Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile)

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

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

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 →

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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

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

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 | 2 Comments

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

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

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 →

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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 →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, electronic, Jethro Tull, Kevin Godley, Lindsay Kemp, melodic, pop, progressive, review, Stephen Fry, Super Connected, Tim Arnold | Leave a comment

Album review: LAST IN LINE – Jericho

Posted on April 15, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

earMUSIC [Release date 31.03.23] As far as recent ‘superbands’ go I think it is fair to say that Last In Line come from the heavier bluesy rock end of the spectrum when say compared to a band like Revolution Saints. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Andrew Freeman, Dio, hard rock, heavy rock, Jericho, Last In Line, Phil Soussain, review, Vinny Appice, Vivian Campbell | Leave a comment

Album review : ONE DESIRE – Live With The Shadow Orchestra

Posted on April 14, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [release date 21.04.23] Rising Finnish band, One Desire return with a live album. What is it with rock/ metal bands and orchestras? The ambition to match up the two has been realised regularly ever since most of us can … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, classical, Deep Purple, live, Metallica, Nightwish, Procol Harum, review, Scorpions, Vassa orchestra Finland | Leave a comment

Album review: MORGANWAY – Back To Zero

Posted on April 14, 2023 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 05.05.23] Having enjoyed Morganway’s self-titled 2019 debut expectations are high for this reviewer. Since releasing their debut album they have been gaining rave reviews for their live performances, along with winning awards including BCMA (British Country Music Association) … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Americana, Back To Zero, country, Harmony, melodic, Morganway, pop rock, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: IMAR – Awakening

Posted on April 13, 2023 by jason

www.imarband.com [Release date 21.04.23] The Scottish, Irish and Isle Of Man collective that is Imar return with their first album in five years. Imar’s line-up is Mohsen Amini (concertina), Adam Brown (bodhrán, guitar), Tomás Callister (fiddle), Ryan Murphy (flute, uilleann … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Awakening, folk, Imar, instrumental, review, traditional | Leave a comment

Album review: DEXTER WANSEL – Life On Mars / What The World Is Coming To / Voyager / Time Is Slipping Away

Posted on April 12, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

BGO Records www.bgo-records.com [Release date 31.03.23] Back in the day (mid to late 1980s), I was a closet listener to Robbie Vincent’s BBC Radio 1 show when he would frequently implore his audience to “open the fridge and freezer door” … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Dexter Wansel, disco, funk, fusion, George Howard, jazz funk, Jean Carn, Life On Mars, reissue, The Jones Girls, Voyager and Time Is Slipping Away, What the World Is Coming To | Leave a comment

Album review: RAMSEY LEWIS – Les Fleurs / Fantasy / Keys To The City (Remasters)

Posted on April 12, 2023 by GRTR! HQ

BGO Records www.bgo-records.com [Release date 31.03.23] BGO have done a great job releasing back catalogue from a number of big name artists and labels and packaging several albums on a couple of discs together with extensive liner notes in a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Earth Wind & Fire, fantasy, funk, fusion, instrumental, jazz funk, Keys To The City, Larry Dunn, Les Fleurs, Maurice White, piano, Ramsey Lewis | Leave a comment

Album review: MECCA – Everlasting

Posted on April 10, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [release date 21.03.23] First Mecca album to be released in Europe since the Brexit Referendum. And the suitably titled opener, ‘And Now The Magic is Gone’ turns out to be the album’s big moment. Everlasting is not quite as … Continue reading →