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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
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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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Author Archives: brianmc
Album review : MICHAEL THOMPSON BAND – The Love Goes On
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] Michael Thompson may be one of the most gifted, sought after rock guitarists in the business – his pedigree must run to several volumes – but the Michael Thompson Band, known as MTB, will forever be … Continue reading
Album review: SCREAMACHINE – Church Of The Scream
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] While not immediately lovable, Italy’s Metal monsters, Screamachine’s second album, Church Of The Scream inexorably works its way under your skin. And remains there. So, get your headphones on and say a prayer. They band hit … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged Accept, album, Alice Cooper, Church Of The Scream, Edoardo Taddei, KROKUS, Motley Crue, Paulo Campitelli, review, Savatage, Screamachine, speed metal, Valerio Carrichio
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Album review : HEAVEN’S EDGE – Get It Right
Frontiers [Release date 12.05.23] Allmusic describes Heaven’s Edge as “an obscure Glam Metal band from the early nineties”. It’s a reasonable observation on the basis of one (self titled) album released in 1990 (just about clinging on to the glam … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, David Rath, Get It Right, glam rock, Heaven's Edge, Jared Gulino, Mark Evans, melodic rock, Motley Crue, MTV, Poison, Ratt, Reggie Wu, review, Steve Parry
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Album review : KING’S X – In The New Age, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95 (6 CD boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] Anyone who got truly tuned into King’s X will be familiar with words like “memorable”, “original”, “intoxicating”. These and other such qualifiers being liberally used in reviews of the band’s albums down through the years. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Arnold Lanni, boxset, Brendan O'Brien, Cherry Red, Dug Pinnick, Frozen Ghost, In The New Age, Jerry Gaskill, King's X, Our Lady Peace, Progressive Rock, Revolver, Sam Taylor, Sheriff, The Atlantic Recordings 1988-95, The Beatles
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Album review : TRAPEZE – Midnight Flyers (The Complete Recordings Vol 2) 5 CD boxset
Cherry Red [Release date 28.04.23] CD1 – Hot Wire (1974) & Trapeze (1976) CD2 – Hold On (1979) CD3 – Live At The Boat Club, Nottingham (1975) CD4 – Live In Arlington, Texas, (1976) CD5 – Live In Fort Worth, … Continue reading
Album review: ELVENKING – Reader Of The Runes (part 2), Rapture
AFM Records [Release date 28.04.23] Heavy metal pirates, Elvenking, set sail again, boldly going where few bands dare to go. It’s no exaggeration to claim that this album is a unique heavy metal experience. Operatic, symphonic, folky, very lyrical, not … Continue reading
Album review : ONE DESIRE – Live With The Shadow Orchestra
Frontiers [release date 21.04.23] Rising Finnish band, One Desire return with a live album. What is it with rock/ metal bands and orchestras? The ambition to match up the two has been realised regularly ever since most of us can … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, classical, Deep Purple, live, Metallica, Nightwish, Procol Harum, review, Scorpions, Vassa orchestra Finland
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Album review: MECCA – Everlasting
Frontiers [release date 21.03.23] First Mecca album to be released in Europe since the Brexit Referendum. And the suitably titled opener, ‘And Now The Magic is Gone’ turns out to be the album’s big moment. Everlasting is not quite as … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alias, AOR, Frontiers, Joe Vana, Marcie Free, melodic rock, review, Signal, Stefano Lionetti, Tommy Denander, Toto, Unruly Child, Vivien Lalu
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Album review : BIOHAZARD – Urban Discipline and No Holds Barred, Live In Europe (2 CD Deluxe Digipack)
Cherry Red [release date: 14.03.23] New York band Biohazard are credited with fusing hardcore metal, punk and hip hop. Five years after formation they signed with Roadrunner Records and released their groundbreaking album, Urban Discipline. Urban Discipline (1992) This influential … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged 2 CD Digipack, album, Deluxe, Fishbone, hip hop, Kyuss, metal, New York Times, punk, review
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Album review: MAGNUS KARLSSON’S FREEFALL – Hunt The Flame
Frontiers [Release date: 14.04.23] Fourth Freefall album from rock’n’roll workaholic, Magnus Karlsson. For this, Freefall’s fourth album, Karlsson’s rounded up 11 singers, all of whom offer something different, and we get a few tracks that show every sign that he … Continue reading
Album review : ARCHON ANGEL – II
Frontiers [Release date 14.04.23] On his second album now fronting Archon Angel, Zak Stevens probably couldn’t tell you how many albums he’s appeared on. We’ll help him out: Since 1993, five as Savatage’s frontman, five up front with The TSO … Continue reading
Album review: KILLER – Hellfire (And The Best of Killer) 2 CD Edition
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date: 21.03.23] Belgium: 1980 : 3 respected, experienced, died in the wool rock musicians split with their long time bands, and get together to share a different musical destiny. Paul “Shorty” Van Camp, “Fat Leo” and “Spooky” … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews
Tagged album, Belgium, Cherry Red, heavy metal, Hellfire (And The Best of Killer), HNE, Iron Maiden, Killer, Mausoleum, Metallica, Motorhead, review, Saxon, Shorty Van Camp, Spooky
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Album review: WARFARE – The Lemmy Sessions (3 CD Boxset)
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date : 24.03.23] Late on in the last century’s timeline, around 1990, Co. Durham’s one and only anarchic metal band, Warfare, were outselling stablemates, Venom and Raven. On stage and off stage they were living up to … Continue reading
Album review: FOGHAT – Road Fever – The Complete Bearsville Recordings 1972-75 (6 CD boxset)
Cherry Red/HNE [Release date 24.03.23] Britband Foghat clocked up a considerable number of tour miles after relocating to the USA in 1970, road testing their material, looking to kickstart their career. It worked a treat. It’s on the road that … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bearsville, blues, boogie, boxset, Cherry Red, Dave Peverett, Foghat, Nick Jameson, review, Rod Price, Roger Earl
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Album review : CROSS COUNTRY DRIVER – The New Truth
Frontiers [Release date: 17.03.23] Rob (Riverdogs) Lamothe’s new bluesy, country, earthy rock music band is called Cross Country Driver. It consists of only him, his son Zander on drums, and old friend James Harper on guitar. An impressive guest list, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dug Pinnick, Greg Chaisson, Jimmy Wallace, Mike Mangini, review, Rob Lamothe, rock, Zander Lamothe
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Album review : TRANSWORLD IDENTITY – Seven Worlds
Frontiers [Release date 17.3.23] Transworld Identity is a breath of fresh air. Vocalist Mila Bosa previously fronted a hard rock covers band, inevitably moving onto original material with her own band, T-ID. Hard to tell just how long they’ve been … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Abba, album, AOR, Frontiers, Hanoi Rocks, melodic rock, Mila Bosa, Nightwish, pop, review, Ryan Roxie
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Album review : GUNTER WERNO – Anima One
Frontiers [Release date: 10.03.23] Like last month’s All My Shadows, Gunter Werno’s Anima One is yet another offshoot grown from the fertile ground that bred Prog Metal giants, Vanden Plas. While All My Shadows saw VP’s prime movers, Stephan Lill … Continue reading
Album review: THE BANISHMENT – Machine And Bone
Frontiers [Release date 10.03.23] From Dokken and Lynch Mob to End Machine, KXM and more, George Lynch has been on quite some rock’n’roll journey. And is still. He and his new world bandmates, Producer/Mixer/Writer, Joe Haze and vocalist, Devix AKA … Continue reading
Album review : DEMONS DOWN – I Stand
Frontiers [Release date: 10.03.23] Here’s an interesting band. Demons Down combine the legacy Melodic Rock of House Of Lords (and others) … Jimi Bell, Ken Mary and Chuck Wright, with today’s rising stars in the shape of Chilean vocalist, James … Continue reading
Album review: KEN HENSLEY – Past And Present (Songs In Time Anthology, 1972-2021, 6 CD set)
Cherry Red [Release date: 27.02.23] The late Ken Hensley had been steadily accumulating cultural stock since 1970. His ability to write poetic, melodic rock’n’roll is well known in the music industry worldwide. His reputation grew exponentially as he converted that … Continue reading
Album review : DEICIDE – Bible Bashers (3 CD Retrospective)
Dissonance/Cherry Red [Release date: 24.02.23] The first of the 3 CDs in this Deicide set, InsinerateHymn (fabulous title), was the band’s fifth album, released in 2000. The band, led by bassist/ writer/ singer, Glen Benton, had made their not inconsiderable … Continue reading
Album review: CREYE – Weightless
Frontiers [Release date 17.02.23] After a commercially unsuccessful debut album, it was the addition of August Rauer as vocalist in 2018 that kick started Creye’s career as a melodic rock band. On the downside, Weightless, their third album, is filled … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, August Rauer, Creye, Eclipse, Eurorock, HEAT, melodic rock, review, Weightless, Work Of Art
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Album review: TEENAGE GLAMPAGE – 80 Glambusters From The Seventies (4CD boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date 17.02.23] Glamrock stamped its imprint on the UK Pop scene in the Seventies, and perhaps overstayed its welcome. But while it reigned supreme, it produced countless unforgettable pop songs. This 4 CD anthology, Teenage Glampage, begins … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 80 Glambusters, Barron Knights, Barry Blue, Bay City Roller, Bill Martin, boxset, Cozy Powell, Don Fardon, Glamrock, Hush, Mott the Hoople, Mud, Mungo Jerry, Phil Coulter, review, seventies, Slik, Suzi Quatro, T.Rex, Teenage Glampage, The Sweet, Wizzard
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Album review : FIRST SIGNAL – Face Your Fears
Frontiers [Release date 17.02.23] Harry (Harem Scarem) Hess teams up this time with producer/writer, Michele Guiatoli, who has recently impressed us with his guitar and mixing desk skills on the Issa album, Lights Of Japan. The last First Signal album … Continue reading
Album review – KHYMERA – Hold Your Ground
Frontiers [Release date 10.02.23] Texas native, bassman and vocalist, Dennis (Pink Cream 69/Unisonic/Place Vendome/Sunstorm) Ward, transformed into a full blown front man with Khymera earlier this millennium. The band membership is inclined to fluidity, but Ward has assembled a fine … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dennis Ward, Eric Ragno, Hold Your Ground, Khymera, melodic rock, Pink Cream 69, review, Unisonic
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