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TERRA STIGMA is a band from Long Island, New York. They are playing typical American orientated Post-Grunge Rock, sounding like SEETHER, SALIVA, DAUGHTRY, THREE DOORS DOWN and you name it further. However, you can clearly hear that some more work needs to be done here, because the incredible high level of mentioned major label bands is not reached. The intention and will is definitely here, with vocalist JUSTIN AARON definitely showing his skills, but I do feel that if they are able to go into a major studio and spend a lot of time on the production, they could release something quite stunning. A song like “Still here” (a midtempo rocker) shows that the band can deliver interesting material. In the meantime, check them out at: http://www.facebook.com/terrastigma and e-mail them at: (Points: 7.8 out of 10)
Although New Zealand probably has a rich music history, there aren’t many acts that had a major break outside the country. CROWDED HOUSE is of course the major exception, but just like Australia, it is quite hard for new musicians to become well-known all over the world, as they first have to build a name in their homeland. A band that should easily be able to become big is this New Zealand based band called SONIC ALTAR. They were formed in early 2006, already played support to major acts like OZZY, KISS, ALICE COOPER and WHITESNAKE and released this full-length debut CD ‘No sacrifice’ in 2010. The album was recorded with producer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH, JEFF BECK GLENN HUGHES…) and musically it captures the classic traditional melodic hardrock/metal sound. The sound of the album is massive and the band has a really excellent vocalist (KANE BENNETT). 12 tracks are included, starting off with “Tears For The Fallen”, which is a IRON MAIDEN influenced uptempo Melodic Metal tune. Up next is “Window Of Time”, which is really great original uptempo Melodic Hardrock in the style of JADED HEART, with also RAINBOW influences… very sensational stuff actually! “The Guardian” is somewhat different, as this is a midtempo piece, MHR orientated, but also sounding a bit doomy due to BLACK SABBATH riffs and overall reminding me of EDEN’S CURSE and AXEL RUDI PELL. These first few songs are showing the basic ingredients of the SONIC ALTAR sound, which is a mix of midtempo, uptempo and epic based songs, which can also be heard throughout the rest of the CD, while there are also a few ballads included, such as “Mercy” and the powerful “The shadow” that even picks up some DIO influences. One of the absolute highlights is the very catchy “In The Night”, with its memorable chorus and joyful twin-guitarwork. All together this is a rather impressive CD and definitely one of the finest in New Zealand Hardrock history! The sound is close to OUTLOUD, EDEN’S CURSE, PRAYING MANTIS, so European style Melodic Hardrock/Metal is the name of the game here. VANDERBUYST and ENFORCER eat your heart out! It’s almost right up there with KNIGHT FURY, the much-praised Chicago band, who have a similar sound, which is obviously 1980s based and mixes classic melodic metal with traditional melodic hardrock. Check out all info on this New Zealand based band at: http://www.sonicaltar.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
The German band LANFEAR already exists for 20 years now and in this period they have been able to release a bunch of high quality Progmetal albums. In total 5 albums have been released and somehow it seems that their latest release ‘This harmonic orchestra’ is their strongest effort so far. The music is of course the Melodic Progmetal like we have heard it on their previous releases, yet this time they sound a tad heavier, adding some Power Metal influences. In fact, they remind a lot of ICED EARTH, especially during tracks like “Colours of chaos” and “By-product-nation”. The sound of the new album is massive and thanks to the band’s incredible vocalist Nuno Miguel de Barros Fernandes, LANFEAR is sounding very impressive and can easily be put next to other international Metalbands. With this album they should really be able to break some barriers. There are also similarities to THRESHOLD and PAGAN’S MIND to be heard and any fan of the mentioned bands will absolutely love this record, no doubt about that! This is how modern day Metal should sound like! Contender for Metal album of the year! (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
Almost 30 years ago TOM GALLEY started his PHENOMENA project, which resulted in 3 album releases during the 1980s and early 1990s, all featuring a bunch of well-known vocalists and musicians, including GLENN HUGHES, JOHN WETTON, COZY POWELL, RAY GILLEN, BRIAN MAY and many others. After a 15-year hiatus, the PHENOMENA project returned in the mid 2000s and is now up for its 3rd CD release on ESCAPE MUSIC, making ‘Awakening’ the 6th release in total. Musically nothing has changed compared to the previous 5 releases, so once again we can enjoy quality Melodic Hardrock. This time among the vocalists we can find LEE SMALL, TOBY HITCHCOCK, JAMES CHRISTIAN, TERRY BROCK, MIKE DIMEO, while featured musicians include MIKE SLAMER, MAGNUS KARLSSON, TOMMY DENANDER and all members of the band COLDSPELL. Don’t expect anything original, because it is all done by the numbers and some of the songs are actually quite average, while the finest track of the album was already recorded by GLENN HUGHES on one of his solo records (“Homeland”). Not saying this is a bad release, but it seems like the PHENOMENA project has had its most glorious moments in the past and this new record is only interesting for the absolute die-hard fans out there! (Points: 7.5 out of 10)
We reviewed the debut CD of CRIMES OF PASSION a few years ago and now there is the follow-up in the shape of ‘To die for’. They are playing quality Melodic Hardrock in the style of JADED HEART, EVIDENCE ONE, BONFIRE and DOKKEN and they are doing it very well on this new album. Although their album is sometimes pure catchy Melodic Hardrock, here and there the band also goes into a somewhat rougher aggressive almost AVENGED SEVENFOLD direction as well. So it seems this band has 2 faces, although they always come up with big massive choruses that even remind me a bit of NOCTURNAL RITES! The band has a great lead singer (Dale Radcliffe) and some of the Melodic Hardrocksongs on this album are very sensational, especially the songs “Dare You To try” and “Love Is To Die For”. “Love is to die for” is a real killer semi-ballad with an explosive chorus, perhaps one of the finest MHR songs of the past few years! These are the kind of songs that keep you interested in checking out new material! I have to say that some of the more aggressive Metal ish material is less interesting, but overall this is a very good impressive album and when you have songs like the mentioned 2 and “I think I Can Save You” you have a true winner in your hands. Make sure not to miss this album and go check out CRIMES OF PASSION at: http://www.copmusic.net/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
Currently settled in Nashville, singer/songwriter VAN PRESTON has already achieved some fame and fortune with her music. She is one of many upcoming artists, who can easily have a really big break by herself. At the moment however she is very successful in writing material for other acts, but meanwhile also continues her solo career, which brought her support performances in front of such major artists like JAMES TAYLOR, BRAD PAISLEY, KENNY CHESNEY, LEANN RIMES, ALAN JACKSON and MARTINA MCBRIDE. Most remarkable fact is that 2 of her songs were recorded by German Melodic Metal heroes MAD MAX! Her own material is mostly in the Classic Nashville-Country meets New Country Meets AOR direction, not far removed from ALABAMA, RESTLESS HEART, JAIME KYLE, LORETTA LYNN, TAMMY WYNETTE, JUICE NEWTON, etc. etc. The CDR she sent me is her debut from some time ago. It contains 10 tracks, starting with “Tougher Than That” (almost pure AOR, uptempo New Country Poprocker, a lot reminding me of JAIME KYLE). Following track “Bought Myself a Toy” is midtempo bluegrass country rock, not far removed from VINCE GILL. “What Goes Around Comes Around” has the classic old country style semi ballad written all over, while “Schizophrenic Heart” is a classic power ballad and showing Van’s excellent vocals that sound very natural and beautiful here, a bit in a 1970s pop style. “HeartBroke for the Last Time” is an old style honky-tonk country up-tempo tune that recalls KENNY ROGERS and DOLLY PARTON, with a touch of modern DIXIE CHICKS. Then we have another Classic Power Ballad (“Everything I've Never Seen”), AORish, in the style of FAITH HILL and our own ILSE DE LANGE. “Why” is a calm ballad, pure Country and with “Absolutely Broken” we have a midtempo song that may be qualified as almost pure AOR in the PATTY SMYTH/ROBIN BECK style, although also like ILSE DE LANGE. Up next is “Piece of You”, another Honky-Tonk Countryrocker. Closing track is “Forever Ago”, which is another classic power ballad. Basically, VAN PRESTON offers a great mix of the typical Nashville Country and light American AOR/Poprock. One more thing to add here is the fact that on bass we can hear DOUG KAHAN (an AOR legend!). VAN has a great voice and if only something official would be recorded in a major studio with a major producer, then who knows, we might be looking at America’s next big star! She has got all it takes (the voice, her own songs and the looks) to become the next TAYLOR SWIFT! More info at: http://www.vanpreston.com; http://facebook.com/van.preston (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Straight from the sunny side of life, out of the city of Naples in Florida, USA, we received the new CD of LOVE HUNTER, a Melodic Rockband we also reviewed in the past. Now they are back with a new CD titled ‘Drawn to the light’, which is more or less a compilation CD of some of the best tunes LOVE HUNTER has written the past 15 years, yet all newly recorded in a stripped-down unplugged acoustic version. Actually LOVE HUNTER is formed around multi-instrumentalist KELVIN FISCHER. The new album contains 19 tracks and is musically speaking a singer-songwriter AOR album. The melodies are quite nice and you have to think of JESS HARNELL’s solo-CD from the 1990s and also a bit MARK SPIRO when we start comparing, although vocally it is reminding of PHIL VINCENT and BON JOVI. Highlights are “Now that you’re gone”, “Never say never” and “The destination” (best song, nice mystic background). More info at: www.lovehunter.us/ (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
THE ILLNESS is a band from San Francisco and they are playing a rockstyle that combines influences from Progressive Rock, Math-Rock and a little Hardcore, ending up sounding a bit like THE MARS VOLTA. Sometimes the band is quite aggressive and is even sounding like a Screamocore band, but they can also go into a melodic direction. They are definitely a modern sounding band, with songs that will appeal to a lot of youngsters out there. ‘A monument to our gilded age’ is a decent record, although I would not call it really sensational, because therefore we need to have some stronger material. Nevertheless, check them out at: http://www.facebook.com/SpreadTheIllness (Points: 7.2 out of 10)
American singer/songwriter ROCKY VOTOLATO has been releasing records through labels the past 6 years, but decided to do everything on his own for his new record ‘Television of saints’. He used the upcoming KICKSTARTER internet source to collect money from fans in order to finance the album. Despite the fact that the budget is quite low and nowhere near reaching the major label budgets, the new album of Rocky is definitely a high quality release. Rocky has a great voice and is able to write a bunch of catchy melodic tunes, which can clearly be heard on his new semi-acoustic tingled album ‘Television of saints’. The only pity might be that the album counts just 33 minutes of music, so it is all over too soon. However, the music we get to hear in this half hour is of a very high level. This is beautiful music where the main focus is the melody and the voice, so Rocky definitely is once again showing his talent here. 10 tracks are included and songs like “Little Spring”, “Ghost Writer”, “Fool’s Gold” and “Start Over” are all wonderful melodic acoustic guitar driven songs that are quite simple actually, but so effective. If only I could get my hands on the Vinyl Record version of this album! Definitely one of the highlights in the singer/songwriter area! More at: www.rockyvotolato.com (Points: 8.4 out of 10)
The Swedish AMANDA MAIR is the latest sensation in the world of young female singers. She was discovered last year at the tender age of 16, scored a massive hit in Sweden and now in 2012 her first full-length CD is released. We might well be looking at the possibility of a major break of this new singer in 2012 and after spinning her debut record a few times, it is clear that she is indeed quite a sensation. She has an excellent voice and the melodic singer-songwriter pop/rock of the album feels really good. She could become the next big female superstar this summer. Think of a mixture between KATE BUSH, TORI AMOS, THE JEZABELS and FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE, then you’re quite close to the sound of AMANDA MAIR. Songs like “House” (pure KATE BUSH “Running up that hill” style), the pure 80s sounding “Before”, “the hitsingle “Doubt” (could become a massive summerhit worldwide, sounding like FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE/THE JEZABELS) and the uptempo “Sense” are quite sensational and for fans of mentioned bands, this album is a must-have. In contrary to what might be expected, this album really feels like a band record, so it’s not just Amanda singing her tunes and what surprised me even more is the fact that there is a clear 1980s type of Pop/Rock approach here. All together this makes the album a pleasure to listen to, because the combination of an excellent voice with rather catchy melodies, backed up by an 80s sound (meaning that Synths can be heard upfront) really works well. This may well become the summer sensation of 2012. More info at: http://www.amandamair.nu/ (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
I HEART SHAKES is a band made up of 3 musicians who are coming out of New York, London and Bavaria. After they met each other in Berlin, they shared the same idea to create the music they love and in this case it concerns 80s tingled British New Wave, with some Indie influences, ending up sounding like a mix between THE POLICE and NEW ORDER on their official first full-length CD ‘Summer’. Actually most of the songs could be labeled as 80s Synth-Pop and come close to DEPECHE MODE here and there. The highlights are “Kino” and “Summer”, but any song on their album will fulfill the hearts of the fans of mentioned bands. There are also some influences of the Berlin type of Electronic Music to be heard, but if you’re into the NEW ORDER way of life, then you will love this I HEART SHAKES. More info at: www.iheartsharks.net (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘TENSION – SPANISH EXPERIMENTAL UNDERGROUND 1980-1985‘ (MUNSTER RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) 17 tracks are included on this compilation CD, which covers the experimental underground side of Spain between 1980 and 1985. Post-Punk, No Wave and other Underground genres from the early 80s also found it’s way to Spain, where a real underground scene existed 30 years ago. Now the finest bands have been collected on a compilation record. The music is as expected very experimental and completely the opposite of the back then popular synth driven pop/rock music with it’s catchy hooks and melodic choruses. Here you get 17 Spanish bands with Experimental loud music in Spanish that is really only interesting for the die-hard fans out there. You have to be very open-minded in order to appreciate this kind of music. Nevertheless, the packaging and efforts are definitely remarkable and all together it gives you a nice idea of the Spanish Underground Music scene from 30 years ago. (Points: -)
I HATE OUR FREEDOM ‘THIS YEAR’S BEST DISASTER’ (ARCTIC RODEO RECORDINGS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) Out of Brooklyn, New York comes the band I HATE OUR FREEDOM, whom are releasing their debut album with ‘This year’s best disaster’. The music on the record is nice and well-played melodic light-hardcore with also some punky alternative rock influences, although a few songs even reveal some Grunge-Rock influences. I wouldn’t call this a sensational release, but the energy and excitement of the band is quite enjoyable, especially during the album’s finest song “Cut you in” that has some similarities to IGNITE. So enough diversity going on here, Hardcore, Punk, Indie and Alternative are all thrown together. More info at: www.facebook.com/ihateourfreedom (Points: 7.4 out of 10)
SKELETON KEY ‘GRAVITY IS THE ENEMY’ (ARCTIC RODEO RECORDINGS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) Formed in 1996 in New York City, the band SKELETON KEY has come a long way and are releasing their 3rd album with ‘Gravity is the enemy’. The music they play is quite experimental underground ish Indie/Alternative Rock like a mix between PRIMAL SCREAM and KING’S X. 14 songs are included and it seems like they are stuck in the 1990s with their material, which might put some of us off, but they are definitely doing this at a high level, especially during tracks like “Museum glass”, “Little monster” and “The mowing devil”. Not an easy album to understand and it definitely takes some time to get the picture right, but for the fans of Underground Alt.rock a must-have for sure! More at: www.facebook.com/SkeletonKeytheBand (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
TIMID TIGER ‘THE STREETS ARE BLACK’ (PAPERCUP RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS) TIMID TIGER is a German band formed in the early 2000s and so far they have released quite a few EPs and albums already. ‘The streets are black’ is their 3rd full-length album. Musically they are clearly heading into Indie-Pop/Alternative, with a sort of light Electro/Ambient touch as well. It’s a pity some of the songs feature a sort of ‘Rap’ taking over the normal clean vocals, because during songs like “You and me” and “Walking in the sand” we get to hear picture-perfect British Indie-Pop/Rock that is not far removed from legendary bands like BLUR, THE SMITHS, WORLD PARTY and such. However, most of the time the band prefers to get more experimental and drift away from the standard Indie-Op, which is a pity, because in some of the songs (like during “Everytime we talk”), this does not work at all. Nevertheless, more info at: http://www.timidtiger.com/ (Points: 6.7 out of 10)
The band RIVERSYDE is coming out of a small town in the Austin, Texas, USA area. ‘See us now’ is the debut CD, which musically is sounding like the typical American rockrecord. Influenced by catchy 80s choruses and a 90s rocksound, the band combines the best of both worlds, ending up sounding a bit like THREE DOORS DOWN, CREED, ALTER BRIDGE, SHINEDOWN and such bands, although going for a Melodic Rock approach quite a lot due to their guitarist (PAUL DEVASSY), who plays some great melodic solo’s all throughout the album. 16 songs are included and without a doubt, some of them are radio-ready and as catchy as any THREE DOORS DOWN or DAUGHTRY tune, although vocally singer SHANE BLAKE is more leaning towards the early 80s Post-Grunge department. Although a lot of songs are situated between a semi-ballad and a midtempo light groovy rocker, the highlights are the uptempo rockers “What’s love about” (with it’s catchy Classic Rock guitar riff a la “Since you’ve been gone”), “Times like these”, “Edge” and the rockiest tune on the album “Nothing at all”. The absolute best is saved for the last, as closing track “Space” is a rather catchy tune of which the chorus keeps on spinning in your head! The vocalwork reminds me a lot of KANE and PEARL JAM, so it is constantly in the lower octave department, which might put some off, but the music is more catchy melodic rock orientated. Check them out for yourself at: www.riversyde.com (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
Out of Brooklyn, New York comes the latest new sensation in modern Rock. They are called WE ARE AUGUSTINES and already the first couple of songs on their debut album ‘Rise ye sunken ships’ show that we are dealing here with a band that could become massive in the near future. They are formed around guitarist Billy McCarthy, bassist Eric Sanderson and drummer Rob Allen and play pure Rock with both a Retro and a Modern approach, sounding quite catchy and melodic most of the time, backed up by a big massive Rockbeat. Although this might be not very original, because this kind of Rock (mixing the old with the new) has been done many times the past few years by dozens of bands, yet WE ARE AUGUSTINES are doing it at a very high level. The first 3 songs ("Chapel Song", "Augustine" and “Headlong into the Abyss") are the kind of Rocksongs everyone will love, balancing somewhere between FOO FIGHTERS, HOWLIN’ RAIN, WOLFMOTHER, THE ANSWER and a tiny piece of FLEET FOXES. This is Rock with a capital R and it would not surprise me if they become the next big thing! Actually, some of the absolute highlights can be found towards the end of the record, namely "New Drink for the Old Drunk" and “Patton State Hospital", both late 1970s/early 1980s sounding Classic uptempo Powerpop guitar riff driven rockers that even recall a bit THE KINKS, while the band also takes a step back during the superb “Strange Days", which is a 1970s type of laid-back tune. Although the band’s debut record is now out through an EMI MUSIC licensed label, they have come from really far away, because they were originally called PELA, under which they even released an album. However, personal issues got in the way for some of the bandmembers and after a period of silence they changed the bandname to WE ARE AUGUSTINES and started working on a new album. It was released already last year in the USA, but now also made available in Europe. Like already mentioned, it fits perfectly in today’s Rockworld and WE ARE AUGUSTINES has got all it takes to perhaps become really massive, as the material is right up there with the already mentioned bands. Sounding fresh and updated, yet always with the mind set at the Classic 1970s Rock sound. I have to say that the album sounds sometimes quite dark and instrumental speaking LED ZEPPELIN is a close comparison. Check it out for yourself at: www.weareaugustines.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
Out of San Diego, California comes the sensational band CHILDREN OF NOVA. They play the type of Modern Progressive Metal that a lot of people will appreciate, because they sound like a more polished and melodic version of TOOL or perhaps a better description is DREAM THEATER without all the endless instrumental ego trips and more importantly, CHILDREN OF NOVA have an excellent lead singer (TEO LOPEZ)! In the end, it is also quite close to MIKE PORTNOY’s new project FLYING COLORS. The first couple of songs are truly sensational, because “Erratic”, “Kaleido” and “Impossible landscape” are all superb pieces of Melodic Progressive Metal, where the focus is quite clearly on clean melodies, catchy hooks, big guitar riffs, with a pumping bass and experimental drumwork backing things up. The songs are rather short and unlike other prog bands, not at all based around long guitar solo’s, because CHILDREN OF NOVA wants to write a catchy tune and that is something they do very well here! Yet the songs all feature massive riffs, which makes them in the end a really interesting band. Another highlight is the closing track “It’s just a ride”, which is the longest tune on the album and quite an epic, yes pure proggy thing! One of 2012 finest newcomers for sure and they are a Progband without actually being Prog, so more like a Melodic Rockband in disguise, doing clever things that the Progfan might enjoy just as well! Check them out at: http://www.facebook.com/childrenofnova (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
Not that long ago we reviewed the debut CD of the Canadian band MY DARKEST DAYS (see http://strutter.8m.com/HOTNEWREVIEWS171.htm ) and now the band strikes back with the follow-up ‘Sick and twisted affair’, which is a lovely piece of modern day Melodic Hardrock the Northern American way. THREE DAYS GRACE, NICKELBACK, DAUGHTRY, THREE DOORS DOWN, RED and SHINEDOWN similarities are never too far away, but MY DARKEST DAYS’ songs are at such an incredible high level, this isn’t a problem at all! Each of the 9 included tracks are super catchy and melodic, with big massive choruses that even remind me a bit of SHAKRA and HAREM SCAREM here and there (“Nature of the beast”), yet with a more modern Rock approach. The production is picture-perfect and basically this is a must-have album for fans of mentioned bands, as they will absolutely love singing along to tracks like “Casual sex”, “Love crime” and the ballads “Perfect” and “Gone”. Unlike the band’s debut album, when CHAD KROEGER of NICKELBACK helped the band a lot, his involvement is now only related to the fact that the album is released on Chad’s label 604 RECORDS. Although like already mentioned, the similarities to RED, SHINEDOWN and such bands is quite clear, the new album of MY DARKEST DAYS is clearly showing an own face. Most of the songs are midtempo, mixing slightly distorted guitar riffs with big massive choruses and excellent lead vocals of MATT WALST, so I am safe to say that if you like one tune, you will love this band from start to finish. Make sure not to miss the band’s great new record and therefore check them out asap at: http://www.mydarkestdays.com/ (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Formed in 2008, the Essex, UK based band MISSING ANDY went rapidly to fame and fortune with 2 hitsingles in the British Top 40 and both of them are included as bonustracks on this 2nd CD of the band. Without a doubt, this MISSING ANDY is one of the finest, most diverse and catchiest sounding bands to be found in the current Rockscene on the British Islands. Opener “Alive” is uptempo ‘modern day’ catchy Punky Poprock/Powerpop, as commercial as you want it to be, but done at a very high level! Next track “Heartbeat away” is a completely different affair, because this tune has dut-dut keys and with it’s incredible catchy AOR chorus even reminds me a bit of classic late 1970s US semi-quirky AOR/Pomprock of AVIARY, THRILLS, CHAMELEON, BREATHLESS, NEW ENGLAND, AERIAL, MPG and such. Back to early 80s Ska during “Dave” and then we have had 3 different styles within the first 10 minutes of the album! The vocals are as British sounding as possible, but thankfully sounding very strong and really contributing to the overall sound. The production is excellent and in the end it seems like the band has released a stunning album that should easily appeal to the open-minded Melodic Rockfan. Despite the Ska, Punk and Powerpop influences, MISSING ANDY is in general a Melodic Rockband with a bunch of really catchy memorable tunes. I have to add here that the bonustracks are less Melodic Rock orientated, but the actual album ‘Generation silenced’ contains enough material to declare this album a modern Melodic Rock record! Songs like “Rain on my parade” or “In a state” for example are tunes that HAREM SCAREM wishes they had written during their later years. And how about the fantastic semi ballad “Hold on”, which is basically pure AOR/Melodic Rock! I must not forget to mention the super-catchy Powerpoprocker “Kings of the weekend”, with it’s ultra-cool video! We can only conclude that we have a real winner here and the fact that they are on a label that is part of the mighty UNIVERSAL MUSIC makes this MISSING ANDY a major surprise. They are the closest thing to original clever Melodic Rock one can get nowadays and their latest CD ‘Generation silenced’ should definitely be massive. It could definitely generate a whole new generation of original Melodic Rockbands and that is something we have been waiting for! They have my blessing! More at: www.missingandy.com (Points: 8.7 out of 10)
PRISMA is a Swiss band, which has been active since the early 2000s and are now releasing their new album ‘You name it’. The music is situated between modern Progressive Rock and Alternative Metal, with a focus on big massive guitar riffs and catchy clean melodic choruses. The vocalwork is quite good actually and combined with a modern rocksound, the result is a strong album that might appeal to both prog and alternative fans. Fitting somewhere between PORCUPINE TREE, RIVERSIDE, THE MARS VOLTA, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and TOOL, this band delivers a high quality album that will definitely be appreciated by fans of the mentioned bands. The band’s 2nd album ‘You name it’ was mastered by Howie Weinberg (MARS VOLTA, SMASHING PUMPKINS) at the legendary Masterdisk Studio (NYC) and you can clearly hear that, because it is a high quality and very professional soundind album. A song like “8” is sounding quite sensational actually and for a Swiss band they definitely have something to offer internationally speaking. Prog and Alternative Rockfans will absolutely love this band and it’s the vocalist that makes the difference here, because MICHAEL LUGINBUHL has an own way of singing that sounds quite excellent and one a bit of the COHEED AND CAMBRIA singer. Check out more at: http://prismaband.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
MELANIE ROSE DYER is a singer/songwriter settled in Nashville and she has just released her latest CD ‘The long way around’. It took her some time to finish it and actually before she became a flight attendant in the mid 1980s she already wanted to record a full-length album! However things went a lot quicker when she retired from the airline industry recently and was able to focus on her music career, which resulted in this album ‘The long way around’. I have to say that the list of musicians involved is quite impressive. Featured musicians include members of ALLMAN BROTHERS, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH and even the legendary Saxplayer JIM HORN! The result is a good clean typical Nashville record, with it’s roots in new Country, Blues, Rock&Roll and quite a bit singer-songwriter AOR. This is typical American (Nashville) type of music that has been released non-stop on major American labels the past 40 years and the fact that this is an independent release makes it therefore an interesting album to check out. Melanie has a good soulful tone in her voice and the material is quite enjoyable. Lightweight and quite AOR based, especially during tracks “I don’t wanna walk”, “Unfinished goodbye” and “If I never say”. If you’re familiar with let’s say LENITA ERICKSON, ALANNAH MYLES, LORETTA LYNN, JUICE NEWTON, REBA MCINTIRE, etc. then put this album somewhere in between, as the music is combining the best of lightweight-AOR, Country, Bluesy rock and Singer-Songwriter Pop balladry. More info at: http://www.melaniedyer.com (Points: 8.2 out of 10)
German guitarist PATRICK HEMER is not only a superb guitarplayer, but he can sing very well too! We’re not done yet, because he also writes, produces and plays bass and keyboards on his first solo-record ‘More than meets the eye’! Quite a busy guy and a very talented one too, because the album sounds very impressive. Musically speaking it is a mix of Melodic Hardrock and Melodic Progressive Metal, with impressive guitarwork and strong melodies, reminding me a bit of MOB RULES, mixed with 80s DOKKEN melodies. Patrick is not entirely new to the scene, because he was part of the Melodic Metalband HORIZON in the past, with whom he released a couple albums on MASSACRE RECORDS about 10 years ago. Now solo, he is able to do almost everything on his own and I must say that this is definitely quality stuff from start to finish. The guitarwork of Patrick is picture-perfect high-class based and although the vocalwork is quite good as well, it is not exceptionally good, so some improvement might be possible there. Nevertheless, the music is very nice and is balancing between the prog of MOB RULES and the straight-forward stuff DOKKEN released in the 1980s. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.patrickhemer.com (Points: 8.1 out of 10)
New York based vocalist JEFFREY WILGUS released his solo-debut CD Signature’ last year. The album is filled with quality Popmusic that reminds me a bit of JOHNNY LOGAN. Some of the material is lightweight-AOR/Poprock orientated, but as the covers of ROBBIE WILLIAMS, GEORGE MICHAEL, BILLY JOEL, PAUL SIMON and the classic LEONARD COHEN track “Hallelujah” show, Jeffrey is mostly focused on singing crystal-clear Popmusic, which he does very well. He has a very good strong voice that even reminds a little of DENNIS DEYOUNG here and there. It would be nice to hear some more originals next time and also more pop/rock type of material, such as the opening track “I don’t get (what I give)” and the AORish ballad “The answer in me” (best song!), as the material now seems to be drifting in the same direction most of the time, which is very close to JOSHUA KADISON type of piano-pop meets a little musical/theatrical music actually. Nevertheless, it is all well-done and I’m quite sure a lot of people will enjoy this, because Jeffrey is a very talented singer, but I do feel that more is possible. More at: http://www.jeffreywilgus.com/music.asp (Points: 7.7 out of 10)
American singer/songwriter DEANNA BROWN landed a record deal with OCEAN RECORDS, a label that is settled on the beautiful Virgin Islands. Anyway, Deanna herself already released an album in the past, but had her real fifteen minutes of fame when she made it to the finals of American Idols during season 8. Her new album ‘The plunge’ shows a female singer with an incredible voice that has a lot of soul and R&B influences (reminding me a lot of RANDY CRAWFORD!), yet musically she’s a bit looking for the right style. It starts a bit commercial with an almost R&B type of tune, but after a while the style clearly goes into Classic Americana/Country/Singer-Songwriter Poprock type of music, which seems to be showing Deanna at her very best. Especially the titletrack with just an acoustic tingled guitar is a really beautiful tune and I am quite surprised to read that she had to leave the American Idols show, because with a voice like hers she should be able to win over the hearts of basically everyone. It’s also nice to see her holding back a bit here and there and singing differently, such as during the lovely semi-AOR ballad “Filter” that reminds me a bit of JAIME KYLE. Another highlight is the ballad “Changing places” and during another ballad called “More than just one” she is stretching out to an almost unreachable high octave range vocally speaking. Concluded, this girl has a bright future ahead of her and if you haven’t heard/seen her, then go to:http://deannabrown-music.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
It is quite unbelievable that the Australian singer/songwriter DANIELA CORSO is still independent, because her 5 tracks counting mini-CD ‘From you’ is loaded with high quality radio-ready catchy Melodic Poprock. If you thought ISSA was the big deal or KELLY CLARCKSON, PINK and KATE PERRY performed the greatest catchy Poprock the past few years, then you have to listen to DANIELA CORSO. She has a superb Rockvoice, her songs are mostly uptempo rocking and very catchy. Just listen to “From you” and “No time for yesterday” and you’re hooked for life! Of course it all sounds very commercial, but who cares if it is done at such a high level. Especially “No time for yesterday” is the kind of catchy uptempo Melodic Poprock/AOR I was hoping to hear on the recent new albums by ROBIN BECK and FIONA, but no such luck, as DANIELA CORSO gets away with the Award here! Anyone who enjoyed the most recent KIM WILDE album will also love this album a lot. The only pity is that this mini-CD contains just 5 tracks and already dates back to 2010, but the stuff we get to hear is very sensational and should be heard worldwide. Her voice is quite stunning and especially shining brightly during the closing track “I fall apart”, which is a pure 1980s type of AOR Power Ballad that even recalls a bit WITNESS, HEART, LAOS and HEAT (Germany). I am still quite puzzled about the fact that Daniela, with her lovely voice, stunning looks and catchy Poprock, she is still unsigned! The labels should be lined up for this kind of picture-perfect-package, but who knows things will change soon! In the meantime, check out her site at: http://www.danielacorso.com (Points: 8.9 out of 10)
‘Change’ is the 2nd album release by the Washington, DC based act WE WERE PIRATES. Musically speaking we are heading into a sort of light-Psychedelic Rock meets Indie Pop/Rock direction and it sometimes sounds like a cross between TEENAGE FANCLUB, THE POSIES and THE BYRDS. However, all together the album actually crosses a few different musicgenres, because after a sort of Dreampop start with “Better off without you”, they are clearly more rocking during the following track “Civilized man” that is almost early 80s Powerpop US style with a touch of late 80s US College Rock. Great stuff and a nice twist so early on in the record! The band should actually be seen as a one-man’s journey, because multi-instrumentalist MIKE BOGGS is doing everything on his own. Live he is assisted by other musicians, but on this album he’s doing it all by himself and I have to admit that it sounds pretty impressive. Also vocally speaking, Mike is a great lead singer and besides the already mentioned tracks, other highlights on this CD are the instrumental “Kill me (Part Two)”, the Indie Poprocker “Little consolation” and closing track “All I can do”, which is one of the slightly more commercial type of tunes. Concluded, WE WERE PIRATES is a great act to follow and highly recommended to espeically fans of the 1980s Alternative Rocksound before Grunge took over. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.wewerepiratesmusic.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
Last year SHY released a very impressive sensational comeback album with a new lead singer, although the sad part was that it probably marked the end of the band due to the fact their guitarist STEVE HARRIES died not long after the album’s release. Anyway, on the same label ESCAPE MUSIC we can now also find the comeback album of DEPARTURE, another AOR band that did some great things in the past, but 10 years after their 3rd album ‘Corporate wheel’ you are definitely allowed to call ‘Hitch a ride’ a comeback album. The band also has a new lead singer, ANDI KRAVLJACA, who is a member of the Progressive Metalband SILENT CALL. Without a doubt, this is a very strong album that shows that AOR/Melodic Rock can still sound sensational if it is done as well on this new DEPARTURE record. The first 2 songs (the uptempo “No where to go” and the midtempo “You don’t need this anymore”) are superb Pompy AOR/Melodic Rock tunes with melodies soaring all over the place and making you remember of the days when in the US state of New Jersey (and a little New York), the place where bandleader and multi-instrumentalist MIKE WALSH is coming from, legendary AOR bands like MOSCARA, PHANTOM’S OPERA, TRADIA, PROPHET, PUSH, TYKETTO, MESSAGE, ORPHAN, SURGIN, etc. were all playing the same kinda music. The following songs are a little less sensational and sometimes go into just well-played Melodic Hardrock, but thanks to the incredible high quality of musicianship and the fact that Andi is a fantastic vocalist (reminding me of MITCH MALLOY and a little GLENN HUGHES sometimes and that is something to be proud of), it is a pleasure to listen to each and every song on this CD. Other highlights are the epic semi-ballad “Fly”, the powerful semi-ballad “Nothin’ without you” (the song BON JOVI will never be able to create) and the excellent midtempo “This is my time”, which features some really incredible vocalwork. Definitely worth checking out and perhaps a contender to end up in the top 10 of 2012 for the AOR/Melodic Rockgenre! (Points: 8.6 out of 10)
It took the French band XII ALFONSO 3 years to release an album dedicated to the life and works of CHARLES DARWIN, but the result is quite stunning. Spread on 3 full-length CDs and featuring a complete booklet, the whole story on this legendary figure from the past is absolutely brilliant. I am very glad to see that a lot of foreign musicians contributed, because this makes the sound a lot more international. The band already released 6 albums before this triple-CD release, so they are not exactly new to the scene. Some of the guest musicians are members of bands like SUPERTRAMP, IT BITES, FISH, ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, KAYAK (TON SCHERPENZEEL) and female singer MAGGIE REILLY (MIKE OLDFIELD), but with over 50 involved musicians it is easy to say that this is a huge international project. In total 22 songs and 30 instrumental pieces are included, 70 instruments were used and played by 50 musicians and all together the CDs have a playing length of 3 hours. This is by far the most ambitious project recording wise done by any band the past few years and probably the finest and most professional French made album release in ages. The music itself is clearly Progressive Rock orientated, with a lot of Sympho influences as well and although many parts are instrumental, the vocal orientated songs are very melodic and are more or less reflecting a sorta 1970s Symphonic Rocksound a la CAMEL, RENAISSANCE and KAYAK. Especially the opener “Earliest Recollections” with Maggie (“Moonlight Shadow”, “To France”) on vocals, is a very strong and rather catchy super melodic tuneand somehow after 3 hours of listening this song is the best track, although the rest of the album is also very enjoyable and quite high quality Progrock meets Symphonic type of music. Fans of mentioned bands will be delighted to check out this album, which is a little softer than for example IT BITES, AYREON and STAR ONE, but nevertheless, it has the same spirit as such Rock-Opera like albums. Check out more at: http://www.xii-alfonso.com (Points: 8.3 out of 10)
80s American orientated Melodic Metal at its very best… that is what this DRIVER is all about. Formed out of the ashes of the legendary M.A.R.S. project in the 1980s, the band only managed to deliver a demo back in the late 80s/early 90s before splitting up way too soon. Fast forward to 2008 and out of nowhere comes a full-length CD release of DRIVER titled ‘Sons of thunder’, which was the start of a second career and this time it seems it will last longer, because a 2nd album has now been released in the shape of ‘Countdown’.. The DRIVER of 2012 looks a bit different regarding the line-up, because I do feel that it is more a project of the excellent vocalist ROB ROCK(IMPELLITERRI, WARRIOR, JOSHUA, AXEL RUDI PELL) and Guitarist/producer Roy Z (BRUCE DICKINSON, ROB HALFORD…) nowadays, as not much is left of the original line-up of DRIVER. The new DRIVER album is featuring the kind of kick-ass 80s Melodic Metal we all love so much, reminding one of the classic RIOT, FIFTH ANGEL and LEATHERWOLF days. The combination of killer guitar riffs and superb vocals are well displayed in some serious catchy Melodic Metal from start to finish, so no fillers to be found here! Songs like ”Thief in the Night”, “Cry of the Wounded”, “Feel the Fire”, “Destiny” and “Running from the Darkness” are all very impressive and well-organized Melodic Metal Monsters with powerful 80s guitar riffs and fantastic vocalwork of Rob. You don’t want to miss this gem at: www.driverofficial.com and www.robrock.com (Points: 8.8 out of 10)
Vocalist/Guitarist HASSE FROBERG from Sweden has already achieved quite some success in his music career. He started 30 years ago as the lead singer for the somewhat legendary Melodic Hardrockband SPELLBOUND, a major label band that released 2 excellent DOKKENish records back in the 1980s, in full spandex and leather outfit! However, after the split of that band he went on joining the greatest Swedish Progband ever, THE FLOWER KINGS back in 1997. Although he has always been and still is part of that fantastic band, he also started a solo career and is now releasing the 2nd album ‘Powerplay’. Musically speaking this has nothing to do with his classic 80s MHR stuff, because ‘Powerplay’ is basically close to THE FLOWER KINGS. From start to finish, this record is featuring quite fantastic high quality Melodic Progrock, with superstrong melodies, great vocalwork of Hasse, instrumental perfection and is basically a must-hear for any fan of THE FLOWER KINGS. The melodic progrock is not just focused on long instrumental passages, but is also featuring clever intelligent melodic vocals/choruses that really stay in your memory, just like THE FLOWER KINGS. It is therefore quite easy to recommend it to any fan of that band, but somehow I find Hasse’s vocals just a bit stronger than that of ROINE STOLT from THE FLOWER KINGS. Especially the opening track “My River to Cross” is really an excellent tune, 10 minutes of Prog heaven!!!!!!! Safe to say that this album will find its way to the fans! I was actually made aware of the fact that the SPELLBOUND singer had been a THE FLOWER KINGS member for all those years! More info at: http://hassefroberg.com/fr_home.cfm (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
RICK MILLER is a Canadian musician, who has been making music for 30 years now, balancing musically speaking somewhere between Progressive Rock and New Wave. His latest album is titled ‘Dark dreams’, released on the Russian MALS record label. The album contains lovely laid-back Progressive Rock, very melodic, with quite strong vocals of Rick himself and clean melodies all over the place, a bit reminding of 1970s BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST, RENAISSANCE, CAMEL. This is what you would call beautiful intelligent music, featuring melodic precise guitarwork. Songs like “Return To Uqbar” and “Angels In The Forest” are really excellent calm laid-back prog, reminding a bit of the last OPETH. This is a high quality album for sure and definitely recommended to any Progfan! More at: http://rickmiller.bandcamp.com/ (Points: 8.5 out of 10)
(All reviews by Gabor Kleinbloesem except where noted) |
TERRA STIGMA
‘TERRA STIGMA’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
SONIC ALTAR
‘NO SACRIFICE’ (HYSTERIA MANAGEMENT/THE MUSIC AGENCY/NEW ZEALAND IMPORT)
LANFEAR
‘THIS HARMONIC ORCHESTRA’ (PURE LEGEND RECORDS/H’ART/GERMANY IMPORT)
PHENOMENA
‘AWAKENING’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)
CRIMES OF
PASSION ‘TO DIE FOR’ (DR2 RECORDS/PEROXIDE MUSIC/VIGILANTE MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
VAN PRESTON
‘VAN PRESTON’ (UNCONVENTIONAL RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
KELVIN
FISCHER & LOVE HUNTER ‘DRAWN TO THE LIGHT’ (SPORTIN’ SAMMY’S PUB CO./USA
IMPORT)
THE ILLNESS
‘A MONUMENT TO OUR GILDED AGE’ (INDEPENDENT/XO PUBLICITY/USA IMPORT)
ROCKY
VOTOLATO ‘TELEVISION OF SAINTS’ (DEFIANCE RECORDS/STARKULT PROMOTION/SONIC
RENDEZVOUS)
AMANDA MAIR
‘AMANDA MAIR’ (LABRADOR/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
I HEART
SHARKS ‘SUMMER’ (ADP RECORDS/SONIC RENDEZVOUS)
RIVERSYDE
‘SEE US NOW’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
WE ARE
AUGUSTINES ‘RISE YE SUNKEN SHIPS (OXCART RECORDS/DGR MUSIC/EMI)
CHILDREN OF
NOVA ‘IMPOSSIBLE LANDSCAPE’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
MY DARKEST
DAYS ‘SICK AND TWISTED AFFAIR’ (ISLAND DEF JAM MUSIC GROUP/604
RECORDS/UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP/USA IMPORT)
MISSING
ANDY ‘GENERATION SILENCED’ (INVASION RECORDS/NOVA/UNIVERSAL MUSIC/UK IMPORT)
PRISMA ‘YOU
NAME IT’ (LOUDVILLE RECORDS/SWISS IMPORT)
MELANIE
ROSE DYER ‘THE LONG WAY AROUND’ (SUGARPLUM RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
PATRICK
HEMER ‘MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE’ (MBR MUSIC/NIGHTMARE RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
JEFFREY
WILGUS ‘SIGNATURE’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
DEANNA
BROWN ‘THE PLUNGE’ (OCEAN RECORDS/USA IMPORT)
DANIELA
CORSO ‘FROM YOU’ (INDEPENDENT/AUSTRALIA IMPORT)
WE WERE
PIRATES ‘CHANGE’ (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
DEPARTURE
‘HITCH A RIDE’ (ESCAPE MUSIC)
XII ALFONSO
‘CHARLES DARWIN – VOLUME 1, 2, 3’ (INDEPENDENT/FRANCE IMPORT)
DRIVER
‘COUNTDOWN’ (METAL HEAVEN/GERMANY IMPORT)
HASSE
FROBERG AND MUSICAL COMPANION ’POWERPLAY’ (REINGOLD RECORDS/SWEDEN IMPORT)
RICK MILLER
‘DARK DREAMS‘ (MALS/RUSSIA IMPORT)