Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

ESTRELLA – Come Out To Play

2012 www.estrellarocks.com Now every once in awhile you hear an album that puts a big smile on your face and this debut album by up and coming Scots rockers Estrella is one such album. This four piece consist of brothers … Continue reading →

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Quick Plays: EMINA, LOWER THE VEIL, WINTER IN EDEN

Lower The Veil – The 100th Monkey Self Release 2012 Lower The Veil hail from Boston and are the brainchild of singer, guitarist and songwriter Damien Baldwin. Having previously been a 5 piece going by the handle of ‘Friends Of … Continue reading →

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Dead City Ruins – Midnight Killer

Dead City Ruins

Impedance Records 2012 This Australian crew were actually formed back in 2008 in London. From there they returned home to hone their playing and these are the first results of their collective labours. The band are a four piece, hard … Continue reading →

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Great White “Elation”

Frontiers 2012 If you are expecting to hear Great White sounding exactly as they did back in the late ‘80’s, then you may find yourself disappointed. The recent addition of new vocalist Terry Ilous gives the band an edge that … Continue reading →

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The Jar Family – The Jar Family Album

Jar Records 2012 Hailing from Hartlepool, The Jar Family is an 8- piece band featuring ex-Squeeze bass player Keith Wilkinson. Debut album “The Jar Family Album” has a feeling of Americana with a Scouse accent and the album touches on … Continue reading →

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Quick Plays: AKINESIS, ESTRELLA, THE VIBES, SCYTHE OF ORION

AKINESIS – The PassAge 2012 www.akinesis.com Italian duo Gabriele Caspani and Nando Mambretti release their second album based on the course of life. They play and produced all the music on the album that includes two songs sung in their … Continue reading →

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DRIVER ‘Countdown’

Metal Heaven 2012 www.metal-heaven.com Driver formed from the ashes of M.A.R.S. way back in the 80’s and released an EP, which was re-recorded along with new songs for their first full album 2008’s rather good ‘Sons Of Thunder’ album. The … Continue reading →

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COLOSSEUM – The Grass is Greener

Talking Elephant 2012 At a glance, it’s the Brit band’s 1969 founding stone, ‘Valentyne Suite’. At a second, it’s a compilation album. At a third, it isn’t – it’s something more curious still. For ‘The Grass Is Greener’ affords a … Continue reading →

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Pilgrim – Misery Wizard

Doomheads rejoice!! And fire up you bongs for Pilgrim are here to melt your face with some of the finest, sludgiest, doomiest metal this side of Candlemass. Can you believe they’re from Rhode Island? I have been a fan of … Continue reading →

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Stone Temple Pilots – Alive In The Windy City

Eagle Vision 2012 Surprisingly, this is Stone Temple Pilots first official live DVD release of their career and it is well worth the wait. Recorded in Chicago in March 2010, this show captures the band in fine form. The set … Continue reading →

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The Dark Sinatras – Sick Society

The Dark Sinatras – Sick Society Defectoscope Sounds 2012 The Dark Sinatras first got together in Russian punk clubs where singer, guitarist and song writer, Mark White was performing. Joined by some like-minded bodies they undertook to record this album … Continue reading →

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OSI Fire Make Thunder Review‏

Combining prog legends Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) and Kevin Moore (Chroma Key and ex-Dream Theater) not only sounds stellar on paper, but actually surpasses words to it’s awesomeness in reality. This, my fine readers is progressive music at its finest! … Continue reading →

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Fuzzy Duck – Fuzzy Duck

 Esoteric 2012 Just when you thought they’d all been caught and cooked, along comes this super-dude to reassure us there’s still gold in the hills of heritage rock. Culled from almost absurdly diverse career corners ranging from Rolf Harris to John du Cann’s … Continue reading →

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24 Pesos “When The Ship Goes Down”

24 Pesos

Ourgate Records 2012 “When The Ship Goes Down” is the 3rd album from British blues bands 24 Pesos and the album’s 11 tracks were recorded in just 2 days- even more impressive is the fact that there were another 7 … Continue reading →

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GENTLE GIANT – Edge of Twilight

Talking Elephant Having charted with the (for them) atypically psychedelic ‘Kites’, Brit 60s’ pop-soulsters Simon Dupree And The Big Sound recognised that you had to get ahead to get on and promptly transmogrified into one of the defining progressive acts … Continue reading →

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Pretty Maids “It Comes Alive (Maid In Switzerland)”

Frontiers 2012 Danish band Pretty Maids have been together for just over 30 years and in that time have sold albums probably in the hundreds of thousands, yet they have not attained the wider recognition that others in their genre … Continue reading →

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SAVAGE – Sons Of Malice

Minus2zebra 2012 Quintessential British Metal New albums from New Wave Of British Heavy Metal survivors Savage are sadly few and far between.  A band noted as a major influence on Metallica – Lars Ulrich of course being the main reason … Continue reading →

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LUKE WHITE ‘Outside In’

Strongwire Records 2012 Luke White has previously released an EP and this is his debut album, where bar the bass and drums he plays all the instruments on the album. He also engineers andand produces the album. Despite having eleven … Continue reading →

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Blood Of The Spectre – Blood Of The Spectre

Hampshire 5 piece, Blood Of The Spectre, are a noisy bunch. They combine ultra heavy grindcore riffage with gruff vocals and some impressive technical guitar work. Knocking at the door of Killswitch Engage and Sylosis this EP is not for … Continue reading →

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The Sunpilots – King Of The Sugarcoated Tongues

Honeytrap Records 2012 The Sunpilots are antipodean indie rockers and this is their second album following on from their 2008 debut ‘Living Receiver’ which won a lot of critical acclaim down under. This album though is the result of a … Continue reading →

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ZZ TOP – Live In Germany 1980

Eagle Records 2012 This is a live album which has been taken from a recording made for the Rockpalast TV series. These programmes were shown on BBC 2 in the early 80’s and were usually rather good, I remember a … Continue reading →

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DEPARTURE – Hitch A Ride

Escape Music 20120 www.escape-music.com Album number four from Departure and their first since 2001′s excellent pomp rocker ‘Corporate Wheel’. It also marks the fourth vocalist for the band, step forward Andi Kravljacea of Silent Call. Main man Mike Walsh is … Continue reading →

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CRAZY LIXX – Riot Avenue

      Frontiers 2012 Now here is an album that literally rolls back the years- think classic Motley Crue, Skid Row’s debut, old LA Guns and early Guns N Roses- this has got it all. Crazy Lixx’ 3rd album … Continue reading →

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Gracious – Gracious!/This Is…Gracious!

BGO 2012 BGO have had this on catalogue for years now but its re-reissue (!) rightly suggests Gracious merit more attention. When it comes to box-ticking, the keyboard-driven six-piece had much to suggest assured success as flighty lightweight pop tipped into deep-thinking prog at the end of the … Continue reading →

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MAX WEBSTER re-issues

Max Webster/High Class In Borrowed Shoes/Mutiny Up My Sleeve Rock Candy 2012 Canadian band Max Webster, led by vocalist / guitarist Kim Mitchell, produced some fine hard rock albums between the mid 70s and early 80s. Their roots were in … Continue reading →

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