Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

MARCEL COENEN – Guitartalk

Lion Music www.lionmusic.com Dutch guitar sensation Marcel Coenen’s (Sun Caged/Lemur Voice) 2003 debut solo album is repackaged and re-released for your listening pleasure. The music produced on this album shows Coenen’s prowess with the instrument, but in a more understated … Continue reading

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CHASING VIOLETS – Outside Heaven

Chasing Violets - Outside Heaven

Perris Records [Release date 03.07.12] This is an album I really wanted to like, the musicians roll-call reading like a Who’s Who of Melodic Rock in 2012.  Yes, Denander’s here,  Goran Edman (on ‘The Price To Pay’ and ‘Above Suspicion’), … Continue reading

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WICKED COFFEE SHOPPERS, SKYSENT LU, THE RABID WHOLE

WICKED COFFEE SHOPPERS – Damaged Sunrise     Two Sides Moon ( Release Date – Out Now) Serbian alt rockers Wicked Coffee Shoppers formed back in 2007 when vocalist Zoltan Budai and his guitarist brother Robert got together with some … Continue reading

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Album review: BELLOWHEAD – Broadside

brw

Navigator Records/Proper Music [15.10.12] One of the joys of reviewing is discovering bands and new music, of which this band are a prime example. I had read rave reviews about their debut album and have been hooked ever since, with … Continue reading

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Quick Plays: THE FINEST HOUR, LANA LANE

THE FINEST HOUR – These Are The Good Old Days Released 1st October Debut band from a band hailing from Lincolnshire, who cover a fair few musical bases as they try and find their own sound. You’ve got the ska … Continue reading

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NEAL MORSE – Momentum

Inside Out (Released 11th September) www.nealmorse.com Neal Morse is a very busy man and with his new solo album he will be competing with Flying Colors, the other band he has been involved in, for many people’s best of lists … Continue reading

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CROSBY STILLS & NASH – CSN 2012

Crosby Stills Nash - 2012

ADA Global (2-CD & DVD) Frankly, these guys deserve a medal for simply being alive.  Many succumbed to the excesses that followed the ‘summer of love’ and survivors don’t come much more battle hardened than David Crosby, Stephen Stills and … Continue reading

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JEERK – Famous

    Two Sides Moon ( Release Date – Out Now) Jeerk from what I can gather are an all singing and all dancing crew from Sweden, although they currently reside stateside. The guys are musicians, tap dancers and rhythm … Continue reading

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JOYCE THE LIBRARIAN – They May Put Land Between Us

Folkwit Records (Released 5th November) From  Bristol the band neither have a member called Joyce or have been librarians, but they have produced a very enjoyable debut album that neatly mixes folk and indie musical influences.It is a mix of … Continue reading

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KATATONIA – Dead End Kings

Katatonia - Dead End Kings

(Peaceville) Following on from their superb ‘Night Is The New Day’ album – the point at which former doom-metal merchants Katatonia saw the light and crossed over from the dark side – comes ‘Dead End Kings’, an album so magnificent … Continue reading

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BEX MARSHALL – The House Of Mercy

Bex Marshall - The House Of Mercy

(House Of Mercy) Any female blues slide guitarist is bound to gather comparisons with Bonnie Raitt.  Well, if comparisons have to be made, then in Bex Marshall’s case they’re more than favourable. And somehow, her throaty vocal performance and soulful … Continue reading

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THE REASONING – Adventures In Neverland

The Reasoning - Adventures In Neverland

Esoteric Antenna There was a time, not so long ago that The Reasoning and Touchstone were at the vanguard of a new wave of hard rockers with female vocalists and a soft proggie underbelly. But somehow that impetus seems to … Continue reading

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BLAME SALLY – Live At KVIE Studios

Blame Sally - Live At KVIE Studios

  Ninth Street Opus [Release date [15.10.12] Blame Sally’s last studio album – Speeding Ticket And A Valentine (2011) – was one of those rare gems that you  discover only occasionally – a release that has you searching out the … Continue reading

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NEAL SCHON – The Calling

Neal Schon

Frontiers [Release date 19 October 2012] Neal Schon has always been one of the most tasteful guitarists and the most melodic, and his solo work demands further investigation from his ‘Late Nite’ debut in 1989 via the world flavours of … Continue reading

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FATAL FORCE – Unholy Rites

      Metal heaven (Release Date – Out Now) Fatal Force is the brainchild of Fate guitarist Torben Enevoldsen and has been a long time in the planning. He is joined here by Mike Vescera on vocals and Dennis … Continue reading

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HUNDRED DAYS – Mission Exodus

Rogue Rock Records ( Release Date – 22nd October 2012) The guys in Hundred Days have been treading the boards for a good number of years in a few different guises, the most successful of these being X-Teller which found … Continue reading

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VITRUVIAN MAN – The Stranger Within

    Self Release  (Release Date – Out Now) Prog metal all the way from Melbourne, Australia. This is the debut album from Vitruvian Man and has been a couple of years in the making. The band claim a wide … Continue reading

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MIM GREY – Chasing Tigers

Mim Grey - Chasing Tigers

Rightrack Records (Released October 8th) Mim Grey returns with her follow-up to her highly enjoyable debut album ‘Grey Matters’. She has also been busy touring with the likes of Tom Jones and Roxette. Like the debut album she is helped … Continue reading

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KNOCK OUT KAINE – House Of Sins

Dust On The Tracks Release Date – 10th September 2012     The gauge of a good album around these parts is one that has both my wife and I reaching for the volume control on the car CD player … Continue reading

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CIRCLE II CIRCLE – Full Circle : The Very Best

AFM 2012 Now here’s a band that I am aware of but never actually listened to which is surprising since I was a fan of the Zak Stevens fronted version of Savatage. The very same Zak Stevens left Savatage in … Continue reading

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BOYJAZZ – Unlimited Nights & Weekends

For Once Records Release Date – Out Now This album has been a long time in the making. The band released their debut ‘In The City Tonight’ back in 2004 and the seeds of this album were sown way back … Continue reading

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GWYN ASHTON – Radiogram

Fab Tone Records (Released 22nd October) Gwyn Ashton has been steadily building a reputation for himself as part of the upsurge of interest in blues rock and his last album ‘Two-Man Blues Army’ received a five star review on GRTR! … Continue reading

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MEAT LOAF – Guilty Pleasure Tour

(DVD/CD) Store For Music A big show here, show being the operative word. And that makes it a mixed bag, but it’s still a lot of fun. Recorded in Australia, this setting is elaborate, and from the outset it’s obvious … Continue reading

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JUDAS PRIEST – Screaming For Vengeance (30th Anniversary Edition)

              Sony Who’d have thought it’s 30 years since this classic metal album (makes me feel so old), but this band defined heavy metal and this album was classic upon release in 1982. And … Continue reading

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KISS – Destroyer (Resurrected)

Mercury March 1976 saw Kiss release their 4th studio album, Destroyer, a slow starter which then took when the ballad Beth (originally a b-side) became a hit in its own right. The album was the band’s first to go platinum. … Continue reading

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