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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: ANTHRAX – Hammersmith Apollo, London, 23 November 2024
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Gig review: BLACK STONE CHERRY – Wembley Arena, London, 23 November 2024
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Gig review: SQUEEZE – Roundhouse, London, 22 November 2024
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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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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review : LEAVES’ EYES – Myths Of Fate
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Album review: WAYSTED – Vices
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Album review: THE PINEAPPLE THIEF – Dissolution
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Album review: DOKKEN – The Elektra Albums 1983-1987
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Album review: STATUS QUO – In Search Of The Fourth Chord/Quid Pro Quo (reissues)
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Album review: RIVERSIDE – Love, Fear And The Time Machine
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Features
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Features
Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION – Halcyon Hymns
Cherry Red [Release date 05.02.21] Fourth album from DBA, the fruitful poprock collaboration between Geoff (Asia/Yes) Downes and uber songwriter/producer, Chris (Guetta/Aguilera) Braide. Halcyon Hymns is their living-in-the-lockdown album, and as the title more than subtly suggests, it’s a recording … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Asia, Chris Braide, Downes Braide Association, Geoff Downes, Halcyon Hymns, melodic, pop rock, review, Yes
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Album review: ACCEPT – Too Mean To Die
Nuclear Blast [Release date 29.01.21] Accept, the German masters of heavy metal for more than 40 years and key influencers on bands such as Metallica and Iron Maiden, return with their 16th studio album – ‘Too Mean To Die’. Accept … Continue reading
Album review: LUCERO – When You Found Me
Thirty Tigers [Release date 29.01.21] Lucero’s last album, 2018’s ‘Among The Ghosts’, was a real treat and new discovery to this reviewer. Lucero have reunited once more with Grammy Award winning producer Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, Drive-by Truckers) … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, alt country, Americana, Ben Nichols, Bob Seger, country, folk, Lucero, review, southern rock, When You Found Me
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Album review: THE PROG COLLECTIVE – Worlds On Hold
Cleopatra Records [Release date 16.12.20] The latest iteration of The Prog Collective is ever more relevant in these times of artist lockdown and lack of live. A project started in 2012, and spearheaded by Yes bassist Billy Sherwood, the idea … Continue reading
Album review: FANCY – The Complete Recordings
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio features a series of interview specials to tie in with the Fancy release and the forthcoming Ray Fenwick compilation. Mo Foster: Sunday 31 January 18:00 GMT Mo Foster Favourite Tracks from Favourite Artists: Monday 1 … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Annie Kavanagh, box set, compilation, Fancy, Les Binks, Mo Foster, pop rock, Ray Fenwick, The Complete Recordings
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Album review: MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Immortal
Nuclear Blast Records [Release date 29.01.21] You would forgive Michael Schenker if he announced he was about to step back from music for a bit and take things easy. Now 65 and celebrating not only 50 years in the business but 40 … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Doogie White, Gary Barden, Immortal, Joe Lynn Turner, metal, Michael Schenker Group, Michael Voss, MSG, Nuclear Blast, Rainbow, Ralph Scheepers, review, Robin McAuley, rock, Ronnie James Dio, Ronnie Romero, Scorpions, UFO
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Album review: WORLD GOES ROUND – S/T
Viper Records [Release date 22.01.21] It was 30 years ago today that World Goes Round recorded their one and only album (Ed: we might be a year or two out). This supremely talented array of artists, whose names (almost) always … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, album review, AOR, melodic, melodic pop rock, pop, pop rock, review, self-titled, World Goes Round
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Album review: IRON SAVIOR – Skycrest
AFM Records [Release date 04.12.20] Installed like a figurehead at the prow of European heavy metal, Piet Sielck’s Iron Savior proudly trail the story of this classic musical movement behind them. You could argue that along with Kai Hansen, Sielck … Continue reading
Album review: BITE THE BULLET – Black & White
Escape Music [Release date 27.11.20] Bite The Bullet were originally formed in 1986 by singer songwriter Mick Benton and drummer Graham Cowling (who are also the only two musicians on this album) and they released their debut album in 1989. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Bite The Bullet, Black & White, Escape Music, melodic rock, Mr Mister, pop rock, review, The Outfield
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Album review: CATFISH – Exile – Live In Lockdown
Self release [Release date 01.12.20] With their first gig in 5 months, with no rehearsals, a new drummer in Kev Hickman and just their own frisson to feed the adrenalin for a live stream, Catfish join the ranks of bands … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Adam Pyke, album review, blues, Catfish, Exile-Live In Lockdown, grunge, guitar, Joe Bonamassa, Kev Hickman, live album, Matt Long, Paul Long, rock, The Hoax
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Album review: IRON MASK – Master Of Masters
AFM Records [Release date 05.12.20] For those who live and work outside Power Metal territory, bands like Iron Mask sound much like every other Power Metal band. When you’re on the inside though, perspective comes easy. Different musical styles readily … Continue reading
Album review: THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND – Live At The Nassau Coliseum, May 4 1979
Floating World Singer, songwriter, guitarist and violinist Charlie Daniels, who sadly left us last year, was a pioneer in that he brought together country, blues, bluegrass, rhythm’n’blues and southern rock. A kind of centre point, it’s not until you listen … Continue reading
Album review: DRAGONY – Viribus Unitis
Napalm Records [Release date 15.01.21] This is the 4th album from the Austrian Power metal crew Dragony and it is a tale from the glorious days of empire when Emperor Franz Joseph ruled. However, this is no straightforward, boring history lesson … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Archduke Franz Joseph, Austria, CD, Dragony, power mwtal, rock, Sebastian Levermann, Siegfried Samer, Strauss, Vienna, Virius Unitis
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Album review: SORCERESS OF SIN – Mirrored Revenge
Bandcamp [Release date 27.11.20] Sorceress Of Sin formed in 2020 in Cambridge, based around vocalist/lyricist Lisa Skinner and her husband, drummer Paul Skinner. By day they run a post office but after hours they go all power metal! Joining them … Continue reading
Album review: CREYE – II
Frontiers [Release date 22.01.21] Second album from Creye, a Swedish band founded by Andreas Gullstrand, now fronted by new vocalist, August Rauer. Sweden has been the lightning rod for AOR and melodic rock since the eighties, delivering up aspiring band … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Andreas Gullstrand, AOR, August Rauer, Creye, Frontiers, II, melodic rock, review
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Album review: PHANTOM ELITE – Titanium
Frontiers Records (Release date 22/01/21) On their second album now, Phantom Elite grew from the seeds of an HDK tour band, embracing Progressive Rock, Contemporary Metal and Symphonic Rock, evolving into what we see today. Fronted by Marina (Avantasia) La … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Amanda Somerville, Frontiers, HDK, Marina La Torraca, melodic metal, metal, Phantom Elite, prog metal, review, Titanium
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Album review: WIG WAM – Never Say Die
Frontiers Records [Release date 22.01.21] Much of today’s melodic rock’n’roll has degenerated into pro-tooled, prefabricated, flatpack assembly blandness. So it’s a genuine joy to hear Wigwam’s Never Say Die, their first release since reforming in 2020. It’s a relentless powerhouse … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Frontiers, glam metal, glam rock, hard rock, Never Say Die, review, rock, Wigwam
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Album review: RIVERSIDE – Out Of Myself (Re-issue)
Inside Out [Release Date: 12.02.21] Riverside have developed, album upon album, into one of the finest progressive rock bands on the planet, with albums such as ‘Love, Fear And The Time Machine’, ‘Shrine Of New Generation Slaves’ and ‘Wasteland’ garnering … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged Out Of Myself, Progressive Rock, review, RIVERSIDE
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Album review: THE GALILEO 7 – Decayed
Bandcamp Medway’s finest, fronted by Allan Crockford (ex-Prisoners), mark their tenth anniversary as a band with a limited edition album containing studio recordings of some of their favourite cover versions that have featured in their live set over the years. … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions
Tagged album, Allan Crockford, Bandcamp, Covers, Decayed, Galileo 7, indie, interview, pop, pop rock, Prisoners, review
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Quick plays: AUTUMN’S CHILD, ALABAMA SLIM, LONELY THE BRAVE
AUTUMN’S CHILD Angel’s Gate AOR Heaven [Release date 26.02.21] Mikael Erlandsson used to release albums like clockwork (every January) with Last Autumn’s Dream and now his new band Autumn’s Child are back with album number two, a year after the … Continue reading
Album review: JAMIE’S GUNS – Jamie’s Guns
I picked this album up as Jamie’s Guns had shared it on NWOCR Facebook group, I had a half listen while I was working, to the initial track “Whiplash”, stopped what I was doing, immediately played the album in its … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Bruce Springsteen, debut, Gaslight Anthem, Jamie's Guns, melodic, modern rock, review, rock
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Album review: MO FOSTER & FRIENDS – In Concert
Mo Foster chatted to David Randall for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio about his career, illustrated with a selection of session and solo tracks. First broadcast 31 January 2021. Right Track Records [Release date 21.03.21] Mo Foster is best known … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, fusion, Gil Evans, In Concert, instrumental, interview, jazz, Mike Gibbs, Miles Davis, Mo Foster & Friends, Ray Russell, review
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Album review: HENRIK FREISCHLADER – Missing Pieces
Cable Car Records [Release date 04.12.20] Henrik Freischlader returns with ‘Missing Pieces’ another exquisitely woven blues album full of restrained playing, whispered sprechgesang and deep blues. The album title could almost refer to his own artistry, which though full of musical … Continue reading
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Tagged album, art, blues, Caroline Sandmayer, funk, guitar, Henrik Freischlader, Marco Zügner, Missing Pieces, review, Roman Babik
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Album review: VOODOO CIRCLE – Locked & Loaded
AFM Records [Release date 15.01.21] Locked & Loaded is Voodoo Circle’s love letter to Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake. We should all be delighted that Alex Beyrodt got the band back together again. The classic line up, we mean. The team … Continue reading
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Tagged AFM Records, album, Alex Beydrot, David Readman, hard rock, heavy metal, Locked & Loaded, review, rock, VOODOO CIRCLE
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Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Live albums
Frontiers Records [Release date 04.12.20] Even when hearing familiar Blue Oyster Cult material performed live, you are reminded of just how different they are to all in their peer group. These two live recordings are densely packed with reasons that … Continue reading
