Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS

Album review: CHIMPAN A – Music Is Art Vol.1

Posted on October 30, 2025 by GRTR! HQ

Tigermoth Records [Release date 29.08.25] Chimpan A’s debut album was quite a revelation and one of the best low key releases of 2006. (We only got to hear of it some time later). This off-on project is essentially Mike Oldfield … Continue reading →

Album review : RONNIE ROMERO – Backbone

Posted on October 30, 2025 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date 24.10.25] Over the last ten years, stints with pre-eminent rock artists like Schenker and Vandenberg, plus spells with Rainbow and Sunstorm have tended to overshadow Ronnie Romero’s solo stuff. When he released Raised on Radio (2022) … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Backbone, Frontiers Music, Jose Rubio, Rainbow, review, Ronnie Romero, Schenker, Sunstorm, Vandenberg | Leave a comment

Album review: KYLE CAREY – The Last Bough

Posted on October 30, 2025 by jason

Bandcamp [Release date 01.09.25] Gaelic Americana – that’s what this artist plays. Never heard of it? No neither had I, and although it could be a bit of a gimmick, it’s actually not. It’s a vocation for this artist, who spent … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, folk, Gaelic Americana, Kyle Carey, review, The Last Bough, traditional music | Leave a comment

Album review : DEFECTO – Echoes Of Isolation

Posted on October 28, 2025 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date 31.10.25] Strongly encouraged by famed producer, Flemming (Rainbow/ Metallica/ Pretty Maids/ Blind Guardian) Rasmussen, Danish singer/ guitarist/ songwriter, Nicklas Sonne put Defecto together in 2011. Echoes of Isolation is their fourth studio album, and the band … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Aries Ascendant, Danish, Defecto, Echoes Of isolation, Flemming Rasmussen, Frontiers Music, Nicklas Sonne, progressive metal, review | Leave a comment

Album review : SHIRAZ LANE – In Vertigo

Posted on October 27, 2025 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date 24.10.25] Finnish rock band Shiraz Lane have been a going concern for ten years now. In Vertigo is their 6th album, with a smattering of EPs released in between. It’s described by the label as “an … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Alexander Kronlund, HEAT, In Vertigo, Max Martin, Per Aldaheim, Reckless Love, review, Santa Cruz, Shiraz Lane | Leave a comment

News: Albums of the Month (July – September 2025)

Posted on October 24, 2025 by GRTR! HQ

A quarterly feature highlighting album releases rated highly by the GRTR! review team and worthy of your investigation. We try and pick out a cross-section of albums that reflect the range of genres reviewed at the website. The star rating … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums of the Month, ALL POSTS, NEWS | Tagged 2025, albums of the month, Americana, August, blues rock, classic rock, hard rock, July, melodic rock, metal, Progressive Rock, roots, September | Leave a comment

Album review : LEAH MARTIN-BROWN – Love & Other Crimes

Posted on October 24, 2025 by brianmc

Frontiers Music [Release date 24.10.25] Australian born, but now resident in Europe via the USA, amazingly gifted singer Leah Martin-Brown releases her debut album on Frontiers Music this month. She’s got a lot going for her before we hear a … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Def Leppard, Eurythmics, Jens Lundberg, Joan Jett, Leah Martin-Brown, melodic rock, Mutt Lange, review, Tony Denander, Tony Nilsson | Leave a comment

Album review: LAURA COX – Trouble Coming

Posted on October 23, 2025 by jason

earMusic [Release date 31.10.25] Album number four from Anglo-French guitarist and singer Laura Cox, who first came to wider attention via her YouTube channel in 2008. The album was mixed and engineered by Jean-Marc Pelatan, with tracks mastered by Ted Jensen … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues rock, guitarist, Laura Cox, melodic, review, rock, Trouble Coming | Leave a comment

Album review: STEVE MORSE BAND – Triangulation

Posted on October 22, 2025 by petefeenstra

Music Theories Recordings [Release date 14.10.25] Steve Morse Band’s ‘Triangulation’ is a complex, intense and yet accessible virtuosic album which successfully evokes the conceptual ‘Triangulation’ album title. The ‘triangulation’ concept refers to geographically pinpointing your exact location at a specific … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, blues, Dave LaRue, Dixie Dreggs, Eric Johnson, Flying Colors, funk, fusion, instrumental, Jeff Beck, Jethro Tull, John Petrucci, Kevin Morse, King Crimson, prog, review, Robert Fripp, rock, Scott Sim, Steve Morse, Steve Morse Band, Triangulation, Van Romaine | Leave a comment

Album review: PAUL KELLY – Seventy

Posted on October 22, 2025 by jason

Website [Release date 07.11.25] Question – how many Australian artists do you know? Not many I am thinking. There are the usual suspects, AC/DC, INXS, Midnight Oil possibly, Johnny Deisel perhaps, and Nick Cave who is really an honorary Brit. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Billy Bragg, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, folk, Paul Kelly, review, Seventy, singer songwriter | Leave a comment

Album review : WEST, BRUCE & LAING – Out In The Fields – The albums 1972-74

Posted on October 21, 2025 by brianmc

Esoteric [Release date : 31.10.25] Three searing samples of the red hot rock’n’roll that emanated from supergroup, West, Bruce & Laing. No surprise really. Their genesis lies in the live improvisations of Jack Bruce’s previous band, Cream, and the hard … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Corky Laing, Cream, Jack Bruce, Leslie West, Mountain, Out In The Fields, review, seventies, West Bruce & Laing | Leave a comment

Album review : WRATHCHILD AMERICA – Climbing the Walls / 3-D (2 CD remasters w/bonus tracks)

Posted on October 19, 2025 by brianmc

Cherry Red [Release date : 24.10.25] Back in 1984, founding member, vocalist and bass man, Brad Divens gave up a career in the straight world to “make it” with his Thrash Metal band, Wrathchild America. It was a high risk … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, PURE METAL (All posts), Pure Metal/Album reviews | Tagged 3-D, Alex Perialis, Brad Divens, Cherry Red, Climbing The Walls, review, Shannon Larkin, thrash metal, Wrathchild America | Leave a comment

Album review: ROBIN ADAMS – The Beggar

Posted on October 18, 2025 by jason

Website [Release date 09.11.25] Ok, lets tackle the elephant in the room – this could be Nick Drake’s fourth album. And I say that with the utmost respect and admiration. From the phrasing to the melodies the guitar tone and style … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, folk, Nick Drake, review, Robin Adams, String Driven Thing, The Beggar | Leave a comment

Album review : ATOMIC ROOSTER – Circle The Sun

Posted on October 17, 2025 by brianmc

Cherry Red/Esoteric [Release date 10.10.25] 40 years between albums is pushing it a bit. But for Atomic Rooster, that’s where we are. The band’s last album, Headline News, was their seventh, released in 1983. Two generations ago, give or take. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Atomic Rooster, Cherry Red, Circle The Sun, Progressive Rock, review, seventies, Steve Bolton, Vincent Crane | Leave a comment

Album review: MARTYN JOSEPH – Troubled Horses

Posted on October 15, 2025 by jason

Website [Release date 07.11.25] Well I’m ashamed to say, Martyn Joseph has released a staggering 28 studio albums, 15 live albums, and 4 EP’s. He’s been in the music business since 1983, and I am only just listening to him … Continue reading →

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Album review: JOHN LEES’ BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST – Relativity

Posted on October 14, 2025 by jason

Cherry Red Records [Release date 17.10.25] More than seven years in the making and some twelve years since the release of ‘North’ its 2013 predecessor, John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest’s second studio album, ‘Relativity’ proves that time well spent can … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Cherry Red Records, classic rock, John Lees Barclay James Harvest, melodic, prog rock, Relativity, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: BRINSLEY SCHWARZ – Shouting At The Moon

Posted on October 12, 2025 by GRTR! HQ

Fretsore Records [Release date 14.11.25] Brinsley Schwarz emerged from the pub rock boom of the early 1970s. They will be best remembered for their infamous press junket in 1970 and a disastrous US debut. Oh, how times change. ‘Shouting At … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Brinsley Schwarz, classic rock, review, Shouting At The Moon | Leave a comment

Album review: ROOMFUL OF BLUES – Steppin Out!

Posted on October 11, 2025 by petefeenstra

Pete Feenstra chatted to Chris Vachon from Roomful Of Blues for Get Ready to ROCK! radio. First broadcast 19 October 2025. Alligator Records [Release date 24.10.25] ‘Steppin’ Out!’ is Roomful of Blues’ first studio album for 5 years and their … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Radio interview | Tagged Al Copley, album, Big Maybelle, blues, Buddy Johnson, Candye Kane, Chris Vachon, DD Bastos, Duke Robillard, horns, jazz, Otis Grand, R&B, review, Rich Lataiile, Roomful of Blues, Smiley Lewis, soul, swing | Leave a comment

Album review: PAVLOV’S DOG – Wonderlust

Posted on October 10, 2025 by GRTR! HQ

Ruf Records [Release date 03.10.25] As we’ve indicated elsewhere, reviewing the 5-CD retrospective, Pavlov’s Dog have never received the success they might deserve and never sustaining the acclaimed heights (and large sign-up fee) of their debut album released in 1974. … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Pavlov's Dog, pop prog, pop rock, review, Wonderlust | Leave a comment

Album review: PAVLOV’S DOG – Essential Recordings 1974-2018 (5-CD box set)

Posted on October 10, 2025 by GRTR! HQ

Ruf Records [Release date 27.09.24] What are we to make of a fairly basic box set from a band that have been described as “legendary” but who – this side of the pond – have largely gone unnoticed? ‘Essential Recordings’ … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Box sets | Tagged album, AOR, box set, David Surkamp, Essential Recordings 1974-2018, melodic rock, Pavlov's Dog, prog, prog pop, progressive, review | Leave a comment

Album review: THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS – X’s For Eyes

Posted on October 9, 2025 by jason

Better Noise Music [Release date 03.10.25] The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, since their formation in the early 2000s, has carved a unique space in the alternative rock scene. With the release of their new album it’s clear the band has continued … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, alt rock, emo, gothic, My Chemical Romance, review, rock, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, X's For Eyes | Leave a comment

Album review: NINE BELOW ZERO – Blues Power Volume 1

Posted on October 8, 2025 by petefeenstra

Zed Records [Release date 22.09.25] Nine Below Zero’s ‘Blues Power Volume 1’ does what it says on the tin. The album represents the best blues tracks they bands has recorded over the last 20 years. And if the South London … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged Albert King, album, Ben Waters, Blues Power Volume 1, Brendan O'Neill, Chicago Blues, Dennis Greaves, Eddie Boyd, Freddie King, Gerry McAvoy, Glenn Tilbrook, J.Geils Band, Little Milton, Little Walter, Mark Feltham, NINE BELOW ZERO, review, Stan's Blues Band, Wayne Proctor, Willie Dixon | Leave a comment

Album review: PUNCHDRUNK SAINTS – S/t

Posted on October 7, 2025 by jason

Cadiz Records [Release date 24.10.25] In 2023 The Cockney Rejects’ guitarist and founder, Micky Geggus, after much soul searching, decided to leave the band that he created in 1979. Along with original Rejects’ bassist, Vinny Riordan, Mick decided to embark … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Cockney Rejects, Dennis Stratton, hard rock, Leader of the Down, Punchdrunk Saints, punk, review, rock | Leave a comment

Album review: MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP – Don’t Sell Your Soul

Posted on September 30, 2025 by david.wilson

earMUSIC [Release date 03.10.25] The announcement for this album came as a bit of a surprise to many. Michael had been out touring his UFO live set around the globe, so where he found the time to fit in the … Continue reading →

Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS | Tagged album, Barend Courbois, Bodo Schopf, classic rock, EarMusic, Erik Gronwall, Michael Schenker, Michael Schenker Group, Michael Voss, review, Robin McAuley, rock, Steve Mann, UFO | Leave a comment

Album review: BURNING ROPE – Burning Rope

Posted on September 29, 2025 by petefeenstra

Self Release [Release date 11.10.25] The self titled ‘Burning Rope’ debut album is the work of a band striving to find an equilibrium in musical styles and direction. It’s an old school album which achieves its goal with deep grooves, … Continue reading →