| Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy | Geffen Records 1790607 |
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It's hard to know where to start with this one. This is one of those albums I just love reviewing (note the use of sarcasm) – because I'm screwed either way! There are so many passionate opinions on this band from just about every quarter, so no matter which way I review this, I will hear from someone unhappy about something! Guaranteed. Chinese Democracy - the most expensive record ever made…the longest wait for any new album by a band…the most number of band members coming and going and contributing in some part…the most epic record ever…or perhaps the biggest flop in all rock n roll history? All valid comments or questions raised in relation to Guns N Roses' most talked about Chinese Democracy release. Is it the best rock record ever released? No. Is it Guns N Roses? Not in the standard image of the name, no. Worth a 13 year wait? Absolutely not. But a complete disaster? Some will say so, but objectively speaking, no…it certainly isn't that. Its actually rather good all things considered, but it has so many things stacked against it that even if it was Dark Side Of The Moon or Physical Graffiti, it would still attract the same amount of criticism. There are some very worthy moments on this album and some truly epic soundscapes. But there's also a few ingredients missing. It doesn't make sense for a record that has taken so long to be released to be under done, but it almost feels unfinished in places. To really accept this record for what it is, one must put the name Guns N Roses out of your mind. GNR has always signified dangerous rock n roll to me and Chinese Democracy may be grand, adventerous and truly epic, but dangerous it isn't. The album is the sole vision of frontman and vocalist Axl Rose and for that you must give him credit. But at the same time, he must also be responsible for any shortcomings. I have not rushed into a review of this record. I note that major press outlets must quickly pass judgment and I think generally speaking the critical feedback has been understandably mixed. But I have chosen to live with it as long as possible to best get to know the record. I must say that Appetite For Destruction has been on my shelf for the full 21 years since it was released. I was one of the first to purchase it, before the hype kicked in and it remains an all-time classic for me and an album I still admire. Such a record was a snapshot of an era and could never be repeated, so I never expected such with Chinese Democracy. There is a certain intensity about this record, but overall I found it to be mellower than expected. And due to the length of time it has taken to get this out, some of the industrial and programmed elements of the music doesn't sound as innovative as it could have. Had this record emerged in 2000-2002, then I think it would have sounded more groundbreaking. Some have hailed this record as a work of art that will influence the way music is made and help bring rock back to the fore. I don't see that in any way. Any big selling rock record is a good thing, but this isn't likely to influence a new generation of kids. What is missing for me is the big riffs and the big choruses. Every track of Appetite yielded a killer hook and Use Your Illusion had that experimental style, but still with that dangerous edge. But Chinese Democracy is not a hit single kind of record. Individual songs are not necessarily the way to appreciate this record. It sounds better played as a whole, from start to finish…certainly not an iTunes friendly release in the day and age of kids picking out individual songs of an artist. That aspect I really like…as I feel the art of creating a musical landscape is dying in some way. But in-between there are not enough peaks and valleys for me. Not enough light and shade. Track By Track: I'm not sure what kind of intro would best suit an anticipated album such as this, but the title track Chinese Democracy kicks off pretty much as expected. A slow building intro, then a riff to break through the mood, followed by a shrill scream and a loud burst of musical exuberance. Axl varies his vocal delivery to great effect and guitar solos run left and right over the base riff of what is a fairly solid and aggressive hard rocker. Shackler's Revenge takes the industrial influences to the forefront, together with a gruff spoken vocal and effects dropped in everywhere. The chorus isn't an epic hook, but is driven by a good guitar sound and when Axl takes his voice up that octave or two, you get a reminder of what this band was once all about. The uptempo rocker Better is an unusual track. It seems to be the fan pick, largely due to a verse with a certain swagger and attitude, but for some reason I am just not warming to it. Perhaps I was affected by the demo leaks from the last few years and decided I had no great interest in the track. The first ballad of the release is the decidedly 70s sounding Street Of Dreams. Mixing November Rain with Axl's known love of Wings and Paul McCartney, the lead vocal is definitely something fresh and interesting. The piano and acoustic guitars help paint a picture, but this song is all about Axl and his passionate delivery. I wasn't sure what to make of the track to start with and perhaps I'm still not sure. But it is an epic piece of music crammed into just 5 minutes. Changing tempos, orchestration, guitar work reminiscent of Slash and the whole 70s pomp element is certainly a lot to absorb. I would have liked to have herd this song pushed even further into 7 or 8 minutes and let Axl's ideas fully flourish. If The World is another truly curious piece of music, with an album hip hop beat driving orchestration and a fairly whiney vocal. There is no real chorus and to me the song sums up just about everything traditional fans might hate about this album. There Was A Time flows from the last song with another programmed beat kicking things along. The nearly 7 minute track is driven by a much harder edge guitar sound and further orchestration. The verse and general song structure is interesting and this is definitely a worthy epic. The closing couple of minutes of musical intensity are the strongest part. Catcher In The Rye is another big rock track that is part ballad, part frenzied guitar epic, with both parts featuring a healthy dose of piano. Again, no huge or definitive chorus, but some interesting musical decisions that hold interest while getting to know the album, but perhaps not for a long time after. Scraped is a busy, guitar fueled rocker and at 3:30 is the shortest track on the album. Again, no big chorus or defining moment, I feel as if this track comes and goes without making a mark. Riad N' The Bedouins has an intensely moody intro filled with effects, before an angry vocal and big riff take hold. Once again the chorus is a change of pace within the song rather than a defined riff or lyric hook. That's symptomatic of the whole album and it is a style that some are really not going to like. The 6 minute moody Sorry is a big rock ballad with a dark heart and its own individual personality within the greater album. Once again, I'm not sure I'll be listening to the song for any length of time once this review is done. I.R.S. is one of the more legendary tracks of the album, with demo versions leaking early in the game. I like the track and the lyric cuts deep. The big rock ballad Madagascar kicks off with an epic feel, hinting of what might be to come. But while the song does build and feature more orchestration and multiple layers of instrumentation, I don't find myself warming to the track. And the historic spoken word drop-ins mid-track doesn't add anything to it. And did we really need to hear the line "failure to communicate" yet again? This I Love has been touted as the ballad of the album. A heartfelt piano ballad with a powerful and emotional lyric and vocal from Axl. And yeah, it is good for sure. The orchestration is immense and the vocal something we haven't heard from Axl before. Tasteful guitar solos add atmosphere rather than derailing the intent of the song. Prostitute is an interesting closer with several different approaches during the 6 minute stay. There an underlying moodiness to the track and some interesting instrumentation again (as there is throughout the album) and generally speaking the melodies within the song demand repeat listens.
There are a couple of classics here and a few fillers also. It is better than I expected for sure, but how does any record possibly live up to the hype of years worth of fan anticipation. In many ways the myth and legend of Chinese Democracy has proved to be greater than the actual release, which is probably the least surprising element of this whole crazy chapter of rock n roll history. One way or the other, for better or worse, this album will certainly be remembered.
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| AC/DC Black Ice | Columbia |
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I'm a bit late for this review, so most opinions have been formed already. It will be interesting to read the interactive reviews once this gets posted online. AC/DC are an institution and remain one of the most revered bands in rock n roll history. They are one band that has stayed true to themselves over the years without ever following any number of trends that have formed around them. Their ever reliable sound has earned them respect and their critics, but there is something comforting about getting a new album and just knowing how it is going to sound before you even put it on. And no matter what the quality of the overall material, there is something joyful about hearing that guitar riff once again. Few bands in all history can stack their catalogue against AC/DC, so all that remains is to analyze the contents of their latest opus, some 8 years after the last studio album. And no surprise…it's more of the same familiar riffing, gruff vocals and that simple rock n roll formula which has served the band well over 30 years. Will this album compete with Back In Black, High Voltage, TNT or Fly On The Wall? No…of course not, but it still sounds great and 15 new 3-minute bar room rockers are always welcome. There's no Thunderstruck on here either, but there are some groovers. Not sure Runaway Train was the most inspired opening track or single and AC/DC unfortunately still suffers from the plods, with 3 or 4 too many tempo killers on this record. It should be no surprise then, that my personal favourites are the songs that kick it into high gear like Anything Goes, War Machine, Wheels, Stormy May Day and Rocking All The Way.
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| Robert Berry The Dividing Line | Frontiers Records FRCD397 |
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It has been a monster year for Berry fans. I'm still spinning the amazing Alliance album from earlier in the year and now a brand new solo album is upon us. Robert Berry has one of those amazing voices that just sounds melodic in every sense – each line and each harmony sounds so natural it is a joy to listen to. The Dividing Line is a fine collection of songs that is typically Berry. A little pomp, a little progressive, but always 100% classic style melodic rock. I'm not as impressed with the overall production quality of this album vs the recent Alliance album, which sounded as clear and crisp as any record in recent times. This is a littler rawer and I guess just a little different with Berry handling most of the instrumentation himself, but the quality of the songs and the vocal performance are nothing short of sublime. The title track is a great uptempo intro to the album, but the more dramatic and classic Berry pomp sounding One Good Man is even better. Same goes for the easy going melodic rocker Listen To The People, which could have easily been lifted from any of the Alliance albums. A Life Worth Livin' is pure melodic bliss with an old school Bryan Adams kind of feel – I'd like to hear more of this from Berry, what a killer song. Alliance band mates Gary Pihl and David Lauser guest on this track. The moody keyboard driven Can't Let Go is another winner and I Gave You The Best Of Me is another Alliance-style track. Young Hearts is another great uptempo pomp rocker deserving of special mention. The hunting ballad Wait is one of those tracks that sends shivers up one's spine.
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| China Blue Twilight Of Destiny | Frontiers Records FRCD395 |
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Mr. Everywhere – keyboardist Eric Ragno – appears again on another fine melodic release. But rather than just appearing, this is Eric's baby, with him involved in the planning and execution of the album's grand plan and co-writing the songs along the way. Hell, he even produced it with JK Northrup mixing. The China Blue path has been a varied one over the years and even with the last piece of the puzzle added (vocalist Tony Mills) it wasn't plain sailing to get a release. But that day has come and for fans of all those involved there are pay-offs here. For fans of great melodic songwriting there is plenty to enjoy here with some fine songs on offer. Not your average AOR fare by any means, these songs are a little more challenging and absorbing and take repeat listens to get to know. For fans of Tony Mills, here is an album that showcases his talents in the best possible light – intelligent AOR with soaring harmonies and thankfully no tango inspired ditties to confuse things. For fans of Josh Ramos you get more Journey-esque lead breaks and some naturally appealing solos and riff driven songs. And for fans of Eric – plenty of swirling keyboards and piano fills and some truly interesting musical arrangements. Doug Odell and Zane Petersen provide a muscle bound rhythm section that gives the songs the power they deserve. So not your average AOR release here – there are layers of music to unravel as you go and the whole record has this moody vibe that gives it a certain intensity and a sense of the unexplored creatively speaking. And with that go some songs that aren't your usual hook/chorus format. Some of these songs are far from instant, but that's why repeat listens are required to get to know everything within. Of the more instant tracks are the epic opening What Do You Need But Love, delivering a caustic lyric wrapped in a memorable chorus; the more straight forward anthemic I Feel Like Dying and Changing Ways; the Journeyesque ballad Don't Be A Stranger and the uptempo Take Me As I Am. The more challenging aspect of the album is portrayed through songs like the very melodic So Wrong (great musicianship here), Crimes Of Passion and the breezy Passions. The Last Goodbye is also a fabulous instrumental featuring Josh and Eric doing their thing together. I'd like to hear more of that…
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| Valentine Soul Salvation | Indie |
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Two Hugo fronted albums in the same year? Must be a good year! AOR fans rejoice as 2008 continues to deliver great music from all facets of the scene. AOR has been somewhat overshadowed in recent years, but hits back in 2008 and Valentine add to the crop of must have CDs. Valentine 2008 follows the musical path of Hugo the solo artist. This is to my ears more or less a new Hugo solo album stylistically. The original valentine album was a little tougher and a little heavier. This 11 track album is filled with glorious AOR anthems and mid-tempo ballads which the band has written over the years – both new and old tunes. The two Hugo releases this year (Ramos/Hugo & Valentine) make interesting comparisons. The Ramos Hugo album could have used some more defined chorus hooks (which this album has plenty of) and this album could benefit from a better and tighter production (which Ramos Hugo had). Of the two albums I'll listen to this one more I think, just due to the nature of the songs and how catchy they are. Ramos/Hugo was a grower…this one is an instant good fun record and more in keeping with Hugo the solo artist as we have come to love him. Not all of these songs are new, but the whole album was recorded in 2008. Yes, it could have used a bigger and better production; especially with the drum sound (isn't that always the way?). But I love these songs. The hands-in-the-air classic 80s sounds of Dream On The Way, Soul Salvation (great vocals!), Wait and the stand out anthem Every Time You Go Away are all wonderful. On a moodier note, Pickin' Up The Pieces delivers a tougher sound as does One More Chance with it's lush chorus and great harmonies. I'll Be The One is more acoustic based and has an almost country tinge to it. I think it offers a nice change of pace and showcases a different side of Hugo's vocals. Love Is All We're After is a kind of moody wistful pop rock ballad and an interesting way to close the album. Ballads are of course included and Love Song is one of the better for the year, I really like this one and it features another big Steve Perry like performance. Pages is a slower moodier track and features another class vocal.
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| Lost Weekend Fear And Innocence | Escape Music ESM180 |
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British melodic rockers Lost Weekend have bounced around labels over the years and now find themselves with another new home in Escape Music. What Escape have managed to do that the other labels haven't, is provide the band with a great producer/mixer in Martin Kronlund in Sweden. This is the band's 5th album and easily their best sounding to date. This album has more punch and a clearer sound than any album before it and the mix is perfectly balanced. You'd expect no less from Kronlund. The band has their own melodic rock style that has drifted over the years and here things change a little again. In fact, as they turn to a heavier direction, I think is the sound they should adopt permanently as it suits them very well. What I hear on Fear And Innocence is a sound closer to the likes of Gary Barden/MSG/Deep Purple. In fact, so strong is the Gary Barden influence, I had to check the writing credits for his input. But no…it's all down to the band's principle songwriters Dave Thompson and Paul Utterly. I like the blues based rock of this record. It is heavier than past efforts, but still very much melodic and the production matches the tougher approach. The songs themselves aren't the type of anthemic rockers that are of instant appeal, but more straight forward mid-tempo rockers that grow on you after several spins. Highlights to these ears include the excellent ballad Father And Son; the traditional rock of Back Street Living; the punchy Life With The Lid Taken Off and the double time stomper Another Lonely Night In Tears. The moody Only The Strong Survive is also worth a mention.
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| Hope All Of My Days | Escape Music ESM181 |
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Just who is Hope and what have they done with Bryan Adams and Keith Scott? To answer the first question, Hope are a new Swedish outfit with a long list of studio credits to their individual names, but collectively this is their debut release. The second question - well it seems singer Henrik Thomsen has hijacked Bryan's voice box and his sense of songwriting and delivers a true Reckless/Waking Up The Neighbors style performance here. Add in a little Stage Dolls to give the band their European influence and you should get the picture. And at the same time guitarist Mats Johanson seems to have a penchant for the style and sound of the great Bryan Adams guitarist Keith Scott. These guys will obviously be right up there in the best newcomer of 2008 stakes and I can see the band attracting an instant fanbase with this release. It is very well produced, very well executed and while a little too laid back in places, is still a very attractive traditional sounding melodic rock record. I'm not sure that heading into a slow ballad straight after the rousing opener I Want You is a good move, but things are quickly put back on track with the Reckless rock n roll of All Of My Days – a song that is so Bryan Adams that you might think both Adams and Scott are guesting. The lush ballad Bring Down The Stars is quite something and the orchestral arrangement adds texture. The more urgent uptempo rockers You Could Be Mine and See The Sign are familiar, yet fresh and potential hits given another time and decade. The soulful and more laid back Come Alive is one of the best slower tracks, while the catchy and stomping Baby Don't Cry has a tempo and beat I would have liked to have heard more of.
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| Talon Fallen Angels | Kivel Records |
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Talon is back after a short 6 year wait! Sadly their original singer Michael O'Mara has departed, which was a disappointment to me – I thought he had one of the better high-range vocals about. But into his shoes steps the very capable Chandler Mogul. I must admit I had a harder time adjusting to his vocals than I anticipated. I don't think they fit into parts of this album as well as on other parts, but overall I like his energy, attitude and upon repeat listens the overall performance. What the band has done is nailed the songwriting. And they should have too…they have had long enough! These are some very catchy melodic hard rock tunes, from the opening metal fury of Fallen Angels and the mid-album rocker Paradise; to the lighter-in-the-air ballad Baby Jane and the anthemic All I Ever Needed; and the more commercial melodic rock of I Won't and What About Me. Burn is possibly the closest song to the style of the debut, but the new sound isn't far removed and it is still Talon all the way. Production values are ok – not as strong as the debut which was a particular strong point of that release – but a little looser and not as crisp overall.
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| Faith Circus Faith Circus | Kivel Records |
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Faith Circus hail from Norway and frontman Marc Ferrano has a very melodic and soulful approach to the singing. This is classic style melodic rock all the way, with sweet harmonies and big hooks all the way. Simply glorious are the anthemic Tried And True, the opening rocker Back On Love, the lush AOR of Hold On and the slower Rain On You. The building ballad Half The Man is yet another highlight. The vocals that glide over the music are superb and thoroughly listenable. But the whole package needed tightening up and a better mix. And that is one of the great frustrations of working in this scene is hearing albums like this – chock full of cracking melodic hard rock tunes that are really enjoyable, well written songs, but suffer from a less than amazing production. That isn't the main point of this review, but it is frustrating when it happens, and it happens a lot. The main problem here is a drum sound that lacks power and guitars that are too low in the mix generally. But the songs…well, no complaints there and overall this remains an album to put on want lists due to the strength of the material. Guests include Steinar Krokstad/drums (ex-Stage Dolls), Morty Black/bass (ex-TNT), Dag Stokke/keyboards (TNT), Tore Moren/guitar (Jorn), Steinar Hagen/acoustic guitar (Return) and Tony Harnell/background vocals (ex-TNT).
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| Nickelback Dark Horse | Roadrunner RR 8028-2 |
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I nearly fell off my chair when I read master producer Mutt Lange had teamed up with Nickelback to help produce their new album. Of all the bands in the world, Mutt chose to make a rare appearance on this release. Interesting… I know I'll get hate mail for this, but I have always rated Nickelback as one of the more boring modern rock outfits around. They are like the Hootie And The Blowfish of modern rock – as bland as they come. But, if anyone can make Chad Kroeger's voice bearable, it would be Mutt. And sure enough…Mutt's magic is alive and well and all over this record. Not only does Kroeger sound ok (sorry, you won't get anything more than that out of me there), but this album features the biggest, baddest and fattest sound the band have put to disc to date. The rhythm section on this album is simply stupendous and literally blows out of the speakers. And even better Mutt joins in the songwriting adding co-writer credits on 5 tracks. I never thought Nickelback would be comparable to Bryan Adams and Shania Twain, but that commercial FM radio influence Mutt dictates sees several tracks here sounding at home on either of those other two artists' own records. I do think the lyrical content of the record is banal at times…the sexual innuendo is a little lame. But you just can't fault the monster sound and the fact that your feet are tapping along with the record from note 1. Something In Your Mouth (gee, I wonder what?) is a monster rocker and the lead singer Gotta Be Somebody is classic Nickelback. Burn It To The Ground has a beat Motley Crue and AC/DC would be proud of and the ballad I'd Come For You (Mutt co-write) is a modern rock radio hit in waiting. I expect that to be the next single. Mutt's magic is again in play with the monster ballad Never Gonna be Alone (another single and hit) and the curious Def Leppard/Shania Twain hybrid boot-scoters Shakin' Heads and This Afternoon. If Today Was Your Last Day is a strong mid-tempo acoustic modern melodic rocker with one of my favourite vocals on the album. There are fillers though – Next Go Round being the worst culprit and the lyrics to S.E.X. are horrible.
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| Jimi Jamison Crossroads Moment | Frontiers Records FRCD393 |
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I have been looking forward to reviewing this album for months, so it is a little disappointing for me not to be able to get this done prior to the album's release. But here we are now… The upside of this review is that the folks out there that made it a priority to grab this album as soon as it was released will now have had the time to live with it for a while and hopefully will come to the same conclusion as I have – that the album is a melodic rock masterpiece! I heard the original demos to some songs on this record more than a year ago and have lived with other tracks for several months, which gives me the ability to know this record inside and out and I truly can't see how anyone could not think this was a wonderful record and one of the very best of 2008 and any year for that matter. My admiration for both Jimi J and Jim Peterik is no secret, but at the same time both artists have over time delivered material I thought could have been improved upon. Not so in this case – I think the extended process of writing and recording this album has allowed the duo to nail the material. Jimi Jamison's last vocal effort was on the Survivor release Reach. It was one of those releases that I felt could have been so much better and Jimi's own vocal performance was mixed. Perhaps it is down to the producer behind the project knowing just how to get the very best performance out of the singer, as Jimi sings better here than he has since the days of Too Hot To Sleep. And in writing for his old partner, Jim Peterik has dug deep to deliver the best and most consistent set of songs since prime era Survivor and the debut Pride Of Lions release. I believe the production and general sound quality on this album is also the very best since the 80s with a solid rhythm section driving the songs and a range of guitar and vocal overdubs really fattening out the sound and giving people something new to hear each time they listen. The sound of the album is no great surprise – it mixes Jimi Jamison's classic AOR voice with the Jim Peterik sound established since his days in Survivor. The general style mixes classic Survivor with Pride Of Lions (after all, those musicians remain the core backing band here) and touches of Jimi solo material (Empires) and Jim's own pomp/theatrical leanings. For me it is a very natural and organic sound and re-establishes Jimi as a solo force. It also in my mind, blows the last Survivor album out of the water and equally, is more impressive than the last couple of Pride Of Lions records. In other words – everyone delivers and delivers impressively. Song highlights are many. I rate every track on this album depending on my mood – there are no weak tracks at all. But as my mood varies I do have certain favorites at any given time – once again the sign of a strong and consistent record. To single out certain tracks and not mention others feels like I'm being disrespectful to those not mentioned, such is the quality of the record – so I'll just mention them all! Battersea – the opening rocker proves Jimi can still deliver rock with a punch and guitarist Tommy Denander deliving that punch with some inspired riffing. Can't Look Away – a hard hitting song about the poor and society in general, featuring a gritty hard rock guitar riff. Catchy song, but more so after repeat listens. Make Me A Believer – pure 80s Survivor with a frantic pace and some great keyboard fills. Crossroads Moment – one of the songs of 2008 or any year for that matter. This is a timeless classic that is urgent, warm and consoling, uplifting and inspirational. I absolutely adore this song and it rates as one of the best JP songs I have heard. Bittersweet – pure 80s soul with a cameo from Mickey Thomas. Jimi's vocals are superb and the chorus another 2008 highlight. Behind The Music – the song that kicked it all into gear (along with Crossroads Moment). Classic Survivor here and another killer track. Lost – one of the great ballads of the year and one of Jimi's best vocal in a long time. Love The World Away – A soaring rock anthem at a cracking pace to really drive the album into higher gear. She's Nothing To Me – the choruses just keep getting bigger. This is a classic Pride Of Lions style rocker, just with Jimi sailing over the top. As Is – One of the very best ballads Jim has written and sang with perfect emotion by Jimi. What a monster chorus and a heartfelt message delivered with a ton of vocal passion. Till The Morning Comes – A driving mid-tempo melodic rocker with another strong chorus and another classic Survivor style track. That's Why I Sing – a mid-tempo feel good melodic rock anthem that for me is another highlight. A simple and joyous song. Friends We've Never Met – absolute brilliance! Singing about the bands fans and the audience at a live show, this track deserves to be the closing encore song. It just gets bigger and bigger and the blazing guitar work towards the end is stunning. A perfect live song and a really energetic way to bring the album to an almost conclusion. The honors of closing the album for real go to When Rock Was King, another quirky song that features several guest vocalists such as Dave Bickler, Mickey Thomas, Mike Reno, Joe Lynn Turner and Don Barnes. It is a novelty song that reflects on the glory days of rock n roll and is an enjoyable, less serious song. Bonus tracks for various territories include the moody rock ballad Alive, which keeps the quality of the album's main material. The Japanese bonus track is the more effective and haunting Streets Of Heaven, reflecting on those loved ones lost. A smooth and emotional vocal and a worthy track to add to the album.
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| Sammy Hagar Cosmic Universal Fashion | Roadrunner |
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I don't think I have to explain my longtime fanboy sentiment held towards Sammy Hagar. I hold him in high esteem and consider a few records featuring his vocals up there with my very best ever - (VH's 5150 and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge; solo albums I Never Said Goodbye, VOA and Standing Hampton). But in recent times Sammy has become a bit of a mystery artist – you never quite know what is coming next or what style it will be in. And in some ways Sammy continues to confuse his fan base with this release. After devoting himself to being the hard rock Jimmy Buffett on Livin' It Up (itself a very fine record if you could handle the style), Sammy returns to hard rock here, but fails to convince with an album that appears almost thrown together. Not 4 Sale was a loosely recorded set of tunes, but at least had focus. Livin' It Up was the same, but the style wasn't for all. Sammy at one stage flagged recording a bunch of stand alone tunes, releasing them individually. That's what this album sounds like. And as an old school Hagar fan, it doesn't really work for me. Perhaps it would if all the songs were of stand-out quality, but this is a very mixed bag. The opening tune – the title track Cosmic Universal Fashion – is horrible. Not a great way to start any album, but a Sammy album featuring a driving programmed beat and some semi-spoken rapping vocals with filtered effects and the like…good grief! Next up is a change of tact again in the only two Planet Us tunes re-recorded (Sammy's near-project with Neal Schon). Both Psycho Vertigo (original track Vertigo renamed) and Peephole are true to the original vibe of the Planet Us demos – serious, loose, raw, 70s based groove rockers with a dark and very uncommercial vibe. Peephole was done better by Soul Sirkus, but the guitar playing here is still intense and Sammy's vocal is amazing. Then there's another change of style with the straight forward hard rocker Loud, which turns back the clock to the Ten 13 'party rocker' Sammy. Fight For Your Right To Party continues this party vibe. The Beastie Boys cover deserves to be rocked up and rolled out, but I think it works better as a live track than a studio album cut. Switch On The Light is a pretty average tune again – a bluesy rocker with a crap chorus. When The Sun Don't Shine is an acoustic ditty that was probably rejected from the Livin' it Up album for not being strong enough. The Hawaiian Islands vibe sounds even worse here. Horrible. There is never time to get comfortable with any style while listening to this album and 24365 is no different. This is another harmless party rock tune with an amusing vocal, but really…why? I'm On A Roll is much the same – a 2 minute Van Hagar novelty style filler that serves little purpose, but on its own is a little bit of fun. The last track – again seemingly dumped on here to fill up space is a live medley of two classic Van Halen tunes - Dreams and Cabo Wabo. Both have been radically restructured into acoustic ballad/sing-alongs. Horrible way to close any album and even worse, the last 2 minutes of the track is nothing but some Sammy acapella and crowd singing. Messy.
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| Thunder Bang! | Frontiers Records FRCD392 |
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We should never take bands like Thunder for granted. They are the kind of band that don't take a lot of the glory and yet pop up consistently each 12-18 months or so with a new album, which in most cases is consistent with the high quality the band has offered in the past. Thunder's last album was in 2006 and like this, was a solid collection of classic sounding tunes that serviced fans, keeping them happy. Bang! won't win Album Of The Year (but might be in the running for worst album cover of the year once again) and for me doesn't rank as their very best, yet it delivers most of what you wish of a Thunder album and should keep fans happy until next time. Bang is a fairly commercial slice of Thunder rock, slightly softer than the last couple of albums as a whole, but still filled with great vocals, big guitars and that trademark rhythm section. I do think the songwriting is a little weaker than past efforts and I found myself over this album pretty quickly. On The Radio is a cracking classic Thunder single and yes, it isn't likely you will hear that on the radio. Stormwater is a likable rocker too, but the next few songs don't really hit the spot for me, which is unusual considering my past appreciation of everything Thunder and especially their killer debut. It is the bluesy acoustic driven rocker Have Mercy that next appeals, followed by the soulful ballad watching Over You. The Zeppelinesque rock of Miracle Man and Turn Left At California showcase a band willing to experiment while Love Sucks is again, pure classic Thunder. The closing song Honey is among the best on the album, but overall they are a few songs short of a solid album.
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| Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force Perpetual Flame | Rising Force Records |
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I seem to have a love hate relationship going on with Yngwie. He remains an iconic figure in the guitar playing world, his speed and ability still mesmerizing a legion of fans and I respect that unquestionably. There are some albums I swear by (Rising Force, Marching Out, Odyssey, Attack) and some I am less enamored with (War To End All Wars, Unleash The Fury, Facing The Animal). After the massive kick in the pants Yngwie was delivered by fans following the abysmal War To End All Wars he delivered big time on Attack. Unleash The Fury saw a less impressive set of tunes turned in (but you have to love the title and Yngwie's sense of humor); this time we have some good songs on Perpetual Flame, but a disappointing sound quality. The production is not as bad as War To End All Wars, but it does deliver varying quality throughout. You think someone with such a massive focus on guitars, would nail the best tone possible for his records. And new singer Tim Owens is a curious selection. Yngwie has always paired up with fine vocalists and this is still the case with "Ripper", but he shines as a true metal vocalist, and I have always found Yngwie to be a hard rock artist. I don't think the vocals are a natural fit on this album. We all know Yngwie writes all the songs and the vocalist is just a hired gun, but in most cases they try and blend into the album as best they can. I don't hear that here. And what is with the opening track? Tim's vocals sound as if they were recorded with him phoning them in from Gibraltar. It improves after that thankfully. Live To Fight is amongst Yngwie's most menacing tunes and you can't fault Yngwie the guitar player. If I close myself off to the vocals and concentrate on the riffery, then finer soloing you will not find anywhere.
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| Tesla Forever More | Frontiers Records FRCD394 |
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Tesla's return to active duty came with the acclaimed Into The Now release, an album that saw them update their sound like so may others before them, but I think in a manner which worked for the band at the time. It was a strong album in my mind and I still think that today, although opinion is somewhat divided over that. Forever More sees the band cementing the position of guitarist Dave Rude in the band (who replaced Tommy Skeoch after Into The Now). Last year's covers release Real To Reel is behind them and new material awaits. This album continues the contemporary leanings of Into The Now, but the masterful production, direction and co-writing of Terry Thomas (Giant, Bad Company, and Tesla's own Bust A Nut) steers the album back towards the band's legacy sound. The guitar sound is still fairly contemporary and is tuned down to some degree, but the overall approach is far more in keeping with the classic Tesla vibe and coupled with some truly great songs, this makes Forever More the best Tesla album since Psychotic Supper. The opening hard rockers Forever More (mid-tempo), I Wanna Live and One Day At A Time (both uptempo) signal the intentions of the band to shake off the modern tag that Into The Now received. Nothing but classic Tesla all the way. The moody So What is the perfect blend of old and new and would have been a hit single 10 years ago. From here the album takes a moodier turn with some really intelligent songwriting mixing hard rockers with acoustic driven mellower tunes, but all with a focused intensity that makes the album as a whole a great listen. The ballad Fallin' Apart is particularly brilliant. All Of Me picks up the tempo again, but also provides a break in the intensity. The First Time is a moody track turn rocking anthem that harks back to the old days and is an album highlight. Pvt. Ledbetter is a raw, emotional look at war and in this case, the Middle East. The poignant lyrics are among the best I've heard from Tesla. In A Hole Again rocks things up with a wall of guitars and The Game is the second hard rocker to end the album on a powerful note.
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| Newman Decade | Chrome Dome Music / Indie CRDO-08-12 |
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10 years of Newman is celebrated in this fine 2CD set featuring all new recordings of 17 album tracks from across the years and a second CD of 14 never before released songs, also freshly recorded this year plus 3 alternative take tracks. 34 tracks over 2 discs is a terrific way to pay tribute to a fine performer, songwriter and singer and an all-round top bloke on top of that. Of the album tracks re-recorded you'll find some fabulous melodic rock tunes, many of which have featured in my year-end Best Of lists over the years. Steve Newman has re-recorded them beautifully and with advancements in technology perhaps even better than the originals in places. It's just great to have them all in one place. It makes you appreciate just how many great tunes Newman has delivered in 10 years of recording. Now the really astounding aspect of this release is that Steve has uncovered 14 tracks that were never included on any of the past albums. These tracks have been freshly recorded and basically amount to a whole new Newman album in their own right. And far from being cast-offs, there are some more great tunes here that Newman fans are really going to appreciate. Coming Home Tonight, Life After Love, Can You Hear Me Now, World Comes Down and Don't Say Forever are all classic British melodic rock tracks and well worthy of the Newman badge. And damn, is that really my mugshot in the album artwork? Higher standards should have been upheld in that case!
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| Eden's Curse The Second Coming | AFM Records / Metal Mayhem |
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One of the most talked about bands in the last 18 months hasn't let the accolades of a well received debut deviate them from their attempts at world domination. The debut record was one of the very best records of 2007 and one of my personal favourite hard rock / melodic metal albums of the last few years. So the guys had a lot to live up to as far as delivering a sequel and in my mind they have delivered with The Second Coming. I have had the good fortune of living with this new album as long as I did the debut before reviewing, so I feel that the playing field is level as far as comparing the two releases against each other. And I don't want to unnecessarily reference back and forth as this is a fine album in its own right. What I will say is that the debut had the advantage of taking us all by surprise and there was certain spark to that record that captured the imagination of many – me included. I think this album is actually better produced – it truly sounds amazing. There are more guitars, more backing vocals and more just about everything else, not to mention an even bigger bombastic approach, but there is still something about the magic of any band's debut album. There are a couple of times within the first half of this album that I am not as glued to the speakers as I was the debut. The intro is a short instrumental piece I could live without and I find myself being annoyed by the vocals of Pamela Moore on the track Angels & Demons, despite its pounding verse and catchy chorus. Just Like Judas has a damn catchy chorus too and that pounding rhythm section is simply phenomenal as are the harmony vocals, but again…I think the chorus overstays its welcome a little. Those are just a couple of small issues. The rest of the album I have nothing but praise for. The bombastic opening Masquerade Ball is classic melodic metal; Sail On is a wonderful tempo changing melodic rocker with a really lush arrangement and a blazing guitar solo towards the end – a definite highlight and one of the band's best song to date; Lost In Wonderland is a killer harmony filled aggressive rocker with more over the top guitar work and a cool Mike Eden vocal. I love the short bridge into the chorus…keeps bringing me back for more. West Wind Blows is slightly less intense, but keeps the momentum going and really sees the album reach the levels anticipated. Signs Of Your Life is simply a lush harmony filled melodic hard rocker and is part of a mid-album run of absolute hard rock perfection. Man Against The World is an intense acoustic driven ballad that impresses and beats any of the slower tracks off the debut. The addition of piano and almost an orchestral feel adds to the atmosphere. Raven's Revenge signals that it is time to rock again, which a hard edge riff right off the bat, followed by a thumping furious drum beat. And the guitars – simply everywhere!!! Lost Soul is an almost epic that builds from the start and less instant, but rather intense vocal and chorus hook. It still pumps energy through the speakers and the layers of vocals are almost unrivalled. Games People Play is a little darker and again features a sonically ear shattering arrangement. Good solid chorus that gets better each listen and more of those fabulous harmonies. Ride The Storm relies more individually on the vocal charm of Eden (who sings great throughout), surrounded by a swirl of guitars, and works great thanks to a well crafted chorus hook. A great way to close out the European album on a high. The closing minute is brilliant. The US bonus track Prisoner Of The Past is another aggressive uptempo rocker with another really strong chorus and hooks everywhere. Well worth having!
The end result is the same – as catchy as hell and impossible to get out of your head. Another winning album. Metal power - AOR hooks.
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| Eclipse Are You Ready To Rock | Frontiers Records FRCD377 |
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What the melodic rock world needs is more albums like these. Swedish rockers Eclipse features the punch with the melody and the power with the emotion. This is one of the best sounding records of the year and it is packed with great songs. This year has been so filled with wonderful releases; I haven't had time to review the crap out there. Thankfully there is a ton of great music to keep me otherwise occupied and Eclipse has just added to the pile. I'm a fan of this band since day 1 and their two previous albums have been really enjoyable slices of European melodic hard rock. But this time they have nailed it. This to me is the album Europe could have made if they stayed a little truer to their original sound and only updated a little. Eclipse has moved into a new era with this more contemporary sound, but they never once abandon the melodic base they created on the first two albums. This is also heavier and more focused than ever before. And the sheer wall of sound that blows out of the speakers leaves many others for dead. This is a classic European style melodic hard rock album with a monster sound and a old-school melodic edge thanks to vocalist Erik Martensson. His tone is so easy on the ears. At the heart of the record are some great songs that barely contain the energy of the guys performing them. Highlights on the album are numerous – there isn't a weak track here at all, but to name a few – The opening trio of Breaking my Heart Again, Hometown Calling and To Mend A Broken Heart are all among the finest songs of the genre this year and all contain great choruses. The urgency of Hometown Calling and the melodic power of To Mend A Broken Heart will rank highly come the end of the year. The power that is Under The Gun is mind blowing – the rhythm section and the hooky chorus are perfect. The anthemic Unbreakable is the hit single Europe could have used on Start From The Dark. Perfection! And just when you think it can't get any better Million Miles Away bursts through…another high powered melodic gem with a killer chorus. The fast moving and riff filled Call Of The Wild is the last but not least tune and a great pick for blowing things over the top to close.
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| 7th heaven USA-UK | NTD Records |
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Chicago natives 7th heaven should be no strangers to those that follow this site. Their acclaimed Silver double CD was a popular favourite for many and is still being discovered by new fans to this very day. The band's high-tech AOR friendly sound mixed with a dose of Def Leppard stadium theatrics and layers and layers of vocals have them worshipped in the US Mid-West, but with every release their profile and stature grows. The band plays hundreds of shows each year and was part of the first MelodicRockFest in South Bend in 2007. The line-up has changed since Silver, with vocalist Keith Semple (South African born, raised in Ireland) taking up residence in the USA as the new lead vocalist. He is the perfect fit for the band and judging by the writing credits and the quality of the songs, has made an immediate impact with band founder, guitarist Richie Hofherr. This band always delivers the goods and they always deliver great value. Silver was a double disc of tunes and USA-UK features 18 tracks. Not all tracks are new however – there are 6 tracks brought back and re-recorded from the Silver disc that now feature Semple's lead vocals. If you are new to this band and are going to hear tracks like Cellophane, Gravity, Kill The Cycle, Undone, While You Dream and Ghost Of Me for the first time – boy – are you in for a treat. Personally I'd rather the album feature all new material only, but as stated, the band delivers value every time and there is still 12 brand new tracks to enjoy. And yes folks…they are every bit as good as the Silver material and dare I say – even better. To me the band sounds more focused this time around and there is less experimentation within the sound and more sticking to what they do best – and that is delivering the music Def Leppard fans have been waiting for since Hysteria. In fact, if Def Leppard went more AOR after Adrenalize, this is exactly how they would sound. 7th heaven is pure melodic bliss. Every song is layered with backing vocals Mutt Lange would be proud of the continuous melodies and hooks within the underlying instrumentation and the lead vocals. The band's sound is a little programmed at times, but that's their high-tech style that has been constant since the start. The fact is they deliver some of the best classic melodic rock songs of the year on this album. Better This Way is a smooth mid-tempo AOR anthem that has a monster chorus and a radio friendly riff that would have been a smash hit in any other decade. A monster! The ballad Still Here has plenty of production effects and more soaring vocals through a wonderful chorus. The mid-tempo Gave You My Heart is sentimental and uplifting at the same time and This Summers Gonna Last Forever is simply the backyard anthem Bryan Adams has been trying to write for the last decade. One of the brightest and most uplifting songs of the year. Perfect! Save Your Life is another uplifting song with a rapid fire guitar riff about empowering yourself – great message and another catchy chorus of course. Hand On My Heart is a lush pop ballad and the rockier Winning It All has a definite Silver vibe to it. Oh So Really Old works will with its added angst and catchy melody; Tragedy is a nice tempo changing mood piece and Dream Of A New Day is more uptempo pop with more great sing-along lines.
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| Shadowman Ghost In The Mirror | Escape Music ESM179 |
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At last Shadowman finally sounds like the sum of its parts! Vocalist Steve Overland (FM) and multi-instrumentalist Steve Morris (Heartland) team up for their third record as Shadowman, but possibly the first that sound exactly as I had hoped the guys would – the perfect blend of current era Heartland mixed with classic FM. This is easily the best of the three Shadowman records and personally speaking it is already my favourite Steve Overland record to date. In a year where the stakes have been set high, the guys deliver another high classic melodic rock release that should rank as essential for all fans of FM, Overland and Heartland. This is a more uptempo record than previous releases and slightly heavier also, but still very much melodic rock. They aren't trying to be heavier than needed (such as the last Heartland record) nor too soft (such as the last album). This is perfectly balanced, engaging melodic rock, with energy and spunk and I love it. The rhythm section is a particular highlight here, with Thunder's Harry James really belting out the numbers. Steve Morris is filled with the great riffs that I thought were lacking on his last couple of record and Steve Overland simply sounds utterly phenomenal! This is one of the performances of the year. The record is mixed to perfection by Tommy Hansen and just sounds world class in every aspect. And credit to al, the songs on offer are the most engaging and catchy of the three records to date and some of the best material Morris has delivered full stop. I hope his run of inspiration lasts into the next Heartland record. Highlights are many once again – song of the year for 2008 is going to be a nightmare to adjudicate. Road To Nowhere and No Mans Land are both high on energy and big on rock and feature some outstanding choruses. Bad For You slows it down a little to inject some classic FM soul into proceedings. Colour Of Your Love is again high energy and catchy, catchy, catchy. The soulful and anthemic Fire And Ice is another highlight, especially the killer lead vocal. I've Been Wrong Before is simply one of the year's best ballads and just drips soul and emotion. Blues City has another instantly catchy hook and great uptempo flow. Little Miss Midnight is classic old-school Overland and closes the album with a bluesy uptempo swagger.
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| Honeymoon Suite Clifton Hill | Frontiers Records FRCD389 |
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It's great to hear any new material from Canada's Honeymoon Suite. I have always had a soft spot for these guys and still worship classic albums Racing After Midnight and The Big Prize. The band took a left turn in recent years with a modern influenced Lemon Tongue, which fell short due to weak songs, while vocalist Johnnie Dee released a much stronger solo effort in the same vein. An attempt to repackage Lemon Tongue in Europe with some different tracks as the Dreamland record won more approval, but it was news that the original line-up was back together that got fan hopes up. And thankfully those expectations have been met with the new album Clifton Hill. But to be clear – I don't think this is an album that recaptures the glory days entirely, rather it updates the bands classic sound to a more contemporary setting without sounding too modern or outside their comfort zone. There is no mistaking that this is a Honeymoon Suite record. Part Monsters Under The Bed, part Big Prize and part new, this record features some very catchy moments and some great uptempo melodic rock and some of the band's best songs in over a decade. There are also a number of moodier mellower tunes that surmises the band's sound over the years. Listeners are hit with a one-two punchy of crunchy melodic rock straight out of the gate as She Ain't Alright and Tired O Waitin' On You deliver knockout riffs and big hooks - the latter being one of the band's best tunes in years. The curiously titled Riffola harkens back to he band's mid-tempo moody best and Ordinary is a classic ballad in anyone's books. The House beefs up the tempo with another cool chorus before Why Should I again delivers mood and angst as only this band can. Down 2 Bizness is a good straight ahead rocking track, but the more left of center and contemporary Sunday Morning misses the mark and doesn't match the quality of the rest of the material. That's All You Got is a little loose, but the vibe gets the album back on track and the chorus has a strong hook. The moody and mellow Restless is another class ballad with a great lead vocal from Dee. The mid-tempo and somewhat dramatic rock ballad Separate Lives is the closer and is a decent track.
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| Ramos / Hugo The Dream | Frontiers Records FRCD388 |
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This is another highly anticipated release for the AOR community and once again I don't think it will disappoint – depending on what you expected from the record in the first place. Hugo is of course the Hugo – solo vocalist and also frontman for Valentine and Open Skies, and well known for his uncanny comparison to legendary vocalist Steve Perry. Ramos is none other than guitarist Josh Ramos from The Storm and Two Fires, who is generally regarded as an understudy to Journey's Neal Schon. So two strong Journey-esque musicians teaming up for an AOR album? Sounds like a winner. For the most part it is. What surprised me a little though is the fact the album took several listens to get to know. I kinda figured this would be an instant hit, but the songs took more time to learn and the chorus melodies weren't as in your face as I anticipated. And generally speaking, the direction of the album itself is very safe. There are no surprises on here. But now I'm 20 or so listens in I can better appreciate everything the album has to offer. The smooth Perryesque sound of Hugo and the rush of Ramos' guitar solos are just part of what makes The Dream an enjoyable ride. This is quite a long album – there's 53 minutes over 10 tracks here, so it does take some time to learn. I was alarmed a little to see Fabrizio Grossi at the helm, as I grew very tired of his production techniques and the way he captures guitar and drum sounds generally. Yes, there is a little of his influence here, but clearly it is well above the quality of some more recent projects. That said…there is still room for improvement here. The album is largely uptempo and slows quite effortlessly between tracks. It is very smooth and filled with melodies and harmonies. I would have liked some more distinctive lifts when it came to the choruses, but after repeated listens those choruses are clearly present. You're Not Alone and All That I Dream both kick the album into high gear from the get-go, while The Dream heads into a more lush AOR mode. In fact, The Dream has a distinct Don't Stop Believing vibe to it. I'm not so much into Fools Game, I think that song runs far too long and is without a great chorus. Bring Back This Love is better and returns to the uptempo style of the opening two numbers. I Don't Want To Say Goodbye is another track that drags a little, but again, the following track when You Get Lonely is better focused and has a stronger chorus. Strangely, for an album of AOR songs, In The City is the only real ballad and this one is filled to the brim with Perry and Journey trademark references. Tomorrow is a fired up rocker with one of the best choruses of the album. I might have opened the album with this had I been making the decisions. The 8 minute closer I Can Take You is slower in tempo, but not really a ballad. It's more a pop song. It could use a better chorus, but the last 2 minutes of guitar soloing from Ramos is worth the admission price. Josh Ramos is all over this record – his guitar playing a definite highlight and there are more solos on here in and around the songs than I think any Ramos record to date. Keyboards courtesy of Eric Ragno also flow effortlessly from start to finish and have a very natural sound.
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| Uriah Heep Wake The Sleeper | Universal 1767027 |
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It really is a joy to listen to this album. I am a casual Heep fan – more of an observer even. But I own a few of the band's albums from the 80s/90s and on Wake The Sleeper, only the drummer has changed from the line-up that recorded Raging Silence in 1989. What I like about this album is that apart from the production techniques used to give it a sonic sound fitting with today's setting, it could have come from just about any era within Heep's long career. It really is classic Uriah Heep in every way and I'm loving it. The frantic and over the top intro track certainly got my attention, but from the first line of Overload, with the thumping rhythm section and the trademark keyboard swirls of Phil Lanzon, you just know Heep is back. Their first album in 10 years sees the guys strike with a classic collection of songs – pumping hard rock anthems such as Overload, Ghost Of The Ocean and Tears Of The World (great chorus!); Groovy 70s inspired blues rockers like What Kind Of God and Angels Walk With You and there's even a few straight ahead melodic rockers for good measure such as Book Of Lies, Light Of A Thousand Dancers and Heaven's Rain. Bernie's Shaw vocals are as warm as ever and Mick Box tears it up...whatmore could you ask for?
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| Jayce Landberg Break The Spell | Escape Music ESM178 |
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I'm pretty much a fan of everything that Swedish vocal God Goran Edman sings on, apart from the really progressive material he sometimes indulges in. His melodic rock/AOR and hard rock releases are hard to fault – he's just one of the great vocalists out of Europe. On this occasion though we have an album that falls a little short. Jayce Landberg is a Swedish guitarist and composer and has delivered a very traditional sounding European 'guitar shredders' hard rock album. Goran's best efforts aside, the material here is a little weak and the production is also fairly raw. Fans of Yngwie Malmsteen and the like will find some joy in the guitar tricks and the wailing solos and Goran of course delivers a decent lead vocal. But it doesn't match the quality of other records in the market place this year and they might struggle to find a decent audience. Jayce is a fine guitarist, but some help in the songwriting department is needed to lift his beyond standard fare. All in all - not bad… A decent record for its kind, but limited in appeal due to a couple of weak points. Definitely some promise however for a follow-up record should it happen. |
| Joe Lynn Turner Live In Germany | Frontiers Records FRCD390 |
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I'm running out of descriptive nouns to use in my reviews of live albums! There has been a few lately – most of them record entirely, or in part, at last year's United Forces Of Rock festival in Germany. Headliner Joe Lynn Turner gets his go now, with a backing band comprising of…well, I have no idea! There's no info on the promo, nor the press release for the album. But at least we know it's JLT up front and he's belting out a set of songs we all know him for, interspersed with some tunes of the current studio album Second Hand Life. The sound of the recording is great – live, raw and crisp without any hint of overdubs, yet clear enough to hear everything. The performance on the night is also top quality and high on energy. The trademark tunes such as Death Valley Driver, I Surrender, Street Of Dreams and Burn are all rolled out, but it is also cool to hear album tracks such as Your Love Is Life, Blood Red Sky and Power Of Love included. It is a fun show and JLT sounds great – so the end result is thumbs up for fans, which is all these live releases are aimed at. |
| TNT Atlantis | Bonnier-Amigo/Metal Heaven |
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Well…it's less annoying than the last album – that has to be a plus right? The kafuffle surrounding the last TNT album is well known and documented and I'm not going to spend much time reflecting on that. What I will say is that I still consider that album completely unlistenable and the songs really annoy the crap out of me. The new album is for the most part more of the same, but better quality songs - if the style is of appeal. The retro experimental pop style has been retained and the songs are once again all over the planet (and sometimes off the planet). But – at least there are some likeable songs on this record and I couldn't say that about The New Territory. That said, I will likely never listen to this album again either now the review has been written and I consider that a shame, as TNT were a band I would anticipate new releases from. TNT have had their share of WTF moments through their history – the Firefly album was unpopular with fans and the cover of What A Wonderful World on All The Way To The Sun are just two examples. Sadly the questions raised following the last album have fallen on deaf ears. The band didn't listen to fans and one now has to accept that TNT is now a different band than what it was under the reign of Tony Harnell. On a positive note – this album sounds better recorded and better produced than the last, but the songwriting here is still so left field it will require an absolutely acquired taste to appreciate. Good luck to all… Track By Track: Hello Hello is somewhat in keeping with the band's sound and at least has a hard edge riff underneath the song. Filled with Queen like harmonies that may not be to everyone's liking, but the song is ok. An ok start yes, but doesn't take long for the bizarre to kick in and as early as track two we are already on a left turn. The mid-tempo Peter Sellers Blues is a fairly diverse and quirky tune with some interesting lyrics. But like the last album it is just too annoying to ever be played over and over. Babys Got Rhythm continues the left of center obsession of the last 2 studio albums. This is a bizarre, fast moving pop rock track with a restrained chorus and an annoying piano riff popping up now and then. And is that a short sitar solo late in the song?? I absolutely hate Tango Girl. This jarring left of center rocker with a psychedelic vibe features a really annoying vocal that attacks my ears with a pitch that will cause damage if I have to hear it ever again. Horrible chorus, horrible verse, horrible lyrics. Me And Dad is a little brighter. Leading off with an acoustic intro and a soft and soulful vocal, the song actually draws you in with its vocal warmth. The chorus unfortunately spoils it and the Queen-isms again appear out of nowhere. The mood builds and I really like the vocal. At nearly 8 minutes in length, you just know the track is going to turn bizarre at some point and that happens of course. The epic pop ballad has its moments and while I don't really like the chorus, the first half of the song has strong appeal. Atlantis is an uptempo rocker that (for this album at least) is relatively straight forward in nature. There isn't a strong enough chorus to draw me in, but nice to hear a hard edge guitar sound again instead of the psychedelic noodlings of previous tracks. The Taste Of Honey is one of those tracks that to me doesn't really mean anything, has another annoying chorus and generally daft lyrics. No real appeal sadly. Bottle Of Wine is back to the psychedelic guitar sound and is another really annoying song. The chorus, the clapping, the shout-outs and the lack of structure. Missing Kind is a darker number with some more familiar guitar sounds in play, but the song just goes nowhere. The soft chorus doesn't have any redeeming hook and the verse just plods along and on and on and on… Love Of My Life I like. It has an instantly likeable riff and some straight forward and easy going vocals. And it has a good strong chorus at last!!! This is maybe as close to the "old" TNT as we have heard yet from the Mills fronted line-up. Decent song and there's even a "normal" guitar solo. Well, normal didn't last long…Had It Lost It Found It is another jarring track to close the album. More strange melodies ensue and I can't say there is a lot to like here. The chorus is awful.
Vocalist Tony Mills does a good job with the material on offer and he should be no means be blamed for the band's decisions. But someone needs a reality check. And quickly.
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| Queen + Paul Rodgers The Cosmos Rocks | EMI |
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I normally like to live with major releases for as long as possible to give the best and most accurate review possible. And tis album really required some work on my part to appreciate some of the songs on offer. It shouldn't be this hard, but I guess I'm still not sold on the nature of this partnership and the absolute bottom line is that the style of this album is not what I wanted to hear from the Queen name in 2008. I think the production is unnecessarily rough and raw and from start to finish and I'm surprised and disappointed at the lack of trademark Queen-isms in the sound. I have loved this band for years and still regard the loss of Freddie Mercury as one of the most emotional of all the musicians that have unfortunately passed away. The decision of the band to move on is one I can absolutely accept – it is afterall, what they do in life. But the pairing with Paul Rodgers has never sat well with me. I rate Rodgers as one of the great singers of a generation and love his voice...as a solo artist and also with Bad Company. I just don't accept his style is a good fit for Queen. To me it doesn't matter it the CD cover says Queen; Queen + Paul Rodgers or Queen + Mickey Mouse. If it has the word Queen up on the marquee and features Brian May and Roger Taylor, then there is instantly going to be some expectation of the sound, style and quality of the music within. This album to me is Queen + Paul Rogers, but minus much of the Queen. Brian May's wonderful rich and warm guitar tones are missing for the most part and the layered harmony vocals of Queen of old are all but gone. In its place is a stripped back Paul Rodgers blues rock record. And overall, when compared to the output of both Paul Rodgers the solo artist or the Bad Company singer and also the past material of Queen – this record simply isn't as dynamic or exciting. Track By Track: Cosmos Rockin is I guess the closest thing to a traditional Queen sound on the record, but May's guitar is well back in the mix and the song isn't the catchiest I have ever heard. Time To Shine is a good song – albeit a good Paul Rodgers solo song – but it is a real tempo killer coming after the opening track. Sadly it sets up the tempo of the whole album. Still Burning is another relatively slow paced blues rocker that for me just plods along with a chorus that doesn't deliver the goods. Small is another slow track – this time an acoustic ballad. But it is a stronger track and Rodgers voice sounds immaculate. I like the chorus hook, but again, as a whole the song really is a Paul Rodgers solo track. Warboys is a moody subdued rocker that finally gives May a little time to shine late in the track. Interesting track. We Believe is a mid-tempo ballad that fires up a little mid-way through and finally we get to hear a little of that Queen harmony vocal magic. Call Me is happy go lucky pop song that Queen have done before and is just a little to sugary sweet for my tastes, but showcases a mid-album passage of music containing the best songs on the record. Voodoo is a truly boring slow blues song that goes nowhere. Some Things That Glitter is yet another slow track that is quite stylish, but is lost amongst the congestion of slow paced songs on the album. The vocal is soulful and we do get to hear that trademark Brian May sound (a little) late in the track. C-Lebrity was the first song released and has a more recognizable Queen/May sound. I still don't rate it as a great song…just ok. Hate the chorus. Through The Night is yet another slow bluesy song, again showing who was really in control of this album's direction. This song would have been more favorably received if not surrounded by tracks of a similar pace. It's one of the better slow tracks on the album and features some nice guitar work late in the song. Say It's Not True is a pretty good soft ballad that builds to a more rousing and inspired finished. Good to hear Brian's vocals in there too. Surf's Up...School's Out is noting short of absolutely hideous. A complete waste of time and effort and a further blight on whatever it was the guys were trying to do with this album.
I didn't like the live album from a year or so ago and although a fan of all parties involved, I just don't get this pairing and the resultant album of new material is to me, very flat. The album's tempo is too slow and the lack of traditional Queen elements is alarming. I didn't expect a classic sounding Queen album, nor do I expect the guys to repeat past history, but together as a unit I just don't think they delivered quality songs or the spark that you would expect based on the talents of those involved.
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| Shinedown The Sound Of Madness | Atlantic |
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A lot of great things have been said about the third Shinedown album and I'm here to back that all up. This is a monster modern melodic rock album and among the best I have heard in my time reviewing the genre. Yes, the down-tuning is there and it is everything a modern rock album should be - but what great songs. It seems that everything has come together for the band on this, their third release and first since 2005. I just love the energy of this record. It's in your face and it is aggressive when it needs to be, yet features several mellower tunes that allow vocalist Brent Smith to really shine. And the production is immense. This album features one of the more impressive 'walls of sound' that I have heard and a precise mix gives it all room to breathe. The guitars really are all over this record and while it is modern rock, the down-tuning isn't as obvious as other artists and the aggressive, yet melodic lead vocals are a particular joy to listen to. The opening hard rocker Devour does just that, swallowing the speakers with the intense wall of sound that lifts another notch again with the punchy chorus. Sound of Madness is another attitude laced high spirited aggression filled rocker with a great chorus and layers of additional instrumentation. Second Chance is a monster modern rock ballad with orchestration adding to the atmosphere and a surprisingly melodic lead vocal. It is an impressive start to the album, but what is more impressive is the fact it doesn't stop there, rather it continues track for track until the last note of the album. Other highlights include the frantic overdrive of Cry For Help, a song simply drenched in guitars; the big hard rocking ballad The Crow & The Butterfly; the more restrained, but still energetic If You Only Knew, which is this time fuelled by a flurry of acoustic guitars. What a Shame is a hit waiting to happen on modern rock radio; Cyanide Sweet Tooth is as intense as it gets; Call Me uses a bare lead vocal and strings to convey the emotion within. The special edition of the album features 3 bonus tracks, all of which are high energy heavy rockers and help balance the album's slower parts out with a big finish. In places this album reminds me of the spirit and attitude and even the delivery of Gun's classic but underrated Swagger record – just with a 2008 sound and guitar sound. Take another listen to that album and appreciate how ahead of their time Gun was.
And you know what - it's a really loud album without being one of those overbearing, badly mastered noise-fests. It really is beautifully recorded and mastered.
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| Bob Catley Immortal | Frontiers Records FRCD385 |
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Charged with fronting yet another album, the man of the moment Magnus Karlsson has dug deep to deliver another album of classic melodic hard rock / metal songs that will do his reputation no harm whatsoever. But this time, Karlsson takes a back seat to Dennis Ward, who handles the majority of the guitars on the album - Magnus controls the keyboards. Interesting decision, as without investigation, the guitar sound is exactly that of Karlsson. This time Karlsson's muse is legendary British vocalist Bob Catley. Now Bob has recorded some great albums over the years since his solo debut The Tower in 1998. That album remains the one to beat as well as the fabulous When Empires Burn from 2003. I think Immortal ranks up with those two albums as among Bob's best. Karlsson was an inspired choice to work with Bob, and despite the risk of writing overload, he delivers exactly what was expected with the material used. If there was to be any negative in relation to this album it would be that there are no real surprises on offer – it is classic Catley vocal wise and trademark Karlsson songs. So no surprises and nothing we haven't heard from either artist before, but the pairing really works. Immortal features a dozen great hard rocking songs with that vocal passion that Bob delivers and importantly, a huge production that does justice to the performances and compositions. This is one of Catley's heaviest solo albums to date and I'm pleased to see Ward stepping in to deliver those monster riffs. Song wise, I think these tunes really suit Bob and some really heavy songs are given a big melodic twist. Highlights from the album include the storming epic opener Dreamers Unite, with its thunderous rhythm section; the less intense, but equally catchy We Are Immortal; the utterly sensational melodic hard rocker End Of The World, which features one of Bob's great vocals and chorus hooks; Open Your Eyes, which features another great chorus and completes an opening twenty minute blast of class. The metal ballad The Searcher continues the quality, with a soaring chorus and heartfelt vocal; Light Up My Way is classic Karlsson song with a ton of guitars and melodies; You Are My Star is pure melodic bliss and the more menacing Haunted provides a little extra grit late in the album when the last couple of tunes were beginning to sound a little too familiar. The big orchestral ballad Heat Of Passion closes the album in fine style and is another killer Catley vocal.
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| Crown Of Thorns Faith | Frontiers Records FRCD386 |
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It has been a few years between drinks for Crown Of Thorns and I think some even questioned if there would be another album. The band has had a somewhat varied career in regards to their album output. At times classic, at times delivering a few too many fillers in-between glimpses of brilliance). Recorded with a million dollar advance budget, the band's debut is one of this genre's all time classics and I think few disagree with that. Karma and Lost Cathedral is where the band has got it right and Breakthrough and Destiny Unknown are where I think they missed the mark a little. On Faith I think the band delivers the goods once again and matches the quality of Lost Cathedral, making this their best album since 1998. However, it isn't quite the album I expected either. It is a fairly laid back release all things considered and those looking to hear a record with the edge of the debut may be disappointed. What the guys have done right is the production – this is a great sounding release with a big sound and the mix is perfectly balanced. The songs themselves are also all quality. As stated, the direction and general pace of the album overall might disappoint some, but there is no doubt these are some wonderfully smooth and melodic AOR tracks. They also reveal several layers of vocals and instrumentation on repeated listens. The opening rocker Faith has that classic COT sound and that crunchy guitar riff that could have been used a little more through the album and All In My Heart is a pleasant uptempo melodic rocker. The double headed delivery of the ballads Living In The Shadows and The One perhaps slows the momentum of the opening half of the album, but they are still great songs. Living In The Shadows is slow ballad with a good chorus and The One is class AOR. The crunch returns with the old school sounding Rock Ready – the album could perhaps have used another couple of tracks in this vein. Another ballad already with the big AOR anthem Believe Me. And despite the pace slowing again, this is an album highlight and wonderful sentimental ballad with a killer chorus. Is it just me – or does the volume of the next song Nobody drop in volume? A dull track at any rate unfortunately. Stay With Me picks the tempo up again and features a memorable chorus. All I Want to do is yet another ballad, but again…a great one. Lush production and a killer chorus make it another AOR highlight. Rocking again with the track Home Again, which reminds me of the Lost Cathedral album at its best. The chorus is pure AOR. The album closes with yet another slow ballad and again the band delivers, but it is a case of too many ballads lessening the impact of this track.
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| Extreme Saudades de Rock | Frontiers Records FRCD382 |
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I've had this CD nearly 2 months now and still I'm trying to get my head around it. Some days I dig it, some days I don't. It's not the Extreme I prefer (I love the debut and Pornograffitti, but it was downhill after that for me), but it is Extreme – albeit in a rawer, stripped back and experimental format. This is a very diverse record. I guess in simplest terms this is a band reunited and excited to be together again, throwing everything they have ever represented into one record. It makes for a loose and energetic record, but also one that is hard to define and given that it is so varied in direction, it has been no surprise to read may varied opinions on this – from trash to classic and everything in between. And after all this time I'm still on the fence. I like some parts of this album and appreciate the musical integrity of other part, but there is also a few tracks I don't like. Extreme have always been a musically diverse group and I guess there was a large proportion of fans looking for the band to return to the sound of their first couple of records. That's not the case here, but to hear Gary Cherone in full rock voice again is a joy and together with Nuno Bettencourt, is something special. The album is definitely an interesting mix of tunes. Kicking off is the opening rocker Star, which mirrors Queen's Tie Your Mother Down but has an instant likeability – and you just have to love the guitar solo and Gary's vocals. The ragged, retro groove of Comfortably Numb is typically Extreme in nature, even in this stripped down mode. The Led Zeppelin inspired bluegrass of Take Us Alive is another head turner and won't appeal to all, but it remains undeniably interesting. Run – which this time borrows from Bowie's Fame during the verse – is another groover with a catchy chorus. The gritty, but nevertheless heartfelt Last Hour is another left turn. Typically Extreme-ish King Of The Ladies is as annoying as it is catchy, again showing the ying and yang of this record. Then there are some moments of 70s retro groove like Slide and Flower Man which will either be loved or hated by fans. Ballad wise we have the haunting ballad Ghost, which sounds soemwhat like Cherone's solo output and the softly sung Interface, which is one of the album's highlights.
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| Elevener When Kaleidoscopes Collide | AOR Heaven 00035 |
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Swedish AOR outfit Elevener features the talents of M.ill.ion's Johan Bergquist (vocals, keyboards, bass) and Andreas Brodén (guitar, drums). The duo is responsible for all the music appearing on this debut album. In a year packed with impressive releases, Elevener do their very best to be included in the leaders pack, delivering an album of smooth, uptempo European AOR with a twist. That twist is primarily the vocal style of Johan, which doesn't have a dynamic appeal to me, but there is no doubt he knows a great melody and this album is packed with them. The band's sound is a mix of European 80s AOR with a dash of Asia and Toto and even a progressive pop edge at times. You will be doing well to find a more impressive old school AOR anthem like This Heart Of Mine opening any album this year, a chorus as instant as you can get. The equally energetic Say If You Want pounds you over the head with the chorus so often you won't ever forget this one either. The ballad I Still Remember is filled with keyboards and vocal layers and I think will rate well with AOR fans. All I Did features another strong hook, but the vocals grate on me a little here. All Of My Life is a more impressive and likable ballad. The 80s Toto keyboards of Waking Up Without You will also appeal to traditional AOR fans. Could It Be You is one of the fastest paced tracks on the album and gives the last part of the album a lift. And the bombastic Asia-esque There She Goes sees the album close with style.
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| Silent Call Creations From A Chosen Path | Escape Music ESM177 |
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Another Swedish hard rock outfit! Who would have thought? No surprise…the band is another class outfit. This is a solid release with an interesting style and one I think will appeal to quite a few.
Silent Call's debut was recorded in Stockholm and features a classic European melodic metal sound, with some progressive elements. The album has a powerful production and a clean mix allows the many layers to breathe. The album features an orchestral flair to the arrangements and some big over the top moments. The opening track has impact, but it is the next two that work for me – the intense Outcast and I the soaring progressive metal ballad I Believe In Me, which reminds me a little of vocalist Tony Mills and Goran Edman (who actually appears on the album as guest backing vocalist). The material here isn't as instant or catchy as some other releases, but a solid sound and strong performances from the band and a Dream Theater influenced sound will find appeal in the market place. The songs I find most appealing are the more dramatic passages in the album such as the sound of Long Comes The Night. The moody ballad Can't Breathe, which employs some acoustic guitars, was another track that stood out from the first playback.
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| Dreamtide Dream and Deliver | AOR Heaven 00036 |
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Some 5 years since their last album (where does the time go), German melodic rockers Dreamtide return for another side dish of Fair Warning mixed with the pomp AOR of Magnum. The guys have employed a really hollow guitar sound on this album – evn more so than their first two records, obviously intentional and part of the band's "charm" I guess, but the overall production style and quality is not going to appeal to all. There's a lot going on within any Dreamtide album and as usual this took several listens to appreciate. The guys have taken a slightly different musical path here. This is a more diverse record than the two previous Dreamtide releases, this time incorporating a more pop feel on a few tracks. The opening melodic hard rock/pomp salvo of A Fool's Crusade and I Don't Wanna Wait are as fine as you will hear from the guys. The mid-tempo melodic pop ballad Same Star and the soulful, smooth and quite impressive ballad Dancing When The Night Falls showcase the other side of the band, while the big bombastic rhythm of Your Beat and King Of Scum wrap around them. The mid-section of the album turns mellower before To Everybody returns the albums sound to a bombastic heavy beat.
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| Charing Cross We Are... | Metal Heaven 00056 |
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Charing Cross are yet another Swiss hard rocking outfit who have been floating around in various forms for some 20 years. For whatever reason, no album has been recorded until today. This is a pretty decent debut too. Filled with 11 hard rocking tracks and one ballad, the We Are Charing Cross is representative of typical European hard rock/melodic metal that can be found in abundant quantities these days. The production is certainly a credit to the band – the rhythm section pumps through the speakers and the guitars are loud and in your face. The Bruce Dickinson styled vocals of Peter Hochuli are also very strong, although heavy on accent, which isn't for all. Kick Ass Rock N Roll offers the most clichéd lyric of the album, but also one of the strongest choruses. Burn The Sun has a catchy hook also. The melodic Can't Have It All stands out and the ballad Long Time Ago breaks the tempo of the album at a good spot. Plenty of riffs to be found here and decent choruses also, making this worthy of checking out, but perhaps not original enough to put their head above a very crowded playing field.
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| From The Inside Visions | Frontiers Records FRCD384 |
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I'm not always sold on these project releases, where an artists sings a selection of tracks picked out for them, as I believe it makes it harder for the artist to make a connection with the songs and therefore sound convincing when delivering them. From The Inside is a little different as Vaughn was directly involved in writing songs for this and also the debut album. Plus there's something about the passionate voice of Danny Vaughn that seems to transcend any obstacles possibly thrown at him. The debut From The Inside release was an almost perfect display of emotionally charged melodic rock, with Vaughn singing as if his life depended on it. What I like about From The Inside was that Vaughn dived into the songwriting process with producer Fabrizio Grossi and has again together penned half the songs for this album. If any criticism could be leveled at the first release, it would be that it could have featured a better mix/overall production. Visions is album number two for the Vaughn/Grossi team, with Eric Ragno joining in on keyboards (his contribution both noticeable and valuable) and House of Lords star guitarist Jimi Bell has also been recruited to beef up the sound. And it is fair to say that he has done exactly that – the guitar playing here has more authority then the debut. Production wise, I'm not sold on the way Grossi makes some instruments sound, especially the guitar. That said the sound really punches through the speakers thanks to a Tommy Hansen mix. So in that sense, in keeping with the debut, this is one of the best sounding records to date for Grossi. While I rate this a better sounding release, I still prefer the debut due to the nature of the songs featured on that record. There are some absolute melodic rock gems to be found here and again Danny Vaughn is singing like the vocal God he is. Highlights are plenty and the record overall must fall into the must buy category for fans of traditional, expressive European/US hybrid melodic rock. Highlights from the album include: The opening duel salvo of Light Years and Making Waves would be winners on just about any record in recent memory, with Making Waves up there for me as one of the best melodic rock songs of the year. And the power ballad If It's Not Love is sensational and sees Vaughn deliver one of his best vocals ever. The fast moving and attention grabbing 21st Century has another brilliant chorus and memorable verse and the drumming of Peter Lobo and soloing from Bell really propelling this track. And as the opening two tracks delivered a one-two punch, so to does 21st Century and Days Of Hunger together. Another killer vocal, hook and melody here. Moment To Moment has a distinct Tyketto vibe that I'm sure Vaughn fans will appreciate. And One More Night In Heaven is another very strong ballad that perhaps could easily fit House Of Lords. Telemetry closes the album off with a happy go lucky vibe that sums up the album as a whole.
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| Land Of Tales Land Of Tales | Frontiers Records FRCD381 |
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Fresh blood is important, so I'm pleased to see Finland's Land Of Tales get a shot with a strong label such as Frontiers. These guys deliver traditional style European melodic rock with touches of 80s keyboards and melodies, but a contemporary enough production to avoid any chance of being dated. Keyboards match guitars in the mix and vocalist Kristian glides over the top. At times the sound is purely commercial melodic rock, other times touches of symphonic rock creep in. I think that style is in the blood of most Finnish artists, they do it so well. There is a definite accent on the vocals and the delivery style and tone make them very unique. I'm not sure they will be to everyone's liking, but there is no doubt they are a good match for this material. The opening melodic rocker Silence gets your attention immediately while other tracks take some listening before getting to know. The album overall is a fairly moody slice of European melodic rock. Highlights include that barnstorming opener, the mid-tempo ballad Outlander; the acoustic driven ballad Wasted Chance; the moody punch of Choose and the more anthemic So Long. The haunting ballad Fading Away is also worthy of a mention. A few of the other songs blend into each other and could have benefited from a better chorus or change in tempo.
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| Appearance Of Nothing Wasted Time | Escape Music ESM174 |
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Interesting album this. Not quite sure what to make of it, even after a dozen listens. Swiss metallers Appearance Of Nothing are throwing a bunch of musical styles at the wall here and some stick, some don't. This is part melodic metal, part progressive, part gothic and part…well, not sure! The vocals are really an acquired taste and I'm not sure I have that taste. The deep, expressive and sometimes symphonic tone of Swiss vocalist Pat Gerber are over the top to say the least. He joins with bass player Omar to provide the album's lead vocals, but there seems to be a major difference between the pair, which in this case doesn't work. The vocals fly from gruff to angelic inside a few seconds and on The Gambler even turns to a death metal style shout before the more melodic chorus. I'm just not sure it all fits together and will appeal to the audience the album is aimed at. It's all very dramatic – but is it effective? Drifting Away is an example of shifting styles. A slow moody rock song featuring these big varying vocals command the first half of the song before a progressive metal style shift bursts through mid-song. Wasted Time is an acoustic ballad before we turn back to progressive metal on Wrapped In Silence. For me the record is juts too varied without ever settling on one style or one vocal pattern. And there a too few defined chorus melodies and just too much tempo/time changes to ever get a firm grasp on the songs themselves. The best part of the album for me is the extended instrumental passages of the closing section of the album, where the band displays plenty of progressive prowesses without the vocals getting in the way.
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| Starbreaker Love's Dying Wish | Frontiers Records FRCD383 |
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The debut Starbreaker album turned some heads. It repositioned vocalist Tony Harnell into a new realm and set him up to continue a respected career outside the confines of what he was best known for in TNT. The heavier melodic metal direction suited Tony perfectly and the pairing of him and star guitarist Magnus Karlsson could not have been better. Love's Dying Wish sees the band deliver a slightly different release, keeping the base that was the debut and adding some new elements. Different yes, but just as good and perhaps even better. A revised line-up step up and place themselves well and truly on the international hard rock/metal landscape. I love everything this album has to offer – it is even more diverse than the debut, it is darker and more aggressive and it has a monster sound that outshines the first album and the added production effects makes it very contemporary and open to a wide audience. New bassist Jonni Lightfoot is all over this record, with a thumping beat that meshes with drummer John Macaluso to deliver an ear crunching rhythm section. Magnus Karlsson is also a revelation. He has never sounded so heavy and aggressive, yet the riffs continue to help drive the melodies behind the songs. The choice of a further tuned down contemporary sound again helps make this record a modern commercial hard rocking masterpiece. I'm not normally one to advocate the down-tuning of guitars, but in doing so on this record, the guys give themselves a whole new attitude that just sells itself. Tony Harnell has also made the interesting choice of delivering more vocals in a lower register, with a menacing rasp at times, making those trademark higher pitch melodies and squeals even more effective and powerful when they arrive. And there are plenty of them…but they are used to blow the songs apart with soaring vocal lines rather than drive the song that way from the start. And the constant use of harmonies throughout only helps these choruses stick in your head. The strength of songwriting is what really makes this album a revelation. There simply are no secondary songs – every track is a winner and the ones with seemingly less melodic drive are perfect foil for the songs that follow and in their own way have embedded melodies that grow on you with time, showing the true depth of the material here. Hard to pick out highlights here as every track has a melody and a good chorus and some songs have different roles to play. The punishing modern metal vibe of the opening two songs End Of Alone and Evaporate set up the tone of the album and allow the fabulously intense and dramatic Love's Dying Wish to blow through the speakers. The chorus here is classic Tony Harnell. Unknown Superstar is as catchy as Tony Harnell can be. Live Your Life has a thumping beat, a menacing vocal and another magnificent chorus; Evaporate has a dark tone mixed with an uplifting riff which makes for a great listen; Changes Me is simply phenomenal. The moody intro building to a thumping beat and a gigantic chorus which makes this one of the songs of the year for me. Building A Wall has a subtle melody that grows with each listen and This Close is a powerful ending to a powerful album.
There is a lot going on here and the more contemporary direction might not appeal to some, but at the heart of this album are some killer songs and killer performances. This is a world class hard rock record. Bring on album #3!
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| Motley Crue Saints Of Los Angeles | Motley/Eleven Seven Music |
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One would normally expect to have more to say about a Motley Crue release, but this one almost speaks for itself. It is so systematically a "Motley" release that describing it track by track is more or less pointless! The bar has been set high for 2008's best albums, so the pressure has been on everyone to deliver. Thankfully Motley Crue find themselves in a similar predicament to several other icon acts this year – ready for a kick ass record. And they deliver! Based lyrically on the band's past as described in the biography The Dirt, the album was written in most part by bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist Mick Mars. Musically speaking this is about everything you could ask from a band with such a colorful history and long career in 2008. It isn't the best produced album of their career or perhaps the most commercial, but it is 100% Motley Crue. The rawer sound and the sometimes punkish hard rock are symptomatic of an album recorded with few overdubs and a true live feel. And that means the energy just pours through the speakers. There's a lot to like here and everyone delivers solid performances. Vince Neil in particular delivers some great vocals and the vibe is really classic good fun, good times, sleazy rock n roll. The lyrics are a laugh to listen to as the band chronicles it's journey from the early days in LA. Highlights include the frantic hard rocker Face Down In The Dirt; the extremely melodic old-school sounding Down At The Whiskey; the more contemporary 'old meets new' hard rock of Saints Of Los Angeles (which has a huge Dr Feelgood style sound); the moody intensity of MF Of The Year; and the classic Crue double header of Just Another Psycho and Chicks = Trouble (Girls Girls Girls era sound) also impress. The punk rock Goin' Out Swinging has a great energy and cool chorus and is a fine way to close the album.
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| Pleasure Dome For Your Personal Amusement | Escape Music ESM175 |
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This is not your typical melodic rock release, nor your typical Ted Poley release. In fact, it isn't really a Poley release at all. It is project put together by Charlie Calv (Shotgun Symphony/The Way) along with fellow East Coast rockers David Tsien (guitars), Ed Avila (bass) and John Hummel (drums). The album is also a conceptual release, with a story spanning the length of the album's 12 tracks (2 of those being abbreviated instrumentals). The record has a cool sound – Charlie always delivers great sounding records and it is great to hear Ted Poley singing outside his comfort zone and in a more aggressive manner to which we normally hear him. It is far from an instant record and far from a straight forward musical arrangement. At times progressive, at times aggressive, but never too heavy or too far from the guy's musical roots. The first lead vocal for Ted is Trapped and he really delivers a powerful vocal here, even if the song itself isn't defined by a traditional verse/chorus arrangement. One And Only is a more straight forward and traditional melodic rocker with a commercial Poley chorus. The Aura That Surrounds You is another challenging progressive/aggressive melodic hard rock tune that offers something different, but will not to be everyone's tastes. Praying For A Miracle again head back into familiar commercial territory with acoustic guitars driving a strong melodic base. Continuing the pattern of commercial/complex, Always Tomorrow again mixes things up, but the chorus here is very likable and one of the highlights. This is where things go a little south for me. Three songs here - a female lead vocal is the most prominent over two of the tracks and the middle one is an instrumental. Ted Poley takes a back seat and it is not until the heavy progressive track 10 Return To Zero that he returns to the fore. Save The World is the last vocal track of the album and I like the vibe of the track and the aggressive uptempo beat, but a stronger chorus would have been more desirable. There are some cool melodies in play within the track and layers of instrumentation.
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| Ronni LeTekro Kingdom Of Norway | Escape Music ESM173 |
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This is a hard one to review. Personally I'm not into the record at all as it displays most of what I didn't like about the last TNT record. But – it is a solo record and not a TNT record, so the predefined expectations going in are a little different and Ronni should be allowed free range to cover various musical influences. Solo records are all about exploring other musical spheres and Ronni does just that on this eclectic set of songs. No one would argue that Ronni is not a fabulous guitarist with a unique style and feel and a great sense of melody. But his solo work is not for everyone. The last TNT album I felt was an extension of his personal experimentation and this album takes it several steps further. Here he travels a very diverse path that comprises of experimental hard rock to psychedelic pop and even some tunes that simply are so bizarre they defy musical explanation.
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| Soul Doctor That's Live | Metal Heaven 00054 |
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This live album was recorded in part from the United Forces Of Rock show in Germay last year and other shows from the last 18 mpnths across Europe. It is now Soul Doctor's turn now to deliver a live album to die-hard fans and this 13 track set should appeal to most of those. Similar to the compliments dished out for the previous live releases, I can add that Soul Doctor's set has also been well recorded and sounds alive and energetic on disc, a true raw, live sound and some of the band's best tunes. Vocalist Tommy Heart delivers a warm and raspy vocal and keeps the crowd enthusiastic throughout. Blood Runs Cold, Eatin' On Me, Laugh In The Face Of Danger and Get It On impress for their energetic deliveries.
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| Marcello-Vestry Marcello-Vestry | Avalon Japan MICP-10727 |
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It has been a cracking year for melodic rock and AOR with plenty more still to come. The 2008 MelRock Awards will be a headache beyond headaches! Adding to the welcome dilemma of picking out the best releases of the year is this little gem. Marcello Vestry is another slice of glorious classic melodic rock, with the finest traditions of this genre firmly entrenched in the performances, songwriting and production – all of which are world class. And so they should be with the likes of those involved. There are reasons this release is being described as Danger Danger's little brother. Vocalist Frank Vestry has been around several years and is best described as a cross between Paul Laine and Ted Poley (Ted's higher tone and Paul's rasp). Guitarist/Keyboardist Rob Marcello is of course a current member of Danger Danger and fellow band mate Bruno Ravel has co-written most of the material with the lads as well as producing the album and playing bass. And we all know Mr. Ravel turns in quality productions don't we? Just like H.E.A.T and Brother Firetribe, this is a step back into the golden age of driving melodic hard rock music, where the hair was big, but the music bigger. Europe has been turning out the finest melodic music in years in recent times, but now it is time for the Americans to fire back with this release straight out of 1990. A little has been made of the less than serious nature of the lyrics on here – this is all about the girls, the music and what a mix of the two does to a person! No harm there. What is important is that this album kicks ass and is a fantastic representation of everything most of this site's readers love about music. Big guitars, soaring vocals with layers of harmonies, keyboards and driving rock songs mixed with a couple of big 80s ballads. I love the slightly raspy tone of Frank Vestry's vocals, which really resonate with me; and Rob Marcello is all over this record. Guitars flaying and solos flying. And the thumping bass of Ravel coupled with a tight production mean this album sounds a million bucks and fits right into the Danger Danger catalogue between Screw It and Four The Hard Way (pretty much replicating the style of the dual Cockroach releases). The opening trio of Fireworks, Ready Or Not and All I Wanna Do Is U are melodic rock anthems complete with keyboard fills, guitar solos and memorable layered choruses. All I Wanna Do Is U is perhaps the most anthemic. Gone is the first big ballad of the album, but an uptempo rock ballad at that. And a big rock song if you know what I mean. It stars mellow and builds quickly to a fabulous chorus. Without You is pure layered melodic bliss and Live Life is straight out of 1988. The more sentimental ballad of the album is What You Mean, which reminds me of the debut Danger Danger release. Another trio of uptempo rockers closes out the album with One More Night the last track and perhaps one of the albums best with its driving beat and killer AOR chorus which doesn't miss a beat.
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| Harem Scarem Hope | Frontiers Records FRCD379 |
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Harem Scarem are one of those bands within this music scene who have an immensely high profile due to the number of albums they have released and the high regard in which people generally hold the band. When the band does release an album – everyone checks it out – and therefore you get to hear a lot of opinions. Lots of them. Not everyone is always happy, but one has to say that considering the ever changing musical route the band takes, keeping the majority happy, a majority of the time is something to be proud of. Even some of the band's most die-hard fans can't be pleased all the time, but Harem Scarem is simply one of the most consistent and likable melodic rock bands I have ever covered. After 11 studio albums and some 20 years making music together the guys have called it quits and this is the last album to be released. Frustration at not being able to follow the musical direction they want and repeated calls for the band to simply repeat the formula of their most loved records have eroded the enthusiasm of Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance. But they have given fans one more record to enjoy (and no doubt debate) and Hope is that very optimistically titled record. I'm not sure what fans were expecting from a final Harem Scarem record. I think some thought the band might finally give in and repeat the formula for Mood Swings as a farewell gesture; others thought they would deliver an album of uninspired by-the-numbers material. Neither is true. The band close out their long and illustrious career with a challenging album that has a much darker mood than their previous, more upbeat album Human Nature and a contemporary sound that will see several songs compared to the Overload and Voice Of Reason albums. The guys haven't played it safe here, but there are a couple of moments where you can't help but think that they could be doing this sort of thing in their sleep. There are a few songs here that work so well that they will rate amongst my favourite songs the guys have recorded in recent years. There are also a couple of songs that I could possibly live without, so I expect the usual fan debates to be as strong as ever. Hope continues the production and sound style of the band's output since Weight Of The World and slots in nicely alongside Higher, Human Nature and Overload. In my simple and plain view - if you have continued to follow Harem Scarem over the years – you will like this. Simple. The songwriting is of the band's usual high standard and the production likewise. Track By Track: The kick off is Watch Your Back – probably the most classic Harem Scarem styled track on the album. Darker and moodier than Human Nature for instance, but with a great commercial chorus in typical Scarem style, it could easily have slotted into the last release or any of the last 4 albums. Time Bomb is one of the tracks I continue to struggle with. Mostly because of an irritating repetitive cymbal through the verse that is a trademark of drummer Creighton Doane, but here it is so prominent in the mix it takes away from an otherwise adventurous modern melodic rock tune that sees Harry singing falsetto in the chorus. Hope starts with a classic Lesperance riff and dives right into the moody and dark Overload style of melodic rock. The chorus is to me, reminiscent of Weight Of The World, so the mix of both is appealing and works well. The next few tracks are where things get darker and heavier and represent my favourite part of the album. Days Are Numbered has a slow moody verse, but cracking beat and a soaring chorus that is completely addictive. Dark Times is clearly more aggressive both with the intense vocal delivery and the choppy guitar riff. But a thoroughly melodic chorus shines through and takes the song in a different direction before the intensity of the verse returns. No one does melodies like these guys. Beyond Repair is intense and heavy again, yet in a more restrained fashion to that of Dark Times. Moody and intense, but mellower through the verse, this time the guys rollout the angst and harder riffs for the chorus. A perfect contrast to that of Dark Times. Never Too Late eases up on the angst for a bit. This is a more traditional HS melodic rocker with melodies flowing through the verse before a short tempo changing chorus changes tact slightly. Shooting Star is the first of two big ballads and the way this one starts is reminiscent of everything we know and love about Harem Scarem. The vocal matches the recent output style of the band, as does the big chorus which features another killer melody. Calm Before The Storm is another big uptempo rocker with a dark edge and a flurry of drums and guitars. Modern in its vocal approach and thumping drum beat, but once again, the guys deliver big time when the chorus arrives. I love the dark and moody acoustic driven ballad Nothing Without You. It reminds me of the Overload album again, with the slight Beatles influence and some orchestral backing and is another big classy Harem ballad. Both the Japanese and European versions close off with their own exclusive acoustic bonus tracks that don't add any real value to the albums, but are nice enough.
I've been accused in the past of consistently giving these guys high scores, but when an artist delivers quality almost every time, then why should they not be recognized for that – even if the style diverts from the expected sometimes. That all said, I'll stick to the script and simply close off this chapter of melodic rock history by stating that Hope is yet another high caliber release from the band that will suit the vast majority of die-hard fans who have appreciated their talents over the years. Thank you Harem Scarem.
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| Gypsy Rose Another World | Escape Music ESM171 |
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I haven't been a fan of everything vocalist David Reece has been involved in over the years, but I am a fan of everything Gypsy Rose founder Martin Kronlund has done. I am definitely a fan of Reece's work in Bangalore Choir, which I thought was one of the more intelligent records released out of the USA in the early 90s. So the mix of these two personalities has a lot of appeal to me and I think that translates into the record delivered. This is an energetic melodic metal release with Kronlund's typically bombastic European approach, featuring a tight rhythm section, plenty of guitars and swirling keyboards. Reece sounds exactly as expected – gruff and raspy, yet with a controlled tone that adds a melodic edge to the intense vocal. The opening riff-tastic double kickdrum fired Final Call is a great slice of European metal and the moodier, slower Nothing Really Matters is more dramatic and intense. Keeping the intensity with a pace inbetween the opening two rockers is Angels, which has the most obvious chorus of the three. When I Call Your Name is a metal ballad that reminds me of Bangalore Choir. Don't Look Back is one of the album's more bombastic tunes as Reece takes Gypsy Rose in a fresh direction. Just as Fired started to sound a little repetitive, the thumping A Little Ain't Enough fires up the album again. All The Way To The Sun features the most instant and anthemic chorus of the album as we hit a solid run of late album tracks, including the moody angst of A Million Miles and the frantic pace and bombastic nature of Liar. Another World is a little too much and a little repetitive again, but the closing straight ahead hard rocker Hellhammer is more enjoyable.
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| Silent Rage Four Letter Word | Frontiers Records FRCD378 |
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You know, bands will just make the albums they 'have to make', but whoever is in charge of selling it has to face up to the facts. Promoted as a 'natural progression' from the band's classic 80s melodic hard rock release Don't Touch Me There, this album is nothing like that release, and at best could only be described as a distant half-cousin, once removed. There are a couple of Four Letter Words that could describe this release. The stark reality is that I don't see fans being happy at all with this. There are several issues at play here. First has already been mentioned, I don't hear classic Silent Rage here. What I hear is an updated, modernized version that has more in common with the contemporary music scene. Second is the production. Gilby Clarke's style is obviously a long way from that of the band's former partner Paul Sabu. This record is rough, raw and stripped back to the point that some tracks sound like demos and the style of his production is a hundred miles from the stadium rock of the band's Sabu controlled work. Then there is the songs themselves. I just don't like them. That's really hard for me to say, as Jesse Damon is a true talent and I love his solo work and past Silent Rage records. But these songs are simply not very likable. There are no big choruses, no stand out hooks and the delivery of them is so rough, and it is really hard on the ears. And finally – yes there is more – the use of three lead singers across the album is further off-putting and makes the record even harder to get into. The raw, punkish modern rock of You Could Be The One opens the album and sends up that red flag immediately. The bridge to the chorus is awful and the verse is messy. Four Letter Word offer some glimpse into how the band used to sound, with that slightly Kiss-like vibe, but the production is just too raw. Man Or Machine and Feel My Love are just plain awful – both for different reasons, but both dreadful songs. The acoustic driven Close Your Eyes is slightly better and more traditional in its sound, but it's not until Nobody Knows that you get another ok track. The closing track Trouble has a little energy to it – but that's about it.
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| Polution Overheated | Escape Music ESM172 |
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This is an interesting release. The name of the band, the artwork and their picture suggested something heavier and while the lead singer does sound as if he has been swallowing razor blades, this is a solid and very well produced hard rock record. Yet another Swiss band here and it really must be something in the water there as how many Swiss bands come off with a huge AC/DC influence? (Krokus, Shakra to name two). Add Polution to the list. They sound like a AC/DC meets a commercial Metallica hybrid, the gruff vocals matching the intensity of the guitars. Reality, Same Shit Different Day, Paid Soul are all heavy AC/DC style hard rockers with attitude to match. Overheated is a gem of a pub-rocker with a simple chorus and a driving riff. In fact, the acoustic ballad Don't Know sounds well out of place in amongst the rest of the riffing. The slower bluesy Going Down is a better way to mix up the tempo. Five Years shows a slightly different attitude and is an album highlight. I think the guys sound best when the pull it back just a little, as they do here.
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| Richie Kotzen Live In Sao Paulo | Frontiers Records FRCD380 |
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Live In Sao Paulo is a another fairly simple release that will be of little appeal to any uninitiated Kotzen fans, but an immediate magnet to long time devotees. This is another live album that doesn't require a lot of text to convey the contents. It isn't the clearest or best recorded concert I have ever heard – this is truly a raw, live recording, but damn…can this boy play! Nearly 80 minutes of music over just 12 tracks here, meaning there is plenty of extended jam passages and a ton of guitar solos. You have to appreciate the atmosphere on this record – the fans are all singing along and Richie just soaks it up and his performance is inspired to say the least. Funk, ballads, rock and soul all pour through the speakers as we get taken on the wild ride that is Kotzen's musical influences.
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| White Wolf Live In Germany | Escape Music ESM169 |
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White Wolf returned to active duty last year with their good comeback Victim Of The Spotlight. They went on to play the United Forces Of Rock III Festival in Germany and this release comes from that set. I have to say – this is a cracking live recording. Nice and raw, in your face and energetic (based on the band's performance) and above all else – loud! The guys showcase several songs from the recent album and then delve into the back catalogue for some fan favourites with Don Wolf in very strong voice throughout. It is absolutely no reflection of the contents of this album – but there simply isn't much that needs to be said about this live album. So I'll keep it short and simple and leave it to the fans of the band to go out and buy!
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| Frozen Rain Frozen Rain | Avenue Of Allies Music Avenue 08 01 0001 |
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I like this record. I can't help but like it – it's so, well….nice! The pink and fluffy brigade is in full force on this, the debut Frozen Rain album, which comes after a 5 track sampler late last year. Frozen Rain is more or less the brain child of Kurt Vereecke from Belgium. He plays keyboards, synth bass and provides backing vocals as well as mixing much of the whole project. Helping him out is a relative 'who's who' of the AOR world, with Tommy Denander striking yet again on guitars (yes, you know the guitar sound this will have already); Daniel Flores (drums); Guido Priori (from Myland, on backing vocals); Steve Newman guests on rhythm guitars as does Jim Santos (Norway). There are still several more involved that round out the full band performance. This album is completely and entirely a traditional European 80s AOR release. From the light vocals to the fluffy keyboards and the sentimental subject matter within the lyrics. The band doesn't try to take on any new ground or put a new twist on something they know already works. It is al very familiar and safe, but sometimes that's what works. The guys change vocalists throughout, which makes things a little hit or miss, which is perhaps my only real complaint here. The opening track is ultimately a very catchy AOR anthem that I can't fault. I think fans of European AOR will enjoy this. Wire Of Love is also very enjoyable – both featuring vocalist Johan Waem. His last vocal Little Angel is also good – he's the standout vocalist on this record. Music Keeps Me Alive is perhaps a little cheesy (as is Park Café), but you can't fault the flow of the song or the way it captures the classic 80s AOR vibe. The ballad My Heart Believes It's True doesn't work for me, I think largely down to the vocalist Ollie Oldenburg – same goes for his closing ballad Tomorrow. The vocal on the more up-tempo On The Run works better, but his vocal on the similarly tempo'd Your Love isn't a favourite either. Johan returns towards the end for another solid European AOR track Red Light Zone (featuring Steve Newman). Never Be A Fool Again is one of the albums better tracks, with a slightly moodier feel, but still heaps of keyboards.
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| Bret Michaels Rock My World | VH1 Classics |
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This release is purely and simply a cheap and lazy cash-in at the expense of gullible fans and potential newbies thanks to his auspicious reality debut on Rock Of Love. Now, here's the problem. Bret has spent two years selling himself (or at least his loins) on that low-brow reality show and it only makes sense to cash in on that wave of publicity with a new solo album. But rather than put in any real effort, Bret instead throws together a massive 3 new songs and cobbles those together with 9 tracks from his past two solo records. It has been 3 years since the last album and 3 new tracks is all that could be mustered up. Go That Far is of course the theme song from Rock Of Love and is a fairly likeable melodic rocker with that dose of Bret Michaels spirit. Shame about the crappy production. Driven sees him fall straight back into the hard edge rockabilly/country vibe that has flowed through all his solo work and Start Again is a straight up, predictable pop/rock/country ballad. The rest of the songs don't even warrant reviewing, as they have been out before and for several years at that. Remixed or remastered, they still don't hold a candle to Poison's output (the dreadful last studio album aside) and the country vibe can be either take it or leave it for listeners. Bret's first two solo albums were ok….nothing great, nothing terrible, but nothing worth rehashing yet again. To do so again here is just plain lazy, opportunistic and well…lame. |
| Krackerjack Rock On! | Indie |
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Denmark's Krackerjack have created a cracker (or should that be kracker?) of a classic rock album here, which infuses the best parts of the 70s rock vibe with a loose, contemporary production and a general sense of fun. These guys hail from Denmark, but they seem to have a fair sense of what 70s British rock was all about. If Airborne and Jet can make a career of sounding like someone else, then a more original outfit surely should rate highly with fans. These guys feature a very likable vocalist with a decent range, songs smothered in organ, all driven by a riff-tastic guitarist. The band's sound is very organic and very true…hence the comparisons to 70's classic rock like UFO, Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple. The title track Rock On! is perhaps the high point of the album – what a fantastic feel good song, with an old-school vibe. Lonely is classic Deep Purple – Jon Lord organ and all; Blame It On The Little Big Horn is perhaps my least favourite, but maybe because of the slow tempo. Back Together has a very commercial melodic rock chorus, drenched again in tons of organ. The obligatory epic is delivered with the 7 minute plus Hungry Boy, while Lullaby is anything but! A strong production, but not a super slick style. Simple, loose and raw, it suits the energy of the band and the songs on offer here. Fans of 70s classic rock should check this out as there is a lot to like. |
| Rev Theory Light It Up | Interscope |
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Wow, this is one out of the box. A sophomore album on major label Interscope sees US melodic metallers Rev Theory getting the full push. I expect this will turn some heads too.
Imagine if Harem Scarem went metal and dropped some of their layered vocals. Rev Theory might be just what you get. Driving guitars and a modern rock production are at the forefront of this big sounding album, but a raspy melodic vocalist makes it very listenable with a performance matched by the quality of songs on offer. And I'm pleased they sound just that little bit more original than the dozen other standard modern rock outfits out there. Hell Yeah is a storming opening track and the chorus defies the heaviness of the song. The guys prove they can mellow out with the commercial acoustic ballad Broken Bones reminiscent of Daughtry. Wanted Man is another intense and fierce modern rocker and the closing Far From Over sends chills up your spine. A great performance, monster production and 2008 has another winner – this time in the modern melodic metal category. |
| Hardreams The Road Goes On | Perris Records PER2012 |
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Italy's Hardreams dish up a serve of traditional melodic hard rock here, with American label Perris Records taking on the band worldwide. Good solid material here, but the accent of vocalist Manu Esteve could possibly put some people off. It is a very strong European accent and is audible throughout the album. Musically speaking the album features an uptempo set of songs with guitars and keyboards equally represented. The production is ok – fairly even mix and while not the best I have heard, it isn't an issue of any concern. Apologies is a strong guitar driven melodic rocker; Rebel Heart has a solid chorus and likable melody; My Last Desire is a good mid-tempo AOR track but on We're One I had to read along with the lyrics to understand what was being sung! Some good some bad, but generally some very familiar music and songs here. Solid and traditional AOR that might have stood out a little more any other year but this year. |
| King's Call No Alibi | Artist Service CD6017 |
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I have no idea where these guys come from, but they sound British. This is an interesting classic rock release with a musical sound influenced by 70s rock (Thin Lizzy). The band has a definite moody vibe, but what strikes me immediately is that the guys actually sound too laid back. Being laid back is great, but when the songs are begging to be played as if they should be punching through the speakers, then the laid back vibe is working against you. The sound is also a little muddy which surprises me as famed producer Chris Tsangarides was behind the desk on this. The drums are a dull beat rather than a definite thump and the vocals are not as prominent in the mix as should be. I like the moody drawl of the singer and the melodies within the songs, but it all sounds delivered without any spark. There really are some fine songs here and a better production and more urgent vocal performance might have created another melodic highlight for 2008. |
| Deliverance As Above - So Below | Retroactive RAR7833 |
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If intense Christian metal is your bag, then here's something to check out. This is super heavy, super sonically charged and true all-out American thrash metal. Early Metallica with a slight modern rap-metal influence that made Korn superstars is in place here and to be honest, this does nothing for me whatsoever. Production quality is reasonable though and sonically it is a very in your face set of songs. I like it heavy when the mood fits, but I'm not enough melody in these songs and I'm not getting into the vocalist at all. Just not a singer in the sense that I appreciate and need in order to appreciate any set of songs. |
| Clusterhead Times Of No Trust | Artist Service CD6025 |
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