Wed
05
Oct

CRY OF DAWN - Cry Of Dawn (Review)

information persons: 
content: 
85%
Produced By: 
Daniel Flores
Release Date: 
2016
Released: 
Worldwide
Musical Style: 
AOR
Label: 
Frontiers
Artist: 
Score: 
85
Friday, September 23, 2016
Categories: 
Reviews
 
Cry Of Dawn is the feature vehicle for Swedish vocalist great Goran Edman, this time partnering with one of Frontiers Records’ in-house producers, Daniel Flores (Find Me, Murder Of My Sweet). Daniel has had a busy year, with First Signal and Palace already under his belt and Toby Hitchcock still to come.
 
I’ve never found a Goran Edman album I don’t like and this is no different. He is one of those vocalists that just delivers time after time and it hardly needs stating that he sounds a million dollars here again. Flores again enlists Michael Palace to supply guitars, so it’s not surprising to find the musical bed of this project very similar to those others just mentioned.
 
Cry Of Dawn’s musical mission is not too far removed from that of Street Talk which he also fronts.
It’s not very often I’ll say this – but this time around there are too many keyboards. The absolute saturation of swirling keys on every track is just too much. There’s not enough room for the songs to breathe in my opinion.
 
Of course Edman does a killer job and most of the songs are pretty catchy. There’s plenty to like about the opener Chance and the slightly heavier Tell It To My Heart has a great bridge then chorus hook.
Light A Light and Can’t Go On are both very Street Talk in their sound and again feature killer choruses.
Hands Around My Heart is a beautiful ballad, but slightly overdone with the keyboards again.
 
I can’t stand the chorus in the second track Listen To Me, which is a shame, that ultra high vocal just grates on me. It’s probably the only weaker track here, there are others that don’t stand out as much as others, but nothing forgettable.

I love the vocals, I really love a few of the songs and the consistency of the album is a credit to the songwriters. I’m not so much a fan of the production style. As stated, I think the keyboards are way overdone and there’s not enough individual character in the album to make it stand out as a new band to rival those that came before them.
If you have the last First Signal and Find Me releases, you know exactly how this is going to sound. It’s good, but not quite as good as expected.

 

 
Wed
05
Oct

TANGO DOWN - Bulletproof (Review)

information persons: 
content: 
90%
Produced By: 
Ty Sims
Release Date: 
2016
Released: 
USA
Musical Style: 
Melodic Hard Rock
Label: 
Kivel Records
Artist: 
Score: 
90
Release Year: 
2016
RELEASE MONTH: 
08
Categories: 
Reviews
 
Tango Down are a very consistent American rock band. This is their 5th album in 11 years, which is a pretty good recording rate. I’ve liked each album and the guys have always delivered on their brand of kick ass hard rock with splashes of more melodic AOR tunes in between the rockers.
 
On Bulletproof the band come out firing with one of their best rockers yet in Punching Bag. New vocalist Chas West is a favourite of mine – his voice is perfect for this material and he slides between the punchier rockers and the more melodic numbers with ease.
Which is exactly what he does with the second track Give Me A Reason, the harmony filled mid-tempo AOR track is a nice contrast from the opener.
A couple of mid-tempo rockers dominate next, the bass is a little loud in the mix on the track Carry On (same issue as with Maxx Explosion), but it’s a fine menacing tune.
 
When We Were Young is another mellower moment – fans of AOR with a kick will love this. It has shades of Adriangale and Def Leppard to it. I don’t have any credits, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jace Pawlack responsible for this tune.
I have to profess my love for the melody and chorus hook of Going Under, one of the album’s finest. But at the same time I can’t get past the drum rhythm. It doesn’t seem to fit the song at all. The verse beat seems out of step with the vocals and just doesn’t suit the melodies being carried by the vocals.
 
The album needed a kick ass rocker by now and Superstar delivers the goods. A nice dirty rocker.
The tempo dips again immediately after for the moody ballad Edge of Goodbye – which is quite superb. A killer chorus and some pristine vocals. A hit single in any other decade.
Back to a fast tempo on the not too heavy Anything Can Change which offers something different than the heavier rockers.
The album closes as it began, with a nice high energy, gritty rocker in Broken Heart.

Overall, the songwriting on this album is probably the best of any Tango Down album. The vocals are unquestionably the best and you can’t argue with the riffing either.
It’s a very good slice of American melodic hard rock featuring Scott Miller, one of the scene’s most underrated shredders.
The only issue I have with anything is perhaps the sequencing of songs and bits and pieces in the production. But overall, I highly recommend! Well done lads.
 
 
Wed
05
Oct

MARTINA EDOFF Sets Up USA & UK Dates

Artist: 
Friday, October 16, 2015
Categories: 
Tour News
 
If you are a rock music fan located in Nottingham in the U.K. or Joliet in the U.S., you are in luck - the Nordic Queen of melodic rock, Martina Edoff, is confirmed for two shows in October:
 
Sunday, October 23rd 2016.
Rockingham Festival
Nottingham Trent University
UK
1:00 pm SET TIME
 
Saturday, October 29th, 2016.
Rock N Skull 2016 Melodic Rock Fest
The Tree
22 West Cass Street, Joliet, IL
US
 
And joining Martina on stage for these performances will be Chris Buckley - Bass (Martina, H.E.A.T sound eng.), Jona Tee - Keyboards (Martina, H.E.A.T), Crash - Drums (Martina, H.E.A.T), and Dave Dalon - Guitar (Ex H.E.A.T). “We were in the U.K. in April and we loved it,” says Martina. “The people made us feel so welcome. So I'm really looking forward to go back. This time to the festival Rockingham which I've heard is one of the best. Going back to the U.S. feels so good. It's a year ago since we toured North America and that's a memory for life. I've never been to Chicago before so when the opportunity to join the Rock n Skull festival came up I most definitely looking forward to be a part of that. I'm thrilled!!!”

The Swedish singer's latest release, 'Unity,' was issued in October of 2015, and was supported with dates in North America, Argentina (as direct support to Tarja Turunen), Europe (special guest for the Winery Dogs), and UK dates, and has also shared the stage with the likes of Epica, Eluveitie, and the Agonist.

The first single from 'Unity' is "The World Has Gone Mad," which has been mixed by multiple Grammy award winning engineer and mixer, Justin Niebank, who in 2010 won a Grammy for Album of the Year for Taylor Swift’s close to 9 million copies selling album 'Fearless,' and also has worked with Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Vince Gill.

'Unity' has been drawing rave reviews from the rock press. Case in point, Classic Rock Magazine gave it an 8 out 10 review, saying, "This is the unmistakable sound of a singer raising her game," while Melodic-Rock praised, "Wow! That’s really all I can say. Wow! Martina sings with attitude and conviction. The musical performances on this album is faultless to speak mildly. Also, the production here is top-nottch, this records sounds like a million bucks!" Melodic Music Reviews also was a big supporter of the album, giving it a 4.5 star rating out of 5, and stating, “This is an outstanding record with nary a bad track and I highly recommend it for fans of female fronted melodic rock in a heavier vein of bands like Dante Fox. Do yourself a huge favor and pick this one up, you will not be disappointed.”

Come later this October, Nottingham and Joliet will get the opportunity to hail Martina Edoff!

Link Video Come Alive - Live Argentina https://youtu.be/Q24lKV9G8Fw

Cdbaby Unity ”Vinyl edition” http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/martinaedoff2
Cdbaby Unity http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/martinaedoff3
Amazon Unity CD https://amzn.com/B014HDZV3G
Amazon Unity digital https://amzn.com/B01LXXRHHQ
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/1ow3v4XgIejWgQg3ZOgzkV
 
Wed
05
Oct

Don't Pay THE FERRYMEN... Until They Deliver Their Debut Album


Magnus Karlsson (Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall, Primal Fear) and Ronnie Romero (Lords Of Black, Rainbow) are working on a brand new project album together, entitled THE FERRYMEN.

Musically you can expect an overdose of melodic metal melting the songwriting and epics of the great Allen/Lande records with the Ronnie James Dio-esque vocal approach from Ronnie Romero.

One of the highlights of 2017 is on it's way to you!!!
 
 
Tue
04
Oct

NIGHT RANGER Celebrate 35 Years on 'A Night In Chicago'

Artist: 
Friday, December 2, 2016
Categories: 
News Feed
 
NIGHT RANGER will round off their 35th year and keep fans happy while waiting for the new studio album with a CD/DVD/BluRay release of their 2016 Chicago gig on December 2.
 
Celebrating the launch of the bands 35th anniversary, more than 17 million albums sold worldwide, over 3000 live shows performed, NIGHT RANGER continues to rock with the release of "35 Years And A Night in Chicago."  This amazing performance will be available December 2 via Frontiers Music Srl  on 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and MP3 (audio only). Frontiers will also release a new studio album from the iconic band in the first half of 2017.

Pre-orders are available now on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon.
 
 "After 35 years of recording and touring, we thought it was about time to rock out a live album for all the fans that have been coming to see us. And for those who have yet to experience a live NIGHT RANGER show.... enjoy the ride!" says Jack Blades of the new release.

Kelly Keagy added: For the past 35+ years this band has been knocking out audiences across the globe and continues to do so. All of it building to this one night in Chicago that sums up what NIGHT RANGER has always been about. Great, high-energy, rock 'n' roll.  To the fans, we salute you!"

NIGHT RANGER has both epitomized and transcended the arena rock sound and style of that era and beyond, with songs that have significantly impacted popular culture and continue expanding their ever-growing fan-base. NIGHT RANGER is proof that powerful songs, plus accomplished musicians is the perfect formula for continued success.
 
NIGHT RANGER has earned widespread acclaim multi-platinum and gold album status while leaving their indelible mark on the music charts with a string of best-selling albums (Dawn Patrol, Midnight Madness, 7 Wishes, Big Life and Man In Motion), its popularity fueled by an impressive string of instantly recognizable hit singles and signature album tracks. Producing legendary hits such as "Sister Christian", "Don't Tell Me You Love Me", "When You Close Your Eyes" the anthemic "(You Can Still) Rock In America", along with "Sentimental Street", "Goodbye", "Sing Me Away", "Four in the Morning" and more. The band was also one the first big "video" bands, with over ten number one videos on MTV.
 
Over the years, the band's music has made notable contributions to and has been featured in many different areas of media and popular culture. NIGHT RANGER's songs can be heard in TV Shows; The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, American Dad, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Parks Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Grand Theft Auto, video games; Rock of Ages hit Broadway musical and feature film; the Oscar-Nominated film Boogie Nights, Friday the 13th, Teachers, Sixteen Candles, The Secret of My Success; JBL's "Hear The Truth" brand campaign; and many more!

NIGHT RANGER is Jack Blades (bass, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead & rhythm guitars), Eric Levy (keyboards) and Keri Kelli (lead & rhythm guitars).
  
1. Intro
2. Touch Of Madness
3. Sing Me Away
4. Four In The Morning
5. Growing Up In California
6. Rumors In The Air
7. Secret Of My Success
8. Sentimental Street
9. High Road
10. Eddie's Comin Out Tonight
11. Goodbye
12. Night & Day
13. Night Ranger
14. When You Close Your Eyes
15. Don't Tell Me You Love Me
16. Penny
17. Sister Christian
18. Rock In America
19. 7 Wishes
 
 
Tue
04
Oct

RICHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW 2016 Shows Set For Release

Friday, November 18, 2016
Categories: 
News Feed
 
As expected, the recent RICHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW show in Germany has been scheduled for CD/DVD/BluRay release in November. You can get in first with some Japanese configurations as detailed below.
 
Pre-order now with confidence always from CD Japan. The various options are all detailed here: Richie Blackmore's Rainbow - Live 2016
 
Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow is releasing their "Memories In Rock: Live in Germany (Monsters of Rock 2016)" on November 18, 2016. Available in various sets and all of them comes with two Japan only bonus tracks.
 
Among them, two limited sets (GQXS-90187 and GQBS-90212) includes a limited T-shirt in addition to a Blu-ray OR a DVD plus 2 CDs.
 
Features live tracks selected from the concerts of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow held on June 17 & 18, 2016. Comes with two Japan edition bonus tracks. Consists of a Blu-ray, 2 CDs, and a description written in Japanese.
 
DISC 1 (DVD/BluRay)
1 Pomp and Circumstance (Opening)
2 Over The Rainbow - Highway Star (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
3 Spotlight Kid (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim=Bissingen)
4 Mistreated (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
5 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
6 Since You Been Gone (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
7 Man on the Silver Mountain (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
8 Catch the Rainbow (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
9 Difficult to Cure (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
10 Perfect Strangers (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
11 Stargazer (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
12 Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
13 Child in Time (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
14 Black Night (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
15 Smoke on the Water (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
16 [Bonus Track] Spotlight Kid (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
17 [Bonus Track] Man on the Silver Mountain (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
18 [Bonus Track] Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
19 [Bonus Track] Stargazer (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
20 [Japan Only Bonus Track] Since You Been Gone (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
21 [Japan Only Bonus Track] Catch the Rainbow (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
 
DISC 2 (Audio)
1 Over The Rainbow - Highway Star (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
2 Spotlight Kid (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
3 Mistreated (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
4 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
5 Since You Been Gone (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
6 Man on the Silver Mountain (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
7 Catch the Rainbow (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
8 Difficult to Cure (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
9 Perfect Strangers (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
10 Stargazer (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
 
DISC 3
1 Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
2 Child in Time (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
3 Black Night (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
4 Smoke on the Water (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
5 [Bonus Track] Spotlight Kid (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
6 [Bonus Track] Man on the Silver Mountain (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
7 [Bonus Track] Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
8 [Bonus Track] Stargazer (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
9 [Japan Only Bonus Track] Since You Been Gone (June 17, 2016 / Loreley)
10 [Japan Only Bonus Track] Catch the Rainbow (June 18, 2016 / Bietigheim-Bissingen)
 
 
Tue
04
Oct

JON STEVENS Readies 'Starlight' Solo Album With Dave Stewart

Artist: 
Categories: 
News Feed
 
Noiseworks vocalist JON STEVENS is finishing up work on a new album with guitarist/producer DAVE STEWART, which takes in a multi-media theme to accompany. A release date is not yet set, but a video preview/interview shows something pretty cool is on the horizon.
 
Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/185068595
 
Press:
 
What’s missing from music today?
 
Passion. Intensity. Call it whatever you like, it’s in critically short supply.
 
Which is why the world needs Jon Stevens more than ever. With his mojo fully intact, Stevens stands virtually alone in the music scene, with a raw vocal power that won him attention first as a teenager and now as a veteran singer and songwriter. Time has toughened his delivery while tapping into his emotional wellsprings more than ever before.
 
He’s got the pedigree: a record-smashing debut at age 16 with two consecutive No. 1 singles in his New Zealand homeland … huge hits in Australia as lead singer with Noiseworks … a 21st-century liftoff to worldwide acclaim at center stage with INXS … an iTunes featured release with his last band, The Dead Daisies, whose debut single, Lock and Load, which he wrote and produced with the legendary Slash on guitar.
 
Jon Steven’s new album Starlight bursts with a soulful artistry and honesty that’s rare and borders on extinction today. Vivid lyrics fuel his performance on “Feel Like Letting Go,” “Scars” and “Devil In My Heart”. A playful flirtation is set to a steamy soul beat on “Something ‘bout You”. The first single “Hold On” is classic powerhouse Jon Stevens.
 
The lonely ballad “One Way Street” features Ringo Starr on drums. “People” is a life-affirming sing-along anthem, extending hope to the hopeless with a reminder to not “be afraid of the shadows in the night. You’re gonna wake up in the morning light.”
 
All of the songs are co-written with Dave Stewart, co-founder of the Grammy-winning duo Eurythmics, who also produced the album as well as played guitar.
 
Different as they are, each track on Starlight overflows with feeling, with candor, with an exuberance that comes from being plugged into life. Everything Stevens has survived, learned from, mastered and made leads to this album …
 
 
Tue
04
Oct

TOM COCHRANE’S Landmark 'Mad Mad World' Silver Anniversary Release October 28

Artist: 
Friday, October 28, 2016
Categories: 
News Feed
DIAMOND-SELLING INTERNATIONAL SMASH RECEIVES DELUXE REISSUE INCLUDING RECENTLY DISCOVERED 1992 LIVE CONCERT RECORDING IN ITS ENTIRETY AND DEMO VERSION OF GLOBALLY RECOGNIZED ANTHEM LIFE IS A HIGHWAY
 
23 SEPTEMBER 2016 (Toronto, ON) – This week marks 25 years from the 1991 release of Tom Cochrane’s album, Mad Mad World, which accelerated the Canadian singer-songwriter’s already upward trajectory into the stratosphere. To celebrate this milestone, Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company, is reissuing Mad Mad World in remastered deluxe edition October 28, complete with the previously unreleased original demo recording of Love Is A Highway, from which grew the career-defining single Life Is A Highway, still in heavy rotation around the world a quarter-century later. The 2-CD set also includes a 1992 concert performance from Chicago which features key tracks from the album alongside Red Rider classics. The anniversary celebrations will further be supported by a special exhibition at the National Music Centre in Calgary, opening on October 28, and also a full Canadian tour, crossing Canada in the customary fashion – in winter – come early 2017.
Mad Mad World remains among the top-selling albums in Canadian music history, achieving rare Diamond-certified status (Cochrane is one of only three Canadian males to reach this plateau) on the strengths of such hit singles as the title track, No RegretsWashed Away,Sinking Like A Sunset, and, of course, Life Is A Highway, which reigned at #1 for six weeks in Canada, reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and went on to become recognized the world over.
Tom Cochrane’s highway originates in Lynn Lake, Manitoba: the most northerly town accessible by road in the province. Selling a train set to buy his first guitar at age 11, Cochrane’s shrewd investment in his own musical talents would put him on the Canadian circuit of coffeehouses, pubs, roughneck bars – a time-tested road performance and songwriting apprenticeship that would lead to his first solo album, Hang On To Your Resistance, in 1974. A few years and many road miles later, Cochrane would become frontman for Red Rider, enjoying a great ten-year run during which they graduated to larger halls, arenas, and festivals stages and released a string of now-classic Canadian albums includingDon’t Fight It (1980), As Far as Siam (1981, featuring the worldwide hit, Lunatic Fringe) andNeruda (1983).  Within and without Red Rider, Cochrane has released 17 albums, most recently 2015’s Take It Home. He says, “The early days never leave you though, they get etched on your soul like a tattoo.”
Tom Cochrane is recipient of eight Juno Awards plus multiple songwriter awards from SOCAN, CAPAC, and ASCAP. Cochrane is a GRAMMY nominee, a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame. He holds an honorary doctorate, has a place on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and has been honoured with both the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada. He is recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and is a former Honorary Air Force Colonel in the 409 squadron. Cochrane has also been tireless in his philanthropic works for decades, working with World Vision, War Child, Waterkeeper Alliance, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, Make Poverty History, World Animal Protection, The United Way, Tree Canada, Unison and Tempo,  to name a few. He has and continues to lend his support to several other causes, including helping spearhead the Canada for Asia initiative, entertaining our troops in Afghanistan, and raising money for Parkinson’s research. He was a performer at Live 8, and in both Tears Are Not Enough and Young Artists for Haiti.
For all the artistic satisfaction, commercial success, and accolades, Tom Cochrane remains a humble and proud Canadian. As he puts it, “The thing is I’ve been extremely blessed in my life and career, I’ve had the good fortune of having some good people around me over the years, I’ve put one foot ahead of the other to see where the road would take me and providence has been kind…so from time to time I’ve happened to or tried to do the right thing. The biggest reward though is when someone comes up and says this song or that song got me through some tough times or was part of the best times in my life, or when I fell in love that was our song.”
Tom Cochrane presently divides his time between the tour bus, the city, and his beloved studio/retreat ‘Layastone’ on the shores of Georgian Bay. He continues to inspire and to be inspired, with passion for life and interest in global issues and music. Music is always at the centre of the action: upon finishing touring for 2016, he and his reunited Red Rider bandmates Kenny Greer and Jeff Jones will return to the road in 2017, touring Mad Mad World 25. “We’re extremely excited to play MMW25 in its entirety live – along with some of the other songs people want to hear in the set as well of course,” he says. Tom Cochrane will also have an eye down the highway, on his documentary film project, a MMW25 coffee table book, and then music for his next release.
#MMW25
MAD MAD WORLD DELUXE EDITION TRACKLISTING
CD1
  • Life is A Highway
  • Mad Mad World
  • No Regrets
  • Sinking Like A Sunset
  • Washed  Away
  • Everything Comes Around
  • The Secret Is To Know When To Stop
  • Brave and Crazy
  • Bigger Man
  • Friendly Advise
  • Get Back Up
  • Emotional Truth
  • All The King’s Men
  • Love Is A Highway (Original version of “Life Is A Highway”)
CD2 (Recorded 14 May 1992 live in concert from Westwood One, Chicago, IL. Produced and mixed by Bob Shindle, mastered by Joao Carvalho.)
  • No Regrets
  • Victory Day
  • Sinking Like A Sunset
  • White Hot
  • Big League
  • Friendly Advice
  • Lunatic Fringe
  • Get Back Up
  • Brave And Crazy
  • Life Is A Highway
  • Mad Mad World
  • Boy Inside The Man
 

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