA RECORDS/BERTUS)
SEVEN7
‘UNDER EYE’ (MGP RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
HEAVENFALL
‘7SINS’ (NICROTHAL RECORDS/POINT MUSIC/GERMANY IMPORT)
ALREADY
GONE ‘ONE GOOD REASON’ (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
ABSYNTH
AURA ‘UNBREAKABLE’ (LOGICILLOGIC/ANDROMEDA/ATOMIC STUFF/ITALY IMPORT)
SALIM
GHAZI SAEEDI ’HUMAN ENCOUNTER’ (SALIM WORLD/IRAN IMPORT)
WOLVENTRIX
‘OURS TILL DAWN’ (FABRIQUE RECORDS/UK IMPORT)