SARGON ‘MIRAGE’
(INDEPENDENT)
Sometime ago I reviewed a demo CDR of SARGON, a band from
the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain. Now they have
sent me a new CD titled ‘Mirage’. The CD is
just a few seconds away and I can clearly hear the band
has improved a lot, and this mini-CD is quite an
impressive record. The sound is very big, and the
included 4 songs are strong. Opener “Mindless”
is a great high quality faster uptempo melodic Power
Metal track with catchy hooks and a stunning chorus. Up
next is “Shattered world”, a fantastic midtempo
melodic Prog/Power Metal. The remaining two tracks are a
little less sensational, but still quite good,
“Waiting for silence” (uptempo Prog Metal) and
the 15 minutes counting epic “The curse of
Akkad”. SARGON proves with this 4-track CD, which
still counts 34 minutes, that they are one of the better
bands from the underground scene. More info on them at: http://www.sargon.es.vg
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 FAULTLINE ‘FALLEN
ANGEL’ (AURA AUDIO)
Not much info on this band, but what I do know is that
this is yet another sensational band from Finland. They
are called FAULTLINE, and there are 2 songs on their CD.
And believe me, everything sounds perfect with this band.
The CD has a HUGE sound, and musically the 2 songs are
perfect. Then you might ask yourself what FAULTLINE
musically brings us, well, they play SUPERB AOR/Melodic
Rock like a mix between FRONTLINE, WHITESNAKE and the
typical 80s Swedish melodic rocksound (TREAT, DALTON,
DAVINCI). Sadly there are only 2 songs, but what you get
is absolutely HIGH CLASS stuff. The first song is called
“Fallen angel”, a lovely midtempo AOR/Melodic
Rocker. The 2nd track is the superb catchy uptempo
melodic rocker “Running away from you” which is
FRONTLINE meets 1987 WHITESNAKE. I am extremely anxious
to the future of FAULTLINE, because if a full-length CD
would sound as good as these 2 tracks alone on this CD,
then we can conclude that FAULTLINE belongs to the very
best in AOR/Melodic Rock from Europe at the moment.
Better check out their site at: http://www.faultline.fi and e-mail them at: faultline_music@hotmail.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
EDEN
LOST
‘2002’ (DEMO CDR)
I haven’t got much info on this Spanish band, but
what I do know is that EDEN LOST is playing very good 80s
type of fun melodic rock. There are 4 tracks on their CDR
and especially the first 2 songs are very good. Opener
“Saturday nite”, a high class fun 80s uptempo
melodic rocker a la early BON JOVI, DANGER DANGER, JADED
HEART, a very catchy song indeed! Also “Burn”
is very impressive, as this is midtempo melodic rock a la
early TALISMAN, with a lovely AORish chorus. The band
also has a good lead singer, although on the only weaker
song on the CD, “Only girls”, he sounds a bit
forced, but on the other 3 songs everything sounds
perfect. Also closing track “You (make me feel so
alive)” is a good uptempo melodic rocker. I believe
EDEN LOST is signed now to VINNY RECORDS, so an upcoming
full-length CD will tell us more, but in the meantime
this 4-track demo already shows that EDEN LOST is as good
as other Spanish AOR/Melodic Rockbands, such as ICE BLUE,
91 SUITE… More info at: http://www.edenlost.net
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
48
ROSES ‘1:14’
(INDEPENDENT)
48 ROSES is a Swedish band and I already discussed a demo
of this band, a 4-track CDR, and together with this new
5-track CD ‘1:14’, the band has a full-length
recording which is also available at http://www.mp3.com The previous effort
contained pretty good melodic rock, but this new 4
–track CDR is slightly different. The first song
“Nightmare escapee” is instrumental great high
quality uptempo melodic heavy rock, but the vocals are
completely screwed up, due to the use of a megaphone.
Also next song “1:14” has some megaphone
vocals, but the chorus is very good and melodic, so this
song is good slow Prog Metal. The psychedelic “If
love don’t live here” follows and is also not
that good. It seems that the band saved the best for
last, because the last 2 tracks show that 48 ROSES is a
quality band. “Winter’s reign” is finally
a normal catchy classy 80s uptempo melodic rocker with
very good vocals, so after 3 experimental tracks, this
song shows that 48 ROSES is also making some great music.
Also closing track “Nightfall” is a good
quality melodic Prog Metal song. So, what you got here
are 2 great songs and 3 lesser songs, but together with
the 4 tracks of their previous CD, still a ncie
collection of quality music which can be heard through http://www.mp3.com and check out their
site at: http://www.48roses.com and e-mail them at: info@48roses.com
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
JESTERS
MOON
‘JESTERS MOON’ (MIB MUSIC)
From Portland, Oregon, USA comes JESTERS MOON, a band
that instrumental is playing good melodic Metal, but
vocally is not that good. Lead singer Bryce van Patten,
who also plays guitar and keyboards, hasn’t got a
good voice suitable for the Metal of JESTERS MOON. The
band sounds like a weaker version of ACCEPT/UDO on songs
like “The battle”, “Devils eyes” and
“No clue”. On the other hand, the band sounds
much better on songs like “What’s my name”
and “Man in a glass”, which are both good
faster uptempo melodic Power Metal tracks a la
LEATHERWOLF. Like I said, if only the band would hire a
better singer, then it would all sound more interesting.
Check it out for yourself at: http://jestersmoon.iuma.com
(Points:
6.5 out of 10)
 KIM MARTIN ‘HEART AND
SOUL’ (INDEPENDENT)
KIM MARTIN is a very good-looking Californian girl, who
is also making very impressive music on her debut CD
‘Heart and soul’. Between all the
teenie-popstars, KIM MARTIN is a blast to hear, as her
80s orientated Female Fronted Melodic Poprock/AOR take us
back to a time when VIXEN, LITA FORD and JAIME KYLE were
hot items in the Rockworld. The 10 catchy tunes on Kim's
first CD show that we need to keep a close watch in the
future on this girl, as she is a great singer/songwriter
(bassist) with already quite a lot experience. Some of
the highlights include “I like ‘em bad”
(great strong classy 80s catchy melodic rocker a la
VIXEN), “You never know” (the piano-keys in
this song bring you even further back to a time when
AOR/Radiorock ruled the charts in the US, the early
1980s, this song is Classic AOR like a mix between TOTO,
TYCOON and early PAT BENATAR, a very impressive tune!),
“Listen to your heart” (my favourite, another
classy AOR song with a superb chorus, very much akin to
JAIME KYLE) and the melodic Poprocker “Outta
here” which brings us to PAT BENATAR circa 1982.
This girl surely knows how to rock and I can recommended
her CD to everyone who likes good old fashioned female
fronted rock! One more thing, I saw this CD was released
back in 1998, so it has been a while and I believe a new
CD is being produced at the moment, so we’ll keep
our fingers crossed. In the meantime, check out her site
at: http://www.kim-martin.net and e-mail Kim at: kimmrocknroll@msn.com
(Points: 8.5 out of 10)
BITTERSWEET
MANICS ‘BITTERSWEET
MANICS’ (XENON RECORDS)
From Woodbridge, VA, USA comes BITTERSWEET MANICS, a
female fronted rockband. There are 7 songs on their CD,
and although not all songs will appeal to the melodic
rockfan, there’s some deal of female fronted rock on
this disc. Opener “Unlikely” is one of the
strongest songs on the CD, as this is a good
straightforward uptempo melodic hardrocksong. Weaker are
modern heavy rock influenced songs like “Holy
one”, “Decide” and “Never wait”.
Nevertheless, this is quality rockband with some good
female vocals and a couple of nice tracks on their debut
CD, such as “Unlikely”, “Puzzle” and
“Tattler”, so if you want to check out more on
them, go to: http://www.bittersweetmanics.com and e-mail them at: xenonrcd@aol.com
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
 DEFYANCE ‘TRANSITIONAL
FORMS’
(NIGHTMARE RECORDS)
DEFYANCE is a band from Iowa, USA and ‘Transitional
forms’ is their 4th CD, but the first to feature
(former) BALANCE OF POWER lead singer LANCE KING. I
haven’t heard the previous albums, but I can easily
conclude that this new album of DEFYANCE is a highly
recommended melodic Progressive/Power Metal album that
combines the best of other established American bands
such as KAMELOT, BALANCE OF POWER and DREAM THEATER.
There are 9 songs on the album, and none of them is
average, actually, they are all sensational! It’s
hard to pick favourites, but I must definitely mention
songs like “Connection” (lovely uptempo melodic
Prog Metal a la BALANCE OF POWER), “Passing of the
night” (superb uptempo Prog Metal a la KAMELOT),
“A force to face my fears” (great melodic Prog
Metal a la DREAM THEATER), “Silent tears”
(FANTASTIC uptempo stuff a la KAMELOT/BALANCE OF POWER),
“A notion” (one of the absolute highlights,
song with a big chorus) and “Just beyond my
sight” (in this song Lance sounds a lot like James
LaBrie, while the song itself has also a very strong
DREAM THEATER approach, without being a copycat). This CD
is a total must if you like quality melodic Prog/Power
Metal, it’s like a mix between BALANCE OF POWER and
DREAM THEATER, with mostly catchy choruses. Check out
more info on them at: http://www.nightmare-records.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 VISIONARY ‘STRANGE BUT
FAMILIAR SHORES’ (NIGHTMARE RECORDS)
The American label NIGHTMARE RECORDS has done 2 great
releases of 2 American bands. First there was the 4th CD
of DEFYANCE, and secondly, there’s the 2nd CD of
VISIONARY, a Progressive Rock/Metal band from Salt Lake
City. Their new album contains 8 tracks, and is not so
heavy as DEFYANCE as BALANCE OF POWER, but calmer, while
still being a pure Progressive Rock/Metal album. The
melodies on most of the songs are really beautiful, and
especially lead singer Tony Horstmanshoff is a shining
spot in the middle of all this, because his voice is
really fantastic. The first song “Care of
angels” sets the base for the rest of the CD, as
this first track is a lovely calmer melodic Prog
Rock/Metal song with a very catchy chorus, like DREAM
THEATER turning a bit more commercial and radio-friendly.
In the same category we can find the SUPERB “A part
of me” and “God sleeps”. Also check out
some great Prog Metal in the shape of “The
void” and “Media”. 2 more favourites of
mine are the last 2 tracks, “Words of the
Frenchman” (a la SYMPHONY X, with very clean
melodies and impressive keyboardwork) and
“Deserae” (wonderful AORish piano-ballad).
Basically, this is another highly recommended Progressive
Rock/Metal album from The States. Check out more info on
them at: http://www.nightmare-records.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 FIREFLY ‘AUTOMATIC’
(MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
Do not confuse this FIREFLY with the Escape Music signed
act, although both play exactly the same style, which is
groovy melodic (hard) rock with a touch of AOR in a
couple of songs. This FIREFLY consists of guitarist Bob
Gilles (NIGHT RANGER, MALMSTEEN) and drummer Ron Wikso
(THE STORM), and other respected session musicians. The
CD they released is called ‘Automatic’ and
although it’s a quality record, both instrumental
and production wise it all sounds very impressive, my
complaint is that none of the included 10 tracks really
takes off to become a sensational track. This is just an
album you play a couple of times and then probably forget
about. I am not saying it’s a bad record, but
it’s just isn’t as strong as all the other
AOR/Melodic Rockalbum currently released in Europe and
especially considering the fact that some of the
bandmembers worked with big names like Y AND T, JOURNEY,
REO SPEEDWAGON and BOSTON makes you think why this
isn’t as good as everyone hoped for. Nevertheless,
the CD still offers some great tunes like
“Automatic” (great midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock),
“If your lucky” (great vocals, very good semi
melodic rockballad), “Every measure” (best
song, great midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock) and closing track
“If what it takes”, a nice calmer AOR ballad
with impressive lead vocals. So here you have it, a good
quality CD that unfortunately fails to impress with
sensational songs, but still is interesting to have if
you’re a fan of AOR/Melodic Rock.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘MTM ROCK BALLADS
VOLUME 4’ (MTM MUSIC/SUBURBAN)
Here’s another compilation disc put out by MTM
MUSIC, 16 songs are included, of which are 13 are already
or someday very soon to be released through MTM. These
are great songs by the likes of IGNITION, STREET TALK,
BILOXI, ETERNAL FLAME, LOUD AND CLEAR and TOKEN. More
interesting are the 3 unreleased tracks by BRIAN HOWE
(”Tangled in blue” is a nice calmer soulful AOR
ballad of the former BAD COMPANY singer), RADIOACTIVE
(their song “Don’t give up is a great AOR song)
and finally, SOULFUL DREAMS is a new project (?) who
perform a very nice piano-ballad called “Soulful
dreams”. There’s a lot to come on MTM later
this year, but this CD gives you a good summary of stuff
they released the past few months.
(Points:
-)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS ‘MUNICH’S
HARDEST HITS VOLUME 2’ (PANGG DISTRIBUTION)
Whenever I get the chance when surfing on the internet, I
turn on to Munich’s Radiostation ‘MUNICH’S
HARDEST HITS’ and hear only high quality melodic
rock music. In fact, you can listen all day long to this
awesome station, and if you’ll ask me, I can easy
inform you that this is by far the best station in the
world, as they always play great music. Anyway, this
melodic rock station also released 2 compilation CDs,
filled with quality independent music. The 2nd edition
contains unreleased songs by ROXUS, NORWAY and fantastic
AOR songs by lesser-known bands like CHAPTER EIGHT,
MICHAEL RIESENBECK, BRUNOROCK. GATLING GUN, TURN,
MILLENYA and PEARLS AND FLAMES (now called COASTLAND
RIDE). If there’s one disc that will bring you some
of the best independent AOR onto 1 CD, then it’s
this 68 minutes counting compilation disc available at: http://www.munichshardesthits.com
(Points:
-)
 ROBERT VALDES ‘OUT OF THE
SHADOWS’ (RV RECORDS)
Out of California, USA comes ROBERT VALDES, a talented
multi-instrumentalist who sent me his 4th CD ‘Out of
the shadows’, which contains 8 tracks. The music is
a mixture of Classic Rock, 80s Melodic Hardrock and some
Bluesy rock, ending up sounding like a mix between
Y&T and KISS. Robert really did everything on his
own, not only all instruments, but also production,
arrangements and of course the whole writing process was
done by Robert himself. And he did a very good job,
because his CD sounds pretty good. Robert told me in the
studio he wants to do all by himself, but outside the
studio he has a whole band around him, so then it’s
the ROBERT VALDES BAND. However, on this album Robert
does everything alone, and the highlights on ‘Out of
the shadows’ are “Face the truth” (good
strong 80s midtempo melodic hardrock, with very good
vocals, very much like late 80s Y&T),
“Hypnotised” (great semi melodic rocker like
DOKKEN meets Y&T meets PHIL VINCENT, song with big
harmonyvocals during the catchy chorus) and “Lost
control” (catchy uptempo melodic rocker). Without a
doubt, this is seriously some great stuff from the
talented Robert Valdes, more info at: http://www.robertvaldes.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
LIQUID
HORIZON
‘ZEN GARDEN’ (PROMO CD)
We’re back in Germany again with LIQUID HORIZON, and
they have released a new CD titled ‘Zen
garden’. The album contains 5 tracks and is a very
impressive Progressive Melodic Rockalbum of a very high
level. The CD has a big sound, and some of the songs are
really fantastic. They sound like a mix between
VANDENPLAS and BONFIRE. The best songs are
“Glory” (good uptempo progressive melodic
rocker with a very catchy chorus), “Standing in the
shadows” (FANTASTIC uptempo AOR/Melodic Rocker with
a lovely chorus) and “Zen garden” (lovely
uptempo melodic rocker a la PRETTY MAIDS). This is a
great release that combines Prog and melodic rock into
one exciting style. More info at: http://www.liquidhorizon.de and e-mail them at: info@liquidhorizon.de
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 FAHRENHEIT ‘CHAIN
REACTION’ (INDEPENDENT)
This is band from Chile, and it’s pity I don’t
have any info, because their 6 track CD ‘Chain
reaction’ is a very good album that mixes 80s
LA/Glam/Party-Hardrock with classy melodic hardrock.
Opener “Prom nite” is good uptempo 80s
Partyrock a la early MOTLEY CRUE. The rest of the CD is
less Party/Glamrock, and especially the song
“Unleash the love” is very good. This song is
lovely midtempo melodic rock with a very strong chorus
and a sound close to JADED HEART. Also next song “Be
mine” is very impressive, as this is a good melodic
rockballad. “King of the night” follows, and is
a good semi melodic rocker. Then comes the only other
song (“Chains’n’cellars”) besides
opener “Prom nite” that can be labelled as a
Glamrocksong. Closing track “Two souls one
heart” is a nice acoustic ballad with beautiful
harmonyvocals, not unlike NELSON. Copncluded I can add
that this FAHRENHEIT, which sould not be confused with
the thousands of other bands with that name, is a highly
recommended band from Chile. Both to Glam and Melodic
Hardrockfans, go to: http://www.fahrenheitonline.net and e-mail them at: jbassino@mi.cl
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
HARDATTACK ‘NEW ROCK
CITY’ (PANGG DISTRIBUTION)
Back in the 1980s HARDATTACK was formed and ‘New
rock city’ is their 2nd album so far. The band
features among others, the former lead guitarist of TYRAN
PACE, namely Ralf Spitznagel, and probably the 80s Metal
freaks will remember this typical German Metalband that
played a style somewhere between RPIEST and ACCEPT. With
HARDATTACK we move into melodic hardrock that sounds like
a cross between VICTORY, URIAH HEEP and KROKUS, so a bit
of 70s Classic Rock mixed with 80s Hardrock. The vocals
of singer Rich Ponath are raw, not unlike Udo
Dirkschneider. The best songs on their new 6-track CD are
the catchy uptempo melodic hardrocksong “Something
wrong”, the great melodic rockballad “Take me
as I am” and the uptempo melodic rocker “Magic
touch”, which sounds like HEEP meets KROKUS, with
surprisingly better lead vocals than on the other songs.
So, this is a nice band playing classic rock/hardrock,
check ‘em out for yourself at: http://www.hardattack4u.de and e-mail them at: management@hardattack4u.de
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 OLYMPSO
MONS
‘SEVEN SEAS (DEMO CDR)
Do we have another sensational band from Finland over
here? Yes, OLYMPOS MONS is yet another sensational band
from Finland, and they sent me a 4-track demo CDR. The
band was formed less than a year ago, and already prove
to be one of the better bands. They play high quality
melodic progressive/power metal in the style of
STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA, THUNDERSTONE... The 4 songs
on the demo are all very impressive, and mostly uptempo
fast but very melodic. The songs are called “Seven
seas”, “Stars”, “Black” and
“Through the ice and snow”, and for a fan of
this type of
music this is a band to watch out for in the near future.
They might be signed someday soon, but in the meantime go
to their site for more info at: http://www.olymposmons.com and e-mail them at: olymposmons@olymposmons.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
ASKESIS
‘HORROR
VACUI’ (INDEPENDENT)
ASKESIS is an Italian band formed in 1997, and
‘Horror vacui’ is their first release. They are
a good band performing quality Prog/Power Metal, but
it’s not sensational for the moment. However, in the
future things might become better, because I hear the
band is playing their music very well and especially the
song “The flame” shows that ASKESIS is capable
of making great Prog/Power Metal in typical Italian style
(LABYRINTH, WONDERLAND, RHAPSODY). This song also has
some great keys and is by far the best track on their
album. The other 3 songs are nice Prog Metal tunes, so if
the band is able to continue to write songs in the style
of their tune “The flame” on future recordings,
we might add another great band from Italy. For now,
check out their site at: http://www.askesis.too.it and e-mail them at: askesis@inwind.it
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
EDERA
‘SETTINGS
FOR A DRAMA’ (VIDEORADIO)
In the past I reviewed a couple demos of this Italian
band, but now they have released their first official CD
titled ‘Settings for a drama’. The CD contains
13 tracks and I have to say that it all sounds like a
quality record to me, even though it has been released
independently. However, I have to inform you that some of
you might find this band a bit too theatrical at times,
partly due to the lead singer Valerio Valentini, who has
a very different vocal style than most other bands in the
Prog Metal scene. Sometimes the vocals remind me of THE
CURE or QUEEN, although musically the band always moves
into a Prog Rock/Metal style, which is quite good and
sounds like a mix between CLEPSYDRA, SAVATAGE and
QUEENSRYCHE. Most of the songs start calm with piano-keys
(a la SAVATAGE and QUEEN), but evolve into a BOMBASTIC
Prog Metal song like QUEENSRYCHE meets CLEPSYDRA.
Highlights on their CD are “Debris”,
“Roses nails”, “From an open window”
and “Paper world”. This band is bringing
something different than all the other Prog Metal, so it
makes them quite interesting for people looking for
something else than the standard Prog Metal, then go to: http://www.ederaweb.com and e-mail them at: ederaweb@libero.it
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 ELSESPHERE ‘BLIND
LEADING THE BLIND’
(LUCRETIA
RECORDS/INTROMENTAL MANAGEMENT)
ELSESPHERE is a new Swedish band and their debut record
‘Blind leading the blind’ may easily be put
next to all those other sensational Prog/Power Metal
releases coming out of Sweden the past few years. The
band is playing perfectly played Progressive Metal of a
very high level, with great lead vocals and their whole
CD has a big sound, which in total gives you a pleasure
listening to for 1 hour. The album has 8 tracks, not
counting the intro, and already the first song shows that
this band is capable in producing melodic Prog Metal as
good as well-known bands such as DREAM THEATER and
SYMPHONY X. That first track is called “Hole inside
my head” is one of the best song on the CD. The
following 2 tracks (“Mastermind” and “Luna
sea”) are a bit more complex, but still quality Prog
Metal. Other highlights include the pure DREAM THEATER
orientated “Andromeda strain” and the fantastic
“Seasons in hell” (a la SYMPHONY X). Without a
doubt, this is yet another recommended Prog Metal
release!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
GORDIAN
KNOT ‘EMERGENT’
(SENSORY RECORDS/INTROMENTAL MANAGEMENT)
GORDIAN KNOT is an instrumental Progressive Rock project
formed around bassist Sean Malone (CYNIC), guitarist
Jason Gobel (CYNIC), drummer Bill Bruford (KING CRIMSON,
YES), guitarist Steve Hackett (GENESIS, GTR), guitarist
Jim Matheos (FATES WARNING), drummer Sean Reinert (CYNIC)
and guitarist Paul Masvidal (CYNIC). ‘Emergent’
is their 2nd release and just like their first album from
1999, it is filled with high quality instrumental
Progressive Rock/Metal with a groovy wicked approach
every now and then. The best songs on the CD are
“Muttersprache”, “A shaman’s
whisper” and “Some brighter thing”. If you
want to hear a great instrumental record of a very high
level, then this is the CD to look for.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 REIGN OF TERROR ‘CONQUER AND
DIVIDE’
(LION MUSIC/BERTUS)
‘Conquer and divide’ is the new album of REIGN
OF TERROR, the American band formed around guitarist Joe
Stump and lead vocalist Michael Vescara. Without a doubt,
this is a high quality release that basically sets the
record straight for classic American Melodic Heavy Rock
and is clearly in the style of RIOT, FIFTH ANGEL,
IMPELLITTERI, LEATHERWOLF and AXEL RUDI PELL (very
much!). Except for the great semi-melodic rockballad
“The meaning” and the instrumentals
“Seance” and “Lament”, most of the
songs are straightforward uptempo melodic heavy rockers
with biting guitarwork and excellent vocals. My favourite
tracks are “Conquer and divide”, “No
limits”, “Forsaken”, “Sacrifice”
and “Sign of the cross” (LOVELY! Pure
MALMSTEEN). Fans of classic American Melodic Heavy Rock
will definitely love this new CD of REIGN OF TERROR!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
RUSTY
COOLEY ‘RUSTY
COOLEY’ (LION MUSIC/BERTUS)
The American guitarist RUSTY COOLEY has released a very
impressive solo-debut CD on the Finish label LION MUSIC.
The album contains fantastic instrumental Progressive
Melodic Heavy Rock like a mix between MALMSTEEN and
STRATOVARIUS. Songs like “Under the influence”,
“The butcher” and “Dark matter” are
really excellent instrumental prog. Melodic heavy rockers
of a very high level. The album also has 2 vocal tracks,
of which “Dominion” is by far the best, as this
is a great uptempo melodic heavy rocker like RAINBOW
meets MALMSTEEN. The singer on this song is Kelly
Carpenter, and he has a great voice. Concluded, this CD
is one of the best instrumental releases on LION MUSIC so
far!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
JOOP
WOLTERS
‘WORKSHOP’ (LION MUSIC/BERTUS)
The Dutch band ARABESQUE released a great record last
year, and now guitarist Joop Wolters has released his
first solo-CD. The album contains good instrumental Rock,
which is very guitar orientated. The album has various
styles of rock, ranging from heavy groovy stuff
(“Tibet” and “I don’t know”),
funky poppy tunes (“Funk it up” and
“Flamoose”), relaxing poppy songs (“Cross
my heart”, “Prelude for comfort” and
“Endless love”) and Progressive Metal songs
(“Headstart” and “Synthology” –
both best songs of the CD, not unlike the last DREAM
THEATER). The only pity about this CD is the short
playing length, which barely borders 34 minutes! Anyway,
fans of instrumental rock know how to deal with this CD
after they gave it a few spins.
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 TAKARA ‘BLIND IN
PARADISE’
(LION MUSIC/BERTUS)
With the re-release of the third TAKARA release, LION
MUSIC closes the TAKARA book for a while. The album is
just like TAKARA’s other records filled with classy
melodic rock of a very high level, and together with JEFF
SCOTT SOTO’s unmistakable lead vocals it’s
another must-have record for fans of the melodic hardrock
genre. Highlights on ‘Blind paradise’ are
“Take U down”, “Your love 2night”,
“Love is gone”, “Time waits 4 no
one”, “Blind in paradise” and “Say
u’ll say”, but actually all 12 tracks are
sensational. It’s a pity Jeff left the band, because
he was basically the face behind TAKARA, although we must
not forget of course that the real leader of the band is
guitarist Neal Grusky, who has always played his
instrument very well. Anyway, this TAKARA album is one of
those near-classics that should not be forgotten, so if
you haven’t got a copy of it, then here’s
another opportunity to obtain the album.
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 XINEMA ‘DIFFERENT
WAYS’ (UNICORN RECORDS)
The album has been out for a while now, but here’s
finally our review and I can right away inform you that
this is a very impressive record. XINEMA is a three-piece
Swedish band, existing since 1999, and their debut CD
‘Different ways’ sounds like a mixture between
Progressive Rock, AOR, Sympho and even Pomprock.
It’s a real adventure listening to the album, as you
hear so many influences, but mostly you can hear
similarities to bands like KANSAS, RUSH, STYX, ASIA,
SAGA, 70s GENESIS… Opener “In the scent of the
night” shows that this is a band of a very high
level, because this song is high class Progressive AOR
that sounds like SAGA meets ASIA, a very 80s approach
indeed with great harmonyvocals referring to late 70s
Pomprock during the catchy chorus. Other highlights are
great semi-ballads like “One day”,
“Different ways”, “Across the Styx”,
“How can I believe and the secret”, all
sounding like ASIA with JOHN WETTON on vocals, yet here
it is multi-instrumentalist Mikael Askemur who is
singing. My favourite tracks however are
“Timing” (great 80s Prog Rocker like ASIA,
SAGA), “Distant lights” (one of the strongest
songs, high class uptempo AOR like ARC ANGEL meets HARLAN
CAGE during the chorus) and the Progressive/Symphonic
Rocker “Blind is the light” (ASIA meets SAGA
meets MR. MISTER!). This CD is definitely a must for
Prog/Sympho Rock fans, but even the AOR fans might want
to check this out. More info at: http://www.unicornrecords.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
AGORA
‘DEMO
CDR’ (ARGENTA RECORDS)
I have very less information on the band AGORA, but the 3
songs on their demo CDR are really superb. AGORA comes
out of Mexico and they play Melodic Prog/Power Metal of a
very high level. The songs are sensational, vocally
everything sounds perfect and also the production is very
impressive, so this band is definitely one of the new
highlights in the Prog/Power Metal scene. The 3 included
songs are all SUPERB melodic Prog/Power Metal songs, with
last song “?” (don’t even know the
songtitles!) as best track, as this song has a terrific
AORish chorus and lovely keyboardwork. I can’t wait
to hear more of this awesome band, in the meantime check
out their site at: http://www.agorasite.com and e-mail them at: agora_bosch@hotmail.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
 ALL THAT I BLEED ‘DYING TO
REMEMBER’ (SILVERSTONE RECORDS)
We’re off to Puerto Rico where we meet the band ALL
THAT I BLEED, and their first release ‘Dying to
remember’ is a fantastic high quality melodic Prog
Metal release that will please all DREAM THEATER fans.
The album features 8 long tracks, and basically
everything sounds just perfect. The vocals of singer
Leonardo Rivera are very strong, and the CD itself has a
very big sound, complete with impressive artwork and
liner notes, and more importantly the included songs are
all very sensational. To name a few, songs like
“Dying to remember”, “Gods”,
“Real” (super melodic!) and closing track
“Promise of life” (a deadringer for DREAM
THEATER fans, an 18-minutes counting epic) are all lovely
Prog Metal songs of the highest level you can get.
Concluded, I can easily recommend this band for fans of
quality music, which is of course Prog Metal, go check
out their site at: http://www.allthatibleed.com and e-mail them at: info@silverstone-music.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
NO
FEAR ‘PROMO
Y2K2’ (DEMO CDR)
NO FEAR is a professional band from Italy, and I believe
they already released a full-length album in the past,
but this CDR is a sneak preview of things to come. The
present demo CDR ‘Promo Y2Ks’ contains 4
brand-new tracks of NO FEAR, and I must say that this is
quality stuff. The band is playing a mixture of Melodic
Hardrock, classy 80s US Power Metal and today’s
Italo Prog/Power Metal. First song “The ten
secrets” is a good example of their sound, and with
the track “Break your chains” NO FEAR has a
great song in the tradition of HELSTAR and LETHAL. Things
slow down during the great calmer semi melodic rockballad
“Lookin’ for the truth”, which is also the
longest song on the album. The only weaker song is
closing track “Make your choice”, a weaker
groovy Metal song. Nevertheless, this band is one to
watch out for in the future, and a future full-length
release will show if they are able to produce more
quality stuff. Check out their site at: http://www.fanzine.net/etichette.eg and e-mail them at: emanuelegentile@sicilyonline.it
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
SEVEN
GATES
‘THE MADMAN INSIDE’ (DEMO CDR)
We’re heading into Sweden again with SEVEN GATES,
and without a doubt, this band can easily be labelled as
yet another sensational band from the country that brough
you so many other fantastic bands. SEVEN GATES come ouf
of the city of Halmstad, and their demo CDR contains 6
wonderful tracks. They play excellent Melodic Prog/Power
Metal with a clear Scandi approach, ending up sounding
like a cross between DREAM EVIL, HAMMERFALL and the first
EUROPE classic. This CDR is very promising and I can
easily predict they will get signed soon to one of the
Prog/Power labels in Europe, as their music is of a very
high level. If we have a look at the 6 included songs, I
must mention as highlights the tracks “The
saviour” (high quality uptempo melodic Power Metal a
la HAMMERFALL, DREAM EVIL), “So far away”
(great melodic Prog Metal with a lovely melodic chorus)
and “The madman inside” (great semi melodic
rocker combining 80s EUROPE and today’s Prog Metal,
with a strong chorus after 6 ½ minutes. Basically, SEVEN
GATES is another sensational band from Sweden. Highly
recommended to fans of mentioned bands. More info can be
found at: http://stage.vitaminic.com/vii-gates and e-mail them at: jjrockford@hotmail.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 NOSTRADAMEUS ‘THE THIRD
PROPHECY’
(AFM RECORDS/ROCK INC.)
The Swedish band NOSTRADAMEUS return with their third CD
‘The third prophecy’. The album is again filled
with quality music that fits somewhere between melodic
Heavy Rock and Power Metal, and although the 11 included
tracks are very nice, it’s not as good as other
bands in this genre (HAMMERFALL, DREAM EVIL).
Nevertheless, the album still offers some great songs
like “Randall flagg”, “The future will
show”, “H.M.S. Ulysses” and closing track
“One for all, all for one”, a bonus live track.
These are 4 great catchy melodic metal tunes, while the
rest of the CD is just nice, but nothing sensational.
However, with this CD NOSTRADAMEUS proves they are gonna
stay for a while in this genre and they are able to
continue making quality Metal.
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BISS ‘JOKER IN THE
DECK’ (POINT MUSIC/ROCK INC.)
Not that long ago the band BISS from Germany released
their debut CD, and now there’s already a new album
in the shelves. The reason is that the line-up changed
dramatically. Former VICTORY singer Fernando Garcia left
BISS, and the replacement is MICHAEL BORMANN, the lead
singer of JADED HEART! Also new members are drummer Jos
Zoomer (VANDENBERG) and VENGEANCE guitarist Barend
Courbois. Together with bandleader Doc Heynes
(guitarist), BISS has recorded a new album, and I think
we can now better call them a German/Dutch outfit.
Anyway, the new CD follows the same steps taken on their
debut, yet with a different approach sometimes, because
the melodic heavy rock of BISS has a clear
‘Modern’ touch on a few songs. Although Michael
Bormann is singing, fans of him need to know that this
record is very different than anything Michael has done
in the past. Highlights on the album are “Rebel
without a cause” (nice uptempo melodic heavy
rocker), “Primal scream” (good melodic
hardrock), “Flying high” (good melodic
rockballad) and closing track “Trust” (by far
the best song, this is great uptempo melodic rock).
It’s nice to see PAUL SABU returning to the scene
with a co-written track called “Dogfighter”,
but unfortunately it’s the weakest track of the CD,
just like Paul’s last records from the mid 90s!
However, the rest of the CD is much better and offers
quality music. If you don’t mind your melodic heavy
rock to sound modern at times, then check out this BISS
release!
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
MESSER ‘THE FIRST
MESSAGE’ (INDEPENDENT)
MESSER comes out of Israel and ‘The first
message’ is their very first album. They play nice
Prog Metal and the only negative point I could make after
hearing their record was that the production isn’t
that good. However, it’s the music that counts and
especially the first 3 tracks on their CD are very good.
These are “Lonely” (very long song a la SHADOW
GALLERY, DREAM THEATER), “Tunnel” (uptempo Prog
Metal with nice keyboardwork, a bit Italian style) and
“Black bird” (slow prog with very good melodic
chorus). These songs show that MESSER is capable of
producing quality Prog Metal. The rest of the CD is less
interesting, because the band is experimenting sometimes,
such as on the funky “Mercury city” or the
average songs “Shaitan” and “Strange
moon”. If the band continues to make songs like the
first 3 tracks on their CD, and if they can impriove the
sound/production quality, then there’s no reason
this band should not be known outside of Israel. Chec out
their site for more info at: http://www.messer.com and e-mail them at: achilov@zahav.net.il
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
CHRIS
APPLETON ‘DRAGON’S
CRUCIFIX’ (INDEPENDENT)
It’s almost unbelievable, but CHRIS APPLETON from
Manchester, England is only 14 years old and he has
already a CD released. The album is called
‘Dragon’s crucifix’ and contains good
quality instrumental melodic hardrock with biting
guitarwork of Chris. I am quite impressed of the talent
by this 14-year old, my favourite ongs on his CD would be
“The machine”, “Dragon’s
crucifix”, “From the skies” (awesome) and
the 80s MAIDEN influenced “Black riders” and
“Zenith”. Chris is a very talented young
guitarist, and I think we will hear more of him in the
future. Who knows what will happen next! In the meantime,
check out his site at: http://www.mp3.com/apps and e-mail him at: mark_apps@yahoo.co.uk
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
FAST
MACHINE ‘SUDDENLY’
(SINGLE)
FAST MACHINE is the new band of former WHITE SISTER
member Gary Brandon, who plays guitars, synthesizers and
sings on the 2 songs of the CD he sent me. Don’t
expect anything like WHITE SISTER, who were responsible
for writing classic AOR songs such as “A place in
the heart”, “Love don’t make it
right”, “Promises” etc. Nevertheless, the
2 songs available of FAST MACHINE are still pretty good.
The titletrack “Suddenly” is my favourite, as
this is a great semi AOR/Melodic Poprock ballad with some
modern touches here and there. I look forward to a
full-length CD in the future, and truly hope they will
also put some uptempo AOR rockers in the WHITE SISTER
style on that record, then it will be a blast to look out
for! In the meantime, check out their site at: http://www.fastmachinerocks.com and e-mail them at: gtb_ent@pacbell.net
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
PESTICIDE
‘BOTTLED’
(INDEPENDENT)
The Swiss band PESTICIDE has a new CD out, and included
are 4 tracks. Musically we have to deal here with good
performed melodic Progressive Rock. My favourite tracks
are “World of war” and “My life”.
Both the production and the performance is very
impressive. The only thing I found a bit silly was the
childish ‘South Park’ frontcover, but
don’t let that put you off, because the included
music is quite good. More info on them at: http://www.pesticide.ch and e-mail them at: info@pesticide.ch
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 FALKIRK ‘MAGNUS
IMPERIUM’ (BRENNUS RECORDS)
Magnus imperium’ is the second CD of the French band
FALKIRK. Although they are not as good as MANIGANCE, this
is still a highly recommended band in the world of
Progressive/Power Metal. The 10 included songs sound like
a mix between PRETTY MAIDS, BLIND GUARDIAN and LABYRINTH.
There’s some really great stuff on this CD, such as
the uptempo melodic metal pieces “Calling” and
“The conspiracy”. Personal favourites however
are “Twilight bride” (lovely Prog/Power Metal
like BLIND GUARDIAN meets LABYRINTH), “Trial of
madness” (another excellent Prog/Power song) and
closing track “It will be me” (superb melodic
semi-ballad with Prog Metal elements, also a beautiful
chorus with lovely melodies and nice keyboardwork).
FALKIRK definitely proves to be one of the better French
bands at the moment, just check out their new release!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 SNAKE EYE ‘WILD SENSES’
(BRENNUS RECORDS)
This band was formed only 1 year ago and already they
have a full-length CD released on the BRENNUS RECORDS
label. And to inform you right away, this is really a
great melodic hardrockalbum, so please read further.
SNAKE EYE hail from Paris and so they are another
sensational new French band to watch out for. Their first
CD ‘Wild senses’ sounds like the perfect mix
between HAREM SCAREM, WHITESNAKE, GOTTHARD and BONFIRE.
The album contains 9 tracks, and everything sounds just
perfect, not only musically and production wise, but also
the lead vocals of singer Boban are quite strong. If I
must mention the highlights of this disc, I would have to
add the songs “Countdown to midnight” (catchy
uptempo melodic rocker, a bit like the very first HAREM
SCAREM), “Tears in my eyes” (great uptempo
melodic rocker), “Now” (melodic rocker with a
very catchy chorus, best song!), “Hope” (also
very catchy, a bit like WHITE LION) and the KIM WILDE
cover “Kids in America”. If you want to hear
good performed quality late 80s US Melodic (Hard) Rock,
then this is the CD to look for, because SNAKE EYE is
bringing you this kind of classy rock!
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 SEVENTH WONDER ‘SEVENTH
WONDER’ (INDEPENDENT)
The band SEVENTH WONDER has released a 4-track CD, and
without doubt, it’s a real quality release. The
songs are good and the production is impressive.
Musically they play melodic Prog Metal that sounds a bit
German (EDGUY/DIONYSUS/MOB RULES style), and my only
complaint would be the vocals which aren’t that
good. The band used to have the lead singer of INSANIA in
their line-up, who is a great singer and has released 2
very good albums with his band INSANIA. Although lead
singer Roman Karpovic isn’t as good as the previous
SEVENTH WONDER lead singer, still the songs make up a
lot, because tunes like “Blinding my eyes”
(uptempo Prog Metal with a catchy chorus) and “Save
me” (a la DIONYSUS) are very good songs. Latest news
on the band is that they have another new lead singer,
named Andi Kravljaca, who replaced Roman Karpovic. Check
out this band at: http://www.seventhwonder.nu and e-mail them at: seventhwonder@spray.se
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 JESSE DAMON ‘THE HAND THAT
ROCKS’
(ON FIRE RECORDS)
Lead singer/guitarist JESSE DAMON used to be the singer
in the classy melodic rockband SILENT RAGE, and now has a
solo-CD out called ‘The hand that rocks’. Well,
I am afraid to say that this album doesn’t really
rock. I had hoped for some big class AOR/Melodic Rock
like on the first 2 SILENT RAGE classics, but instead we
get to hear a 50 % rock/50% pop album with only a few
really good tracks. Even names like PAUL SABU and GENE
SIMMONS show up on this CD, but unfortunately the album
isn’t as strong as I hoped it would be. Sure, there
are great songs on the album, such as “Gotta let it
go” (nice midtempo AOR/Melodic Rock), “Love
isn’t love” (very good midtempo AOR) and
“Someone like you” (by far the best song, this
is a great semi AOR Ballad with a beautiful chorus and a
pure 80s sound, not unlike MARK FREE, FAKE I D and some
of the best STARSHIP brought us). But in the end, there
are too many ‘so-so’ tracks on this disc, such
as the experimental pop/rock songs “Lay the
blame” and “Help me”, the soulful
popballad “Heart of love” (late RICHARD MARX)
or the average poprocker “Dear sanity” (a la
BENNY MARDONES). Jesse can do much better than this, as
he proves on the song “Someone like you” and
like he did with SILENT RAGE. Nevertheless, it isn’t
a bad record, because all songs are played well, it only
has a few really good tracks. Check out the site at: http://www.jessedamon.com
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
RUSTY
SOULS ‘DUST
DEVIL’ (DEMO CDR)
RUSTY SOULS hail from Gothenburg, Sweden and they sent me
a good 4 track demo CDR. The sound quality isn’t
that good, but the included music is making that up. The
band is playing slow groovy doom metal with a lot of good
melodies, something like BLACK SABBATH meets CANDLEMASS.
Peter Nilsson is the lead singer of RUSTY SOULS and he
has a great strong voice. I don’t have any info on
the songtitles, but the songs “If you could see it
through my eyes” and “Cold” on the demo
are the best ones. If you’re into CANDLEMASS,
you’re gonna love this band too. Check ‘em out
at: http://www.listen.to/rustysouls and e-mail them at: rusty_souls@knac.com
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
BEFORE
THE DAWN ‘MY
DARKNESS’ (LOCOMOTIVE MUSIC/BERTUS)
This is a band from Finland, and they recorded their
debut CD in the famous Finnvox studios, but they
don’t play a la STRATOVARIUS. BEFORE THE DAWN is
playing a mix of Progressive metal and Black/Death Metal.
The problem is the fact that they have a singer with a
dark voice and a singer with a clear voice, both also
being the guitarists of the band. They remind me a lot of
INTO ETERNITY, so if you like that band, you will totally
love this band as well. Me however isn’t that
enthousiastic about the band, because the use of a darker
and a clear voice isn’t necessary, just use a clear
voice all the time on a future record and then it all
could turn out to sound a lot more interesting than it is
now. Instrumental it is high quality Prog Metal, but due
to the dark vocals on basically every song, the only
songs I enjoyed were “Seraphim and “My
darkness”. What more can I add to this release?
Well, it’s only recommended to fans of Progressive
Death Metal, such as INTO ETERNITY also does on their
releases.
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
DIMENSION
FIFTH ‘REAPING
THE WORLD WINS’
(HAMMERHEART RECORDS)
This is a band from Finland, but before you think this is
yet another sensational melodic Power Metal band a la
STRATOVARIUS, let me inform you that BEFORE THE DAWN is
taking things a little bit different. They play a mixture
of Gothic and Power Metal, with some slight experimental
90s/Industrial Metal influences here and there. The CD
itself has a great sound and production, but
unfortunately not all the songs are convincing.
Especially the songs “Dimension 6”, “The
3rd generation armageddon”, “Mirrorheart”
and “The dawn” are quite average. Much better
are melodic Power metal orientated tracks such as
“Reaping the world winds”,
“Betrayer”, “In a dreamlike state of
mind” and “With an overdose of ecstasy”
(the best song, melodic prog metal with a lovely chorus).
Basically, this band is trying to play a little different
than all the other Finish bands at the moment, but they
fail sometimes and that’s a pity, because they are
definitely capable to make a quality record. The album is
interesting if you besides Prog/Power Metal also enjoy a
band like IN FLAMES.
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
 WITCHED ‘PROMO CDR’
(PROMO CDR)
WITCHED comes out of Italy, and this Promo CDR contains 5
tracks. The band is currently working on a full-length CD
which will contain 9 tracks, of which 5 are included on
this CDR. The band is playing very good 80s influenced
melodic rock with aor influences here and there. The only
pity is that the sound quality isn’t that good, but
this is just a promo CDR, so I think the full-length CD
will have a better sound. However, the music is quite
impressive like I already mentioned. Opener
“Higher” is a great catchy uptempo melodic
rocker, while following track “The last time”
is a nice midtempo melodic rocker. The highlights can be
found in the shape of “Quicksand” (classy 80s
AOR/Melodic Rock) and “Wild night” (great
midtempo melodic rock with AORish chorus, a bit like
BONFIRE). Closing track is the calm ballad “Russian
night”. I can easily recommend this band to fans of
80s melodic rock a la BONFIRE, TREAT, WHITE LION, DANGER
DANGER, FIREHOUSE... More info on WITCHED at: http://www.witched.it and e-mail them at: dariosapi@yahoo.it
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 RELATIVE SILENCE ‘MIXTURE?’
(INDEPENDENT)
The past few years Progressive/Power Metal has exploded
in Spain, with many young new bands making high quality
records, just to name a few, I would have to add DARNA,
AVALANCH, SARATOGA, WARCRY, TIERRA SANTA, SARGON, and now
we can add RELATIVE SILENCE from Oviedo as one of the
latest discoveries. This foursome is playing awesome
Prog/Power Metal of a very high level. Unfortunately
there are only 4 songs on the CD, but with a playing time
of 26 minutes, it
will give you enough pleasure. The strongest songs are
“Colapso emocional” and “Dias
extranos”, both with nice keyboardsolo’s by the
female member of the band, Helena Pinto. This band is
recommended to fans of quality Prog/Power Metal,
especially fans of mentioned bands cane asily check out
RELATIVE SILENCE at: www.relativesilence.com and e-mail them at: relativesilence@terra.es
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 NEPENTHE
‘EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT’
(INDEPENDENT)
Unfortunately, this band from New Jersey broke up in
1999, but their music can still be heard through mp3.com
and the CD I received dates back to 1997, but as I never
saw a review or anything, I decided to give it a review
anyway and inform you about the great stuff NEPENTHE put
out. They play calm but very melodic Progressive Rock
that is from a very high level, comparable to bands like
ENCHANT, IQ, GREY LADY DOWN, JADIS... The lead vocals are
very good and super melodic, comparable to ENCHANT and
some of the 7 included tracks are very sensational. This
is a CD you put on a few times and then you’ll
discover how good it really is, with lots of beautiful
melodies all around the album and beautiful
keyboard/guitarwork. The CD starts with
“Skyrocketstereo”, a beautiful calm semi Prog
ballad a la ENCHANT, with lovely melodies during the
chorus. Up next is the good Neo-Prog song “Moses
doesn not breathe”, followed by another great semi
Prog Ballad “The ugly and the brave”. Next
track “Sorrow” starts with big keyboards, and
is basically another great semi Neo-Prog melodic rocker,
not unlike IQ. The piano-ballad “Beauty is a warm
mind” follows. One of the absolute highlights is the
superb Neo-Prog melodic rocker “Brethren”, with
some very strong vocal performances. Closing track of
this wonderful CD is the single version of “Moses
does not breathe”. I believe the band recorded more
albums, which I hopefully can hear soon. In the meantime,
check out their site at: http://www.mp3.com/nepenthemp3
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
 KEVIN LEE ‘LOADED’ (BIG
BLAST RECORDS)
Out of Chicago comes singer/songwriter/guitarist KEVIN
LEE, who has just released his third CD
‘Loaded’. It all started 10 years ago with his
great debut CD ‘Restless’, which was followed
up in 1997 with ‘Walk a mile in my shoes’. Now
his new CD is released and happily nothing has changed
musically, because KEVIN LEE is still playing classy 80s
melodic poprock in the style of RICK SPRINGFIELD, EDDIE
AND THE TIDE, EDDIE MONEY, JOHN PARR... The first 5 songs
are very impressive, such as the catchy uptempo melodic
poprocker “Where do we go from here” (pure
80s), “Loaded gun” (another catchy 80s
poprocker) and the lovely semi AOR ballad
“Down”. The rest of the CD is a bit less
sensational, but still good performed Poprock with some
modern touches here and there. Also pretty good is the
BRYAN ADAMS early 80s type of uptempo AOR/Melodic
Poprocker “She’s so complicated”. If you
have the earlier records of Kevin, you can easily
purchase his new record, if not, then I can recommend it
to anyone who likes 80s type of guitar orientated Melodic
Poprock with a lot of
good melodies. More info at:
http://www.kevinleeonline.com and e-mail him at: kevinlee@musician.org
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
ALAN
WHITTAKER ‘OUT
OF THIS WORLD’ (INDEPENDENT)
Multi-instrumentalist Alan Whittaker from England sent me
his CD ‘Out of this world’. This album is
filled with quality music that has very good lead vocals
and instrumental passages, but is very calm and towards
the end the mix of prog, pop and poprock gets a bit
boring. The beginning features good songs like “Her
beautiful disguise” (uptempo melodic poprocker) and
“Anyhow” (a la RICHARD MARX and JOHN PARR).
Later on the CD is getting a bit too poppy with many
influences from 70s Popmusic, ending up sounding like
CHRISTOPHER CROSS or a bit like ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, so
not really rocking. The only song that would attract
rockfans is the good Neo-Prog orientated “Perfect
life”, which reminds me of JADIS. Basically, not a
bad record, but a bot too poppy sometimes. More info at: http://www.mp3.com/alan_whittaker and e-mail him at: alan.whittaker@virgin.net
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
SHUT ‘EXCRUCIATING
PLEASURES’ (INDEPENDENT)
Multi-instrumentalist GARY SCHUTT has a new CD, now as
SHUT, and the CD he released is titled ‘Excruciating
pleasures’. He did everything on his own, and did a
pretty good job, although I have to say that earlier
releases of Gary were better, because they had more to
offer for the melodic rockfan. This new album has modern
influences on a lot of songs, such as the groovy
Hardrocksongs “Drama queen”, “Psycho
bitch” and “Someone new”. These are
definitely not bad songs, but I also can’t call them
really sensational, but with the good vocals of Gary and
his instrumental passages nothing’s wrong. The best
song by far has got to be the lovely semi melodic
rockballad “Lost soul mate”, a la 80s DOKKEN,
also with lovely melodic lead vocals. It’s a pity,
Gary didn’t include more songs like this tune on the
CD, because then it would have been more interesting.
Nevertheless, fans of Gary and if you like your melodic
hardrock to have a modern twist, then please go to: http://www.SHUTworld.com
(Points:
7.0 out of 10)
ESGAROTH ‘MY
REVOLUTION’ (DEMO)
Italian band ESGARATH sent me a demo CD with 9 tracks.
Although musically all is played well, vocally it
isn’t that impressive. The music is pretty much a
mixup of classic rock and hardrock, ending up sounding a
tad like AC/DC here and there (“Nice feeling”).
The best song is the uptempo progressive melodic rocker
“The throne”. However, if the band really wants
to get some attention, then please hire a new singer,
because now only instrumental they can keep up with other
bands. Check it out for yourself at: http://utenti.lycos.it/esgaroth and e-mail them at: Ivan.peru@libero.it
(Points:
-)
GLASSMOON ‘INTERNAL
UNIVERSE’ (INDEPENDENT)
GLASSMOON is yet another sensational Italian band. Their
3-track debut mini-CD contains well performed Italo
Prog/Power Metal a la WONDERLAND, LABYRINTH, HOLY
KNIGHTS... It is obvious that first track “Use your
head” is the best song, as this is Prog/Power Metal
of a very high level, and dangerously close to LABYRINTH.
The other 2 songs are just nice, the calmer semi-ballad
“Forgotten dream” and closing track
“Internal universe”. I think the future will
tell us more, but this 3-track CD already shows that
GLASSMOON is another Italian band to keep our eyes open
for. More info on them at: http://www.glassmoon.it
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
 AVELON ‘MIRROR OF
FATE’ (ROCKWERK RECORDS)
Do not confuse AVELON with AVALON, although musically
both German bands soundalike quite close to each other.
Anyway, AVELON has released a CD called ‘Mirror of
fate’ and I can easily call this a typical German
melodic metal release (a la EDGUY, DIONYSUS, HAMMERFALL).
It’s also a very good CD, not only musically, but
also the production and professional booklet and artwork
are making this CD as interesting as any label release.
My only complaint is that the lead vocals could sound
better (drummer Hendrik Thiesbrummel sings), so they
could consider trying a lead singer, so Hendrik is able
to concentrate 100% on the drums. Back to the CD,
highlights include “Counterbalance” (great
uptempo melodic metal with a very catchy chorus, pure
EDGUY!), “Tale of the king” (good midtempo
melodic metal), “Out of the night” (catchy),
“Echo of the dark” (very good melodic metal),
“Stone believer” (another great melodic Power
Metal piece) and the closing track “The lady of the
land” (great Prog/Power Epic with playing length of
12 minutes!). If you’re a fan of melodic metal a la
EDGUY, HAMMERFALL... and you don’t mind a German
accent in the vocal part, then better check out AVELON
a.s.a.p. at: http://www.avelon.net
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
2ND
OPINION REVIEWS BY RONNY ELST
Iron
Mask “Revenge Is My Name”
Category : new release
Format : CD
Playing time : 50:48 minutes
Release : 2002
Label : Lion Music
Style : neo-classical metal
Country : Belgium
Songs : Enemy Brother Overture ; Revenge Is My Name ;
March Of Victory ; The Witch Burner ; Alien Pharao ;
Dimension X ; Morgana’s Castle ; You Are My Blood ;
The Wolf And The Beast ; Secret Tunnel Of The King ; Hold
The Light ; Warchild Requiem
Iron Mask is actually the second band/project from Dushan
Petrossi, Belgium’s best guitarist.In 1999 Dushan
released the cd “The Arrival” with his band
Magic Kingdom.This cd was received very well but due to
contractual problems with their former label (Music
Avenue) their second album will not be released before
2003 (by LMP from Germany).Lion Music from Finland
proposed Dushan to sign his second band/project Iron
Mask.The album “Revenge Is My Name” was
recorded in the Excalibur studio in Brussels.Dushan did
the production by himself together with his keyboard
player Youri Degroote.The songs on this cd are especially
up-tempo melodic (power) metal compositions, always with
great neo-classical guitar solo’s from Dushan.There
are also a few interesting instrumental tracks and one
ballad.In my opinion this is an excellent melodic/
neo-classical metal release, with a good vocalist
(comparable with Mike Vescara) and with top
musicians.Maybe a bit too Yngwie influenced, which is
certainly not a problem for me!!!Malmsteen, Masi, Simonz,
Perlepe’s, At Vance, Dionysus, Stump, Symphony X
fans ; “Revenge Is My Name” is a next
masterpiece for your neo-classical collection!!!
Homepage : www.lionmusic.com
E-mail : petrossidushan@hotmail.com
(Points:
9.0 out of 10)
Dionysus
“Sign of Truth”
Rubrik : new release
Format : CD
Spielzeit : 54:47
Release : 2002
Label : AFM Records
Style : Melodic/Neo-classical metal
Land : Sweden/Germany
Songs : Time Will Tell ; Sign of Truth ; Bringer of
Salvation ; Pouring Rain ; Anthem (for the Children ;
Holy War ; Don’t Forget ; Walk on Fire ; Never Wait
; Loaded Gun
This new sensational Swedish/German band was founded in
1999 by Ronny Milianowicz (drums/ex-Sinergy) and Jonny
Öhlin (guitars/ex-Nation). The band was soon completed
by Nobby (bass/also ex-Nation) , Kaspar Dahlqvist
(keyboards/Treasure Land - Stormwind) and Olaf Hayer
(vocals/ Luca Turilli).Since their start they directly
started to rehearse, to record and to play live at some
festivals.The result of their hard work is the cd
“Sign Of Truth”.The opener “Time Will
Tell” starts with a majestic keyboard intro and
developes into a mid-tempo melodic metal song with as
another highlight a great guitar solo.”Sign Of
Truth” is the next melodic (power) metal jewel and
“Bringer Of Salvation” is played in the best
Priest/Primal Fear/Iron Savior tradition.”Pourin
Rain” is for me the most Nation influenced song,
with great vocal melodies from Olaf.”Anthem”
and “Walk On fire” are 2 great mid-tempo
melodic/progressive metal songs.”Holy War”
(which was originally a song from Olaf’s other band
Lord Byron) is a cool Helloween/Grapow sounding song. In
the best Scandinavian tradition there’s also a
breathtaking ballad called “Don’t
Forget”.The 2 last songs “Never Wait” and
“Loaded Gun” are 2 other great melodic (power)
metal composition. Also the sound of the cd is great
because Tobias Sammet did the co-production and Tommy
Newton the mixing. Well, as I hoped and expected the
songs on “Sign Of Truth” reminded me a lot of
Nation, a great 80’s melodic/neo-classical heavy
rock/metal band.Only the sound and songs are now a bit
harder, but still even melodic! A super tip for
melodic/power/neo-classical metal fans!!!
E-mail : kaspar@dahlqvist.net
(Points:
9.5 out of 10)
(All
reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem, except where noted)
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