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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
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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: BLACKTHORNE – Afterlife/Don’t Kill The Thrill (Graham Bonnet, Bob Kulick)
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Album review: VARIOUS – NWOBHM Thunder 1978-86
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Album review: JETBOY – Born To Fly
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Album review: KAYAK – Seventeen
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Album review: ELIAS T. HOTH – Metastatic Syndrome
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Album review: ALICE COOPER – Three Temptations From Alice
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Features
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Monthly Archives: January 2022
Album review: PRAYING MANTIS – Katharsis
Frontiers [Release date: 28.02.22] Only occasionally since their debut have Praying Mantis registered a decent sized blip on the radar of rock music in the UK. It was in Japan – where NWOBHM labelling was less meaningful – that the … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Frontiers, Japan, Journey, melodic hard rock, metal, Pony Canyon, Praying Mantis, review, Survivor, Troy Brothers
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Album review: BETH HART – A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
Provogue/Mascot Label Group [Release date 25.02.22] A brave move by Beth Hart to take on the musical catalogue of such an iconic band, some would argue the various covers of Led Zeppelin’s music has been done to excess already. However, … Continue reading
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Tagged A Tribute To Led Zeppelin, album, beth Hart, blues rock, classic rock, Covers, Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, review, Robert Plant, rock
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Album review: OYSTERBAND – Read The Sky
Running Man Records [Release date 04.03.22] After an 8-year gap – as the band explain “hey, we were busy” – the Oysterband return with their twelfth studio album, (fourteen including their two collaborative albums with June Tabor). Oysterband have been … Continue reading
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Tagged album, folk, folk rock, melodic, Oysterband, Read The Sky, review
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Album review: FASTER PUSSYCAT – Babylon, The Elektra Years (4 CD boxset)
Cherry Red [release date: 25.02.22] Faster Pussycat were one of a number of apparently identikit Glamrock bands who emerged from the LA Club scene in the mid eighties. Many fell by the wayside, but some stood out. Faster Pussycat … Continue reading
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Tagged album, boxset, Bret Muscat, eighties, Faster Pussycat, glam, Greg Steele, LA Club scene, metal, review, sleaze rock, Taime Down
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Album review: CLIVE MITTEN – Tales From A Misspent Youth Vol.1
Bumnote Records [Release date 28.01.22] www.twelfthnight.info Do we really need more cover versions? Do we really need to hear another take on ‘Tubular Bells’? There seems to be a trend, maybe as rock gets old, to revisit and occasionally reinterpret … Continue reading
Album review: LANA LANE – Neptune Blue
Frontiers [Release date: 28.01.22] Neptune Blue is Lana Lane’s first album release since 2012. The close knit band that surrounds her includes her husband/ producer/ keyboard player, Erik Norlander, with Jeff Kollman on guitar and John (Asia) Payne on vocals, … Continue reading
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Tagged Alan Parsons, album, AOR, Asia, Erik Norlander, Frontiers, Jeff Kollman, John Payne, Lana Lane, melodic rock, progrock, review, symphonic rock
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Album review: STEVE VAI – Inviolate
Favored Nations/Mascot Label Group [Release date 28.01.22 - vinyl 18.03.22] With over 40 years in the music industry, Steve Vai should need no introduction, he is a virtuoso guitarist, composer and producer, considered by many as one of the greatest … Continue reading
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Tagged album, fusion, guitarist, instrumental, INVIOLATE, progressive, review, rock, Steve Vai
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Gig review: TEN YEARS AFTER- 100 Club, London, 24 January 2022
Ten Years After have a considerable pedigree- leading lights in the British blues explosion and participants at Woodstock, as the sixties gave way to the seventies they were a big enough draw at the time to notch four top ten … Continue reading
Album review: BATTLE BEAST – Circus of Doom
Nuclear Blast [Release date 21.01.22] Album number six from Battle Beast, after a bit of a gap since 2019’s highly enjoyable ‘No More Hollywood Endings’. Their line-up remains the same, namely Eero Sipilä (bass), Pyry Vikki (drums), Janne Björkroth (keytar), … Continue reading
Album review : GIRLSCHOOL – From London To Nashville (2 CD Set)
The Store For Music [Release date: 21.01.22] Girlschool experienced their share of heartache… label let downs, revolving door membership issues, conflicting views on musical direction and the struggles to sustain their ambitions in the face of all of the above, … Continue reading
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Tagged 2 CD Set, albums, Biker Rock, Camden Palace, garage rock, GIRLSCHOOL, live, MTV, Nashville, Radio Rock, review
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Album review: URIAH HEEP – vinyl picture discs
…Very ‘Eavy …Very ‘Umble, Salisbury, Demons And Wizards, The Magician’s Birthday BMG [Release date 28.01.22] Led by the ever present and ever grinning guitarist Mick Box (the sole remaining founding member), Uriah Heep are iconic legends in British progressive rock. … Continue reading
Album review: TOKYO BLADE – Fury
Dissonance/Cherry Red [Release date: 21.01.22] It’s interesting to note that Tokyo Blade’s current members, including guitarist Andy Boulton and vocalist Alan Marsh, were with the band almost from the beginning, but left and rejoined at various intervals since the band’s … Continue reading
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Tagged Alan Marsh, album, Andy Boulton, heavy metal, lockdown, power metal, review, Thin Lizzy, Tokyo Blade
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Album review: GRAHAM BONNET – The Historic Collection (2 CDs)
Store For Music [Release date 21.01.22] Graham Bonnet needs little or no introduction. His 5 decade back catalogue is a rich and constant source of reissues and expanded versions. This double CD package sees his 1991 album, Here Comes The … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Denny Laine, Graham Bonnet, James Brown, Lieber & Stoller, live, melodic hard rock, Ray Davis, review, Sam Cooke, Van Morrison
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Album review: DAN REED NETWORK – Let’s Hear It For The King
Drakkar Entertainment [Release date 17.06.22] In 2022 all we need is some live music and a Dan Reed Network album. This is the band’s third album of their more recent renaissance following 2018′s ‘Origins’ which sprinkled some new stuff along … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dan Reed Network, funk, Let's Hear It For The King, review, rock
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Album review: EDGE OF FOREVER – Seminole
Frontiers [Release date 21.01.22] Edge Of Forever’s mainman, Alessandro Del Vecchio’s description of the band’s fifth album is worth reading. You get the gist, but its over the top, disconnected language gives the impression it’s an outtake from Spinal Tap. … Continue reading
Album review: HEAL & HARROW
Website [Release date 04.02.22] Composer, singer and harpist Rachel Newton (The Shee, The Furrow Collective, Spell Songs) and fiddle player Lauren MacColl’s (Salt House, Rant) new project, Heal & Harrow, is a tribute to those persecuted during the Scottish Witch … Continue reading
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Tagged album, folk, Heal & Harrow, Lauren MacColl, Rachel Newton, review, traditional music
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Album review: iVARDENSPHERE – Ragemaker
Metropolis Records [Release date 04.02.22] Albums like this one are why, after nearly twenty years reviewing for GRTR!, my love of discovering and hearing new music shows no signs of waning. Not for everyone this one, as industrial-tribalist iVardenspehere weaves … Continue reading
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Tagged album, atmospheric, electronics, instrumental, iVARDENSPHERE, progressive, Ragemaker, review, soundtrack
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Album review: JOHN MAYALL – The Sun Is Shining Down
Forty Below [Release date 28.01.22] John Mayall’s 5th album for his producer Eric Corne’s Forty Below label may or may not be his 43rd in all, but it’s surprisingly good. Surprising, because despite 6 guests and 3 covers it’s still … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Bernard Allison, Bobby Rush, Buddy Miller, Carolyn Wonderland, Eric Corne, Greg Rzab, harmonica, Jake Shimabukuro, Jay Davenport, John Mayall, keyboards, Marcus King, Melvin Taylor, Mike Campbell, review, Roosevelt Sykes, Scarlet Rivera, Sugarcane Harris, The Sun Is Shining
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Album review: THE FERRYMEN – One More River To Cross
Frontiers [Release date: 21.01.21] The Ferrymen are Magnus (Freefall/ Heart Healer) Karlsson, Ronnie (Lords Of Black/ Rainbow) Romero and Mike (Rage/ Axel Rudi Pell) Terrana. One More River To Cross is their third album on Frontiers, and this is a … Continue reading
Album review: DOM PRAG – Needle & Thread
Website [Release date 04.02.22] Dom Prag has been steeped in the traditions of the classical guitar since childhood, then learning to play blues and composing songs of his own. He still plays in the classical style, however, his song writing … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dom Prag, folk, Needle & Thread, Phil Beer, review, singer songwriter, the Wilderness Yet
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Album review: ERIC GALES – Crown
Provogue [Release date 28.01.21] Eric Gales opens his 21st album ‘Crown’ with a track called ‘Death Of Me’ with the open ended: “My name is Eric Gales, any questions?” It’s a more ambivalent intro than you might at first imagine, … Continue reading
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Tagged album, blues, Crown, Eric Gales, funk, guitar, Jimmy Hendrix, Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, LaDonna Gales, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, psychedelic, R&B, review, rock, soul, Steely Dan
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Album review: PETER GOALBY – Easy With The Heartaches
Cherry Red Records [Release date 10.12.21] Peter Goalby was the vocalist on a trio of albums released in the 80s by Uriah Heep – Abominog, Head First and Equator. After he left the band in 1986 little was heard from … Continue reading
Album review: OUT OF THIS WORLD – S/T
Atomic Fire Records (Release date 14.01.22) Kee Marcello’s recording debut with Europe was 1988’s ‘Out of This World’ and I well remember how, celebrating 30 years of the album on a solo tour, the guitarist expressed his pride in the … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Darby Todd, Europe, Kee Marcello, Ken Sandin, melodic rock, Out Of This World, Tommy Heart
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JOE LYNN TURNER – Rescue You (Remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date 17.12.21] 1985, and the first of Joe Lynn Turner’s ten solo albums over the last 20 years, Rescue You, is released to huge acclaim. He’s clearly decided to distance himself from the rock/metal approach of … Continue reading
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Tagged Al Greenwood, album, AOR, Bobby Messano, Chuck Burgi, Foreigner, Joe Lynn Turner, Lou Gramm, melodic rock, Rainbow, review
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Album review: SAXON – Carpe Diem
Silver Lining [Release date 04.02.22] Saxon, one of the world’s most consistent and reliable classic metal bands, a name synonymous with the New Wave Of British Heavy (NWoBHM); there were there at the start in the late 70s. Hits such … Continue reading
