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Latest Album Reviews
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Gig review: ELLES BAILEY- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: BLACK SABBATH – Technical Ecstasy (Super Deluxe 5LP Vinyl Box Set)
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Album review: MARK VENNIS & DIFFERENT PLACE – A Beautiful Lie Or The Ugly Truth
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Album review: RESTLESS SPIRITS – Second To None
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Album review: SAXON – The Eagle Has Landed 40
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Album review: GYPSY PISTOLEROS – Duende A Go Go….Loco
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Album review: STRYPER – Fallen
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Yearly Archives: 2021
Album review: VARIOUS – Riding The Rock Machine
Grapefruit/Cherry Red [Release date 23.03.21] Riding The Rock Machine is a supremely enjoyable, 60 track slice of cultural history. The UK’s pop and rock legacy should be considered a National Treasure, to be protected and promoted. Grapefruit/ Cherry Red are … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 10CC, 60 tracks, boxset, Cherry Red, ELO, Family, Foghat, Foreigner, Free, Grapefruit, Nazareth, Procol Harum, review, Riding The Rock Machine, Seventies Classic Rock, THE WHO, Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep
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Album review: ROBBIE LaBLANC – Double Trouble
Escape Music (Release date 16.04.21) Robbie LaBlanc is not only one of the melodic rock world’s most admired singers, but increasingly its most prolific. It’s only a few months since I reviewed the East Temple Avenue album he lent his … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, melodic rock, Robbie LaBlanc, Steve Overland, Tommy Denander
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Album review: FM – Tough It Out Live
Frontiers Records (Release date 09.04.21) It already seems a long time ago but one of the gig highlights of the winter before the pandemic struck was the Big-Three-O tour in which FM, together with Dan Reed Network and Gun, celebrated … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, FM, live album, melodic rock, Steve Overland, Tough It Out
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Album review: GILBY CLARKE – The Gospel Truth
Golden Robot Records [Release date 23.04.21] Later this month Gilby Clarke releases his fifth studio album “The Gospel Truth”, his first new solo album since 2001’s “Swag” and it is a welcome return. He has kept himself busy since leaving … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Gilby Clarke, Golden Robot Records, guitarist, Guns 'N' Roses, review, rock, rock 'n' roll, sleaze, Solo, The Gospel Truth
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Album review: MARTY FRIEDMAN – Tokyo Jukebox 3
Mascot Records/The Players Club [Release date 16.03.21] Still mining a rich seam of J-pop, guitarist Marty (Megadeth) Friedman is now on his third Tokyo Jukebox album of instrumentals. The J-Pop genre is ubiquitous in Japan, the country Friedman has called … Continue reading
Album review: THE TREATMENT – Waiting for Good Luck
Frontier Records [Release date 09.04.21] “Waiting For Good Luck” is the fifth album from well-established British rockers, The Treatment and I have to say I think this is their best to date. This is simply a classic rock album with … Continue reading
Album review: THE END MACHINE – Phase 2
Frontiers Music [Release date 09.03.21] This second The End Machine album, Phase 2, does what it would’ve said if it had been in a tin. And it says it emphatically, loudly, subtly in places and outright aggressively in others. It’s … Continue reading
EP review: KISS KISS BANG – Hungry, High & Seeing Things
Bandcamp [Release date 26.03.21] Hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky Kiss Kiss Bang comprises of Trevor Smith (vocals, guitars, synth, percussion), Clayton Crowder (guitars, slide guitars, vocals, percussion) and Andrew Hopper (bass, vocals, percussion) who were joined by drummer Taylor Sanders … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged 70's rock, album, classic rock, EP, hard rock, High & Seeing Things, Hungry, Kiss Kiss Bang, review
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Album review: AMY SPEACE & THE ORPHAN BRIGADE – There Used To Be Horses Here
Proper Records [Release date 30.04.21] This is a very personal album from Amy Speace as she looks back on a twelve-month span between her son’s first birthday and the loss of her father. The album’s lyrical themes cover childhood memories, … Continue reading
Album review: MASON HILL – Against The Wall
7Hz Porductions [Release date 05.03.21] Mason Hill have had a proper rock ‘n’ roll rollercoaster ride to get to this point of releasing their debut album, some six years after first forming. They signed to a label, left said label, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Against The Wall, album, debut, Mason Hill, modern rock, Nickelback, review, rock
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Album review: THE PALACE GUARD – All Night Long: An Anthology 1965-1966
Omnivore Recordings [Release date 21.5.21] Garage rockers The Palace Guard may not have enjoyed the success of fellow Hawthorne natives The Beach Boys, but their entire recorded repertoire is now celebrated with this superbly remastered and restored compilation. They released … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, All Night Long, An Anthology 1965-1966, garage rock, review, rock, the Palace Guard
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Album review: THE L.A. MAYBE – Dirty Damn Tricks
Facebook [Release date 26.03.21] The L.A Maybe are a 6-piece band that originate in the Carolinas. They are a band that take inspiration from just about everything and everywhere, but I’m gonna go with Guns n Roses, AC/DC, The Black … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AC/DC, album, Dirty Damn Tricks, Guns 'N' Roses, hard rock, review, rock, Skid Row, the L.A. Maybe
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Gig review: JOE BONAMASSA – Live Stream, Austin City Limits Live, Austin, Texas – Thursday April 1, 2021
There’s almost an irony about Joe Bonamassa livestream coming from Austin, Texas, which in the late ‘80s was coined ‘live music capital of the world’ by Austin Music Network’s Ronnie Mack, before officially being designated as such in 1991. Quite … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Anton Fig, Cohen Brothers, gig, Jade Macrae, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Bonamsssa, Led Zeppelin, livestream, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Mack, Steve Mackey, Steve Ray Vaughan, Tom Waits
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Album review: THE GHOST OF LEMORA – Love Can Be Murder
Resurrection Records [Release date 12.02.21] Originally formed in London in 2001, The Ghost of Lemora have released two studio albums and a couple of EPs. This new album has been in the works for a number of years being delayed … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, gothic, Love Can Be Murder, melodic, progressive, review, rock, the Ghost of Lemora
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News: Albums of the Month (January 2021 – March 2021)
THUNDER All the Right Noises (BMG) Thunder fans will love this album as it touches all the band’s key strengths – memorable songs, party rockers, ballads, lyrics to make you think and above all, well-crafted hard rock tunes. An Album … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, Albums of the Month, ALL POSTS, NEWS
Tagged albums, Anneke van Giersbergen. Troy Redfern, AOR, Ben Randall, blues rock, February 2021, guitar, hard rock, instrumental, January 2021, March 2021, Progressive Rock, review, Scardust, singer songwriter, Thunder, Touch
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EP review: CAPTAIN NAYSAYER
Website [Release date 13.02.21] Captain Naysayer, a Belgian rock n roll band, which started in their words, as a wet dream of Daan and Evert from rockband The DeVilles. Looking for other musicians to share in an adventure of 70’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged 70's rock, Captain Naysayer, classic rock, debut, EP, review, rock, self-titled
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Album review: EL COLOSSO – Forgotten Ancestors
Bandcamp [Release date 17.12.20] This independent release containing 7 tracks is the follow up to El Colosso’s debut Album, ‘Pathways’, which was released in 2017. El Colosso are a Melbourne based heavy rock band, comprising Benny James Pertzel (Dirty York … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bandcamp, El Colosso, Forgotten Ancestors, heavy rock, review, rock
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Album review: THE DUST CODA – Mojo Skyline
Earache Records [Release date 26.03.21] The Dust Coda’s latest album Mojo Skyline was recorded at Modern World Studios with the multi-platinum, award-winning producer Clint Murphy (Manic Street Preachers, Thunder, Devilskin), following on from their self-titled debut in 2017. The album … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, hard rock, Led Zeppelin, Mojo Skyline, New Wave of Classic Rock, review, rock, The Dust Coda
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Album review: SERENADE THE STARS – Astronomy
Facebook Serenade the Stars are a Buckinghamshire based band consisting of vocalists Matthew Harman and Coral Smith, guitarist Damian Carruthers (who is also the band’s main songwriter), bassist James Wrigley and drummer James Burton. They formed back in 2017 and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Astronomy, Deacon Blue, Del Amitri, melodic, pop, pop rock, review, Serenade The Stars
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Album review: THUDWAIL – Ignition
Self release [Release date 30.10.20] ‘Ignition’ is a reflective, ambient, acoustic album full of subtle moods, textures and grooves that drip with feel. It’s acoustic guitar driven music with a meditative and contemplative feel that is predicated on intricate dynamics, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged acoustic, ambient music, Andy Summers, Danny Tongeman, David Sylvian, didgeridoo, Eberhart Weber, EBow, ECM records, Eno, guitar, instrumental, John Abercrombie, Jonas Hellborg, Martin Finlayson, Paul Cruikshank-Inns, Ralph Towner, Robert Fripp, Shawn Lane, Thudwail, Will Pike
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Quick plays: CARL VERHEYEN, THE MASTELOTTOS
CARL VERHEYEN Sundial (Cranktone Entertainment) [Release date 01.04.21] More laid back Lockdown noodlings, this time from a guitarist perhaps best known for his work with Supertramp. Verheyen’s idea was to create something varied and there were no constraints in terms … Continue reading