Author Archives: brianmc

Album review : ALBERT HAMMOND – Body Of Work

Posted on February 26, 2024 by brianmc

earMusic [Release Date : 01.03.24] There just can’t be any Classic Rock artist who can outdo prolific hit writer, Albert Hammond’s “been there, done that, got the Oscar/Grammy/Platinum Disc…” track record. And when you include the fact he wrote the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Albert Hammond, album, Body Of Work, classic rock, Grammy, Oscar, Pipkins, Platinum Disc, review | Leave a comment

Album review : AMIGO THE DEVIL – Yours Until The War Is Over

Posted on February 23, 2024 by brianmc

Liars Club/Regime Music [Release date : 23.02.24] Interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine just prior to the release of his 2021 album, Born Against (a relevant and revealing play on words), Danny Kiranos explained his love of the music of Leonard Cohen … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Amigo The Devil, Danny Kiranos, Leonard Cohen, review, Sergio Leone, Tom Waits | Leave a comment

Album review : CLIMIE FISHER – Coming In For The Kill (4CD Boxset)

Posted on February 18, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 23.02.24] Climie Fisher’s 1988 hit single ‘Love Changes Everything”, taken from their debut album, truly was a pop classic. Still is. None of the songs on Coming In For The Kill replicated its considerable chart success. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Bob Clearmountain, boxset, eighties, Eric Clapton, George Michael, Naked Eyes, remaster, review, Rob Fisher. Johnny Hates Jass, Rod Stewart, Simon Climie, soul, synth pop | Leave a comment

Album review : SMOKING SNAKES – Danger Zone

Posted on February 14, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 16.02.24] Swedish band, Smoking Snakes, release their debut album, Danger Zone this month. The banal band name and cliched album title will surely raise a wry smile on the face of even the most ardent genre … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Danger Zone, glam rock, heavy metal, Quiet Riot, review, sleaze rock, Smoking Snakes, Spinal Tap, Steel Panther, Sunset Strip, Twisted Sister, WASP | Leave a comment

Album review : HONEYMOON SUITE – Alive

Posted on February 12, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release Date : 16.02.24] They are indeed, performing here in the instantly recognisable melodic style that defined their key albums. There’s none of the artificial complexity that some bands seem to think is necessary as they move into the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alice Cooper, AOR, Derry Grehan, Desmond Child, Honeymoon Suite, Johnny Dee, melodic rock, Mike Krompass, review, Steven Tyler, Von Groove | Leave a comment

Album review : NEW GUITARS IN TOWN Power Pop 1978-82 (3 CD Set)

Posted on February 10, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date: 16.02.24] By the late seventies, a genre that had blossomed in the Sixties was rediscovered by a new generation of teenagers. And so the legacy of the Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Who and others skipped … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Beach Boys, Beatles, Boomtown Rats, boxset, Elvis Costello, Feargal Sharkey, post-punk, power pop, The Jam, The Undertones, THE WHO | Leave a comment

Album review : PROCOL HARUM – Shine On Brightly (Vinyl Remaster)

Posted on February 6, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 23.02.23] Procol Harum’s second album, originally released in 1968. This cutting edge remaster, transferred to 12″ vinyl, takes us into the studio, listening to the recording sessions, hearing each note, each sound, near or far, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged A Whiter Shade Of Pale, Gary Brooker, Homburg, Joseph Haydn, Matthew Fisher, Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Progressive Rock, review, Robin Trower, Shine On Brightly, The Nice | Leave a comment

Album review : SONS OF LIBERTY – The Detail Is In The Devil

Posted on February 5, 2024 by brianmc

Pete Feenstra chatted to Fred Hale, founder member and guitarist with Sons Of Liberty, for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 1 September 2024. Independent [Release date : 23.02.24] This is the Sons of Liberty’s third album in six … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged album, Biker Rock, Black Sabbath, Bristol, Marshall Tucker Band, review, southern rock, The Detail is In The Devil, The Outlaws, The Sons Of Liberty, ZZ Top | Leave a comment

Album review : KMFDM – Let Go

Posted on February 5, 2024 by brianmc

Metropolis Records [Release date : 02.02.24] KMFDM’s 23rd album is a mixed bag of sights and sounds, each one contributing to a predominant image of a patchwork musical quilt. Each track is an auditory outcry, all cleverly stitched together in … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, heavy metal, KMFDM, Lucia Ciferelli, mountain lion, NDY, Rammstein, review, Sascha Konietsko, Stahlmann | Leave a comment

Album review: PATTERNS ON THE WINDOW – The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1974 (3 CD Boxset)

Posted on January 30, 2024 by brianmc

Grapefruit (Cherry Red) [Release date : 16.02.24] 1974. The UK seemed to be locked into an endless cycle of political and economic crises. The 3 day week. Fuel shortages, and an unheralded post war recession in full swing. Hardly a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 1974, British Progressive Pop, Bryan Ferry, Marc Bolan, Nazareth, Procol Harum, Recession, review, Richard Thompson, Rod Stewart, Roxy Music, SPARKS, Thin Lizzy, Three Day week, UFO | Leave a comment

Album review : ALCATRAZZ – Rock Justice : The Complete Recordings 1983-1986

Posted on January 24, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 26.01.24] The Yngwie Malmsteen, Graham Bonnet, Jimmy Waldo writing team on debut album No Parole From Rock’n’Roll (1983) was much more than the sum of the parts. Hard rock melodramas, ‘General Hospital’ and ‘Hiroshima Mon … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alcatrazz, Alice Cooper, David Lee Roth, Eddie Kramer, Graham Bonnet, Jan Uvena, Jimmy Waldo, New England, Percy Sledge, Rainbow, review, Richie Podolor, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen | Leave a comment

Single review : KMFDM – Let Go

Posted on January 20, 2024 by brianmc

Metropolis Records [Release date : 12.01.24] For some musicians, a band name that describes their political aspirations takes precedent over commerciality. And so in 1984 Sascha Konietsko’s “performance art project” became Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, quickly abbreviated to KMFDM. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged Cultural, KMFDM, performance art, political, review, Sascha Konietsko, single, social | Leave a comment

Album review : MAMA’S BOYS – Runaway Dreams 1980-92 (5 CD boxset)

Posted on January 20, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 26.01.24] CD1: Official Bootleg (1980) CD2: Plug It In (1982) CD3: Turn It Up (1984) CD4: Relativity (1992) CD5: Singles, B Sides and Rarities Three boys from Co. Fermanagh conquer the world. Well no, it … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Belfast, boxset, eighties, Hawkwind, Irish Folk Music, Kerrang!, Mama's Boys, melodic rock, Nazareth, Phil Lynott, review, Slade, Sounds, Thin Lizzy | Leave a comment

Album review: DYMYTRY – Five Angry Men

Posted on January 18, 2024 by brianmc

AFM Records [Release date : 26.01.24] Second English language album from Czech Power Metal band, Dymytry, (their sixth overall). The arrival of vocalist, Alen Lubic has made all the difference in creating an international appeal. Musically, this new album is … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, Alen Lubic, Czech Republic, Dymytry, Five Angry Men, Goth Rock, NDH, Oppenheimer, power metal, review, social media | Leave a comment

Singles review: NIGHTMARE, ALTERIUM

Posted on January 15, 2024 by brianmc

AFM Records [Release date : 12.01.24] Formed in 1979, Power Metal French band, Nightmare have been worshipping the mighty riff for 11 albums now. Ex Songbird frontwoman, Barbara Mogore, is the band’s new vocalist, subsequently showing off her vocal versatility on a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Single and EP reviews | Tagged Alterium, Barbara Mogore, French, Italian, Nicolletta Rosselini, Nightmare, power metal, review, singles | Leave a comment

Album review: GOTUS – Gotus

Posted on January 15, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date: 19.01.24] Debut album from Gotus, an international rock/metal collective. That said, it doesn’t seem quite right calling an album recorded by ex Krokus and ex Gotthard musicians, fronted by an increasingly famous vocalist, a “debut”. (and personally … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AC/DC, album, Coverdale, Gotthard, Gotus, hard rock, KROKUS, Mandy Meyer, review, Ronnie Romero, Whitesnake | Leave a comment

Album review: JIM CAPALDI – The Outside Years (4 CD Boxset)

Posted on January 12, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 26.01.24] CD1: Living On The Outside (2001) CD2: Poor Boy Blue (2004) CD3: 35 bonus tracks over 2 CDs, most of them unreleased until now. CD4: ditto The late Jim Capaldi, most famously a member … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged boxset, Gary Moore, George Harrison, Jim Capaldi, Paul Weller, review, Steve Winwood, Traffic | Leave a comment

Album review : GRAND – Second To None

Posted on January 10, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date: 19.01.24] With the DNA of eighties AOR coursing through its veins, Swedish band, Grand compete with outfits like Wigelius, Eclipse, HEAT and WET in recreating the genre’s past glories in a post Melodic Rock world. On their … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged 1927, AOR, Australian Crawl, Eclipse, Frontiers, HEAT, Jakob, Mattias Oloffson, melodic rock, Svensson, WET, Wigelius | Leave a comment

Album review: METALITE – Expedition One

Posted on January 8, 2024 by brianmc

AFM Records [Release date 19.01.24] Is this 15 track, high concept sci-fi metal album meant to be fun? Because it most certainly is. Not funny, but fun. It’s high energy, as well as high concept. It’s got a slick, sophisticated, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, concept, Edwin Premberg, Erica Ohlsson, Expedition One, Metalite, review, symphonic rock | Leave a comment

Album review: THE LONG RYDERS – Native Sons Expanded 3 CD Edition

Posted on January 6, 2024 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release Date: 19.01.24] Since its 1984 debut, The Long Ryders’ album, Native Sons has been regularly lauded by the music press. The album’s fusion of Garage, Folk and Country Rock has commonly drawn praise from high profile publications … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Coal Porters, country rock, Expanded Edition, folk, garage, Native Sons, review, Sid Griffin, The Long Ryders | Leave a comment

Album review: THE GRANDMASTER – Black Sun

Posted on January 5, 2024 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date: 12.01.24] For The Grandmaster’s second album, mainman, guitarist and Edguy co-founder, Jens Ludwig has recruited ex Fate vocalist, Peer Johansson. Surprisingly, given the accessibility of the material they created in previous employment, much of Black Sun … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, Edguy, Fate, Jens Ludwig, NWOBHM, Peer Johansson, power metal, review, Secret Sun, Teutonic, The Grandmaster | Leave a comment

Album review : NIGHT RANGER – Dawn Patrol and Midnight Madness (Reissues/Remasters)

Posted on December 13, 2023 by brianmc

Rock Candy Records [Release date : 27.10.23] Two more Night Ranger reissues from the house of remasters. The band’s secret weapons are evident from the off on Dawn Patrol (1982), the debut album. In Kelly Keaggy and Jack Blades they … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged albums, AOR, Dawn Patrol, Jack Blades, Kelly Keaggy, Midnight Madness, Night Ranger, pop metal, remasters, review, Rock Candy Records | Leave a comment

Album review : EVERDAWN – Venera

Posted on December 10, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date 08.12.23] Classy and classic symphonic metal from Everdawn. Who could ask for more? This US band made a few waves with their debut, (when they were known as Midnight Eternal), only to have internal disputes lead to … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged album, Alina Gavrilenko, Eric Rachel, Everdawn, review, Russian, symphonic metal, Tommy Hansen, Venera | Leave a comment

Album review : FIFTH NOTE – Here We Are

Posted on December 9, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 08.12.2023] Frontiers world wide scouting system unearthed Fifth Note in Kohima, a town in the north of India. Originally a Christian Rock band (although India is a predominantly a Hinduism/Islamism country, almost 30 million Christians live … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AC/DC, album, Fifth Note, Frontiers, India, Kohima, melodic rock, prog metal, review, Samuel Thapa, Scandinavia Rock | Leave a comment

Album review : CASSIDY PARIS – New Sensation

Posted on December 7, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release Date : 08.12.23] Check out Cassidy Paris’s album promo, ‘Walking On Fire’ on You Tube. it’s surrounded by like minded videos: from Europe, Gotthard, White Lion and The Warning, among others. You can judge a rock artist by … Continue reading →