How do you follow up a career defining masterpiece, that itself was an album that followed any number of critically acclaimed records before that?

Take your time…

So Threshold did just that. Some five years since the perfect ‘Legend Of The Shires’, the band resists the temptation to record a sequel to that epic record by just doing what they do best – delivering another brilliant progressive hard rock record filled with hard hitting, memorable songs.

Threshold have always had their sound and this album continues to deliver exactly what fans would expect, but with the usual subtle changes that help each album the band delivers, carry its own identity.

This time around the mood is a little darker, the songs a little heavier and the harmonies buried a little deeper into the songs. As is always required, multiple listens over several days is needed to fully appreciate any new work from Threshold and this album reveals itself beautifully.

The formula of four heavy rockers and a mid-album epic is repeated in the second half of the album, ending with the second epic Defence Condition.

I think the intensity drops off over the last couple of tracks before the closer, but there’s no filler here at all.

The first half of the album is near perfect in anyone’s language, the overall result will satisfy all Threshold fans. Its another brilliant record. Awesome, but not quite another masterpiece.

It could be argued that I have been Heaven & Earth and Stuart Smith’s biggest advocate since the first Heaven & Earth album back in 1998. Stuart told me himself that my review of that outstanding debut put the band on the map back when the internet was just going mainstream and the album itself was only available in South Korea.

I’ve championed the band at every turn and consider the last 2 albums with Joe Retta on vocals, two of the finest sounding classic rock albums of our time.

The line-up for H&E has always been fluid, but on album number 5, things have changed again, with the label gone, Retta gone and in fact, everyone else gone. Stu Smith remains as does his penchant for delivering classic Deep Purple/Rainbow style classic hard rock.

Style wise this isn’t far from what H&E have always stood for and these songs are once again, pretty catchy and feature some sublime guitar playing.

Unfortunately, there are issues the band hasn’t faced before that diminish the end product. First – the production is muddy and at times hard to listen to, with the crisp big dollar sound of the last records missing. The overall sound isn’t even close to the band’s normal high standard.

Secondly - new vocalist Gianluca Pertralia is a major step down from Retta and past vocal guests such as Kelly Hansen, Richie Sambora, Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes.

I find his voice irritating and off-putting.

The vocals, along with the weak production, put a major dent in the band’s otherwise impeccable catalogue. The songs and the guitar theatrics are still here, but overall, a disappointing release that won’t be played half as much as previous albums.

The deluxe edition of Yngwie Malmsteen’s new CD comes with a drinks coaster. I recommend sticking to the regular version and just use the disc instead. Yes, it’s that time of the year again, where we get to investigate Yngwie’s latest musical offering – this time he’s tackling “the blues”.

I’m not sure which blues he speaks of – this record has as much in common with the Mississippi Delta or the origins of blues based rock as Steve Perry is to gangsta rap. Look, I know it’s fun to read a bad review and especially one aimed at Yngwie – but it’s not without cause.

This album continues the muddy mess that has been every record in recent years where Yngwie is in control of playing, producing and mixing. It’s just bloody awful. The opening title track has wall to wall rhythm with bass reduced to sounding like a distant foghorn dipped in crude oil.

There’s no space between instruments and the relentless double kick drum on just about every damn song is completely out of place. Much like Yngwie playing the blues. Just check out Foxey Lady. Widdling intro, brain damaging bass thumping and thrash like double kick drum speed while Yngwie’s “vocals” and continual widdling travel along at half the speed.

Doesn’t anyone ever say “dude, this ain’t right?”It’s the same with Purple Haze. Widdle, thump, widdle, thump, wail, widdle – all at double the sensible tempo.How about the utterly classic While My Guitar Gently Weeps – the beautiful, gentle, restrained masterpiece of subtlety and style? Widdle, thump, widdle widdle, wail, double-widdle, triple-widdle.There is zero soul on this album. Yes Yngwie can play like a BMF.

Yes, he can widdle faster than the speed of taste, yes he used to be an essential purchase when actually using a producer, a vocalist, a bassist and a drummer (a real band that is).

Until he employs a modicum of self-restraint and self-awareness (and a vocalist and a producer etc etc), then I will be here to critique these albums honestly. And honestly, this is more of the same.I’ll score this a 22 – the same number of years since the last great Malmsteen record.

The return of Steve Perry is one thing, but the avalanche of publicity for the immediate release of a single and a full album due October 5, has been something else.

Such is the rarity of new Perry work, I have been writing for 22 years and only covered one new studio album – Journey’s Trial By Fire.

But here we are – Traces is the new album – a 10 track chronicle of Steve’s recent life experiences and a 15-track deluxe edition available via direct online or USA Target stores. This is a review of the standard/international edition. It will be updated with word on the additional 5 tracks ASAP.

To many – me included – Steve Perry is the voice of AOR, the definitive authority on just how good vocals can be. You have to get past the pure excitement factor of just getting to hear his voice again before you can objectively critique new material. I have given most of my personal favourite artists a serve at one point or another over the years, however, I’m pleased to say there’s not much to be critical of here – provided fans understand the reality of Steve Perry 2018.

The voice is rougher, raspier and it isn’t as strong as it once was. But that’s almost stating the bleeding obvious. Who would be at nearly 70 years of age?

What I care about is performance and songs and ‘Traces’ gets a tick in each column.

I can’t imagine anyone is surprised to hear this is a ballad filled, slow to mid-tempo record. And while some may struggle with the pace, I doubt any long time Perry fan is going to be disappointed.

Steve Perry at 70 is still Steve Perry. Just like hearing Neil Diamond at any stage in his career, so too is the joy of hearing Steve Perry. It’s that distinctive voice and those trademark inflections, that tone and that unmistakable delivery of mood and emotion that no one does better.

The characteristics and familiar style of Steve Perry’s past is all over this record. You can hear parts of ‘Street Talk’, ‘Strange Medicine’ and of course ‘Trial By Fire’ and other Journey-isms.

Taking a look at the songs themselves:

‘No Erasin’' is the upbeat easy to like, catchy as hell lead track (and single). I’ve enjoyed it from the start and I’m still enjoying it. Immediately memorable and the layered Motown harmonies are trademark Steve.

‘We're Still Here’ is the second track and a ballad as expected. It’s very smooth, very moody and features a more direct and unfiltered lead vocal. Textured with modern production effects and soulful harmonies, the chorus isn't big, but it's cool. Compared to the rest of the album’s ballads, it almost feels ‘up’, especially with the chorus.

'Most Of All' is a co-write with the great Randy Goodrum. It features a wonderful heartfelt vocal; slower and very sparse and smooth, this time lead primarily by Steve's voice and a grand piano. The chorus lifts tempo slightly as does Steve's voice. I picked it as a favourite from the first listen and that’s stayed true. Not unlike Strange Medicine's slower moments, plus a nice guitar solo and plenty of soul.

'No More Cryin' is yet another ballad, but each track has its own vibe, making the album far more enjoyable overall. This track has a touch of the Memphis blues about it and immediately reminds me of old school Steve. The chorus lifts the tempo and has some cool modern guitar riffing.

'In The Rain' is something very special. This is a very personal, very emotional piano ballad, formed with just a warm, soulful vocal, the piano and some lush orchestration. The vocal is amazing - very raw and haunting and Steve’s most ambitious high notes on the album. I can’t praise that enough and the vocal-melody makes the song.

'Sun Shines Grey' is co-written with John 5 and producer Thom Flowers. We've found the album’s other rocker, and it reminds me of modern day Rick Springfield mixed with Journey's Can't Tame The Lion. I could imagine Neal Schon playing on this, but John 5 is the man behind the riffs and also delivers a cool solo.

'You Belong To Me' is another soft piano ballad with accompanying string orchestration and an ultra-smooth and soulful vocal. There's some rasp in that voice its aged, but it’s still driven by those classic Perry nuances.

‘Easy To Love' is another stand out ballad. This one is characterised by some percussion and organ accompanying a slow, steady Motown style vocal. The chorus jumps in tempo with some classic Perry soul harmonies. This is definitely another ballad with a familiar vibe.

'I Need You' is a cover of the Beatles tune, a mere 2.59 in length, this ballad features the most familiar Perry vocal sound yet! Soft, slow, soulful...it’s the theme of the record.

Closing out the standard edition of this album 'We Fly' is another unique ballad. The first minute features just Steve's vocal. Talk about putting yourself out there! It’s an intense song that builds as it goes with atmospheric keyboards in the background.

And there you go. A very quick 40 minutes flies by as you immerse yourself in the music and lyrics of the maestro. It’s a very fine record, there’s no doubt. Immaculately produced and constructed, with equally impressive musical performances by the band assembled and also the orchestral parts. The soulful harmonies are classic Perry and lush in texture.

What I do like about this album is each ballad has its own style, its own emotion and its own unique energy. Overall, this is a very contemporary album. The two rockers are both very commercial and the ballads could be lifted from any era. It’s a mood album…but perfect for when you’re in that mood.

It's Steve ‘MF’ Perry. It’s also very very good.

Target Special Edition Bonus Tracks:

‘October In New York’ is a slow crooner of a song – a very authentic jazz/40s pop crooner complete with a stripped back jazz-ballad arrangement with orchestration and a simple piano to accompany. Not huge on this one – but the musical style is not my bag generally speaking.

‘Angel Eyes’ lifts the tempo a little – mid-range for this track, which quite honestly could have come straight off Street Talk. Gracious, this one should have been on all editions! A wonderful breezy tune with lots of Motown influences and the same feel as ‘I Believe’ and ‘Go Away’. The vocal is quite marvellous.

‘Call On Me’ takes on the third different style in 3 songs. Almost as if Steve has left the more adventurous tracks for the special edition. This one has another familiar feel to it, using a mid-tempo reggae beat in the same way as Steve has done before, with his soulful vocals just dripping over the instrumentation. Another fine vocal it must be said and another likeable song. I would have used this on the regular edition.

‘Could We Be Somethin’ Again’ is yet another left turn – a slow to mid-tempo pop/soul track with a tidy little beat and another warm vocal. Good song, but definitely a bonus track kinda tune.

The 3 minute ‘Blue Jays Fly’ is the 5th song with the 5th different style. Not sure how to describe this one. A softly sung vocal over sparse instrumentation – it’s almost in a meditative or lullaby state that doesn’t feature a lot of vocals. It closes out things nicely, but not one I’d choose for the main set of songs.

More songs are always welcomed – there’s a couple of great tunes here that could easily have been part of the main release. The other 3 make for likable bonus tracks and take Steve’s overdue comeback album to a better length.

My original review and rating remain intact.

What a great album this is.

Having been bombarded with several hundred new releases in the last few years, THE UNITY had until now slipped under my radar. Let’s fix that right now, with their newly released album ‘Pride’.

The 6-piece German hard rockers fit beautifully alongside the likes of Masterplan, Dynazty and maybe Eclipse even, with 12 cracking rock tracks with surprisingly melodic chorus hooks.

The band keep delivering right until the last track, which itself is a standout anthem. The initial pressing of the expertly produced and mixed album comes with a bonus 5 track live disc. Now its time to go investigate the band’s first two albums. Great stuff.

I’ve been a registered Crazy Lixx fan from day 1. I think the band shot themselves in the foot with their musical left turn on the third album Riot Avenue and have spent the last two albums re-establishing the sound their first two set up. Now we have album number six already! Forever Wild is the new definitive Crazy Lixx album.

The new lineup established with Ruff Justice has gelled and whatever the guys had in mind for this album, as far as delivering something great for fans, they’ve nailed it. If there’s a better album in this space this year, I’ll be surprised. This is an album that has one glorious hook filled anthem after another.

There’s some variety in among the songs and some longer than others which are cool to explore. The band in my mind is getting close to their Swedish friends H.E.A.T for sheer enjoyment and bringing the old school ‘fun factor’ to melodic hard rock.

Fantastic album from start to finish without a filler in sight. Anthems, choruses and hooks from the opening riff to the closing beat. Brilliant!

Jessica bursts out of the gate with album number 3 and with the opening song immediately stamps a new, more aggressive personality all over this record. Bigger production, bigger songs and a stellar vocal performance easily puts this album ahead of both previous albums and also some of her contemporaries.

For fans of female fronted melodic hard rock, this is something you really need to check out ASAP.

Think Eclipse or Adrenaline Rush or simply high powered Scandinavian melodic hard rock.

It's nothing like the previous Hart solo albums and its nothing like the Bad Company record Robert recorded in the 90s.

However, it is a very fine piece of music - both in terms of production and performance. Its also far more direct in its musical vision than past Hart projects.

This is a pure 80s pop/AOR album with a very sound specific feel, driven by catchy songs and a very strong vocal performance.

ESCAPE MUSIC http://www.escape-music.com

Normally anything with the name Magnus Karlsson attached to the credits would be an instant blind purchase. No questions asked! His output with Allen/Lande, Codex, Starbreaker and his own Free Fall project has been nothing short of exemplary. 

Now we have The Ferrymen, a project with vocalist Ronnie Romero (Lords Of Black, Rainbow), together with drummer Mike Terrana. I struggled with this from day one. And I kept at it because its Mangnus Karlsson right? But it didn’t take. Now after a month without listening, I’m again playing at maximum volume and really soaking up that monster guitar and rhythm section Magnus so easily delivers. But the vocals still aren’t doing it for me.

I’m used to a warmer, more melodic tone to accompany Magnus’ work. But more pointedly – I’m really still failing to connect with the songs themselves. The opening bombastic anthem End Of The Road is cool; Still Standing Up has a good vocal melody and the ballad One Heart certainly has impact.Tracks like Darkest Hour have the ingredients there, but just don’t have the warmth of past material.

 The songs just aren’t there and the vocals leave me cold I’m afraid to say. There’s no issue at all with the musical performances or production, it is just a project that looked good on paper, but failed to deliver in reality.

I seem to have gained a reputation for disliking Bon Jovi. Giving Burning Bridges a 10% grading might have helped propel that train of thought for some, and my views on This House Is Not For Sale, This Left Seems Right, Lost Highway, What About Now and The Circle certainly wouldn’t have helped.

Now I look at it, I actually dislike more Bon Jovi album than I like. I’ve never broken it down like that before. This revelation should say more about the band than my personal critiques. I hold their first 5 albums in high regard and worship at the feet of New Jersey.

I also think Have A Nice Day is one of the better examples of a classic band updating their sound and still kicking ass.

With 2020 being universally regarded as the year of Satan’s armpit, it may not have been the wisest idea to give your big new album the same moniker. Perhaps though, it is quite fitting for the wrong reasons.

We all know the great Americana singer/songwriter Jonnie B Jovee wishes to take his place alongside fellow rockers Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp, but he’s missing more than one ingredient that makes those two legends the icons they are.

Jonny B Jovee could have been a legend in his own standing had he just stuck to what he did best. Of course, his voice will no longer play along and his lifelong writing partner Richie Sambora bailed in 2013, so fans have to live through his midwestern acoustic heartland rock dreams with him.

For me the album holds just one track of note and that is the lead track Limitless. It remains me a little of the modern rock Have A Nice Day vibe, just without the voice.

There’s a couple of token rockers thrown in, but the majority of this album is comprised of self-aware slow to mid-tempo tracks, carrying forward the album’s political and social messages.

That part doesn’t bother me - for the most part, I’m on a similar page as Jon’s political commentary, but you don’t have to be boring to make a point.

The deluxe edition adds two more utterly lifeless ballads and a duet of the uptempo Bruce Mellencamp styled Do What You Can.

I’d love to say that Bon Jovi are back, but they’re not. Jonny B Jovi is however and if you’ve been riding alongside his recent musical path, you’ll know what to expect here.

Jonny sings that ‘we start to die the day we are born’. Same could be said of this album’s sales on release day. Who could ever have imagined the guy that sang Living On A Prayer would one day be versing about chicken farms in Arkansas?

Most should be aware of my admiration for all-star melodic rockers Alliance. The pitch perfect AOR vocals of Robert Berry are always welcome, but when he teams with David Lauser (Sammy Hagar) and class guitarist Gary Pihl (Boston, Sammy Hagar), there’s no stopping the flow of intelligent, well-crafted and challenging melodic rock music. Fire And Grace is no different.

Although a little rougher around the edges this time around, the album (minus past member Alan Fitzgerald) delivers the same classic sounding album you might expect. Berry provides all keyboard parts this time. While the album is melodic rock and AOR with a prog twist at its best and harkens back to a simpler era of the early 80s, the sound isn’t dated – its just classic. There are some stupidly good songs here.

The driving opener Don’t Stop The Wheel Turning; the feel good anthemic 80s buzz of Good Life and the epic, mood driven dramatic ballad Uncertain all give the album a flying start. Elsewhere the rhythmic free flowing Fire And Grace; hands in the air Raise Your Glass and the AOR perfection of Reason To Walk Away are all standouts amongst an album lacking any sign of filler.

Alliance have delivered one of the best AOR albums of the year so far, with track after track of engaging, intelligent songwriting here. No Alliance album has ever been a one-play and understand affair. They require a little effort and a little time, with the listening richly rewarded with layers upon layers of musical melody and brilliance. (93%)