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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: BLACK EYED SONS- The Lexington, London, 16 December 2024
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – Thames Side Brewery, Staines, 8 December 2024
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Gig review: STRAY – The Cavern, Raynes Park, London, 7 December 2024
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Gig review: THE SHEEPDOGS, THE COMMONERS – Islington Assembly Hall, London, 5 December 2024
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Gig review: GUN – Barrowlands, Glasgow, 14 December 2024
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Gig review: THE DAMN TRUTH – The Grace, London, 26 November 2024
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: THE KATE GEE BAND – Legacy
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Album review: LAST IN LINE – Heavy Crown
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Album review: THE JAMES OLIVER BAND – Live At The Earl Haig Club
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Album review: RUPERT HOLMES – Songs That Sound Like Movies – The Complete Epic Recordings
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Album review: SONIC HAVEN – Vagabond
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Album review: PRIMAL FEAR – Rulebreaker
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
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Monthly Archives: August 2020
Album review: BLACK ROSE MAZE
Frontiers Records [Release date 07.08.20] Black Rose Maze is Quebecois singer, Rosa Larichiutta. She comes to us via a major Canadian song contest, by way of The Trans Siberian Orchestra. So if you’re immediately imagining rock opera, and you’d be … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Black Rose Maze, melodic, review, rock, Rosa Larichiutta, symphonic rock
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Single reviews: JORDAN RED, IZAKMAN, MICHAEL COLTON, JD SIMO
JORDAN RED Hands The Built The World The latest single from Jordan Red is another impressive piece of modern alt rock, with massive riffs and impassioned vocals. The song is mixed and mastered by Romesh Dodangoda, who has worked with … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged alt rock, blues, country, Izakman, JD Simo, Jordan Red, melodic, Michael Colton, review, rock, singles
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Singles review: DREAMS OF AVALON – Under the Gun & Young Wild Hearts
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
Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – 45th Anniversary Live In London
Frontiers Records [Release date 07.08.20] In 2017, to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Blue Oyster Cult’s debut release, a string of dates across Europe – festivals, stand alone headline gigs – was put in place, culminating in this concert at … Continue reading
Album review: FLYING COLORS – Third Stage Live In London
Music Theories Recordings [Release date 07.08.20] Filmed during Flying Colors’ 2019 US and European tour on the 14 December at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the final night of that tour. They had only played nine shows on the tour, which … Continue reading
Album review: RAVEN – Metal City
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 18.09.20] Athletic Rock legends Raven, long associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, issue their new album (their fourteenth) and what a blistering revelation it is too. While 2015’s Extermination was universally well received, a … Continue reading
Album review: DUKES OF THE ORIENT – Freakshow
Frontiers [Release date 07.08.20] Dukes Of The Orient – vocalist John Payne (ex-Asia, GPS) and keyboardist Erik Norlander (Last In Line, Lana Lane, Rocket Scientists) – return with their second album. Dukes Of The Orient has more of a band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Asia, Dukes of the Orient, Erik Norlander, Frontiers, John Payne, melodic rock, pomp rock, prog rock, review
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Album review: ARCTIC RAIN – The One
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
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Album review: ALAN HULL – Alright On The Night (Live At Clifton Poly 1975)
Singsong Music [Release date 18.05.20] This digital reissue from Singsong Music features an Alan Hull solo concert, originally recorded for Radio Trent at Nottingham’s Clifton Poly on 17th November 1975. It has been mastered from the original tapes and sounds … Continue reading
Album review: JOE BONAMASSA – A New Day Now (20th Anniversary Edition)
Provogue [Release date 07.08.20] While it’s hard not to be sceptical about a project like this – Joe Bonamassa’s relentless marketing campaign has now come full circle with this special 20th anniversary release – this remixed and re-recorded version of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Al Cooper, album, Black County Communion, blues, Bob Dylan, Creamo Liss, Free, Glenn Hughes, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Joe Bonamassa, Kevin Shirley, Led Zeppelin, New Day Now, review, Robert Plant, rock, Rory Gallagher, Steven Van Zandt, Tom Dowd, Tony Cintron, Warren Haynes
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Album review: ROD CLEMENTS – Stamping Ground
Singsong Music [Release date 28.08.20] To mark the 20th anniversary of Lindisfarne founder member Rod Clements’s solo album “Stamping Ground”, Singsong Music are making it available again on digital platforms. The album is entirely self-penned (or co-written) and begins with … Continue reading
Album review: JOSH TURNER – Country State Of Mind
Snakefarm Records [Release date 21.08.20] In the world of country music, an album of duets is definitely not a lonesome trail! Nor in fact is an album of country standards – in fact they are well worn trails. However, that’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, country, Country State Of Mind, Josh Turner, Randy Travis, review
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Book review: On track…THE WHO (Every album, every song) – Geoffrey Feakes
Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 17.08.20] One of the good things about any book like this, it encourages you to either dig out old vinyl or notice that you’ve missed something. In the case of The Who they released their latest … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged book, classic rock, Every Album, Every Song, Geoffrey Feakes, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, mod, On Track, Pete Townshend, pop, review, rock, Roger Daltery, THE WHO
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Book review: On track…DREAM THEATER (Every album, every song) – Jordan Blum
Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 17.07.20] This volume reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the series’ premise. Jordan Blum’s careful expose of all the albums reveals how indebted he is to other writers, websites and magazines. And, let’s be honest, Wikipedia. … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged book, Dream Theater, Every Album, Every Song, James LaBrie, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Mike Portnoy, On Track, progressive metal, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot … BLACKTHORNE – Afterlife
Music For Nations (1993) Graham Bonnet’s career started in the late 1960s with a conventional pop approach and early solo albums. It was only in 1979 when he came to Ritchie Blackmore’s attention as a potential frontman of Rainbow (replacing … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged Afterlife, album, Alcatrazz, Blackthorne, feature, Graham Bonnet, heavy metal, heavy rock, Jimmy Waldo, review
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Book review: On track…10cc and Godley & Creme (Every album, every song) – Peter Kearns
Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 17.08.20] In the hot summer of 1976 I was checking roll-on roll-off cargo at Liverpool Docks and realised I was looking at a consignment of music gear. It turned out that 10cc were coming over from … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged 10CC, book, Eric Stewart, Godley & Creme, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley, Lol Creme, pop, pop rock, review
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Book review: On track…GENTLE GIANT (Every album, every song) – Gary Steel
Sonicbond Publishing [Publication date 17.08.20] The only time I saw Gentle Giant live was when they “supported” a film about Jimi Hendrix at Liverpool Stadium. Due to the poor PA system it was just cacophony. Giant’s music is so full … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS
Tagged book, Gary Steel, Gentle Giant, On Track, review
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Album review: LEGACY PILOTS – Aviation
Laterne [Release date 23.07.20] I do find in these strange days of Lockdown I am automatically drawn to the unusual and the previously unknown in terms of bands and albums. Maybe even the underdog. And especially those that don’t necessarily … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Aviation, John Mitchell, Jordan Rudess, Legacy Pilots, Marco Minnemann, Pete Trevawas, pop, prog, Progressive Rock, review, Steve Morse
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Album review: STARING INTO NOTHING – Love
Antares Records [Release date 13.03.20] Southern California based Staring Into Nothing – Steve Rogers (keys/vocals) and Kurt Barabas (bass/vocals/guitars) – are a highly melodic, mildly proggy, rock combo, who bring a wide range of guest musicians into the studio to … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Gregg Bissonette, Love, Mike Keneally, progressive, review, rock, Staring Into Nothing
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Album review: NEAL SMITH – Pop 85/95
Kachina Records [Release date 01.06.20] OK, hands up – greatest ‘garage’ band of all time? Easy – the ‘original’ Alice Cooper band. Under the tutelage of Bob Ezrin, they produced one of the finest rock albums of the 1970′s in … Continue reading
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Album review: BEN REEL – The Nashville Calling
Ceol Music [Release date 03.03.20] Recorded in Nashville, produced by Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack, and featuring E Street Band’s Garry W Tallent on bass, Ben Reel’s 9th studio album finds him paying homage to The Boss. At least, in … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Americana, Ben Reel, blues, review, roots, singer, songwriter, The Nashville Calling
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Album review: LIONHEART – The Reality Of Miracles
Metalville Records [Release date 31.07.20] Lionheart’s second album since returning in 2016 and big expectations from this reviewer as their 2017 release ‘Second Nature’ was a classy piece of melodic hard rock. Lionheart have done it again, quite possibly pipping … Continue reading
Album review: ALCATRAZZ – Born Innocent
Silver Lining [Release date 31.07.20] There’s still heavy traffic on the rock’n’roll road back from obscurity, with Alcatrazz among an elite few jockeying for position in the fast lane. The band threatened to break through several times in the eighties, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alcatrazz, Born Innocent, Graham Bonnet, hard rock, Joe Stump, melodic, Rainbow, review, rock
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Album review: THE MIGHTY BOSSCATS – Ticket to Memphis
Self Release [Release date 24.04.20] Richard Townsend’s ‘Ticket To Memphis’ is another impressive release from a singer song writer and band leader with a world view. That said, ‘Ticket To Memphis’ isn’t quite what it appears to be. Firstly, it’s … Continue reading
EP review: BLACK LESION – Mindless Feeding Device
Facebook [Release date 14.08.20] Black Lesion are a three-piece hard-rock band from Edinburgh, who had managed a few live dates under their belts before the pandemic struck. It is very frustrating and sad in equal measures that bands, particularly up … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged album, alt rock, Black Lesion, EP, grunge, Mindless Feeding Device, modern rock, review, rock
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