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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album 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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Category Archives: ALBUM REVIEWS
Album review: CIRITH UNGOL – Forever Black
Metal Blade Records [Release date 24.04.20] Cirith Ungol are a band I have been aware of for many years (with a name like that, they are hard to ignore!) however until now I have been oblivious to their history or … Continue reading
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Tagged album, CD, Cirith Ungol, Forever Black, Greg Lindstrom, grunge, heavy metal, Jim Barraza, review, Robert Garven, rock, Tim Barker, Twisted Sister
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Album review: CAPTAIN BLACKBEARD – Sonic Forces
AOR Heaven [Release date 24.04.20] Swedish band Captain Blackbeard released their fourth album, ‘Struck By Lightning’ in 2018 with then new singer Liv Hansson on MelodicRock Records. It was produced Jona Tee (keyboardist in H.e.a.t.) and it was a pretty … Continue reading
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Tagged album, AOR Heaven, Brother Firetribe, Captain Blackbird, H.E.A.T., hard rock, melodic rock, review, Sonic Forces
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Album review: TINSLEY ELLIS – Ice Cream In Hell
Alligator Records [Release date 31.01.20] ‘Ice Cream In Hell’ is a tasteful album that reaffirms Tinsley Ellis’s contemporary blues-rock credentials. He counterbalances a melodic bent with stinging guitar lines and relationship narratives. It’s an album shot through with generic songwriting … Continue reading
Album review: PAVEY ARK – Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing
Bandcamp [Release date 20.03.20] Some music transcends its place and time and becomes truly a work of art for the ages. Pavey Ark’s ‘Close Your Eyes and Think of Nothing’ has joined that elite club and is truly one of … Continue reading
Album review: PURE REASON REVOLUTION – Eupnea
Inside Out [Release date 03.04.20] Reunions can be a tricky thing, sometimes a welcome return that reinvigorates a band, letting them dip into their back catalogue and bringing new gems but, more often than not, a last chance cash grab. … Continue reading
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Tagged album, electronica, Eupnea, Inside Out, melodic, progressive, Pure Reason Revolution, review, rock
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Album review: SARI SCHORR – Live In Europe
Pete Feenstra chatted to Sari Schorr for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio about the live album. First broadcast 12 April 2020. Manhaton Records [Release date 06.03.20] Sari Schorr’s ‘Live In Europe’ celebrates the raw passion, deep emotion and improvisational qualities … Continue reading
Album review: MAGENTA – Acapela 2016 and 2017 (CD/DVD)
Tigermoth Productions [Original release date 04.11.19] Magenta are one of those bands who have influenced many other prog wannabes whilst sometimes getting overlooked themselves. They’ve never had significant wider acclaim, never employed big time PR or appeared on major labels, … Continue reading
Album review: BONFIRE – Fistful Of Fire
AFM Records (Released 03/04/20) Worried that we’ve grown weary of the ten rock songs and a ballad format, Bonfire throw in a few (3 in fact) short instrumentals to punctuate the band’s well established sonic signature, on this, their 17th … Continue reading
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Tagged AFM Records, album, Bonfire, Fistful Of Fire, hard rock, melodic rock, review
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Quick plays: THE LOVETONES, JOE EDWARDS, PATSY THOMPSON
THE LOVETONES Myriad Cleopatra Records [Release date 28.02.20] I can’t say I’m familiar with The Lovetones – an Aussie indie psychedelic rock band previously active between 2002 and 2010. But main man Matthew J Tow’s song writing has been compared … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged album, Americana, country, Fabulous Day, Joe Edwards, Keep On Running, Myriad, Patsy Thompson, pop rock, psychedelic, review, rock, roots, singer, songwrityer, The Lovetones
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Album review: MISSING PERSONS featuring Dale Bozzio – Dreaming
Cleopatra Records [Release date 20.03.20] A ‘household name’ back in the early days of MTV – as lead singer of Missing Persons – Dale Bozzio is said to have influenced Lady Gaga via Madonna. Also known for her work with … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dale Bozzio, Dreaming, electronica, Missing Persons, review, synth, synth pop
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Album review: ROB COTTINGHAM – Back Behind The Orchard Tree
[Release date 03.04.19] You have to hand it to Rob Cottingham. He doesn’t like to sit idle, and this re-working of the Touchstone/Cairo founder’s debut solo album has been on his bucket list for some time. Having learnt a shed … Continue reading
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Album review: COMPASS – Our Time On Earth
Escape Music [Release date 24.04.20] The Compass story began back in December 2017 when singer songwriter Steve Newman decided to write a few songs that musically would step outside the barriers imposed by many years writing for his own band … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Compass, Escape Music, melodic rock, Our Time On Earth, prog rock, review, Steve Newman
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Album review: WOLFHEART – Wolves Of Karelia
Napalm Records [10.04.20] Finnish metallers Wolfheart master in something called ‘Winter Metal’ which appears to be a cross between fast and furious death metal and the wide soundscapes of Sigur Ros. It is a mix which works amazingly well and … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Finland, Finnish, metal, review, rock, SIGUR RÓS, winter metal, Wolfheart, Wolves Of Karelia
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Album review: DICTATOR SHIP – Your Favourites
The Sign Records [Release date 17.04.20] This is the debut album from Swedish rockers Dictator Ship and over the course of 27 minutes the guys set out to entertain with retro rock from a bygone age. The band have produced … Continue reading
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Tagged album, CD, Dictator Ship, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, My Favourites, pop, review, rock
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Album review: ZON – Astral Projector/ORPHAN – Salute
Rock Candy [Release date 20.03.20] ZON – Astral Projector + 4 The band members’ post Zon experiences are arguably more colourful than their brief, 2 album grab at fame and fortune. And yet, the 1978 debut, “Astral Projector” promised so … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, AOR, Astral Projector, melodic rock, Orphan, pomp rock, re-issue, review, Rock Candy, Salute, Zon
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Album review: KHYMERA – Master Of Illusions
Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] Album number five from Khymera, who started out as an alliance between Italian producer & musician Daniele Liverani and then Kansas singer Steve Walsh. Khymera has since developed into a regular musical project when bassist and … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Dennis Ward, Eric Ragno, Frontiers, hard rock, Journey, Khymera, Magnum, Master Of Illusion, melodic rock, review
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Album review: BLAZE BAYLEY – Live In Czech
Blaze Bayley Recordings [03.04.20] Blaze Bayley is one of rock and metal’s true survivors. Having been plucked from the excellent Wolfsbane to front Iron Maiden following Bruce Dickinson’s departure in 1994, he was then unceremoniously dumped by the band five … Continue reading
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Tagged Absolva, album, Blaze Bayley, Brno, CD, Christopher Appleton, Iron Maiden, Live In Czech, Man On The Edge, metal, rock, Silicon Messiah, The Clansman, Wolfsbane
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Album review: BUFFALO SUMMER – Desolation Blue
Silver Lining Records [Release date 27.03.20] This is the third album from Buffalo Summer and rather good it is too. The Welsh wonders have been playing up and down the country and every festival they can get with a decent … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Andrew Hunt, blues, Buffalo Summer, Desolation Blue, Jonny Williams, review, rock, Silver lining records, THE DOORS, Wales
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Album review: JOE SATRIANI – Shapeshifting
Sony Music [Release date 10.04.20] We’ve always commented on the energy displayed by Satriani not least sustained during a two hour live show. Recent albums have been pretty convincing too. That energy permeates this latest offering and will surely translate … Continue reading
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Tagged album, hard rock, heavy rock, instrumental, Joe Satriani, metal, review, Shapeshifting
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Album review: LEGION – Redemption
Rock Company [Release date 18.03.20] Amazingly this is Legion’s eleventh studio album since forming back in 2010. The band’s line-up has also stayed pretty consistent with vocalist Phil Vincent and guitarist Vince O’Regan joined by bassist Gavin Cooper, drummer Any … Continue reading
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Tagged album, hard rock, Legion, melodic metal, metal, Phil Vincent, Redemption, review, Vince O'Regan
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Album review: TESTAMENT – Titans Of Creation
Nuclear Blast [Release date 03.04.20] The world may well have gone crazy at the moment with Coronavirus changing people’s day to day lives to such an extent that nothing feels normal. It is good then to have something to bring you some normality … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Alex Skolnick, CD, Chuck Billy, coronavirus, metal, Nuclear Blast, review, Slayer, Testament, Thrash, Titans Of Creation
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Album review: STEPHEN DALE PETIT – 2020 Visions
333 Records [Release date 27.03.20] Let me straight away pay tribute here to the cover artwork by Klaus Voorman, which is fantastic. Voorman, of course, was tight with The Beatles from Hamburg days – and he won a Grammy for … Continue reading
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Tagged 2020 Visions, album, blues, guitarist, Klaus Voorman, review, Stephen Dale Petit, The Beatles
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Album review: SIOBHAN MILLER – All Is Not Forgotten
Songprint Records [Release date 03.04.20] ‘All Is Not Forgotten’ is the fourth solo album from Scottish folk singer Siobhan Miller, three times winner of MG Alba Scots Trad Music Awards and a 2018 BBC Folk Awards recipient. Miller is backed … Continue reading
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Tagged album, All Is Not Forgotten, folk, review, singer songwriter, Siobhan Miller, traditional
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Album review: ROBERT JON & THE WRECK – Last Light On The Highway
Release Date 08.05.20 Robert Jon and the Wreck were an entirely unknown name to me until last year’s Ramblin’ Man Fair. I didn’t actually see their performance but a pair of writing Daves, Classic Rock’s Ling and my GRTR! reviewing … Continue reading
Album review: DYNAZTY – The Dark Delight
AFM Records [Release date 03.04.20] Dynazty’s first three albums culminated in the stirring melodic rock of “Sultans Of Sin” in 2012. By 2014, they had radically recalibrated their sound, trudging through the bland power metal of “Renatus” (2014) and “Titanic … Continue reading
