Tag Archives: AOR

Album review: HEAVY PETTIN – Best Of

Posted on November 29, 2020 by jason

Burnt Out Wreckords/Cherry Red Records (Release date 27/11/20) Heavy Pettin never quite made it to the inside of the glittering shop window of fame. Along with Scotland’s other great white melodic rock hopes, Strangeways, they had the talent, the ability, … Continue reading →

Album review: HEARTWIND – Strangers

Posted on November 18, 2020 by jason

Escape Music [Release date 20.11.20] Heartwind formed around keyboard player Mikael Rosengren and guitarist Goran Engvall (who also played bass on the album). Since their debut release they have changed vocalists bringing in not one, but two vocalists – Nina … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Eclipse, Escape Music, hard rock, Heartwind, melodic rock, review, Strangers, W.E.T. | Leave a comment

Album review: ALIEN – Into the Future

Posted on November 9, 2020 by andynathan

AOR Heaven [Release Date 27.11.20] One of the original wave of Scandi AOR bands at the end of the eighties, Alien’s return with their original line up was one of the stories of the early 2010’s. They followed up two … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, Alien, AOR, Jim Jidhed, melodic rock, Tony Borg | Leave a comment

Album review: PRIDE OF LIONS – Lion Heart

Posted on October 28, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records [Release Date 09.10.20] Approaching 70, maestro songwriter and Survivor founder member Jim Peterik is showing no signs of slowing down. After last year’s World Stage release with a star studded casts of guest vocalists, and co-writing much of … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Jim Peterik, melodic rock, Pride of Lions, Survivor, Toby Hitchcock | Leave a comment

Album review: STARDUST – Highway To Heartbreak

Posted on October 24, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 09.10.20] Debut album from (very) talented newcomers, Stardust. In the world inhabited by melodic rock fans, very good pastiches of Eighties’ AOR get the utmost respect. The era’s distinctively polished, precision calibrated, hook heavy hard rock is … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Frontiers, Highway To Heartbreak, melodic, melodic rock, review, Stardust | Leave a comment

Album review: BROTHER FIRETRIBE – Feel The Burn

Posted on October 7, 2020 by andynathan

Odyssey Music (Release Date 18.09.20) With the release of their first album back in 2006, Brother Firetribe (alongside the Poodles and WigWam) kick started the Scandinavian-led revival of melodic rock that is thriving to this day. Since then the only … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Brother Firetribe, melodic rock, Pekka Ansiu Heino, review | Leave a comment

Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD) October 2020 – December 2020

Posted on September 28, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Compiled by Jason Ritchie January – March 2020 April – June 2020 July – September 2020 October 2nd AMARANTHE ‘Manifest’ Nuclear Blast BLACKFIELD ‘For The Music’ Parlophone Records BON JOVI ‘Bon Jovi 2020′ Island (postponed from May) BRUFORD ‘Rock Goes … Continue reading →

Posted in Album News, All Posts, NEWS, Upcoming (Tours & Releases) | Tagged 20/20, album, AOR, Bluray, CD, December, DVD, heavy rock, melodic rock, metal, New releases, November, October, progressive, rock | Leave a comment

News: Albums of the Month (July 2020 – September 2020)

Posted on September 27, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

MAGENTA Masters Of Illusion (Tiger Moth) It turns back the years without ever being ‘retro’ and I would suggest is comfortably the best Magenta album since Home. Masters Of Illusion – The Musical, anyone? ***** (Pete Whalley) WALTER TROUT Ordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums of the Month, NEWS | Tagged 20/20, albums of the month, AOR, Arctic Rain, August, blues, blues rock, classic rock, Deep Purple, hard rock, July, Kat Riggins, Legacy Pilots, Magenta, melodic rock, Progressive Rock, September, Walter Trout | Leave a comment

Album review: PERFECT PLAN- Time For A Miracle

Posted on September 27, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records [Release Date 04.09.20] Perfect Plan’s self titled debut was one of the revelations of 2018, these seasoned Swedes emerging from nowhere with a high quality mix of hard rock and AOR. After keeping the pot boiling nicely with … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Kent Hilli, melodic rock, Perfect Plan | Leave a comment

Album review: LANDFALL – The Turning Point

Posted on September 22, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 04.09.20] This is up and coming Brazilian band, Landfall’s first album with talented vocalist Gui Oliver. His high tenor has encouraged the label to compare him to Steve Perry, but his vocal timbre is often much closer … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Frontiers, Gui Oliver, Journey, Landfall, melodic rock, review, rock, Steve Perry, The Turning Point | Leave a comment

Album review: OVERLAND – Scandalous

Posted on September 20, 2020 by jason

Escape Music [Release date 18.09.20] FM vocalist Steve Overland returns with a new album, aided by Tommy Denander, along with Brian Anthony (bass, piano, Hammond) and drummer Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Whitesnake, Dead Daisies et al). The album’s contrasting styles can … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, FM, melodic rock, review, rock, Solo, soul, Steve Overland, Tommy Denander | Leave a comment

Album review: PAUL SABU – Heartbreak & Only Child

Posted on September 7, 2020 by jason

Rock Candy Records Remasters [Release date 07.08.20] From the moment he burst onto the disco music scene in the late seventies, the legend that is Paul Sabu has been inundated with accolades… “best this…”, “best that…”, but he never truly … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts, Reissues | Tagged album, AOR, Classic Albums, classic rock, Heartbreak, melodic rock, Only Child, Paul Sabu, review, Rock Candy | Leave a comment

Album review: FORTUNE- The Gun’s Still Smoking Live (CD/DVD)

Posted on August 24, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records (Release Date 07.08.20) One of the most heart-warming and unexpected comebacks of the last few years has been that of cult eighties AOR sters Fortune. It’s fair to say their comeback in 2016 at Rockingham Festival stole the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts, DVD REVIEWS | Tagged album, AOR, Fortune. live album, Larry Greene, Mark Nilan, melodic rock, Richard Fortune, Ricky Rat | Leave a comment

Singles review: DREAMS OF AVALON – Under the Gun & Young Wild Hearts

Posted on August 16, 2020 by jason

Two teaser tracks released over the last month by Joachim (Astral Doors) Nordlund’s Melodic Rock band, Dreams Of Avalon. The full album “Beyond The Dream” is due for release at the end of August, by the Metalville label. It’s unadulterated … Continue reading →

Posted in All Posts, Single and EP reviews | Tagged AOR, Astral Doors, Dreams Of Avalon, Joachim Nordlund, melodic rock, review, singles, symphonic rock, Under the Gun, Young Wild Hearts | Leave a comment

Album review: ARCTIC RAIN – The One

Posted on August 14, 2020 by jason

Frontiers [Release date 07.08.20] Arctic Rain’s music is gloriously reminiscent of the melodic rock genre’s more hypnotic moments. On most tracks, you can tell that they have been thumbing through a dog eared copy of the Eighties’ AOR Blueprint. Doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Arctic Rain, Frontiers, HEAT, melodic rock, review, rock, Survivor, The One, Treat | Leave a comment

Album review: LIONVILLE – Magic Is Alive

Posted on August 2, 2020 by jason

Frontiers Records [Release date 07.08.20] Fourth album from Lionville, an emphatically Westcoast Rock band. Each new release confirms that guitarist/songwriter Stefano Leonetti couldn’t have found a more suitable front man than Lars (Work Of Art) Safsund. What this celebrated vocalist … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged album, AOR, Frontiers, Lars Sasfund, Lionville, Magic Is Alive, melodic rock, review, Stefano Leonetti, Work Of Art | Leave a comment

Album review: SIMON SAYS – Spin This

Posted on July 26, 2020 by jason

Escape Music [Release date 14.08.20] Bit of a musical curio in Simon Says, a band who hail from Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada and were formed from the ashes of Spectrum and Rawx. ‘Spin This’ was originally released back in 1991, … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts, Reissues | Tagged album, AOR, April Wine, Escape Music, melodic, Queen, Queen Flash, re-issue, review, rock, Simon Says, Spin This | Leave a comment

Album review: MARK SPIRO- 2+2=5: Best of + Rarities

Posted on July 21, 2020 by andynathan

Frontiers Records (Release Date 10.07.20) Mark Spiro is probably best known as one of those outside collaborators who in the late eighties and early nineties sprinkled their songwriting gold dust to give the added touches that turned potential singles into … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), All Posts | Tagged 2+2=5: Best of + Rarities, album, anthology, AOR, collection, Dann Huff, Julian Lennon, Mark Spiro, melodic rock, Michael Thompson | Leave a comment

Upcoming: New releases (CD/DVD) July 2020 – September 2020

Posted on July 4, 2020 by GRTR! HQ

Compiled by Jason Ritchie January – March 2020 April – June 2020 October – December 2020 July 1st DOMINATION BLACK ‘Judgement IV’ Pride & Joy Music THE QUIREBOYS ‘A Bit Of What You Fancy’ (re-recorded debut album) 3rd WEATHER REPORT … Continue reading →

Posted in All Posts, NEWS, Upcoming (Tours & Releases) | Tagged 20/20, album, AOR, August, Bluray, CD, DVD, heavy rock, July, melodic rock, metal, New releases, progressive, rock, September | Leave a comment

Album review: KANSAS – The Absence of Presence

Posted on June 30, 2020 by andynathan

Inside Out Records [Release Date 17.07.20] Kansas are an object lesson in regeneration and renewal for veteran bands. Having been around since 1974, many feared for their future when lead singer Steve Walsh retired in 2014, but continuing with a … Continue reading →