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Yearly Archives: 2026
Album review: ELEGANT WEAPONS – Evolution
Exciter Records [Release date 24.04.26] Album number two from Elegant Weapons, the band formed around Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner and vocalist Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, MSG), with bassist Dave Rimmer (Uriah Heep), and drummer Christopher Williams (Accept) making their recording … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Adam Wakeman, album, Andy Sneap, heavy metal, Judas Priest, melodic metal, metal, review, Richie Faulkner, Ronnie Romero
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Album review: LONG DISTANCE CALLING – The Phantom Void
earMUSIC [Release date 10.04.26] Long Distance Calling have been around for some twenty years now and this, their ninth studio album continues their predominantly wordless approach to story telling. The core of the group remains unchanged with David Jordan and … Continue reading
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Tagged album, instrumental, Long Distance Calling, progressive, review, rock, The Phantom Void
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Album review : URIAH HEEP – Beautiful Dream, The Recordings 1975-77 (4CDs)
Cherry Red [Release date 24.04.26] Return To Fantasy (1975) High And Mighty (1976) Firefly (1977) Innocent Victim (1977) Cherry Red’s latest Uriah Heep boxset, Beautiful Dream, is essentially a follow up to their Shadow And The Wind set released last … Continue reading
Album review: XTASY – Phoenix
Art of Melody Music / Burning Minds Music Groups [Release date 10.04.26] Now here’s a thing. Melodic rock that’s not from Scandinavia! Spain’s Xtasy formed in 2011 and have been building a following in their home country and in Continental … Continue reading
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Tagged album, hard rock, melodic rock, metal, Phoenix, review, Xtasy
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Album review: HOKKA – Via Miseria IV
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 24.04.26] There is a lot of good stuff coming out of Finland at the moment, always underpinned by the Nordic/Scandi talent for melody (and a fair helping of darkness). Lovers of The Rasmus are going … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Hokka, melodic rock, nu-metal, review, The Rasmus, Via Miseria IV
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Album review: ARGOVIA – Primal Repetition
Presagio Records [Release date 10.04.26] One of the enlightening features of our “New to GRTR!” radio show is the range of music from all four corners of the planet. Colombia doesn’t feature that regularly but when it does. Wow! Argovia … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Argovia, Haken, Primal Repetition, prog rock, Progressive Rock, review, Ross Jennings
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Album review : PRAYING MANTIS – The Official Bootleg Boxset Vol 1 – Live In Japan
Cherry Red [Release date : 24.04.26] CD1 : Live From The Bottom Line, Nagoya Japan, 1993 Part One. CD2 : Live From The Bottom Line, Nagoya Japan, 1993 Part Two CD3 : Live From The Bottom Line, Nagoya Japan, 1998 … Continue reading
Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – New Theatre, Oxford, 12 April 2026
This fan may have just been starting out in primary school when Suzi Quatro had her first UK number with ‘Can The Can’ in 1973, however, it was still a great moment to finally see her live on stage. Big … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 12 April 2026, Alice Cooper, Chris Norman, classic rock, gig, KT Tunstall, New Theatre, Oxford, review, rock, rock 'n' roll, Suzi Quatro
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Single review: ROBERT JON AND THE WRECK – Run Back To Me
Website [Release date 27.03.26] From the opening bars of this song which is on the soulful side of southern rock, you can tell this is a band which gels. Every instrument complements each other, and then the vocals of Robert … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Single and EP reviews
Tagged blues rock, review, Robert Jon And The Wreck, rock, Run Back To Me, single, southern rock
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Album review: SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND – Good Evening Boys And Girls (21 CD box set)
Madfish [Release date 10.04.26] WOW what a magnificent box set we have here. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, quite literally a 70s theatrical rock sensation. Fronted by singer/songwriter Alex Harvey, once touted as Glasgow’s answer to Tommy Steel, Alex released … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Box sets, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged Alex Harvey, blues rock, box set, Chris Glen, classic rock, Good Evening Boys And Girls, Hugh Mckenna, Nazareth, review, rock, SAHB, Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Ted McKenna, Zal Cleminson
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Album review: Ritchie Blackmore’s RAINBOW In Concert 1976 – Live In Koln
Demon [Release date 18.04.26] This special edition release is exclusive to RSD (Record Store Day) 2026 and catches both the Rainbow and the band at their creative and blistering energetic peak. The album was originally released a few years back … Continue reading
Gig review: FM- White Rock Studio, Hastings, 5 April 2026
With their 1986 debut album ‘Indiscreet’ FM took on the Americans at their own game with among the finest, and arguably the very best, British AOR albums ever recorded, with all the hallmarks of the genre- hook-filled songs on the … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged AOR, Brave Rival, Ed 'the Shred' Clarke, FM, gig, Indiscreet, Jem Davis, Jim Kirkpatrick, Lindsey Bonnick, melodic rock, Merv Goldsworthy, Pete Jupp, Steve Overland
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Album review: THE SIDESHOWS
Europea Phonographic [Release date 10.04.26] The Sideshows is the new project formed by former Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and currently Michael Monroe Band bassist Sami Yaffa alongside songwriter Rich Ragany (Role Models, Rich Ragany … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Hanoi Rocks, Michael Monroe, New York Dolls, power pop, punk, review, rock, Sami Yaffa, The Sideshows
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Album review: THE STEVE SUMMERS BAND – Rewired
Pete Feenstra chatted to Steve Summers for his Feature show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, with tracks from the ‘Rewired’ album. First broadcast 7 June 2026. Bandcamp [Release date 23.03.26] CD https://stevesummersband.com/contact [Release date 30.04.26] The Steve Summer Band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, Bernie Marsden, blues, DEL BROMHAM, Derek White, Eric Clapton, Felix Pappalardi, Gary Moore, interview, Jethro Tull, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Winter, Larry Miller, Leslie West, Lip Service, Mountain, Mungo Jerry, Pink Floyd, prog, radio, review, Rich Summers, Robin Trower, rock, Scott Hunter, Simon Needler, Steve Summers, Stray, The Steve Summers Band, Vic Martin
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Gig review: THE GUILTY MEN – The Stables, Milton Keynes, 1 April 2026
The origins of the Guilty Men lie back in 2021, when guitarists and old pals Clive Gregson (Any Trouble, Richard Thompson, Christine Collister) and Neil Cossar (The Cheaters) finally got around to writing a few songs together. Which one of … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 1 April 2026, Clive Gregson, gig, John Lees Barclay James Harvest, melodic, Milton Keynes, Neil Cossar, review, rock, THE GUILTY MEN, The Stables
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Album review: MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Live & Ready 1980-1984
Chrysalis Records [Release date 03.04.26] Guitar legend Michael Schenker has had a largely wonderful career, with his own band as well as with both Scorpions and UFO. And of his eponymous band, the 1980 to 1984 period is widely considered … Continue reading
News: Albums of the Month (January – March 2026)
A quarterly feature highlighting album releases rated highly by the GRTR! review team and worthy of your investigation. We try and pick out a cross-section of albums that reflect the range of genres reviewed at the website. The star rating … Continue reading
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Album review : FIGHTER V – Deja Vu
Frontiers Music [Release date : 10.04.26] We couldn’t help thinking that we’d heard this album somewhere before. Maybe it’ll come back to us. Deja Vu is the third album from Swiss melodic rock band, Fighter V. Emmo Acar (v), Lobe … Continue reading
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Tagged AOR, David Coverdale, Deja Vu, Emmo Acar, Fighter V, Frontiers Music, melodic rock, review, Steely Dan
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Album review: HONEY AND THE BEAR – Wish & A Tide
Website [Release date 23.04.26] Honey and The Bear is a duo consisting of husband and wife Jon and Lucy Hart. Jon plays guitar and electric guitar with Lucy as the main vocalist, and they both play double bass and bouzouki. … Continue reading
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Tagged album, folk, Honey and the Bear, melodic, review, traditional, Wish & A Tide
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Album review: SCOTT ARCHIBALD the id project – Sol Caravan
Bandcamp [Release date 05.12.25] ‘Sol Caravan’ is a ground breaking debut album by Scott Archibald’s the id project which strikes the perfect balance between jam band interplay, rock related intensity, subliminal percussive rhythms and timeless musical traditions. It’s a conceptually … Continue reading
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Tagged album, ambient, Arthur DeCossette, Dan Neale, Frank Zappa, funk, fusion, Gong rock, Haleshla, Hawkwind, Howard Gill, Jam, jazz, John Baggot, Jukka Virri, Justin Adams, Maghreb, Mouna Eddrou, Pierre Moerlen, psych, review, rock, Scott Archibald, Simon Webster, Steve Evans, theidproject, trance
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Gig review: CHEZ KANE- Fighting Cocks, Kingston upon Thames, 2 April 2026
No one can accuse Welsh songstress Chez Kane of not putting in the hard yards. This show in Kingston’s rock pub, in my South West London heartland, marked the last of a remarkable ten ‘in-store’ acoustic appearances in seven days … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged acoustic, Chez Kane, gig, Harry Scott Elliott, Henry Gottelier, James Ready, melodic rock, Reckless, The Karma Effect
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Album review : MICHAEL SWEET – The Master Plan
Frontiers Music [Release date : 03.04.26] The Master Plan is Michael Sweet’s tenth solo album. He’s yet to surpass his largely ignored Truth album from year 2000 (4 stars from Allmusic, Cross Rhythms, and Hard Roxx), but this one might … Continue reading
Feature: GRTR! Greats – COLIN BLUNSTONE
Photo: David Randall/GRTR! And then there’s Colin Blunstone with his ethereal, timeless voice Pete Feenstra, 2011 Colin Blunstone has enjoyed a long and fruitful career both as a member of The Zombies and as a solo artist. He has also … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, GRTR! GREATS, GRTR! Greats (All Posts), INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged classic rock, Colin Blunstone, feature, interview, radio, review, rock, singer, songwriter, The Zombies
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Feature: GRTR! Greats – BETH HART
Photo: Manuela Langotsch Beth Hart’s place in the GRTR! Greats series was sealed a long time ago by her heartfelt songwriting, emotionally charged voice and musical excellence spanning a 18 plus album career backed by non stop touring. Her vibrato … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, GRTR! GREATS, GRTR! Greats (All Posts), INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, beth Hart, blues, blues rock, classic rock, feature, hard rock, interview, retrospective, review, singer, songwriter
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Album review: SELWYN BIRCHWOOD – Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues
Alligator Records [Release date 27.03.26] Selwyn Birchwood’s ‘Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues’ is everything you want from a contemporary blues album. It’s a well crafted, emotively sung and self produced masterpiece from a young blues artist who explores deeply felt, socially … Continue reading
