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Author Archives: brianmc
Album review : NEVENA – Nevena
Frontiers [Release date: 09.12.22] After contributing to the Big Deal album earlier this year, with several other female singers, Nevena strikes out now as a solo performer. Her debut walks a high wire between modern pop and melodic rock, as … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Big Deal, Contemporary pop, country rock, Frontiers, Heart, melodic rock, Mike Palace, Pat Benatar, review, Serbia
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Album review : GERRY JABLONSKI and THE ELECTRIC BAND – 105
Independent [Release date: 02.12.22] Fifth album from one of the UK’s lesser known Rock’n’Blues outfits, Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band. (Not their one hundred and fifth). Looking at the band’s incessant touring schedules, it’s a surprise they had time … Continue reading
Album review : THE WHITE BUFFALO – Year Of The Dark Horse
Snakefarm [Release date : 02.12.22] The White Buffalo (aka Jake Smith) is hard to pin down. Aged 49, and hailing from the beautiful state of Oregon, this is his eighth studio album. So sustainability is not a problem. In fact … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Americana, Brothers Osborne, country, Eric Church, folk, Jake Smith, Oregon, pop, review, rock, You Tube
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Album review: PURE ASSASSINS – Questions
Independent [release date 25.11.22] What happens when the Pure Assassins’ drum and bass hedonist picks up a guitar and embraces existentialism? It is sometimes suggested that existentialism is just this bygone cultural movement rather than an identifiable philosophical position. But … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Buster Keaton, Calyx, Chris Rush, drum and bass, Lou Reed, Raine Maida, review, Silent Movie, Velvet Underground
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Album review: TOMMY DECARLO – Dancing In The Moonlight
Frontiers [Release date: 09.12.22] Tommy DeCarlo, the singer who joined Boston in 2007, after being discovered on MySpace by Tom Scholz, is now on his second “solo” album for Frontiers. The current iteration of his studio band includes, on guitar, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alessandro Delvecchio, Black Crowes, Bon Jovi, Boston, Dancing In The Moonlight, David Julien, Denis DeYoung, George Clinton, GooGoo Dolls, Marti Jepsen Andersen, melodic rock, review, Styx, Tom Scholz, Tommy Decarlo, Tommy Shaw
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Single review: BROTHERS OF METAL – Berserkir
AFM Records [release date: 02.12.22] With 3 vocalists, 3 guitarists, bass, drums and anvil (!), you’re bound to have a BIG sound. And the Swedish Power Metal band who brought us the highly successful Emblas Saga (2020), The Brothers of … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
Tagged Gladiator, Maximus, medieval, Norwegian Royalty, Odin, power metal, review, single
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Single review: ALL FOR METAL – Born In Valhalla
AFM Records [Release date 02.12.22] The All For Metal warriors claim to have been “born in Valhalla”. We’re slightly sceptical so have referred this to a Fact Checking Website. We’ll let you know. Meantime the the band have released a … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews
Tagged All For Metal, heavy metal, review, single, Vikings
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Album review: ROB MORATTI – Epical
Frontiers [Release date: 09.12.22] Quite a line up Rob Moratti’s put together here. Tony (Blue Murder) Franklin, Joel (Whitesnake) Hoekstra, Pete (James Christian/ Robin McAuley) Alpenborg, Fredrik (Bloodbound) Bergh, with Steve (Tyketto/ Journey) Augeri on backing vocals. Moratti has been … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alias, AOR, Bloodbound, Blue Murder, Brother Firetribe, Eclipse, Fredrik Bergh, James Christian, Joel Hoekstra, melodic rock, Pete Alpenborg, review, Robin McAuley, Starship, Steve Augeri, Steve Perry, Survivor, Tony Franlin, Tyketto, Whitesnake, Work Of Art
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Album review : SCREAM MAKER – Bloodking
Frontiers [release date 9.12.22] Third album from Polish Metal band, Scream Maker. Bloodking begins where 2016′s Backs Against The World left off. This is a band who’ve spent much of their pre and post pandemic time on tour (Europe and … Continue reading
Album review: LANDFALL – Elevate
Frontiers [Release date 9.12.22] Much more assured second album from Landfall, the Brazilian band led by Eric Martin soundalike, Gui Oliver. And boy does it sound good, graced with melodic, tightly constructed songs, great playing, a lean, taut production, no … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Blue Tears, Elevate, Eric Martin, Frontiers, Gui Oliver, Journey, Landfall, Mayank, melodic rock, Mr Big, review
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Album review : AUTOGRAPH – Beyond
Frontiers Records [Release date 18.11.22] We all want to love this album because it’s Autograph. Even though they’re one-hit-wonders, and even though bassman Randy Rand is/was the only remaining original member. (Rand took part in the recording sessions, but died … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Autograph, Beyond, Def Leppard, eighties, Jimi Bell, Marc Wieland, melodic rock, Our Lady Peace, Randy Rand, review, Simon Daniels, Steve Plunkett, The Beatles
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EP review : RONNIE ATKINS – Symphomaniac
Frontiers Records [release date 18.11.22] There is yet to be an “orchestral” album of rock songs that outdoes Wang Chung’s Orchesography, but this EP from Ronnie Atkins gets close. In fairness, this is Symphonic Rock in all its bombastic splendour. … Continue reading
Album review: WIND OF CHANGE – Progressive Sounds Of 1973 (4 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date: 25.11.22] The logistics: Wind of Change comprises 4 CDs, 5 hours of music and 49 tracks. No doubt many will look at compilations like this one and think you just cannot maintain the quality level over … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged 4 CDs, Al Stewart, album, boxset, Camel, Caravan, ELO, ELP, Family, Hawkwind, John Martyn, Jon Anderson, Kevin Parrish, Manfred Mann, Procol Harum, Progressive Rock, review, Roy Dyke, Tony Kaye, Traffic, Yes
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Album review: KIDS ON THE STREET, UK POWER POP AND NEW WAVE 1977-81 (3 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red [release date: 25.11.22] Kids On The Street is a great title for this 3 CD, 77 track compilation, emphasising the uncomplicated vitality of that era’s popular music. The better informed will know it’s from The Stiffs’ song of … Continue reading
Album review: SARO COSENTINO – The Road To Now
Cat Sounds Music [Release date 18.11.22] If only we knew just how much musical talent flies below the mainstream radar. You look at the line up on this, Saro Cosentino’s third “solo” album, and you find, amongst others, Gavin Harrison, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, David Rhodes, Disney, Gavin Harrison, Karen Eden, King Crimson, Michael McDonald, Pete Hammill, Peter Gabriel, Porcupine Tree, review, Saro Cosentino, The Road To Now, Tim Bowness, Trey Gunn, Van Der Graff Generator
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Album review: ARC OF LIFE – Don’t Look Down
Frontiers [Release date: 18.11.22] Arc Of Life is a Progrock supergroup, arguably. In order of fame : Jon (Yes) Davison, Billy (Yes/ World Trade) Sherwood, Jay (Unruly Child) Schellen, Dave (Sound Of Contact) Kerzner and Jimmy (Air Supply/ Circa) Haun. … Continue reading
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Tagged Air Supply, album, AOR, Arc Of Life, Billy Sherwood, Circa, Dave Kerzner, Don't Look Down, Frontiers, Jay Schellen, Jimmy Haun, Jon Davison, melodic rock, Mr Mister, progrock, review, Sound Of Contact, Third Matinee, Unruly Child, World Stage, Yes
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Album review: ENUFF Z’NUFF – Finer Than Sin
Frontiers [Release date: 11.11.22] If there’s any band that just keeps on keeping on, it’s Enuff Z’Nuff. The band has undergone enough line up changes to fill a Wikipedia page, yet the man who started it all, Chip Z’Nuff is … Continue reading
Album review: ABOUT US – About Us
Frontiers [release date: 11.11.22] It’s a pleasure to welcome a band from the Asian continent, About Us, to the world of AOR and Melodic Rock (despite the album’s Proggy cover). They are a well established, award winning band in their … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Asia, Blue Tears, Bon Jovi, Danger Danger, Dark Horse, Eclipse, India, melodic rock, review, Unruly Child, Wigelius
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Album review: RING OF FIRE – Gravity
Frontiers [Release date: 11.11.22] Spend an hour with Ring Of Fire’s new album, Gravity, and you’re sure to find the music impossible to nail down. It’s a moving target. A neo-classical, Prog/Power Metal sub genre, or maybe that’s a a … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Aldo Lonobile, Artension, Johnny Cash, Malmsteen, Mark Boals, neoclassical metal, power metal, prog metal, review, Secret Sphere, Shining Black, TSO, Vitali Kuprij
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Album review: RISING STEEL – Beyond The Gates Of Hell
Frontiers [Release date: 18.11.22] Third album from French traditional (ish) metal band, Rising Steel, who still exist in the last century (in a good way). From their amusingly phallic name, to the way they deploy every rushing, thrashing riff that … Continue reading
Album review: MANTRIC MOMENTUM – Trial by Fire
Frontiers [Release date: 11.11.22] It’s a little off putting that Mantric Momentum’s Melodic Metal debut album, Trial By Fire, shares its title with numerous releases of the same name. From Henry Jackman’s movie music to Journey’s tenth studio album to … Continue reading
Album review: FEMME FATALE – Femme Fatale (2022 remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date: 07.10.22] Femme Fatale’s self titled 1988 album was co produced by Rick Neigher and David Cole, who together wrote the opening track and single release, ‘Waiting For The Big One’, the band’s only Billboard Top … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged AC/DC, album, Alias, David Cole, Femme Fatale, Janet Gardner, Lorraine Lewis, remaster, review, Richard Marx, Rick Neigher, Vixen
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Album review: IAN HUNTER – Overnight Angels
Rock Candy Records [release date: 07.10.22] Ahhh… the sweet smell of excess. In 1977, Ian Hunter’s third solo effort came off the back of two albums that were critical successes, but commercial failures. Clearly built on strong foundations, Overnight Angels … Continue reading
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Tagged Chicken Shack, Earl Slick, Foreigner, Mott, review, rock, Roy Thomas Baker
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Album review: BANG TANGO – Psycho Cafe (2022 Remaster)
Rock Candy Records [release date: 07.10.22] It might be exaggeration to describe Bang Tango’s music as a radically different take on Hair Metal, but it was certainly its own man. The band, Joe Leste on vocals, Kyle Stevens and founder, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Axl Rose, Billboard, glam rock, hair metal, Howard Benson, Joe Leste, Mark Knight, review, Rock Candy Records, TOM KEIFER
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Album review: DANGER DANGER – Screw It (2022 Remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date: 07.10.22] Somebody lost the “best before 1989” label when Danger Danger were recording Screw It (1991), the follow up to their gold album debut. The sexist album cover; the impossible to misinterpret, double entendre song … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Bon Jovi, Cinderlla, Danger Danger, Erwin Musper, Melodic Glam Rock, MTV, Poison, remaster, Scorpions, Screw It, Van Halen
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