 BALANCE OF POWER ‘HEATHEN
MACHINE’ (MASSACRE RECORDS)
They did it again! Yes, BALANCE OF POWER returns and
releases another masterpiece in the Progressive
Metalstyle. A lot of things happened within the band, and
their new CD was delayed a few times, but a few weeks ago
finally the 5th CD of the UK Melodic Progressive
Metalband BALANCE OF POWER was released through
‘Heathen machine’. The most notable change
comes in the vocal department, because lead singer LANCE
KING left the band and was replaced by new singer John K.
who in fact lives in the same street as the other members
of BALANCE OF POWER, so it is very weird that the band
just recently discovered him after so many years. Anyway,
it’s incredible that he was only discovered
recently, as this guy is able to sing as good as LANCE
KING or even GEOFF TATE! Without a doubt, this
hasn’t affected the band’s sound and happily
also nothing musically has changed, so again we can hear
high quality Progressive Metal. Of course I need to add
that their previous album ‘Perfect balance’ was
indeed the perfect Balance of Power album which will
never be beaten, but ‘Heathen machine’ comes
quite close in reaching the same high level of
‘Perfect balance’. The new album is again a
masterpiece filled with big sounding Progressive Metal a
la QUEENSRYCHE’s ‘Empire’. 8 long songs
and an intro are included, and from start to finish you
will not find anything weak, so this album is a lovely
Progressive Metal classic. Highlights I need to mention
are “I wish you were here”, “No place like
home”, “The eyes of all the world” and
“Just before you leave”, but actually the whole
CD is a highlight, so all Progressive Metal fans need to
buy this new BALANCE OF POWER CD as soon as possible!
(Points:
9.5 out of 10)
GREAT
WHITE ‘REVISITING
FAMILIAR WATERS’
(MAUSOLEUM RECORDS)
In
the late 1980s the American band GREAT WHITE recorded an
album filled with covers of their favourite Rock and
Bluesacts from the past. This album was co-produced by
Bob Kulick, but never got officially released until now.
Somehow MAUSOLEUM RECORDS secured the rights and released
the unreleased CD of GREAT WHITE. The album is nice to
listen to, but on the other hand there’s nothing new
offered here, as it’s all covers from bands like
FREE, BAD COMPANY, STONES, AC/DC, STATUS QUO, so
basically a Blues based Classic Rockalbum in the 70s
style. Highlights can be found in the shape of
“Burning house of love”, “Love removal
machine”, “Ain’t no way to treat a
lady” (JACK RUSSEL’s voice sounds completely
different here!), “No matter of what” and
“Ready for love”. Earlier this year GREAT WHITE
suffered from the fire tragedy during a gig in the US,
and hopes that they will ever release a new CD are struck
down now, but in the meantime fans of the band can easily
buy this ‘new’ CD on MAUSOLEUM RECORDS.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
LEVITICUS ‘LIVE
AT BOBFEST 2003’ (BTS RECORDS)
The
legendary Swedish Christian/White-Metalband LEVITICUS
released 4 studio-albums in the 1980s before giving up
the ghost. However we are now 13 years later and the band
is back with a hot new CD release. The band features main
members PEO PETTERSSON on vocals and BJORN STIGSSON on
guitar, and the CD they have released is a live album,
recorded at the Bobfest in Sweden earlier this year. The
performance was excellent and showcased LEVITICUS’
high quality Melodic Hardrock from the 1980s which still
sounds very fresh and catchy. Highlights were the melodic
rockers “Flames of fire”, “Messiah”,
“On the rock” and “Born again”, all
classic material from a band that sometimes sounded as
good as their American collegeas in White Metal, such as
ANGELICA, STRYPER, BLOODGOOD etc. Concluded, a must for
fans of the band, and anyone who is into classy melodic
rock/80s christian/white-metal! More info at: http://www.leviticus.se
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE ‘THE AUGUST
ENGINE’
(CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC/BERTUS)
This
is a rare act, as it is sort of an underground act
settled in San Francisco, USA and their 2nd CD is a
semi-instrumental record based around a concept. The
included music is very good 80s influenced US Power Metal
like a mix between MAIDEN and LORD WEIRD SLOUGH FEG. The
band also features a member of SLOUGH FEG, namely
guitarist/vocalist John Cobbett. Anyway, only 7 songs are
included, of which the first 2 are not really interesting
(instrumental and a calm song), but the remaining 5
tracks are classy melodic metal. Best songs are “A
room and a riddle”, “Insect” and
“Doomed parade”. A must for fans of SLOUGH FEG,
TWISTED TOWER DIRE, MAIDEN etc.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
IMAGO MORTIS ‘VIDA: THE PLAY OF CHANGE’
(MAUSOLEUM RECORDS)
IMAGO
MORTIS is the name of a band from Brazil, and they have
released a CD on DIE HARD RECORDS, which is being
released in Europe on MAUSOLEUM RECORDS. ‘Vida: the
play of change’ is a concept album, with 12 tracks
included. The production is very good and also
instrumental it all sounds pretty good. Musically IMAGO
MORTIS is playing a mixture of Black/Death, Doom, Prog,
Power and Melodic Metal, a very interesting mixture you
might say, but it doesn’t always work, because the
main problem is that we hear great clean melodic vocals,
but also every now and then Black/Death-growls which
aren’t interesting and spoil the music. It’s
really a pity, because sometimes this album sounds very
impressive, with high quality Prog/Power Metal being
offered such as on the songs “Central
hospital”, “Terminal Christ” and “The
silent king”. However, a song like “Pain”
is uninteresting Black/Death-Metal! So here we have an
album that has two faces, only recommended if you count a
band like PAIN OF SALVATION to your favourite acts.
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
OZONE QUARTET ‘LIVE AT LOCAL 506’ (FLAT FIVE
RECORDS)
The OZONE QUARTET is a rather unique underground band
from the USA. They play instrumental Progressive
Rock/Fusion in the style of KING CRIMSON, UK, DIXIE
DREGS, GENTLE GIANT... Not many US bands play this style,
so they are quite unique. They do it very well on their
3rd CD ‘Live at local 506’. The band consists
of Wayne Leechford (Chapman Stick), Fran Dyer (Drums),
Hollis Brown (Electric Violin) and Jeremy Shaw (Guitar)
and the 10 tracks are a total must if you want to hear
quality instrumental Prog/Fusion. Better check them out
at: http://www.ozonequartet.com and e-mail them at: info@ozonequartet.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
GALLEON
‘FROM
LAND TO OCEAN’ (PROGRESS RECORDS)
The Swedish band GALLEON returns with a new CD. It’s
a double CD titled ‘From land to ocean’ and is
maybe their best effort so far. The music is like their
other releases, so again classy typical British
orientated Neo-Progressive Rock a la PENDRAGON, IQ, early
MARILLION... If you’re a fan of Neo-Prog, then this
CD is a must for you! 7 tracks are on CD 1, which is
‘The land’ part and CD 2 contains just one
track (!). But this one track (which is called “The
ocean”) is a 52-minutes counting epic Prog. Rocksong
like only the big boys in this genre are able to make. I
have not much more to say than giving this CD a
recommendation to all Neo-Progfans!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 GOTHIC KNIGHTS ‘UP FROM THE
ASHES’
(LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
‘Up from the ashes’ is the third CD of the US
band GOTHIC KNIGHTS. They hail from Brooklyn, New York
and play Classic 80s US Metal with a touch of European
Metal. The band has a fantastic powerful lead singer
called Rick Sanchez, who is able to sing perfect choruses
without the use of harmonyvocals. One of the absolute
highlights on the new CD of GOTHIC KNIGHTS is the superb
uptempo Power Metal track “Down in flames” on
which Rick proves that he is one-helluva singer. This is
definitely American Power Metal at it’s best, with
strong similarities to ONWARD, VIRGIN STEELE, ROB ROCK,
SYRIS, early CRIMSON GLORY, LEATHERWOLF... Besides
“Down in flames”, other highlights can be found
in the shape of “Up from the ashes” (LOVELY
CLASSIC uptempo Melodic Metal), “Guardian
archangel” (Melodic Metal), “Heaven’s
fire” (catchy), “Dear queen” (ballad) and
closing track “The 13th warrior”. Not all the
tracks are convincing, because on the song “Sleepy
hollow” lead singer Rick Sanchez is screaming and
yelling like Rob Halford, and this is not necessary,
because the man has got a great voice when he sings
‘normal’, so this song is not that good, but in
general speaking the whole CD is filled with excellent
Classic US Metal release.
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 SUN CAGED ‘SUN CAGED’
(LION MUSIC/BERTUS)
After releasing 2 demos the Dutch band SUN CAGED managed
to get signed to the Finnish label LION MUSIC. And now
their debut CD is released, and without a doubt it’s
one of the highlights in the Progressive Metal scene. If
there’s one album I would label Progressive, then
it’s the SUN CAGED album, as this is Progressive
Metal at it’s very best. Of course the DREAM THEATER
reference is easily made, but SUN CAGED is definitely
more than the average DREAM THEATER clone out there,
because their debut CD sounds HUGE! There are some really
heavy riffs and complex Progressive riffs here and there,
while the lead vocals of singer Andre Vuurboom (ex-JERA)
are superb (and reminding a lot of JAMES LABRIE).
Besides, the 9 traclks are all masterpieces, so no
fillers here, from start to finish 60 minutes of high
class Prog. Metal. After listening to the CD a few times
I was sure of myself about giving this CD a very high
rating and label it as ‘the Prog. Metal release of
the year 2003!’. I knew the band was able to make
good stuff, but this CD is from another planet it seems!
This is as good as the last DREAM THEATER record!
Highlights can be found in the shape of
“Sedation”, “Soil”,
“Hollow” and “Closing in”. If you
enjoy bands like VANDENPLAS, DREAM THEATER, THRESHOLD,
AYREON etc., then this is a MUST for you to check out
a.s.a.p.!
(Points:
9.5 out of 10)
 CONSORTIUM PROJECT 3 ‘TERRA
INCOGNITA’ (CENTURY MEDIA/SURBURBAN)
IAN PARRY and his CONSORTIUM PROJECT is back with the
third opus titled ‘Terra incoginta’. It
basically continues the music style and the concept of
the previous 2 CONSORTIUM PROJECT releases. The lyrics
are based around a concept story written by Ian himself,
and are about an undiscovered world, but you have to buy
the CD yourself to read the complete story of this
interesting concept. Musicians who appear on the album
are guitarist Stephan Lil (VANDENPLAS), bassist Jan
Bijlsma (VENGEANCE), drummer Casey Grillo (KAMELOT) and a
few more, while there are also guest appearances by
none-other than SASCHA PAETH (RHAPSODY and ANGRA
producer). All together this is a really excellent epic
concept Prog. Metal release in the style of AYREON,
KAMELOT, ELEGY, MASTERPLAN, CIRCLE 2 CIRCLE, SYMPHONY X,
SUN CAGED, so big-time stuff and without a doubt a must
for fans of this genre! 11 songs are included, in all
sorts of tempos, ranging from fast paced double bass
driven uptempo Melodic Metal pieces such as the fantastic
“Reductio ad absurdum” (a la KAMELOT) to
midtempo masterpieces such as the lovely “Lost
empire”. It’s all there, and besides these 2
songs, other highlights are “Nemesis”,
“Beyond the gateway of legends” and “Terra
incognita (the undiscovered world)”. Concluded, a
highly recommended CD!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 FIREHOUSE ‘PRIME TIME’
(PONY CANYON)
The US rockers FIREHOUSE are back with a new CD. It was
said that musically they would go back to their big time
Arena Rock of the first 2 albums, and maybe sometimes
this can be heard on their 8th CD, but it’s not as
good as their first 2 ‘classics’. Sometimes
they remind me of AC/DC (“Crash”) or even
MOTLEY CRUE (“Door to door” with drummer
Michael Foster singing, and a 2-minutes counting
guitarsolo at the end), which doesn’t sound bad at
all, but it not the classy melodic rock of their first 2
albums. Nevertheless, the CD is their best since
‘Hold your fire’, although the production could
have been a bit bigger, but let’s be happy that
FIREHOUSE is one of the few US bands to stick to their
Melodic Hardrock roots and ignore the trends for almost
15 years now! The CD contains 10 tracks, and the only
weaker song is opener “Prime time”, because the
rest is good quality Melodic Hardrock, although sometimes
also quite groovy. Highlights are “Perfect lie”
(this is more like it, classy FIREHOUSE, big midtempo
melodic rocker, and excellent vocals by CJ), “Body
language” (a groovy midtempo melodic rocker with
heavy riffs), “Crash” and “Let go”
(one of the best songs, classy FIREHOUSE ballad). The
band still has the same line-up as 15 years ago, only
bassist Dario Seixas is a new addition, and it sounds
pretty tight actually. Striking fact is that lead singer
(and keyboardplayer) CJ Snare doesn’t sing all 10
songs, because also guitarist Bill Leverty sings 2 tracks
and even drummer Michael Foster sings 1 song, and
actually this is one of the negative comments I would
like to add here, because CJ is still an excellent
singer, so why not let him sing all the songs, just like
on all the previous FIREHOUSE albums. It’s not as
good as the first 2 FIREHOUSE classics, and the band will
always be remembered for making classic songs like
“Sleeping with you”, “All she wrote”,
“When I look into your eyes”, “Don’t
treat me bad”, “Love of a lifetime”,
“Overnight sensation” etc, but still
recommended to the fans of the band and anyone who wants
to hear good-time US Melodic Hardrock. More info at: http://www.firehousemusic.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ALIANZA ‘HUELLAS’
(NEMS ENTERPRISES)
A few years ago I reviewed 2 awesome AOR CDs of the
Argentinian band ALIANZA, the band formed around RATA
BLANCA vocalist Adrian Barilari and keyboardplayer Hugo
Bistolgi, and just recently I received a CD of ALIANZA
which happens to be their third CD ‘Huellas’.
Musically things have slightly changed, as the band was
more playing Progressive Metal on this CD than the 2
previous AOR based CDs. A song like “Huellas”
even reminds me of MAGO DE OZ! This song starts calm, but
develops into an uptempo melodic heavy rocker with some
nice keyboardsolos as well. Other highlights are
“Fabula del bien y el mal” (great Melodic Prog.
Metal), “S.O.S.” (nice AOR ballad),
“Tribus del sol” (great uptempo Prog/Power
Metal), “Metralla” (70s Hammond based Prog.
Rock with a great melodic chorus and nice keyboardsolos)
and “Sueno real” (fantastic midtempo AOR, best
song). So, ALIANZA released another great album titled
‘Huellas’ and you can buy this CD at: http://www.target-records.de
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 ASTRAL DOORS
‘OF THE SON AND THE FATHER’ (LOCOMOTIVE
MUSIC/ROCK INC./BERTUS)
Wow! That was the first thing I said when hearing the
first seconds of the first CD of the Swedish band ASTRAL
DOORS. This sounds really big and very impressive at the
same time. Ledaer of the band is Joachim Nordlund, while
the vocals are done by singer Patrick Johansson (who also
sings on RICHARD ANDERSSON’s SPACE ODYSSEY project
and the upcoming new CD of WUTHERING HEIGHTS).
Patrick’s vocals are a deadringer for fans of RONNIE
JAMES DIO. The music of ASTRAL DOORS sounds like a mix
between DIO, RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH, quite obvious!
The band is at their best on the uptempo tracks,
especially such Classic uptempo Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal
tunes like “Cloudbreaker” (excellent song),
“Hungry people”, “Ocean of sand”
(faster, not unlike the current Power Metal bands such as
HAMMERFALL), “Night of the witch” (big midtempo
melodic heavy rocker, pure DIO) and “Man on the
rock” (hello DIO!). The guitarwork is also
quite stunning, besides the fantastic vocals and with
it’s big sound/production, this CD is easily a must
for fans of high quality Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
RATA
BLANCA ‘7’
(BMG ARGENTINA)
In Argentina the band RATA BLANCA is hailed as one of the
absolute topacts in the Hardrock/Metal scene. They have
sold millions of records, so no wonder they are signed to
BMG Music. 6 years ago they released their ‘7’
album with a different singer, and it clearly showed that
the band could only make classy records with singer
Adrian Barilari, so new singer Gabriel Marian was
replaced not long after this ‘7’ album.
Nevertheless, it’s still a fair album presenting a
more modern approach to RATA BLANCA’s Melodic
Hardrock/Metal. The beginning was quite good, with such
great songs like “Pastel del rocas” (semi
melodic rocker), “La cancion del sol” (lovely
AOR ballad) and uptempo melodic HR songs such as
”Rey de la revolucion” and “La historia de
un muchacho”. However, after 5 or 6 tracks, the CD
gets a very modern dark Metal approach and the typical
RATA BLANCA melodies were nowhere to be found, so this
‘7’ album was one of the weaker efforts.
Nevertheless, it’s interesting to hear the
difference of the band with their other records on which
BARILARI sang, so if you’re interested in this
particular RATA BLANCA album (which is very hard to get
outside Argentina), then better buy a copy through TARGET
RECORDS at: http://www.target-records.de
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 REVOLTONS ‘NIGHT
VISIONS’
(LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
Here’s another Italian band playing quality
Progressive/Power Metal. They are not another LABYRINTH/
RHAPSODY clone, but are more playing in the style of a
VANDENPLAS, SYMPHONY X, ANGRA, DREAM THEATER, early
ELDRITCH, TIME MACHINE... I reviewed one of their demos
some time ago, and you can clearly hear that the band has
improved since that demo, as their debut CD ‘Night
visions’ sounds really impressive. The production
was done by none-other than famous all-round Metal
producer LUIGI STEFANINI in the New Sin Studios
(LABYRINTH, ELDRITCH). 10 songs are included, and fans of
quality Melodic Progressive Metal can easily purchase
this record. Highlights are “Hands of
Magellano”, “The old walls”, “The
court’s fool” and “The autumn
believer”. There are also some weaker songs on the
CD, such as the aggressive “Time for worlds
inside”, but nevertheless this is a nice Prog. Metal
CD!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 SAYIT ‘LOUDER’ (MTM
MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
The Swedish guitarist SAYIT returns with a new CD release
titled ‘Louder’ and indeed the CD title covers
the included music, because this album is rockier than
the earlier releases. Lead singer on the record is again
GEIR RONNING (TOTO, RADIOACTIVE, PRISONER) and his voice
is quite excellent, a lot like GLENN HUGHES and JOE LYNN
TURNER. Somehow SAYIT must have heard the new HUGHES
TURNER PROJECT album, because this SAYIT is very much in
the same vein. The music is sometimes quite groovy, with
soulful vocals, but is still pure Melodic (Hard) Rock
like a mix between RAINBOW, HUGHES TURNER PROJECT, a
heavier BAD COMPANY, BRAZEN ABBOTT and WHITESNAKE.
Actually it’s a very good album of a very high
level. Fans of mentioned bands can easily purchase this
record. My favourite tracks are “The queen”
(strong powerful uptempo melodic heavy rocker), “A
love I can’t handle” (great midtempo melodic
rocker a la HTP), “Come please me, completely”
(another HTPish midtempo melodic rocker), “Love
without reason” (very strong catchy chorus),
“My lonely heart” (great uptempo AOR rocker)
and the closing 2 uptempo melodic rockers “I may be
hurt, but I’m free” and “Waiting for my
love”. If you enjoyed the latest HTP record, then
this album is a total must for you, maybe it’s a bit
more polished, but with a singer who sounds like GLENN
HUGHES it still is a deadringer for Hughes/Turner fans!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 ARACHNES ‘PRIMARY FEAR’
(SCARLET RECORDS/BERTUS)
The Italian band ARACHNES returns with a new CD, and
it’s a pity I don’t have any info, because I
think this is a concept album. There are 15 songs on the
CD, which only takes up to 50 minutes, so most of the
songs are short (3-4 minutes). Nevertheless, this is a
high quality CD with fantastic musicianship, especially
the guitarsolo’s are of a very high level. The music
is pure European Progressive Power Metal with
Neo-Classical influences, somewhere between RHAPSODY,
DREAM THEATER and AVANTASIA. There’s a lot of room
left for the instrumental section, but like I said, this
is of a very high level with excellent keyboard and
guitarwork. Just listen to the song “Tota
pulchra” which only features a Church Organ, but
sounds very impressive. The vocal songs are of course
also very good, with as highlights “Not fair”,
“Battle to the victory”, “My old
refuge” and “My son and I” (ballad). This
is not just another Prog. Metal, because it definitely
needs a few more listens to get into, but without a doubt
it’s a highly recommended album to fans of
Neo-Classical Prog/Power Metal!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 CRYONIC TEMPLE ‘BLOOD, GUTS AND
GLORY
(LIMB MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
We are back in Sweden again with the band CRYONIC TEMPLE
and their 2nd CD is titled ‘Blood, guts and
glory’. Musically this is pure German orientated
original Melodic Heavy Metal like a mix between GAMMA
RAY, HELLOWEEN and MANOWAR. The production is huge and so
are the included 10 songs, raw, heavy but still melodic
with catchy singable choruses. Highlights are fast Power
Metal tracks like “Inquisition” and
“Thunder and lightning”, although the best
songs are the fantastic Melodic Heavy Rockers
“Swords and diamonds” and “The midas
touch”. If you’re looking for a real Heavy
Metal band that writes catchy tunes, then better check
out the new album of CRYONIC TEMPLE!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 ASIA ‘LIVE IN THE
USA’ (CLASSIC ROCK PRODUCTIONS)
I
have always been a huge fan of the 1980s ASIA, and
actually haven’t really checked out the newer
version of ASIA. The only original member of ASIA left is
keyboardplayer GEOFF DOWNES, and instead we can welcome
new members like drummer Chris Slade (AC/DC, URIAH HEEP)
and guitarist Guthrie Govan, while the band’s lead
singer is still John Payne, who replaced JOHN WETTON back
in 1991. Although it isn’t as good as the Classic
ASIA line-up from the 1980s, still this line-up sounds
solid and therefore interesting to check out if they
perform somewhere in your area. This double-CD is a
perfect live registration of a concert ASIA performed on
the 5th of October 2002 at the Patriot’s Theatre in
New Jersey, USA. This concert saw the band celebrating
it’s 20-year existence with a full-blown 2
hour-concert containing songs from the early period until
the very last record. The CD has a huge sound and the
performance is of a very high level, close to perfection!
You can easily put this live-CD next to other high
quality Live-CDs from the past few years (DREAM THEATER,
JOURNEY, KANSAS, STYX, IQ), and I think the DVD version
will be even more interesting, but I only have the CD
version, so I don’t know if the DVD is of the same
high quality. However, this live audio CD sounds awesome,
and keeps you busy for almost 2 hours. Of course all the
ASIA classics are played, with as highlights ASIA
classics like “Only time will tell” (anyone
ever noticed where EUROPE got their “The final
countdown” keyboard line from?), “Sole
survivor”, “Go”, “Heat of the
moment”, “Don’t cry”, “The heat
goes on’ and also newer tunes like the fantastic
“Arena”, “Military man”, “Kings
of the day” and “Free”. This live-CD is by
far the best ASIA live record ever released, so forget
all those bootleg CDs of ASIA, and buy the new live-CD,
because this one proves that with a complete new line-up
the band is as good as they once were!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
PAUL
SHORTINO/JK NORTHRUP ‘BACK ON
TRACK’
(SHIRE RECORDS/ROCK INC./BERTUS)
10 years ago PAUL SHORTINO released his strongest album
so far. The vocalist recorded an album with guitarist JK
NORTHRUP, and the CD ‘Back on track’ has now
been re-released, with the addition of 4 bonustracks.
Without a doubt, this was a fantastic Melodic Hard/Heavy
Rockalbum that combined the bluesy lead vocals of Paul
with the punchy guitarwork of JK, ending up sounding like
a mix between late Y&T/DAVE MENIKETTI, ROUGH CUTT and
JEFF PARIS. Highlights were “When there’s
smoke” (fast uptempo melodic heavy rock/metal like
DIO/RAINBOW), “The kid is back in town” (pure
late Y AND T), “Forgotten child” (ballad with
guest vocals by BOBBY KIMBALL), “Pieces” (great
AOR/Melodic Rocker a la JEFF PARIS) and “Everybody
can fly” (great semi-ballad). Concluded, if you
missed the release 10 years ago, here’s another
chance for you to purchase this excellent CD and get 4
new tracks extra!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
MOSTLY
AUTUMN ‘PASSENGERS’
(CLASSIC ROCK PRODUCTIONS)
The Celtic-Prog band MOSTLY AUTUMN has been active for
quite some time now, and they have built up a big
reputation, especially here in Holland. After hearing
their latest CD ‘Passengers’ it became clear to
me that this is indeed a great band with an own style.
They combine elements of Prog, Pop, Folk, Celtic and Rock
all together in one exciting melodic style which will
appeal to people of all sort of musical genres. The band
has a male and female singer, and I must say that both
can sing well, although the female singer (Haether
Findlay) is the best singer, as she has got a great
voice. The new CD contains 11 tracks and was released
through the British Classic Rock label. Highlights
include “Something in between”, “Caught in
a fold” (early HEARTish strong midtempo melodic
rocker), “First thought” (a bit like JADIS),
“Answer the question” (fantastic AOR chorus!),
“Passengers” (ballad) and part 2 of “Pass
the clock”. Highly recommended to fans of KARNATAKA
and BLACKMORE’S NIGHT!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 THEOCRACY ‘THEOCRACY’
(METAL AGES RECORDS)
Out of the US comes a guy called MATT SMITH, and you
better hold that name in your thoughts, because he is a
very skilled talented musician from Athens, Georgia, USA
who is the man behind the band THEOCRACY, which is in
fact a one-man band. Matt did everything on his own,
music, lyrics, production, vocals, guitars, bass, keys
and drum programming, he all did it on his own and the
sound he created is amazing, as THEOCRACY is one of the
best US Metal releases since the 1980s! It sounds very
European, and comes across like a mix between AVANTASIA,
EDGUY, HELLOWEEN, SYMPHONY X and KAMELOT. The only
negative mark I would like to make is the use of a drum
computer, as it would have sound a bit better with real
drums, but maybe that’s something to improve next
time. Anyway, the CD of THEOCRACY is a masterpiece and a
must for all Metalfans. Everything sounds great on his
70-minutes counting and so I can only give this record a
high rating! My favourite tracks are “Ichthus”
(high quality European orientated uptempo Melodic Power
Metal with catchy hooks and lovely chorus, like a mix
between KAMELOT and EDGUY), “The serpents kiss”
(lovely Prog/Power Metal like SYMPHONY X meets
HELLOWEEN), “Theocracy” (like EDGUY, with very
catchy chorus), “Sinner” (big semi-ballad like
BALANCE OF POWER) and the AVANTASIA orientated songs
“The victory dance” and “Twist of
fate”. Concluded, a must for fans of
‘real’ Melodic Neo-Classical Prog/Power Metal!
More info at: http://www.theocracymusic.com or http://www.metalages.com or http://www.justforkicks.de
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
ROUGH
SILK
‘END OF INFINITY’ (POINT MUSIC/ROCK INC.)
The German band ROUGH SILK have been around for 10 years
now, and they managed to release 7 albums so far.
‘End of infinity’ is their latest record, and
unfortunately also their weakest effort so far. The
production is not good, and the included 13 songs are
nothing special. The departure of their vocalist Thomas
Ludolphy is a strong factor in making this record their
least interesting record. The band didn’t look for a
new singer, instead 3 of the members are now singing the
songs. I am sorry to say this, but not one of them
(keyboardplayer/guitarist Ferdy Doernberg, drummer
Herbert Hartmann and guitarist Nils Wunderlich) is really
singing well! The record has not much to do with the
earlier high quality records of ROUGH SILK. ‘End of
infinity’ sounds like some independent record from
one of the many Progressive Metalbands in Germany. Of
course instrumental it sounds good, but the sound and the
songs are quite simple and it can never compete with the
band’s earlier material. It sounds like leftovers
from before their debut CD 10 years ago! There are some
nice Melodic Heavy Rock/Prog. Metalsongs on the CD such
as “Isolation”, “Restless heart”,
“Ambrosia” and “Carry on”, but in
general this is not the album you would expect from such
a great band. It actually reminds me of another
dissapointing album we had this year, namely the ROYAL
HUNT record! Anyway, even the loyal ROUGH SILK fans might
want to first listen to this record, before purchasing
it!
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
 CONCEPT ‘REASON AND
TRUTH’
(UNDERGROUND SYMPHONY RECORDS/BERTUS)
I have no additional information on this Italian band,
but what I do know is that CONCEPT is a copy of
LABYRINTH! They play the exact same style, which is
typical fast Italo Melodic Power Metal. Just listen to
the song “The (soul) Time version” and
it’s like you’re listening to LABYRINTH.
Instrumental the band sounds pretty tight, and the songs
are good, though not as good as LABYRINTH. Besides the
mentioned “The soul time version”, other
highlights are “Living a lie”, “Power
after power”, “Conceptsymphony” (best
song, a true anthem for fans of LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY)
and “Alone”. If you don’t mind hearing
something dangerously close to LABYRINTH, then better
check out this CONCEPT asap, because it sounds very good
indeed, but otherwise you will not find anything new on
this record.
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 FAR NORTH ‘WHAT?!’ (MTM
CLASSIX/SUBURBAN)
In the 1980s Sweden offered hundreds of quality Melodic
Hardrockbands that followed the footsteps of EUROPE and
MALMSTEEN. Not many actually made it that big, and
that’s a pity, because there were so many awesome
melodic rockbands that could have been bigger. Also in
the early 1990s many new Swedish bands emerged, and one
of them was FAR NORTH. This band was formed in 1993,
recorded an album for SMC RECORDS in Sweden and Japan.
That album was titled ‘What?!’ and it is
actually the only recording the band did, because after
this CD it became very quiet around the band and
it’s members. MTM Classix is the new sub-label of
MTM Music, and they are eager to re-release and re-issue
many undiscovered Swedish Melodic Rockalbums from the 80s
and 90s. After the SNAKE CHARMER record, we now can
inform you about the re-release of FAR NORTH’s album
‘What?!’. The album is filled with high class
typical 80s Swedish/Scandi Melodic Rock in the style of
EUROPE, TREAT, DAVINCI, DALTON, PRIDE with MALMSTEENish
guitarwork (just listen to the solo in “Never trust
a stranger”. Highlights of the CD are
“Phantoms” (this song has some very nice
progressive structures, like a mix between MAGO DE OZ and
EUROPE, is that possible?), “Yes I’ll
try”, “Why are the children dying” (this
midtempo melodic rocker I never got out of my head after
I heard it years ago) and “Heartattack” (classy
uptempo melodic rocker). The album has a big sound and
the songs are all very impressive, together with the
addition of a bonustrack (“Heartattack”), this
album is a must for fans of classy 80s Swedish catchy
melodic rock!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 MAGELLAN ‘IMPOSSIBLE
FIGURES’
(INSIDE OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC PROMOTION)
The US Progrockband MAGELLAN has been around for quite
some time now, and ‘Impossible figures’ is
their upcoming new CD release on INSIDE OUT MUSIC. The
music is still Progressive Rock, yet more modern and
rockier (groovy guitarstyle) than their earlier efforts.
It sounds like a heavier version of SPOCK’S BEARD,
so also very experimental sometimes, but still I think
this CD will be loved by fans of the Progressive
Rockscene. The lead vocals are strong (KANSAS style) and
the included 9 songs only take up to 45 minutes (also
counting the short instrumentals here), but in the
beginning it’s quality Progressive Rock. Highlights
are “Killer of hope” (10 minutes counting epic
Progrock piece), “Late for church” and
“Hymn for a heathen”. Although the last few
songs are quite experimental and not really good (like
“A world groove” and “Feel the
cross”), this CD is still interesting for the fans
of complex groovy quality Progressive Rock!
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 MEDINA AZAHARA ‘AIXA’ (AVISPA
MUSIC)
The Spanish band MEDINA AZAHARA returns with another new
CD, but this time ‘Aixa’ is a real new
Studio-CD. The musicstyle hasn’t a changed a bit
(happily), so again we can hear lovely quality Melodic
Rock in the typical MEDINA AZAHARA style. The CD also
contains a video of the song and first single
“Cordoba”, a great semi-ballad that will
probably become a huge hit in Spain. Further highlights
on this CD are uptempo melodic rockers like “El
vaiven del aire”, “Vivir por la paz”,
“Rompe esa cruz” (fantastic faster uptempo
Melodic Sympho Metal, like a mix between RATA BLANCA and
TIERRA SANTA), “Pegado al suelo”, “Se
acabo” and “Sobrevivir”. The CD closes
with a fantastic Spanish version of the SCORPIONS classic
“Winds of change”. Bands like TIERRA SANTA and
MAGO DE OZ are becoming quite popular outside Europe and
I think this band will become a good third band to
breakthrough, although the vocals of singer/songwriter
Manuel Martinez might become a problem for non-Spanish
speaking people, as he sings with a strong Southern Spain
accent, but still I think this is just a great band that
must be heard by more people than just the Spanish
speaking community!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
WARMACHINE
‘DEMO
2001’ (DEMO CDR)
Can we really call this a demo, because it sounds as good
as a release from a major European label. I hear lots of
demos, but this demo sounds absolutely AMAZING! The
sound/production is very good and the included music is
of a very high level. WARMACHINE is a very young band out
of Canada, and without a doubt, they are sensational.
This band will probably be signed very soon, because when
this demo gets in the hands of one of the European label
owners (Limb Music for example), then you can be sure
WARMACHINE will be signed a.s.a.p.! There are 8 tracks on
the demo, and from start to finish this is Melodic Metal
at it’s very best. The vocals are very impressive,
the guitarwork is stunning (almost from another planet!)
and the songs are very sensational. Most of the songs are
uptempo and actually very catchy, with as absolute
winners “Forgotten demise” (fantastic
guitarwork), “Alone”, “Eye for an
eye” and “Through my eyes”. What more can
I say then to call this one of the best Demos I have
heard the past few years! You will be hearing more of
these guys in the future! For now, go to their site at: http://www.warmachineonline.com and e-mail them at: members@warmachineonline.com
(Points:
9.5 out of 10)
SEDUCTION ‘ODE TO WAR/WINDS
OF VALHALLA’ (DEMO CDR)
Coincidence or not, but after I got the amazing
WARMACHINE demo, I received another superb high class
demo release. This was a German band called SEDUCTION and
they sent me a CDR with 2 demos. Both demos feature 4
tracks, starting off with the demo ‘Ode to war’
and the song “The witch” which hits like a
hammer, truly amazing uptempo Melodic Metal with lovely
guitarwork and a catchy chorus. This song is as good as
and also in the same style as the reviewed and praised
demo of WARMACHINE. Next track “Ode to war” is
not as sensational as the first track, but is basically a
typical German Melodic Heavy Rockballad like EDGUY, yet
with keys! Up next is “Take on the power”, a
faster typical German Power Metal track, very impressive
song indeed! Unfortunately it is followed by a DORO cover
“All we are”, because I rather would hear
originals instead of covers, although this cover version
sounds better than the original (!). The second demo
‘Winds of Valhalla’ has a huge production, and
starts with the song “Birds of prey”, a great
typical uptempo German Power Metal track. Next track
“The challenge” sounds excellent, high class
fast uptempo Melodic Power Metal. “This day”
follows more or less in the same style, but also has
excellent guitarwork. Closing track is “Winds of
Valhalla”, a good Melodic Rockballad. The band
reminds me of a cross between NOCTURNAL RITES and
STORMWITCH, so this is high quality Melodic Metal!
Concluded, this is a highly recommended band and it would
not surprise me if they get a label deal soon! More info
at: http://www.seduction-metal.com and e-mail them at: thilo@seduction-metal.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 CUATRO GATOS ‘LA CAJA DE
MUSICA’
(AVISPA MUSIC)
This is a new project/band formed around members of
well-known Spanish metalbands like NU, ALCAUDON, SARATOGA
and BEETHOVEN R. They have released an awesome CD titled
‘La caja de musica’ and it is definitely a high
class typical Spanish Melodic Metal record in the style
of TIERRA SANTA, MAGO DE OZ, SARATOGA, AVALANCH, MEDINA
AZAHARA, MOONLIGHT FEAR, etc. etc. The 12 included songs
are of a very high level, mostly uptempo and very melodic
with catchy choruses and classy keyboard/guitarwork. The
absolute highlights are “Mas alle de la
realidad”, “En tierra de Nadie”,
“Todos los ayeres” and “La caja de
musica”. If you enjoy Spanish Melodic Prog/Power
Metal, then this is a total must for you!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 RATA BLANCA ‘PODER VIVO’
(AVISPA MUSIC)
RATA BLANCA is one of the absolute topacts in their
homecountry Argentina, where they have sold millions of
their records. They have released about 10 albums since
1988 and recently they released a live CD titled
‘Poder vivo’. The 3 extra Live videoclips show
how popular this band is in Argentina, and also how huge
their shows are. They are very nice to watch, but the
audio live-CD is also a pleasant listen. RATA BLANCA
plays a mixture of Classic Hardrock and Melodic Power
Metal, with some Melodic Rock sometimes. Their best song
ever recorded is definitely “Volviendo a casa”,
an awesome melodic rocker with a superb chorus, and I am
glad to see the videoclip is included here, and also it
is featured during the live performance of the band.
Other highlights are “Mujer amante” and
“Guerrero del arce iris”, 2 great songs, but
the rest is also nice, although I need to add that RATA
BLANCA’s songs are quite different from each other
and sometimes also sound a bit weaker and simpler (AC/DC
riffs or a bluesy riff). Nevertheless this is a great
live record and I hope someday to see these guys live as
they are very good on stage. All RATA BLANCA fans must
own this CD a.s.a.p.!
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
VIXEN ‘THE WORKS’
(PYRAMAXIS RECORDS)
First off, do not confuse this VIXEN with the all-female
rockband from the late 1980s, because this VIXEN hailed
from Hawaii! They recorded an album titled ‘Made in
Hawaii’ and some demos back in the early 1980s, and
this CD ‘The works’ contains all VIXEN tracks.
Besides a great female lead singer called Kim LaChance,
the band featured a superb guitarist called MARTY
FRIEDMAN, who later became known as a MEGADETH member. On
the VIXEN songs you could already hear this was a
talented guitarist. The music is nice early 80s Melodic
Metal, a bit simple and it may sound dated nowadays, but
it surely is classic 80s US Metal. There are 13 songs on
the CD, of which the highlights are “Angels from the
dust”, “Escape the night” (incredible
guitarwork!), “Rocking me hard” and “Lady
savage”. Without a doubt, this CD is a must for
FRIEDMAN fans, but also people who want to explore 80s US
Metal may want to check out this re-issue at: http://www.pyramaxis.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
IAN
GILLAN BAND
‘LIVE AT THE RAINBOW 1977’ (ANGEL AIR RECORDS)
I have seen a lot of DVDs and I really like IAN
GILLAN’s music, but this DVD of Ian is really not
interesting. The featured concert has a playing length of
only 30 minutes, and the actual performance is average,
especially the versions of DEEP PURPLE classics like
“Child in time”, “Smoke on the water”
and “Woman from Tokyo” can not compete with the
original versions. The extra features are interviews and
rare songs in audio format, so this DVD is actually only
recommended to die-hard fans!
(Points:
- )
 TRANSATLANTIC ‘LIVE IN EUROPE
CD’
(INSIDE OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC)
The supergroup TRANSATLANTIC performed a few exclusive
3-hour concerts last year throughout Europe. Anyone who
missed the concerts can now easily feel the magic of
those few nights, because INSIDE OUT MUSIC released a
double CD/DVD of the TRANSATLANTIC peformances. Included
are only 6 tracks, but the real Progfan understands why,
because 4 of the 6 tracks are each counting 30 minutes in
playing length! So it still holds a total playing time of
140 minutes (!), and the performance of these great songs
is absolutely stunning. The combination of musicanship of
some of the greatest Prog performers ever works really
well on stage. If you don’t know whom I am talking
about, the line-up of TRANSATLANTIC consists of Mike
Portnoy (DREAM THEATER), Pete Travawas (MARILLION), Neal
Morse (ex-SPOCK’S BEARD) and Roine Stolt (THE FLOWER
KINGS). Together they have released a few awesome records
under the moniker of TRANSATLANTIC. The double-CD is the
perfect live-recording of a Progressive Rock concert, so
you can hear how well it sounds on stage, close to
perfection! Highlights are definitely “Duel with the
devil”, “Stranger in your soul” and
“All of the above”. Any Progfan should own
this!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
M&R
RUSH ‘ROCK&ROLL
CHICAGO’ (EMINAR MUSIC)
In the past we talked a bit about M&R RUSH, and now
recently the band reformed and put out a CD that features
songs of the band recorded in their early days (between
1970 and 1987). The American band played typical late
70s/early 80s Pomprock with spacey keyboards, 3
guitarists (!), a smooth drum/bass rhythm section and of
course classy melodic lead and harmonyvocals, ending up
sounding like bands such as STYX, REO SPEEDWAGON,
FOREIGNER, ROADMASTER, STARCASTLE, LE ROUX, ANGEL, PRISM
etc. etc. Especially the first 6 songs of this disc are
HIGH CLASS Pomprocksongs, with as absolute highlights
“#1” (big chorus with the harmonies),
“You’re the only woman”, “Stay with
me” and “First time I saw her” (a la
SHOOTING STAR). The second part of the CD is less
interesting, as it contains more poppier material, except
for the fantastic Classic 80s AOR rocker “Without
you” which has an amazing chorus. On the other hand,
especially the last 2 songs (“You touched my
heart” and “If you want me”) are pure Pop
like HUEY LEWIS once did. However, if you’re
interested in classy North American Pomprock from the
late 1970s, then the first 6 songs on this CD are a total
must for you. Let’s hope if the band records any new
material, they will return to their early 80s style. For
now, check out their site at: http://www.mandrrush.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
DOC
HOLLIDAY ‘GOOD
TIME MUSIC’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
I was quite surprised to see DOC HOLLIDAY on MTM MUSIC,
because their Southern Rock has not much to do with the
label’s AOR/Melodic Rock. A few months ago there was
a sort of best of the 1990s release, and now a complete
new CD is released. I never was and will never be a fan
of the band, because their Southern Rock sounds average,
and is only interesting for the die-hard Southern Rock
fans (ALLMAN BROTHERS, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, MOLLY HATCHET).
Only the song “Farmer’s tan” is a nice
radiorocker like 38 SPECIAL, but the rest of the CD is
boring Southern Rock, so only interesting if you like
this typical American Rockstyle!
(Points:
6.5 out of 10)
TYR
‘ERIC
THE RED’ (TUTL RECORDS)
Who would have thought I would ever hear and review a
band from the Faroe Islands, a place consisting of 18
small islands in the North Atlantic. Well it has
happened, because the band TYR is coming from the Faroe
Islands and they sent me their 2nd CD ‘Eric the
red’. While listening to the CD, I was surprised
that it sounded that good, because this album is a very
original high quality record. The production is very good
and the included 10 songs sound very impressive.
Actually, the band has created an own style, which is
best comparable to SAVATAGE and CIRCLE 2 CIRCLE, so
bombastic Progressive Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal is the
style we get to hear and I must say that it sometimes is
as good as the stunning CIRCLE 2 CIRCLE album, so if you
are a fan of that record or any of the SAVATAGE records,
then this TYR is a must for you! The CD has a playing
length of 60 minutes, and from start to finish
you’re hooked onto this awesome CD. Highlights are
“The edge”, “Dreams”,
“Styrisvolurin”, “Ramund hin unge”
and “Olavur riddararos”. I can highly recommend
this band to fans of quality Metal with an own identity.
More info at: http://www.tyr.net and e-mail them at: management@tyr.net
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ATMOSFEAR
‘INSIDE
THE ATMOSPHERE’
(GECKO RECORDS/PROGROCK RECORDS)
ATMOSFEAR is another high quality Progressive Metalband
from Germany. Their debut CD ‘Inside the
atmosphere’ basically continues the style as created
by other well-known bands like DREAM THEATER, THRESHOLD,
SYMPHONY X, VANDENPLAS, SUN CAGED, ZERO HOUR, SHADOW
GALLERY etc. etc. The vocals are a bit rawer than
afforementioned bands, but basically this is prime-time
Progressive Metal at a very high level, including big
sound/production. The CD was released on the US
Progrocklabel PROGROCK RECORDS and has a playing length
of 75 minutes (!). Highlights among the 10 long songs are
“Inside the atmosphere”,
“Mysterious”, “Thinking progressive”
and “Zephaniah”. Concluded, this CD is a must
for fans of quality Progressive Metal! More info at: http://www.progrockrecords.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
LITTLE
ATLAS
‘SURFACE SERENE’ (PROGROCK RECORDS)
Out of Miami, USA comes LITTLE ATLAS, a great new
Progressive Rockband who play a style somewhere between
KANSAS, early GENESIS, YES and ENCHANT. The music is
complex, but very melodic and catchy at the same time.
The 2nd CD of LITTLE ATLAS contains 11 tracks and is
highly recommended to fans of high class Progressive
Rock, because the 60 minutes of the CD are a pleasure to
listen to. Highlights are “Surface serene”,
“Changeover”, “Honesty” and
“Momentary thread”. Concluded, a must for fans
of ENCHANT, KANSAS... More info at: http://www.progrockrecords.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
OVER
US EDEN ‘DEMO
CDR’ (DEMO CDR)
Wow, this sounds really excellent! OVER US EDEN are
coming out of Germany and they play Melodic Metal. The
band has a very strong female lead singer called Magali
Luyten, and the 4 songs on this demo sound very
impressive. The demo was produced by ULI KUSCH
(Ex-HELLOWEEN/ MASTERPLAN-drummer) and without a doubt,
this is one of the finest demos I have heard the past few
years. This sounds very good, especially the songs
“Metamorphosis” and “Fahrenheit
zero”. Imagine a mix between WARLOCK, MYSTERY BLUE
and HEADLINE, and you’ll have OVER US EDEN. Check
out their site at: http://www.overuseden.com and e-mail them at: contact@overuseden.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 TRIUMPH ‘LIVE AT THE US
FESTIVAL DVD+CD’ (TML ENTERTAINMENT)
This
is without a doubt a highly recommended DVD, because the
TRIUMPH DVD contains over 2 hours of entertainment. First
off there’s an excellent concert registration of the
band’s performance at the famous US Festival in
1983. This 1-hour performance of TRIUMPH is probably
their most memorable, because it was on the Metal Sunday
of the US Festival somewhere in California in 1983 where
they performed in their original line-up of 3 men
(vocalist/guitarist RIK EMMETT, drummer/vocalist Gil
Moore and bassist/keyboardplayer Mike Levine) in front of
500,000 spectators! The performance was very impressive,
so watching this concert now 20 years later makes you
remembering how amazing this must have been for the band
back then. The DVD also includes 2 video clips, namely of
“Spellbound” and “Follow your heart”,
a 2003 interview with Mike and Gil of TRIUMPH and last
but certainly not least, a very interesting 40-minutes
counting rockumentary about TRIUMPH. This DVD is
definitely a must for the TRIUMPH fan, but if you
don’t have enough money you can also buy the CD
version, which includes the whole concert on audio, as
well as a Bonus DVD that features 3 clips of the actual
‘Live at the US festival’ DVD version, so you
have the choice. I would highly recommend the DVD version
which gives you more than 2 hours of pleasure, and really
give you the experience of actually go back in time and
relive the whole concert of TRIUMPH. More info on the CD
and DVD at: http://www.triumphmusic.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 PALLAS ‘THE BLINDING
DARKNESS DVD’
(INSIDE OUT MUSIC/CMM MUSIC)
PALLAS is one of the top acts in the Neo-Prog genre,
along with fellow UK Progacts like JADIS, IQ, PENDRAGON,
THRESHOLD and ARENA. They always give away an excellent
performance and especially Holland is one of the
countries where they stop by each year. Earlier this year
PALLAS performed an exclusive concert at De Boerderij,
Zoetermeer in Holland where they recorded this DVD, which
is now released on INSIDE OUT MUSIC. The DVD offers the
entire concert the band gave that spectacular night, and
without a doubt it is one of the best performances PALLAS
did the past 20 years!
The concert lasted almost 2 hours and 30 minutes, so
without a doubt a very long and exciting performance it
was. This DVD contains an excellent registration of what
went down that night. All the PALLAS classics were
played, such as “For the greater glory”,
“The executioner”, “Who’s to
blame”, “Beat the drum”, “Midas
touch”, “Atlantis suite” and even
“The ripper” where original lead singer Euan
Lowson entered the stage and gave away a stunning (and
bloody) performance, which must be seen if you’re a
dedicated Progfreak. The extras on this DVD offer not too
much, just some short behind-the-scenes footage, but with
a concert of almost 150 minutes this DVD gives you enough
pleasure. Highly recommended to all Neo-Prog fans!
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
AGNES
VEIN
‘OF CHAOS AND LAW’ (INDEPENDENT)
Out of Greece comes AGNES VEIN, a somewhat bizarre act
playing a mix of Doom Metal and Gothic Metal. They put in
some big BLACK SABBATH riffs in their music, although the
vocals are sounding a bit different than the average Doom
Metal act. There are 5 songs on the CD, and it sounds
pretty professional. Doom Metal freaks will love songs
like “Faethon” and “The sailor on the seas
of fate”. It reminds me of CANDLEMASS, yet with a
different vocal approach. For more info e-mail them at: agnesvein@yahoo.gr
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
RATA
BLANCA
‘EL LIBRO OCCULTO’ (BMG ARGENTINA)
It seems like I almost have a day job reviewing RATA
BLANCA discs. After the live CD, the new CD and a 1997
release, it is now time to discuss one of their earlier
records called ‘El libro occulto’ which has
recently been re-released. The re-release contains the 5
original tracks of this EP, with the addition of a nice
videoclip of the song “Agord la bruja”. Opener
“Basura” is one of the strongest songs here, as
this is a very good midtempo melodic heavy rocker. Also
very impressive is the uptempo melodic rocker
“Asesinos”. Not many people know RATA BLANCA
and that’s a pity, because in South-America they are
huge. They will tour the whole of South America soon,
together with METALLICA, so this will be another big
event in the band’s long career. More reviews of
their older releases soon, for now go to their official
site at: http://www.rataweb.com.ar
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
RATA
BLANCA ‘ENTRE
EL CIELO Y EL INFIERNO’ (BMG ARGENTINA)
The Argentinian band RATA BLANCA released about 10 CDs
since the mid 1980s, and ‘Entre el cielo Y el
infierno” is one of them. Recently this CD was
re-released, with the addition of 2 videobonustracks. The
band featured another different singer, but the music was
still Melodic Heavy Rock like a mix between MAIDEN,
SCORPIONS and BARON ROJO. Highlights on this CD, which
was originally released in 1994, are the melodic heavy
rockers “Jerusalen”, “Sombra inerte del
amor”, “Patria” (ballad), “Fantasma
azul” (another ballad) and “Sin tu amor nada
existe”. There are also some weaker songs on the CD,
such as “Obsesion” and “Bajo
control”, therefore this isn’t the best RATA
BLANCA album. Nevertheless it is still another
recommended Latin Melodic Heavy Rock/Metalalbum from one
of the most popular bands in South-America! More info can
be found at their official site at: http://www.rataweb.com.ar
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
CHAIN
‘RECONSTRUCT’
(PROGROCK RECORDS)
The band CHAIN has released a concept debut CD titled
‘Reconstruct’. The album is filled with quality
Progressive Rock and instrumental it sounds crystal
clear, with some excellent guitar and keyboardwork, but
unfortunately the vocals are weaker and a bit too raw for
this type of music, which is pure Progressive Rock/Metal.
The CD counts 75 minutes and is nice to listen to, but it
could have sounded better with a different kind of
singer, because lead vocalist Matt Cash has a Metal voice
and not a clean Prog voice. Nevertheless, highlights can
be found in the shape of “First life”,
“Incommunicado Prisoners of silence” (big
song), “Conspiracy” and “Signs” (best
song, on this song everything sounds perfect!).
Interested people should check out the band’s
website at: http://www.jinglegroup.com/chain.html
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
WASTOID ‘SAY YOUR
PRAYERS’ (INDEPENDENT)
Amazing! This is finally a band ignoring all current Rock
and Metal styles, and just put out a CD filled with high
quality early 1980s true N.W.O.B.H.M. and they come out
of Philadelphia, USA. The band is playing in the style of
ANGEL WITCH, SAXON, early TYGERS OF PAN TANG, early
MAIDEN, RAVEN, early TWISTED SISTER and even the very
first DEF LEPPARD, so I think you’ll get the picture
now. Of course many people will say this sounds dated,
but who cares, because this is an excellent band playing
an unique Metal style. And they definitely are very good
in playing this style, if it had been 1980, then they
could have followed the footsteps of LEPPARD, MAIDEN and
SAXON, but it’s 2003 and they come out of the USA.
Anyway, 8 songs are included on their CD ‘Say your
prayers’ and the 45 minutes this CD lasted I enjoyed
every minute of it! First song “Long live rock and
roll” is what I am talking about, true N.W.O.B.H.M.
style circa 1981! Happily, the CD continues in this
style, so more classic early 80s sounding Hardrock/Metal
with crushing guitarwork can be heard. Highlights are
“Let it rock”, “Magic journey”,
“Mountain of fire” (catchy guitar riff) and
“Rock hott” (classy stuff, THIN LIZZY riff).
Concluded, this CD is a must if you’re tired of THE
DARKNESS and you miss the days of all those real NWOBHM
bands popping up here and there in the early 1980s. More
info at: http://www.wastoid.net and e-mail them at: Evil@wastoid.net
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ZEN
ROCK AND ROLL ‘END OF THE AGE’ (PROGROCK
RECORDS)
I haven’t got much info on this ZEN ROCK AND ROLL,
but what I can say about it is that their album ‘End
of the age’ is filled with early 70s inspired
Symphonic Rock like a mix between YES, early GENESIS,
KING CRIMSON and GENTLE GIANT. The vocals are good,
although instrumental I found the drummachine a bit
irritating and that’s a pity because the use of
keyboards and guitar is quite nice. There are only 3
songs on the CD, but with 45 minutes it still is a normal
full-length CD. The songs are all in the same style, and
I think that if you’re a fan of bands like YES,
STARCASTLE... then this CD will be quite interesting for
you. You can check out all info on ZEN at: http://www.zenrockandroll.com
(Points:
7.5 out 10)
ATLANTIS ‘PRAY FOR
RAIN’ (PROGROCK RECORDS)
I have had quite a few bands with the name ATLANTIS in
the past, but here we have an American (?) band called
ATLANTIS and they have released a CD titled ‘Pray
for rain’. Musically they play typical British
Neo-Progressive Rock a la PENDRAGON. The vocals are not
that strong unfortunately, but instrumental this sounds
pretty good and also most of the songs are very nice to
listen to. Highlights between the 9 included tracks are
“Lelune”, “The one” (excellent song
actually) and “Secret realm”. Concluded,
interesting for the neo-prog freaks, but not as
sensational as IQ, PALLAS, ARENA or PENDRAGON. More info
at: http://www.progrockrecords.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
(All
reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem, except where noted)
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