-
Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
GRTR! Greats
Featured Album Reviews
Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
NIGHT RANGER – 24 Strings and a Drummer Acoustic
Frontiers www.frontiers.it Given their longevity and their reputation for a quality ballad, it is perhaps surprising that Night Ranger have waited so long to release an unplugged album. But with interest in them revived by last year’s excellent Growing Up … Continue reading
IMMENSION, SHEEPY, FIGHT THE DICE, BLEAK FALLS, THE HIDDEN REVOLUTION
IMMENSION – Immension EP Self Release (Release Date – 7th Jan 2013) This will be the debut EP from Sheffield metallers Immension. The band that immediately spring to mind when listening to the opening track, ‘Shadows Of Yourself’, are Trivium. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Quick Plays, Single and EP reviews
Tagged BLEAK FALLS, FIGHT THE DICE, IMMENSION, Sheepy, THE HIDDEN REVOLUTION
Leave a comment
THE RECKONING – Need To Breathe
Atlantic Records (Release Date – out now) Need To Breathe is the fourth album by The Reckoning and stateside it has already proved to be a massive hit clocking up No. 1 positions in both the Billboard rock … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Need To Breathe, The Reckoning
Leave a comment
THE PROPHETS OF ADDICTION – Babylon Boulevard
Cargo Records The Prophets of Addiction’s debut album “Babylon Boulevard” is a dark and sleazy effort that sits somewhere between latter day Faster Pussycat and early Dogs D’amour. The album was self produced but mixed by ex- Ozzy Osbourne bassist … Continue reading
QUIET RIOT – Reissues
QUIET RIOT – Metal Health/Condition Critical Rock Candy Records Formed in the early 70s, Quiet Riot featured guitarist Randy Rhodes, and the band split when Rhodes joined Ozzy Osbourne. Reforming in the early 80s, Metal Health would be the band’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, Condition Critical, Kevin DuBrow, metal, Metal Health, music, Quiet Riot, reissue, review, rock
Leave a comment
T & N – Slave To The Empire
earMUSIC 0208329ERE Okay, is it a tribute album or isn’t it? T & N would have you believe this offering should stand up in its own right. Dokken alumni George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and ‘Wild’ Mick Brown have assembled seven … Continue reading
LOVE & MONEY – The Devil’s Debt
Vertical VERTCD096 Twenty years on, can Love & Money still cut it? Their re-grouping at the start of 2011 for a couple of Scottish gigs and tentative UK dates last autumn suggested a resounding ‘yes’. To hear that the band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, James Grant, Love & Money, review, The Devil's Debt
Leave a comment
JEFFERSON STARSHIP – Freedom At Point Zero
Rock Candy Records Formed from the ashes of West Coast band Jefferson Airplane in the early 70s, Jefferson Starship (later just Starship) kept that influence in their brand of hard rock and power pop. This album, originally released, saw a … Continue reading
RAINBOW – Reissues
On Stage (2CD) Long Live Rock’n’Roll (2CD) Universal Universal continue their excellent, if long overdue appraisal of the Rainbow catalogue, with the former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore producing some of the best and most classic hard rock to come … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Long Live Rock 'N' Roll, On Stage, Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie Dio
Leave a comment
KIX – Live in Baltimore
(CD/DVD) Frontiers Originally formed in 1977, KIx released 6 albums between 1981 and 1996 and enjoyed a period of commercial success in the late ‘80’s and early ‘90’s before splitting up in 1996. No surprise as the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Fronteirs, Kix, Live in Baltimore
Leave a comment
LOUDNESS – Eve To Dawn
FROSTBYTE – Out Now There are certain songs that will forever stay in my memory as they have been instrumental in helping shape my personality and musical tastes as a young teenager. One such song was “Heavy Chains” – a … Continue reading
CASTLE – Blacklands
VAN RECORDS – Out Now No one can deny that the 70s has been probably the most important decade in the history of Rock as the sound and style that was developed during this period continues to influence Rock and … Continue reading
ELUVEITIE – The Early Years
NUCLEAR BLAST – Out Now It was only eight months ago that Folk Deathsters Eluveitie presented the world with their 5th studio album “Helvetios” and there is yet another with their name on the sleeve being released. As the title … Continue reading
Quick Plays: THEN JERICO, WALKING WITH KINGS, STORMZONE
Audio Porn – Jezebel’s Kiss (JK Records) Audio Porn is the Hard-Rock project formed by singer / songwriter Azriel St. Michael and drummer Byron Black, both former Jezebels Kiss members, and Hydrogyn guitarist/producer Jeff Westlake. The songs are melodic, but … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged Stormzone, Then Jerico, WALKING WITH KINGS
Leave a comment
JOE STUMP – Revenge of the Shredlord
Lion Music www.lionmusic.com Joe Stump burst onto the guitar instrumental scene in 1993, producing ripping guitar work in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen. He has continued to be uncompromising in his work over the years and has been classified as … Continue reading
TESTAMENT – Dark Roots Of Earth
Testament is a band that requires no introduction, being engraved in Bay Area thrash folklore in the 80’s. The band returned from oblivion to blow everyone away with “Formation of damnation” a few years back. “Dark roots of earth” continues … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Dark Roots Of Earth, Nuclear Blast, Testament, thrash metal
Leave a comment
STRING DRIVEN THING – The Machine That Cried
(Esoteric) Signing to act-breakers Charisma should have assured better fortune for this electric violin-driven four-piece but in the notes of Esoteric’s reissue guitarist Chris Adams, band co-founder with wife Pauline, grumbles over the label’s preoccupation with Genesis as neglectful of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, music, prog, progressive, reissue, review, rock, String Driven Thing, The Machine That Cried
Leave a comment
GENTLE GIANT – I Lost My Head
(EMI) Writer Daryl Easlea muses over the meaning of the word ‘contrapuntal’ in his excellent notes with fresh band interviews accompanying a great value 4CD box of albums recorded for the Chrysalis label (plus rarities and unreleased) by this epitome … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged 1975-1980, box set, Chrysalis, compilation, Gentle Giant, I Lost My Head
Leave a comment
PAUL SABU – In Dreams
www.z-records.com Z Records continue their fine re-issue series of Paul Sabu’s back catalogue and this album first saw the light of day as a Japanese import back in 1994, before Now & Then picked it up. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Angel, AOR, In Dreams, Lee Aaron, melodic rock, Paul Sabu, Z Records
2 Comments
DEMON DUDE’S REVENGE – An Adolescent Fantasy Volume 1
www.demondudesrevenge.com Steve Watts was the keyboards player in Demon between 1985 and 1991 and co-wrote much of the band’s output in those years along with vocalist Dave Hill. After leaving Demon he all but disappeared from the … Continue reading
BLEAK ANGEL – Reborn
http://www.bleakangel.com/ Second album by this UK folk rock band, who are currently down to a duo of Tim Balmford (songwriter/vocals) and Daisy O’Halloran (vocals) although former member Steve Morse (not the Deep Purple one!) plays 12 string … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Bleak Angel, Daisy O'Halloran, folk rock, Reborn, Tim Blamford
1 Comment
GEOFF TATE – Kings & Thieves
Inside Out www.insideout.de (Released 05.11.12) It has certainly been an eventful year for Geoff Tate after being dismissed by his former band Queensryche (be interesting to see how they progress as regards new material) and now he has a new … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALL POSTS
Tagged GEOFF TATE, Inside Out, Kings & Thieves, Queensryche
Leave a comment
Quick Play: BLUE ORIGIN, BROWNSVILLE STATION
KATTAH Eyes Of Sand www.kattah.net Formed in Brazil in 2006, this album tells a story based around Arabian culture mixing Brazilian rhythms and heavy metal. So the PR goes. From the outset it’s solid if rough’n’ready trad metal. A touch … Continue reading
FOCUS – X
Eastworld Recordings (2012) One of the great rejuvenations of recent years has been the Thijs van Leer version of Focus, things seemed to click with the arrival – in 2006 – of original drummer Pierre van der Linden and they’ve … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dutch, Focus, Holland, music, Netherlands, Pierre van der Linden, prog, progressive, review, rock, Thijs van Leer, X
Leave a comment
TRAIL OF MURDER – Shades Of Art
Metal Heaven www.aorheaven.com (Release date 29th October) A new name but the band’s members have some real musical pedigree as you have vocalist Urban Breed (what a great name for a metal singer!) formerly of Tad … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Evergrey, melodic metal, Morgana Lefay, power metal, Tad Morose, Trail Of Muder
Leave a comment
