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Upcoming: European, USA & World Tour Dates and Gig Listing (2026)
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Latest Album Reviews
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Album review : ROB MORATTI – Sovereign
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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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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
Gig review: LIONHEART/AIRRACE- Camden Underworld, London, 2 December 2017

Picture a brief point of time in the early to mid-eighties. With the New Wave of British Heavy Metal running out of steam, many of its more enlightened musicians turned their ears westwards to the more AOR sounds that then … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged Adam Payne, Airrace, AOR, Dennis Stratton, gig, Laurie Mansworth, Lee Small, Linda Foster-Kelsey, Lionheart, melodic rock, review, Rocky Newton, Steve Mann
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Album review: MAGNUM – Lost On The Road To Eternity

SPV [Release date 19.01.18] We’ve always said Magnum should be cherished. Even more so in 2018, and with the arrival of their 20th studio album. The latest magnum opus also introduces new members Rick Benton (keys) and Lee Morris now … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, AVANTASIA, Bob Catley, Lost On The Road To Eternity, Magnum, melodic rock, pomp, review, rock, Tobias Sammet, Tony Clarkin
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Gig review: H.E.A.T. – Islington Academy, London, 21 November 2017

H.E.A.T.’s return to the stage, hot on the heels of their long delayed, controversial but in my view excellent ‘Into The Great Unknown’ album, was eagerly anticipated. However November is a notoriously crowded month in the gig calendar, which this … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged 21 November 2017, Black Diamonds, Crash, Dave Dalone, Degreed, Erik Gronwall, gig, H.E.A.T., Islington Academy, Jona Tee, London, melodic rock, review
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News: Get Ready to ROCK! announce Best of 2017 – top albums, live acts

Pop rock revivalists Cats In Space and their second album ‘Scarecrow’ has been selected as Top Album of 2017 by popular music website Get Ready to ROCK! Reviews Editor Jason Ritchie wrote “Cats In Space have succeeded in taking their … Continue reading
Gig review: ROCKINGHAM FESTIVAL- Nottingham Trent University Student Union, 20-22 October 2017

Though this was the third year of Rockingham Festival , the natural successor to the much loved Firefest in its autumnal Nottingham position, it really felt as if the Festival came of age. Having settled on a format that works … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged Airrace, AOR, Bailey, Blanc Faces, Brother Firetribe, Cruzh, Dare, Dave Bickler, festival, Fortune, gig, Great White, Harem Scarem, John Parr, Kix, Loverboy, Maverick, melodic rock, Moritz, review, Rockingham, The Amorettes, Vega, Vince Neil
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Album review: EUROPE – Walk The Earth

Hell & Back Recordings [Release date 20.10.17] Europe returned to our shores, and our record racks, in 2005 on the back of an excellent comeback album. During the last decade they’ve consolidated their revival with a succession of generally well-received … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged album, Dave Cobb, Europe, hard rock, Joey Tempest, John Norum, melodic rock, review, Walk The Earth
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Album review: KRYPTONITE- s/t

Frontiers [Release Date 04.08.17] The latest in a series of star-studded melodic rock collaborations on Frontiers, Kryptonite have the pedigree of a bona fide supergroup of some of the top Scandinavian names, headed by Poodles singer Jakob Samuel and including … Continue reading
Gig review: VEGA – University of London Union, 23 September 2017

Having boasted GRTR!’s album of 2016 with ‘Who We Are’, Vega continue to work hard to bring their modern brand of melodic rock to the masses. After touring with Dan Reed Network in the Spring, Autumn has brought this headline … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged gig, James Martin, Marcus Thurston, melodic rock, Nick Workman, review, Vega
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News: Albums of the Month (February-April 2017)

Albums of the Month February 2017 BLACK STAR RIDERS Heavy Fire (Nuclear Blast) “The band have thrown off the shackles of the ‘used to be Thin Lizzy’ moniker and have solidly established themselves as a major player in their own … Continue reading
Posted in Albums of the Month, ALL POSTS, NEWS
Tagged 2017, albums of the month, AOR, April, February, March, melodic rock, progressive, review, rock
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Album review: NEWMAN – Aerial

AOR Heaven [Release date 22.09.17] Album number eleven by Newman, the band formed around Steve Newman. Once again he has teamed up with drummer Rob McEwen (who has played on the last nine Newman albums), plus the album also features long … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS
Tagged Aerial, album, AOR Heaven, hard rock, Harem Scarem, Harry Hess, Mark Thompson-Smith, melodic rock, NEWMAN, review, rock, Steve Newman
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Album review: H.E.A.T – Into The Great Unknown

earMUSIC Release Date 22.09.17 Back in 2014, with their fourth album ‘Tearing Down the Walls’, and high energy live shows, H.E.A.T seemed on the verge of a major commercial breakthrough as standard bearers for a new breed of melodic rockers. … Continue reading
Quick plays: MARTIN SIMPSON, RIVERDOGS, HIRSH GARDNER

MARTIN SIMPSON Trails & Tribulations Topic Records [Release date 01.09.17] Trails & Tribulations’ is Martin Simpson’s twentieth album in a career spanning over 40 years. As he says the album “is a collection of songs about nature, about travels and … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Quick Plays
Tagged albums, AOR, California, Def Leppard, Dio, Escape Music, folk, Frontiers, Hirsh Gardner, Martin Simpson, melodic rock, New England, Quick Play, reviews, Riverdogs, rock, songwriter, Vivian Campbell
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Album review: D2UR – Tic Toc

[Release date 01.07.17] D2UR (pronounced Detour, really?) are a no-nonsense Canadian band built around the partnership of Mike and Diane Isbister. He plays guitars, she sings. Starting out as a covers band, their debut release Rev U Up (2013) was … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, The Best of 2017
Tagged album, D2UR, Diane Isbister, hard rock, melodic rock, Mike Isbister, review, Tic Toc
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Gig review: STEELHOUSE FESTIVAL, Ebbw Vale, 28-29 July 2017 (Part One)

The annual pilgrimage climbing the mountain in the valleys of South Wales seems to have come around far quicker this year than any other, and the reliable Welsh weather played a major part in some issues regarding camping and parking. … Continue reading
Gig review: SUMMERFEST – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, 28 June-9 July 2017

In a world of constant change in popular music, for a festival to celebrate its 50th year, as Milwaukee’s Summerfest did this year, represents a lifetime. I’d been to the festival certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s biggest … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS, The Best of 2017
Tagged AOR, Bad Boy, Blackberry Smoke, Bob Dylan, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Dennis De Young, festival, Foghat, gig, Greta Van Fleet, Huey Lewis and the News, Jason Isbell, John Waite, July 2017, June 2017, melodic rock, Milwaukee, Paul Simon, Peter Frampton, progressive, REO Speedwagon, review, rock, Sheryl Crow, Shinedown, Soul Asylum, Summerfest, Tesla, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Toto, Wisconsin
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Gig review: LEE AARON – Camden Underworld, London, 16 July 2017

In the testosterone-heavy rock climate of the 1980’s, women performers who held sex appeal for metal-loving youngsters were few on the ground. It was therefore unsurprising that the petite Canadian rocker Lee Aaron’s picture in Kerrang’s ‘Ladykillers’ feature must have … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, GIG REVIEWS
Tagged blues rock, gig, Lee Aaron, melodic rock, Neuronspoiler, review, Sean Kelly
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Album review: FICTION SYXX – Tall Dark Secret

MeldodicRock Records [Release date 21.08.17] Fiction Syxx is the brain child of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Mark Allen Lanoue who has had these musical ideas for some time now. To help him realise his musical vision he is joined by guitarist JK Northrup (King … Continue reading
Interview: CORNERSTONE

We caught up with Alina Peter (Vocals/Guitars) and Michael Wachelhofer (Bass/Keyboards/Vocals) of Cornerstone to see what they have planned for this year and beyond, plus how their latest album ‘Reflection’ has been doing… Have you been pleased with the response … Continue reading
Album review: JOHNNY LIMA – Johnny Lima/Made In California

MelodicRock Records [Release date 01.03.17] These two albums by Johnny Lima – his self-titled debut from 1996 and 2003′s ‘Made In California’ – have been made available again by MelodicRock Records and not before time I say! Johnny Lima’s debut … Continue reading
Posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS, Reissues
Tagged albums, Bon Jovi, Johnny Lima, melodic rock, MelodicRock Records, Motley Crue, reissues, review, rock
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