| BALISTIC
‘TRANSFERENCE’
(INDEPENDENT) I reviewed some CDs of this American band a long time ago, but they are now back with a new CD, and also a new lead singer. I am afraid I have forgotten how the previous sounded like, but the new guy (Mark McNelly) has a very good strong and powerful voice, which fits perfectly with BALISTIC’s traditional Melodic Metal. In fact, after repeated listens to the new CD, I can easily add here that singer Mark McNelley is by far one of the best new lead singers I have heard lately! Musically, sometimes the band reminds me a bit of a slower version of TWISTED TOWER DIRE, so you can find some classy 80s US Power Metal on this CD. Opener “Power” is a nice midtempo Melodic Metal piece, but it’s the following track “Purgatory” that goes away with the award here. “Purgatory” has a fantastic catchy melodic chorus, and is basically a lovely Progressive Metal song, not unlike 80s QUEENRSYCHE, AZTEC JADE... Good to see that the band has put some sensational memorable songs on this new CD, so I can easily recommend it now, because this “Purgatory” is a very sensational song with beautiful harmonyvocals. Moving on with the CD we can find some more good (Progressive) Melodic Metal songs like “One of seven” and “I’m a liar”. In the end, the band reminds me a lot of a band called SYRIS, if anyone remember them, then go ahead and get this new BALISTIC a.s.a.p.! Concluded, a recommended 6-track mini-CD from this American band, which you can check out at: http://www.balistic.com and e-mail at: band@balistic.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) KRUSHER ‘BORN TO KRUSH’ (DEMO CDR) 3 songs are on the demo of KRUSHER, 2 own compisitions and a STEPPENWOLF cover (“Born to be wild” of course). The band is coming out of Poland and they play all-original 80s Heavy Metal a la SAXON, PICTURE, JUDAS PRIEST, DIVLJE JAGODE, TURBO, TSA... This can best be heard in their own songs “Live to ride – ride to live” and “Heavy Metal Krusher”. Lyrically they are very cliche (MANOWAR level), but if you’re a fan of classy 80s Metal this is a recommended band, and I must not forget to mention that the band has a very good guitarsound (twin-guitars, MAIDENish). More info can be found at: http://www.krusher.metal.pl and e-mail them at: judas.krush@interia.pl or fadamas@poczta.fm (Points: 7.5 out of 10) GAMBLIN’ CREW ‘MASTERS OF LOVE’ (INDEPENDENT) Out of Germany comes GAMBLIN’ CREW, a band playing a mix of 80s Glamrock, 70s Bluesrock and Melodic Hardrock, with clear influences of WHITE LION and MOTLEY CRUE. 6 songs are on their CD, which has a good production by the way. Most of the songs are nice happy uptempo rockers like “Gamblin’ crew” and “Masters of love”. Check them out for yourself at: http://www.gamblin-crew.de and e-mail them at: booking@gamblin-crew.de (Points: 7.0 out of 10) MINIMUM VITAL ‘ATLAS’ (MUSEA RECORDS) MINIMUM VITAL is a French band and they have been on the scene for over 20 years now, but actually this is my first time that I actually hear and review their music. The band has an own style, which is quite soft and sometimes close to Folk Music, but it sounds quite nice actually. It has a strong 70s approach, with some strong melodies like in the songs “Volubilis”, “Louez son nom”, “Voyage 1” and “Atlas” (very 70s/80s keyboard approach). If MAGO DE OZ would throw away most of their electric guitars and add a strong FOCUS kinda vocal approach, then you would come close to the sound of MINIMUM VITAL! Only interesting for people who want to hear something completely different, yet still this is a quality release for sure, although it has not much to do with Rock/Metal in general. (Points: 7.5 out of 10) TOXIC VIRGIN ‘SULPHUR’ (INDEPENDENT) ‘Sulphur’ is the 3rd CD of the German Melodic Hardrockband TOXIC VIRGIN. Musically it is typical German Melodic Hardrock in the style of CASANOVA, BONFIRE, MAD MAX, DOMAIN, AXXIS, BOYSVOICE... Without a doubt, this is a quality CD and highly recommended to fans of any of the mentioned bands. The songs are divided in midtempo songs, uptempo rockers and (semi) ballads, making this a very nice diverse CD. 12 tracks are included, and together with a great production, this CD is a pleasure to listen to. Highlights include “The clown” (uptempo melodic heavy rocker), “Born to run” (uptempo melodic rocker), “We’ll make it through” (nice semi ballad) and “Fallen angels” (faster uptempo melodic heavy rocker). Check it out if you’re into German melodic hardrock a la AXXIS, VICTORY, BONFIRE... More info at: http://www.toxicvirgin.de and e-mail them at: toxicvirgin@freenet.de (Points: 8.0 out of 10) ZITTER ‘ALLIGATOR HIGHWAY’ (DEMO CDR) This is a 2-piece band from Sweden, but unfortunately don’t expect anything like all those sensational Swedish bands we have seen the past few years, because ZITTER is playing some sort of Punky Rock’n’roll, which sounds a bit boring after a while. It sounds a bit like ALICE COOPER meets JOEY C. JONES meets THE ZEROS meets ENUFF’Z’NUFF, only a few levels lower. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.zitter.nu and e-mail at: zitter@spray.se (Points: 6.0 out of 10) VAHLADIAN ‘VAHLADIAN’ (PIES RECORDS) Out of Spain comes VAHLADIAN and they have just released their debut CD. Without a doubt, this is a high quality release, but don’t expect anything new here, because VAHLADIAN is playing the typical Melodic Euro Power Metal (a la TIERRA SANTA, LABYRINTH). However, they do it very well and with a crystal clear production I can still recommend it, especially to the fans of the growing list of Spanish Melodic Power Metalbands. They sing in the Spanish language, like all the other bands from Spain, but that isn’t disturbing at all. 10 songs are included, and if you like on tune, you will love them all. Highlights can be found in the shape of “Reinas de la Oscuridad”, “Per la sangre, Vida”, “Muros de cristal” and “Victoria”. Although nothing new is happening here and it sounds all very familiar, I can still give this CD a big recommendation, as the Melodic Power Metal of VAHLADIAN sounds very impressive. (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  VIRTUOCITY ‘NORTHERN TWILIGHT
SYMPHONY’ (SPINEFARM RECORDS) I am not really sure where this band is coming from, but I suppose they hail from Finland. Out of nowhere they came and apparantly ‘Northern twilight symphony’ is their 2nd CD. They play typical HIGH QUALITY Neo-Classical Euro Melodic Power Metal and comparisons to bands like DIONYSUS, NARNIA, THUNDERSTONE, TIME REQUIEM, SPACE ODDYSEY and such can easily be made. This is the kind of stuff the Japanese absolutely dig a lot, and it fits perfectly between all those thousands of other Swedish, Finnish and Italian bands playing this style. However, VIRTUOCITY play it very well, with superb lead vocals (by singer Peter James Goodman who sings rawer like COVERDALE/DIO, so not the standard high pitched vocals here!), a fantastic instrumental back-up and a big sound/production, and most of the 13 included songs are very memorable. I am not saying VIRTUOCITY is doing something completely new, but on the other hand they do it very well and I can only give them a high rating for doing something quite excellent. If you enjoy THUNDERSTONE and MASTERPLAN, you are definitely gonna LOVE this a lot! Most of the songs are fast uptempo Power Metal with strong lead vocals, catchy memorable choruses and lots of neo-classical keys, and as highlights I should mention “Wheels of time” (SUPERB!!!), “Moonlight shadows”, “Flames in the sky”, “Light in the dark”, “Paradise” (bit AORish) and “Land of a thousand lakes”. Although some people might find this just another typical Power Metalband from Finland, I can assure you that this new CD of VIRTUOCITY is far above the average stuff and can easily be mentioned along with THUNDERSTONE, MASTERPLAN, KAMELOT and if you really have a good listen you can hear that this is definitely different than the usual fast happy HELLOWEEN/SONATA/STRATO stuff... (Points: 9.0 out of 10)  PINK CREAM 69 ‘THUNDERDOME’
(SPV)The German Melodic Hardrockband PINK CREAM 69 exists for 17 years now, and ‘Thunderdome’ is their new release on the SPV label. The band continues playing strong Melodic Hardrock, just like on their previous albums. The style is not that far removed from JADED HEART, especially on a classy melodic rockballad like “That was yesterday” the comparisons are clear. I have to say that the album didn’t start that sensational, as opener and titletrack “Thunderdome” is just a nice midtempo melodic heavy rocker with a weaker chorus, but read on as this is the only weaker song, because further on this album we can find some very sensational songs. I am talking about “Gods come together” (strong uptempo melodic rocker), the ballad “That was yesterday”, the superb catchy uptempo melodic rocker “Shelter” (a la GUILD OF AGES/CITA), “Another wrong makes right” (strong melodic hardrock) and “See your face” (midtempo melodic heavy rock). Of course the crystal clear production by bassist DENNIS WARD (who is probably better known as a producer than as a PC’69 member!) is giving this CD a big push into high quality stuff. Basically, this is a must for fans of pure Melodic Hardrock, so we can easily say that this is a very strong comeback of PINK CREAM 69... (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  AXEL RUDI PELL ‘KINGS AND
QUEENS’ (SPV)One of the most loyal musicians from Germany returns with a new CD titled ‘Kings and queens’, the 10th studio album from guitarist AXEL RUDI PELL, who again delivers a masterpiece in the Classic Melodic Hardrock/Metal style. It’s amazing that the man has delivered nothing but high quality releases ever since his solo start in 1989, and all this time he never changed his style. Also this new CD is filled with high quality music and is maybe even his best effort ever! 10 songs are included, and with a fantastic line-up backing him up (including the fantastic HARDLINE singer Johnny Gioeli, ROUGH SILK keyboardplayer Ferdy Doernberg and drummer Mike Terrana (RAGE and hundreds of other bands) this is without a doubt a highly recommended sensational new AXEL RUDI PELL CD. The album continues the style of the previous album ‘Shadowzome’ and shows both Axel on guitars and Jonny on vocals at their very best. Johnny is singing at the top of his lungs, while Axel throws in some excellent memorable guitar riffs here and there. The material is quite diverse, with fast uptempo pieces, uptempo melodic rockers, epic midtempo tunes and some balladish stuff, so enough to give pleasure to a wide range of hardrock/metal fans. The songs have all one thing in common, because they all rock hard and are very melodic and memorable. If we have a look at the highlights here, I need to mention the fantastic uptempo melodic rockers “Cold heaven”, “Only the strong will survive” and “Take the crown” (all sounding like... AXEL RUDI PELL!!!), the fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal opener “Flyin’ high” and the midtempo Melodic Heavy Rocker “Legions of hell”, an 8-minute counting 80s BLACK SABBATH/DIO orientated tune. There’s only one conclusion and that’s the fact that this is a perfect AXEL RUDI PELL! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) TIME MACHINE ‘REVIVISCENCE’ (PROMO ADVANCED CDR) Although the new CD of the Italian band TIME MACHINE will not be released within a few months, I received an advanced promo CDR of the upcoming new album of TIME MACHINE. It has been 3 years ago since the last TIME MACHINE album was released and back in 2001 the particular CD ‘Evil’ was one of the best releases of that year, and I still rate it as one of the best Italian Melodic Prog/Power Metal releases ever. Therefore I was looking forward to the new album, and although after a few listens I have to agree that the new CD is again a high class album, I am afraid it’s not such a big classic as previous record ‘Evil’. Nevertheless, the sound and vocals are excellent, in the KAMELOT range, and tracks like (I don’t have any songtitles, so I give the numbers on the CDR) “3”, “7”, “9” and “12” are very impressive Melodic Progressive Metalsongs. I am not sure when the CD is gonna be released, but it’s a great album for sure, so we wait until it’s officially released. (Points: 8.5 out of 10) ILIUM ‘SIRENS OF THE STYX’ (STEELHEART RECORDS) Here’s another quality Metal releases for you to check out. ILIUM hail from Australia and they play Classic Epic 80s US True Power Metal in the style of OMEN, WARLORD, DOMINE, VICIOUS RUMORS, HEIR APPARENT, RUFFIANS... 10 songs are included on the CD, which was produced by Lord Time (DUNGEON lead singer). This time however the lead singer of this Aussie band (Mark Snedden) doesn’t have a high-pitched voice, because he sings much lower (a bit in the NWOBHM style), but the guitarwall (Adam Smith and Jason Hodges) is quite massive and makes this CD very impressive. The artwork also looks quite nice, and so I can only conclude that this is a very professional quality release. It’s not as good as their countrymen of BLACK MAJESTY, but still this is a good pleasant Melodic Metal record. Highlighs on ‘Sirens of the styx’ are “Embrace the myth”, “Semblance”, “Incipience: Beowulf Defeats Grendel” and “The celestial sphere”. Check it out if you’re a fan of 80s US Power Metal! (Points: 8.0 out of 10) WALTHAM ‘PERMISSION TO FILM DVD’ (6 MEDIA GROUP) We reviewed the debut CD of this new American band WALTHAM sometime ago, and they sounded like the perfect mix between early 80s RICK SPRINGFIELD and today’s HAREM SCAREM, so slightly modern Nu-Breed Poprock with big catchy 80s Melodic Rock choruses. The band now has a DVD out, which includes a few videoclips and some video footage, which is quite cool to watch, and most of the DVD is done quite professional. This is a decent quality DVD, and highly recommended to check out if you’re a HAREM SCAREM fan, as the style of WALTHAM is not that far away removed from the Canadian heroes. More info can be found at: http://www.waltham.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) YASU ‘MAGICA’ (DEMO CDR) Yasu Matsushita is a guitarist from Tokyo, Japan and he sent me a demo CDR. He has been playing guitar for 14 years now and his first demo cdr was released in 2002, this is the ‘Magica’ album. Soon he will release a new album, but in the meantime I can inform you about his first ‘demo’ album ‘Magica’. There aren’t any bass, drums or vocals on this album, so it’s a completely instrumental album focused around the shredding guitar of Mr. Yasu along with some keyboards. Obviously he has been influences by neo-classical hero MALMSTEEN, and the 9 songs are a nice introduction to Yasu’s talents, but still I hope next time to hear a full band record, with drums, bass and maybe even vocals, because that would appear to more people. Now it’s only interesting for people who are like guitarfreaks or something, and appreciate neo-classical sliding vibrato shredding as Yasu calls it. Check it out for yourself at: http://yasumatsushita.cjb.net (Points: 7.0 out of 10) CAIN RAZERS ‘TWO-TRACK TWO LIVE’ (INDEPENDENT) The American band CAIN RAZERS recorded this in 1993, and I have to say that the sound quality isn’t the best on this CDR. In the past I also reviewed some other projects of the bandmembers, such as STEPPIN’ BLIND and that was far better than this, because this CD is filled with o.k. 80s Poprock a la RICK SPRINGFIELD, EDDIE MONEY, THE KNACK, THE OUTFIELD etc. etc. only a few levels lower unfortunately. It’s a shame the sound quality is quite average, because songs like “lesson”, “Anthem”, “Plastic bimbo” and “Just let go” are nice poprockers. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.mp3.com/cainrazers (Points: 6.0 out of 10) SINKOPE ‘Y EVOLUCIONA EL HOMBRE’ (PIES RECORDS) If anyone knows how the band LUJURIA sounds like, then you will agree with me that this Spanish band SINKOPE is playing in the exact same style, and also features a very raw lead singer. Although I am not really impressed with the band’s lead singer, the songs and quality sound make that up. SINKOPE is playing Melodic Hard/Heavy Rock/Metal and 15 songs are included on their CD. The best songs are “Entre la sombra y la luz”, “Como tantos”, “Puesto” and “El cuando sin subasta”. Sometimes it sounds like a Spanish version of WHITE LION, but with a raw unpolished sound. As the CD develops I heard the band was nevertheless able to write some great songs, although the vocalist remains to be the weakest link here. If you like LUJURIA, you will absolutely dig this as well! (Points: 7.5 out of 10) HARDWAY ‘DEMO CDR’ (DEMO CDR) All the way from Argentina comes the band HARDWAY, who sent me a demo cdr consisting of 4 tracks. It’s unbelievable but this is actually pure 80s AOR what we get to hear on the demo cdr of HARDWAY. And then I am not talking about some average melodic rockband with guitars upfront and weak choruses, no way! Opener “Lost in this town” is basically pure 80s quality midtempo AOR with keys, hooks and a catchy chorus, with strong influences of BAD ENGLISH, JOURNEY and SHY. Although it isn’t of course a big label recording, you can definitely hear that this band is capable of bringing something interesting here. I even think that if in the future they are able to go into some big studio with a big producer, something special could happen. Especially the fact that they hail from ‘Metal-country’ Argentina is making them very special, and they do play their AOR music very well. The other songs are “Ride on the wind” (semi AOR ballad a la HONEYMOON SUITE), “The way to your heart” (WOW! This is really a beautiful semi AOR ballad in the ALIAS/SIGNAL style, a wet dream for the AOR fans!!!) and “No second chance” (another great semi AOR ballad). Concluded, check it out if you’re an AOR fan, more info through e-mail at: danger_area28@hotmail.com and check out their website at: http://www.hardway.8k.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10) JANHAUS ‘NEW RACE’ (INDEPENDENT) ‘New race’ is a mini-CD by the Italian band JANHAUS and unlike all those fast Happy Power Metalbands currently coming out of Italy, JANHAUS is focusing on classy 80s Melodic Hardrock. 5 songs are on thei demo CDR, and although the lead singer is singing with an accent, everything sounds quite professional (great guitarplayer for instance). Opener “Forever” starts the demo very well, as this a very catchy strong uptempo melodic rocker (a la WHITE LION, PINK CREAM 69), with a chorus that sticks in your head after hearing it the first time, so this is really good actually. Up next we have “New race”, a slightly weaker midtempo groovy rocker. Then comes “Long way from home”, a good melodic hardrocksong. Next track “Time to say goodbye” is a nice semi-ballad, while closing track “You can’t take me alive” is good old 80s Hardrock. Concluded, a nice Melodic Hardrockband to check out at: http://digilander.iol.it.janhaus and e-mail them at: a.kruml@tin.it (Poins: 8.0 out of 10) OMEGALORD ‘OMEGALORD’ (AIRPORT CIRCLE RECORDS) This is a band from New Jersey, USA, and their mini-CD contains 4 tracks, musically US Power Metal, but then a bit too much akin to the 90s sound of CROWBAR and PANTERA, so less interesting I am afraid. Nevertheless, it’s quality stuff, really Brutal Metal and recommended if you enjoy such bands, but let me repeat that this is nothing for the fans of the typical Melodic Metal we usually review. More info at: http://www.omegalord.com and e-mail at: Stringking6@aol.com (Points: 6.5 out of 10) VASTATOR ‘DEMO CDR’ (DEMO CDR) 8 songs are on the demo CDR of the band VASTATOR from Santiago, Chile, a band that was quite popular in the 1980s in Chile and make their return now. The Demo CDR includes four tracks from the album "Guía Para Odiar a Tu Prójimo (98) and the other four tracks are from the album "Night of San Juan" (01). Both albums are official releases.They play quality 80s US Power Metal like a mix between AGENT STEEL, PRIEST, KING DIAMOND and MANOWAR. While listening to their demo I am proud to say here that this is a quality band and although they look like a Black Metal band they definitely play strong pure 80s US Melodic Power Metal with high pitched vocals and some Thrash/Speed influences as well. Songs like “Las joyas del cura”, “I love you” and “Flight of the Tue Tue” are good examples of how this sounds, and I can easily highly recommend this band to fans of mentioned bands. Let’s hope their upcoming 3rd CD will bring us more of the same, because these guys deserve it to be heard outside Chile/South-America! More info at: http://vastator.s5.com and e-mail at: vastator@terra.cl (Points: 7.5 out of 10) BLEZQI ZATSAZ ‘THE TIDE TURNS’ (LUCRETIA RECORDS) BLEZQI ZATSAZ is a band from Brazil and their new CD (which is packed in a DVD package) ‘The tide burns’ is one of the best instrumental Progressive Rock/Metal releases I have heard in a long time. This is without a doubt a high quality release and a total must for the fans of quality instrumental Progrock/metal. Imagine a mix between YES, RUSH, IQ and ARENA, without vocals, but then you’re getting close to the big sound of BLEZQI ZATSAZ. Songs like “L’etre et le neant”, “The asphaeings are back!”, “Afterimage” (lovely keyboardwork), “Parallel paradise” (awesome), “The gates of Ixtlan and “Once and again” are a must for every decent Progrockfan! Check out everything you need to know of this awesome band at: http://www.blezqizatsaz.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  ANTHENORA ‘THE LAST
COMMAND’ (LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC/ROCK INC.)The Italian band ANTHENORA has already been on the scene for 14 years now, but ‘The last command’ is their first official CD. The CD has been released on LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC and of course we have to deal here with a quality release. They play pure 80s Heavy Metal with influences from MAIDEN, GRAVE DIGGER, PRIEST... They have a raw lead singer, so this is nothing like the happy fast Power Metal (with keys and high putched vocals) we usually get to hear from an Italian band. You can best compare them to DOMINE, so this is classic 80s Heavy Metal, with still enough good strong melodies in each and every song. 10 tracks are on the CD, which was produced by LUIGI STEFANNINI, and most of them are uptempo, with as best tracks “Operation sea lion”, “Hunter”, “The legion” and “The fortress” (a song with a great hidden track after the actual song). Concluded, a recommended piece to fans of classic 80s Heavy Metal! (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘ROCKTHOLOGY VOLUME
1-10’ (CMV-LASERVISION)In the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a very popular Music-TV-Programm on TV called ‘Hard’n’Heavy’. The German label CMV-LASERVISION is specialized in releasing DVD’s and they have released within 2 years 10 DVD’s with in total 20 episodes of the ‘Hard’n’Heavy’ TV-series. Each DVD contains 2 episodes of this awesome TV-show. The shows are a mixture of interviews, musicclips, studio reports and all sorts of face-to-face conversations with the bands. We are talking about 1989-1992 here, so lots of the LA Glam/Sleaze bands are featured here, as well as legendary Metalbands and sadly also some Grunge/Alternative bands. Each DVD has a playing length of 110 minutes, and of course I am gonna mention here which volumes are the most interesting for us, because some are not that interesting, but there are definitely a few highly recommended volumes. Starting with Volume 1 of course, and sadly this is the least interesting volume, as this one contains the likes of JANE’S ADDICTION, RED HOT CHILLI PEPPERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, FAITH NO MORE, NIRVANA etc. However, towards the end we can find some interesting Metal/Thrash outfits like TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and QUEENSRYCHE. But let’s move on to Volume 2, which is one of the best DVD’s of the Rockthology series. Volume 2 features the likes of OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, PRIEST, MAIDEN, SCORPIONS, WHITESNAKE, MOTORHEAD, KISS, AEROSMITH, JOE SATRIANI, STEVE VAI, STEVE STEVENS, MALMSTEEN, MR. BIG, CHEAP TRICK, ACE FREHLEY and DAMN YANKEES. Without a doubt, this volume 2 is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, especially to anyone enjoying the Classic 80s Metal. It’s impossible to get into detail on every featured band here, but I can assure you that the 110 minutes of volume 2 pass by very quickly, as it is all very enjoyable to watch, with some very cool conversations with all those legendary bands. Rockthology volume 3 is then again a very non-interesting Volume, as this one covers the 1992 Grunge/Alternative scene with bands like NIRVANA, SMASHING PUMPKINS, WHITE ZOMBIE, HELMET... so I can not give this volume a recommendation. Happily, Volume 4 is bringing us classic 80s Metal again, but also a lot 70s Hardrock this time, with the following bands: LED ZEPPELIN, ALICE COOPER, AC/DC, BILL WARD, HUNTER/RONSON, TIN MACHINE, AEROSMITH, JIMI HENDRIX, QUEEN, MAIDEN, QUEENSRYCHE, MEGADETH, CULT, WASP, RATT, MOTLEY CRUE and MOTORHEAD. This volume 4 is definitely one of the better DVDs, very enjoyable to watch and as a special bonus this Volume contains the Supersession for Life Aid Armenia, as recorded in London in 1989, performing the DEEP PURPLE classic “Smoke on the water”. Rockthology Volume 5 is focusing mainly on late 1980s Bay Area Thrash Metal, so you get to see bands like TESTAMENT, EXODUS, HEATHEN, ANTHRAX, LAAZ ROCKIT, MORBID ANGEL, XENTRIX, ATROPHY, REVEREND, OVERKILL, NOCTURUS and a few Party Hardrockbands (LOVE/HATE and MANITOBA’S WILD KINGDOM). However, this volume 5 will mainly appeal to the fans of 80s Thrash Metal, for them it’s a must-have! Moving on to Volume 6, which is again a deadringer for the fans of 80s LA Glam/Party/Melodic Hardrock, as this volume features the likes of SCORPIONS, MSG, KIX, DIO, GREAT WHITE, OZZY, SKID ROW, MOTORHEAD, DAVID LEE ROTH (a very cool feature!), KISS, LITA FORD, LA GUNS, PRIEST, MR. BIG, WINGER and many more... Together with Volume 2 and 4, Volume 6 is another highly recommended DVD of the Rockthology Series.  Volume 7 is focusing on
mainly Crossover-Metal (BODY COUNT, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES,
PUBLIC ENEMY, ANTHRAX, BIOHAZARD, PANTERA) and only a few
interesting bands (QUEENSRYCHE, PRIEST and MEGADETH).
Nevertheless, it’s funny to watch all the different
personalities, because who would have thought that Dave
Mustaine from MEGADETH is a man who is deeply into
sharing his thoughts on the world. Anyway, despite some
interesting features, also this Volume is less
interesting for us, because of the many featured non-True
Hardrock/Metalbands. Happily, volume 8 picks up the
Classic 80s and 70s Hardrocksound again and this volume 8
is another HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Volume of the Rockthology
series. Volume 8 features a lot of legendary Rockbands as
well as a(nother) look at the Bay Area 1989
Thrash-Metalscene, which was quite big back then.
Featured bands on volume 8 are KISS, THIN LIZZY (2
Classic Videoclips!), QUEEN, CHEAP TRICK, THE DOORS
(shouldn’t have been there), BILLY IDOL, WHITESNAKE,
ROBERT PLANT, MEGADETH, STEVE JONES, MOTORHEAD, SACRED
REICH, CELTIC FROST, DANZIG, VIOLENCE, DEATH ANGEL, NAKED
AGE and JUDAS PRIEST. This is a very diverse CD, which
covers bands in all genres, but mostly ignores the late
80s LA Glam/Metalscene, but that’s widely featured
on Volume 9. This volume 9 is another highly recommended
Volume of the Rockthology series, as it contains a lot of
interesting acts, such as LITA FORD, BANG TANGO, FEMME
FATALE, ROXX GANG, DORO PESCH, WINGER, RHETT FORESTER,
SKID ROW, SLAUGHTER, FASTER PUSSYCAT, LA GUNS, DAVID LEE
ROTH and many more. As you can see this is one of the
most LA Glam/Sleaze orientated Volumes, and therefore a
recommended piece if you are into that sort of Hardrock.
Finally, Volume 10 of the Rockthology series is a mixture
of Classic 80s Melodic Hardrock and very early 90s weak
Hardrock (WOLFSBANE, WORLD WAR 3, SAIGON KICK, LAW AND
ORDER, SEA HAGS, ROXX GANG, THE ALMIGHTY). Ofcourse the
Classic 80s Hardrock parts are very interesting to watch,
with such bands like POISON, WHITESNAKE, AEROSMITH,
SILENT RAGE, WARRANT, THUNDER, MAIDEN and
GUNS’N’ROSES. Most of the features of these
bands are taken from their performances at the Donington
Festival, with a very long feature on
GUNS’N’ROSES. It’s hard to tell about everything included on the 10 DVD’s here, but the average feature lasts about 5 minutes and contains parts of a videoclip of the particular band, and in between the bandmembers talk about all sorts of things (music, studio, the past, the girls, etc. etc.). I have to admit that this sort of documentary is really nice, because it is so diverse, and not focused on 1 special thing like most of the released DVDs are bringing us. The Rockthology series are a must for every Hardrock/Metal fan, especially if you like me started with this genre in the late 1980s, as almost all the bands of that period are being featured on the 10 DVDs. Concluded, this is a unique and highly recommended series of 10 DVD’s, with as best volumes: 2, 4 and 6. More info can be found at: http://www.cmv-laservision.de Points: Volume 2, 4 and 6: 9.5 out of 10 Volume 9: 9.0 out of 10 Volume 8 and 10: 8.5 out of 10 Volume 5: 7.5 out of 10 Volume 1 and 7: 7.0 out of 10 Volume 3: 6.0 out of 10 PROFOUND ‘DEEP AND SINCERE’ (STEELHEART RECORDS) I haven’t seen many reviews on the debut CD of the Dutch band PROFOUND, and it’s been out for exactly 1 year now, so that’s very strange, because the particular CD ‘Deep and sincere’ is a HIGH CLASS 80s MELODIC METAL MASTERPIECE!!! Comparisons I can make are very early QUEENSRYCHE, early CRIMSON GLORY, FATES WARNING, BLACK MAJESTY... so very 80s orientated US Melodic Prog/Power Metal. The band has a very strong lead singer (Pieter Bas Borger) and most of the members were in a band called BLACK KNIGHT before this PROFOUND, with whom they released the underground classic ‘Tales from the dark side’. With PROFOUND they have released another high class album, which can easily be seen as one of the best Metalalbums from Holland of all times! Songs like “Inner dungeons”, “Transparent border”, “Agony falling” and “Liquid memories” are lovely Melodic Metalmasterpieces with brilliant guitarwork, strong lead and harmonyvocals and memorable choruses, so concluded this is a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CD if you’re into classic 80s Melodic Metal! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) TIME MACHINE ‘ETERNITY ENDS’ (LUCRETIA RECORDS) TIME MACHINE is one of the best Progressive Metalbands from Italy, and I rate them as high as LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY, although TIME MACHINE is much more Progressive. They have had a lot of line-up changes through the years, but the last couple of CDs were excellent and with a steady line-up, with ‘Evil’ from 2001 being their best record so far. They are about to release a new CD soon, but in the meantime also some of the older records are interesting to pick up, as we never reviewed them, like their fantastic 1998 record ‘Eternity ends’. This wonderful Melodic ProgMetalalbum can easily be compared to a DREAM THEATER, so instrumental from a very high level, but also vocally very impressive, while some of the 12 included songs are really superb. Highlights on ‘Eternity ends’ are “I, the subversive nazarene”, “Eternity ends”, “Desert of souls” and “Sphynx”. Concluded, if you missed this TIME MACHINE release, go and look for it! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) SINPHONIA ‘WHEN THE TIDE BREAKS’ (LUCRETIA RECORDS) Although this CD dates back to 2000 I just had to review it, as it sounds quite massive. SINPHONIA is a Danish Gothic Progressive Power Metalband that sounds a lot like AMARAN. Their debut CD ‘When the tide breaks’ has a terrific big production/sound quality (a la NIGHTWISH), while musically it is also very good, but only vocally the female lead singer Monika Pedersen is not as good as mentioned bands. Nevertheless, this is HIGH QUALITY Female Fronted Melodic Gothic Power/Prog-Metal stuff, with as best songs among the 8 included “Lost”, “Moonstruck” and “Path of life”. Highly recommended if you’re into AMARAN, AFTER FOREVER, DELIGHT, NIGHTWISH... The band went on releasing another CD, which has been reviewed last year I believe, but if you missed this one, you know what to do when you see a copy of it! (Points: 8.5 out of 10) BALTIMOORE ‘ULTIMATE TRIBUTE’ (LION MUSIC/HARD LIFE PROMOTION/BERTUS) The Swedish band BALTIMOORE returns with a new release, although again it is not a ‘real’ new CD, as the CD is filled with only covers of bands that influenced BALTIMOORE. Most of these acts are the Classic 70s Rockbands like RAINBOW, AC/DC, THIN LIZZY, BLACK SABBATH, WHITESNAKE, MONTROSE... It;s nice to hear how excellent BALTIMOORE is doing these covers, but I rather had hoped for a new studio-CD with new songs, because it has now 4 years since their last album was released. Nevertheless, this is an interesting CD to check out if you’re a fan of BALTIMOORE or want to hear some good covers of 70s Rockclassics. (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  ALEX MASI ‘IN THE NAME OF
MOZART’ (LION MUSIC/HARD LIFE PROMOTION/BERTUS)After releasing a CD that paid tribute to J.S. BACH, Italian guitar virtuose ALEX MASI is now doing a tribute CD to MOZART, covering 7 tracks, only with the use of an acoustic guitar and an electric bass, with on 1 song the use of the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra. It’s all done very nicely, but I am afraid this CD is only interesting for the absolute die-hard fans, because after a couple of tracks it becomes a bit boring. It would have been a lot better if Alex had used the Orchestra on all songs, because now you have 6 tracks long only an acoustic guitar. On the other hand, of course I need to add here that this is a quality record, as ALEX MASI is a skilled musician and he rewrote these MOZART classics for the acoustic guitar, but still it’s only interesting for the die-hard guitarfreaks! (Points: 7.5 out of 10)  VITALIJ KUPRIJ ‘FORWARD AND
BEYOND’ (LION MUSIC/HARD LIFE PROMOTION/BERTUS) Keyboardwizzard VITALIJ KUPRIJ from the Ukraine is best known as a member of ARTENSION and also his solo-work. His latest solo-CD ‘Forward and beyond’ is another classy piece of instrumental Neo-Classical Progmetal, with guest appearances by GEORGE BELLAS, ROGER STAFFELBACH (ARTENSION), MICHAEL ROMEO (SYMPHONY X), MICHAEL HARRIS and several others. 10 songs long we can enjoy the wonderful skills of multi-talented VITALIJ KUPRIJ, who is a sort of Mozart/Bach/Beethoven in today’s Keyboardgenre. Without a doubt the 50+ minutes of this CD are over in a minute, because this is non-stop high class instrumental Neo-Classical music. What more can I say then to say it’s a must if you’re a fan of this kind of instrumental stuff, but even the average Rock/Metal fan should check out this CD, as this is really something special, which actually appeals to every music fan I think... (Points: 8.5 out of 10) ORION RIDERS ‘A NEW DAWN’ (LION MUSIC/HARD LIFE PROMOTION/BERTUS) We’re heading back to Italy once again where we can find a band called ORION RIDERS and their first full-length CD out on LION MUSIC. Nothing new is happening here, as this is very cliche Melodic Neo-Classical Happy Italo/Euro Power Metal a la early STRATOVARIUS, LABYRINTH... with many keys, catchy hooks, melodic choruses and great high pitched polished lead/harmonyvocals. Then I have to admit that it all sounds very impressive, with such strong fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal songs like “Whispers”, “A new dawn” and “Old symphony”, and therefore this is highly recommended to fans of RHAPSODY, LABYRINTH, WONDERLAND, VISION DIVINE, early STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA... However, do not expect anything new, as this is basically a standard Euro/Italo Happy Power Metal record, and I also need to add here that only 6 tracks are included, but nevertheless still quite enjoyable if you don’t mind cliche type of Power Metal... (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  MISTER KITE ‘BOX OF FEAR’
(LION MUSIC/HARD LIFE PROMOTION/BERTUS)The Swedish band MISTER KITE has recently released their new full-length CD ‘Box of fear’ on LION MUSIC. Musically this is nice modern Melodic Hardrock, with actually some very modern (Nu-Metal) approaches sometimes (a bit like late 90s HAREM SCAREM), so it is not always attractive to listen. However, instrumental it all sounds very impressive, and also the production is very good, and together with good songs like “How long”, “Evil Bob”, “State” and “The hunger” the final conclusion is that this is a nice quality Hardrockalbum, although I find it sometimes sounding a bit too modern (with the Nu-Metal influences on some songs). So it is interesting for people who are interested in hearing something new, as MISTER KITE is definitely making their Hardrock sound different than most other bands... (Points: 7.5 out of 10) STATE OF MIND ‘MEMORY LANE’ (MTM CLASSIX/SUBURBAN) It seems like MTM CLASSIX, the new sublabel of MTM MUSIC is only focusing on early 90s Swedish AOR/Melodic Rockalbums, because after the re-issues/re-releases of AXIA, SNAKE CHARMER, RECKLESS, RAW, FAR NORTH, ERIKA and several others, it’s now time for STATE OF MIND. Although many people will say that all those Swedish bands sounded the same and it doesn’t make any sense re-releasing their albums as ‘Classics’ I still think this is quite interesting, as it shows how many good Swedish bands were out there, but nearly all of them were completely ignored by the press. It’s a shame, because most of them were really great, and also STATE OF MIND was one of those typical Swedish bands playing quality Melodic Hardrock (DOKKEN, WHITESNAKE, VAN HALEN, THIN LIZZY style) and they managed to release a full-length and a mini-CD in the mid 1990s. Now MTM CLASSIX has released a CD titled ‘Memory lane’, which contains 12 STATE OF MIND tracks from the mid 1990s. Most of the material is midtempo groovy Melodic Hardrock, with some great songs like “My kind of life”, “Up on the top”, “Dream those dreams”, “Traveling man” and “Hang tough” (sounds a lot like HARDLINE’s “Dr. Love”). Concluded, another fine release in the ongoing re-releasing list of Swedish Melodic Hardrockalbums on the MTM CLASSIX label. I wonder which Swedish band is next on the list. (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  DANNY DANZI ‘DANZILAND’(MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN) After a long period, and a label switch, multi-instrumentalist DANNY DANZI from New Jersey returns with a new CD titled ‘Danziland’. The CD contains 12 tracks and is basically following the same 80s Melodic (Hard) Rock approach as his debut. However, I am afraid the new CD sounds sometimes a bit too standard to make it a true winner and it surely doesn’t beat his great debut CD. Nevertheless, it’s nice to see another artist holding on to his Rockstyle, and here and there we can find some enjoyable moments on ‘Danziland’ like the cheesy 80s Melodic Rocksongs “Eternity”, “Let it go”, “Wild and dangerous”, “All or nothing” (quite superb catchy 80s Melodic Rock, with lovely memorable chorus) and “Destiny” (strong midtempo AOR). I am not really impressed with the production, as it sounds a bit raw here and not as ‘Arena’ orientated as we usually get to hear with this kind of Melodic Rock. Still this is a good typical 80s Melodic Rockalbum, which is nice to have a listen to, especially if you enjoy bands like DANGER DANGER, BLUE BLUD, BLUE TEARS, WHITE LION and even some late 80s Y&T... and the guitarwork is also very good, so you will be satisfied if you buy this new CD of DANNY DANZI... (Points: 8.0 out of 10) TIME MACHINE ‘HIDDEN SECRETS’ (LUCRETIA RECORDS) A few years ago TIME MACHINE released a double CD titled ‘Hidden secrets’, an album filled with unreleased material, demos, live recordings and lost studio cuts, making it a true winner for fans of the band. Although a lot of the songs actually ended on the band’s studio-album in different remixed versions, these 2 CDs hold together a bunch of high class music that made TIME MACHINE so interesting. The band always managed to mix up the 80s US Power Metal (QUEENSRYCHE/FATES WARNING) with today’s Prog. Metal (DREAM THEATER/KAMELOT/SYMPHONY X) and on their studio-CD’s we always can find some classics, with as absolute highlight the 2001 album ‘Evil’, which is one of the best Italian Prog/Power Metal releases ever! Anyway, this 2000 release contains 2 CDs, and with a playing length of more than 2 hours a recommended piece. Songs like “Riots in the colonies”, “Will you remember” (original version of 1,000 rainy nights), “Desert of souls”, “New religion”, “Virgin of the temple”, “Love without sin”, “Past and future” and “I hold the key” are all wonderful examples of how good TIME MACHINE really is. Their new CD is coming out soon, but I suggest you pick up first this 2-CD set to get to know the band a little bit, as they have done so many wonderful things in the past and that shouldn’t be ignored... (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  TNT ‘MY RELIGION’
(MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)A long time ago anounced, but now finally ready for release, the new TNT record ‘My religion’. The album contains 13 tracks (with a playing time of ‘just’ 45 minutes) and will be released on the 8th of March. This is by far the best TNT record since the 1980s, and finally there’s some really great material on a TNT CD, and that’s a long time ago, probably the last good stuff they did was in 1989 (15 years ago!). Anyway, the CD was mixed by TOMMY HANSEN (HELLOWEEN, PRETTY MAIDS, HEAVENLY, WUTHERING HEIGHTS) and I must admit that the sound quality is very impressive. The most remarkable stuff on the new record is that both TONY HARNELL’s vocals and RONNI LE TEKRO’s guitar playing are of a very high level. Tony’s vocals sound like if he has been sent down from heaven to show what a wonderful lead singer he is, while guitarist Ronni is playing guitar solo’s like you would expect from guys like JOE STUMP, MALMSTEEN, VAI, SATRIANI... Although not all of the 13 tracks are sensational, the overall feeling of the new TNT is definitely a pleasant feeling, as you are listening to each song with the thought that this is the TNT you have been waiting for 15 years. Let’s have a look at the album’s strongest tracks here, which are “Invisible noise” (great midtempo melodic heavy rocker with a strong chorus, classy TNT stuff), “Lonely nights” (the hitsingle, the best song TNT has ever done, superb classic 80s TNT Melodic Rocker with perfect vocals and a superb big chorus), “You’ll be there” (another fantastic 80s orientated AOR/Melodic Rocker), the melodic rockballad “Perfectly” (amazing emotional vocal performance by Tony here) and the uptempo melodic rockers “Live today”, “Everybody’s got a secret” and “Everything U R”. Despite a few weaker songs like “She needs me”, “My religion”, “Give me a sign” and “Song 4 Dianne”, this is a much-recommended TNT album! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) INFEARIOR ‘TWO-FACED WORLD’ (INDEPENDENT) Formed over 10 years ago, the German band INFEARIOR and ‘Two-faced world’ is their 2nd CD. Without a doubt a quality CD, filled with decent Melodic Power Metal with some Thrash-Metal influences (a la ICED EARTH), and a few calmer Melodic Progmetalsongs as well like “Still your eyes break the silence”. However, the main focus here is straight-ahead guitar orientated Melodic Power Metal on such great songs like “The black silhouette”, “Helpless”, “Our last goodbye” and “The cage within” (best song, strong melodies during this 9-minutes counting epic). This is Heavy Metal they way it sounded back in the 1980s, very raw and edgy, so I can highly recommend it if you enjoy bands like SYMPHORCE, SEVEN WITCHES, ICED EARTH... More info on the band can be found at: http://www.infearior.de and e-mail them at: obscure@t-online.de (Points: 8.0 out of 10) NEWFAIR FLIK ‘SITUATIONS’ (INDEPENDENT) This is without a doubt a quality CD, although it sounds a bit different than the usual stuff we review. NEWFAIR FLIK is a duo from the USA and consists of Joe DiVita (vocals, drums, bass, guitars) and Dan Simone (vocals, keys, guitars). Together they have recorded a good semi-instrumental/vocal album which is mostly calm original Progressive Rock. They have sort of an own style, but clearly are influenced by 70s Progrock legends (YES, RUSH, CAMEL, GENESIS). The CD has a playing time of 70 minutes and is quite a must for the Progrockfans, although the second part of the CD also introduce some modern Popsounds here and there. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.newfairflik.com and e-mail at: newfairflik@newfairflik.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10) SYANIDE KICK ‘SYANIDE KICK’ (PERRIS RECORDS) They come out of Hollywood and they play pure 80s LA Glam Metal in the MOTLEY CRUE style, but I have to say that they do it really well. Instrumental it sounds very good, and the songs itself are very catchy and all together it sounds quite professional. Most of the 10 included tracks are straight-ahead uptempo Party Rockers in the style of CRUE, early TUFF, BLACK AND BLUE, DIRTY BLONDE and POISON circa ‘Flesh and blood’. Highlights are “Hollywood angel”, “Young and wild”, “Sky high” and “Legs up high”. This is without a doubt a must for fans of late 80s Glam/Party Hardrock! (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  PRYMARY ‘PRYMARY’
(INDEPENDENT)Out of California comes the next sensational new US Melodic Progressive Metalband called PRYMARY. 8 long songs are on the debut CD of PRYMARY, with closing track “Roads of fire” being a 25-minutes counting epic masterpiece. Musically it is a mix of Progressive Rock and Progmetal, somewhere between DREAM THEATER, ENCHANT and POWER OF OMENS. Without a doubt, this is a high quality release, not only the music itself (and the fantastic lead singer Mike DiSarro) sound impressive, but the production, artwork and CD packaging are also done very professionally. I can easily recommend this CD to all Progfans out there. If we have a look at the 8 included tracks, I should mention as absolute highlights “Promise”, “Remember” (pure ENCHANT), “Running to a standstill” (very much DREAM THEATER influenced during the instrumental parts) and of course the final track “Roads of fire”. This last song of the CD is actually a complete full-length album on it’s own, as the 25 minutes of the song take you in all sorts of directions, while still being a true Progressive Rock/Metal masterpiece. I can only conclude that this CD is a much-recommended record to all Progrock/metalfans! Check out PRYMARY at: http://www.prymary.com and e-mail them at: prymary@prymary.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  ROXX ‘OUTLAWS, FOOLS AND
THIEVES’(PERRIS RECORDS) ROXX is a US band playing a mixture of classy 80s Melodic Hardrock and late 80s Glamrock, ending up sounding like a mix between RATT, CRUE, PRETTY BOY FLOYD, KIX, SKID ROW and some HANOI ROCKS. 12 tracks are on the CD, and without a doubt this is a highly recommended piece to fans of such 80s Glam/LA-Metal. Check out such catchy Party rockers like “What’s a boy to do?”, “Give up your heart” (the 87 BON JOVI sound), “Mr. mean” (hello SKID ROW!), “Turns to Gold” (best song, strong pure 80s Glamrocker) and “Ball and chain”. Fans of mentioned bands know what to do when they are looking for a similar band playing the good old 80s LA Hardrock/Metalstyle. (Points: 8.0 out of 10)  LOUD’N’NASTY ‘TEASER,
TEASER’ (PERRIS RECORDS)Out of Sweden comes LOUD’N’NASTY, and they play good old 80s LA Glamrock, but like you would expect from a Swedish band, this is a high quality band and not just some cheap POISON/CRUEish band. OK, some songs sound a lot like RATT, but the band has a good strong lead singer (hello STEPHEN PEARCY!!!) and a fantastic guitarist, and even most of the 11 included songs are very catchy 80s LA type of Melodic Glam Hardrockers, so concluded this is a highly recommended CD! Songs like “Teaser”, “Annie” (DOKKEN meets RATT, very strong big 80s semi-ballad)), “Hungry”, “Kick’n’fight” and “Help me” are deadringers for fans of classy 80s US Melodic Hard/Glamrock and this is absolutely the truth, because I have heard lots of Glamrecords in my life, and this is definitely one of the better ones in a long time! Check out this awesome Glam/Hardrock CD asap, the best one since SHY TIGER and the album RATT never recorded! (Points: 8.5 out of 10)  FAHRENHEIT ‘CHAIN
REACTION’(PERRIS RECORDS) Sometime ago I reviewed a mini-CD of a band called FAHRENHEIT from Chile, and they have now released their first official full-length CD through PERRIS RECORDS. The CD is titled ‘Chain reaction’ and it contains 10 songs in a typical 80s LA Glam/Melodic Hardrockstyle, somewhere a cross between BON JOVI, SKID ROW and WHITE LION. Without a doubt, this is quality CD and it proves that good Glam/Hardrockbands can also be found in South America. Highlights on ‘Chain reaction’ are “Unleash the love” (very catchy), “King of the night” and “No news, good news”. Check it out if you’re a dedicated 80s LA Glam/Party Hardrockfan! (Points: 7.5 out of 10) MISBEHAVIOUR ‘MISBEHAVIOUR’ (BOOMER RECORDS) Actually we reviewed the CD of the Brazilian band MISBEHAVIOUR a long time ago, but somehow another copy was sent, and therefore a new review appears. MISBEHAVIOUR is playing 80s influenced Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal, sometimes uptempo Melodic Hardrock orientated(“Adventure” and “In my dreams”), but also here and there faster Metalish (“Jungle’s revenge” and “Coming from myself”) and even a semi-ballad (“My own mistakes”), so quite diverse. Nice record, although nothing spectacular happens. Check it out for yourself through e-mail at: misbehaviour@zaz.com.br (Points: 7.5 out of 10) CROSSFADE ‘WHITE ON BLUE’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN) CROSSFADE is a new Swedish project featuring session musicians Sven and Per Lindvall (A-HA/ABBA) and the fantastic lead singer GORAN EDMAN (MALMSTEEN/MADISON, STREET TALK). The CD of CROSSFADE contains 10 tracks and is musically a mix of AOR, Westcoast and Popmusic. About 4 songs are truly wonderful pure AOR songs, namely “The day the music died” (calmer Westcoast-AOR with typical Scandi melodies), “Did you really?” (pure TOTO catchy midtempo AOR/Poprock with very strong chorus), “Thorns of life” (great AOR ballad) and closing track “You” (best song, great AOR rocker). Unfortunately most of the rest of the CD is (quality) Popmusic, even reminding me of GEORGE MICHAEL (!!!) on a song like “Flying”. If you don’t mind a mix of pure AOR and pure Pop, you might actually like this a lot, especially if you also enjoyed the AOR (the French band) releases. But for the fan of pure AOR/Rock, this is way too soft sometimes, but have a listen for yourself I would say here, because it’s still a quality record... (Points: 7.5 out of 10)  SERAPHIM ‘AI’ (MAGNUM
MUSIC TAIWAN)SERAPHIM is a band from Taiwan, and we did review their previous CD sometime ago, but now they are back. The CD follows the same style as their previous album, so again high quality typical European female fronted Gothic Melodic Power Metal (a la NIGHTWISH). The CD has a big sound and although SERAPHIM is the only band (I know) from Taiwan, they are really very impressive. Everything looks (artwork/CD booklet) and sounds (production, the 13 included songs) very impressive, so this is without a doubt a recommended piece! Most of the songs follow the same path, so big-time Gothic Power Metal in the NIGHTWISH style, with most of the time the good clean female lead vocals of PAY, but also some Death/Black- grunts of bassist JAX. Highlights are songs like “Tears”, “Resurrect”, “Can’t take”, “In the air” and “Instantaneous”. Also the instrumental “Aone” is quite impressive. Without a doubt a highly recommended CD to fans of NIGHTWISH! More info at: http://www.seraphim-metal.com and e-mail at: magnum@magnum.com.tw (Points: 8.5 out of 10) TWELVE INCHES ‘12”’ (INDEPENDENT) Out of Finland comes TWELVE INCHES, a band playing 80s type of Hardrock, with influences from VAN HALEN, KISS and AC/DC. 6 songs are included and if you like good-time fun music, straight-ahead with singalong choruses this might be the band to check out asap. Songs like “Burning out”, “Stay out of my way” and “Bulletproof” are strong catchy uptempo Hardrocksongs. Check out TWELVE INCHES at: www.kolumbus.fi/twelveinches and e-mail them at: twelve.inches@luukku.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10) NATIVE THUNDER ‘DEMO’ (DEMO CDR) Although this is just a demo CDR, we have ourselves a true AOR discovery with this new US band called NATIVE THUNDER. 4 songs are on the demo CDR, and especially opener “Baby hold on” is a very strong uptempo AOR rocker. The other songs are a bit less interesting, but still fair enough to listen to. Vocally it sounds pretty good, but if only the production could have sounded better, then this might be a must for the AOR fans. Nevertheless, it’s just a demo and the band is currently working on a full-length CD, so the future will tell us more. In the meantime, the AOR fans need to check out NATIVE THUNDER at: http://nativethunder.iuma.com and e-mail them at: nativethunderrocks@yahoo.com (Points: 7.5 out of 10) Thunderbolt “Demons And Diamonds” Category : New release Format : CD Playing time : 52:47 Minutes Release : 2003 Label : Massacre Reords Style : Heavy metal Country : Norway Songs : Palantir ; Lidless Eye ; Demons And Diamonds ; The Great Walls Of Stone ; Days Of Confusion ; Enforcer ; Heartrazor ; The Murderer’s Dream (Of Purgatory) ; Haunted By Shadows ; Baptized By Fire ; Crucified “Demons And Diamonds” is the debut album of this Norwegian heavy metal band. Right after the Kamelot/Angra-ish intro “Palantir”, they let directly hear by which bands that they are influenced : Iron Maiden, HammerFall and TNT. Yes, classic 80s hard/heavy rock is Thunderbolt’s style.Sound, songs and vocals remind me mostly of Iron Maiden.Most of the songs are played in mid-tempo, but there are also some faster and slower songs/parts. With Tony Johanssen the band has an excellent vocalist.He sounds for me like a mix of Bruce Dickinson and Tony Harnell (TNT). “Demons And Diamonds” was very well received and reviewed in especially Germany, but I think that also fans from other countries will like a lot Thunderbolt’s classic inspired heavy metal music! Homepage : www.massacre-records.com 83 % by Ronny Elst (2004) Spellbound “Promo 2002” Category : New release Format : Promo-cd Playing time : 18:15 Minutes Release : 2002 Label : Independent Style : Classic hard rock Country : Sweden Songs : Drowning ; Psychonaut ; My Poor Brain The band Spellbound already exist since 1983.During 1984-1986 they released two albums ; “Breaking The Spell” and “Rockin Reckless”.Both albums were very well received in especially England and Japan.After the band departed from recordlabel Sonet Records in 1988, several new songs and demo’s were recorded but not released by a record label.In 1990 the band went separate ways and in 1995 both of their albums were released on cd. In 1997 recordlabel Mega Rock Records released previously unreleased songs on the cd “Spellbound 1997”.At the same time discussions for a reunion took place. In early 2001 the bandmembers came back together in the studio of guitarist JJ Marsh and started to work on 6 new songs.Three of these songs were released in 2002 on a promo cd. The style which Spellbound plays is classic 70’s/80’s hard rockMusically and songwise they are influenced by top bands like UFO and MSG.Just like by these bands the songs are also topped off with great melodic guitar solo’s from guitarist JJ Marsh, who also plays in HTP. Vocalist Hans Fröberg (also member of Swedish progrock band The Flower Kings) has a voice which is strongly comparable with Gary Barden’s/Phil Mogg’s vocal style. Currently Spellbound is working on a new album which should be released in 2004. To conclude, Spellbound will please fans of classic hard rock bands like Deep Purple, MSG, UFO and HTP. E-mail : spellbound@telia.com 82 % by Ronny Elst (2004) Frameshift “Unweaving The Rainbow” Category : New release Format : CD Playing time : 79:32 Minutes Release : 2003 Label : ProgRock Records Distribution : Just for Kicks music Style : Progressive rock Country : U.S.A./Germany Songs : Above The Grass - Part 1 ; The Gene Machine ; Spiders ; River Out Of Eden ; Message From The Mountain ; Your Eyes ; La Mer ; Nice Guys Finish First ; Arms Races ; Origins And Miracles ; Off The Ground ; Walking Through Genetic Space ; Cultural Genetics ; Bats ; Above The Grass - Part 2 Frameshift is a progressive rock project started by Henning Pauly, a member of the band Chain.Vocalist of the project is no one else than James LaBrie, who is of course the frontman of the best progressive metal band ever, Dream Theater.All the other musicians are also very experienced and gifted.”Unweaving The Rainbow” is a concept album written about a book by scientific writer Richard Dawkins that carries the same title as this cd.But for me the music is the most important and I must say that I was very impressed by it.It mixes the best elements of old and modern progressive rock and most of the songs have a melodic twist, which makes this album easy to listen too.There are even some pure melodic rock songs to find on this album.Some songs also include some electronic parts, but they don’t have a negative impact on the songs.James LaBrie has also delivered one of his best vocal performances ever and I personally think this album is far better than the last Dream Theater album, which is far too heavy and modern for me.Let’s hope we will hear many more of this band/project in the future. Homepages : www.progrockrecords.com www.justforkicks.de 90 % by Ronny Elst (2004) (All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem, except where noted) |