It has been a while ago that we had a real new Classic AOR release, but I think MECCA's debut CD is definitely an excellent AOR record that may be put next to SURVIVOR, THE STORM, LE ROUX… MECCA is a whole new project around the superb lead singers JOE VANA (who sings like Jimi Jamison from SURVIVOR) and FERGIE FREDERIKSEN (known for his excellent vocal work on albums by TOTO, LE ROUX, TRILLION and FREDERIKSEN/PHILLIPS). Included musicians are guitarist Mike Aquino (WORLD STAGE), bassist David Hungate (TOTO founding member), drummer Shannon Forest and keyboardplayer Jimmy Nichols. Production was in the hands of former SURVIVOR and WORLD STAGE leader JIM PETERIK and Larry Millas (who worked with SURVIVOR, BILLY IDOL and BRUCE HORNSBY).

The record just sounds perfect, as a whole reminding me a lot of the classic 80s AOR, just imagine a mixture of SURVIVOR, LE ROUX and THE STORM, then you're quite close to what MECCA is trying to achieve here and I can guarantee you that they succeeded, as their first CD is one masterpiece! The CD starts with the classy 80s tough AOR/Melodic rocker "Velocitized" that sounds like a mixture between 1989 SURVIVOR and 38 SPECIAL. You can clearly hear that Jim Peterik, who co-wrote all included 10 songs with the MECCA members, wrote a song like that first track. I really like the lead vocal changes between Joe and Fergie on all songs, and also, the way both singers can switch from vocal range (high and low) in just a second. "Without you" is up next and with such keys as an introduction you know you're in 80s AOR HEAVEN! The song itself is indeed a pure 80s AOR tune like LE ROUX meets 80s SURVIVOR.

One of my favourite tracks follows, and that's the very strong AOR song "Can't stop love". This is the only song that features a real vocal duet between Joe and Fergie as lead singers. "Can't stop love" has a fabulous chorus and a sound like THE STORM meets TWO FIRES. Moving on with the excellent midtempo AOR ballad "Silence of the heart" that makes me think somehow of the 1985 record by VAN ZANT. Not one of the best songs, but still a nice AOR tune is "You still shock me", a song that is just pure SURVIVOR circa 'Too hot to sleep'.

The CD continues with the titletrack "Mecca" (which is also the bandname), a great semi AOR ballad like the late VAN STEPHENSON. "Wishing well" follows, and is a pure 80s AOR song (keys, hooks, chorus) that sounds like the perfect mixture between LE ROUX and WRABIT. Another favourite track of mine (I guess they all are!) is the beautiful AOR ballad "Close that gap" which has mid 1980s SURVIVOR written all over the place! The nice midtempo AOR ballad "Blinded by emotion" is the next song on this fantastic CD. Closing track of the album is the good AOR song "Falling down" which reminds me very much of MARK FREE's classic 'Long way…'. Concluded, this MECCA is destined to become an AOR classic, highly recommended to any AOR fan! The album will be released on April the 22nd, so you have to wait one month from now, but it's really worth the wait, as it is one of the highlights of the year 2002!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Witch dance' is the follow-up to 'The ritual', the debut CD of the Swedish band LAST TRIBE that was released a few years ago on FRONTIERS RECORDS. Now, the same label has released the band's new record and I must say that it is even better than their first album. 'Witch dance' is filled with some excellent music that I would like to describe as a mix between progressive metal and melodic rock (with a typical Scandi-Rock/Metal influence).

There are a lot of highlights among the 11 included tracks. My favourite tracks are "Bring out the brave" (calm start, with later on some pure prog metal riffs, while the song itself is a great strong uptempo melodic heavy rocker with a very catchy chorus), "Wash your sins away" (great prog metal a la VANDENPLAS, ENCHANT…), "Wake up the world" (superb progressive AOR, with a lovely chorus, great keyboardwork and a sound reminiscent of VANDENPLAS) and "Dreamer" (excellent uptempo melodic rocker, even a bit like TYKETTO!).

Of course the rest is also very good, such as the uptempo pieces "The eternal curse" (like a heavier
SKAGARACK), "Witch dance" (ROYAL HUNT meets 220 VOLT) and "Man of peace" (like early EUROPE). There's only one thing to do when this album is released on April the 22nd: Buy yourself a copy!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

I reviewed a demo CDR of this German band a few years ago, and forgot about them for some time, but now FOREVER has released their official debut CD 'Faces of the past'. I am glad they have finally released this CD, because now I can tell you that you need to purchase it a.s.a.p., because 'Faces of the past' is filled with high quality melodic hardrock that can easily be compared to the likes of HAREM SCAREM, JADED HEART, GUILD OF AGES, PINK CREAM 69… There are many highlights on this disc, which just sounds awesome, because not only the songs are all great, but also the production is huge!

My favourite tracks are "Spread my wings" (uptempo melodic hardrock a la GUILD OF AGES), "Beyond force" (uptempo melodic hardrock like PC'69/JADED HEART), "The other side" (fantastic midtempo melodic rocker with a very strong chorus), "Feels like love" (fantastic classy 80s fun uptempo melodic rocker, very catchy!), "Final journey" (uptempo melodic HR), "How long" (classy melodic rocker) and "The calling" (great melodic rockballad with big harmonies, a bit like FIREHOUSE meets HAREM SCAREM. Everything seems to sound perfect on this CD, and therefore it is highly recommended to fans of strong powerful melodic hardrock a la GUILD OF AGES, VON GROOVE, HAREM SCAREM, JADED HEART… More info at: http://www.waldingsound.de

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

A few years ago I reviewed the debut CD of the Austrian rockband AMUN RE. Now, the band has released a new CD called 'Magic kingdom' and this CD is filled with excellent super melodic rock. I didn't expect it to sound so good, but I can guarantee you AMUN RE's new album is an absolute winner! The music is melodic rock, not unlike BONFIRE and SCORPIONS, yet more AOR based and many keys throughout each and every song. There are 11 tracks on the CD, which has a very good production by the way. I couldn't find any weak song on the CD, as almost all tracks are very sensational.

The material is quite diverse, ranging from uptempo melodic rockers ("Bad dream", "Shadowhunter", "I wish it back again" and "Diablo") to midtempo rockers ("Avalon" and "Twilight pyramid") and of course, (semi) ballads, such as the beautiful "Reach for the stars", "Child of the light" and "Magic kingdom". All the songs are highlights, as they all contain fantastic melodic choruses, biting guitarwork and impressive keyboardwork. This CD is highly recommended to every AOR/Melodic Rockfan. More info at: http://www.amunre.at

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This is the fourth CD of the Spanish band DARK MOOR, the female fronted melodic 'classical' power metal band. And 'The gates of oblivion' is yet another true winner for fans of bands like LABYRINTH, CYDONIA, ANGRA, STRATOVARIUS and especially, RHAPSODY. There are 12 tracks on the CD, and with a crystal clear production and a mostly uptempo power metal approach with classical keyboard breaks, you can't possibly go wrong if you're a fan of this genre. The best songs are "In the heart of stone", "A New World", "Starsmaker", "By the strange path of destiny", "The night of the age" and the 11-minute epos "Dies irae (Amadeus)". The only time the band takes a step back with the fast paced metal sound is on the ballad "Your symphony" that comes close to EDENBRIDGE and LANA LANE. In general though, this is a highly recommended CD to fans of RHAPSODY. More info at: http://www.arisemetal.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here's another Spanish band playing melodic power metal. VHALDEMAR is a bit heavier than most other bands, due to the more guitar-orientated approach and less use of keyboards. The cover artwork is quite beautiful, and was done by Jean-Pascal Fournier (EDGUY, AVANTASIA). There are 11 tracks on the band's debut CD, and the best tracks are "Energy", "Old king's visions (part 1)", "The helmet of war" and "Fight to the end". The melodic metal of VHALDEMAR reminds me a lot of GAMMA RAY, so if you're a fan of that band, you know what this Spanish band will sound like, and I think you will like them a lot, because VHALDEMAR is a quality band in this genre. More info at: http://www.arisemetal.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

AVANISH is a band made up of members who come from southern Germany and Switzerland. 'Gods of destiny' is their debut CD, and musically they play a mixture of melodic heavy rock and power metal, somewhere between PRETTY MAIDS and EDGUY. Although the production is quite good and the songs are a pleasure to listen to, still the vocals are not so strong. Lead singer Jorg Graeter doesn't sing bad, but he sounds forced at times, and therefore the band is at their best during the choruses and the instrumental parts. Nevertheless, the powerful melodic heavy rock/metal of AVANISH is enjoyable to listen to, with as highlighted tracks: "Gods of destiny", "Dragon's paradise", "Blood of love", "Change" (a la AT VANCE), "Ten years" (great melodic rockballad) and the JACKSON/ZADORA cover "When the rain begins to fall". Not as good as similar acts like AT VANCE, PRETTY MAIDS, EDGUY, PC'69, but still nice to check out. More info at: http://www.waldingsound.de

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here's another quality band from The Netherlands. REVIVER come out of North Holland, to be exact, the city of Purmerend. 'Gates of time' is their latest CD and I must say it sounds pretty good. Musically they play 80s influenced progressive metal, kinda like CRIMSON GLORY, FATES WARNING and QUEENSRYCHE in their early years. The 3 included songs on their CD are quite excellent, with a strong production and a melodic approach. Opener "Gates of time" is a great uptempo melodic heavy rocker with a very catchy chorus, reminding me of CRIMSON GLORY. The other two songs ("Cycles" and "Strong") are both very good melodic prog metal songs like 80s QUEENSRYCHE meets FATES WARNING. So, here we have another interesting Dutch band to check out. More info at: http://www.reviver.nl and e-mail them at: Fred_Mantel@hi.nl

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Sweden comes MISTER KITE, a progressive metal band making their debut on the Finish label LION MUSIC. Their CD 'All in time' has got a very good production by Bjorn Dahlberg (BAD HABIT, PETE SANDBERG). Unfortunately not all the included music is interesting, because sometimes MISTER KITE is just too 90s orientated. Opener "All in time" is a nice progressive melodic metal song and also the following track "I want more" is quite good, as this is a strong uptempo melodic hardrock song. Then something seems to go wrong with the Industrial/Nu-Metal orientated "Here we are". Happily, "Seventeen years" is much better, and this midtempo HR song has a great melodic chorus. "The diary of a stranger" is then again very experimental and just too 90s for my taste. From the remaining tracks, only "Soulsaving sister" is a nice melodic heavy rocker, but the rest is way too experimental (just listen to the songs "Rain" and "The end is near"). I wouldn't call this a bad release, but I also can't highly recommend it. Only interesting if you're a prog metal fan and you don't mind that a band brings in some modern metal influences into their music.

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Drummer MIKE TERRANA has appeared on many recordings through the past, and also played in lots of bands, such as BEAU NASTY, HANOVER FIST, GAMMA RAY, RAGE, TONY MACAPLINE's band, AXEL RUDI PELL's band among others. Now, he has finally released his first solo-CD. This album, entitled 'Shadows of the past', is an instrumental affair on which Mike explorers his roots. The album is quite poppy, with a lot of groovy parts (and also a sax every now and then), and in general comes close to what TOTO and TOMMY DENANDER tried to reach on their albums. One of the best songs is "Samantha", but I had rather hoped for something heavier, considering the fact that Mike is a real 'Rock/Metal' drummer. Nevertheless, still an interesting release for fans of calmer instrumental pop/rock.

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Fire in the rain' is the first of four MASI albums re-issues/re-released on LION MUSIC. Forgive me saying this, but I think this debut CD of MASI is one of his best releases. 'Fire in the rain' is filled with high quality 80s period melodic US Hardrock in the style of KING KOBRA, ICON, DOKKEN, KEEL, ROUGH CUTT. I think you'll get the picture, it's the kind of Californian melodic heavy rock that was very popular back in 1987 (the year this album was first released). Highlights on the CD are "Rock your soul", "Livin on the highway", "I'm a liar", "Fire in the rain" and "Fallen angel". After this release, Italian born guitarist ALEX MASI decided to release another vocal album and 2 instrumental pieces and those 3 albums have also been picked up by LION MUSIC (read reviews below).

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Originally released in 1988 on METAL BLADE RECORDS, now LION MUSIC has re-issued MASI's second album 'Downtown dreamers'. Although the album isn't as good as his fantastic debut CD, still also this album has some fine moments. Musically again typical Californian melodic metal, very much leaning towards DOKKEN, GREAT WHITE and WHITE LION. Highlights on this CD are "Movin' on" (fun 80s melodic rocker), "Undercover (Rock and roll lover)" (great catchy melodic rocker like 80s GREAT WHITE/DOKKEN) and "Hangin' on" (great semi melodic rockballad). The guitarfreaks had to wait for the next two albums before they could hear what guitarist ALEX MASI was able to do with his guitar.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Attack of the neon shark' was the first instrumental release by guitarist ALEX MASI. Well, not completely instrumental, because opener "Under fire" featured the excellent vocals of JEFF SCOTT SOTO. This song was a strong uptempo melodic hardrocker, and definitely one of the best songs MASI recorded so far. Nevertheless, the other 9 tracks were instrumental and showed how well Alex could play the guitar (and the bass and keys). Fans of instrumental melodic heavy rock/metal will totally love this third album of the Italian guitarist. Back in 1989, the album even received a Grammy nomination for best Rock Instrumental, so go figure how good this album was and still is a decade later.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This was Alex Masi's second solo affair and his fourth CD in total when it was released back in 1990. 'Vertical invader' was yet another quality instrumental melodic hardrock release. Highlights on 'Vertical invader' were and still are "Instant army", "Rock of changes", "Quick escape" and "Trapped in a warm feeling". The following five years became very quiet around the person Alex Masi, but he released in the later 90s two more band records (as MASI) and one solo album ('In the name of Bach'). The last release dates back to last year, when he released the stunning 'Eternal struggle' under the MASI moniker and maybe that was one of his best releases so far, putting him right next to YNGWIE MALMSTEEN. I think we are gonna hear much more from ALEX MASI in the near future, but in the meantime, also check out his past, because he has already released 8 albums so far and some are quite interesting.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Athens settled female fronted band sent me a demo CDR with 4 tracks that are considered to belong on the band's upcoming new CD 'Faded leaves'. Although the band told me these new songs are just rough mixes, I must say that it sounds very good to me. Their first 2 albums already showed that LA TULIPE NOIRE is one of the best Greek bands ever, and it looks like their new CD will become their best release so far, because the 4 demo tracks included on this disc are very sensational. "Castle on the sand" is a great semi progressive melodic rocker. The next song "Winter in your heart" is a very nice semi ballad (with both prog and aor influences) and contains a nice keyboardsolo. Also "Lost souls ballad" has a nice keyboardsolo, while the song itself is a great progressive melodic rocker. The last tracks, "A beggar's tale", is the best song, as this is an excellent uptempo Sympho-AOR rocker. As a whole, LA TULIPE NOIRE reminds me a lot of LANA LANE, but with an own identity, and I can easily say they are destined to become the best Greek band ever. I look very much forward to their upcoming new CD. More info at: http://www.latulipenoire.gr

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

ULYSSES is yet another quality Dutch Progressive Rockband. Their CD 'Eclectic' sounds very good, not only the songs are quite good, but also the production is very impressive for an independent band. Their CD 'Eclectic' is filled with good Neo-progressive rock, with interesting keyboard parts here and there. The album contains 5 tracks, and they are all in the same style. The songs are quite melodic, and actually this band is best described as a melodic progressive rockband, because they are a little less Neo-prog, but still I think fans of anything prog related will like ULYSSES a lot. Somehow the band's lead singer keeps reminding me of AXXIS, due to the high-pitched vocals of the man.

Anyway, highlights on the band's first CD are "Once in a lifetime" and "Digital dimension". Also quite nice are the video clips of two songs included on this disc. ULYSSES is a recommended progrockband from Holland, and can easily be added to the growing list of new Dutch progbands (read: SYMMETRY, SUNCAGED, RICOCHER, NICE BEAVER, and SALMON). More info on ULYSSES at: http://www.ulysses-online.nl and e-mail them at: rene@ulysses-online.nl

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

ARCHETYPE is an Ohio settled band, and 'Dawning' is their first full-length vocal release. The music of ARCHETYPE is progressive melodic metal that is quite good, although the singer sometimes throws in some 'death-grunts' and that's a pity because he has got a great voice and really doesn't need to do those grunts. Anyway, apart from those grunts, this is a high quality release with many highlights. The best songs are "Final day", "Dawning" (quite 80s melodic US power metal), "Premonitions", "Visionary", "Arisen" and "Years ago" (more than 12 minutes). The production is very good, and I really can recommend you to check out this quality progressive melodic metal band at: http://www.archetype1.com and e-mail them at: archetype@archetype1.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

ATLANTIS is yet another high quality prog metal band from Brazil. Their CD contains 5 fantastic progressive melodic rock/metal songs that can easily compete with bands like SHADOW GALLERY, SYMBOLS, ENCHANT, DREAM THEATER… Opener "Find your identity" shows right from the start that this ATLANTIS is a band to watch out for in the future. This first track features some excellent keyboardwork, and is a really great progressive melodic metal song, one of the best on the CD. The other 4 songs are in the same style, and especially "Snowrider" is very melodic (almost AOR!) and quite sensational. This band is highly recommended if you're into any of the mentioned bands. Go check out the Brazilian ATLANTIS at: http://www.atlantismusic.com.br

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here's another quality CD from an independent progressive rockband from the USA. CIRCLE OF NERO is playing a somewhat own kind of progressive melodic hardrock, which sometimes sounds very impressive, but at other times lacks in quality. For example, songs like "Church of the Pagan God" (progressive melodic hardrock, very 80s), "Massive obliss" (progressive melodic rocker with good female vocals at the back), "Walls of pain" (great uptempo melodic chorus) and "Hear my cries" (midtempo progressive melodic rocker with a very strong chorus, best song on the album) are very good and show that this band is doing something really sensational. On the other hand, songs like "Dark side of eternity", "Million miles away", "Thorizine dream" and "Moon quake" are weak and just not interesting. So let's hope for some more songs in the style of the aforementioned tracks on a future record, but still you may check out CIRCLE OF NERO at: http://www.circleofnero.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Vermont, USA comes INTERCEPT, a band playing real rock'n'roll from a time when it was meant to sound fun and energetic. They released two CDs so far and both are filled with pure 80s American Hardrock with influences ranging from Blues, AOR, Hardrock, Metal and Boogie/Party Rock'n'roll. The singer looks and also sounds a bit like KANE ROBERTS. Both CDs are quite enjoyable to listen to. Highlights of INTERCEPT songs include "All for one" (catchy uptempo melodic rocker), "Endlessly" (keys! Pure 80s semi AOR ballad), "Truth" (catchy uptempo melodic rocker), "Cycle season" (yet another catchy uptempo melodic rock affair) and the midtempo melodic rocker "Soul collector". From this last song, the band also shot a video that looked pretty cool. Most of the time, INTERCEPT sounds like a touch Hardrockband from the 80s, and therefore I can recommend both CDs they released to fans of bands like TUFF, RATT, KEEL, KIX, KISS… More info at: www.interceptrocks.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This is a new Progressive Rockband from The Netherlands. They are clearly influenced by 70s Rockbands, but you can not only hear 70s Progressive Rock orientated songs, but also more straight-ahead Hardrocksongs on their debut demo CD 'Massive hollowness. There are 8 songs on the CD, and everything sounds pretty nice. Highlights are the calmer progressive rocksongs "Zone 3" and "Time bomb", both very melodic songs. The band's diversity can also be mentioned, because they go from 70s progressive hardrock ("Freedom") to an acoustic ballad "Masuqe" (very good) and even a 70s TOTO orientated rocker "My pain" is included. There's not a single weak moment on their debut CD, and therefore I can recommend you to check out MANGROVE at: http://www.mangrove.nl and e-mail them at: themangroveclub@hotmail.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

OUTCORE is a New York settled band, and 'Wishful thinking' is their latest effort. They play an updated nu-breed type of melodic poprock style, which is nice, but nothing sensational. Songs like "Lift me up", "Echo's" and "Raining" are quite nice to hear, but not really interesting for the average AOR/Melodic Rockfan. The second part of the CD is more interesting, because especially the songs "Wars are one" and "Don't go changing" are more akin to 80s poprock (a bit like JOHN PARR, BILLY SQUIER). One of the real highlights is the catchy early 80s type of uptempo poprocker "Something out there" that reminds me a lot of RICK SPRINGFIELD and BILLY SATELLITE. So in the end, OUTCORE delivers some 90s and some 80s type of poprock, recommended to fans of THE OUTFIELD with a lot of nu-breed poprock thrown in for good measure. More info at: http://www.music111.com and e-mail them at: info@music111.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

If you like your music with a soft acoustic pop edge a'la Firehouse's "Good Acoustic's" meets Nouveaux then you will love the simplicity of this albums songs from the very talented Boston based singer/songwriter Jeff Fraser, former lead singer of the band Slyboyz . Each song catches you humming along from the first play, from upbeat singalong numbers like 'I Remain Alone' (a'la Firehouse), 'Different Drum' (best song) through to softer songs like 'Take My Soul' which reminds me of Styx's Dennis DeYoung crossed with Danny Vaughn and a rather good cover of Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' make this eight track album a worthwhile purchase.

The album has a great sound and everything gels together nicely such as where some Bryan Adams references come into full play on the fantastic hook riddled 'A Friend' which could find itself gaining lots and lots of radio airplay. This song reminds me of the Bryan Adams number 'When Your Gone'. All together then a snappy piece of soft pop/rock a good start to Jeff's solo career. Welcome back Jeff. www.jefffraser.com www.meandjulio.net www.cdbaby.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

I have always been a huge fan of Jeff Scott Soto's but lately the man has become somewhat lame on his recent releases, yet on the Boogie Knights covers album his voice actually sounds full of life and exciting again and I get the overall feeling that he is getting tired of singing the same old rock material over and over again, let's face it, that's what he's best known for and he's bound to get a little lost in musical direction, who wouldn't after 20 years in the business? Evidence of this can be heard on the last Talisman album "Truth" which seemed to lack the balls and fiery power of their previous albums, having said that "Truth" did have in it's paws the classic 'Angel/Devil' and the mainstream radio friendly 'Heaven's Got Another Hero' as well as a stirring cover of Queen's 'Let Me Entertain You', but Soto will never be Freddy.

It seems as if life (excuse the pun) has burst back into the band with this new release (the bands sixth studio outing not including the live material and the Humanimal II release) and sees the group going under the rather uninspiring moniker of Humanimal, why the drop of their actual trade mark Talisman house hold name is beyond me, but I guess some label somewhere obviously still has the name rights to the name, but I'm curious because Z Records are bigger than AOR Heaven who released "Truth" to the European market, so I would have thought it would have been easy to use the Talisman moniker since the other label didn't do justice to the "Truth" release promotion wise..

Anyway enough of the who what and where's of past, it's the music right now that counts and as I mentioned earlier the fire seems to have relit the bands energy and the songs have a stronger fresh vibe with Soto really giving his voice a big push and he sounds as if he means it again, thus the first two songs 'R U 4 Real' and 'Again 2 B Found' get the wheels in motion and burst into classic Talisman territory, track two is a full on rocker which steals the crown from right under Europe's arses as Sweden's best melodic rock band, my only gripes with this song is even though it's fantastic, the club sounding drum samples at the beginning and throughout the song may give a groove to the song but totally ruins the overall feel, however the big bass vibe makes up for this.Yes the band are experimental on this song, but this could have been a really killer song, had it not been for the horrible drum sound, what were you thinking of guys? Perhaps I should call this song Boogie Metal, lol !

These samples pop up again on the poppy 'Find My Way Home', but the band strike home hard with mega brill rockers like 'Who Do U Think U R', 'Feel The Burn', the Eyes sounding 'Love's The Dominion' the commercial 'Turn Away', the AOR/Melodic 'Way 2 Deep' and they even get experimental on the technical and progressive 'Road 2 4giveness' which is crunchy and like a mellower Dream Theater.So overall this is not a bad album at all, the production is certainly allot better than the last album and the band sound well on form again, so despite a few major gips with those club sounding drum parts this is a great comeback for the band, and if you like their previous outings then you will love this.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

I first heard the demos for this album back in the summer of 2000 and finally Z Records have given Michael's debut solo album a world wide release. "First Shot" contains some of Michael Bormann's (Jaded Heart/Charade etc) greatest singing to date. This album is very much in the vein of Bon Jovi's "These Days" album, mellow and very summery, well with "First Shot" this is Michael's "Stranger In This Town" album. The nice thing about this project is the range of Michael's vocals, I have never heard him sing with so much power and passion. "First Shot" is often very mellow and summery which could send Michael into chartsville as the songs should be dancing all over the radio airways, perhaps Z Records could send the CD into Radio 2? If they can play Dare they will go nuts over "First Shot".

The first song here is 'Can't Stop Missing You' which opens up with a calming set of beautiful keyboards, Michael's voice then cuts through the speakers in true Jon Bon Jovi tradition, emotive and sexy as hell, I swear the girls are going to go crazy over this songs power which sets the mood for the whole cd,.Can't Stop Missing You. will stick instantly in your head.

.The Best Is Yet To Come', 'How Many Times', 'Angel' all remind me of the bluesy tinted sound of Richie Sambora's "Stranger In This Town" solo album, whilst the excellent 'Gotta Have Some Fun' reminds me of Enuff Z' Nuff and Bon Jovi. The flamencos guitars get an airing on 'So What About', a great song and perhaps one of Michael's strongest songs to date, this is like The Beatles meets Enuff Z' Nuff and is very charming and classy

The ballads are all here in the shape of 'The One I Hate' this song bursts out of your speakers and is very up-tempo and catchy, 'Sorry Is All I Can Say' on the other hand is one of those big tear jerkers, very subtle and very very powerful.

'Don't You Wanna Spend some' is a song with gospel influences, 'If I Was King' and 'Children Of The Earth' are both structured around simple pop melodies and acoustic guitars, proving that Michael is one of the rock worlds most underrated singers of the nineties. If you haven't yet checked out Jaded Heart, Charade, The Sygnet and Rain then make sure you do. The Japanese have already made Jaded Heart a household name and like Fair Warning and Ten they are pretty big over there. But don't fear Jaded Heart fans as Michael isn't about to jump ship, Jaded Heart are right now recording their brand new studio and will soon move over to Z. Anyway "First Shot" is a massive pop/rock album with eleven killer songs. This is BIG news.

Rating: 9,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

"Slumber With The Lion" is the brand new long awaited second album from the highly rated Norwegian act Sons Of Angels. The album opens up with the excellent 'Burning Childhood' which totally grooves, whilst track two 'No Sorrow' reminds of Talisman/Steelheart and even in some parts Whitesnake, this song just grooves and Solli sounds magnificent and is still one of the best frontmen in hard rock. Having been in 21 Guns as well as a stint with the underrated Adrian Smith project Psycho Motel for the last few years has obviously rubbed off on the man, as each on song on this new album is very infectious and hard to ignore. 'Fire' is very melodic and catchy whilst the guitar driven title track left me totally bewildered and speechless at the sheer power and force delivered, thus is one of my favourite songs on the album, it's got a massive groove and very strong lyrics which could have been on any of the 21 Guns albums.

Next up we get the acoustic ballad 'Hopeless Kind', this is wonderful, a'la White Lion, whilst the other ballad 'Gimme Lovin' is a brilliant brightly coloured catchy pop/metal ballad, just check out Solli's voice on this one, if Dare can get airplay on Radio 2 then I'm sure they would go nuts over this song if it was sent in. It's then back to the rock n roll with 'Lazy Stacey', a catchy melodic piece in the style of the debut album, as is the brilliant 'Love You Too Much' which should fill the rockclub dance floors. I love this song, melodic rock heaven. 'Talk About Girls' is even better and reminds me of "Rock And Roll Star" from the debut.

The melodic/AOR drenched 'Stranded' is another powerful uptempo ballad that reminds me of Warrant, whilst 'Hunger For Love' is another of the albums gems and is hard to get out of your head. The band sound as if they had so much fun recording this album and it's great to hear them again as each song latches it's claws into you and what better way than to end the album with 'Baby Wanna Ride' which as sleazy as Sons Of Angels get.

Overall this is an excellent comeback, if you liked the debut album then quite simply you'll go nuts over this baby.Welcome home guys!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

You may remember a review I did on New York hard rockers Atello, I've been tipping this band off now for almost three years. "Welcome To The Wrecking Ball" is the bands second CD, which has taken a year to complete, the record is of a very personal nature to the band as they have lived and breathed each song, so emotions fly high on the songs catapulting the final result into a refreshing mixture of rock styles that is, this time to gain Atello even more respect. I mean here is a vibrant new band, who work hard at what they are doing, they have supported every major act from Lynch Mob to Firehouse which is not bad work for an unsigned band and also goes to show that big guns have realised Atello potential as they have their own healthy fan base and are creating the kind of stir in New York that was last scene say in the 80's at bars like The Whiskey-ago-go and L'amours where many new rock bands were picked up and signed. So it seems that all on the efforts of their own back that the band are doing what they love and gaining lots of success as they ride with it.

The debut "The Big Pay Off" was a classy hard rock album with lots of colourful hard rock and originality, topped with a great production sound the album sold well via mail order outlets and is still selling well an can be ordered from www.amazon.com , so go check out what you are missing. The opening song title song opens up with a wedding march intro and then burst into a full blooded rocker that has a big arena stomping guitar driven Motley Crue vibe, good start, who said hard rock was dead!!!
.Track two 'Feed My Head' continues this style and is a little more melodic a'la Firehouse. I really love this song, frontman Larry Atello is one day hopefully going to be a BIG BIG star, his voice is so huge and powerful, check out 'Tied Up In Love', good god why haven't these guys got a record deal? We need new bands like Atello to keep the fire burning and they bloody are doing that alright, 'Tied Up In Love' is very melodic a'la White Lion meets Firehouse.

What I really admire about this band is the way that the songs speaks for themselves. I get the feeling that Larry Atello is a bit of a perfectionist, 'Wish I Could Love Her' is a very melodic song which has a Fair Warning's "Heat Of The Summer" vibe this is a catchy song and features some cool hooks, 'Before My Eyes' is another fave song, it's a very dark melodic power ballad, huge huge CJ Snare inspired vocals which go over the listeners head, wooosh. 'Over The Moon' is also dark and melodic with powerful guitar parts. The best ballad though is the excellent 'Lifetime Away' driven by a Tesla/Guns N Roses style melody a'la "Patience" a great ballad.

Then it's back to the punchy guitar grinders with the meaty 'Meltdown' and 'Dirty Mind' in the former we have one of the big, big, big songs of the album. This is a wonderful song, everything works perfectly and the latter is very chunky and addictive to. The band drop their tone for the more Warrant flavoured 'Too Bad To Be Good' whilst the sexy seductive 'The Money Shot' give La Guns a run for their money and could have come right off their "Hollywood Vampires" disc.The last track on "Welcome To The Wrecking Ball" is 'Hard To Core' which is about the September IIth tragedy in the bands home town of New York. This is a gutsy hard hitting crazy hard rock number, which shows Atello firing on all ten cylinders". This album is the business, Atello could kick start that whole genre again, the production is clear and crisp, honestly "Welcome To The Wrecking Ball" is a great album that should hopefully see the band securing a record deal from one of the big four labels. Own it! www.atello.com

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Don't American songwriters have it good or what? It looks as if the west has another new very talented artist to watch out for. Possessing a fine voice and strong song writing, New York City's Paul Ammendola's debut consists of fifteen immaculately presented songs which range from power pop to vulnerable AOR/MOR style ballads all of which could score international acclaim in the hands of the likes of Michael Bolton, Chicago, Sting, Elton John, Eric James Erskine, Ken Tamplin (circa "Where Love Is"), and Mark Mangold etc..

What makes paul's craft a little more easy to digest than most, is his skill at writing dramatic powerful songs, each song on the album is different in structure, there is always something going on within the music context itself which makes the album very enjoyable soft pop/rock. Opening with a saxophone intro which leads into the first song the brassy 'Let The Wind Dance', it's spiritual lyrics and humming chorus send things off to a good start. 'Compromise' is a song that reminds me of Ken Tamplin when he gets all soulfully.

'Stages' is one of the first songs with a heavier guitar tone, I like this song because the vocalist allows the music to paint the picture which is how he does it throughout the album. Check out the country meets MOR of 'Now I'll Lead' and the gut wrenching 'Heart Of A Man'. I loved Paul's vocals on this track which shimmers seductively. His song writing and musical arrangements really show his worth on 'Diary' which is fantastic, Paul could sell this song to Steve Perry, John Waite or even John Cougar Mellencamp, very spiritual easy listening. and also 'You Believe In Me' is another good song which possesses a catchy hookPaul is influenced by the likes of Journey, Van Halen and Rush and even though the songs are more poppy than those bands it's obvious where he takes his song writing talents from. He recorded "Let The Wind Dance" in his basement, but the ironic thing is you'd never tell as the production is very clear and immaculate and gives off a very honest feeling which all goes along way to making this such an appealing album that is well worth checking out. I recommend this album for those of you with broader tastes. www.paulammendola.com OR www.mp3.com/paulammedola Email : - ammendola@msn.com

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Brave New World is a melodic hard rock band from England, originally know as Passion Street the band set about making this great album under the helm of Kim Beckgaard (Aces High) and Torben Schmidt (Skagarack/Freak Kitchen) at Kim's top studio in Denmark. Fusing together elements of many BNW have built their own sound, but have also left room for themselves to breath by implementing a "no boundaries policy" when writing the lyrics and musical work.The lucky sods have already been out on the road in support of Ted Polely's Melodica and guitar maestro Pat Heath recorded a song for the highly praised Jason Becker tribute charity CD."Monsters" is a very bombastic record, check out 'Arabia' to the complexed 'Strange Days', the superb 'Walls Come Down', and the experimental Dream Theater charged energy of '(Into The) Age Of Chaos', check out Pat's drilling riffs on this baby.

The band don't forget their melodic rock roots such as on the sexy 'Dreams Never Die' which will please older fans of the band, the song builds into a lovely dream woven hook that captures a great performance from frontman Rick Cartey. Brave New World will definitely be making noise in 2002 because they stick out as a truly original hard rock band that plays what it likes and plays what it feels. Together the band has evolved into a technically perfect melodic, hard-edged rock band with great music complexities and progressive leanings ready to explode onto the British hard rock circuit. With heavy guitar driven riffs and explosive keyboard runs, and heavy drum pounding courtesy of Tommy who used to be in Norwegian rock outfit Valhalla, and great eye catching sleeve artwork from Sebastian Kozak "Monsters" is a thrilling ride of power, and the best band to emerge from the UK in years. Own it! www.braveneworldmusic.com

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

I've always admired Ken Tamplin's talents, he explores many areas of music and this charity CD is his biggest project to date. Ken is best known for his work with rock band Shout and his work for motion pictures and television and this CD has been graciously put together to help fight against the 18 year war and slavery and violence to the Africans in Sudan of which Ken was deeply saddened when he made a presentation there. Musically this album features fifteen Christian artists who all feel the same way as Ken, and one must applaud everyone's efforts as they have already raised about $100,000. The music itself is very good, Habib Bardowell's track 'Make Me Your Voice' reminds me of Carly Simon and is a lovely track whilst the gentle tones of Stacey Robbins' 'We Confess' is also very enjoyable, she sings this song as if shes crying and the track features a violin structure and is very elegant and passionate, it makes me want to go and check more of this ladies music.

Ken actually wrote this song as he did a number of songs like Earl Buffington's beautiful 'Unfailing Love', Davion Farris' Spanish flavoured 'Halle-Hallelujah', 'Let Freedom Ring', 'Great, Great Love' and 'We Love You Lord' which Ken sings alongside Kyle McCarty I enjoyed 'Amazing Grace' by Erica Dymakiis which make me think of The Jackson Five, and 'Mighty Wind' is a lovely song filled with grace, I'm sure I have heard this song in a film before somewhere, and Rick Muchow's 'Healing Grace' is also a lovely song with great acoustic guitars. Overall there is little to do with rock music here apart from Ken Tamplin's association, the album has done extremely well and it's time us Brits faced up to what is going on around the world and helped in some way to help others by purchasing this inspiring album. For more information visit www.makemeyourvoice.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

This is the new Warner Brothers movie staring Mark Wahlberg as the lead singer of a legendary metal group called Steal Dragon In reality Steal Dragon is a band put together for this movie consisting of vocalists Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie/Talisman), Mike Matijevic (Steelheart), bassist Jeff Pilson (Dokken), drummer Jason Bonham, and guitarists Zakk Wylde (Ozzy/Black Label Society) and Nick Catonese ( also of Black Label Society), quite a line up huh? but does it work as well as it looks on paper? The answer is yes!

"Rockstar" is a great soundtrack also featuring well known songs from Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Ted Nugent, Kiss, Inxs, The Verve Pipe and Everclear, but let’s concentrate on the five Steal Dragon songs. ‘Livin’ The Life’ is their first song with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals and if you like Soto’s material you’ll love this which is catchy and gets things going with it’s swashbuckling guitar riffs and uptempo beats to raise yer fist to.

Next is ‘We All Die Young’ with Mike Matijevic on vocals and is actually from Steelheart’s third and criminally ignored excellent third record "Wait". This still remains one of my fave Steelheart songs, a very melodic piece that explodes into action and delivers a good deal of power which strikes home with every listen. The grinding pump action of ‘Blood Pollution’ rock’s up next, now this track was written by Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramines and is actually nothing like Marilyn Manson. Matijevic again handles the vocals and this song is very much like Steelheart, Winger etc and just pumps with massive riffs and striking head banging musicality.

‘Stand Up’ is also a cool song written by former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, pitty they couldn't get Hagar himself to sing it, however Soto puts in some fine tonsil action and one wonders how Soto would fit if he joined the VH camp.

‘Wasted Generation’ is a bit of a heavy one with some really mean bass pumping action from Jeff Pilson. Soto again proves his worth on this Ozzy flavoured rocker that is one of my fave Steal Dragon songs. No film about heavy metal would be complete without a song about rock n roll and with Rockstar we get ‘Long Live Rock N Roll’ with Mike Matijevic again handling the vocals.

Between them, Steal Dragon actually do rock and one hopes that these guys take the initiative and record a proper album together, Matijevic and Soto compliment each other very well and I do hope that they can work together again in the future, bizarre I know but they could just save the face of the hard rock scene.. Overall this is a great soundtrack and worth buying for the Steal Dragon tracks as in a few years this may well become a collectable record.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

New York based singer/songwriter whose debut self/produced and written double album "One Way Or The Other" is a catchy enjoyable pop/rock album. The CD has already been available for a few years now and has received allot of claim throughout the internet which has kept the album alive for so long, but more importantly it's Noe's capability as a musician/singer which does the talking. From the open acoustic pop chords of the Elvis Costello/Rob Lamothe tinted 'Roll With The Punches' would have easily have found it's way onto westcoast radiostations in the early 80's, Noe would even have landed a major recording deal and would possible have gone to record songs for obscure eighties soundtracks such is his catchy radio friendly appeal.Releasing a double CD is quite an ambitious project for an unknown, CD one is the electric album, and CD two is the acoustic album.

Sometimes the album sounds uneven and would perhaps have come across stronger had Noe taken the best from each CD and rolled it all into one, but one has to admire what he is trying to do, take track three 'Comfort You', this is easily one of my favourite tracks, it's laid back acoustic fuzz would make Oasis die in shame, yet would make Enuff Z Nuff international superstars, it kinda mixes the two bands but tends to lean more toward the latters Cheap Trick style pop sensibilities mixed with some cool George Harrison influenced style guitar.Overall an acquired taste but both CD's show an assortment of pop/rock tracks and simply acoustic ballads that flow with a gentle summery breeze, there's a lovely style of wholesome passion about the Noe's music which is comforting, yet will anyone take notice is anyone's guess.A good debut. WWW.FULLSCALERECORDS.COM

Rating: 6,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Echobrain is the new band featuring former Metallica man Jason Newsted and Fans of Creed, Faith No More etc will totally lap this up. What suprised me is the energy this album blows out. I was expecting to hear the same old tired Metallica structures or something of a nasty grunge or industrial orgy, but instead Echobrain is a catchy nu breed melodic rock album and hats off to Newsted for quitting the Metalliboys to try something fresh which is far more rewarding than what Metallica have been releasing of late, hmmm perhaps that's an unfair comment as clearly Echobrain are light years away from Metallica, it's just that this album is like I said exciting and fresh, something which Metallica have lacked in recent years, so it's no wonder that Newsted was frustrated, thus he was correct to leave the band and go out and search for his own destiny which kicks off with this new great band.

He feels more comfortable in Echobrain which comes over honest and exciting especially on track two 'The Feeling Is Over' the melodic sound swims around inside your head and has a great chorus as does the rather cool 'Spoonfed' which features ex Faith No More mainman Jim Martin. Let's not forget though, that Echobrain are a full band and not just a vehicle for Newsted. The band also features Dylan Donkin and Brian Sagrafena as well as guest spots from Metallica's Kirk Hammet on 'Suckerpunch' and the afforementioned Jim Martin.

Overall Echobrain really do combine a bit of everything and don't sound like anybody else long enough to make lots of comparisons (check out the moody 'Keep Me Alive' with it's violin Vs acoustic guitar structures for proof which can also be heard on other tracks). Thus Echobrain have a striking amount of originality and accessibility and style which goes a long way in my book.A very effective release. buy and enjoy

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Moving over to Florida we find an interesting release from Derek Lorin. Lorin is a killer songwriter, his vocals remind me of Richard Marx, thus what you hear is music in the same vein as Marx. Lorin's debut album features ten self produced tracks which also give a slight west coast feel a'la Mark Spiro and Fergie Frederiksen (TOTO) such as on the opening track 'She Walks With Angels' which shows that Lorin has a good ear for melody. I didn't care too much for the following track 'Go' which suffers too much from the drum machine and the it's pop sensations. However I must add that the tempo is kept right up through the whole album and most of the songs are perfectly built for radio such as on 'Where's The Fire' which has a big power pop vibe, kinda like a revamped version of Pseudo Echo's 'Funky Town' mixed with Red Hot Chilli Pepper's, given a modern almost dance feel. I really love this song and also 'Choke' which is very similar. I would love to hear these two on the radios over here.

'These Things' is a big hollow piano driven ballad, whilst my favourite track is the gentle 'Amazes Me', this tune is Richard Marx to the core. 'Good Morning Sunshine' is also well performed and very catchy and the last song 'Goodbye' is a sonic power pop number a'la Richard Marx's "You Wont Keep Me From Dancing".Overall this CD shows a lot of promoise for Derek Lorin, it's shows a diverse mixture of style which will appeal to a wider audience, cleverley arranged "Amimal~Tonic" is a very enjoyable album of which some bands can learn from. For more information on Derek visit www.garageband.com/artist/dereklorin

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Whilst the likes of Alien Ant Farm are getting attention stateside a little act from Santa Ana in California called Lavender caught my attention with their nifty pop/rock influences. Lavender are a duo featuring the talents of Jim Timbers (Songwriter (Guitar & Vocals)), Anthony Franze (Songwriter (Guitar & Vocals).The duo have four demo songs contained on this CD which they kindly sent over to me, and of them all 'Baby Come Back' is the strongest and catchiest. The band come over like a mixture of Creed, Supermint and Enuff Z'Nuff especially on this track, the melodies and vocals are very much 100% Enuff Z'Nuff power pop. The other three songs 'Runaway', 'Lavender' and 'Deserving' all sound professional and in places even offer comparisons to the Manic Street Preachers such as on 'Lavender' itself.Lavender are very much radio pop/rock, with a modern classy tradtional approach and we should see allot of action from these guys in the future. For more information on the band Email : - antman@antmandesign.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

For the uninitiated Jaded Heart come from Germany and this is their fifth studio album (not counting last years Diary 1990-2000 compilation). These guys play radio friendly hard rock and producer Tommy Newton (Scorpions, Helloween) really gives the bands sound a more crunchy commercial shine which also combines their raw live edge which is one of the key secrets to the success and longevity of Jaded Heart's career. You have a mixture of AOR and hard rock songs coupled with some really tasty guitar aerobics from Barish Kepic who has really been allowed to step into the limelight on this album as the guitars are right up in the mix giving the whole sound made for playing at for volume. The usual Bon Jovi comparisons are all there, but this album is 100% pure high octane Jaded Heart.

After a brief intro the band launch into ''Kid Is Going Down', Jaded Heart sound dead tight and this song is just steaming hard rock, check out those keyboards from Henning Wanner which give the song a commercial edge, but make no mistake this song rocks hard and Kepic's solos are red hot. The title track is also rampant and Michael Bormann's presence is evident, I love this track to pieces and is already one of the albums highlights, just listen to those harmonies, a great hard edged stadium rocker. 'On The Rise' is a piano led melodic AOR piece filled with atmosphere and character, the hooks are massive and this song brings Wall Of Silence and Giant to mind.

Another favourite cut blasts off next in 'Well Drag You Down', this song is funky a'la Extreme and It's Alive with a sprinkle of Faith No More circa "The Real Thing" influences, and is just so massive sounding, the guitar parts are very exciting as Kepic just takes off during the chorus, this is where the production of Tommy Newton really works Jaded Heart's music, radio should be all over this song.

'Only Human' is classy AOR a'la Crown Of Thorns and sweeps over into a totally hook riddled chorus to die for, this is pure AOR Heaven. That mad man Kepic is let loose again on the excellent 'Lucky Son', his solo into here is different, how he did those hooks I don't know, they're kinda fuzzy, he refrains himself though for most of the song but this tune is a safe summer hard rock song a'la Bon Jovi.

'I'll Be There' pulses along in grand style and with the next song 'Larger Than Life' we get another spine crunching anthem with racing guitars and ballsy vocals from Michael, this is another of my fave cuts, and likewise 'Dangerous Destiny' follows this pattern, although this song offers a more melodic texture it still has enough power to show all the other wannabe bands out there how melodic rock should be played. Wait until you get to the chorus and check out those stunning riffs, awesome stuff.

And the fun doesn't end there, check out 'These Are The Good Times' continues the punchy rocking whilst the pairing of 'Sunshine Memories' and 'Sign Of The Times' is a grandiose melodic ballad filled with emotional vocals from Michael and subtle acoustic playing from Kepic. The former is a short sentimental piece which structures itself around the latter moulding together a magnificent ballad.

This is a stellar album with a crucial production sound and whopping songs that every hard rock fan must own, Jaded Heart just keep getting better and better and they are going to be around for many successful years to come. You know the words, buy or die.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)