Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

Album review: KAMELOT – Haven

Kamelot - Awaken

Napalm Records [Released 05.05.15] Kamelot are back! Following on from 2013′s ‘Silverthorn’, which marked the debut of  vocalist Tommy Karevik, Thomas Youngblood and co. have come back with another cracking Kamelot album. They have changed labels, leaving SPV who they … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: TONK – Ruby Voodoo

MelodicRock Records [Release date 09.03.15] The first thing that hit me about Tonk is that how awful their name is! I remember Tonka toys…but Tonk…well according to Urban dictionary it is US customs slang for an illegal immigrant… Sorry we … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick plays: RED SPEKTOR, MASAMUNE

Red Spektor

EP Review: RED SPEKTOR – Red Spektor Self release (Release date 18.05.15) Red Spektor are a trio from Stoke on Trent who formed in 2012. Red Spektor is a self titled EP with five excellent tracks, if you like psychedelia, … Continue reading

Posted in ALL POSTS, Quick Plays, Single and EP reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: KING KING – Reaching For The Light

KING KING - Reaching For The Light

Manhaton [Release date 04.05.15] Four years after their debut album, King King have outgrown their original mould to such a extent that the album title is more a reality than an aspiration. ‘Reaching For The Light’ reflects a band that … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: HALESTORM – Into The Wild Life

Halestorm - Into The Wild Life

Atlantic [Release date 13.04.15] First, let me nail my colours to the mast – I loved Halestorm’s eponymous 2009 debut.  Under the guidance of producer Howard Benson it was perfect radio friendly female fronted pop/rock from the first to last … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: DORIS BRENDEL & LEE DUNHAM – Upsidedownworld

DORIS BRENDEL & LEE DUNHAM - Upsidedownworld

Sky Rocket Records [Release date 20.04.15] Doris Brendel.  It’s a name to be conjured with.  It isn’t one that sounds particularly rock ‘n’ roll.  Maybe a 1920′s sidekick for Miss Marple? First encountered back in 1991 fronting The Violet Hour … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: LUNDEN REIGN – American Stranger

LUNDEN REIGN - American Stranger

Cleopatra Records [06.04.15] OK, let’s get the name out of the way first.  It’s pretty naff.  And unimaginative.  Isn’t it about time that this purposeful phonetic misspelling malarkey faded into obscurity?  It may be my 11+/grammar school education, but it … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: PETERIK-SCHERER – Risk Everything

PETERIK-SCHERER – Risk Everything

Frontiers Records [Release date 17.04.15] Founding Survivor member Jim Peterik returns with his latest project featuring his latest vocal find in Marc Scherer. “Risk Everything” was written specifically to suite the vocal talents of Scherer who he first met during … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: THE GENTLE STORM – The Diary

Inside Out – Out Now. Composer/multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen and singer extraordinaire Anneke van Giersbergen share much more than their nationality. Both are artists with a unique understanding of how Rock/Metal music should be performed, and their first ever collaboration took … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Leave a comment

Album review: THE BLACK CIRCLES – From The Top

        The Black Circles [Release date 16.03.15] The Blues is the blues whether you come from the deep-south or from Warrington in the North West of the UK. The Black Circles prove the point. Their debut 4 … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: RAVEN – ExtermiNation

Raven

SPV www.spv.de [Released 27.04.15] It is no secret that I love the legendary NWOBHM band Raven. They have been a constant favorite of mine for the better part of my life. When I learned that they were crowd funding their … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick plays: NO POWER NO CROWN, THE FIFTH, DOGBANE

NO POWER NO CROWN – Be Peace…Or Else Steve Coleman, guitarist/singer/writer for No Power No Crown, has been pursuing me for while to check them out live. NPNC is a band based out of Charlotte NC and since I am … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: KYLE GASS BAND

SPV www.spv.de [Released 27.04.15] Kyle Gass is one half of Tenacious D, the other half being Jack Black. This is Kyle striding out on his own, with the help of a hand picked bunch of fellow musicians. It will come … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: DENNIS CHURCHILL DRIES – I

Dennis Churchill Dries I

AOR Heaven [Released 01.06.15] Vocalist/bassist Dennis Churchill Dries (DCD) is known to lovers of melodic rock as the vocalist in White Sister and their successor band Tattoo Rodeo. White Sister issued two immense melodic rock/AOR albums in the 80′s and … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Album review: MAGIC KINGDOM – Savage Requiem

MAGIC KINGDOM – Savage Requiem

AFM Records [release date 20.03.15] Take the band name (Magic Kingdom) and throw in an excellent cover featuring a fire breathing dragon and you just know what “Savage Requiem” is going to sound like…Rhapsody of Fire on steroids comes fairly … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quick plays: AXEL RUDI PELL, FREEDOM CALL, DANIELZ

AXEL RUDI PELL & FRIENDS – Magic Moments 25th Anniversary Special Show SPV www.spv.de (3CD/3DVD/Blu-Ray) [Released 27.04.15] This was a special one-off concert filmed and recorded back in July 11th 2014 at the ‘Bang Your Head’ festival to celebrate German … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: THE CRUNCH – Brand New Brand

Cargo records [release date: 30.04.15] With this second outing, The Crunch has become a bit more than a side project for a bunch of seasoned punk stalwarts who only got together for a book launch. Headline tours, film premieres and … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: PAT TRAVERS – Retro Rocket

PAT TRAVERS - Retro Rocket

Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra [Release date 06.04.15] It seems that Pat Travers has been coaxed further on the long and winding road that leads to his now legendary seventies work.  Before 2013′s ‘Can Do’ album, in a solo capacity Travers had largely … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: JETTBLACK – Disguises

JETTBLACK - Disguises

Cherry Red [Release date 06.04.15] High Wycombe’s Jettblack have only partially registered on my ageing cortex in recent years, and in truth they’ve not really made an impression.  Years ago they toured with Airbourne, more recently with Reckless Love.  But … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: WILLY DeVILLE – Live at Rockpalast 1995 & 2008

WILLY DeVILLE – Live at Rockpalast 1995 & 2008

Repertoire [Release date 26.01.15] ‘Live at Rockpalast 1995 & 2008’ is a triple CD and DVD release that finds Willie DeVille revisiting his back catalogue on two shows recorded 13 years apart and presented back to front. Surprisingly, the early … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: Access All Areas – HATFIELD AND THE NORTH, SAD CAFE, RICK WAKEMAN

Hatfield And The North - Access All Areas

Edsel [Release date 30.03.15] ‘Access All Areas’ is a new series from Edsel culled from the 1980 ‘Rockstage’ and 1990s ‘Bedrock’ Central TV series.   Although many of these live sets have appeared previously, it takes Edsel to produce the definitive … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: HASSE FROBERG AND MUSICAL COMPANION – HFMC

HASSE FROBERG AND MUSICAL COMPANION - HFMC

Glassville Records   [Release date: 16.03.15] Remember your adolescence when you walked everywhere with an LP tucked under your arm to show anyone who was interested just how cool and hip you were? Back then it was ‘The Yes Album’, … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile) | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: THE TANGENT – A Spark In The Aether

THE TANGENT – A Spark In The Aether

Inside Out [Release date 20.04.15] Progressive Rock experimentalists The Tangent were a totally unknown entity to me prior to 2011, when I reviewed their sensational five track opus “Comm”. My impression of Andy Tillison’s compositional skills and that album’s overall … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gig review: STEVE HACKETT – Wolflight album launch, 30 March 2015

Steve Hackett Album Launch - London, 30 March 2015

The last five years have been a very productive period for Steve Hackett. Following the release of the outstanding “Beyond The Shrouded Horizon” back in 2011, the six string maestro has spent the following three years re-discovering, re-recording and performing … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, GIG REVIEWS, Special Events | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Album review: JIMMY McINTOSH – Jimmy McIntosh And…

JIMMY McINTOSH – Jimmy McIntosh And...

Arizona Club Music [Release date 23.09.14] ‘Jimmy McIntosh And…’ is a thoughtful and well played album that combines blues, fusion, funk, rock and even moments of free form playing, on a dozen tracks with variety, a coherently flow and Jimmy’s … Continue reading

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment