Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

Album review: GRACE SOLERO – Hundred Years Apart

Wohone Records [Release Date: 30.09.13] Startling Italian vocalist Grace Solero lends her name to an international band whose second album ‘Hundred Years Apart’ is full of full of passionate vocals, poetic lyrics, crashing chords and steely riffs. It’s a thinly … Continue reading

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Album review: WOLFPAKK – Cry Wolf

AFM Records Wolfpakk are Michael Voss of Mad Max fame and Mark Sweeney of Swiss band Crystal Ball plus a host of guest stars. This follow up to 2011’s self-titled debut features the talents of Amanda Somerville, Ralf Scheepers (Primal … Continue reading

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Album review: THE GRAVELTONES – Don’t Wait Down

Lagoon Dog Records [Release Date: 21.10.13] There’s a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time and The Graveltones are knocking on the door at a time when their balls to wall bombast will … Continue reading

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Album review: ARC ANGEL – Harlequins of Light

  Frontiers www.frontiers.it Arc Angel is Jeff Cannata and Jeff (and Arc Angel) go back a long way. Jeff (going then by the name of Christopher Hawke) was a founding member of Connecticut based progressive rock band Jasper Wrath who … Continue reading

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Album review: MOJO MAKERS – Wait Till The Morning

Hypertension Music   [Release Date: 16.09.13] Danish blues-rock outfit the Mojo Makers attempt to recycle 70’s blues-rock and give it contemporary twist. Their rough hewn and visceral approach to recording leaves plenty of room for moments of real spark and … Continue reading

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Album review: JESSE DAMON – Temptation In The Garden Of Eve

AOR Heaven Jesse Damon is the guitarist/frontman with Silent Rage and this is his fifth solo album. He has renowned producer and melodic rocker Paul Sabu in the producer’s chair (Sabu also handles bass on the album) and Eden’s Curse … Continue reading

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Album review: DAVID ROTHERAY – Answer Ballads

Navigator Records (released October 14th) Former Beautiful South guitarist David Rotheray has produced a star studded album based on a novel premise, that of a collection of songs where he writes an ‘answer ballad’ (or what happened next) to classic … Continue reading

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Album review: JOSEPH ARTHUR – The Ballad of Boogie Christ

Real World Records Joseph Arthur has built up a loyal following of fans as well as plaudits from fellow musicians including Peter Gabriel. This two disc set is loosely based on a fictionalised character, Boogie Christ, who bears some resemblance … Continue reading

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Album review: ERIC STECKEL – Dismantle The Sun

Eric Steckel Music   [Release Date: 31.10.12] Eric Steckel’s ‘Dismantle The Sun’ was originally released in the States towards the end of last year, but is being belated promoted in the UK on the back of his first proper UK … Continue reading

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Album review: THE RED PAINTINGS – The Revolution Is Never Coming

The Red Paintings

[Release date 30.09.13] If aliens were scanning earth’s frequencies then The Red Paintings’ The Revolution Is Never Coming could well be the summation.  Quite what they’d make of it, I’m not sure.  They’d either think humanity was ripe for harvesting, … Continue reading

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Quick plays: RUSTY SHACKLE, STEPHEN KELLOGG, THE DUNWELLS, ROD PICOTT

The Dunwells - Follow The Road

Rusty Shackle – The Bones Rusty Shackle appear to have tripped over the ‘difficult second album’ stepping stone with the follow up to their 2012 debut album Wash Away These Nights which was a more varied offering than the ‘pedal … Continue reading

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Album review: TONY McLOUGHLIN – The Contender

Tony McLoughlin - The Contender

He may look uncannily like Billy Connolly’s long lost brother, but opening with strains of Muhammad Ali getting ready to ‘rumble in the jungle’, Tony Mcloughlin’s fifth album The Contender is a glorious Telecaster-infused slab of Tom Petty/Springsteen inspired Americana. … Continue reading

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Album review: HAKEN – The Mountain

Inside Out www.insideout.de This is Haken’s third album, although they only came across my musical radar after seeing an excellent performance at this year’s Celebr8.2 prog festival. This is a concept album about each everyone’s personal mountain they have to … Continue reading

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Album Review: THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT – The Temperance Movement

      Earache [Release date – 16.09.13] There is a lot of industry buzz around The Temperance Movement at the moment with the guys gaining plenty of airplay across the country and great live reviews appearing in the press. … Continue reading

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Album Review: ANNIHILATOR – Feast

      UDR [Release date 26.08.13] This album is the 14th studio release from Canadian thrashers Annihilator. I have been aware of the band for many years but have never really warmed to them, even their ‘Alice In Hell’ … Continue reading

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Album review: TOUCHSTONE – Oceans Of Time

Touchstone - Oceans Of Time

Hear No Evil [Release date 07.10.13 ] Having signed a new deal with Hear No Evil/Cherry Red Records, Touchstone have adopted the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ principle with their fourth studio album and leading single ‘Flux’. Recorded … Continue reading

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Album review: ASHES OF ARES – Ashes Of Ares

Nuclear Blast [Release date 6.09.13] The concept of high profile musicians combining forces and working on side projects is as old as Rock music itself – still, as if by instinct, I always find myself negatively predisposed towards any collection … Continue reading

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Album review: JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – Songs From The Road

Joanne Shaw Taylor  Songs From The Road

Ruf [Release date 04.11.13] There’s nothing like a live album to deliver the bacon. I don’t mean a doctored product with overdubs and the like, but simply a live recording with an expectant audience, a hot band and the recording … Continue reading

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Album Review: CRYSTAL PALACE – The System Of Events

Crystal Palace

Gentle Art Of Music   [Release Date: 04.10.13] The history of rock music is peppered with great albums – but the ones that truly sit in the Pantheon of iconic albums are those which have that one defining track, that … Continue reading

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Album review: STEVE CRADDOCK – Travel Wild, Travel Free

Proper Records (released 30th September 2013) This is the third solo album from Ocean Colour Scene/Paul Weller’s guitarist Steve Craddock, who also has his wife Sally help out on vocals adding a folk air to the proceedings in places. The … Continue reading

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Album review: BLODWYN PIG – Pigthology

Blodwyn Pig - Pigthology

Gonzo Multimedia [Release date 10.06.13] This release promises much – previously unheard recordings from influential blues rock band Blodwyn Pig led by original Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams.  Unreleased material from this band (especially the formative years) must be as … Continue reading

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Album review: IVAN MIHALJEVIC & SIDE EFFECTS – Counterclockwise

Zeta Factory [Release date 01.04.13] ‘Counterclockwise’ is a concept album of sorts. It’s not an album with a single overbearing theme as such, but more of a cerebral examination of the state of our collective consciousness. Front man Ivan Mihaljevic … Continue reading

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Album review: PETE BROWN & PHIL RYAN WITH PSOULCHEDELIA – Perils Of Wisdom

Repertoire [Release date 24.06.13] Pete Brown and Phil’s Ryan’s Psoulchedelia is a misleading name for a band whose music only occasionally broaches soul and is not remotely psychedelic.  The punned title ‘Perils of Wisdom’ turns out to be an oblique … Continue reading

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Quick plays: REBELLIOUS SPIRIT, UGLY KID JOE, KING KOBRA

REBELLIOUS SPIRIT - Gamble Shot

REBELLIOUS SPIRIT – Gamble Shot (SPV) The recent success of Reckless Love has had an impact on a number of young bands. A good example of this is young German band Rebellious Spirit, whose logo is not dissimilar from the … Continue reading

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Album review: THE BLUES BAND – Live At Rockpalast

Repertoire [Release date 10.06.13] The Blues Band ‘Live at Rockpalast’ is that rare thing, a live DVD that connects as much with the viewer at home as the band did with the audience on the night. Too often a multi … Continue reading

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