Monthly Archives: July 2020

Album review: L.SHANKAR – Chepleeri Dream

Posted on July 31, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Cleopatra Records [Release date 26.06.20] When you have heavyweights such as Chester Thompson and Tony Levin featuring prominently in the credits you expect that the album in front of you may be of a certain standard, or at least a … Continue reading →

Album review: HAKEN – Virus

Posted on July 30, 2020 by jason

Inside Out [Release date 24.07.20] Following the release of their fifth studio album “Vektor” back in October 2018, the members of the British Progressive Metal sextet Haken have rightfully been in the receiving end of various rewards and accolades. For … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, Dream Theater, Haken, melodic, metal, progressive, progressive metal, review, virus | Leave a comment

Feature: Gigs of the Millennium – ROCK FEST 2003, Wisconsin, USA

Posted on July 30, 2020 by andynathan

Andy Nathan has caused much teeth-gnashing and fist-clenching amongst the GRTR! team with his enviable sorties to the States sometimes taking in a couple of festivals in one visit. These include Summerfest and Moondance Jam. Here he recounts a particularly … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, Gigs of the Millennium | Tagged .38 Special, 2003, Alice Cooper, Boston, Def Leppard, Dokken, Eddie Money, festival, Firehouse, gig, gig of the millennium, Grand Funk Railroad, Heart, Jackyl, Loverboy, Lynyrd Skynyrd, melodic rock, Night Ranger, Rick Springfield, Rock Fest, Sammy Hagar, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Album review: Q-BIZM – Corduroy Shorts

Posted on July 26, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

[Release date 15.05.20] The retro flavour of this album might be detected in the tongue-in-cheek title. Yeah, baby, yeah. This is only the Italian band’s second album after forming originally back in 1996. Their debut album came in 2003, 15 … Continue reading →

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Album review: SASKIA – Are You Listening?

Posted on July 26, 2020 by jason

www.saskiagm.com [Release date 31.07.20] Saskia certainly has an interesting backstory, giving up her Harley Street practice in 2013 to pursue her real passion, singing. Starting out by busking around the UK leading onto being a regular on the acoustic music … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Are You Listening?, folk, melodic, review, Saskia, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: SIMON SAYS – Spin This

Posted on July 26, 2020 by jason

Escape Music [Release date 14.08.20] Bit of a musical curio in Simon Says, a band who hail from Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada and were formed from the ashes of Spectrum and Rawx. ‘Spin This’ was originally released back in 1991, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, AOR, April Wine, Escape Music, melodic, Queen, Queen Flash, re-issue, review, rock, Simon Says, Spin This | Leave a comment

Album review: DEEP PURPLE – Whoosh!

Posted on July 26, 2020 by jason

Ear Music [Release date 07.08.20] Classic rock legends Deep Purple remain a star on the highway, heading towards the next decade with studio album number 21. Long gone are the lengthier tracks, but the band’s ability to find a groove … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues rock, classic rock, Deep Purple, Don Airey, EarMusic, hard rock, Ian Gillan, melodic, review, rock, Steve Morse, Whoosh | Leave a comment

Album review: GLENN HUGHES – Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 3, 1995-2010

Posted on July 23, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Cherry Red Records [Release date 31.07.20] 6-CD set A trove of previously unreleased Glenn Hughes’ live material – 19 CDs’ worth – has been released by Cherry Red Records over the last two years. Calling them “Official Bootlegs” has an … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 1995-2010, album, box set, Deep Purple, funk, gigs, Glenn Hughes, hard rock, heavy rock, live, Official Bootleg Box Set Volume 3, review, Trapeze | Leave a comment

Album review: WHITE LION – All You Need Is Rock’n'Roll – The Complete Albums 1985-91

Posted on July 23, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Cherry Red [Release date 28.08.20] 5-CD set The Cherry Red label has established a reputation for moving across genres in resurrecting high quality material, suitable for repackaging and reissuing. With this one, they’ve recognised one of the classiest, if short … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, All You Need Is Rock'n'Roll - The Complete Albums 1985-91, box set, hair metal, Mike Tramp, pop metal, review, White Lion | Leave a comment

Album review: SKERRYVORE – Live Across Scotland

Posted on July 22, 2020 by david.wilson

Tyree Records [Release date 11.07.20] 2020 should have been a huge year for Skerryvore. The band had big plans to celebrate their 15th anniversary culminating in one hell of a party with several thousand friends in the grounds of Inveraray … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alec Dalglish, CD, Covid 19, Craig Espie, Edinburgh, folk, Glasgow, live, Live Across Scotland, lockdown, Martin Gillespie, review, rock, Scott Wood, Skerryvore, Stirling, Take My Hand | Leave a comment

Album review: THE WILDERNESS YET

Posted on July 22, 2020 by jason

www.thewildernessyet.com [Release date 24.07.20] Named after a line from a Gerard Manley-Hopkins poem The Wilderness Yet are a young folk trio releasing their debut album. The Wilderness Set comprise former BBC Young Folk Award finalist Rosie Hodgson, Rowan Piggott (his … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, BBC Young Folk Award, environmental, folk, melodic, review, the Wilderness Yet | Leave a comment

Album review: VARIOUS – NWOBHM Thunder 1978-86

Posted on July 22, 2020 by jason

Cherry Red Records [Release date 31.07.20] (3 CD set) 1978 to 1986. Those 9 years were the Golden Age of NWOBHM. They were the years that spanned the birth, working life and eventual demise of a significant sub genre in … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Blitzkreig, Cherry Red Records, compilation, DEMON, GIRLSCHOOL, metal, NWOBHM Thunder 1978-86, Praying Mantis, RAVEN, review, rock, Saxon, trad metal, Tygers Of Pan Tang, various artists, Venom | Leave a comment

Single reviews: JEFFERSON STARSHIP, LIONHEART, MICHAEL DES BARRES

Posted on July 22, 2020 by jason

JEFFERSON STARSHIP It’s About Time Golden Robot Records [Release date 13.07.20] When the history of 20th Century Rock is written, Jefferson Airplane will have a chapter all to itself. Anyone who was paying attention knows it evolved into the much … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged classic rock, Dennis Straton, Iron Maiden, Jefferson Starship, Lionheart, melodic, Michael Des Barres & the Mistakes, Power Station, review, singles, T.Rex | Leave a comment

Album review: TOKYO MOTOR FIST – Lions

Posted on July 22, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records (Release Date 10.07.20) Tokyo Motor Fist’s second album is one of the most hotly anticipated melodic rock releases of the year. The 2017 debut of this East Coast supergroup was among the best of the year, while the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Danger Danger, Lions, melodic rock, review, Steve Brown, Ted Poley, Tokyo Motor Fist, Trixter | Leave a comment

Album review: MARK SPIRO- 2+2=5: Best of + Rarities

Posted on July 21, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records (Release Date 10.07.20) Mark Spiro is probably best known as one of those outside collaborators who in the late eighties and early nineties sprinkled their songwriting gold dust to give the added touches that turned potential singles into … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 2+2=5: Best of + Rarities, album, anthology, AOR, collection, Dann Huff, Julian Lennon, Mark Spiro, melodic rock, Michael Thompson | Leave a comment

Album review: JAMES REYNE – Toon Town Lullaby

Posted on July 19, 2020 by jason

Bloodline [Release date 10.07.20] The haunting, wistful title track, ‘Toon Town Lullaby’, takes us back to Reyne’s finest, post Australian Crawl hour, on his “A Whiff of Bedlam” album, released in 1994. That was the moment he truly found his … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, James Reyne, melodic, review, singer songwriter, Toon Town Lullaby, Warren Zevon | Leave a comment

Album review: TONY MITCHELL – Church Of A Restless Soul

Posted on July 18, 2020 by jason

AOR Heaven [Release date 28.08.20] Vocalist Tony Mitchell fronted Kiss Of The Gypsy, who were signed to Atlantic back in early 90’s, since then he has performed with the likes of Rick Wakeman and Alice Cooper. In 2018 he released … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Church Of A Restless Soul, Danny Vaughn, Dante Fox, DEMON, Dirty White Boyz, hard rock, Kiss Of The Gypsy, melodic rock, review, Tim Manford, Tyketto | Leave a comment

WALTER TROUT – Ordinary Madness

Posted on July 16, 2020 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Walter Trout in September 2020, discussing the album ‘Ordinary Madness’. First broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, 6 September 2020. Provogue Records [Release date 28.08.20] With a biography entitled ‘Rescued From Reality’ and his latest … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Radio interview | Tagged album, blues, David Gilmour, Eric Corne, grooves, John Mayall, Johnny Griparic, Jon Trout, Michael Leasure, Neil Young, Ordinary Madness, Pink Floyd, review, Robbie Krieger, rock, Teddy Zig Zag Andreadis, The Beatles, THE DOORS, Walter Trout | Leave a comment

Book review: JOHN BARROW – How NOT to Make it in the Pop World

Posted on July 15, 2020 by jason

Trafford Publishing John Barrow’s hugely entertaining memoir about his life as a working musician is now onto its third edition, having originally been published in 2004. Having instantly taken a liking to John from reading the original edition, it’s good … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS | Tagged book, How NOT to Make It in the Pop World, John Barrow, memoir, music, musician, pop, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: ROBIN GEORGE – BitterSweet HeartBeat

Posted on July 15, 2020 by jason

Pete Feenstra chatted with Robin George for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 12 July 2020. The interview includes tracks from the album ‘BitterSweet HeartBeat’. Sing Song Music [Release date 27.03.20] Robin George has played with many of the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged album, BitterSweet HeartBeat, blues, blues rock, guitarist, interview, melodic rock, reggae, review, Robin George, rock | 1 Comment

Album review: TINY BIT OF GIANT’S BLOOD – Gigantosaur

Posted on July 14, 2020 by jason

Jumbo Records [Release date 22.05.20] Following ‘Dram A’ a five-track EP released back in 2018 ‘Gigantosaur’ is the debut full-length album from US-based self-styled glam punks Tiny Bit Of Giant’s Blood. A curious but likeable album from this gloriously eccentric … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Gigantosaur, glam rock, punk, Queen, Ramones, review, rock, The Tubes, Tiny Bit Of Giants Blood | 1 Comment

Album review: SHINING BLACK

Posted on July 13, 2020 by jason

Frontiers Records [Release date 10.07.20] For afficionados, these are instantly recognisable protagonists. Shining Black matches up Mark Boals, a gun for hire vocalist, with the perhaps lesser known Olaf Thorsen, guitarist with Labyrinth and Vision Divine. It plays out along … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Frontiers, Labyrinth, Mark Boals, melodic metal, Olaf Thorsen, progressive metal, review, Shining Black, Vision Divine, Yngwie Malmsteen | Leave a comment

Album review: DAVID BOWIE – Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95)

Posted on July 12, 2020 by jason

Parlophone Records [Release date 03.07.20] When it comes to the oft-debated world of posthumous releases, the gatekeepers of David Bowie’s catalogue can surely be held up as an example of how to do it right. Since Bowie’s passing in 2016 … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, avant garde, David Bowie, electronica, Ouvrez le Chien (Live Dallas 95), pop, review, rock, Tin Machine | Leave a comment

Album review: MICHAEL GRANT & THE ASSASSINS – Always The Villain

Posted on July 12, 2020 by jason

Frontiers Records [Release date 10.07.20] Few bands or artists appear from nowhere. And sure enough, Michael Grant has a history, one that goes beyond his recent stint with the LA Guns. Wiki will reveal all so no point in going … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt rock, Always The Villain, Frontiers, Guns 'N' Roses, Michael Grant, review, rock, the Assassins | Leave a comment

Book review: STEVE HACKETT – A Genesis In My Bed

Posted on July 12, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Wymer Publishing [Publication date 24.07.20] It was perhaps inevitable: riding the crest of the prog resurgence, repurposing classic Genesis in front of insatiable crowds, and making well received solo albums. And now, the book! Steve Hackett traces his journey from … Continue reading →