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Album review: MICK ROGERS – The Guitarist
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Album review : This Can’t Be Today – American Psychedelia and The Paisley Underground 1977-88
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Album review : AUSTEN STARR – I Am The Enemy
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Album review : WILD HORSES – Standing Our Ground (6 CD Boxset)
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Album review: DENNIS CHURCHILL-DRIES – Crazy Is This Life
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Album review: GOTTHARD – More Stereo Crush
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Tag Archives: hard rock
Feature: Albums that time forgot – 21 GUNS – Nothing’s Real
Z Records [1997] The 1990s was a hard time for melodic hard rock bands feeling the chill wind from Seattle. Joey Tempest from the band Europe told me that they also succumbed to the prevailing trend, and that when visiting … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged 21 Guns, album, feature, hard rock, interview, melodic, Mike Sturgis, Nothing's Real, Phenomena II, review, Scott Gorham, Thin Lizzy
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – HUGHES THRALL
Epic [1982] Often cited by musos as a favourite album, ‘Hughes/Thrall’ was released in 1982. By all accounts Glenn Hughes (bass and vocals in MK III and IV Deep Purple) ‘stole’ guitarist Pat Thrall after seeing him play with Pat … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged album, Glenn Hughes, hard rock, Hughes Thrall, Pat Thrall, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – ELEKTRADRIVE – Living 4
Valery Records (2009) Elektradrive is one of the more significant Hard Rock/AOR bands to emerge from Italy. At the very start, in 1983, the name of the band was Overdrive and they had a four-piece line up without keyboards; after … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged album, AOR, Elektradrive, hard rock, Italian, Italy, Living 4, melodic rock, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – SHADOW KING
Atlantic (1991) Shadow King was Lou Gramm’s first foray in a band format since his departure from Foreigner in April 1991. The charismatic vocalist had been working on songs with Bruce Turgon for a third solo album and these developed … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged album, Bruce Turgon, Foreigner, hard rock, Lou Gramm, review, Shadow King, Vivian Campbell
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Album review: GOTTHARD – #13
Nuclear Blast [Release date 13.03.20] Back in the early 90’s I went to see a new local band whilst in Switzerland, and very good they were too. That band was Gotthard, and here we are nearly thirty years later and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged #13, album, classic rock, Def Leppard, Gotthard, hard rock, melodic rock, review, Whitesnake
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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
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR Heaven, Brother Firetribe, Captain Blackbird, H.E.A.T., hard rock, melodic rock, review, Sonic Forces
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to DEMON
Jason Ritchie highlights the recording history of NWOBHM band Demon Formed in Stoke back in the NWOBHM the band initially lived up to their name with singer Dave Hill rising up from coffins on stage, along with lots of devil references … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged classic rock, Dave Hill, DEMON, feature, hard rock, heavy metal, introduction, melodic rock, NWOBHM, prog rock, review
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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
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AFM Records, album, Bonfire, Fistful Of Fire, hard rock, melodic rock, review
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to COZY POWELL
Joe Geesin recalls Cozy Powell’s long career, the key albums, and a friendship with one of rock’s finest drummers Colin Flooks, better known as Cozy Powell, was a renowned rock drummer who, like many, lived like he played – hard … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged Black Sabbath, classic rock, Cozy Powell, discography, drummer, drums, feature, hard rock, introduction, Rainbow, Whitesnake
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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
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dennis Ward, Eric Ragno, Frontiers, hard rock, Journey, Khymera, Magnum, Master Of Illusion, melodic rock, review
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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
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
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
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, hard rock, Legion, melodic metal, metal, Phil Vincent, Redemption, review, Vince O'Regan
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to BLUE OYSTER CULT
Jason Ritchie picks out some of the key albums from the heavy metal masters Formed from the late 60’s band Soft White Underbelly, Blue Oyster Cult (BOC) are often dubbed ‘the thinking man’s heavy metal band’. But for me they … Continue reading
Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to MAGNUM
David Randall has followed Magnum since the 1990s when they consolidated their earlier successes. They split in 1995, subsequently re-generating in 2001. Since that time they have gone from strength to strength, maintaining a consistency across several albums and touring … Continue reading
Posted in Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged Bob Catley, Dennis Ward, feature, hard rock, interview, Lee Morris, Magnum, Mark Stanway, melodic rock, pomp rock, Rick Benton, Tony Clarkin
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Feature: What NAZARETH mean to me…
Joe Geesin revisits one of his favourite bands – Nazareth – and discusses the impact they made on his musical interests and signposting their recommended albums. The long enduring Scottish rockers Nazareth have been around since the late 60s (and … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, What a Band/Artist means to me...
Tagged albums, Dan McCafferty, hard rock, Nazareth, Pete Agnew, review, Rodney Matthews
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Album review: RATT – The Atlantic Years 1984-1990
Cherry Red Records [Release date 27.02.20] The Atlantic Years were indeed Ratt’s best years. This boxset is a compelling, 5 CD picture of a Glam Rock band constantly on the rise, before the breakup and the fall. There’s a dozen … Continue reading
Album review: HAREM SCAREM – Change The World
Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] It’s not unreasonable to claim that Harem Scarem spearheaded the Melodic Rock movement’s rejuvenation in the mid nineties. 1993′s “Mood Swings”, the band’s second album, gave thousands of fans a liferaft to cling onto when the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Change The World, hard rock, Harem Scarem, Harry Hess, melodic rock, Pete Lesperance, review
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Album review: BLUE OYSTER CULT – Heaven Forbid
Frontiers [Release date 06.03.20] Blue Oyster Cult originally released ‘Heaven Forbid’ in 1998 on the CMC label, so it never got a widespread release and the band had left the label by their next album. Although there are no bonus … Continue reading
Album review: SHAKRA – Mad World
AFM Records [Release date 28.02.20] “Mad World” is Shakra’s 12th studio album, and it’s a lot like the previous 11. That’s a relief. Thomas Muster’s and Thom Blunier’s economic riffs continue to drive the music, and along with prodigal son, … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged AC/DC, AFM Records, album, hard rock, KROKUS, Mad World, review, rock, Shakra
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Album review: NEWMAN – Ignition
AOR Heaven [Release date 27.03.20] Steve Newman formed the band Newman way back in 1997, with the last Newman album ‘Aerial’ released in 2017. Since then he’s been busy writing songs with the likes of Toby Hitchcock, joined the band … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, AOR Heaven, hard rock, Ignition, melodic rock, NEWMAN, review, Steve Newman, Toby Hitchcock
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Album review: BLACK SWAN – Shake The World
Frontiers [Release date 14.02.20] You have to say (again) that Frontiers knows how to put a band together, in this case Black Swan. Here are four musicians – Robin McAuley, Jeff Pilson, Reb Beach and Matt Starr – whose well … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Black Swan, Dokken, Frontiers, hard rock, Jeff Pilson, Matt Starr, melodic rock, Mr Big, MSG, Reb Beach, review, Robin McAuley, Shake The World
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Album review: JESSE DAMON – Damon’s Rage
AOR Heaven [Release date 28.02.20] Jesse Damon will be best remembered by many 80s rock fans as he was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Silent Rage. Silent Rage rose to fame in 1989 when signed by Gene … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS
Tagged album, AOR Heaven, Gene Simmons, hard rock, Jesse Damon, melodic rock, Paul Sabu, review, SILENT RAGE
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Album review: DIRTY SHIRLEY – s/t
Frontiers Music [release date: 20.01.20] Yep. George Lynch has pretty much nailed this. Dirty Shirley is a rich and classy hard rock album that holds the ‘80’s/early ‘90’s template tight to its chest, but offers enough twists and turns to keep … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dino Jelusic, Dirty Shirley, Dokken, George Lynch, guitarist, hard rock, Lynch Mob, review
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Album review: SYTERIA – Reflection
Cargo Records [Release date 21.02.20] Based in Yorkshire, Syteria were formed by guitarist Jackie “Jax” Chambers, lead guitarist of legends Girlschool. And are often seen gigging during Girlschool downtime, our blond bombshell Jax is a busy girl. Since 2015 they’ve … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, fuzz rock, GIRLSCHOOL, hard rock, Jackie “Jax” Chambers, Julia Vocal, Reflection, review, rock, Syteria
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Album review: SUPERSUCKERS – Play That Rock n Roll
SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 07.02.20] It’s got touches of country, it’s got a bit of blues, it’s got rock n roll- but most importantly it’s got attitude, swagger and riffs a plenty. It is “Play That Rock n Roll” and it … Continue reading
