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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
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Gig review: CARDINAL BLACK – Sub 89, Reading, 15 November 2024
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Gig review: SUZI QUATRO – London Palladium, 13 November 2024
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Gig review: HRH XVII, Great Yarmouth, 7-9 November 2024
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Gig review: WHEN RIVERS MEET, CHANTEL MCGREGOR, XANDER AND THE PEACE PIRATES – Dingwalls, London, 7 November 2024
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Gig review: DEEP PURPLE – 02 Arena, London, 6 November 2024
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Gig review: ELLES BAILEY- Islington Assembly Hall, London, 2 November 2024
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Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS – Spooky Action At A Distance
InsideOut Music [Release date 27.10.23] Fourth album from Pattern-Seeking Animals who comprise of multi-instrumentalist John Boegehold, Spock’s Beard duo Ted Leonard (vocals, guitars) and Dave Meros (bass, vocals), and former Spock’s Beard drummer Jimmy Keegan. What makes Pattern-Seeking Animals rather … Continue reading
Album review: SKINNY KNOWLEDGE – Twenty Two
Facebook [Release date 27.10.23] Skinny Knowledge release ‘TwentyTwo’ as the notoriously tricky second album, following on from their debut in 2021 with ‘Don’t Turn Out the Lights’. On producing Andy Smooth states, “The overall sound of the album has taken … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dinosaur Pile-Up, hard rock, review, rock, Skinny Knowledge, Twenty Two
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Album review: BERNIE TORME – Lightning Strikes 1982-83 (4 CD boxset)
Cherry Red [Release date: 27.10.23] Four CD Boxset of some of Irish guitar wunderkind, Bernie Torme’s best stuff, remastered: Turn Out The Lights (1982) Electric Gypsies (1982) Live 1983 Live In Sheffield (1983) When Torme decamped to London, in 1974, … Continue reading
Album review: GYPSY PISTOLEROS – Duende A Go Go….Loco
Earache Records [Release date 03.11.23] Gypsy Pistoleros are a 4-piece, hailing from Worcester, that have exploded as a ball of energy onto the Rock scene, bringing Flamenco Punk Glam Rock n Roll to the masses. They are now serving up … Continue reading
Album review : ROBBY VALENTINE – Embrace The Unknown
Independent [Release date : 21.10.23] Robby Valentine’s new release, Embrace The Unknown, is his 13th studio album. Something of enigma, he’s worked with Kristoffer (Pain of Salvation) Gildenlow, Jeff Scott Soto, and Arjen (Ayreon) Lucassen, to name but three, and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Big Pharma, Government, Jellyfish, operatic, pandemic, Queen, review, Robbie Valentine, Symphonic Melodic Rock, Vaccine
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Album/EP Review: HELD BY TREES – Eventide
Sound Canyon Records [Release date: 11.08.23] Following on from Held By Trees’ excellent ‘Solace’ in 2022, the band assembled once more at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios to realise two projects. The first was a sparkling, live re-recording of … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile)
Tagged David Joseph, Eventide, Held Bt Trees, Progressive Rock, review, Robbie McIntosh, Talk Talk
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Album review: DISTRICT 97 – Stay For The Ending
Spirit Of Unicorn Music/Cherry Red [Release date 20.10.23] Now here’s something a little different. A prog metal band fronted by a female vocalist, an American Idol finalist to boot! I have been aware of District 97, not least when they … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, DISTRICT 97, fusion, Jazz rock, prog, progressive metal, review, Stay For The Ending
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Album review: UNIFONY – Unifony III
Volkoren [Release date 03.11.23] The great thing about GRTR! is our eclecticism over 20 years, very much reflecting the taste and preferences of our solid review team. We’re not bound by classic rock but the music has to move us. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, ambient, chill-out, Clannad, instrumental, Moya Brennan, review, Unifony, Unifony III
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Album review: STEVIE JONES AND THE WILDFIRES – Clarity In Dusk
Wildfire Sessions Productions www.steviejones.com [Release date 13.10.23] This album was born out of solitary walks late in the day in the local countryside during Lockdown. That locality includes Helpston in East Northants where the artist Stevie Jones is a regular … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged acoustic, album, alt folk, alt rock, Americana, Clarity In Dusk, review, rock, Stevie Jones And The Wildfires
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Album review: HELD BY TREES – Solace – Live At Real World Studios
Sound Canyon Records [Release date: 11.0.23] Held By Trees is a collective of outstanding musicians, three of whom had connections to and played with the band Talk Talk. Back in the day, Talk Talk, under the eclectic leadership of the … Continue reading
News: Albums of the Month (July – September 2023)
ALBANY DOWN Born In The Ashes (indie) Seven years is surely too long between releases, but whatever the reasons, this excellent album deserves to build some momentum and push Albany Down towards enduring and wide-spread success. **** Review by Dave Atkinson … Continue reading
Posted in Albums of the Month, ALL POSTS
Tagged albums, August 2023, blues rock, classic rock, hard rock, July 2023, melodic rock, Progressive Rock, review, September 2023
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Album review : VITALINES – Wheels Within Wheels
Frontiers [Release date: 20.10.23] Vitalines is Tommy Denander and Robbie LaBlanc. Two musicians who need little or no introduction to the Melodic Rock fraternity. You might immediately be intrigued by the song titles. Several catch your eye: ‘Cards From Another … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Alias, AOR, Chicago, Frontiers, melodic rock, MrMister, review, Robbie LaBlanc, Survivor, Tommy Denander, Toto, Vitalines, Wheels Within Wheels
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Album review : EDGE OF FOREVER – Ritual
Frontiers [Release date : 13.10.23] Alessandro Del Vecchio’s band, Edge Of Forever, have released some interesting albums over the last few years. Native American culture has been a constant theme. It clearly inspired a quartet of tracks on last year’s … Continue reading
Album review: DANDELION CHARM – Scream Inside The Tear
Bandcamp [Release date 20.10.23] Dandelion Charm, the husband and wife team consisting of Clare Fowler (vocals) and John Fowler (vocals, acoustic drums, guitars, bass, keys & producer), have seemingly been quiet release wise since releasing their excellent ‘Maybe Dreamers’ back … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dandelion Charm, folk rock, prog rock, progressive, review, rock, Scream Inside The Tear
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Album review: PAUL RODGERS – Midnight Rose
Sun Records [Release date 22.09.23] I feared Paul Rodgers distinguished career might quietly be over when there was an ominous lack of activity in his camp either side of the pandemic, and indeed it has subsequently emerged that he has … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Bad Company, blues rock, Free, Midnight Rose, Paul Rodgers, review
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Album review : NUCLEAR ASSAULT – Radiation Sickness
Cherry Red/Dissonance [Release date : 13.10.23] Despite multiple break ups over the years, US Thrash Metal band, Nuclear Assault continued touring into the new millennium, only hanging their boots up last year. The band, formed by ex Anthrax bassist, Dan … Continue reading
Album review: SUBSIGNAL – A Poetry Of Rain
Gentle Art Of Music [Release date: 22.09.23] My fellow GRTR! reviewer Pete Whalley gave a four-star review to Subsignal’s previous album ‘La Muerta’ in 2018 – opining at the time that the band had “waved goodbye” to their metal tendencies … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile)
Tagged A Poetry Of Rain, Progressive Rock, review, RPWL, Subsignal, Yogi Lang
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Album review: ANN WILSON & TRIPSITTER – Another Door
Dualtone [Release date 29.09.23 US, 13.10.23 ROW] Ann Wilson, best known for Heart with her sister Nancy, decided that prior to starting the 2023 tour with her band Tripsitter, they would record an album of all-original material. This album also … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Ann Wilson & Tripsitter, Another Door, hard rock, Heart, melodic rock, review, rock
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Album review: LONG ROAD HOME – Are We Invisible?
Self Release [Release date 31.10.23] ‘Are We Invisible?’ is a promising debut album by Long Road Home, a new British guitar and keyboard driven veteran rock-blues band, with bluesy, proggy, AOR and occasional southern rock influences. They don’t so much … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Are We Invisible?, Billy Gibbins, blues, boogie, Dave Norman, Deep Purple, Derek White, Ian Salisbury, Lee Morell, Long Road Home, Mike Sebbage, Procol Harum, review, Robin Trower, rock, Scott Hunter, southern rock, Steve Summers, ZZ Top
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Album review: THUNDER – The Thrill Of It All, Giving The Game Away, Shooting At The Sun (Reissues)
WIN These reissues! Click or tap here! BMG [Release date 20.10.23] As our retrospective feature in ‘The GRTR! Grotto’ series attests Thunder have firmly entrenched themselves with fans in the millennium, in spite of a couple of stop-starts. It’s fair … Continue reading
Album review : NITRATE – Feel The Heat
Frontiers [Release date : 23.09.23] Nitrate’s founding member and bassist, Nick Hogg has again opted for vocalist Alexander Strandell and the Martin (Vega) brothers (who also produce) to round out the band on his latest, (and fourth) album, Feel The … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Alexander Strandell, AOR, Danger Danger, Glen Frey, Heart, Issa, John Waite, Martin Brothers, New Wave, Nick Hogg, Nitrate, Paul Laine, review, Vega
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Album review: TREVOR RABIN – Rio
InsideOut Music [Release date 06.10.23] Rio is the first vocal led album Trevor Rabin has released since ‘Can’t Look Away’ in 1989. He has been busy in the interim with both solo instrumental releases and he has also become a … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 6th Oct 2023, album, Big Mistake, country, Insideout Music, National Treasure, Oklahoma, Owner Of A Lonely Heart, progressive, Push, review, Rio, rock, Trevor Rabin, Yes
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Album review : KINGS CROWN – Closer To The Truth
Frontiers [Release date : 13.10.23] Melodic Hard Rock’s European union of British vocalist, Lee (Shy/Sweet) Small and Swedish Guitarist Martin (Gypsy Rose/Phenomena) Kronlund looks like being a huge success. Small’s voice is the kind of thing which prompts awe not … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Anders Skoog, Frontiers, Glenn Hughes, Kings Crown, Lee Small, Martin Kronlund, melodic hard rock, Phenomena, review, Seventies Rock, Shy, Sweet
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Quick plays: HASSAN BIN RASHID, LOUIS DE BERNIERES, RYAN YOUNG
HASSAN BIN RASHID My 21 Grams [Release date 06.10.23] Not everyday you get offered to review an album by a proper prince, in this case Bahraini Prince, Hassan bin Rashid. ‘My 21 Grams’ is his fifth studio album as he … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged alternative, folk, Hassan bin Rashid, Louis de Bernieres, melodic, My 21 Grams, Pearl Jam, pop, Quick Play, review, rock, Ryan Young
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Album review: GARRET T. WILLIE – Same Pain
Self release [Release date 15.09.23] Canadian rock bluer Garret T. Willie has a wise head on young shoulders and it goes some way to explaining his song craft. His 7 studio cuts co-written with bassist Parker Bossley are full of … Continue reading
