Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

Quick plays: THE WINTER TREE, BRYAN ADAMS, JOE EGAN

THE WINTER TREE Earth Below

THE WINTER TREE Earth Below www.thewintertreeband.com Andrew Laitres is the main force behind this band, who also feature Mattias Olsson (Anglagard/White Willow/Necromonkey) on drums and percussion, Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow/Opium Cartel) who mixed the album plus played some guitar/synths, as … Continue reading

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Album review: SANGUINE – Black Sheep

SANGUINE - Black Sheep

Odyssey Music [Release date 29.01.16] This is the second album from UK based alt metal band Sanguine who have appeared at Download and Hard Rock Hell Ibiza. The album was recorded at In Flames’ IF Studio and the band’s guitarist … Continue reading

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Album review: JETBONE – Magical Ride

JETBONE – Magical Ride

Juicy Peach [Release date 29.09.15] The dynamically named Jetbone is a Swedish band that sounds as if they’ve been listening to their parent’s record collection. They’ve stepped into the studio with strong enough material to record an album full of … Continue reading

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Album review: COLIN HARPER – Sunset Cavaliers

COLIN HARPER - Sunset Cavaliers

Market Square Records MSMCD172 [Release date 16.02.16] www.colin-harper.com Like fellow music journalist/writer David Sinclair, Colin Harper has seen fit to cross the sometimes perilous divide between writer and performer (poacher turned gamekeeper?), evidently inspired by some of the subjects of … Continue reading

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Album review: OLLOCS – Outer Edge

Ollocs - Outer Edge

Self released  [Release date: 24.10.15] Okay, let’s get the issue of the name out of the way first. Ollocs. What were they thinking of? Ollocs, whilst lending itself to a myriad of infantile jokes (I was thinking of giving it … Continue reading

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Album review: STATUS QUO – Accept No Substitute – The Definitive Hits

STATUS QUO – Accept No Substitute - The Definitive Hits

Universal Music [Release date 20.11.15] There can’t be many rock fans of a certain age in the UK who don’t own a Quo compilation album of some sort. There have been many over the years and most share about 95% … Continue reading

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Album Review – STATUS QUO – Deluxe Editions – Hello!, Quo and Rockin’ All Over The World

UMC  [Release date 04.12.15] Hot on the heels of the latest ‘Greatest hits’ package are these three repackaged and expanded Quo classics. The three albums have been lovingly enhanced with new packaging, rare pictures and an introduction to each written … Continue reading

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Album review: SIMON PHILLIPS – Protocol III

SIMON PHILLIPS - Protocol III

Phantom Recordings/Inakustik [Release date 23.10.15] I must be getting old, but a bit of jazz fusion always seems to go down well especially when it’s well executed.  In 2014 we reviewed ‘Protocol II’ and opined it was ‘a superior jazz … Continue reading

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Album review: STEEL THREADS – The Rule Of Three

 STEEL THREADS - The Rule Of Three

[Release date 13.12.15] www.steelthreadsmusic.co.uk With no PR blurb as a guide, The Rule Of Three came as something of an aural surprise  the black cover emblazoned with a barbed wire take on John Paul Jones’ Led Zeppelin IV symbol (with … Continue reading

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Quick plays: ASHBY, AMELIA WHITE, SHADES OF SORROW

ASHBY - Fragmental

ASHBY Fragmental [Release date 13.11.15] Ashby are a progressive rock quintet from Germany. Fronted by Sabina Mosel, three thoughts immediately struck me a vocal symmetry with Sam Brown and Doris Brendel, a proggy sound that put the band in a … Continue reading

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Album review: CARLY DOW – Ingrained

CARLY DOW - Ingrained

It’s unusual these days to come across an artist that offers something ‘different’.  But Canadian singer songwriter Carly Dow’s ‘wind crafted soul-folk’ debut reveals a unique and alluring talent. Dow’s song writing is steeped in the lakes, rivers, mountains, forests, … Continue reading

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Album review: ELEANOR McEVOY – Naked Music

The Best of 2016 - Singer Songwriter

Moscodisc [Release date 05.02.16] The closest we’ve got to a live album from Eleanor McEvoy, ten studio albums down the line was 2011′s Alone a record lifted from practice sessions never intended for release.  It was pretty good proxy for … Continue reading

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Album review: THE CRINGE – Blind Spot

THE CRINGE - Blind Spot

[Release date 16.10.15] The Cringe.  Perhaps not the best name for a group I’ve ever heard.  But it’s given the New York City based band four previous releases.  Tried and test mainstream rock, the band features John Cusimano on vocals … Continue reading

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Album review: THE MUTE GODS – Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me

THE MUTE GODS - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me

Inside Out [Release date 22.01.16] The Mute Gods are centred around Nick Beggs, who has worked and toured with Steve Hackett and Steven Wilson among others. He is joined by respected drummer Marco Minnemann (who also plays guitar) and Roger … Continue reading

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Album review: SEVEN SHOTS FROM SOBER – Songs From Stephen Ave

SEVEN SHOTS FROM SOBER – Songs From Stephen Ave

Self release [Release date 29.09.15] Named after a pedestrian mall in their native Calgary, ‘Songs From Stephen Ave’, is a smoking album from a Canadian powerhouse trio. With a name like Seven Songs From Sober, you’d expect nothing less than … Continue reading

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Album review: YUKA & CHRONOSHIP – The 3rd Planetary Chronicles

YUKA & CHRONOSHIP - The 3rd Planetary Chronicles

Cherry Red Records [Release date: 25.09.15] There are times aren’t there when all the planets align to produce something a bit special – er, no pun intended… Essentially the band of keyboard virtuoso Yuka Funakoshi, Yuka & Chronoship have been … Continue reading

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Album review: KHYMERA- The Grand Design

Frontiers Records (Release Date 04.12.15) Khymera have now released four albums under a variety of line ups. I must admit the only one I bought was their 2003 debut which had the ‘production line’  trademarks of too many melodic rock … Continue reading

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Album review: BLOOD RED SAINTS- S/T

Frontiers Records (Release Date 4.12.15) One of 2014’s unexpected surprises in the world of melodic rock was a very impressive debut by Brits In Faith, unleashing a real vocal find in Pete Godfrey. They seem to have had a short … Continue reading

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Album review: ANDY SUMMERS – Metal Dog

ANDY SUMMERS - Metal Dog

Andy Summers Music/Cargo Records [Release date 15.01.16] A new solo album from Andy Summers?  He of the heavily arpeggiated, chorused but always ear-friendly guitaring?  He’s released a string of solo albums since ‘XYZ’ in 1987 and his last release was … Continue reading

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Album review: THE SWEET – Action The Ultimate Story

RCA/Sony Music [Released 25.10.15] Without the Sweet you could argue we would have no Def Leppard, Kiss or Motley Crue, some of the many bands who credit this band as a big influence on them. Add to that the numerous … Continue reading

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Quick plays: BRAD SCHECTER, ATOMIC SYMPHONY

BRAD SCHECTER - Live Your Dreams

BRAD SCHECTER – Live Your Dreams www.bradschecter.com This is Brad Schecter’s debut album (he has fronted a couple of metal bands according to his bio) and the songs on here represent 22 years of songs he has been working on. … Continue reading

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Album review: TANGERINE DREAM – Out Of This World (Vinyl Edition)

TANGERINE DREAM - Out Of This World

Invisible Hands Music [Release date (vinyl): 11.12.15] Released in memory of Edgar Froese, founding member of the legendary electronic rock pioneers Tangerine Dream who sadly passed away in January 2015, ‘Out Of This World’ is a compilation of the band’s … Continue reading

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Album review: THE SKYS – Journey Through The Skies

THE SKYS - Journey Through The Skies

Self-released  [Release date: 06.11.15] Following up The Skys’ 2012 release ‘Colours Of The Desert’ (which was excellent – with a few caveats), Lithuania’s finest return with ‘Journey Through The Skies’ which, in the same way as ‘Colours’, is another tremendous … Continue reading

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Album review: MYSTERY – Delusion Rain

Unicorn Digital http://www.unicorndigital.net/ Mystery are back with their follow-up to 2012′s ‘The World Is A Game’. Since then the band have changed vocalists with Jean Pageau replacing Benoît David, who left to join prog rock legends Yes and has subsequently … Continue reading

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Album review: CRIMSON STONE – Crimson Stone

Crimson Stone - Crimson Stone

La Choza De Doe [Release date 07.06.15] Which came first the chicken or the egg?  Put it another way, do bands like Crimson Stone try to fit a pre-existing musical mould? Crimson Stone show just enough imagination within a huge … Continue reading

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