Monthly Archives: April 2023

Album review: SCREAMACHINE – Church Of The Scream

Posted on April 30, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] While not immediately lovable, Italy’s Metal monsters, Screamachine’s second album, Church Of The Scream inexorably works its way under your skin. And remains there. So, get your headphones on and say a prayer. They band hit … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged Accept, album, Alice Cooper, Church Of The Scream, Edoardo Taddei, KROKUS, Motley Crue, Paulo Campitelli, review, Savatage, Screamachine, speed metal, Valerio Carrichio | Leave a comment

Album review: ANGEL – Once Upon A Time

Posted on April 29, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Cleopatra Records [Release date 21.04.23] Whilst it is good to see a seventies band re-appear (in white suits) to capture former glories ‘Once Upon A Time’ isn’t the album to achieve modern notoriety. The problem is the inconsistent production. Maybe … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album review, Angel, glam, metal, Once Upon A Time, pop | Leave a comment

Album review : HEAVEN’S EDGE – Get It Right

Posted on April 29, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] Allmusic describes Heaven’s Edge as “an obscure Glam Metal band from the early nineties”. It’s a reasonable observation on the basis of one (self titled) album released in 1990 (just about clinging on to the glam … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, David Rath, Get It Right, glam rock, Heaven's Edge, Jared Gulino, Mark Evans, melodic rock, Motley Crue, MTV, Poison, Ratt, Reggie Wu, review, Steve Parry | Leave a comment

Album review: L.A. EDWARDS – Out Of The Heart Of Darkness

Posted on April 28, 2023 by petefeenstra

Bitchin’ Music Group [Release date 06.01.23] Everything about L.A. (aka Luke Andrew) Edwards from his initials and his West Coast tinged Americana, to his use of jangly pop and the fact his PR references the cultural sway of Laurel Canyon, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Dawes, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Jerry Edwards, Jesse Daniel Edwards, L.A. Edwards, Laurel Canyon, Luke Andrew Edwards, Michael Stipe, New Wave, Out Of The Heart Of Darkness, pop, REM, review, singer, songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: ARIELLE – ’73

Posted on April 28, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

ww.iamarielle.com [Release date 20.04.23] Arielle has had a stop-start career which has involved record label issues and rehab. Now an independent artist, the new album ’73 is her true second coming. It’s suitably titled because (whilst referencing her classic VW … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged '73, album, Arielle, blues, guitar, guitarist, review, rock, roots | Leave a comment

Album review: PAUL GILBERT – The Dio Album

Posted on April 28, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Music Theories Recordings/Mascot [Release date 07.04.23] Six string wizard Paul Gilbert reinterprets some of RJD’s finest moments from his time with Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Dio, substituting the master’s vocals with his own guitar lines. It’s a hugely brave move … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, guitar, guitarist, Paul Gilbert, review, Ronnie James Dio, The Dio Album | Leave a comment

Album review: L.A.GUNS – Black Diamonds

Posted on April 28, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23] Since Tracii Guns and Phil Lewis buried the hatchet back in 2016 they have released four studio and two live albums in what can only be described as somewhat of a purple patch. The latest, ‘Black … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Black Diamonds, hard rock, L.A. Guns, review, sleaze | Leave a comment

Gig review: SABATON – Hydro, Glasgow – 18th April 2023

Posted on April 26, 2023 by david.wilson

The much delayed ‘Tour To End All Tours’ had finally reached Glasgow and the legion of Scottish Sabaton fans were eager to see what Sweden’s finest had in their war chest. Sabaton have gone from strength to strength over the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged 18th April 2023, 1916, Baby Metal, concert, Eurovision, gig, Gimme Chocolate, Glasgow, Hydro, Kami band, live, Lordi, metal, Moametal, momometal, Motorhead, Mr Lordi, power metal, Primo Victoria, rock, Sabaton, SU-Metal, Swedish, The Great War, The Other One, The Tour To End All Tours | Leave a comment

Album review: BALDASSARRE – Grand Boulevard

Posted on April 26, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Carl Baldassarre Music [Release date 28.04.23] The first thing this over-stressed reviewer thought when opening up the promo package was “what the hell will I play it on?” But it turns out that the album is on a USB stick … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Carl Baldassarre, classic rock, Grand Boulevard, pop, review | Leave a comment

Album review: RAMSEY LEWIS – Hang On Ramsey!/Wade In The Water/Don’t It Feel Good/Salongo/Tequila Mockingbird/Love Notes (Remasters)

Posted on April 26, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

RAMSEY LEWIS - Don't It Feel Good/Salongo/Tequila Mockingbird/Love Notes

BGO Records www.bgo-records.com [Release date: various] Many readers’ first experience of Ramsey Lewis would have been the 1965 hit ‘The In Crowd’. This evokes happy times, stretched out with a transistor radio in the summer sunshine tuned in to a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged album, Don't It Feel Good, Earth Wind & Fire, Hang On Ramsey!, jazz funk, jazz fusion, Love Notes, Maurice White, Ramsey Lewis, review, Salongo, soul jazz, Stevie Wonder, Tequila Mockingbird, Wade In The Water | Leave a comment

Album review: IAN HUNTER- Defiance Part 1

Posted on April 25, 2023 by andynathan

Sun Records (Release Date 21.04.23) Ian Hunter has taken into unchartered territory the concept of what rock n rollers are like when they reach a great age. Having celebrated his 80th birthday in 2019 with a Mott the Hoople 74 … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Andy York, Ian Hunter, Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Mike Campbell, Mott the Hoople, Ringo Starr, Slash, Taylor Hawkins | Leave a comment

Book review: MAGIC The David Paton Story (David Paton)

Posted on April 25, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 28.04.23] It seems to be a trend for musicians – some of whom aren’t exactly thrust centre stage in the pantheon of rock – to write their biographies. Perhaps it’s a Lockdown thing or a sense … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS | Tagged Alan Parsons Project, autobiography, bass, book, Camel, classic rock, David Paton, Elton John, guitar, Magic, Pilot, review, The David Paton Story | Leave a comment

Album review : KING’S X – In The New Age, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95 (6 CD boxset)

Posted on April 25, 2023 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] Anyone who got truly tuned into King’s X will be familiar with words like “memorable”, “original”, “intoxicating”. These and other such qualifiers being liberally used in reviews of the band’s albums down through the years. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Arnold Lanni, boxset, Brendan O'Brien, Cherry Red, Dug Pinnick, Frozen Ghost, In The New Age, Jerry Gaskill, King's X, Our Lady Peace, Progressive Rock, Revolver, Sam Taylor, Sheriff, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95, The Beatles | Leave a comment

Album review: WISHBONE ASH – Argus (50th Anniversary Edition 1972-2022)

Posted on April 24, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Madfish/Snapper Music [Release date 14.04.23] In his Best of two decades listing our Melodic Rock Editor Andy Nathan (and big Wishbone Ash fan) included the gig at a country house in Buckinghamshire in 2012. Andy wrote: “Given the enmity between … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged 50th anniversary, Andy Powell, Argus, box set, classic rock, folk, Limited Edition, Martin Turner, progressive, rock, Steve Upton, Ted Turner, Wishbone Ash | Leave a comment

News: WALTER TROUT enters The Grotto of Greatness in May 2023

Posted on April 24, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

The latest inductee to “The GRTR! Grotto of Greatness” is blues/rock guitarist Walter Trout. A major retrospective following Trout’s career in the millennium will be published on 1 May by rock website Get Ready to ROCK! and throughout the month … Continue reading →

Posted in 20th Anniversary 2003-2023, ALL POSTS, NEWS | Tagged anniversary, blues, blues rock, GRTR!@20, guitar, guitarist, history, news, overview, summary, Walter Trout | Leave a comment

Album review : TRAPEZE – Midnight Flyers (The Complete Recordings Vol 2) 5 CD boxset

Posted on April 23, 2023 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] CD1 – Hot Wire (1974) & Trapeze (1976) CD2 – Hold On (1979) CD3 – Live At The Boat Club, Nottingham (1975) CD4 – Live In Arlington, Texas, (1976) CD5 – Live In Fort Worth, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged boxset, Cherry Red, Dave Holland, Deep Purple, funk rock, Glenn Hughes, Mel Galley, Midnight Flyers (The Complete Recordings Vol 2), Nottingham, Pete Wright, Rob Kendrick, Texas, Trapeze | Leave a comment

Feature: GRTR!@20 Anniversary – Blues and Blues Rock – Primer

Posted on April 23, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

They say “popular” music goes in cycles and fifteen years after the latest blues/rock revival spearheaded by the likes of Jeff Healey and Gary Moore, the genre received a boost from the arrival of Joe Bonamassa, especially in Europe which … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, GRTR!@20, The Primer | Tagged blues, blues rock, Joe Bonamassa, Pete Feenstra, primer, summary, survey, Walter Trout | Leave a comment

Album review: ROB ORLEMANS & HALF PAST MIDNIGHT – Shake Them Down

Posted on April 21, 2023 by petefeenstra

Metal Horse Records & Media [Release date 21.04.23] It’s just over 20 years since Rob Orlemans struck out on his own with his Half Past Midnight band after being mentored by the late Curtis Knight (he of Jimi Hendrix fame). … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alvin Lee, Billy Gibbons, Black Sabbath, blues, boogie, Bukka White, Canned Heat, Curtis Knight, Ernst van Ee, Furry Lewis, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin Hopkins, Michael Katon, Ozzy Osbourne, Piet Tromp, review, Rob Orleman & Half Past Midnight, Rob Orlemans, rock, Rose Tattoo, Shake Them Down, Uriah Heep, ZZ Top | Leave a comment

Gig review: ELTON JOHN- The 02 London, 9 April 2023

Posted on April 19, 2023 by andynathan

When Elton John announced he was retiring from live shows with a “Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour, it was time to cross one of the very few remaining living artists off my bucket list. I hung the expense and bought … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Davey Johnstone, Elton John, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, gig, Gregg Bissonette, Nigel Olsson, Ray Cooper, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review: THE MEL OUTSIDER REFORMATION – Miss Victory V

Posted on April 19, 2023 by petefeenstra

The Mel Outsder Reformation - Miss Victory V

Planet UK [Release date 11.22] The Mel Outsider Reformation’s ‘Miss Victory V’ is an excellent album full of uniquely original songs, Mel Outsider’s cinematic phrasing and his band’s musical swagger. Its a musical arc that spans rock, soul, funk, rhythm and … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Adrian Melling, album, Alex Harvey, Americana, Andy Morell, Bruce Springsteen, Ellie Coast, funk, Hayley Gaftarnick, Ian Hunter, Karl Francis, Mark Jones, Matt Pawson, Miss Victory V, review, rhythm and blues, rock, soul, Supersonic Blues Machine, The Mel Outsider Reformation, The Outsider's UK | Leave a comment

Gig review: HARDWICKE CIRCUS- Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, 6 April 2023

Posted on April 17, 2023 by andynathan

Hardwicke Circus, from the unlikely rock’ n’.roll hotbed of Carlisle are building a name for themselves. This is no overnight sensation as I actually saw an earlier line-up as long ago as 2017 supporting Southside Johnny (and am vaguely flattered … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS | Tagged Dave Robinson, Eel Pie Club, gig, Hardwicke Circus, Jonny Foster | Leave a comment

Album review: ELVENKING – Reader Of The Runes (part 2), Rapture

Posted on April 17, 2023 by brianmc

AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] Heavy metal pirates, Elvenking, set sail again, boldly going where few bands dare to go. It’s no exaggeration to claim that this album is a unique heavy metal experience. Operatic, symphonic, folky, very lyrical, not … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged AFM Records, album, Elvenking, Ensiferum, folk metal, heavy metal, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Leaves' Eyes, melodic metal, Rapture, Reader of The Runes, review | Leave a comment

Book review: QUEEN in the 1970s by James Griffiths

Posted on April 17, 2023 by jason

‎Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 30.03.23] This book scores highly on two counts. Firstly, the author is a big Queen fan and that comes through in the writing, as opposed to a dry biography written by a jobbing writer. Secondly, in … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS | Tagged book, Brian May, Classic Albums, classic rock, Freddie Mercury, James Griffiths, John Deacon, live albums, pop rock, Queen, Queen in the 1970s, review, rock, Roger Taylor | Leave a comment

Album review: WINGER – Seven

Posted on April 16, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

Kip Winger chatted to David Randall for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, featuring tracks from the new album. First broadcast Sunday 7 May 2023. Frontiers [Release date 05.05.23] It’s a sign of the times that Metallica have apologised to Winger … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, hard rock, interview, Kip Winger, melodic, radio, Reb Beach, review, Seven, Winger | Leave a comment

Album review: TIM ARNOLD – Super Connected

Posted on April 16, 2023 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 05.05.23] Tim Arnold returns with a concept album about social media, big tech and mental health, which culminated in Arnold’s unexpected diagnosis of autism. Arnold wrote Super Connected ‘in character’, with each song sung from the perspective of different … Continue reading →