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The Dutch band AUTUMN was formed almost 10 years ago, but so far ‘Summer’s end’ is their 2nd CD. They released their debut 2 years ago, and already back then we could witness the birth of a new Dutch sensation. Now with the release of their new CD, it is clear that we are listening to something very good. Musically they play Melodic Rock/Metal with a Gothic Metal approach, just a little bit more catchy than AFTER FOREVER, but much heavier than WITHIN TEMPTATION. Nevertheless, if you are into bands like NIGHTWISH, AFTER FOREVER, THE GATHERING, WITHIN TEMPTATION etc., then this will be up your alley. The CD was produced by Nico Outhuijse and Syb van der Ploeg (both are well-known as members of the popular popband DE KAST), and it really sounds huge, in the same rank as the recent AFTER FOREVER and NIGHTWISH releases, so this is definitely a high quality release. Lead singer Nienke de Jong has a very good voice, very melodic (more like LANA LANE than the Soprano voice of most of the Gothic singers), while all the songs feature some superb melodies (and catchy memorable choruses). I’m not just saying all this because AUTUMN hail from Holland, no way, this band has released a terrific CD, which could become huge if it is promoted (and broadcasted on the radio). The band has released their new CD on the new Dutch label THE ELECTRIC CO, which has a distribution deal with UNIVERSAL MUSIC here in Holland, so who knows they might become as popular as WITHIN TEMPTATION. Anyway, with superb songs like “Gospels in Dusk”, “Gallery of reality”, “Silent madness” and “Vision red” they prove that they are up there with AFTER FOREVER, NIGHTWISH and WITHIN TEMPTATION. This CD is highly recommended to all those fans of mentioned bands out there and I can assure you there are a lot of people into this Metalstyle, and they all need to check out this awesome CD asap! (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Although this is a new project of FM singer STEVE OVERLAND and ex-DARE/TEN guitarist VINNY BURNS, THE LADDER has basically re-recorded unreleased FM songs. Between the band’s 2 classic albums (1986’s ‘Indiscreet’ and 1989’s ‘Tough it out’) FM recorded a superb AOR album, which was never released. Through the years demo tapes of these recordings circulated through the underground tape trading scene, and I really have to admit the songs on these tapes were as good as that lovely debut album of the band, really pure AOR in the best early FM style. Anyway, now many years later there is a new project of FM singer Steve Overland, which he called THE LADDER (not to be confused with the superb one-off AOR project from the 80s from the USA), and the 10 songs on the first THE LADDER CD are actually re-recorded versions of some of the songs of these unreleased demo tapes. Of course you can not compare it to the original versions, because we are in the year 2004 and the 10 songs can actually be seen as complete new tunes, which can be described as big time AOR-Rock (guitar orientated, so the keys are dropped). Funny thing is that the sound reminds me of pre-FM days, a little like WILDLIFE’s fantastic 2nd album from 1983, so you get to hear catchy AOR Rock, with awesome vocal work of Steve (who still sounds like he sounded 20+ years ago!) and biting guitarwork of Vinny. Songs like “Like lovers do”, “Dangerous”, “All I ever wanted”, “Say it like it is” and “Too bad” are definitely all winners for fans of 80s catchy hookladen AOR. No doubt that this album is a big must-have for all FM fans, but I think any AOR freak is gonna love this record, which finally proves that Steve is still able to sing pure AOR, although the material was written over a decade ago. The album will be released mid november on Escape Music. (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
There are not that many French bands signed to the Hardrock and Metallabels, so the signing of TOZY to ESCAPE MUSIC is quite surprising. Musically they play 80s AOR/Melodic Rock, yet vocally singer Luke Marcheciel has a more Metal voice, which in the end makes the CD sound a bit like WHITE LION. Of course it’s big 80s hookladen catchy chorus driven uptempo melodic rock what we get to hear on the first TOYZ CD, and I must say it sounds pretty catchy and does not only remind one of WHITE LION, but it actually goes in the same direction as DANGER DANGER, JET RED, FIREHOUSE etc. etc. The first couple of songs are pretty good, really strong melodic rock (“Heart beats alone” and “She’s a star”). Then it gets a bit weaker standard melodic hardrock, but later on the CD songs like “That’s my heart”, “One step to hell” and “Big ice creams” make that up. The comparisons to SUGARCREEK, ROADMASTER and SURVIVOR that are being mentioned in the bio of the label are definitely not something you can hear when listening to this CD, because in the end it’s a nice release, which is more interesting if you like late 80s US Arena Melodic Hardrock. (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
The Swedish band HIGHER GROUND started 10 years ago, and ‘A thousand pieces’ is their 3rd CD so far. The band is playing 80s influenced calmer AOR Rock, with some hooks and choruses that remind us a lot of classic TOTO. The band has a more modern sounding singer, but he (Peter Lindberg) is able to sing very well and makes the AOR of HIGHER GROUND sound updated for today’s market. Like I said, the songs are not that really heavy, but more of the Westcoast kinda Pop/Rock approach of (let’s say) BRYAN ADAMS and STAGE DOLLS mixed with the old TOTO sounds. In the end you get to hear something very good, with as best tracks “Speechless” (fantastic AOR chorus a la LE ROUX), “I feel alive”, “Goodbye”, “The genius” and “She plays”. Although HIGHER GROUND has a strong 80s AOR/Westcoastsound, they still sound fresh and any of the 11 songs could easily be played on radio across Europe. Without a doubt, a recommended piece to the AOR fans who appreciate the calmer sounds of BOULEVARD, TOTO, BRYAN ADAMS, STAGE DOLLS... (Points: 8.6 out of 10) CITADEL ‘THE CITADEL OF EYNOSURE AND OTHER TALES’ (INDEPENDENT) Here we have something really special, because the recordings of this CD date back to as far as 1978, although most of the recorded stuff was done in the period between 1978 and 1990. Anyway, the included music is high quality stuff, which sounds like a perfect late 70s AOR/Pomp/Progressive Rock record like only the Americans could make them back then. This record is a total must if you’re a fan of 70s HEART, ROADMASTER, KANSAS, STYX, YES, RUSH, HYBRID ICE etc. Instrumental they mix up the best elements of Prog, Pomp, Melodic Rock and AOR, while the lyrics are fantasy inspired, and in the vocal department we can hear some great male and female vocalwork by bassist Kiki Whitman and guitarist Gary Whitman. Together with synthesizerplayer Matt Sachs and drummer Ian Michaels they created a perfect sound as CITADEL some 15+ years ago, which did stand the test of time definitely. Although the CD is divided in 10 songs, you must actually see the entire CD as a concept record. From start to finish you’re hooked, and I think any rockfan will agree with me that this is a high quality record, with some fantastic musicianship, and to all the fans of old 70s/80s Pomp/Progressive Rock (in typical US style, so rich keys, harmonyvocals and melodic guitarparts) I can easily give this band a big recommendation. You can check out mp3 samples at: http://www.citadelsongs.com and e-mail them at: citadel_1@msn.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10) NEKTAR ‘EVOLUTION’ (ECLECTIC DISCS) After all the re-issues on CD, it is now time to talk about a complete new CD of the legendary German Progressive Rockband NEKTAR. 8 long songs are included, and musically it’s like nothing changed the past 30 years, because the band is playing the act same kind of progressive rock they did back in 1974. Songs like “Camouflage to white”, “Old Mother earth” and “Phazed by the storm” are instant winners for fans of classic 70s progressive rock. The band still sounds fresh and for all the progfans out there whom never checked out any NEKTAR album, then I can inform you that youreally need to start soon, because ‘Evolution’ is another great addition to the band’s large back catalogue.
(Points: 8.5 out of
10) At the same time ECLECTIC DISCS releases the new NEKTAR album ‘Evolution’, there is a re-issue of their 1977 live album, which was actually recorded in 1974, exactly 30 years ago (on September 28th to be exact) in New York City. The band had just had their breakthrough in The States, which came very unexpected to about everyone in the music business, but it gave them the opportunity to tour as a headliner act through the USA back in 1974, and the result of their 150 minute set in New York City that late septembernight 30 years ago is a clear proof that this was a high quality progressive rockband, which should have become as well-known as YES or ELP, but they did had their 15 minutes of fame back in the 70s in America, because some of their albums made it to the Billboard US Top 20, something which is impossible nowadays, and can only be achieved by RUSH. Anyway, back in the 70s Progrock was hot and NEKTAR luckily were there to release a bunch of great successfull albums (most of them recently re-issued onto CD by ECLECTIC DISCS), and they toured a lot. This 2-CD set is the perfect registration of their New York City’74 concert, with more than 2 and ½ hours of high qulaity progrock, this is a must-have CD if you’re one of those YES/ELP/SPOCK’S BEARD type of progfreak. NEKTAR was clearly one of the best non-UK acts in the progrockscene, and with the release of their new CD and this double live-CD, the fans of the band have something to enjoy for a long time... (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
‘X’ is the new album of the legendary US Progmetalband FATES WARNING, and it is by far their best record in 13 years, although on the other hand it is very different than anything they have done in the past. ‘X’ has a huge big sound, with a modern approach, but the fantastic combination of RAY ELDER’s superb melodic vocals and JIM MATHEOS biting dark groovy guitarwork are making this album a winner for about every Hardrock/Metalfan. The songs are mostly slow, but they feature awesome melodic choruses, and FATES WARNING nowadays remind me of ENCHANT, SPOCK’S BEARD and recent DREAM THEATER, sometimes a bit experimental (a few tunes going into the recent QUEENSRYCHE direction), but in songs like “Left here”, “Another perfect day”, “Heal me” and “Wish” they bring out some of the best Melodic Progressive Metal possible. These songs are absolutely superb tunes that belong to some of the best FATES WARNING has come up with in their entire career! Concluded, this new FATES WARNING has an own identity, should not be compared to any of the band’s earlier works, and in general is a new step for the band, which will please all the Progressive Rock/Metalfans! (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
‘Faithless soul’ is the third
album of the Italian band THUNDERSTORM. Like their earlier albums, also
this album has that typical 70s influenced BLACK SABBATH orientated
(mostly slow) Doom Metal, yet with very strong melodic vocals. Finally a
new Italian CD, which is not featuring typical RHAPSODY happy Power
Metal. Instead we get to hear original Melodic Doom Metal, which will be
a must for people who like CANDLEMASS, MEMENTO MORI, 70s BLACK SABBATH
etc. etc. The album has a playing time of 50 minutes, divided into 8
long tracks, of which the highlights are “Templars of Doom”, “Forbidden
gates” (more uptempo MAIDENish) and “Final Curtain”, but I guess the
Doom Metal fan will love all songs, and I think this new THUNDERSTORM CD
is their best release so far, and it is definitely one of the better
Doom Metal releases from the past few years. GIRLSCHOOL ‘BELIEVE’ (COMMUNIQUE RECORDS) ‘Believe’ is the comeback album of the legendary All-Girl band GIRLSCHOOL, whom started 25 years ago in the middle of the NWOBHM movement. Now they have released a new CD, which musically is not too far away from their past, so we get to hear good quality all original Hardrock. Opener “Come on up” could have been lifted from one of the band’s earlier releases, as this is a pure early 80s uptempo hardrocksong. Next track “Let’s get hard” is slightly more modern, but with “Crazy” they have stepped into a time machine and stopped in the year 1985, because the chorus sounds like something DESMOND CHILD, DIANNE WARREN or BURNS SISTERS could have written/produced some 15-20 years ago, nevertheless a damn catchy midtempo melodic rocker. The CD more or less continues in the style of the first 3 songs, so sometimes melodic rock, other times pure 80s hardrock, while also some slight modern touches and even some poppy punky rock a la THE DONNAS (“We all love to (rock’n’roll)”), but all the 15 songs have one thing in common, and that’s the fact they rock and sound like GIRLSCHOOL in their heydays! Highlights are “Crazy”, “Passion”, “Play around” and “Yes means yes”, but I also need to add here that some of the songs are a bit too simple (“Never say never” and “You say”) and are disturbed by constantly repeated verses in the choruses (something which was common in the 80s when it worked, but nowadays is not wanted). Nevertheless, check it out if you’re into classy female fronted old school rock/hardrock/metal... (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
I already gave the demo of this band a few months ago a very high rating, and nothing stands in my way to give this very first full-length CD of the Californian band VOX TEMPUS an even higher rating, because basically this album sounds like the perfect Melodic Progressive Metal. I hear very strong similarities to SYMPHONY X, ENCHANT, VANDENPLAS, SUN CAGED, SILENT EDGE and that type of Progmetal, which for me is always a pleasure to listen to. Everything seems to sound absolutely brilliant, production and instrumental it all sounds very impressive, but lead singer Dan Reed is basically one of those singers you love right from the start, because his voice is really amazing, sounding like a cross between the ENCHANT singer, DENNIS DEYOUNG and the SYMPHONY X singer. It’s like a voice from heaven, man, this guy is unbelievable, with such a voice, let’s truly hope to hear him singing much more in the furure. After hearing the first couple of songs of the VOX TEMPUS CD, everyone will agree that this is a very sensational CD. The members of the band played in bands like EQUINOX, TAKARA and MILLENNIUM, so they are quite experienced, and as special guest on drums we can hear GREGG BISSONETTE (DAVID LEE ROTH). Anyway, 9 superb songs are included and all melodic rock/prog metalfans are gonna love this amazing album, which I rank as high as any of the releases from the European labels, and then we’re talking here about an independent release from the USA, so go figure... Absolute highlights can be found in the shape of “For every life”, “Escape” (progmetalsong of the year?), “Revelations”, the 13 minutes counting epic “Love, lies and treason” (a la STYX) and the emotional closing piano ballad “Steal the moment” (hello, is this DENNIS DE YOUNG singing???), all absolute winners for the fans of any of the mentioned progmetalbands, but also STYX fans might like this a lot. Even the 2 instrumentals are awesome, so without a single doubt, I can call this CD a masterpiece and one of the best Progressive Metal releases so far this year, as good as the new THRESHOLD and EVERGREY releases. This band is bringing you right up into progmetal/melodic rockheaven with their amazing big sound. I can only say to you to check out this CD a.s.a.p. at: http://www.vox-tempus.com and e-mail them at: voxtempus@vox-tempus.com (Points: 9.4 out of 10) NICHOLAS CLEMENTE ‘HOW NOT TO MAKE IT BOOK’ This book is a very nice one to read, especially if you’re in a band, because then you can easily relate to the subject. Many bands out there never make it big time and this was also the case with the author of this book, Nicholas Clemente, who released demos and albums with bands like SINNOCENCE, but ever since he started playing music some 20 years ago he has been struggling and fighting for success (with not many luck). His bands were quite popular in the local scenes, but they never had their 15 minutes of fame, and from what I remember SINNOCENCE were definitely a decent melodic rockband. In fact, recently there were rumours their CD from 12 years ago would be re-released, but so far it has been quiet. Anyway, Nicholas decided to write a book about his struggles in making it with his band(s) the past 20 years, and now his book is available. The book is clearly written by someone who knows how hard the life of a musician can be (or can not be for that matter), so it should definitely be something worth checking out if you’re a musician. The writing style is easy and simple, and is divided in tons of stories Nicholas experiences the past 20+ years. Nick has been in many bands, played hundreds of shows, and has been featured on many CD’s, so he knows what he is talking about. His stories are nice to read, and also very funny sometimes, all written from a personal point of view and related to the pleasures and dramatic of the life of a musician. Eventually the band breaks up, but to give the complete story over here is of course not making any sense, because you really have to read the book, especially anyone who calls him/herself a musician. Nowadays Nicholas is still in the Rock&Roll Business (he reformed SINNOCENCE a few months ago, they are recording a ‘new’ CD and they even performed as a band for the first time since 1991!), but he also creates poetry, short stories and children’s books. He has a jump start on his dreams with “Quig’s Musical Side Show,” a website located at www.quigsmss.com This is the home of Nicholas Clemente, aka Quig’s, past, present and future works and ideas presented in writings, pictures, audio and video. Nick also runs an entertainment company together with friend, Kevin LePore since 1998, but for more info on that subject go to: www.comoddent.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
‘Detonator’ was the 4th CD of MILLION, on which we could clearly hear an improvement in the music, partly due to the change in line-up (lead singer Ulrich Carlsson and guitarist Jomas Hermansson were the 2 new members). This album was released in 2000, and is maybe the strongest effort the band has done in their entire career, although the upcoming new CD seems to be very promising. Anyway, this album ‘Detonator’ was a very strong Melodic Hard/Heavy Rockalbum, with catchy melodies, a big guitar based rocksound and great vocalwork of newcomer Ulrich. Songs like “I’m your blood”, “I know your name”, “Stronger than ever” (very catchy chorus) and “In your dreams” (very catchy a la SCORPIONS) are all great melodic rocksongs. Now we’ll have to wait for the band’s upcoming new CD to see if they can beat their earlier releases. The CD will be released very soon. (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Earlier this year the Swedish band MILLION was signed to the British label MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS, and part of the deal was not only the release of their new album, but also the re-release of their first 4 albums. ‘No.1’ is likewise their debut from about 10+ years ago, and this re-release is interesting for the fact it has a videoclip and some additional artwork, but also nice to see such a rare album re-released. The album itself featured high class typical Scandi melodic rock (a la DALTON, DAVINCI, TREAT, FATE, EUROPE), yet with a slightly heavier edge to it (SCORPIONS, DOKKEN, KEEL, KISS). Songs like “Sign of victory”, “Time after time”, “Hold me, touch me”, “Desperate love” and “Winds of change” are all instant winners for fans of high class melodic rock in the best 80s style. Now more than a decade later this album still stands like a rock and is one of those must-have melodic rock releases, so if you never heard the fantastic MILLION debut, go grab your copy now! (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
The 2nd album of MILLION was titled ‘We, ourselves and us’, and saw them moving into a slightly heavier groovier rock/metalsound (kinda like SKID ROW in some ways). Still songs like “Tear down the walls”, “Mother earth” and “Never again” were great high class melodic hardrocksongs, but in general speaking this album was much weaker than their debut album. Looking back I think this was even the weakest effort of MILLION, which saw them creating a sort of updated melodic heavy rocksound, which still had the 80s spirit, but also tried to find a style that would fit between the rest, not bad, but it was so much different than their glorious melodic rock debut. Anyway, better things had to follow in the future with some great releases. (Points: 7.9 out of 10)
Somewhere in the late 90s MILLION released it’s third CD ‘Electric’, an even heavier album than the 2nd album ‘We, ourselves and us’, yet musically grabbing back to the 1970s, with actually some clear DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW and MALMSTEEN kinda Melodic Heavy Rock, which sounded pretty good, especially on songs like “Wrong side” (very much like DEEP PURPLE), “Eye of the storm” (midtempo a la AXXIS), “Liar” (a la early KINGDOM COME) and “Kiss of death” (what if DEEP PURPLE would meet LED ZEPPELIN!). Imagine a mix between DEEP PURPLE, KINGDOM COME, AXXIS and RAINBOW, and you’ll have the sound of MILLION’s 3rd record ‘Electric’, which was the last in their original line-up. (Points: 8.4 out of 10) SILVER FIST ‘AVE FENIX’ (AVISPA) The Spanish band SILVER FIST has released a typical Spanish melodic Metal album that sounds similar in style to bands like TIERRA SANTA, SARATOGA, RATA BLANCA, so the fans of these bands can easily buy a copy of this album. It’s definitely quality music what we get to hear, although not all of the 11 included songs are impressive. However, the majority of the songs are quite nice to hear, with as highlights “En llamas”, “Aunque no estes aqui”, “Cambiando la suerte”, “Puedo oirte gritar” and “Tu Y vo”. This band will probably not reach any non-Spanish speaking metalheads, but in all the Spanish speaking countries they will be welcomed with pleasure, because basically SILVER FIST is a great melodic metalband. (Points: 8.0 out of 10) STRAVAGANZZA ‘PRIMER ACTO’ (AVISPA) STRAVAGANZZA is the new project of SARATOGA members Leo Jimenez (vocalist) ad Dani Perez (keyboardplayer). Musically it is slightly different than the melodic power metal of SARATOGA, because STRAVAGANZZA is playing a mix of progressive, gothic and melodic metal (with classical music influences as well), ending up sounding quite original, and the 11 included songs are quite impressive actually. The sound is huge and this CD might not only appeal to just the SARATOGA fans, but also the progressive metal fans who don’t mind Spanish lyrics might enjoy this album a lot, because songs like “Overja negra”, “Miedo en el alma”, “...Y en soledad me lamento” and “Recuerdos” are all great songs of a very high level. Recommended to all fans of high quality Progressive Metal! (Points: 8.5 out of 10) BASICO ‘SIN MIRAR ATRAS’ (AVISPA) Well, the Spanish band BASICO grabs back to the early 80s with catchy guitar riff driven uptempo melodic rock material on their debut ‘Sin mirar atras’. It sounds to me like 1982 or something, but that doesn’t mean it sounda dated, because it is good to finally hear a Spanish band making something different than the typical melodic prog/power metal. Songs like “Dime”, “Dejadme en paz”, “En el mundo una voz”, “Sin mirar atras” (very catchy) and “Deseo” are all very catchy uptempo melodic rockers (with a straight-forward early 80s poprock rhythm, singable choruses, but also a lot of of NWOBHM influences, and of course Spanish lyrics). Also a fantastic song is the very strong melodic rockballad “Mienteme” (a la Y&T), but most of the time the band is playing uptempo catchy melodic rock. Some might say this sound dated, but it actually is a very catchy no-nonsense melodic (pop) rockrecord, which sounds radio ready, despite it’s early 80s approach. (Points: 8.4 out of 10) MYALL-LAKE ‘THREEPOINT’ (INDEPENDENT) MYALL LAKE is a Swiss melodic hardrockband, and ‘Threepoint’ was their 3rd and latest release, dating back to 1999. Although it is already 5 years old this kind of music is of course timeless, and MYALL-LAKE is playing their melodic hardrock at a decent level. Not as good as their courtrymen of GOTTHARD and CRYSTAL BALL, but still MYALL-LAKE has some great material on ‘Threepoint’. Best songs are the pure 80s influences melodic hardrocksongs “Lady in black” (not a HEEP cover!), “Never come back”, “Road to hell” and “Anywhere”. Check out the band at: http://www.myall-lake.ch (Points: 8.0 out of 10) DOGS ON LEAD ‘PLAY IT LOUD’ (DOLMUSIC) Without a doubt, this German band is influenced by AC/DC, because their straight-ahead original Hardrocksound has got the same beat as the Australian legends. 6 tracks are on the band’s demo CD, which sounds very nice. The band started back in 1986, so therefore the 80s influences all over the CD. Most of the songs are uptempo rockers, with some catchy melodies sometimes. Best songs are “Encounter”, “A day in Arabia” and “RIP OFF”. The band has a good lead singer, and I really think the band is able to produce something really good, if they would be able to go into a bigger studio, especially with the 18 years of music experience, however, this demo CD of the band is already interesting to check out if you’re a fan of straight-ahead 80s influenced melodic hardrock. More info at: http://www.dolmusic.de (Points: 8.0 out of 10) DAVID ‘3’ (INDEPENDENT)
Although the new CD of DAVID
starts with the only weaker song, a modest pop/rocksong called “I can’t
tell a lie”, the rest of the CD is HIGH CLASS AOR in the best 80s
spirit, so please don’t let that first song put you off in buying this
awesome album. I can easily inform you that this is the best album David
Mikael has made since his former band MPG’s only release from 20+ years
ago. Songs like “Mystery lover” (a la HEARTLAND), “Waiting for the big
time”, “Jealousy”, “It was meant to be”, “Front Page News” (a
re-recorded version of an unreleased MPG gem!), “Question of privacy”
and closing track “Cryin all alone in the night” (by far the best song,
a superb midtempo AOR Classic tune a la SURVIVOR/HARLAN CAGE, with big
keys and lovely harmonyvocals) are all instant winners for anyone into
Classic 80s AOR. If you’re a fan of those 80s classic records of ARC
ANGEL, LE ROUX, AVIATOR, SURVIVOR, FORTUNE etc. etc., then do check out
this new DAVID release a.s.a.p.. It’s so much better than the previous
DAVID albums from the 90s, and it has the same kind of level as some of
the European label releases, so every AOR fan should check out this CD
at: http://www.davidmikael.com
ART OF FEAR ‘MASTER OF PAIN’ (INDEPENDENT) 3 years ago the Austrian band ART OF FEAR released the album ‘Pride of creation’, and now it’s time for a follow-up titled ‘Master of pain’. I forgot how their debut sounded, but I can inform you that their new CD is a very impressive big sounding typical German style Melodic (Power) Metal, so a heavy guitarsound (a la ACCEPT) and singable choruses. The songs are straight-ahead, with some really good lead vocals of singer Thomas Cassan, and songs like “Master of pain”, “Time to pay”, “Another lie” and “Burn” are all great strong Melodic Metal songs like only German (and Austrian/Swiss) bands can make them. If you’re a fan of PRIMAL FEAR, HELLOWEEN, SINNER, ACCEPT, then this might definitely be up your alley. More info at: http://www.art-of-fear.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) DAWN OF SILENCE ‘FEAR OF LIFE’ (DEMO) It’s the third demo I am able to review of the Swedish band DAWN OF SILENCE, and it seems that with every release they are getting better. The new demo contains 6 excellent Melodic Metal tracks in a sort of classic 80s style (MAIDEN influences of course), and it really sounds very impressive. I think this demo might be the one that could get them signed to a label, because they are definitely as good as (or even better sometimes) than a lot of the releases on the European metal labels. Songs like “Seeker of truth”, “Escape” and “Born out of grief” are fantastic Melodic Metal pieces, that to me sound like a mix between MAIDEN, HAMMERFALL and STRYPER. More info at: http://www.dawnofsilence.tk and e-mail them at: dawn_of_silence@hotmail.com (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
This CD of the Hungarian band OMEN was released in 1992, but is kinda special, because the guitarist is the well-known TAMAS SZEKERES, who later released a couple of great releases. The band OMEN should of course not be confused with the same named American band from the 80s. This CD contains about 10 tracks, and musically they play typical 80s influenced Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal, very much sounding like the German bands. They sound a lot like bands such as ACCEPT, STEELER, PRIEST, RUNNING WILD and you know what I mean, the typical 80s steel meets steel True Metal. Songs like "Padlon vagyok", "Akkor is, azert is", "Erezz ugy", "Csillaga hivja" etc. are all the kind of songs that would not be out of place on a 80s metalrecord from a German bands. Maybe it sounds dated for some people know, it's good to see these rare releases from eastern european bands out on CD. You can get a copy of the CD through: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.3 out of 10) BAD HABIT 'REVOLUTION/R.E.D.U.X.' (ROCK TREASURES/GMR MUSIC) I was a big fan of the Swedish band BAD HABIT, and looking back this 2nd album 'Revolution' from 1995 was one of their finest releases, a true classic in the world of Scandi AOR/Melodic Rock! The hooks, the vocals, the choruses, the sound, it was all very familiar, very 80s inspired and typical Scandi AOR of a very high level, maybe at times even better than for example TREAT, EUROPE, DAVINCI, DALTON, FATE, which were on the other hand clear influences from the band in the first place. Anyway, we are now almost 10 years further and a lot of things have changed, such as a split of BAD HABIT and a sort of a new project/band of guitarist Hal Marabel (a sadly very pop orientated affair), but with this re-release (which contains 2 bonustracks) there's something new of BAD HABIT available. Soon there will also be a DVD release of the band, but for now this is an interesting CD to check out if you haven't done it the first time it was released. 'Revolution' is filled with high class AOR/Melodic Rocksongs, such as the fantastic "Another night", "Too late", "Hunger", "Watching over you", "Rumours" etc. All AOR/Melodic Rockfans should own this CD, and this re-release is the perfect way to get a copy of this Scandi classic. More info at: http://www.gmrmusic.se (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
BIKINI is a strong 80s influenced AOR/Poprockband from Hungary and they have a really professional sound in the style of WORRALL, HAYWIRE, LOVERBOY, GLASS TIGER… Fans of these bands know what I am talking about here, it's that kind of catchy hookladen lighter AOR/Poprock with memorable singable choruses, a straight-ahead uptempo poprocksound, a guitarsolo here and there and lots of keys. It's very radio orientated and sometimes not really rocking, but on the other hand what you get to hear is decent catchy melodic poprock/aorsongs such as the fantastic opener "Amerika", "Itthon vagyok", "Fuj a szel" and "A ferfi megy, a no marad". It's a pity sometimes a sax comes around, but nevertheless this is a recommended piece to the AOR freaks, especially if you happen to know the Russian band AVTOGRAF, then this BIKINI is a must to check out, because the sound is quite similar to each other. More info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
VARIOUS ARTISTS 'THE FIRST 20 YEARS AUBURN RECORDS' 20 years ago the US label AUBURN RECORDS was founded, and this compilation CD is a nice collection of songs from bands that were signed to the label the past 20 years. Some have been released on LP or CD, but also a lot of the songs are taken from demos, so unreleased until now. The CD contains 18 tracks, with a total playing time of 80 minutes, so definitely value for your money. The music is from start to finish pure 80s US (Power) Metal, with as bands SHOK PARIS, JAG PANZER, BREAKER, DESTRUCTOR, PURGATORY, WRETCH, AFTERSHOK, MANIMALS, REAL STEEL, NIGHTCRAWLER, BLACK DEATH, HAVOC etc. I think this is a fantastic compilation CD that besides a few known bands (JAG PANZER, SHOK PARIS) introduce us to some unknown bands that offer great melodic metal. More info at: http://www.auburnrecords.com (Points: - )
This REO SPEEDWAGON DVD is quite interesting, because it really gives an in-depth look inside this legendary band that has been on the scene for about 35 years now. The series of 'Real artists working' are a very well-done professional look into some of the music's greatest performers. REO SPEEDWAGON is one of those bands, whom scored really huge in the early 80s (a couple of number 1 hits and their albums sold millions), but the past decade has been very quiet around the band, although they still perform in big arena's, because basically people in America still love their good old fun rock'n'roll (STYX, JOURNEY and REO basically fit in the same picture). Anyway, on this DVD we can see the 5 bandmembers telling each their own stories about the use of their instruments, why they started playing it in the first place and their love for being a member of REO. The interviews are done by a good-looking girl, who is doing her job quite nicely. Besides, we can hear and see the band live in action (8 songs, of which 2 full versions). Maybe it would have been even better if the full concert was included, but happily there are still 110 minutes of playing time to watch, so this is definitely highly recommended to the REO fans out there, and this is not just another cheap DVD. You can buy the DVD through: http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
This is a legendary band in Hungary, because they released many successful albums in their career. The re-issue of their 1989 album 'Felre az utbol' comes with 3 bonustracks from 1992. Musically OSSIAN is playing very strong early 80s influenced Melodic Metal (with a NWOBHM kinda approach a la TYGERS OF PAN TANG, ANGEL WITCH, TOKYO BLADE, MAIDEN). Like all the other bands from Hungary, also OSSIAN sings in the Hungarian language, but that's not a problem at all, because the 15 included songs on this album sound very impressive. Best songs are "Bunos varos", "Felre az utbol", "Foltamadott a tenger", "Ossian" and "A mergeskigyo". Without a doubt, this is indeed a high quality band and maybe one of the best Hungarian metalbands ever! Hopefully soon reviews of all their other releases, in the meantime more info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Without a doubt, OMEGA is the oldest band from Hungary and for the past 40 years they have been bringing a lot of very diverse quality music. In the beginning they played a sort of Psychedelic Progressive Rockstyle (and also pure traditional Hungarian music), while some of their later recordings went more and more into a pure Melodic Rockband. Anyway, any band needs to start somewhere and OMEGA started back in 1962, so that's 40 years ago, something not many Western European bands are able to say. The CD 'Titanium' is a very nice compilation of some of their finest songs, 17 in total are included here, of which the highlights are the melodic rocksongs "Babylon" (from 1987), "Minden konnycseppet kar" and "Egy eletre szol", while also the more progressive rock orientated songs like "Regvart kedvessem" and "Azt monda az anyukam" (1968) are also very impressive. OMEGA is probably one of the best known bands outside Hungary, and they brought us many good things in their career, and this best of CD is a good way to start with this legendary Hungarian band. More info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.4 out of 10) AKELA 4 'A FELELEM SZULETESE' (HUNGAROTON RECORDS) The CD of this Hungarian band was released exactly 10 years ago, and musically AKELA was playing Thrash influenced Metal, kinda like METALLICA meets METAL CHURCH. Instrumental it didn't sound bad at all, but the songs of the CD didn't make any impression on me, and vocally it sounded a bit average. AKELA was just one of many average Metalbands that wanted to be the next MEGADETH or METALLICA, but sadly failed to do so on their only (?) CD release from 1994. The CD contains 18 tracks, of which I believe the first 8 are the original 1994 album songs, while the remaining 10 tunes are live recordings. Although it's not really a sensational release, the guitarplaying is very good and maybe even the die-hard Thrash/Metalfreaks might want to check out this CD and they might do so at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 7.8 out of 10) STARCHILD ‘THE STARS EMBRACED THE NIGHT’ (DEMO) Out of Italy comes a great new melodic rockband called STARCHILD. They sound for most of the young rockkids like the next THE RASMUS, but for us this is a band playing pure 80s Melodic Rock that sounds like TNT without the high pitched vocals of TONY HARNELL. The 4 songs on their demo are very catchy and in general speaking I can conclude that STARCHILD is a great band, which might become something special when they are able to release a full-length CD. The band has a strong lead singer (Lorenzo) and the production/sound of their demo is very good. Songs like “Venus in your smile”, “Dance with sirens” and “Hearts in flames” are very catchy melodic rocksongs that could easily become hits if it was promoted properly. Anyway, check out this great Italian band at: http://www.starchildweb.com and e-mail them at: dennazaz@yahoo.it (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
Hungary is not that well-known for it’s hardrock and metalbands, but I can guarantee you the 80s was a big scene for hardrock, rock and metal music in Hungary. In fact, they were one of the first Eastern European countries with decent quality rock and hardrockbands. P. MOBIL was one of them. They started in the mid 1970s and about 10 albums were released in the following years. I believe ‘Mobilizmo’ was their debut release from 1978, which has now been re-issued onto CD by HUNGAROTON RECORDS, with the addition of 5 bonustracks. Musically we are listening to something very good, because P. MOBIL were able to bring some excellent Hardrock (a la Y&T and MONTROSE), with some AOR/Melodic Rock influences here and there. Songs like “Billy, a kolyok”, “Szerettel mar szamuraj”, “Oh yeah” and “Ketforintos dal” are great classic 70s/80s sounding Melodic Hardrocksongs with biting guitarwork and strong vocalwork. Fans of early KROKUS, Y&T, SCORPIONS, MONTROSE, THIN LIZZY and 70s REO SPEEDWAGON need to look for this release, and of course the fans of the band also will find something interesting in here, because the CD booklet has never before seen pictures, liner notes and above all, the CD contains 7 (!) unreleased demosongs from 1978/1979. Concluded, this is a highly recommended CD to the fans of classic hardrock and hopefully soon I am able to do reviews on all the other releases of this legendary Hungarian band! In the meantime more info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.4 out of 10) POKOLGEP ‘BEST OF’ (HUNGAROTON RECORDS) Here we have the absolute best band from Hungary, namely the band POKOLGEP. They also released a bunch of albums in the 1980s, and this CD is a nice compilation of some of their best songs. The band played high quality Melodic Hardrock in the best 80s style, yet with an own identity. Anyone remembering CACUMEN (pre-BONFIRE), well this kind of excellent guitar orientated Melodic Hardrock was the kind of style POKOLGEP was bringing to the public. There are 17 songs on the CD, and of course the lyrics are in Hungarian, but that’s not really a problem, because you can still enjoy the strong melodies and guitar riffs of the band. Musically comparable to every early BONFIRE, SCORPIONS, STEELER, ACCEPT, DOKKEN, HELLOWEEN etc. the band had it’s absolute highlights in songs like “Pokoli szinjatek”, “Mindhalalig rock and roll”, “Itelet helyett” (ballad) and “Vallomas”. Definitely the first band to check out if you want to explore the big Hungarian Rock/Hardrockscene! More info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Of course not to be confused with SCORPIONS, because SKORPIO hail from Hungary, and they released their album ‘Rohanas’ 30 years ago, so it might sound a bit dated here and there. However, SKORPIO still proves they could definitely play classic 70s orientated Hardrock, which was obviously influenced by DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP and LED ZEPPELIN. They sounded very professional and were maybe one of the first real hardrockbands from Hungary. Their re-issued album ‘A rohanas’ also contains 3 unreleased bonustracks, so for a die-hard fan of the band this is already somewhat like a must to check out. In total we can find 12 songs, and the band was also specialised in some long instrumental passages (such as on the progrock piece “Fantaszia”) and adding some pop influences (trumpet), but the best songs are the pure 70s Hardrocksongs “Jo lenne, ha szeretnel” (DEEP PURPLEish), “Keresem, keresem”, “A rohanas” (a la LED ZEPPELIN), “Hosszu az ut” (one of the strongest song, a bonustrack!) and “Minden nap megtortenhet velem” (a la HEEP). So here’s another band to check out and like most of the other Hungarian acts recently reviewed, I also hope to review their other releases, because you never know if they released even better records than the ones you get to hear first. More info at: http://www.hungaroton.hu (Points: 8.2 out of 10) THE LAST ACT 'NO GOOD DEAD GOES UNPUNISHED' (INDEPENDENT) Out of Canada comes THE LAST ACT, a fantastic band, whom have a sound of their own, which is very melodic Progressive Metal. Opener “Broken dawn” of their full-length professional looking CD ‘No good deed goes unpunished’ is a lovely melodic progressive metalsong, which has a ot 80s QUEENSRYCHE, FATES WARNING, RUSH, but above all a real HEIR APPARENT/LEATHERWOLF kinda approach. The song has fantastic melodies during the catchy chorus, accomplished by beautiful harmonyvocals, some awesome guitar shredding and it also reminds me a lot of HARMONY PARK, another US indie band I reviewed last year. Anyway, 11 songs are included, and from start to finish this sounds like a very impressive record, which needs to be checked out by all progressive metalfans. Besides the fantastic opener, other highlights include “Vision”, “Slave to the nerve”, “What are you waiting for?” and “Guilded justice”. Check out this Canadian band at: http://www.thelastact.com and e-mail them at: lena@thelastact.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10) STONELAKE ‘STONELAKE’ (CD SINGLE) This Swedish band started 20 years ago under the moniker of WHITELIGHT. Now 2 decades later the band is called STONELAKE, consisting of vocalist Peter Grundstrom and multi-instrumentalist Jan Akesson. Musically we get to hear pure 80s melodic hardrock in the style of DOKKEN, WHITESNAKE, WHITE LION, VAN HALEN, TESLA, FIREHOUSE... This is the kind of stuff American bands were playing towards the 80s, big arena sounding guitar orientated hookladen melodic hardrock with catchy accessable choruses. Peter is a good strong singer (like a mix between SEBASTIAN BACH and MIKE TRAMP), while Jan is pretty good with all the instruments (due to the 20+ years of experience in the muxis business). There are 2 songs on this CD-single, the uptempo rocker “Stay young and free” and the very impressive midtempo “Only one reason”. Fans of mentioned bands will love this band a lot, hopefully soon a full-length CD. More info at: http://www.stonelake.se and e-mail them at: info@stonelake.se (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
It took the band more than 10 years to finally release a live recording, but with a title like ‘Live at last’ the band has succeeded in releasing their ultimate live release. The recording is available as 2-CD and 2-DVD, but I am only here to talk about the double CD set. The CDs contain in total 23 songs, spanning an amazing 150 minutes of classic ENCHANT music. Every album ENCHANT released in the past is reflected in the extensive set of songs ENCHANT performed in Oakland recently. The performance is like every ENCHANT concert I witnessed absolute perfect, so it is very enjoyable to listen to 150 minutes of ENCHANT music, especially when the sound of the entire CD is very impressive. If someone isn’t familiar with this fantastic Californian band, then this is the perfect starting point to explore ENCHANT’s beautiful melodic progressive rockmusic, which finds it’s highlights in songs like Ünder fire”, Äcquiantance”, “Monday”, “The thirst”, “Under the sun”, “My enemy”, “Comatose” and “Oasis””, but actually everything ENCHANT has ever done is fantastic to hear. This is a band you love fight from the start, and they sound like the perfect mix between JADIS, KANSAS and RUSH, with a focus on beautiful vocal melodies of one of the best American singers at the moment (Ted Leonard) and also great guitarplaying by Doug Ott. The band has been very popular in the underground progressive rockscene for the past 15 years, and now it should be time to get them noticed outside the progscene, because their music appeals basically to every musiclover. Here’s hoping for much more ENCHANT music in the future! (Points: 9.0 out of 10) KING’S X ‘LIVE ALL OVER THE PLACE’ (INSIDE OUT MUSIC/SUBURBAN) The band KING’S X has been making very original groovy hardrock since the mid 80s, and now there’s a great double live CD available from this extraordinary band. If you listen to their music you can clearly hear how much they have been influenced by JIMI HENDRIX. Not only musically, but also vocally it sounds a lot like JIMI HENDRIX, so if you never heard a song of this band before (although you probably will know the bandname), then you now know in which direction you must look for when hearing the name KING’S X. 25 songs are in total included on the 2 CDs, and the diversity of the songs is remarkable, because KING’S X is like I already said very much influenced by JIMI HENDRIX, but some of the songs also contain influences drawn from progressive rock, power metal (“Moan jam” for example), Blues and straight-ahead Hardrock, it’s all very diverse in approach and maybe therefore the band has such a big reputation in the underground scene. Songs like “Believe”, “Dogman”, “Cigarettes” and “Summerland” are songs that are loved by the fans of the band, and I am quite sure they will love this 2-CD set of one of the most original rockbands on this planet. (Points: 8.0 out of 10) STRAY BULLET ‘IRONIC ROUTINE’ (DEMO CDR) 1 new song is on the demo cdr ‘Ironic routine’ from the Brazilian band STRAY BULLET. “Ironic routine” is a nice melodic hardrocksong in late 80s style (KROKUS, WHITE LION, KEEL) and what more can I say about the band? It’s hard to talk about a band, if only 1 songs is on a demo, but on the other hand it’s a pretty good song, so if you’re interested in good quality late 80s type of US Melodic hardrock you might actually like this Brazilian band. E-mail them at: straybullet@onda.com.br (Points: 7.8 out of 10) DIABLA ‘SMALL TALK/I’M THE SNAKE’ (INDEPENDENT) Out of Norway comes the band DIABLA, and there are 2 songs on their independent release. The first song “Small talk” is a bit too modern sounding, but the other song (“I’m the snake”) is actually a very strong uptempo melodic rocker like late LITA FORD, so there’s indeed something good in this new band. DIABLA is by the way a female fronted band, and I do hope for more songs in the style of “I’m the snake” next time, because that song is definitely the best one from the 2 included here. More info at: http://www.diabla.no (Points: 7.7 out of 10) DRIVIN’ RAIN ‘DRIVIN’ RAIN’ (VAULTS OF KARMA RECORDS) So, this is definitely a quality independent hardrock/metal release, and to be a little more in-depth, this band from the US of A is playing good old fashioned 80s US Hardrock/Metal, not unlike GUNS’N’ROSES, KEEL, KIX, BRITNY FOX, early ICON, WASP etc.. They do it quite well on their first (?) full-length CD, which also has a good sound/production, so this is definitely a high quality release. I am not saying each song on this disc is impressive, but between the 13 included tunes we can find some great songs like the rockers “2Y2K (Too young to kill)” (very strong song, pure 80s), “A law against me”, “Cracks in the armor”, “Hellwater” and finally, the ballad “Goodbye”, which reminds me of PAUL SHORTINO singing a WASP tune, while AXL ROSE also comes around during the chorus. In the end this is a good quality record, which will be loved by fans of any of the mentioned bands. If you’re starting to become interested, then go to: http://www.drivinrain.net and e-mail them at: DRIVINRAIN@hotmail.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
THE YOUNG SNAKES
FEATURING AIMEE MANN ‘SAME'
The album of this band was recorded 23 years ago, and the UK band itself is best known as featuring AIMEE MANN, who later became singer in the band ‘TIL TUESDAY. Musically this is prime-time pre-poppunknewwave like bands such as THE CURE, KILLING JOKE and JOY DIVISION would later dominate the 1980s UK musicscene, however, this was 1981 and THE YOUNG SNAKES were already making it, although it is definitely nowhere near as good as the stuff of mentioned bands. However, for a die-hard TIL TUESDAY fan this is something interesting to check out. More info at: http://www.lemonrecordings.co.uk (Points: 7.0 out of 10)
The European (Germany/Sweden/Greece) band around the fantastic vocalist R.D. Liapakis (VALLEY’S EVE), the superb guitarist Gus G. (DREAM EVIL), the bassist Martin Albrecht (STORMWITCH) and drummer Dennis Ekdahl (RAISE HELL) returns with a very impressive new CD. Musically this is very high quality Melodic Power Metal, which is at the same high level as bands like DREAM EVIL, NOCTURNAL RITES, MEDUZA, FIREWIND, BLIND GUARDIAN, ICED EARTH… The fans of such bands know then this is a sensational release, and without a doubt, the 11 included songs on the 3rd CD of MYSTIC PROPHECY are a must to hear if you like guitar riff orientated fast Melodic Power Metal, with very strong catchy choruses and hooklines. Highlights are the fast uptempo pieces “Time will tell” (lovely!), “Wings of eternity” and “Warriors of lies”, and also the midtempo Melodic Heavy Rockers “Never surrender” and “When I’m falling”, which both are as melodic as for example JADED HEART. However, most of the time this album is straight-forward pure Power Metal the way it should sound, and together with very strong vocals and catchy memorable choruses, it makes this album a true winner for every living soul who calls him/herself a metalfreak, so go grab your copy a.s.a.p.! (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
The new album of the German band/project EVIDENCE ONE is without any doubt a huge improvement compared to their debut album ‘Criticize the truth’ from 2 years ago. First of all, the production and sound quality of this new record is HUGE, and secondly the songs are so much better and stronger. Musically we are listening to fantastic high class melodic hard/heavy rock that reminds me a lot of JADED HEART and THE SYGNET (a side-project of Michael Bormann, ex-JADED HEART). Especially singer Carsten Lizard Schulz has a voice that is almost identical to Michael Bormann, but I can guarantee you that EVIDENCE ONE is not just a copy, because they rock a little more and the sound of their new CD is really HUGE (which I said before, but I need to say it again, because sometimes productions disappoint). Anyway, opener “Moonsigh” already shows that the band has made a huge step towards a sensational album, because this is a great big midtempo melodic heavy rocker. Next song “Virus in my veins” is the kind of classic uptempo melodic heavy rocker you fall in love with right from the start, because this catchy rocker has a stunning chorus (with those big JADED HEART type of harmonyvocals) and excellent guitarwork. EVIDENCE ONE started as a project a few years ago, but with the release of their 2nd CD ‘Tattooed heart’ they prove this is more than just a project of members of FRONTLINE and DOMAIN. 10 songs are in total included, and besides the already mentioned “Virus in my veins”, other highlights are “Written in blood” (SUPERB, Melodic Hardrocksong of the year? Taking the best of 80s DOKKEN and BONFIRE mixed with 1987 BON JOVI), “Tattooed heart” (lovely midtempo melodic hardrock like VICTORY did in their heydays around 1989) and “In love and war”. Concluded I can easily call this a sensational release and a must-have for anyone who waited for a real high class Melodic Hardrock release that can compete with releases of JADED HEART and FRONTLINE, yet again it comes from a German band, and they are called EVIDENCE ONE! (Points: 8.7 out of 10) DAMNED NATION ‘SIGN OF MADNESS’ (SCARLET RECORDS) The Swedish band returns with a whole new face actually, because they switched from recordlabel (from the UK label Z RECORDS to the Italian label SCARLET RECORDS). Besides, their typical Swedish melodic rock has been made much rawer and unpolished on the new record. They now are a pure Melodic Hard/Heavy Rockband, with a groovy touch, and not all the songs are as strong as before, but happily it isn’t bad at all, just a little less sensational compared to their earlier releases. Nevertheless, the 4th CD ‘Sign of madness’ (which took them 4 years to complete) contains here and there some nice strong Melodic Hardrock, such as in the songs “Wall of illusion”, “Human sacrifice” and “Wake up”. Although it’s a nice quality Melodic Hardrockalbum, I would like to add that it’s not the band’s strongest effort, because their previous releases were better (also had a better production), but on the other hand fans of the band will probably like this new album out, although it definitely sounds a lot darker and modern than the first 3 happy melodic rock releases. However, the band has one really strong factor and that’s the band’s lead singer, because this is MATT ALFONZETTI, who has a fantastic voice and sang on many other records in the past. Still I had expected a bit more from this talented band… (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
The legendary German melodic Metalband STORMWITCH returns with a new album, which is titled ‘Witchcraft’. It contains 14 well-produced (and performed) songs, which sound a bit more epic and melodic than the band’s previous releases. STORMWITCH has been struggling for more than 20 years now, and they have had their fifteen minutes of fame in the underground, especially on their first couple of albums, which were basically high class melodic metal. Later albums saw them moving slightly into a more radiofriendly melodic rockstyle, but they have always played good Hardrock, on each and every album they released and this new album is just another nice addition to the ever growing back catalogue of the band. It’s not a groundbreaking record, but still songs like “At the break of this day”, “Puppet in a play”, “The butterfly man”, “Salome” (catchy, pure 80s) and “The drinking song” (some RHAPSODY influences during the chorus, best song on the whole CD, partly due to the diverse range of styles and because of it’s epic sound) are pretty good. However, I am afraid only the die-hard STORMWITCH might want to check out this CD. (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
‘Misplaced’ is the 6th album of the Italian Progressive Metalband DGM, and it’s also a slight change in style, because the band has a new lead singer (Titta Tani), who sounds rawer than most other Italian singers. Musically the band is now more into fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal with slight Neo-Classical influences, reminding me of RING OF FIRE, ROYAL HUNT, ARTENSION, MAJESTIC, TIME REQUIEM, SPACE ODYSSEY and such kind of music. The Progressive Metal has been put to the rest by DGM, but happily the new material is also very impressive and maybe what the bio says is the truth, because this new CD of DGM might be their best effort so far. The first 2 songs (“Living on the edge” and “Is hell without love?”) are great fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal songs in the best European tradition. An even bigger surprise is the song “Through my tears”, which is a fantastic big time 80s influenced uptempo Melodic Rocker that even reminds me of TNT, especially the guitarline has a classic hardrock feeling, but the song is actually a 2-part epic 10 minutes counting tune, with a second part more going into a semi melodic rockballad meets progmetal kinda vibe, which gives this song a very diverse long and interesting approach. If you’re familiar with the previous DGM albums, then you must learn the fact that this new album actually sounds like a whole new band, but trust me when I say it sounds very impressive, because that’s what hasn’t changed with this new image of the band. Besides the first 3 great songs, other highlights are “Pride” (another fast Neo-Classical Euro Power Metal song, very impressive, like VISION DIVINE meets THUNDERSTONE) and “A new day’s coming” (another great pure 80s Melodic Rocker). Without a doubt, this CD is highly recommended to fans of typical European Neo-Classical Power Metal (with here and there a Melodic Rock approach in the slower songs). (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
ZENO was one of many German bands that scored big time in Japan in the 1990s, especially with their 3rd album ‘Listen to the light’ from 1987 sold a lot of copies in the land of the rising sun. Their debut release however was released almost 20 years ago, and now finally MTM MUSIC has re-released the legendary album, which was definitely one of the better 80s German melodic rock releases. The album was very hard to get, so a re-release is very interesting, and with the addition of 5 bonustracks a must-have release for any fan of ZENO or Melodic Rock in general. Songs like “Eastern sun”, “A little more love”, “Signs on the sky”, “Circles of dawn” and “Emergency” are instant melodic rock classics, which show where FAIR WARNING got their inspiration from, although ZENO was obviously influenced by SCORPIONS and DOKKEN. Without a doubt, this is a highly recommended re-release and in case you never heard of ZENO before, then I can easily say that you should check out this re-release a.s.a.p.! (Points: 8.9 out of 10) VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘MTM MUSIC 10TH VOLUME’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN) Like the title predicts, this is the 10th compilation CD of the German label MTM MUSIC. The label that started some 10 years ago has released a very interesting compilation CD, which mainly consists of unreleased songs. 17 tracks are included in total, and most interesting songs of upcoming releases on the label are coming from RELAPSE (featuring members of CITA/GUILD OF AGES), SIN (very strong semi melodic rockballad), SHY (relaxing laid-back AOR ballad), ZENO (a very good new song in classic 1986 ZENO style, big time melodic heavy rocker), RPM (a song which will not be on the re-issue of their classic debut, song is called “How do I get you”, and is a poppy mid 80s keyboard driven AOR/Poprocksong a la PAUL JANZ/BODY ELECTRIC), RHAPSODY SWEDEN (an early 80s sounding RAINBOWish melodic rockband, probably a re-issue of an old recording?), NOVAK (their song “Save me” sounds quite sensational, pure AOR with superb vocals, kinda like a mix between the first HAREM SCAREM, WORRALL and SPIN GALLERY, sounds like the most promising act at first sight!) and the live recordings of FATE (new song “Everything about you”) and DARE (the classic “Into the fire”) from their recent performances on the DEEP IMPACT FESTIVAL in Munich, Germany. Most of the songs are in the AOR/Melodic Rockfield, the style which was the whole idea of starting the MTM MUSIC label in the first place. Anyway, it all looks very promising, and we have a lot of releases to look forward to in the coming months on the MTM MUSIC label. (Points: - ) ARENA ‘LIVE’ (VERGLAS MUSIC) It took them sometime, but now there’s finally a complete full-length album, which is spread on 2 full-length discs. The sound/production is absolutely perfect, and of course the ARENA performance is pretty much sounding perfect. There are in total 22 songs on the 2 CDs, and for the ARENA fan this is definitely a must-have, because this is an almost perfect live recording of this fantastic UK Neo-Progband. Songs like “Witch hunt”, “Spectre at the feast”, “Salamander“, “Cutting the cards”, “Ascension”, “” and “” and loads more ARENA classics can be found on this live CD, which was recorded last year on the ‘Contagion’ Tour. You have to be quick, because besides this double live CD, there’s also a collectors DVD included in a special limited Box Set edition. Without a doubt, with this live-CD ARENA proves once again to be one of the best UK bands playing pure Neo-Progressive Rock! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) MANNING ‘A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH’ (PROGROCK RECORDS) Multi-instrumentalist GUY MANNING just released his 6th solo-album. He is known as member of the much praised TANGENT PROJECT, but in between he also has a full-time solo career. His new CD is once again filled with peaceful light progressive pop/rock, with a focus on the acoustic guitar and lyrically Guy goes very deep, because the songs tell us the story of the twists and turns of fate that leads a man ultimately to his own death and rebirth. The music has a strong 70s approach, but is still impossible to compare. However, the material is very good at times, with as highlights the songs “Omens”, “Silent man” and “Midnight sail”. There are some celtic influences as well, and if I really have to come up with a comparison, then it would be a band like SKYCLAD mixed with JOHN MILES, but still MANNING is calmer, although the Celtic and Folk influences are very clear. Check out more on MANNING at: http://www.guymanning.com and http://www.progrockrecords.com (Points: 7.9 out of 10) KOALITION ‘FROM THE ASHES’ (DEMO CDR) This American band is really circulating in the demo circuit, so the sound quality is not up the standards of the label releases, but on the other hand if they have enough money to get into a professional studio, the results might be more sensational, because from what I could hear on their demo CD it sounded to me like a good quality Melodic Power Metal band in the old 80s US fashioned way. They reminded me of FATES WARNING, METAL CHURCH, LEATHERWOLF, HEIR APPARENT, and you name it further, although also a slight modern Gothic Metal influence can be heard. It’s however a big pity that the bad sound quality spoils the listening pleasure and also influences the rating I am gonna give to their demo CDR. Again, songs like “From the ashes”, “Hiding in your nightmare”, “They say it’s freedom” and “Gypsy” are really great melodic metalsongs, but the sound/production is quite bad, so let’s just hope for a better sounding CD next time (production wise, because musically it all sounds well). More info for now at: http://www.koalition.cjb.net and e-mail them at: koalition_band@yahoo.com (Points: 6.6 out of 10) TRANSIENT ‘DEMO 2004’ (DEMO CDR) It’s a pity only 2 songs are on the demo CDr of the New Jersey based band TRANSIENT, because both songs are very strong melodic progressive metaltunes like EVERGREY. It sounds a bit darker, but the band has a very good lead singer called Tom Engel, while all the instruments were played by EDWARD FAUST (ETHERIA, NEIL RAMBALDI). Both songs are very impressive (especially “What lies within” is a superb song, like a mix between old QUEENSRYCHE, late 80s FATES WARNING and DREAM THEATER), and for fans of slightly darker and modern, but still very melodic progmetal, this band is a must to check out at: http://www.edwardfaust.com/projects.html and e-mail at: karwinism@aol.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) JACKDRAW ‘TRIPLE CROWN’ (DMH RECORDS)
The New York based JACKDRAW is
playing a sort of early 80s influenced quirky new wave avant-garde
poprock style like THE CURE, THE SMITHS, REM… Therefore they are not
really interesting for the Rock/metalfans on this website, but
nevertheless if you’re interested go to:
http://www.brokencans.com DAVE ODEGAARD ‘SECOND ATTENTION’ (SVM ENTERTAINMENT) 10 songs are on the CD of guitarist Dave Odegaard from California, who worked with members of THE STORM, FATES WARNING, STEVE VAI and others in the past. Now he has a solo CD out and it sounds very impressive. Musically we are listening to instrumental Progressive Metal focused on the guitarsound of Dave. The instrumental freaks are gonna love this record, because of the clear JIMI HENDRIX influences in Dave’s guitarstyle. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.daveodegaard.com and e-mail at: dave@skyvisionmedia.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10) DJAM KARET ‘NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL 1985-2002’ (HC PRODUCTIONS) In this case the title of the CD is absolutely the truth, because the band DJAM KARET’s 2-CD set consists of 2 albums (1985 and 2002) which were unreleased until now. The band has released a string of full-length albums in their 30(?) year spanning career, but this is the first one I am able to hear. Both albums on these 2 CDs are filled with instrumental jam sessions they recorded in the past. It definitely has no commercial value at the moment, but for a fan of instrumental jam sessions, which go on and on and on… such as on the 30 minutes counting tracks “Blue fred” and “The window”, then this is a welcome for you to check out. You can do that on their website: http://www.djamkaret.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) WORLD BELOW 'SACRIFICES TO THE MOON' (DOOM SYMPHONY RECORDS) CANDLEMASS is a very popular Doom Metalband from Sweden, and they were definitely very important for the Doom Metal scene in Sweden, because many bands followed the style they re-created, because it was pure early 70s BLACK SABBATH. Another new band on the horizon is WORLD BELOW, a band made up of CARNAL FORGE and CENTINEX. Their debut CD has been released on the new sublabel of UNDERGROUND SYMPHONY RECORDS, which is the Doom Metal based DOOM SYMPHONY RECORDS. The 8 slow Doom Metalsongs are a must to hear for any fan of the genre, because it is all very well done. Songs like "Ancient rites of the black cult", "Vengeance" and "Witchbrew" are very impressive superslow but melodic Doom Metalsongs in the style of CANDLEMASS and early 70s BLACK SABBATH. A must-have release for any Doom Metalfreak! (Points: 8.2 out of 10) SHAPE OF DESPAIR 'ILLUSION'S PLAY' (SPIKEFARM RECORDS) We are again in the Doom Metalscene with the band SHAPE OF DESPAIR. They have released a CD on SPIKEFARM RECORDS, which consists of 6 long tracks. Production and musically is of a high level and fans of CANDLEMASS, BLACK SABBATH etc. will be pleased, although SHAPE OF DESPAIR sounds a bit different, adding some melancholic influences and also some Death Metal vocals here and there. Nevertheless, the CD sounds impressive, with as highlights "Still-motion", "Curse life" and "Illusion's play". Check it out if you're a Doom Metalfreak! (Points: 7.9 out of 10) EATER ‘LIVE AT BARBARELLAS 1977’ (CHERRY RED RECORDS) We’re going back to 1977 UK Punk, where we can find EATER, one of many bands that didn’t make it as big as for example SEX PISTOLS, EXPLOITED, GBH, THE CLASH etc. The 14 songs on this CD were recorded exactly 27 years ago, and although the sound quality is not that good, the fans of good old UK late 70s Punkrock will love this a lot, but then again I need to add that there were much better bands in the genre than EATER. However, check it out if you’re a die-hard Punkrockfreak. (Points: 6.9 out of 10) TITANIC ‘SCREAMING IN SILENCE’ (RETROACTIVE RECORDS) The US band TITANIC features on 3 songs on their CD ‘Screaming the silence’ the STRYPER drummer ROBERT SWEET. Musically however, TITANIC is much more modern sounding Hardrock/Metal, sometimes sounding like NEVERMORE meets AC/DC meets MONSTER MAGNET. The vocals are raw to the bone and the guitarsound is heavy and dirty. Highlights between the 13 included songs are “Time”, “See through my eyes”, “Web dreams’ and “Question”. Recommended if you like dirty mean groovy rock’n’roll. More info at: http://www.brutalplanet7.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10) LIPTOCAL ‘FLY’ (RETROACTIVE RECORDS) This new American band is obviously playing a very modern Hardrock/Metal style, but happily they put enough good melodies into their songs, and the band has a good singer, which definitely helps the band. They sound like a more Metal version of LINKIN PARK, but then not so much digging into a Nu-Metal style, but more a slight 80s groovy hardrock/metal approach (a la GUARDIAN). Songs like “Live my life”, “Fly”, “When I fall”, “Forever” and “How long” are pretty good and fans of modern sounding melodic groovy hardrock should check out LIPTOCAL. More info at: http://www.brutalplanet7.com (Points: 7.8 out of 10) BRIDE ‘THIS IS IT’ (RETROACTIVE RECORDS) The latest album of the Christian Hardrockband BRIDE was released last year, and actually musically they did not change that much in the 15 years they exist now. They still play typical American groovy Hardrock’n’roll that reminds me of LED ZEPPELIN, GREAT WHITE and AEROSMITH. It sounds a bit more modern, but still the 70s influences are clearly visible on their CD ‘This is it’, which has a good big sound, and some biting groovy guitarwork. 13 songs are included, and especially “Blow it all away”, “Head lookin’ for a bullet”, “Best I expect to do” and “Revolution” sound pretty good. I think BRIDE fans know what to expect from this underrated band. More info at: http://www.brutalplanet7.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10) HIBRIA ‘DEFYING THE RULES’ (REMEDY RECORDS/ROCK INC) From out of nowhere comes the band HIBRIA. They hail from Brazil, where they were formed 7 years ago, and ‘Defying the rules’ is their very first official CD release. The band toured through Europe sometime ago, and now they are ready to attack every metalfreak in the world, because they have released an awesome high quality Melodic (Power) Metal release, which is very European orientated, a little bit like a cross between NOCTURNAL RITES and PRIMAL FEAR. The big sound/production of their debut CD is due to the fact that PIET SIELCK mixed and mastered the album in Hamburg, Germany. Not only the band offers high quality Melodic Metalmusic, but also all the included songs here are quite sensational and memorable, while the band’s lead singer has got a very strong voice. Most of the songs are fast uptempo, with very catchy singable choruses, such as the fantastic “Steel lord on wheels”, “Change your life line”, “Defying the rules” and “High speed breakout”. This is by far one of the best debut releases in melodic (Power) Metal lately, which can easily compete with releases of bands like NOCTURNAL RITES, PRIMAL FEAR, DREAM EVIL, HAMMERFALL… Definitely a band to check out if you’re into any of the mentioned bands! (Points: 8.9 out of 10) CHINCHILLA ‘TAKE NO PRISONERS’ (ARMAGEDDON MUSIC/ROCK INC.) The German band CHINCHILLA returns with a new CD, which is titled ‘Take no prisoners’. Musically not much has changed, although it is clear that this new CD is their most professional CD (backed up by a big marketing campagne and a really HUGE sound). The Melodic (Power) Metal of CHINCHILLA sounds strong and will definitely appeal to fans of PRIMAL FEAR, BRAINSTORM, METALIUM, RAGE, GRAVE DIGGER etc. etc. Songs like “The call” (very catchy!), “The ripper”, “Money talks” and “Stillborn soul” (hello EDGUY!) will be loved by the fans of the typical German Power Metal style. Maybe nothing new is brought here, but who cares if the included music on the new CHINCHILLA is basically of a very high level and is basically a must-have for all fans of typical German Power Metal. Check it out if you count any of the mentioned bands to your favourite, and to the CHINCHILLA fans I can easily say that this is the band’s strongest release so far. Vocally it reminds me a lor of TOBIAS SAMETT of EDGUY/AVANTASIA, but the Melodic Metal of CHINCHILLA is not as good as Tobias’ bands. However, I think most fans of typical German melodic metal will absolute love this album and with a bit of luck, this new album of CHINCHILLA might actually belong in the German charts, but we’ll wait and see… (Points: 8.6 out of 10) INNUENDO ‘HALF EMPTY’ (XLR RECORDS) The band INNUENDO has been releasing albums ever since we started our magazine and that’s quite some time ago. In fact, when they released their first album back in 1995, it was one of the first reviews we did (!). Now almost 10 years later the band has a new CD out, which is titled ‘Half empty’. Musically nothing has changed all those years, and so we can again hear classic 80s Melodic Rock, with a strong focus on close harmonyvocals during the songs and really making every song a memorable and very melodic song. Sometimes it even grabs back to the 1970s, with lots of acoustic guitars here and there. Although the band rocks from time to time, somehow their calmer songs are the best songs, such as the beautiful tracks “If it’s all the same to you” (even reminding me of FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS), “Right here” (pure NELSON), “Beautiful dream” and “Can’t remember”. Most of the other songs are more typical Rockers like they were made a lot in the 1970s/1980s 9with as highlights “30 second smile”, “Ammunition” and “Blind shot”), a bit like REO SPEEDWAGON sometimes, so definitely Classic Rock inspired. For more info go to: http://www.innuendorocks.com and e-mail them at: innuendo@innuendorocks.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
It’s now more than 20 years ago since the legendary classic AOR debut LP of RPM was released on EMI Records, and finally someone made it possible to re-issue it on CD. It’s almost unbelievable, but finally an official CD release of this AOR Monster is happening, because MTM MUSIC will be releasing the RPM CD on the 22nd of November. I think this is one of the best MTM Classix releases since the label started this new sublabel. 2004 has been a very good year actually, because we can also finally welcome the re-issue of the 1985 FORTUNE, but that happened through an independent label, and this RPM release is an official European label release, also with 5 unreleased bonustracks, so this is by far a MUST-HAVE for every 80s AOR freak! Looking back, this album was back in 1982 the perfect AOR album, which should have been HUGE, but that didn’t happen (where did we hear that before – PREVIEW, DAKOTA, AVIATOR, I-TEN, TOUCH, WHITE SISTER). Without a doubt, AOR had it’s peak in the 1977-1985 period, with so many timeless AOR Classix releases and it’s good to see this one re-issued onto CD. Let’s hope more re-issues will follow (for example PREVIEW, THE AUTOMATIX, NIGHTWORK, ALLIANCE 1982, ROADMASTER…) Anyway, back to the RPM Classic, which featured so many AOR highlights, such as “Rendezvous” (later covered by TYGERS OF PAN TANG), the hitsingle “A legend never dies” (covered by VAN ZANT), “You” (superb slive of uptempo AOR) and the superb (semi) AOR ballads “It don’t feel the same”, “Don’t make it hard” and “I’m a wreck”. These last 3 songs should have been at least US Top 10 back in 1982, because it had that perfect VAN STEPHENSON/BRYAN ADAMS/FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS/SHERIFF kinda vibe, with lovely vocalwork, brilliant hooks and very strong catchy choruses. I kinda have the same feeling about this record as 1983’s I-TEN, because both records were filled with AOR hits that either didn’t become a hit or were later covered by other bands/artists, whom did get some airplay with the particular song. One way or the other, it has always been clear to me that the RPM release was an instant AOR classix. The re-issue onto CD by MTM MUSIC CLASSIX is a very good job, and the 5 bonustracks maybe aren’t as good as the original songs, still they reflect the 80s AOR sound, which was so dominant in the 1980s. Let’s hope RPM now gets some more attention, but I think a dream has come true for many ‘older’ AOR fans among us. The band itself were dropped by EMI after their 1982 album, but managed to score a deal with WARNER BROTHERS, but the follow-up release ‘Phonogenic’ was a disaster, a horrible New Wave record, which had absolutely nothing to do with this AOR Classic, which every living soul that appreciates quality music needs to own. Lead singer ROBERT WHITE JOHNSON went on becoming a successful songwriter for acts like CELINE DION, Y&T, VAN ZANT, JENNIFER RUSH, 38 SPECIAL, CHEAP TRICK etc. etc. but on this album you can hear that he was an excellent singer as well, so get your hands on this release as soon as it is available… (Points: 9.1 out of 10)
The legendary US Metalband has been on the scene for 20 years now and all this time they never changed their musicstyle, which is high class 80s Melodic US Power Metal. The band started in the early 80s, with their very first release in 1983, but it took until 1997 before the band were signed to their present label CENTURY MEDIA, which already released 6 albums before this new CD ‘casting the stones’. Happily, musically absolutely nothing has changed, maybe only the sound is bigger than ever, which makes this new album probably their best release so far. The album is filled with fantastic high class 80s Melodic US Power Metal in the best tradition of METAL CHURCH, 80s FEAT WARNING, 80s QUEENSRYCHE, SAVATAGE, HEIR APPARENT, LEATHERWOLF, etc. etc. 11 tracks are included on the new JAG PANZER album, which is by the way their 11th release so far, and the best tracks this time are “The mission (1943)”, “Tempest”, “Legion immortal”, “Starlight’s fury” and “Precipice”. The vocals of Harry “The Tyrant” are really awesome and so is the guitarwork of Mark Briody and Chris Broderick. Without a doubt, this is one of the best classic 80s Melodic US Power Metal releases from the past few months! (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
It took a few years, but finally we welcome the comeback of the supergroup THE SIGN, with the release of their 2nd CD ‘The second coming’. Once again main members TERRY BROCK (STRANGEWAYS), RANDY JACKSON (ZEBRA) and MARK MANGOLD (TOUCH, DRIVE SHE SAID) created a pure AOR/Pomprockabum in the style of the old classic stuff (TOUCH of course is a clear comparison one can make). 15 songs are included, and the whole album must be seen as a concept record, which is basically set around the girl Aryon, who was saved from a coma. Like I said, musically we are listening to pure late 1970s Pomprock, which has strong similarities to acts like KANSAS, STYX, TOUCH, ROADMASTER, STARCASTLE, etc. For a fan of this genre, this is a must-have CD, because there aren’t many other bands playing this style anymore, but I think any regular Rockfan might like this a lot, because this is high quality music. Although the songs must be seen as a long concept record, I still can pick some highlights, such as “The morning after (Time to run)”, “If for one moment”, “Flame of the oracle”, “Maniac” (best song, a superb slice of epic Pomprock in the best TOUCH/SPY style) and “Keep on breathin’”. Although it is said to be a pure Pomprockalbum, there are also clear 70s Groovy Hardrock touches (some big guitar riffs) and there’s a little Blues thrown in a few songs, but in general we can call this a Melodic Pomprockalbum in the spirit of the 70s masters. Check it out asap if you’re a fan of any of the mentioned bands! (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Although I have knowledge of
many Japanese bands, I never heard of the band B’Z, but apparently this
Rockband has sold 80 million units in Japan alone, making them Japan’s
biggest selling band in history. Anyway, guitarist of this band was a
guy called TAK MATSUMOTO, who now has his own band , in which we can
further find bassist/vocalist JACK BLADES (DAMN YANKEES/NIGHT RANGER),
vocalist ERIC MARTIN (MR. BIG), drummers Brian Tichy (FOREIGNER/SLASH’S
SNAKEPIT) and Cindy Blackman (LENNY KRAVITZ). Together they released
this 14 tracks counting album, which in Japan is already selling a huge
amount of copies, and now FRONTIERS RECORDS releases the record in
Europe. Musically it sounds big, a bit modern sometimes, but it still
captures a strong Melodic Hardrock approach like an updated version of
DAMN YANKEES, MR. BIG and FIREHOUSE, so an early 90s influence is
clearly present. The guitarsound is quite heavy, and I am not sure how
it sounded in Tak’s previous band B’Z, but this record he made sounds
like a very strong pure Hardrockalbum. Highlights on the CD are “Kings
for a day” (uptempo straight-ahead classic melodic hardrock), “I know
you by heart” (midtempo piece), “Trapped”, “Never goodbye” and “Two of a
kind” (semi ballad). The album has a really huge melodic hardrocksound,
which sounds updated for today’s standards, and I think amny of the
included songs are potential hitsongs. Concluded, a very nice debut
album of this Japanese guitarist, who clearly wants to breakthrough out
of Japan with this album, and I think that should be possible with the
fantastic American lead singer ERIC MARTIN, who is singing at his very
best throughout the CD. A must-have release for all Melodic
Hardrockfans!
The Spanish band ARWEN consists of 8 members (including a male and female singer), and I believe ‘Illusions’ is their 2nd album. Musically we are dealing here with typical Southern European Melodic Progressive Power Metal, which reveals clear influences from LABYRINTH, RHAPSODY, KAMELOT… Happily, it is done very well, and I can easily call ‘Illusions’ a very stronf album, which stands above most of the other releases in this genre. The songs are well constructed, with beautiful melodies here and there and excellent keyboard versus guitarwork. Songs like “Illusions”, “Dance of souls” (pure KAMELOT chorus), “Infinity”, “By my own sight” and “On reason to live” are all high class Melodic Prog/Power metalsongs with a lot of Neo-Classical influences, which makes ARWEN’s music sound very bombastic. Fans of KAMELOT and LABYRINTH need to check out this release asap! (Points: 8.7 out of 10) RED WINE ‘CENIZAS’ (ARISE RECORDS/BERTUS) ‘Cenzidas’ is the 4th CD of the Spanish band RED WINE, and musically we can hear typical Spanish Melodic Metal a la AVALANCH, TIERRA SANTA, SARATOGA, BARON ROJO… This is the kind of Metal the Spanish love so much, with some keyboards added to make it sound a bit more up-to-date, but basically it is pure 80s Melodic Metal, with high pitched vocals, catchy chorus and MAIDEN orientated songstructures. 10 songs are included, and fans of mentioned bands will absolutely love this album, which has it’s highlights in the songs “Una vida mas”, “Vientos de libertad”, “Ojos de ley” and “Miedo-dolor”. Check it out asap if you count TIERRA SANTA and SARATOGA to your favourite acts… (Points: 8.2 out of 10) 10CC ‘ALIVE – THE CLASSIC HITS TOUR DVD’ (WIENERWORLD) For over 30 years 10CC has been one of many UK bands that had many successes in the 1970s, but somehow in the following decades they took time off and were only live on stage every now and then playing those classic 70s hits, while in the studio they only record a few albums together, such as the 1992 album ‘Meanwhile’, which became very succesfull in Japan. The members did have success with other projects they did (WAX/GODLEY AND CRÈME), but the magic with 10CC was always around and in the early 90s they started touring again, after having split up many years ago. This DVD contains some great footage of a live concert they did back in 1993. All the classic 70s hits were played during that Tour, and so we can enjoy the wonderful sounds of such classic 10CC songs like “Dreadlock holiday”, “Rubber bullets”, “The Wall Street shuffle”, “The things we do for love” and of course “I’m not in love”. Even the new songs that were played back then (from the album ‘Meanwhile’) sounded very good, so original members Graham Gouldman (vocals/bass) and Eric Stewart (vocals, keys and guitars) played the 10CC classic at perfection, and therefore this 90 minutes counting DVD concert is a must-have for the fans. Only the extra bonus material is not much, just a short 3-minutes counting interview with Graham and Eric, but nevertheless this is a very interesting DVD for the 10CC fans. You can buy the DVD through: http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Without a doubt, this DVD of the band HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS is a highly recommended piece to the fans, because not 1, but 2 full concerts the band performed in their career are included here. The camerawork and sound quality is of the highest level possible, and all together the concerts take up to a stunning 212 minutes! This is definitely a DVD like every DVD should be, although there are not many extra’s (just an 8 minutes counting interview), but who cares if the whole DVD has a playing time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. Both concerts were recorded in germany. The first one in 1984 in Essen, where they played 14 songs, mostly from their first 3 albums, because the band had just been formed by Huey. Huey is a great entertainer, who can really sing very well, while the band THE NEWS just backs him up. Musically in the beginning, HUEY LEWIS was playing typical North American AOR/Poprock, with such audience favourites like “Change of heart”, “Do you believe in love”, “Finally found a home”, “If this is it”, “Heart and soul”, etc. In the years to follow the band went for a more Pop direction, although live on stage they truly sounded like a Rockband, and so also the 1991 performed concert in Cologne, which is included here as the 2nd concert we can enjoy HUEY LEWIS at their very best. 19 songs were played during that concert, making this an almost 2-hour performance. Both concerts are very nice to watch, especially because these are both high level performances featured in the highesr quality available in the DVD market. So all HUEY LEWIS fans must get a copy of this DVD asap! You can buy the DVD through: http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
STEVE LUKATHER AND LOS LOBOTOMYS ‘IN CONCERT DVD’ Guitarist/Vocalist STEVE LUKATHER is best known as a member of the band TOTO, but he also has his solo projects running from time to time, and also is a very much asked session musician. The DVD ‘Steve Lukather and Los Lobotomys’ captures this talented musician live on stage during one of his solo performances with the band LOS LOBOTOMYS backing him up. Musically a bit different from TOTO, although the AOR influences can still be heard in the Rhythm&Blues orientated Rockstyle of Steve. Once again Steve proves he is not only a talented guitarist, but can also sing very well. 7 long songs are played during the concert Steve gave 10 years ago in Stuttgart, Germany, which can be seen here, and with a total playing time of only 60 minutes maybe a bit short, but nevertheless, the performance is excellent and songs like “Hero with a 1000 eyes”, “Freedom” and “Never walk alone” are very nice to listen to and watch. The DVD does not have many extra features, but for the fans of TOTO and STEE LUKATHER this is a highly recommended DVD, which you can buy through http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10) JOHN MILES ‘IN CONCERT DVD’ (IN AKUSTIK/WIENERWORLD) Guitarist/Vocalist JOHN MILES is best known as the man behind the hit “Music”, but he actually made a lot more records, which were all loved by his fans, of which some were present the night he performed a concert in 1993 in Germany. Just like the other DVDs in the IN AKUSTIK series, also this DVD contains a concert recorded 10+ years ago, and no extra’s, which is a pity, because now there’s only 60 minutes of playing time, which is very short for a DVD. Anyway, the fans are still gone love the concert, because JOHN MILES is a first class musician, with excellent bluesy guitarwork and a soulful vocal performance. 9 songs are performed, of which the highlights are “Can’t get through”, “Body of my brunette” and “It’s such a mystery”. Highly recommended to JOHN MILES fans! You can buy the DVD through http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10) AMERICA ‘IN CONCERT DVD’ (IN AKUSTIK/WIENERWORLD) Another band featured in the IN AKUSTIK series is AMERICA, a band that scored big time in the 1970s/1980s with such monster hits like “Sister golden hair” and “A horse with no name”. The concert featured on this DVD took place in Germany 5 years ago, and saw the band stripped down, in a semi-acoustic sort of performance of their best songs. 15 songs are performed and a playing length of 60 minutes, this is mainly a must-have for the die-hard AMERICA fans. The DVD is available through http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10
DEAD KENNEDYS ‘IN GOD WE
TRUST INC. – THE LOST TAPES DVD’ The legendary US Punkband DEAD KENNEDYS, who were probably one of the very first to make fast Punkmusic in California, influenced a lot of US bands, especially in the Hardcore scene. Hardcore Punk was actually the thing DEAD KENNEDYS was playing back in the early 80s, and now there’s a DVD available, which contains rare footage of the band from the period 1979-1985. Some of their classics are performed here, such as “Nazi Punks fuck off”, although I miss true classics like “California Uber Alles”, “Kill the poor” and “Holiday in Cambodia”, but I think the die-hard Punk/DEAD KENNEDYS fans are gonna love this DVD, because of the rare footage included. From 10-15 tracks we can see both a studio version and a live version, which gives a good idea how DEAD KENNEDYS performed their songs live in front of an audience and in the studio for the actual recording. I am sure the fans are gonna love this DVD for sure, and they can get a copy through: http://www.wienerworld.com (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
One of the best Spanish bands returns with a new CD titled ‘Apocalipsis’. The band seems to be going more into a Melodic (Hard) Rock direction the past couple of years, although they are still labelled as a Melodic Metalband most of the time. Anyway, they have created a sort of own sound, which might be comparable to PRETTY MAIDS, yet then with Spanish lyrics. Also with this new album they prove to be one of the best bands ever to come out of Spain. They are definitely better than anything BARON ROJO, MURO or OBUS released in the past. Sometimes they make a song, which has a pure 80s influence (just listen to the superb melodic rocker “Rumbo a las estrellas”, with it’s keys and catchy sound), while at other times they rock pretty hard. All 11 songs have one thing in commong and that’s the fact they are all very sensational uptempo melodic (heavy) rockers (except closing track “Mermano del viento”, which is a calm ballad), with as absolute highlights “Naci siendo libre”, “Tu mision”, “Rumbo a las estrellas”, “La ira del cielo”, “Esta tierra es mia” (one of the few faster uptempo metalish tracks) and “Sonar con ella”. Anyone who didn’t hear TIERRA SANTA before, then do check out this fantastic new release, which might become their best effort so far, but that’s something you can say in a few months. To me, this sounds like the best TIERRA SANTA album so far, which might even become one of the best Spanish Rock/Metal releases of all times! (Points: 9.1 out of 10)
The Norwegian band PAGAN’S MIND returns with a new release, although ‘Infinity divine’ is not a real new album, because it is the re-release of their 2000 debut, but completely reworked with extra tracks. The band already released 2 high quality Progressive Metal albums, and now for anyone who missed their wonderful debut album, it is re-released and so we can review it once again. Still, the sound quality has clearly improved and so does this album stand out between most other releases in this genre. Giving it a second chance is a good choice, as I don’t think that many people have heard the original version. The band is playing a mix of Progressive Metal and Power Metal, with an important part for the band’s lead singer Nils K. Rue, who has a high pitched voice reminding on more than one occasion of a certain GEOFF TATE in his glorious 80s QUEENSRYCHE days. However, I think PAGAN’S MIND has created a sort of own style, which sounds quite sensational actually. Gus G. of MYSTIC PROHECY/FIREWIND/DREAM EVIL makes a guest appearance on the album, which by the way contains 12 tracks (including 2 bonustracks). With a playing time of almost 70 minutes it gives every fan of Prog/Power Metal a lot of listening pleasure, without ever getting into a quantity level, because from start to finish we get to hear Prog/Power Metal of a very high level. Comparisons can be made to especially BALANCE OF POWER, although I think this re-released PAGAN’S MIND album is stronger than the recent BALANCE OF POWER album. Highlights include “Infinity divine”, “Angels’ serenity”, “Astral projection” and “Twilight arise”. Any fan of quality Progressive Metal do need to buy this awesome PAGAN’S MIND record, which now gets a second chance in making this Norwegian band becoming one of the best in the Prog/Power Metalbands in the scene! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) CASANOVA ‘ALL BEAUTY MUST DIE’ (ESCAPE MUSIC) In 1991 the German band CASANOVA released their wonderful debut, which was filled with high quality Melodic Hardrock. In the following years the band released some more albums and side projects, but they never reached the level of their debut, and happily, now in 2004 the band has released a great new album, which finally is able to reach sometimes the level of their 1991 debut album. Musically the new CASANOVA album is filled with catchy quality Melodic (Hard) Rock. 11 songs are included, and favourite tracks are definitely opener “On my love” (a midtempo melodic rocker), “Not over you” (strong chorus), “Would I” (a RUSS BALLARD penned tune), “Lying” (a la JADED HEART)” and “Dreamer” (poppy uptempo poprocker, very 80s sounding, catchy chorus). A very fine return of Michael Voss and co., releasing a great melodic hardrockalbum, which slightly goes back to the early CASANOVA sound, except for some real uptempo rockers, which are not included, but instead we get a bunch of high class melodic rocksongs. (Points: 8.3 out of 10) SUSTAIN ‘THIS IS NOW’ (ROCK INC) Here’s a hot new band from Holland playing good old 80s type of Melodic Hardrock in the style of DOKKEN, VICTORY, WHITE LION, VANDENBERG, GOTTHARD, SCORPIONS… The band has a strong lead singer called Rick Olmeyer, who sounds a bit like Bert Heerink (VANDENBERG/KAYAK/UNDERCOVER). 11 songs are on the CD, and it really sounds pretty good. The band is at their best during the catchy uptempo melodic rockers, such as “Dancing”, “This is now”, “Right between the eyes” and “Deep enough” (very catchy!), although the best songs are the fantastic midtempo melodic rockers “Too far” and “Steal the show” (a song with a deadly catchy chorus a la SCORPIONS). It’s good to see a good new Dutch band popping up playing good old 80s Melodic Hardrock, and their soon-to-be released CD is definitely recommended to fans of DOKKEN, VICTORY, BONFIRE, VANDENBERG, SHAKRA, GOTTHARD… (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
The Finnish band OLYMPOS MONS was formed only 2 years ago in a small town during a concert evening, and from then on everything went by very quickly. After some demo releases, which we reviewed in the past, the band recently signed to LIMB MUSIC, one of the few Metal labels to give new bands a chance. And now their official debut CD ‘Conquistador’ has been released on the German label, and like expected it is a very good quality record, which musically is typical Finnish. OLYMPOS MONS is making that typical fast uptempo Melodic Symphonic Metal, with big choruses and catchy hooks, reminding of a cross between SONATA ARCTICA and STRATOVARIUS. Almost all the 11 included songs are uptempo, sometimes a bit faster and again to Power Metal, while at other times more moving towards Melodic Rock. Anyway, all songs are very strong, catchy and uptempo, with as best tracks “Stars”, “The last light on the moon”, “Wanted man”, “Lady in white” (sing-a-long in the RHAPSODY style) and “Black desiree”. Although the album has a very typical Finnish melodic sympho metal sound (even mastered at the famous Finnvoxx studios), and nothing new is brought here, I can easily say that this album is a high quality release of another promising Finnish band. Of course, this CD is a must-have for fans of STRATOVARIUS and SONATA ARCTICA! (Points: 8.6 out of 10) PROTOTYPE ‘DAWNING’ (LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN) The American band PROTOTYPE was reviewed by us 2 times already in the past, and both reviews concerned the ‘Dawning’ release. I remember reviewing the album when it was released independent and in 2002 by an Italian label. Anyway, now the same album has been re-released by LIMB MUSIC, and somehow it now sounds very impressive, although we are listening to old material mainly, but I think it all has been remixed, with the addition of 2 bonustracks. Musically ARCHETYPE is playing high quality 80s influenced US Prog/Power Metal in the style of NEVERMORE, FATES WARNING, QUEENSRYCHE, METAL CHURCH, ARMORED SAINT, etc. etc. The vocalist is able to sing very high (a la GEOFF TATE) and lower (almost in a sort of CHRIS ADAMS of MANOWAR kinda way). 13 songs are included, and for the very first time I am able to say that this CD has a playing time that passes the 80 minutes barrier, which does not happen often (first time for me!). The total playing length is 82 minutes, which is very lengthy for a single disc, and happily from start to finish we get to hear quality True Metal, with as highlights “Final day”, “Dawning”, “Premonitions” and “Reflection”. Get it this time, because this re-release sounds better than the original releases, and I am quite sure this album has been unnoticed for a long time, so a second chance should give it the publicity it deserves, especially if you like classic 80s US Melodic Power Metal! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
Important musicians from the Neo-Prog scene are very impressed with the new RICOCHER album, so says the bio sheet I received with comments of Clive Nolan (ARENA) and Martin Orford (IQ). And indeed the new album of the Dutch band sounds like a high quality Neo-Progressive style in the best British tradition, although strong similarities to SAGA are also possible, but on the other hand RICOCHER is more leaning towards true Neo-Prog, with loads of keys and of course the 7 included songs are all quite lengthy, which is something common in the world of Neo-Prog. Some of the songs are divided in multiple-parts, but if we have a general look at the full CD, I can mention as highlights songs like “Sand in your eyes”, “Locked inside” and especially the fantastic closing track “Breaking the chain”. What more can I say to you then the fact that almost every Neo-Progfan is gonna love this album, so all fans of IQ, ARENA, PALLAS, PENDRAGON, SAGA need to check out the new RICOCHER album asap! (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
So the legendary UK band WAYSTED makes a comeback, and this has definitely been mentioned a lot lately, but was it really worth waiting is the big question. Sadly, the included material has absolutely nothing to do with the superb sensational melodic rock from the last WAYSTED release (the 1986 classic ‘Save your prayers’ with DANNY VAUGHN on vocals). Instead, we get to hear how WAYSTED sounded in their early days, because the 8 included songs are clearly showing a return to their early 80s pure Hardrockstyle. Somehow it has that typical British Classic Rocksound (with some bluesy influences) in the style of UFO, WHITESNAKE, BAD COMPANY, FREE, LED ZEPPELIN, THUNDER and some slight AC/DC in the uptempo beat every now and then. Songs like “Garden of Eden”, “Dreams” and “Must be more 2 it than this” are strong typical British Hardrocksongs with a bluesy beat, a groovy guitarsound, a melodic chorus and raw lead vocals. So do not expect anything like the ‘Save your prayers’ record, but on the other hand this is a very nice classy British Classic Hardrockalbum, which will be loved by fans of any of the mentioned bands… (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
This is a big surprise, because the Swedish band MILLION released a couple of nice albums through the 1990s, but now in the year 2004 they finally reached a level, which may be called sensational, because that’s what their new CD basically is! The new MILLION album ‘Kingsize’ simply blows away everything they have done in the past, right from the opening track “Eyes of a king”, a super strong catchy uptempo Melodic Heavy Rocker, which sounds like a cross between late 70s RAINBOW, very early EUROPE and 80s DOKKEN. With such a fantastic start, you simply can not go wrong on the rest of the CD, and trust me that the whole CD is very impressive high quality Melodic Heavy Rock. The songs are blessed with a big full blown sound, catchy hooks, memorable choruses, big-time late 80s Harmonyvocals and a real pure uptempo classic melodic hardrock approach. Besides the fantastic opener other highlights are “Room No. 3” (midtempo), “Rock’n’roll nation” (bringing back memories to the late 80s VICTORY classic ‘Culture killed the native’), “On and on” (very strong uptempo melodic heavy rocker, very 80s, kinda like PRETTY MAIDS, MAD MAX, STORMWITCH) and “Zombies”. Concluded, a must-have for every fan of Melodic Hardrock! (Points: 8.8 out of 10) AIRGED L’AMH ‘THE SILVER ARM’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC) Out of Greece comes AIRGED L’AMH, and although the bio says they play Epic Folk Metal, I can assure you that most of the time they play your typical guitar riff orientated Power Metal in the style of ICED EARTH, JUDAS PRIEST and only a tiny bit of a BLIND GUARDIAN, so not much folk is included, except for the very few calmer songs. Nevertheless, this is a quality CD, because it is all done very well, and so fans of darker and much heavier Power Metal will like this a lot. The band has been around for quite some time, although ‘The silver arm’ is their first official CD release. 13 songs are included, and like I already said there are no negative comments to be made about the sound, production or the music in general, which all is very impressive. As highlights I would like to mention “Guradian of the ancient deeds”, “The silver arm”, “Balor of the evil eye” and “Painless vengeance”. People who like their Metal a bit aggressive with sometimes ‘Gang-vocals’, but still in True Metal spirit (MANOWAR/PRIEST/ICED EARTH) should check out the CD of this Greek band called AIRGED L’AMH (which means quality by the way!). (Points: 7.9 out of 10) HATERUSH ‘MARK OF THE WARRIOR’ (BLACK LOTUS RECORDS/ROCK INC) The Swedish band HATERUSH is made up of musicians whom already played in several other bands (such as VANESSA, WIDOW and TALE). Musically they are quite diverse, because at times they are playing Melodic Power Metal like HAMMERFALL, NOCTURNAL RITES and IMPELLITERRI, although you can also hear a clear German Metal influence here and there (such as on opener “Silver bullet”) and if you listen closely you can even hear DIO/80s BLACK SABBATH similarities (“Hold on”). The sound and production sounds quite good, and even most of the songs are quite nice to listen to, but the band’s lead singer Stefan Embretsson is not always singing perfectly. However, after a few spins this is just another nice melodic metal record, very European sounding, with as best songs “Hold on”, “Dying to surrender”, “Sea of love” (catchy song), the melodic rocker “I will survive” and “Warrior” (a la MAIDEN). Not a sensational record, but good enough to check out if you’re die-hard Melodic Metalfan, but don’t expect anything spectacular. (Points: 7.9 out of 10) SHIVA ‘CONTINUANCE’ (MAJESTIC ROCK RECORDS) Between all the Heavy Metalbands that popped up during the NWOBHM scene in the UK 25 years ago, there were a few bands that played a somewhat different style. One of them was the fantastic SHIVA, a band that released a handfull of singles and the album ‘Firedance’ on HEAVY METAL RECORDS in 1982. The following years were rather short and saw the band recording some demos, of which we now can hear the result, which is actually a high quality full album recording. Anyway, musically they played a mix of Melodic Hardrock and Progressive Rock, ending up sounding like a perfect mix between RUSH, TRIUMPH and THIN LIZZY. The songs were all recorded in 1983, but like I said, it sounds very impressive, so nothing that dated as one would expect with 20+ years ago recorded material. Songs like “Ring of fire”, “Not there”, “Eden”, “Thief” and “The gallery” all stood the test of time and are basically high class Melodic Progressive Rocksongs with great vocal and guitarwork. This is late 70s kinda stuff, very much in the style of the 3 mentioned bands. So after all those years, the band has released another album with a bunch of material that went unnoticed back in 1983, but is now getting a second chance. Still I am afraid it’s only interesting for the die-hard fans, but if you happen to come across this CD, then check it out to hear a pure early 80s sound! (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
It’s November 2004 and we are just one year further since the amazing debut album of PRIDE OF LIONS, the new band of ex-SURVIVOR keyboardplayer JIM PETERIK, who found a terrific co-lead singer in the shape of the young TOBY HITCHCOCK. His voice is sounding like the perfect cross between DENNIS DE YOUNG and BOBBY KIMBALL. Together they recorded a superb pure 80s sounding AOR album in 2003, which eventually also became the best album of 2003. Now a year later we can welcome them back with the release of their 2nd CD ‘The destiny stone’. Musically nothing has changed and especially the beginning of the album is of the highest level you can get these days in AOR music, so without a doubt, this new PRIDE OF LIONS album is going to end up very high in our yearly CD charts. Like I already mentioned, musically nothing has changed, they even followed the same sort of songstructures as on the debut album. But on the other hand, it’s not just part 2 of the debut, because after a few spins I can conclude it rocks a bit more. The start is really amazing, with both first 2 songs (“The Courage To Love Somebody” and “Parallel Lines”) being very catchy uptempo AOR rockers in the best 80s spirit. This perfect 80s kinda AOR rocksound is not heard much these days, and of course there’s a direct link to be made here to the classic SURVIVOR sound, but it doesn’t dated at all. Basically, these first 2 songs just blow away every other record in the AOR genre out this moment, because of the fresh tight uptempo catchy rocksound these songs capture. Happily, the CD has lots more sensational stuff to offer and also quite diverse in tempo, so not from start to finish uptempo. For example, the song “Back to Camelot” is a beautiful AOR ballad, on which Toby sings alone. Just like the debut, Toby sings about 5 songs alone, while the other 7 songs are sung by both Jim and Toby. “Born To Believe In You” is probably the best song on this CD, and just maybe the best song Jim has recorded since the SURVIVOR days in the late 90s. This superb uptempo AOR rocker with double-bass-drum has a very catchy chorus and big-time keyboardwork, very much bringing back memories of the glorious 1983-1985 rocksound which was very dominant in the USA. The song has the same kind of feeling as the classic GARY MOORE/PHIL LYNOTT track “Out in the fields”. Then comes the pure SURVIVOR 84-86 orientated “What Kind of Fool”, not one of the strongest songs here, but nevertheless a good AOR tune. “Man Behind The Mask” follows and starts with some very nice STYXish piano-keys before turning into a late 70s orientated bombastic midtempo Pomprocker a la “Love is on the rocks”. The next track “Light From A Distant Shore” is a very emotional AOR ballad, which sees Toby again singing alone, just like on most of the other PRIDE OF LIONS ballads. Although the song “Letter To The Future” is very clearly sounding like classic SURVIVOR (1986), this uptempo AOR rocker is nothing more than nice. Despite this song, and maybe a few other slightly weaker tunes, most of the CD is filled with sensational pure AOR. The titletrack “The Destiny Stone” has some progressive influences and reminds me a bit of STYX and KANSAS. The following 2 songs (“Second Hand Life” and “Falling Back To Then”) set the record straight into HIGH CLASS 80S AOR, taking the best elements of some of the best of SURVIVOR and JOURNEY and make it sound like typical PRIDE OF LIONS. The CD closes nicely with “The Gift of Song”, which is a sonmg that starts as a ballad, but then suddenly changes into a song that comes across like a mix between JOHN MILES’ “Music” and PRIDE OF LIONS’ “The music and me” from their debut. However, this final track is not as good as those 2 classics, so in the end I have a few comments to make about some songs not being that sensational. The debut from last year featured about 10/11 sensational tracks from the 12 included, while this 2nd PRIDE OF LIONS has a few more weaker songs included between the 12 tracks (such as “Man Behind The Mask”, “Letter To The Future” and “The Gift of Song”). However, still I am thinking why I am complaining, because the remaining 9 songs are HIGH CLASS AOR tunes that belong to the best you can get these days. The only AOR album that beats this new PRIDE OF LIONS record is the first album of PRIDE OF LIONS from last year, so I think you can figure out how good this album really is, although it doesn’t always keeps up with the high level of the debut. Concluded, this is the best AOR album so far this year (and the year is almost over, so this might well become the album of the year!) and with songs like “The courage to love somebody”, ”Parallel lines” and “Born to believe in you” PRIDE OF LIONS prove once again they are the best AOR band out there at the moment!
(Points: 9.4 out of 10) |
AUTUMN
THE LADDER
TOYZ
HIGHER GROUND
FATES WARNING
THUNDERSTORM
VOX
TEMPUS
MILLION
MILLION
MILLION
MILLION
OMEN
BIKINI
REO SPEEDWAGON
OSSIAN
OMEGA
P. MOBIL
SKORPIO
ENCHANT
MYSTIC PROPHECY
EVIDENCE
ONE
STORMWITCH
DGM
ZENO
RPM
JAG PANZER
THE SIGN
TMG 1
ARWEN
HUEY LEWIS
TIERRA SANTA
PAGAN’S MIND
OLYMPOS MONS
RICOCHER
WAYSTED
MILLION
PRIDE OF LIONS