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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
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Album review : ENBOUND – Set It Free (w/bonus CD)
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Album review: JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE – Punk Rock Fiesta!
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Album review: ERIC BASS – If I Had A Name
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Album review : VISION OF DISORDER – Vision of Disorder / Imprint (2 CD Deluxe Digipak)
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Album review : PERFECT PLAN – Heart Of A Lion
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Album review: GILLAN – 1978-1982
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: FM- Chelmsford Social Club, Chelmsford, Essex, 21 February 2025
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Gig review: BETH HART – Hammersmith Apollo, 20 February 2025
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Gig review: SPIKE- Half Moon, Putney, London, 16 February 2025
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Gig review: DAN BYRNE- Islington Academy 2, London, 9 February 2025
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Gig review: BRAVE RIVAL – The Stables, Milton Keynes, 9 February 2025
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Gig review: H.E.A.T- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 31 January 2025
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Featured Album Reviews
Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
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Author Archives: brianmc
Album review : ENBOUND – Set It Free (w/bonus CD)
Embrace The Fear [Release date : 21.02.25] 2025’s Set it Free is Enbound’s third album, a follow up to Blackened, if an album 9 years later can be described as a “follow up”. Nice (if expensive) piece of marketing here… … Continue reading
Album review : VISION OF DISORDER – Vision of Disorder / Imprint (2 CD Deluxe Digipak)
Cherry Red [Release date : 28.02.25] The early nineties was a strange time for Heavy Metal. US band, Vision Of Disorder emerged from a morass of subgenres and splinter groups, all following different paths, all pursuing different objectives, mostly with … Continue reading
Album review : PERFECT PLAN – Heart Of A Lion
Frontiers Music [Release date : 28.02.25] With his fourth Perfect Plan album, Kent Hilli has truly deciphered the AOR code. Heart Of A Lion is a superb, beautifully crafted melodic rock recording, mixing keys and guitars in varying measures, creating … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AOR, Brother Firetribe, Frontiers, Kent Hilli, melodic rock, Perfect Plan, review, Survivor
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Album review : THE MOVE – Message From The Country (Remaster/bonus tracks)
Cherry Red [Release date : 28.02.25] 1971: The Move record and release their final album, Message From The Country. The band is now Roy Wood, Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan. All accomplished musicians. All skilled, imaginative songwriters. They are about … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Bev Bevan, bonus tracks, ELO, Jeff Lyne, Message From The Country, remaster, review, Roy Wood, The Move
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Album review : HUMBLE PIE – Hallelujah 1973-1983 (5 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date : 28.02.25] CD1 : Onto Victory (1980) CD2 : Go For The Throat (1981) CD3 : Pyramid Eye Chatanooga (live 1982) CD4 : Annie’s Club Cincinatti (live 1983) CD5 : Live At Winterland (1973) Initially comprising … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged blues, Greg Ridley, Humble Pie, Iain McGonigal, Jerry Shirley, Peter Frampton, review, rock, soul, Steve Marriott, Uncut Magazine
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Album review : ROBIN MCAULEY – Soulbound
Frontiers Music [Released Date : 28.02.25] Third solo album on Frontiers from the much travelled rock singer Robin McAuley. His travels have all been well documented online. The worth repeating bits: He bookended his three album stint with Schenker in … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Aldo Lonobile, Black Swan, Dave Wilson, Far Corporation, Frontiers, review, Robin McAuley, Schenker, Survivor
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Album review : BARREN CROSS – Atomic Arena/State Of Control (2 CD Deluxe Digipak)
Cherry Red [Release date 21.02.25] The second and third albums released by Christian Metal heroes, Barren Cross, are now together for the first time, remastered and reissued by Cherry Red, with ‘2 bonus tracks’ added. Atomic Arena (1988) State Of … Continue reading
Album review : MANTRIC MOMENTUM – Alienized
Frontiers Music [Release date : 14.02.25] It’s all in the family with Mantric Momentum. Second album from cousins and close friends Terje (Pyramaze) Haroy on vocals, and Christer (Crossnail) Haroy on everything else. The band idea took 6 years to … Continue reading
Album review : MUD – The Rak Years 1973-75 (3 albums on 2 CDs)
Cherry Red [Release date : 14.02.25] There can be no doubt that Mud grabbed tight hold of the glam pop template, and tongue firmly in cheek, reshaped it in their own likeness. After several years of unsuccessful releases, the band, … Continue reading
Album review : CRAZY LIXX – Thrill Of The Bite
Frontiers Music [Release date : 14.02.25] Ninth album from Swedish Hard Rock band, Crazy Lixx, founded by singer / producer/ writer, Danny Rexon. Hard to believe they’ve been around since 2002. The opening three tracks ignite a full album’s worth … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Crazy Lixx, Danny Rexon, Frontiers Music, pop metal, review, Thrill Of The Bite
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Album review : THUNDERMOTHER – Dirty & Divine
Sweden’s Thundermother are back… female founded, hard nosed hard rock, with added cowbells. Now that guitarist/ band founder, Filippa Nasil has brought in new members, vocalist Linnea Vikström Egg and drummer, Joan Massing, the band are truly plugged into the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Dirty, Divine, Fillipa Nasil, Heart, Joan Massing, Linnea Vikstrom Egg, review, rock, Runaways, Thundermother
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Album review : THE MAGIC FOREST – More Pastoral Psychedelia and Funky Folk 1968-75
Cherry Red [Release date : 31.01.25] When you come across a music genre called “Pastoral Psychedelia and Funky Folk” you just know it emanates from 1967, and the “Summer Of Love”. The years that followed witnessed the rise of hard … Continue reading
Album review : WRATH – Children Of The Wicked (3 CD set)
Cherry Red [Release date 31/01/25] You’d need a degree in modern sciences to play with Chicago USA band, Wrath. Such is the technically demanding nature of their thrash metal sound. The cover depicts a fresh face bunch of lads who, … Continue reading
Album review : THE FERRYMEN – Iron Will
Frontiers Music [Release date : 24.1.25] This new Ferrymen album should make some solid advance sales on the basis of Stan W Decker’s front cover artwork alone. Take a look. Classy. Ronnie Romero, Magnus Karlson and Mike Terrana are back … Continue reading
Album review : FAT MATTRESS – How Can I Live ? Complete Recordings (3 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date : 24.01.25] Two years in the career of an artist is only a moment in time. That’s how long English Rock Band, Fat Mattress lasted. During those years (1969-70) the band wrote and recorded three albums. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, boxset, Fat Mattress, folk, Jimi Hendrix, Love, Noel Redding, psychedelia, review, The Byrds
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Album review : BONFIRE – Higher Ground
Frontiers [Release date : 24.01.25] 18th studio album from Bonfire. First on Frontiers. Nowadays, the band is founder/leader, Hans Ziller, with Dyan Mair on vocals; Ronnie Parks and Fabio Alessandrini form a solid rhythm section and Frank Pane twins up … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bonfire, Claus Lessmann, Der Rauber, Frank Pane, Hans Ziller, Higher Ground, melodic hard rock, review, Ronnie Parks
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Album review : TIGERTAILZ – For A Few Dollarz More
Cherry Red [Release date 24.1.25] It didn’t take long for the Glam Rock genre, kicked off by Bolan and Bowie, to be appropriated by American bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, Cinderella and others. On the US west coast in the … Continue reading
Album review : AVATARIUM – Between You, God, The Devil and The Dead
AFM Records [Release date : 24.01.25] If anyone is going to have the inside information on the darkside of metal, it’s a psychosocial counsellor. And if anyone’s able to bring the genre’s competing emotions to life, it’s Avatarium’s vocalist / … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Avatarium, Between You, Candlemass, Doom Metal, Evergrey, God, Hard Rock. Our Lady peace, Jennie-Ann Smith, Marcus Jidell, Psychosocial, review, Stockholm, The Devil and The Dead
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Album review : LANDFALL – Wide Open Sky
Frontiers [Release date : 17.01.25] Third album from Brazilian melodic hard rock band, Landfall, founded by Felipe Souzza and Marcelo Gelbcke in 2014, and fronted nowadays by noted vocalist, Gui Oliver. It’s unquestionably an album of two halves. The band’s … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Brazil, Felipe Souza, Giu Oliver, hard rock, Landfall, Marcello Gelbcke, review, Wide Open Sky
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Album review : WILDNESS – Avenger
Frontiers [Release date : 17.01.25] By the numbers – fourth album from Swedish Melodic hard rock band, Wildness, third with “new” vocalist, Erik Forsberg, and second on the Frontiers label. The band was formed by drummer, Erik Modin in 2014, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Avenger, Erik Forsberg, Erik Modin, melodic hard rock, review, Swedish, Wildness
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Album review : THE BIG DEAL – Electrified
Frontiers [Release date : 17.01.24] The Big Deal are one of the many bands that Frontiers’ A&R man, Alessandro Del Vecchio has nurtured over the years. All of them have benefited in some way from his presence . . . … Continue reading
Album review : TOKYO BLADE – Time Is The Fire
Cherry Red [Release date : 17.01.25] The Cherry Red reach has increased dramatically in recent years, and Tokyo Blades’ latest album, Time Is The Fire will be getting a considerable PR push around the 17/1/25 release date. True heavy metal … Continue reading
Album review : THE HAMBURG REPERTOIRE, 2 CDs
Cherry Red [Release date : 10.01.25] It’s no exaggeration to say that popular culture in the UK – music, fashion, sexual mores, religion – experienced a revolution of mind, body and soul in the sixties. On of the prime … Continue reading
Album review: WITHIN SILENCE – The Eclipse Of Worlds
Ulterium Records [Release date : 06.12.24] On their third album now, Slovakian Power Metal band, Within Silence have reached the point where their grasp is the equal of an ambitious reach. From the moment the opening track, ‘Land Of Light’ … Continue reading
Album review : STATUS QUO – Driving To Glory
Cherry Red [Release date : 06.12.24] You’ve really got to hand it to whoever guides Status Quo through the pop and rock music jungle. Brilliantly marketed, with ads that hit all the right notes in the right places, Quo’s latest … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Cherry Red, Driving To Glory, ELO, Mike Paxman, pop, review, Rhino Edwards, Rick Parfitt, rock, Status Quo
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