'The odyssey' is the 6th studio-CD of the American band SYMPHONY X, and this time they have chosen to follow a slightly heavier style, although it's still pure melodic Progressive Metal. The change can be heard in the vocal approach, because lead singer Russell Allen introduces a more aggressive vocal style on a couple of songs, although his excellent melodic voice can also be heard on all songs. It's just a small change for SYMPHONY X, to make this album different than their earlier recordings. Anyway, 'The odyssey' is a fantastic album that will be loved by all fans of quality progressive metal and of course the SYMPHONY X fans.

There are 8 songs on the new CD, of which closing track "The odyssey" is the most notable song with its 25 minutes of playing length. The song itself is also one of the highlights, as it is a great epic melodic progressive rocker (like ENCHANT meets DREAM THEATER) with a bombastic (almost movie-like) sound. The song is divided in 7 parts, of which closing piece "Champion of Ithaca" is the absolute climax. Other highlights are "Accolade 2" (HIGH CLASS super melodic style (SUPERB lead vocals and lovely keys), pure Progressive Pomprock, like KANSAS meets DREAM THEATER), "Awakenings" (again fantastic lead vocals, song itself is lovely melodic prog metal) and "Wicked" (uptempo prog metal). Every fan of the band, but also people into quality prog metal can easily buy 'The odyssey'. The album will be released very soon, so keep your eyes open for the beautiful artwork of the CD to appear in your music store, and then purchase your copy a.s.a.p.!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The American Progressive Rock/Metalband AZTEC JADE released 2 impressive CDs so far, in 1995 'Modern prophet' and 'Frame of mind' in 1997. ADRENALINE RECORDS released a compilation of these 2 CDs called 'Paradise lost' 2 years ago. Now the band from New York has finally released a complete new CD entitled 'Concrete eden'. This is definitely their best effort so far, as the album contains SUPERB HIGH QUALITY PROGRESSIVE ROCK/METAL in the style of ROYAL HUNT, SYMPHONY X, KAMELOT, ENCHANT, ARTENSION… If you're a fan of this kind of melodic progressive 'bombastic' rock/metal, then you need to buy AZTEC JADE's new CD a.s.a.p., because this album fits perfect in the category of mentioned bands.

The CD has a big sound, and most of the songs are really awesome bombastic symphonic prog metal pieces. The band sounds very melodic, also partly due to their fantastic lead singer Leon Ozug. The CD contains 11 tracks, and starts with the good uptempo progressive melodic heavy rocker "Concrete eden". Next track "The machine" is nice prog metal, but things get really sensational with the superb semi-Progressive AOR/Melodic Rockballad (that changes into an uptempo rocker halfway!) "Black October", a song reminding me of ARTENSION and BALANCE OF POWER. Up next is the excellent melodic progressive rocker "Someone, not me" (very much like ENCHANT).

The band is getting over-the-top with additionally 4 fantastic songs following the 2 previous mentioned sensational tracks. First there is the lovely uptempo epic progressive melodic rocker "Manifestation" (a lovely chorus and a sound close to ROYAL HUNT). Then there's the great midtempo 'bombastic' prog metal piece "Victory procession" (a la SYMPHONY X, with a superb melodic chorus). "Visions" follows and is a terrific bombastic prog metal song like KAMELOT and SYMPHONY X again. Track number 8 on the CD is called "Revelations" and this awesome prog AOR ballad is the last sensational track on the album, because the last 3 songs are just nice prog metal songs a la NEVERMORE. However, what remains is an extraordinary HIGH QUALITY Prog Metal release that is a must for every fan of the genre. AZTEC JADE proves to belong to the best with their new CD. Soon an interview, but for now get your copy of this album a.s.a.p.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

PALACE OF BLACK is a new band formed around lead singer MIKE VESCARA, who most of you know from bands like OBSESSION, LOUDNESS, REIGN OF TERROR and of course as singer on a couple MALMSTEEN records. Now he has his own band, PALACE OF BLACK, and their debut has been out for a few months now. The music on the band's same titled debut CD is quality 80s inspired melodic metal a la FATES WARNING, early QUEENSRYCHE, RADAKKA with a tiny bit Doom-Metal influences (read: CANDLEMASS). Although there aren't any uptempo songs on the CD, and most of the material is slow in tempo, the songs are all very melodic and a pleasure to listen to. The only pity is the short playing length, because the album doesn't even reach the 40 minutes! However, from start to finish it's all quality stuff what we hear, so no complaints about the music here. The best songs are "Seasons" (slow melodic HR with a great chorus), "Burnt offerings" (very good melodic prog metal), "Season of madness" (another nice prog metal song) and "Did I know you" (beautiful chorus!). Fans of Mike Vescara can easily buy this record, but I can also recommend it to anyone who wants to hear good clean classic melodic metal a la RIOT, JACK STARR, old QUEENSRYCHE, HELSTAR…

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

The French band K.O.B. arose from the ashes of WOTAN, a very old band formed in 1976. 'Mekanism of time' is the debut CD of K.O.B. Musically it is pure 80s inspired US Power Metal a la HELSTAR, RIOT, FATES WARNING, MAIDEN… Highlights on the CD are "Heroes die young" (uptempo melodic metal a la MAIDEN), "The race" (another uptempo melodic metal piece), "Winter's call" (epic semi-ballad), "The right way" (pure 80s US Power Metal a la HELSTAR) and closing track "Time" (best song, great midtempo 80s US Power Metal a la QUEENSRYCHE/FATES WARNING). This is a nice debut from the French band KOB, a quality record and recommendable to fans of 80s Melodic Metal.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Hero' is the second album of the French band CENTURY SCREAM. The album is filled with quality progressive metal like VANDENPLAS, HOUSE OF SPIRITS, but with some Modern Metal influences here and there (like SUPERIOR, PAIN OF SALVATION). There are 10 tracks on the CD, and together with a great production I can easily recommend it to all prog metal fans. The best songs are "Parano" (uptempo melodic power metal), "Trilogy 1: New days" (great melodic prog metal), "Trilogy 2: Living through ages" (very melodic epic semi-ballad) and "Another way" (nice prog metal). Despite the few less interesting tracks ("Hero" and "Carapace"), this is a good progressive metal record from yet another quality French band.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Kite' is the new CD of the Italian band EVIL WINGS. The album is very diverse in Rock/Metal approach, ranging from Prog Metal to modern Metal and even Groovy Hardrock. The interesting songs, among the 11 included, are "Shine in the neverending space" (good melodic prog metal with great vocal work and a nice chorus), "Night song" (good melodic progressive rockballad), "Kite in the abstract picture" (fast uptempo melodic power metal a la AXXIS/HELLOWEEN) and the melodic rockballad "Future is…". The rest of the CD isn't bad, but too diverse to make a big impression. The band can do much better, like the previous mentioned songs prove. On the other hand, someone who appreciates a variety in Rock/Metal styles might enjoy EVIL WINGS a lot, as they have a lot to offer.

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

PHENIX is a new French band, and their debut CD 'Sacred fire' has been released on Brennus Records. This is really a high quality release, as the band is playing an excellent mixture of 80s US Power/Prog Metal and 80s Melodic Hardrock, ending up sounding like a cross between early QUEENSRYCHE/FATES WARNING, DOKKEN and AXEL RUDI PELL. The band has a very good lead singer (Bertrand Gramond), and all 7 tracks (not including the intro track) are sensational. This CD is highly recommended to fans of quality guitar-driven 80s melodic hardrock/metal. The absolute highlights are "The endless quest" (fantastic midtempo 80s US Power/Prog Metal a la CRIMSON GLORY/QUEENSRYCHE/FATES WARNING/ZANDELLE/SYRIS/SPIRIT WEB), "A call from the sky" (very impressive uptempo melodic metal, pure 80s!), "The other side" (great epic ballad) and "The keepers of the sacred fire" (superb classy 80s melodic rocker a la DOKKEN/KEEL). This CD is highly recommended if you're into any of the mentioned bands, so all melodic metal freaks go and get yourself a copy of this excellent release!

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

And here's another quality French band! This band is called SEYMINHOL, and they have been active since 1992, releasing a couple of mini-CDs, but 'Northern recital' is their official debut CD. Just like PHENIX, also SEYMINHOL has a good lead singer (Kevin Kazek). He also writes all the lyrics for the band, and on their CD 'Northern recital' the songs are structured around a concept based on 18th century early medieval Scandinavia. The extensive liner notes in the booklet tell you all about the historic legends SEYMINHOL is singing about. Now back to their music, which is excellent Symphonic Melodic Power Metal a la RHAPSODY, ROYAL HUNT and STRATOVARIUS. The CD is split in 3 parts (3 stories actually), and when you leave out the few short intro's, there are 8 full-length tracks that are all very impressive. "Iron of God" is a good uptempo Symphonic Melodic Metal song like RHAPSODY meets TNT.

Next track "The call of war" is faster and takes us into pure classy Euro Power Metal (like RHAPSODY). The great epic prog ballad "The funeral" follows. One of the true winners is the SUPERB uptempo Symphonic Prog/Power Metal tune "Ode to eternity" (with lovely keyboards and vocals) that reminds me of ROYAL HUNT, ARTENSION, and STRATOVARIUS… "Under a blood red banner" follows and is another great piece of fast uptempo power metal (with a catchy chorus by the way!) a la BLIND GUARDIAN. Another favourite track of mine is "Sackonungr", which is a great very melodic 9-minutes counting epic prog ballad a la TIME MACHINE. The CD continues with the nice uptempo melodic metal piece "Immortal lords". Last full-length track on the CD is the Prog/Power Masterpiece "At the back of thunder". Basically, SEYMINHOL is another high quality French band, and their CD is highly recommended to fans of RHAPSODY and ROYAL HUNT.

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

This French band has just released it's debut CD on Brennus Records. The album contains a wide range of musicstyles, from Glam, Melodic Hardrock to Power Metal and even a bit Popmusic can be heard on the CD. There are 13 tracks on the album, and actually it is quite good what we hear, although it sounds very diverse. Opener "Random shooting" is a catchy uptempo melodic rocker a la KICK/ HEARTLAND. Next track "Sagrerament" is a fast Euro Power Metal piece that reminds me of ANGRA! Following track "Nothing changes" is a great progressive melodic rockballad, but then suddenly the musicstyles changes 360 degrees. The reason is the song "Show me the way", a horrible Pop/R&B tune with a drumcomputer! I can't find any reason why they put such a song on their album, but happily the next 2 tracks are better and rocking again! "I believe in pain" is a nice melodic heavy rocker, while "Days of victory" is a very good progressive melodic rocker.

The rest of the CD offers 3 more non-interesting tracks, namely "You won't kill me twice" (80s pop/rock), "Angel and devil" (weird song) and "Go go dancer" (drumcomputer orientated song). I only need to mention here the closing track "Lovers in the distance", a great progressive melodic rockballad. This album has a lot of ups and downs, and I can only advise the band to put more songs like
the first 3 tracks on a future CD, because they prove DROP-O-RAMA can definitely make good music.

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

INNERCHAOS is yet another new French band. Their debut CD 'Neopolis' contains quality progressive metal, but it's not as sensational as label mates PHENIX and SYMINHOL. That's partly due to the fact that the Progressive Metal of INNERCHAOS has some Modern Metal influences (PANTERA), but that's mainly in the instrumental division, because the band has a good lead vocalist who makes INNERCHAOS interesting. The songs are not really melodic, but from start to finish it's all progressive metal, no doubt about that! There's some heavy guitar on all songs, and the groovy riffs give the whole CD a very modern sound. Towards the end of the CD, we can hear the best songs, such as "Hologram kid" (semi prog metal ballad), "Neopolis 2" (nice uptempo prog metal) and "Spirits" (good prog metal). Maybe not a sensational band, but definitely a quality band, recommended to fans of less melodic prog metal…

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Like the bio informs us, this band is hard to categorise. However, I can describe the music of the French band HAJIRO as slow groovy Metal with clear 70s influences (from THE STOOGES, MC 5, LED ZEPPELIN). However, the 9 included songs are really nothing special, although I need to add it isn't bad at all, and we have to deal here with highly skilled musicians, but it's not the kind of Melodic Rock/Metal we usually discuss. So I can only recommend this CD to fans of groovy Metal with 70s Rock influences, kinda like the mentioned bands, only different!

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The female fronted Greek Neo-Prog band LA TULIPE NOIRE returns with a new CD release entitled ‘Faded leaves’. The CD has a great sound and contains excellent high quality Neo-prog a la LANDMARQ, IQ and PENDRAGON. There are 9 songs on the CD, with a total playing length of 68 minutes, and some real Prog jewels can be heard. Highlights are "Castle on the sand" (great melodic rockballad), "Lost souls ballad" (very good neo-prog melodic rocker), "A beggar's tale" (uptempo Neo-prog a la ARENA) and "Le fond du ciel" (excellent keyboardwork, pure Neo-prog a la LANDMARQ). This is probably the best LA TULIPE NOIRE CD, a must for all Neo-Prog fans!

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

AXENSTAR is the latest new sensation from Sweden. This band can easily be mentioned alongside DRAGONLAND, MORIFADE, DREAM EVIL, NOCTURNAL RITES, THE STORYTELLER… The band's debut CD 'Perpetual twilight' has a really big sound, and all included 9 songs are catchy super melodic uptempo progressive power metal pieces. From the first few seconds until the very end of the CD, it's all sensational melodic prog/power metal from the highest level you can get. All songs feature catchy memorable choruses and many melodic harmonyvocals, while the instrumental parts are just perfect (the keyboard and guitar intermezzo's) and last but not least, AXENSTAR has a great lead singer (Magnus Erikksson), who also plays keyboards. It's hard to mention favourite tracks, because all 9 songs are sensational, but the absolute highlights are "All I could ever be" (very fast uptempo melodic power metal with a super catchy melodic singable chorus and a killer hookline), "Scars" (superb 'catchy' uptempo melodic rocker, the best song on the whole CD), "Enchantment" (great uptempo melodic metal), "Confess thy sins" (fast power metal) and "Perpetual twilight" (another fast power metal piece). This CD is A MUST for fans of QUALITY MELODIC POWER METAL, especially those who enjoyed recent CDs by DRAGONLAND, MORIFADE and NOCTURNAL RITES! This album is one of the highlights of 2002!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Also on the Spanish label ARISE RECORDS is the 2nd CD of the Swedish band FRETERNIA, but their album is not as good as AXENSTAR's debut. However, this new CD of FRETERNIA is still a high quality release. The music is a mixture of Progressive/Power Metal and Melodic Heavy Rock/Metal, and I found them sounding a bit 'German' (like HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY and even PINK CREAM 69). There are 9 tracks on the CD, of which my favourites are "Grimbor the great" (great uptempo melodic power metal), "The dark side" (melodic heavy metal with a catchy singable chorus), "The unexpected" (uptempo melodic rock/metal with a fantastic catchy 80s type of chorus), "New hope" (great uptempo melodic metal with again a catchy chorus, also notable in this song are the upfront keyboards, because the rest of the CD the keys are less prominent) and closing track "Requiem" (another fantastic catchy uptempo melodic rocker). Although in the beginning of this review I informed you this album of FRETERNIA wasn't as sensational as the other ARISE RECORDS releases (like AXENSTAR and ARWEN), I can still give the album a big recommendation!

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

The Spanish label has released 3 excellent CDs this month, 2 Swedish bands (AXENSTAR, FRETERNIA) and 1 Spanish band (ARWEN). 'Memories of a dream' is the debut CD of the Spanish band ARWEN. The band has a line-up consisting of 8 members, 2 lead singers (male and female), 2 guitarists, 2 keyboardplayers, 1 bassist and 1 drummer. This makes ARWEN quite unique in the Metal scene. Their CD has a full sound due to those 2 guitarists and 2 keyboardplayers. ARWEN's music is high quality melodic Prog/Power Metal, not unlike LABYRINTH meets LANA LANE. 'Memories of a dream' is a very impressive album with 9 songs that are filled with catchy melodic harmonies and choruses to sing-a-long with. The highlights are "Time's gate" (excellent melodic prog/power with catchy high-pitched harmonyvocals), "Alone" (semi-ballad a la LANA LANE, yet with male vocals), "So high" (great Prog/Power a la LABYRINTH) and "Eternally" (one of the few songs with female lead vocals, lovely ballad a la LANA LANE). Actually the whole CD is very sensational, so the conclusion is that this is yet another highly recommended band with a fantastic debut release!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

MOON OF STEEL is an Italian band, and 'Insignificant details' is their second CD. The band has a good female lead vocalist called Sarah Bonetti, who gives MOON OF STEEL a melodic touch, although their music is quite dark and almost gothic, but always Progressive Metal. Sometimes, the songs remind me of ARABESQUE, the Dutch band who recently released their debut on LION MUSIC. Although this isn't a sensational CD, I still enjoyed listening to the 'dark' progressive metal of MOON OF STEEL. Some of the highlights are the Progressive Metal songs "I am" and "Details part 2" and the (semi) ballads "After all" and "I hear you call". MOON OF STEEL's new CD is recommended if you like your Progressive Metal to sound a bit dark (like NEVERMORE), only with a melodic female lead singer.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Rock Opera has made a big comeback the past few years with such stunning projects like AYREON and AVANTASIA. Now, the Italian label FRONTIERS RECORDS has also released a Rock Opera entitled 'Genius'. The whole concept of the CD is based on dreams, and with a playing time of almost 80 minutes, you definitely get something for your money. The music of GENIUS is a mix of Progressive Melodic Rock and Progressive Metal. GENIUS is formed around guitarist/bassist/ keyboardplayer Daniele Liverani (EMPTY TREMOR, KHYMERA) and drummer Dario Ciccioni (KHYMERA). The list of lead singers is very impressive, because on this GENIUS record we can hear the following vocalists: Mark Boals, Lana Lane, John Wetton, Joe Vana, Steve Walsh, Midnight (CRIMSON GLORY!) and many others.

You can't go wrong with such fantastic singers, and indeed, the songs are all filled with top-notch vocal performances. From start to finish it's all high quality music! Some of the highlights are "Without me today" (uptempo prog/power metal, 12 minutes), "The right place" (very proggy, even a bit jazzy, but still very good prog/power, kinda like SYMPHONY X), "All of your acts" (perfect 80s type of fun uptempo melodic rocker), "Dreams" (catchy uptempo melodic power metal) and "The glory of our land" (very proggy, again like SYMPHONY X). Fans of AYREON and AVANTASIA can buy this new Rock Opera without any doubts, and 2 follow-ups are already planned for the next 2 years, so we will hear much more in the near future.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Robert Fleischman became famous after writing and performing with JOURNEY in the 70s, but left the band to start a solo career. The result was the average debut LP 'Perfect stranger' in 1979, which I played only once in my life (!). Much better was his brief stint with CHANNEL, with whom he managed to release an AOR Classic in 1984 (the song "When I look back" is an instant AOR Classic!). A few years later Robert sang on the debut album of VINNIE VINCENT. The following years Robert wrote a lot of songs for movies and also played an integral part in some of the decade's top hits. Now in the year 2002 Robert has finally released a new solo album, 23 years after the release of his first LP. Involved musicians are members of HEAVEN AND EARTH and THE STORM.

The music is pure 80s AOR with a strong resemblance with THE STORM. 10 songs are included and it's all quality AOR, but unfortunately vocally Robert isn't singing as good as he did in his heydays. The harmonyvocals in every song are clearly needed (backing vocals by Kelly Hansen from HURRICANE), because Robert can't do it on his own anymore. I am not saying he can't sing, because in the past he proved to be an excellent singer. However on this CD it's clear to me that Robert's vocals are not that good as (for example) a Kevin Chalfant or Jimi Jamison. Therefore the CD isn't THE AOR album everyone waited for, because 'World in your eyes' isn't a sensational record and not a must for the AOR fan.

On the other hand, the songs are all quite good, and if you like AOR, it's definitely a nice record to own. Especially the first 5 tracks are very good, such as the uptempo "World in your eyes" (best song), "Heaven to me" (THE STORM!), "The crush" (uptempo AOR) and the semi-AOR ballad "Over my head" (written by BRYAN ADAMS!). The only average song is closing track "Walking on fire", which is a groovy rocker. The rest of the CD is good performed quality AOR. Fans of THE STORM, THE VU and TWO FIRES need to give this CD a listen…

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Sometime ago I reviewed a demo of the Finish band DREAMTALE. Well, they signed a deal with SPINEFARM RECORDS, and the result is the full-length debut CD 'Beyond reality'. It's a very professional CD, including 12 tracks. The album has a fantastic huge sound and a high quality production. The music is typical Scandi Power Metal, which means fast but always very melodic, kinda like STRATOVARIUS, SONATA ARCTICA, HAMMERFALL and NIGHTWISH. I have to admit this is a very sensational record, and believe me, all songs are very impressive. Most of the songs are uptempo, with my favourites being "Memories of time" (fast uptempo Power Metal a la STRATOVARIUS), "Fallen star" (NIGHTWISH meets STRATOVARIUS), "Where the rainbow ends" (catchy uptempo melodic heavy rock/metal), "Time of fatherhood" (excellent, best song, uptempo AOR/Melodic Rock) and "Dancing in the twilight" (another fast melodic power metal piece). Fans of mentioned bands can easily buy this debut CD of DREAMTALE.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This German band is hard to categorise, as they have an own style. The band has a very good melodic lead singer (Thomas Sorge), while the music is a mixture of Melodic Rock, Progressive Rock and some modern heavy rock/hardrock. 8 songs are included on their CD, and especially the first 2 songs are very impressive. These are the slower progressive melodic rockers "One life apart" and "Time in my hands", both with great melodic choruses and a sound somewhere between ENCHANT and AXXIS! The following 4 songs are not as good as the first 2 tracks, but still nice progressive rock orientated pieces. Another sensational track is the midtempo progressive melodic rocker "Second tree in paradise" that reminds me of SINISTER STREET with it's good hooks and biting guitarwork. Closing track "Silent water" is pure 70s Prog a la GENESIS (Gabriel era). So, this is a very diverse band, and recommended to open-minded prog rockfreaks. More info at: http://www.panama-online.de and e-mail them at: panama@panama-online.de

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

Although much has been said that real metal is dead in the USA, here and there in the States great new melodic metal bands pop up. For example, this BURNING SHADOWS out of Rockville, MD. They play awesome melodic US Power/Prog Metal in the style of TWISTED TOWER DIRE, STEEL PROPHET, ICED EARTH, ZANDELLE, SPIRIT WEB, SYRIS… There are 5 songs on their CD 'The darkest winter', and only opener "Force of fire" is just nice uptempo metal, because the rest is sensational melodic metal. The band has a very good melodic lead singer called Brian Knesel, who also plays bass. Now let's talk about the sensational songs. "The darkest winter" is very good high-class progressive metal. Up next is the lovely uptempo melodic metal piece "The human in me" which sounds like a mix between TWISTED TOWER DIRE and early STEEL PROPHET. More True Metal can be heard in "Forest of the dead". The best song however is closing track "Whisper suffering", a 8-minutes counting epic. This is quite superb Progressive Metal with a nice Keyboard intro. So, basically BURNING SHADOWS is one of the new generation of US Metalbands playing classy 80s melodic metal. Highly recommended to fans of mentioned bands. More info at: http://www.burningshadows.com and e-mail them at: contact@burningshadows.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

HEAVE come out of Sweden, and like many other bands from that country, this is a quality band with a very good melodic lead singer (Per Rickard). Only the production of the 4 included songs is not that good, but on the other hand, songs like "Fears come alive", "Hey" and "Playing with fire" are good melodic (prog) metal pieces. Another comment I should make is the short playing length of some of the songs (like the 2 minutes of "Hey"). So, with some longer songs next time, and a better production, maybe even a full-length CD, then this band is another sensational band from Sweden. For now, check out their site at: http://www.heave.nu and e-mail them at: info@heave.nu

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

The debut CD of FATES WARNING was probably the start for real US Power/Progressive Metal. Although QUEENSRYCHE was already active in the Seattle area, the music of FATES WARNING was more complex and progressive. 'Night on broken' can be seen as a groundbreaking album for pure Progressive Metal. It captures everything a high quality melodic prog/power metal demands, such as high-pitched vocals, catchy melodies, biting guitarwork and many tempo changes, while most of the songs are quite long in length and sometimes epic. METAL BLADE RECORDS has re-released the first and second CD of FATES WARNING. The re-releases are not only interesting for people who never purchased the original albums, but the fans of the band are pleased with a few unreleased bonustracks on each CD.

'Night on broken' contains 4 bonustracks (2 rehearsal tracks from 1983, a live track and an original MISFIT demo track from 1984). The band was originally called MISFIT and this one bonustrack from the demo they made under the MISFIT moniker is one of the best tracks they ever recorded! The song is called "Last call", and is basically a fantastic pure melodic progressive metal song. But of course the whole CD they later recorded under the FATES WARNING is filled with this kind of high quality melodic prog metal, with as highlights "The calling", "Night on brocken" and "Damnation" (fantastic!). All FATES WARNING fans need to purchase this re-release, due to that lovely unreleased MISFIT track! If you never heard the classic debut of FATES WARNING, this is the chance to do so and then find out where Progressive Metal started…

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

FATES WARNING's second album 'The spectre within' has also been re-released by METAL BLADE RECORDS, and again with 4 bonustracks, although these 4 extra tunes are demo recordings of songs that can also be found on the original album. However, people who never heard that 2nd CD of FATES WARNING might easily purchase this CD. On this album the band sounded like a mix between IRON MAIDEN, QUEENSRYCHE and HELSTAR. Although their debut was a little bit better, also this album must be in the collection of every fan of US Power/Prog Metal. Highlights on 'The spectre within' are "Orphan gypsy", "Without a trace", "The apparation" (fantastic midtempo and uptempo melodic prog metal with excellent melodies) and "Epitaph". 'The spectre within' is basically part 2 of classic 80s US Power/Prog Metal!

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

We're back in the USA with ETHERIA, and after hearing the first notes of their 3-track demo CDR I was thinking too myself, is this a new QUEENSRYCHE album in the style of 'Operation mindcrime'! OK, the band sounds a lot like QR circa mid 1980s, but ETHERIA does it very well, playing high quality melodic progressive metal. They are one of the many new sensational bands from the USA playing this 'lost' Metal style. Without any doubts, I can inform you that ETHERIA is right up there with bands like SYMPHONY X and KAMELOT, the only difference is that they only have a 3-track demo CD independent out! All 3 songs ("Await salvation", "Inside" and "Long way from grace") are sensational HIGH QUALITY Progressive Metal songs, almost as good as QUEENSRYCHE in their heydays. The band's lead singer Mike Blair could have been a brother of Geoff Tate, and although I said that musically they also sound a lot like QR, there are some differences. For example, ETHERIA has a full-time keyboardplayer in their line-up, and his keys can be heard clearly on each song, unlike QUEENSRYCHE. Anyway, I look forward to the band's full-length CD 'Genesis' to be released in the near future. In the meantime, check out this awesome New Jersey settled band at: http://www.longwayfromgrace.com and e-mail them at: Nightmaremgmt@aol.com

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

We all know Tony Harnell as being the fantastic lead singer for the Norwegian band TNT. However, he also has a side-project called MORNING WOOD. The album they have released on Escape Music consists of original and cover songs. The music is very different from TNT, as this is a very calm acoustic oientated westcoast/aor/pop album. Like I said, the album contains a lot of covers, such as "Give a little bit" (SUPERTRAMP), "One of these nights" (THE EAGLES), "Love hurts" (NAZARETH) and TNT's own "Tonight I'm falling". The own songs however are the most interesting, like the great opener "Not scared anymore", a semi AOR ballad. Also the AOR ballad "More now than ever" is quite good. I had rather heard more original material instead of all the covers, but concluded I can say this is a nice album filled with quality performances. However, fans of TNT first need to give this a listen, because it is not a Hardrock/Metalalbum at all!

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

The first solo-CD of TNT guitarist was released back in 1999 in Japan, but Escape Music has now gave it a European release. However, I doubt if it's an interesting albums for Hardrockfans, because 'Extra strong string' is a very diverse modern pop/rockalbum. All kinds of musicstyles are present on the CD, ranging from Raprock, Modern Pop, Groovy Rock to Hi-tech Pop. I am not really sure what to do with this album, as it has absolutely nothing to do with Hardrock, AOR or Metal. So, I can only recommend it to open-minded Rockfreaks I guess, or anyone who wants to know what the TNT guitarist is doing besides his own band TNT.

Rating: - (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

I guess you can call this the ultimate PINK FLOYD TRIBUTE ever released, because so many well-known musicians from the AOR/PROG/HARDROCK scene have come together in order to make this tribute possible. Some of the musicians include former members of JOURNEY, KISS and YES, and people like STEVE LUKATHER, TOMMY SHAW, GLENN HUGHES, ROBIN MCAULEY and JEFF SCOTT SOTO. To many to mention them all, but I think you'll get the picture by now. This is a high quality tribute to one of the pioneers of Progressive Pop/Rock. Some of the songs covered are "Another
brick in the wall" (of course), "Run like hell", "Money" and "Have a cigar". This is definitely a recommended album to the PINK FLOYD fans, but also if you want to hear so many famous musicians on 1 album, well, then this is the CD you need to hear!

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Wisconsin, USA comes TALAMASA, a quality Progressive Metal band that just released it's 2nd CD 'Ascension'. The band is clearly influenced by early QUEENSRYCHE, HELSTAR, early FATES WARNING and other typical 80s US Power/Prog Metal. The band also recorded a cover of the QUEENSRYCHE song "The whisper", which was also used recently for a QUEENSRYCHE tribute on ADRENALINE RECORDS. The band has got a very good high-pitched lead singer called Steve Gentz. I also have to admit that their CD sounds very professional and it would not have been misplaced on the release schedule of the Metal labels in Europe. The best songs are "The unspoken word", "Realization", "Fear" and "The virtuous man", all great Progressive Metal pieces. This band is a total must if you want to hear a new quality band from the US of A playing good old Progressive/Power Metal in the style of the first two albums of FATES WARNING. Go to their site at: http://www.talamasca.cc and e-mail them at: egc@dcarecordings.com

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

The English label A2 RECORDS has re-released the first 2 albums of the Swedish band MILLION as a double CD. I forgot which year these albums have been released, but what I do know is that the first album ('No.1') is a fantastic classic melodic rock record, while the second CD of MILLION ('We, ourselves and us') was quite weak. Anyway, let's star with 'No.1', a fantastic classy 80s Scandi melodic rockalbum from start to finish. This is like combining the best of TREAT, DALTON, DOKKEN, DAVINCI and SCORPIONS into one exciting super melodic rockalbum. All songs are filled with catchy hooks and memorable choruses!

Highlights are the uptempo melodic rockers "Sign of victory", "Time after time" and "Hold me, touch me", the midtempo AOR rockers "Lovers", "Live it or leave it" and "Winds of change" (HUGE chorus!) and finally, the lovely melodic rockballad "Tomorrow". Everything sounded perfect on that debut CD of MILLION. Unfortunately the band changed their style, and therefore the second CD 'We, ourselves and us' is not really interesting. This CD contains groovy Melodic Hardrock with a clear modern touch. Most of the 10 included songs on this CD go in one ear and come out the other, as they are nothing special. But if you missed MILLION's debut, then purchase this double CD a.s.a.p., because you'll get the 2nd CD as a bonus (even though it's not as good as their debut, the 2nd CD is still nice to own).

Rating: 'No.1' - 9 / 'We, ourselves and us' - 7) (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

I believe this AFFAIR already released a CD, but now they are signed to MTM MUSIC and 'No substitute' is their first CD for this German label. The band is formed around guitarist Bobby Altvater (FRONTLINE) and lead singer Peter De Wint (MYSTERY, CROSSFIRE, OSTROGOTH). Musically AFFAIR is playing quality melodic hardrock in the style of BONFIRE, PINK CREAM 69, WHITE LION… There are 11 songs on the new CD of the band, and it becomes clear that the band is at their best during the uptempo melodic rockers. Therefore the highlights are "Return forever", "No substitute", "Magic radio" and "Game of love", all 4 great uptempo melodic rockers a la BONFIRE and PINK CREAM 69. Towards the end the songs are a bit less interesting, such as the average rockers "Back in the race" and "Why, why", but what remains is a good decent melodic hardrockalbum, recommended to fans of PC'69, BONFIRE, DOKKEN…

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

With such talented musicians like vocalist Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH), bassist Neil Murray (BLACK SABBATH, WHITESNAKE) and drummer Bobby Rondinelli (QUIET RIOT, BLACK SABBATH), you are positive in hearing a decent quality CD. The name of the project is called RONDINELLI, and their CD is called 'Our cross, our sins'. Although the CD is filled with quality classic 70s/80s Hardrock a la RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO, the songs are not convincing. The only really good song is the semi melodic rocker "The meaning of evil". Furthermore it's your typical Hardrockalbum and only recommended to fans of mentioned bands, but don't expect anything sensational!

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The 3rd CD of German melodic rockers CHALICE has an excellent big sound (production by DENNIS WARD - PINK CREAM 69, ANGRA), and contains 12 fantastic songs. The music of CHALICE is a mixture of AOR/Melodic Rock and Progressive Melodic Heavy Rock, kinda like a mix between WHITE LION, PC'69 and PRETTY MAIDS. My favourite songs on their new album are "Chameleonation" (great midtempo progressive melodic rocker), "Turn into" (lovely catchy uptempo melodic rocker with strong harmonyvocals a la STRYPER!), "Run for cover" (another excellent piece of high quality uptempo melodic rock), "Now we are one" (very good faster uptempo melodic rocker) and "Leave you tonight" (great midtempo melodic rocker). I think this is CHALICE's strongest album so far. 'Chameleonation' is definitely recommended to fans of catchy melodic rock!

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

The two legendary lead singers, Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner, have now also released a live CD as THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT. The recording took place in Tokyo, and not only songs from the project's debut CD are played, but also lots of Classics from DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW are featured. The performances are excellent of course, and with a setlist that includes "I surrender", "You can't stop rock'n'roll", "King of dreams", "Street of dreams" and "Mistreated" you can't possibly go wrong. The CD is a must for any fan of these two fantastic singers. As bonustrack we can hear a good new song called "Against the wall".

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Buried alive' is the third CD of the Swedish Prog/Power Metal band ZONATA. Without any doubts, this is the band's strongest release so far, because 'Buried alive' is filled with 10 high quality songs. The music of ZONATA is a mix of Progressive Metal, Power Metal and Melodic Heavy Rock. All songs are very diverse in approach, with lots of various structures and tempo's, but never forgetting a catchy melodic vocal line. This makes ZONATA a bit different than most other bands in this genre, although a comparison to SYMPHONY X is also quite clear. Anyway, the result is that this CD is impressive from start to finish. Highlights are "Visions of sorrow" (catchy faster uptempo melodic power metal), "The last step" (good epic prog/power metal), "The mourner's tale" (mix of PC'69 and Power Metal in the chorus), "In the chamber" (lovely 'polished' progressive melodic rockballad), "You betrayer" (fast power metal) and closing track "Heroes of the universe" (bombastic power metal a la RHAPSODY). This new CD of ZONATA is highly recommended to all Prog/Power Metal fans!

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

'Hastings 1066' is the 2nd CD of the Italian band THY MAJESTY, and it's a true winner for fans of quality Prog/Power Metal a la RHAPSODY, SYMPHONY X and ROYAL HUNT. The songs are very bombastic, and the CD has a very big sound (mastering took place at the famous FINNVOX studios). It all sounds very melodic, also due to the fact that the band's lead singer Dario Grillo has a great melodic voice and most of the songs contain many keys. There are 8 songs on the CD (excluding the 6 short intro's) and trust me, they are all sensational.

The songs are titled "The king and the warrior" (excellent faster uptempo melodic power metal), "Echoes of war" (bombastic power metal, very symphonic as well, many keys, very much like RHAPSODY), "The sight of Telham Hill" (fast power metal a la RHAPSODY again), "The scream of Taillefer" (excellent prog/power with other music influences as well, such as 'folk' and 'classical music'), "Anger of fate" (HIGH CLASS PROG/POWER), "The pride of housecarl" (bit like TIME MACHINE, ROYAL HUNT, SYMPHONY X, with great keyboardsolo), "Through the bridge of spears" (quite superb uptempo melodic metal) and "Demons on the crown" (another great piece of uptempo melodic metal).

The CD comes with a large booklet, and besides, the CD is based on a concept that learns us about the battle between the Saxons and Normans that took place 1,000 years ago. So, basically this CD is highly recommended to anyone who likes high quality melodic Prog/Power Metal in the style of mentioned bands.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Next month METAL BLADE RECORDS will release the new CD of the German Progressive/Power Metalband SYMPHORCE. This band is notable for it's own style, because they mix Progressive and Power Metal with an aggressive guitar style and melodic catchy choruses, while most of the songs are quite slow. 10 songs are included on the new CD 'Phorcefulahead', and all songs are very impressive. Highlights are "Slow down", "Longing home", "Falling through again", "Your blood, my soul" and "Rage of violence", all great pieces of melodic prog metal. If you already know SYMPHORCE, you know what to expect, but I can also advise any fan of Progressive Metal to check out the new SYMPHORCE CD as it is a fantastic CD.

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

TIME REQUIEM is a new Swedish band formed around MAJESTIC lead singer Richard Andersson. Together with producer/bass player Jonas Reingold (FLOWER KINGS, MIDNIGHT SUN) he recorded 9 songs with his new band TIME REQUIEM in the Reingold Studios. The result is an excellent debut CD filled with melodic neo-classical progressive metal from a very high level (a la MALMSTEEN, STRATOVARIUS, ROYAL HUNT and ARTENSION). My favourite tracks are "Time requiem" (great uptempo progressive melodic heavy rock/metal with neo-classical influences, very much like ROYAL HUNT, MAJESTIC, ARTENSION, LABYRINTH), "Milagros charm" (uptempo melodic power metal with catchy harmonies and hooks, not unlike like 1980s MALMSTEEN), "Visions of new dawn" (pure ROYAL HUNT uptempo progressive melodic rocker) and "Grand opus" (faster neo-classical power metal piece, very impressive!). Concluson is simple, this is yet another highly recommended typical Swedish melodic neo-classical prog metal release in the style of NATION, ROYAL HUNT, MORIFADE, DRAGONLAND, MALMSTEEN etc.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

BEHOLDER is a 7-piece band from Milan, Italy, and 'Wish for destruction' is their 2nd CD. The new album is a conceptalbum set in a future world dominated by a scientific progress gone mad. There are 10 songs on the album, and as a bonus a (very professional) videoclip of the titletrack is included. The song "Wish for destruction" also indicates exactly the musicstyle of BEHOLDER presented on the whole album. This is uptempo melodic power metal with excellent melodic female lead vocals (Leanan Sidhe) and aggressive male lead vocals (Patrick Wire), while every song has a catchy melodic chorus. So, the band has 2 lead singers, and I really must say that the female lead singer has got a wonderful voice, and it would all have sounded much better if the band had only used the female lead singer, because her voice is as good as LANA LANE for example. Anyway, still this is a quality CD, and most of the songs are quite good. Highlights are "Wish for destruction", "World leaders", "Bleeding town" (great melodic chorus), "Here comes the fire" (very catchy!), "Failure 617" and closing track "Ultimate
elimination" (longest song). All mentioned songs are uptempo Melodic Power Metal pieces in the style of WHITE SKULL, GAMMA RAY, DOMINE, RHAPSODY… The only difference is the use of 2 lead singers, so this makes them very interesting for people who are looking for good straightforward power metal with a slightly different approach.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)