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Latest Album Reviews
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Album review : BRAZEN ABBOT – Live And Learn and Guilty As Sin (CD reissues)
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Album review : GRAHAM BONNET – Lost In Hollywood Again (Live)
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JIM PETERIK AND WORLD STAGE – River of Song – The Power Of Duets, Volume 1
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Album review: HENGE – Journey to Voltus B
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Album review : JIMI JAMISON – 1998 Live Hits
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Album review: DEWOLFF – Fuego!
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Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: STEVE OVERLAND AND JIM KIRKPATRICK- The Weir, Brentford, Middlesex, 9 December 2025
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Gig review: JOHN OTWAY – Face Bar, Reading, Thursday 11 December 2025
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Gig review: CURVED AIR – The Sub Rooms, Stroud, 20 November 2025
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Gig review: MARTIN BARRE & FRIENDS – Theatre Severn, Shrewsbury, 18 November 2025
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Tag Archives: melodic rock
Album review: CLIF MAGNESS- Lucky Dog

Release Date 13.07.18 Clif (short for Clifton) Magness may not be a household name, but is one of those respected songwriters essential to the music business. His collaborations have covered artists as diverse as Steve Perry and Avril Lavigne, co-writing … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AOR, Clif Magness, melodic rock, Robin Beck
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Album review: MR BIG – Live From Milan

Frontiers [Release date 13.07.18] 2018 marks 30 years since Mr Big formed, but it also marks the passing of drummer and founder member Pat Torpey, having battled Parkinson’s for many years. He was able to join the band on their … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, DVD REVIEWS
Tagged album, Billy Sheenan, classic rock, DVD, Eric Martin, Frontiers, live, Live From Milan, melodic rock, Mr Big, Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert, review
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Album review: TONY MITCHELL – Beggars Gold

MelodicRock Records [Release date 14.09.18] Former Kiss Of The Gypsy vocalist Tony Mitchell returns with a new solo album, which has a few songs similar to the enjoyable Dirty White Boyz album released early last year (that band are planning … Continue reading
Quick plays: S.K.o.R., DUSTER BENNETT, SAGA

S.K.o.R. Tellus GMR Music Fronted by singer Emil Gammeltoft (who I’ve known since running the Nazareth fanclub in the 90′s), a vocalist who has recorded with Nerved and original Nazareth guitarist Manny Charlton, SKoR are a Swedish band who mix … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged Blue Horizon, blues, Duster Bennett, Emil Gammeltoft, Hercules Morse, Lynyrd Skynyrd, melodic rock, Nazareth, prog rock, reissue, review, rock, S.K.o.R., Saga, So Good So Far, Some Kind Of Rubus, southern rock
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Album review: MAD MAX – 35

Steamhammer/SPV [release date: 10.08.18] ‘35’ denotes the number of years that Mad Max have been together. Top marks for endurance. The melodic hard rockers formed in Munster, Germany have waited five years to follow-up 2013’s studio platter, ‘Interceptor’. Despite the … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 35, album, classic rock, Mad Max, melodic rock, review
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Album review: SUNSTORM- The Road to Hell

(Release Date 08.06.18) The Sunstorm studio projects, now over a decade old, can be viewed in two distinct phases. A vehicle for legendary singer Joe Lynn Turner, the first three records were a showcase for his more AOR side with … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Alessandro Del Vecchio, Joe Lynn Turner, melodic rock, Sunstorm
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Album review: NITRATE – Real World

MelodicRock Records [Release date 20.07.18] Nitrate is a new band and the brainchild of Nick Hogg (guitars, keyboards) with his main songwriting partner being Midnite City’s Rob Wylde (lead, rhythm & bass guitars, vocals). The band is completed by vocalist Joss Mennen … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 80's rock, album, AOR, Harem Scarem, melodic, melodic rock, Midnite City, Nitrate, Real World, review, rock, Zinatra
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Gig review: VEGA – Camden Underworld, London, 7 July 2018

Vega are certainly putting in the hard yards to capitalise on their excellent new album ‘Only Human’ with arguably the UK’s leading contemporary melodic rock band playing an extensive tour, culminating in this London date. While they have yet to … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 7 July 2018, AOR, Camden Underworld, gig, London, Marcus Thurston, melodic rock, Midnite City, Mikey Kew, Nick Workman, Rob Wylde, Vega
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Album review: THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA – Sometimes The World Ain’t Enough

Nuclear Blast [Release date 29.06.18] The Night Flight Orchestra return with their new album following hot on the heels of last year’s AOR-tastic ’Amber Galactic’. Any doubts that they maybe running low on catchy songs is soon dispelled by the immense … Continue reading
Album review: JON BUTCHER AXIS – Stare At The Sun

Escape Music [Release date 25.05.18] The second Jon Butcher Axis album, originally released in 1984, gets a first time release on CD by Escape Music, following on from the self-titled album released earlier this year. Joining Jon Butcher on the album … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged album, AOR, Escape Musc, Jon Butcher, Jon Butcher Axis, melodic, melodic rock, reissue, review, rock, Stare At The Sun
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News: CARL PALMER’s ELP LEGACY – new album and radio interview (June 2018)

In this exclusive interview edit, Carl Palmer chats about progressive rock music (2:00) Carl Palmer releases a CD/DVD on 29 June (via BMG) celebrating the lives of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. “Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy Live” features a CD … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, INTERVIEWS, NEWS, Radio interview
Tagged album, AOR, Asia, Atomic Rooster, Carl Palmer, Carl Palmer's ELP Legacy, classical rock, ELP, Greg Lake, interview, John Wetton, June 2018, Keith Emerson, live, melodic rock, prog, progressive, radio
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Album review: GUILD OF AGES – Rise

Escape Music [Release date 29.06.18] Guild Of Ages are this year’s ‘Missing In Action’ band now returning to action, following on from the return of Boulevard last year. They called it a day in 2002 before being tempted back for … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, CITA, Escape Music, Guild Of Ages, hard rock, melodic, melodic rock, review, Rise, rock
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Album review: DARE – Out Of The Silence II

Legend Records [Release date 29.06.18] Amazing to think the classic album ‘Out Of The Silence’ is thirty years old, and also frightening to think where did the time go?! Like fellow melodic rockers FM did on ‘Indiscreet’, Dare have decided … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged 30th anniversary, album, AOR, Brian Cox, Celtic, Classic Albums, Dare, Darren Wharton, melodic rock, Out Of The Silence II, review, rock, Vinny Burns
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Album review: SPACE ELEVATOR – II

SPV/Steamhammer [Release date 25.05.18] Album number two from Space Elevator still sees the flamboyant singer The Duchess and guitarist David Young leading the band. In a neat twist they have collaborated with a Canadian space tech company Torth Technology who … Continue reading
Album review: JEAN BEAUVOIR – Rock Masterpieces Vol 1

AOR Heaven [Release date 29.06.18] Jean Beauvoir has a had a long and varied career working with Kiss, the Plasmatics, an album with cult faves Voodoo X and melodic rockers Crown Of Thorns, whose 1993 debut album featured Beauvoir alongside … Continue reading
Album review: PERFECT PLAN – All Rise

Frontiers Records [Release Date 20.04.18] The melodic rock world capital of Scandinavia is giving birth to an endless stream of bands- alongside now established names like H.E.A.T. and Eclipse, hardly a month goes by without a promising new band emerging … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, All Rise, AOR, Kent Hilli, melodic rock, Perfect Plan
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Album review: VEGA – Only Human

Release Date 11.05.18 British melodic rock standard bearers Vega are not ones to let the grass grow under their feet, this being their fifth album since 2010. Its predecessor ‘Who We Are’ was their most consistently convincing yet and indeed … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Marcus Thurston, melodic rock, Nick Workman, Only Human, Vega
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Album review: RYAN ROXIE – Imagine Your Reality

Cargo When I look through my record collection there are not many other guitarists that feature as much as Ryan Roxie. Having recorded with the likes of Slash, Gilby Clarke, Electric Angels, Casablanca, Roxie 77, more than a few Alice … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS, Interviews/10 Questions, Interviews/Rock Stars
Tagged album, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Coldplay, guitarist, Hollywood Vampires, Imagine Your Reality, interview, melodic rock, review, Robin Zander, rock, Ryan Roxie
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Album review: JAMES CHRISTIAN – Craving

Frontiers [Release date 20.04.18] Fourth solo album from House Of Lords frontman James Christian sees him work with a variety of songwriters including Tommy Denander (who also plays guitars, bass and keys), Cliff Magness (who has his solo album released … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Craving, Frontiers, hard rock, House of Lords, James Christian, melodic, melodic rock, review, Tommy Denander
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Gig review: FOREIGNER – Manchester Apollo, 12 May 2018

The bets were on. Would Mick Jones appear at this first UK date of a massive 40th anniversary world tour? The omens weren’t good as four songs in the band played one of the massive “hits” (and somewhat ridiculous without … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 12 May 2018, AOR, classic rock, Foreigner, gig, Jeff Pilson, Joanne Shaw Taylor, John Parr, Kelly Hansen, Manchester Apollo, melodic rock, Mick Jones, review
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Album review: MASS – When 2 Worlds Collide

Escape Music [Release date 25.05.18] This is album number eight from Mass who have been making music since the mid-80′s. On this album the added keys/strings provided by Jeremy Heussi add another dimension to the band’s classy melodic hard rock … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, INTERVIEWS
Tagged album, Escape Music, hard rock, interview, Mass, melodic rock, Michael Sweet, review, rock, Stryper, When 2 Worlds Collide
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