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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: PAUL McCARTNEY- 02 Arena, London, 18 December 2024
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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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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: FREEDOM CALL – M.E.T.A.L.
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Album review: JAMES REYNE – Toon Town Lullaby
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Album review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – The Dirty Truth
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Album review : VICTORY – The Circle Of Life
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Album review: SAMI YAFFA – Satan’s Helpers War Lazer Eyes And The Money Pig Circus
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Album review: PAUL GILBERT – Stone Pushing Uphill Man
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Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
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Author Archives: brianmc
Album review: STINGRAY (Remaster with bonus track)
Bad Reputation France [Release date 05.03.21] Enterprising French label, Bad Reputation, has been bringing some excellent new material to our attention recently. But for now we’ll focus on some classic blasts from the past, beginning with criminally overlooked South African … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, AOR, Bad Reputation, Boston, melodic rock, REO Speedwagon, review, South Africa, Stingray, Styx
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Album review: TEMPLE BALLS – Pyromide
Frontiers [Release date 16.03.21] Despite the diabolically bad band name, Temple Balls’ popularity and reputation continue to grow. Produced by Jonah (HEAT) Tee, Pyromide is their third album. Their high energy melodic rock songs have a bright, brash ebullience. But … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Frontiers, H.E.A.T., Jonah Tee, melodic rock, Pyromide, review, Temple Balls
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Album review: VARIOUS – Riding The Rock Machine
Grapefruit/Cherry Red [Release date 23.03.21] Riding The Rock Machine is a supremely enjoyable, 60 track slice of cultural history. The UK’s pop and rock legacy should be considered a National Treasure, to be protected and promoted. Grapefruit/ Cherry Red are … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 10CC, 60 tracks, boxset, Cherry Red, ELO, Family, Foghat, Foreigner, Free, Grapefruit, Nazareth, Procol Harum, review, Riding The Rock Machine, Seventies Classic Rock, THE WHO, Thin Lizzy, Uriah Heep
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Album review: SWEET OBLIVION (feat Geoff Tate) – Relentless
Frontiers Music [Release date 09.03.21] Another Italian job. The Sweet Oblivion (feat Geoff Tate) debut was co-written by Tate and DGM guitarist/producer, Simone Mularoni. Relentless is the follow up, and it’s been been co-written and produced by another multi-talented Italian … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Aldo Lonobile, Frontiers Music, GEOFF TATE, hard rock, heavy metal, Queensryche, review, Sweet Oblivion
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Album review: MARTY FRIEDMAN – Tokyo Jukebox 3
Mascot Records/The Players Club [Release date 16.03.21] Still mining a rich seam of J-pop, guitarist Marty (Megadeth) Friedman is now on his third Tokyo Jukebox album of instrumentals. The J-Pop genre is ubiquitous in Japan, the country Friedman has called … Continue reading
Album review: THE END MACHINE – Phase 2
Frontiers Music [Release date 09.03.21] This second The End Machine album, Phase 2, does what it would’ve said if it had been in a tin. And it says it emphatically, loudly, subtly in places and outright aggressively in others. It’s … Continue reading
Album review: SCREAMACHINE – Screamachine
Frontiers [Release date 09.03.21] Screamachine comprises five experienced metallers, all of whom deserve a mention, but most notably, vocalist Valerio Caricchio and guitarists, Alex Mele and Paulo Campitelli, all of whom are veterans of the Italian/European Heavy Metal scene. The … Continue reading
Album review: ARION – Vultures Die Alone
AFM [release date: 9.04.21] Over the 10 years since their debut, Arion have swapped teenage Eurovision notoriety for cutting edge symphonic rock. Like other Power Metal bands, their music is emphatic, and heavy on the drama. They know how to … Continue reading
Album review: SUNSTORM – Afterlife
Frontiers Records [Release date 12.03.21] Gone are the days of the Joe Lynn Turner fronted Sunstorm. Gone are the days when the band’s songs were written by Diane Warren, Desmond Child, Bob Halligan jnr, The Martin (Vega) Brothers and other … Continue reading
Album review: THE ALMIGHTY – Welcome To Defiance (7 CD Boxset)
HNE / Cherry Red Records [release date 26.03.21] Glasgow band, The Almighty, was formed in 1988 and revolved around Ricky Warwick on guitar and vocals. (He now does the same job for the Black Star Riders.) Such was the band’s … Continue reading
Album review: METALITE – A Virtual World
AFM Records [release date 26.03.21] Coming soon to a Melodic Metal dancefloor near you, Metalite and their third album, A Virtual World. Afficionados will already know the band incorporate elements of trance and electronica into their streamlined melodic metal variant. … Continue reading
Album review: SECRET SPHERE – Lifeblood
Frontiers Records [Release date 12.03.21] If Italy’s Secret Sphere aren’t the EU’s Power Metal poster boys, then they should be. They are a relatively unsung band who’ve battled through multiple line up changes, and come up smelling of roses every … Continue reading
Album review: SPIRIT – Son Of America (3CD reissue/remaster)
Cherry Red Records [Release date 26.03.21] Californian band, Spirit, blossomed in the fertile fields of psychedelic rock. A year after forming in 1967, the year of “The Summer Of Love”, they released their self titled debut, on Ode Records (now … Continue reading
Album review: RONNIE ATKINS – One Shot
Frontiers Records [release date 12.03.21] Ronnie Atkins, founding member of Denmark’s Pretty Maids, bows out with his one and only solo album, One Shot. Ronnie has recently been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer. So the album title is … Continue reading
Album review: TURBULENCE – Frontal
Frontiers Records [Release date 12.03.21] Lebanese Progressive Rock/Metal band, Turbulence, are crossing a few boundaries with their provocatively titled Frontiers debut, Frontal. It is a defiantly bold attempt to incorporate the music of the wider world into their work. Something … Continue reading
Album review: HEART HEALER – The Metal Opera by Magnus Karlsson
Frontiers Records [release date 12.03.21] Magnus Karlsson needs no introduction. Neither do the (all female) vocalists who grace Heart Healer. Apparently a “Metal Opera” has been something of an ambition of Karlsson’s for some time. The idea is not new … Continue reading
Album review: ORDEN OGAN – Final Days
AFM Records [Release date 12.03.21] Orden Ogan might not be the band on everyone’s lips when Progressive or Power Metal is the subject of conversation. But they should be. And if their last album, Gunmen, didn’t put them there, Final … Continue reading
Album review: WILDLIFE – Burning (reissue/remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date 12.02.21] FM and Steve Overland have bona fide legendary status in the annals of UK Rock’n’Roll. It began with Wildlife in the late seventies. Overland and the Jupp brothers, Chris and Pete, were the core … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged AOR, Burning, ELO, Eric Troyer, FM, Rock Candy Records, Rupert Hine, Steve Overland, Wildlife
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Album review: LION – Dangerous Attraction (reissue/remaster)
Rock Candy Records [Release date 12.02.21] Lion’s 1987 album, Dangerous Attraction, featured ex Tytan, Kal Swan on vocals, and talented guitarist, Doug Aldrich, who was just beginning his career. Between them, they wrote all the material. This remastered version has … Continue reading
Album review: SLAMMIN GLADYS – Two
JIB Machine Records [release date 12.02.21] In a reversal of conventional wisdom, Slammin Gladys have gone for the “2 years to write our first album”, and “20 years to write the second” approach. Proteges of Jani (Warrant) Lane, they recorded … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album review, BANG TANGO, blues, Chic, Electric Boys, funk rock, Jani Lane, JIB Machine records, melodic rock, Prince, Slammin Gladys, soul, Two, Warrant
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Album review: KEN HENSLEY – My Book Of Answers
HNE Recordings [Release date 05.02.21] Proving that the language of rock’n’roll is universal, the late Ken Hensley’s final album is a collaboration with Russian poet and lyricist, Vladimir Emelin. My Book Of Answers grew out of a chance meeting between … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Cinderella, classic rock, Ken Hensley, metal, My Book Of Answers, Uriah Heep, Vladimir Emelin, WASP
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Album review: ADAM DOUGLAS – Better Angels
Sonnet Music [release date 05.02.21] I first heard Adam Douglas about five or so years ago singing ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ a la Sam Cooke / Otis Redding on a TV game show. Now that’s some song to tackle, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Adam Douglas, album review, Americana, Better Angels, blues, country, Michael Bolton, Norway, Ray LaMontagne, rock, soul
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Album review: 3.2 – Third Impression
Pete Feenstra chatted to Robert Berry for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio in May 2021. Frontiers Records [Release date 12.02.21] This is the end. Second and final album from 3.2. The success of the first collaboration between Robert Berry, Keith … Continue reading
Album review: WAYSTED – Vices
Rock Candy Records [Release date 12.02.21] In 1983, after an enduring love affair with UFO, a brief flirtation with Ozzy, and a frustrated liaison with Fastway, bass player extraordinaire Pete Way founded Waysted. Around him, he assembled a shit hot … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album review, Fastway, Ozzy, Pete Way, remaster, Rock Candy Records, sleaze rock, UFO, Vices, Waysted
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Album review: LYNYRD SKYNYRD – Nothing Comes Easy
Cherry Red Records (5CD Boxset) [Release date 26.02.21] Arguably, it’s only when your roots run as deep and as wide as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s that you achieve the kind of longevity that sees you still running hard today, 48 years, 15 … Continue reading
