Author Archives: brianmc

Album review : PAUL LAINE : The Long Road Back

Posted on September 18, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 25.09.26] There’s a lot of traffic right now on The Long Road Back from the Eighties. The AOR genre just refuses to die. GRTR’s AOR Guru, Andy Nathan, who travels the world in a search … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AOR, Bruno Ravel, Danger Danger, Dark Horse, Frontiers Music, melodic rock, Paul Laine, review | Leave a comment

Album review : BIG COUNTRY REDUX – Eastworld

Posted on September 18, 2026 by brianmc

Eastworld Records [Release date : 18.09.26] Twenty-five years after Stuart Adamson’s passing, the band has re-emerged as Big Country Redux, delivering Eastworld, a 10-track collection that bridges decades of unfulfilled musical history. At the heart of this project is Bruce … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Big Country, Bruce Watson, Eastworld, review, Stuart Adamson, Tommy Paxton, Tony Butler | Leave a comment

Album review : BUDGIE – Running From My Soul (3 CDs) The MCA Years 1973-75

Posted on September 14, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 25.09.26] The seventies have always been considered to be the hard rock and heavy metal years. Welsh band Budgie was at the epicentre. Their songs were covered by Soundgarden, Metallica, Van Halen and Iron Maiden. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues | Tagged Budgie, Burke Shelley, Cherry Red, Heavy Metal/Rock, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Ray Philips, review, Soundgarden, Steve Williams, Tony Bourge, Van Halen | Leave a comment

Album review : VELVETEEN QUEEN – The Greater Good

Posted on September 11, 2026 by brianmc

Silver Lining Music [Release date 18.09.26] Who said Glamrock is dead? Not me. And certainly not Velveteen Queen. This band from Gothenberg is Glamrock’s second generation European progeny, whose rock’n’roll music has a solid sonic core and always has something interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Glamrock, Guardian, Guns'n'Roses, Hanoi Rocks, hard rock, Motley Crue, review, Silver Lining Music, The New York Dolls | Leave a comment

Album review : TODD RUNDGREN – Live At The Ritz NYC 1989 (2CDs)

Posted on September 10, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 25.09.26] Todd Rundgren’s first promotional gig of his 12th studio album and first for 4 years, Nearly Human (1989), took place at the New York City Ritz on its release date. Rundgren being Rundgren had taken … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Daryl Hall, Live At The Ritz, Marvin Gaye, Motown, Nearly Human, NYC, Stephen Tayler, The Tubes, Todd Rundgren | Leave a comment

Album review : VARIOUS ARTISTS – No Static At All : A Journey Into AOR (3CDs)

Posted on September 6, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date: 18.09.26] No Static At All is a 3 CD, 60 tracks journey through the halcyon days of AOR. It’s a tip of the hat to Steely Dan’s movie (FM) music hit of the same title. And … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AOR, Cherry Red, Chicago, eighties, FM, Foreigner, Journey, No Static At All, review, Steely Dan, Survivor | Leave a comment

Album review: GARY JOHN BARDEN – Empowered Emotions

Posted on September 5, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 18.09.27] There’s an abundance of richly melodic twists, ear-catching hooks and smoky Coverdale vocalisms running through the veins of Empowered Emotions, a new album from Gary John Barden. Barden’s CV is well documented online. He’s fronted many … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Empowered Emotions, Enkai, Frontiers Music, Gary John Barden, melodic hard rock, Michael Schenker, Michael Voss | Leave a comment

Album review : SEVEN SPIRES – A Fortress Called Home (Master Key Edition / 3CDs)

Posted on August 31, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 04.09.26] “Seven Spires”, says Sascha Paeth, “are one of the few new real personalities in metal”. And you would need an abundance of personality and indeed, confidence to assemble such a suite of music as … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged A Fortress Called Home, Frontiers Music, instrumental, orchestral, Seven Spires, symphonic metal | Leave a comment

Album review : SHAKRA – Just Live Loud

Posted on August 30, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 04.09.26] Since 1995, Swiss band, Shakra have shared stages worldwide with everybody worth knowing, from Guns’N’Roses to Great White, from Stratovarius to Iron Maiden. And in between times they’ve released 14 albums. Their secret, apart from … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Frontiers Music, Live Life Loud, Mark Fox, melodic rock, review, Shakra, Thom Blunier, Thomas Muster | Leave a comment

Album review : BLACK OAK ARKANSAS – When Electricity Came To Arkansas Vol 1 (5 CDs)

Posted on August 27, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 28.08.26] CD1 : Black Oak Arkansas (1971) + 2 bonus CD2 : Keep The Faith (1972) CD3 : If An Angel Came To See You, Would You Make Her Feel At Home? (1972) CD4 : … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Black Oak Arkansas, Cherry Red, gospel, Jim Dandy, Raunch'n'Roll Live, review, southern rock | Leave a comment

Album review : ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK – Faithfully

Posted on August 25, 2026 by brianmc

Cleopatra Records [Release date : 28.08.26] The whole idea of taking on a striking stage name has been with us since the beginnings of show business. From the of early days of popular music to the modern era, singers like … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Engelbert Humperdinck, Extreme, Faithfully, Gerry Dorsey, Journey, Release Me, the Cars, Warrant | Leave a comment

Album review : NIGHT RANGER Best Of

Posted on August 23, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 28.08.26] Quintessential white middle class rock band from the past, Night Ranger continues to make great melodic rock music in the present. Meantime, this remastered, retrospective collection might satisfy the band’s fans and more. It … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged best of, Brad Gillis, Frontiers, Jack Blades, Jose Feliciano, Kelly Keaggy, Night Ranger, Record Stores Day, review | Leave a comment

Album review : NIGHTWING – Long Hard Road 1980-85 (5 CD Boxset)

Posted on August 21, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 28.08.26] CD1 : Something In The Air (1980) CD2 : Black Summer (1982) CD3 : Stand Up And Be Counted (1983) CD4 : My Kingdom Come (1894) CD5 : Night Of Mystery – Alive! Alive! … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Cherry Red, GTR, Long Hard Road, Max Bacon, Night Wing, NWOBHM, review | Leave a comment

Album review : ATOMIC ROOSTER – Friday The 13th (The BBC Sessions 1970-1981)

Posted on August 18, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 28.08.26] Lucky for some. This neatly packaged 2 CD set follows hard on the heels of the band’s all new recording, Circle The Sun, released (and reviewed here) in October last year. This “new” set … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Arthur Brown, Atomic Rooster, Carl Palmer, Cherry Red, Chris Farlowe, Friday The13th, John Peel, review, Vincent Crane | Leave a comment

Album review : MICKEY THOMAS Over The Edge

Posted on August 17, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date: 21.08.26] Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship and Starship’s history is well documented online. Mickey Thomas was Starship’s vocalist through the eighties. By 1989, the band’s output had dropped to zero, and Thomas hadn’t released any solo material since … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Freddy Curci, Jack Blades, Jefferson Starship, Jonathan Cain, melodic rock, Mickey Thomas, Neal Schon, Over The Edge, review, Richie Kotzen, Steve Lukather | Leave a comment

Album review : GRAND – Guilty Pleasure

Posted on August 16, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date : 21.08.26] We asked 3 separate AI sources… Gemini, Co pilot and Claude: “describe the melodic rock / AOR music of the eighties, specifically 1984”. We’ll publish the results sometime. Then we took this new release from … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged AI, AOR, Claude, Co Pilot, Frontiers, Gemini, Grand, Guilty Pleasure, melodic rock, review | Leave a comment

Album review : ODDLAND – Unilluminate To Illuminate

Posted on August 14, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 21.08.26] At last, after 3 albums at the fringes, Oddland is now pushing the boundaries of structure and tone to the outer edges of Prog Metal. It’s a scary place to be if you can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Oddland, Pain of Salvation, prog metal, review, Soan, Unilluminate To Illuminate | Leave a comment

Album review : TOKYO BLADE – Hoist The Colours High

Posted on August 13, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 21.08.26] The unquenchable flame that is Tokyo Blade is about to release its 14th studio album in a career lasting the best part of 50 years. Hows that for durability? Hoist The Colours High is … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Alan Marsh, Andy Boulton, Hoist The Colours High, NWOBHM, review, Time Is The Fire, Tokyo Blade | Leave a comment

Album review: LALU : A Mythmaker’s Demise

Posted on August 2, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 31.07.26] Looks like Progrock supremo, Vivien Lalu’s got the band back together for his fifth album.In fact today’s Lalu is a lot like yesterday’s Lalu, both in compliment and style, with Mekong Delta’s Martin LeMar … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Frontiers Music, Joop Wolters, Martin LeMar, progrock, review, Simon Philips, Vivien Lalu | Leave a comment

Album review : ICONIC – II

Posted on July 29, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 31.07.26] Long haired, MTV look rock bands are well and truly back in fashion, in an under the mainstream radar kind of way. Cue Iconic. Recruited from headline bands Stryper, Whitesnake, Blue Murder, and the … Continue reading →

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Album review : LEMMING PROJECT : Hate and Extinction, 2 CD Edition

Posted on July 28, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 31.07.26] If you consider the Death Metal genre to be defined by heavily distorted, low-tuned guitars, guttural vocals, and fast blast-beats, then Lemming Project is the archetype. This is a band – Thomas Jasjke, Torsten … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Pure Metal/Album reviews, Reissues | Leave a comment

Album review : MANIA – Changing Times (CD Edition)

Posted on July 23, 2026 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date 24.07.26] German Speed / Power Metal Band, Mania released one EP, Wizard Of The Lost Kingdom (which is in no way as corny as the title suggests), and one full length album, the cult classic, Changing … Continue reading →

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Album review : ZAN / CODY – Beautiful’n Damned

Posted on July 20, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date 24.07.26] As most will know, Zinny Zan and Harry Cody are both ex Shotgun Messiah, a band from the past whose two remaining members, rebranded, are making a future for themselves. There are some exciting tracks … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Beautiful'n Damned, Frontiers Music, Harry Cody, review, Shotgun Messiah, Zinny Zan | Leave a comment

Album review : TESLA – Homage

Posted on July 14, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date : 17.07.26] Tesla released their debut album, Mechanical Resonance in 1986 and now release their eighth, Homage, forty years later. Six studio albums and five live albums in between, and a relatively stable line up over … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Elvis. Supertramp, Etta James, Frontiers Music, Homage, Jeff Keith, Mechanical Resonance, Motown, Queen, review, Tesla | Leave a comment

Album review : ELECTRIC MOB – 2 Make U Cry And Dance (Digital Deluxe Edition)

Posted on July 5, 2026 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date :10.07.26] Having tasted Electric Mob’s 2 Make U Cry And Dance, originally released in January 2023, the self employed music media’s effusive praise led to this:- A digital reissue with an additional six (live) tracks from … Continue reading →