LILLYE: "EP"

Rating: EP
Label: Indie/Lillye 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Lillye from down under (that's Sydney/Australia) are just about to alert their local government since there's a wild banshee on the loose. Seriously. The absolutely wicked vocal performance by Virginia Lillye is merely comparable to the Irish battle goddess of, the Morrígan. Soaring killer vocals as she switch from fragile to aggressive in a mere split second. Truly a wild spirit and a messenger from the underworld.

Power and emotion are the key ingredients on their 5-track EP. They have that hard edge rock style 'ala Skew Siskin meets Paramore meets Saraya, and I noticed that Virginia spent some time in years in Germany performing in stage productions and bands, before returning to Oz. It's crunchy, guitar fulled angst where the distinctive, almost bewildered voice stand alone between you and certain death. Indeed. In legend, the banshee is a fairy woman who begins to wail if someone is about to die.

I especially enjoy the tracks, "Under" and "Mistakes", proper belter performances by Virginia and it's very much Saraya on steroids. She combines the rough with the smooth and I believe it's merely a question of finding out if the band are supposed to target the melodic or the cross-over fans? Don't get me wrong though. Personally I enjoy the slightly twisted stuff such as "Who I'm Meant To Be" and "Tttalk" (really should be titled 'Wake Up'?). Here's that voice that Frontiers should employ for their next female fronted project. Recommended.
lillye.net
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MR BIG: "The Stories We Could Tell"

Rating: RR
Label: Frontiers 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

I'm the massive fan of the vocals by Eric Martin. One of those fine singers that send shivers down the spine with excellent performances on every single album that he's ever recorded. Dude's got Soul as well as the Blues running through his veins and it's always a pleasure to hear him sing. Mr Big on the other hand has always been the hit(s) and miss(es) kind of band in my opinion.

Why, you say? Well. The soft and slow/mid-tempo songs are always so-o-o much better than the rockers and it's sometimes like if they're not even trying to come up with as great uptempo tunes? It's weird since they have the superb guitarist in Paul Gilbert, amazing bass-player in Billy Sheehan, kick-azz drummer (Pat Torpey) and it's not like I'm against groove or simply grooving along to melodies. It's just that I expect better uptempo songs from these guys than for example, "Satisfied", "The Monster In Me", "What If We Were New" or "The Light Of Day". They are boring, standard blues compositions that are going no-where really (if you want killer 70's uptempo groove from Frontiers this year - try California Breed).

Opener "Gotta Love The Ride" is a fun uptempo tune and "I Forget To Breathe" is the great old school blues with a special nod to the late sixties/early seventies and the hint of Hendrix. "It's Always About That Girl", excellent big rock too. However, it's (as always) the softies, "Fragile", "The Man Who Has Everything", "East/West", and the simply amazing "Just Let Your Heart Decide" that saves this from being the complete bore. And no, I don't want them to become Michael Bolton or something. I just wish the uptempo tracks would match the quality of the softies.

ELECTRIC EARTH: "Leaving For Freedom"

Rating: RRR
Label: Tyss Music 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Swedish Groove rockers Electric Earth are "Leaving For Freedom" on their latest release. They (still) tread the fine-line between seventies rock and the more post-grunge sound. It's basically all about the finding the ultimate "groove" while keeping it heavy and dare I say alternative? Well. They come across as the cross-over act with potential to attract fans in both camps.

At first impression it would be darn easy to simply file them under Stoner Rock, but there's more to their compositions than just your average stoner material. Perhaps not too original. They are however a spiteful mix of Ozzy Osbourne in The 2000's, Soundgarden, Seattle/grunge, and fellow Swedes of Mustache, venting all their collective agony against everything and everyone. It's fuzzy guitar work and solos, hard working, tight rhythm section, and grungy/bluesy vocals by Peter Gottlieb.

It's their 4th album release and the Swedes are gaining themselves quite a reputation as the solid and fun live act. Perhaps a couple of too familiar moments during the ten original tracks offered here? Nonetheless. Electric Earth has penned a solid collection of tunes, some of them might even remind you of Soundgarden at their most commercial period. "Bad Motor Alive" is certainly better than any other Bad Motor song out there and the guys show a soft spot for melody. I do however miss that extra, top notch, special song and moment(s). Final verdict: Solid groove.
officialelectricearth.com
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ANGELS OR KINGS: ”Kings Of Nowhere”

Rating: RRRR

Label: AOR Heaven 2014
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

AOK. That’s a name I remember from the pages of Kerrang!, the UK rock magazine I studied religiously during my teenage years. I always thought that it was a bit stupid name for a band, but what was written about them raised my curiosity. If I remember correctly, they were hailed as one of the great white hopes of British AOR, a band that surely would be signed sooner rather than later. Well, the band did get the elusive recording contract, but only later. Much later. 25 years later!

Yep, the AOK band name has been changed to a much cooler sounding Angels Or Kings, a new superb vocalist Baz Jackson has been recruited and the band has finally recorded their first album. Not only that, they recently won themselves one of the best gigs any AOR band could ask for - the opening slot of the last ever Firefest! Not too bad.

If a band is chosen to open Firefest by the most dedicated AOR fans on the planet, it’s simply not possible that the band in question would suck. The Firefest fans know their AOR, and let me tell you, Angels Or Kings can proudly stand alongside the bigger names in the bill. They are that good.

”Kings Of Nowhere” sounds just like it could be a forgotten AOR jewel from 1989, with absolutely no ”modern” sounds, loops or whatnot. And I’m talking about a real forgotten jewel, not some polished demos… no, this album sounds like it could have been produced by Neil Kernon during his most profilic ”AOR producer” years. Lush harmonies, swirling keyboards and everything else you could ask for. What’s more, the band has the songs to match the production. There’s the FM’esque duo of ”Any Other Girl” and ”Same Star”, Shy-meets-Valentine-like ”A Harder Place”, ”Someone To Save Me” which reminds me a bit of Alias with a British edge… my favorite of them all is probably ”If Her Tears Would Talk” with its’ fantastic keyboard riff and superb chorus. I could go on, but maybe it’s enough to say that you won’t find a really weak song among the 12 tracks. If there’s something missing on this album, I’d say that the band hasn’t written a truly great ballad yet. The two slower songs here, ”Real Life” and ”A Night Like This” aren’t too bad but to be honest, they’re the ones I’m most likely to skip.


http://www.angelsorkings.com

SOUND OF ETERNITY: ”Visions And Dreams”

Rating: RRR

Label: MelodicRockRecords 2014
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

So does MelodicRockRecords have an office in Spain? The label seems to sign all Spanish AOR bands these days! Sound Of Eternity is one of the latest signings, a female-fronted rock band with a strong Christian message.

Unlike most female-fronted AOR bands, Sound Of Eternity doesn’t sound much like eighties’ Heart or Robin Beck. They’ve got a decidedly modern sound which reminds me more of the likes of Within Temptation or Fireflight, only less symphonic. Although they occasionally wander into rather ethereal world, most tracks do feature edgy and powerful guitar work. I assume that the powerful edge has something to do with the fact that one Erik Mårtensson mixed and mastered the album.

It seems that half of the songs on the album are rather hard rockin’ AOR tracks, while the other half tends to float into that aforementioned ethereal world. Beatriz Aranda sings like an angel, while the accompanying music carries an ambient aura, allowing the listener to float too… while the lighter material is suitable for certain moods, I do prefer the harder-edged songs. Highlights include ”Call To Action”, ”My Saviour” and ”Broken Heart”, even though it must be said that the first of them has a chorus that does sound an awful lot like Treat’s ”Paper Tiger”.

http://www.facebook.com/soundofeternity/info

DARKYRA BLACK: ”Dragon Tears”

Rating: R
Label: Unsigned/Self Released 2014
Review by Rich ”The Meister” Dillon

Sometimes around the Rock United round table there are new releases up for the review choice from any of our writers.  And sometimes a few of those releases sink to the bottom of the barrel as they are not striking on a first listen and no one reviews them.  Unfortunately that’s the case with Darkyra Black’s Dragon Tears.  The album that was released back in February is a ”Gothic interpretation of a geisha like tale that ends in tragedy, love, loss, lust, betrayal and revenge”.  Darkyra herself is Australian born and recruited the session musicians for the record with the assistance of the company Online Recording Masters based in Athens, Greece.

This is a lengthy recording with ten of the twelve compositions being well over five minutes runtime, many higher than six and one near ten minutes.  The description of ”cinematic metal, gothic metal, art metal and symphonic metal” on Darkyra’s website and Facebook page had me cringing before I even spun the CD.  The opening track ”Madoka’s Lament” has a moody and dark brooding feeling to it created by the sombre piano notes.  I less than enjoyed the track finding it heavily operatic and basically painful to listen to.  The pleasantly titled ”Lullaby of Death” was no different.  I was able to make it through ”Eyes Wide Shut” but had to abort listening during ”Japanese Frankenstein”.  I mean no disrespect to the musicians and songwriters here; I just really, really don’t enjoy this type of metal.

Bottom line:  I love Darkyra Black’s voice, but not the musical arrangements nor operatic style.  I would love to hear her sing some good straight ahead metal or hard rock, but that would probably make her cringe.

http://www.darkyra.com/

SKYSCRAPER: ”Elevation”

Rating: RRR
Label: Ghost Dancer Music/Cargo Records 2014
Review by Rich ”The Meister” Dillon

New band on the scene Skyscraper contains some names that you've undoubtedly heard before.  Helmed by Martin Kronlund (Dogface/Joe Lynn Turner/Lover Under Cover) the melodic rockers consist of vocalist Lee Small (Shy), bassist Dave Boyce (Airrace/Quireboys), guitarist Tor Talle (Joe Lynn Turner/Fergie Frederiksen/Rob Moratti) and drummer Imre Daun.  There has been quite a bit of buzz surrounding this upcoming release and after a listen to the CD I found that the comparison to Bad English to be quite accurate.

”Sail Away” leads the pack of fourteen tracks with an upbeat tempo and tons of vocal harmonies a melodic chorus and some delicious guitar work.  The lead single/video for ”Monday Morning” can be seen now via YouTube and is another in the vein of the opener, a great representation of the whole album.  In the first of two songs breaching the five minute mark ”Fay Wray” is a masterpiece of interwoven harmonies.  The rest of the album follows suit displaying some excellent AOR style music with the haunting vocals of Lee Small.  Aside from what Iíve already mentioned some other high points include the 80ís flavoured ”Walk Through Fire”, the Bad English/Alias sounding ”Playing With Fire” and ”Sweet Little Sister” where the guitars are a little more forward during the chorus.  The low points to me are the sappy ballad and longest running track ”Everybody Cries Sometimes” and the slower paces of ”Through the Eyes of Liberty” and ”Runaway Hearts” (which also appears acoustically as the final entry) mostly because I generally prefer a harder edge to my rock/metal.

Overall a solid melodic rock effort and worth the price of admission for fans of that genre.

http://www.skyscraperofficial.com/

JAMES LABRIE: ”I Will Not Break”

Rating: R
Label: Digital EP 2014
Review by Rich ”The Meister” Dillon

Canadian born vocalist James LaBrie is best known as the long time voice of American progressive metal band Dream Theater.  La Brie auditioned and was chosen over 200 other hopefuls for the spot fronting Dream Theater appearing on their second album Images and Words and has remained in the band ever since.  Aside from other projects outside of Dream Theater LaBrie has issued five solo albums, the sixth being the EP I Will Not Break which dropped earlier in the year.

”I Will Not Break” first appeared on his 2013 full length Impermanent Resonance and after muffled fading vocal intro explodes with a ferocious thrash riff and of course LaBrie's operatic vocal prowess.  The next two, ”Unraveling” and ”Why” both originally surfaced on the European digipak edition of the aforementioned 2013 release.  The final track of 2010ís Static Impulse, ”Coming Home” gets an alternate mix, but not being familiar with the original canít say whatís different or better, I just know I donít like this.  ”Jekyll or Hyde” and ”Just Watch Me” are demo versions of songs that also appeared on Static Impulse.  The final three inclusions are again retreads from the 2010 album with ”I Tried”, ”Over the Edge” and ”Euphoric”.  This time however they are electronica remixes, something that should never be done IMO.

Bottom line: there's nothing new here and this is not a release for any other than the rabid LaBrie/Dream Theater fan.

http://www.jameslabrie.com/

WORK OF ART: "Framework"

Rating: RRRR+
Label: Frontiers 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Work-o-fart? Absolutely not. 'Framework' will clearly not go by like a you-know-what in the wind. Definitely worthy of the Work Of Art moniker and concept as it's strictly uplifting and fun melodies of the eighties. Stronger, better, catchier - would be a prefect description of their latest effort as the Swedes have found their own groove and sound here. I know it's popular to mention Westcoast and Toto while talking about WOA. However, there's sooo much more to "Framework" than first meets the eye/ear. It's basically just the lovely mix of AOR, Power-Pop, Hi-tech, and the hint of Toto and Chicago. If anything, WOA follow in the great long line of Swedish traditional Pop/Rock music and strong melodies. Well. At least in my humble opinion.

I guess I just have to mention cult Power-Pop acts from Sweden such as Big Money and Fingerprints. They both had a knack for coming up with the goods and really catchy material. "Framework" works on the similar basic level and audience only featuring more of the pure AOR sound of course. It's layers and layers of the massive and huge 80's production and sound. Glossy keyboards and guitars. It's one impressive hook after the other and they have steadily built a reputation as one of the most interesting and fun acts on the Frontiers label and roster.

There's plenty of AOR and soft-rock explorations on this record and I absolutely love their more progressive side of "Shout Till You Wake Up" and "The Machine". WOA has always had an immediately impact and point to their compositions though and the opening tracks of "Time To Let Go" and "How Will I Know" are no exceptions. Uptempo, fun, tailor made for the AOR dance-floor. Check out the nearly danceable guitar work by Robert Säll. The hi-tech westcoast rock of "Hold On To Love", probably the best song Chicago and Toto never recorded in the late eighties. Lars Säfsund does his best 'Peter Cetera meets Joe Williams' impression and it's just perfect melodic bliss. "Natalie", one of those great moments in the grand AOR/Westcoast tradition of songs named after a woman. The boppy-poppy, "The Turning Point", magical soft-rock, and "My Waking Dream", the moody ballad suited for Tracks (classic radio show in Sweden).

 Two words to sum it all up: Catchy Fookin' Hooks. Well. That's three... but, who's counting? Highly recommended.
woa.se
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STRYPER: "Live At The Whisky" (DVD/CD)

Rating: Live
Label: Frontiers 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

The yellow and black attack is back. Stryper - rocking since 1984 and still a force to be reckon with. Performing at their home turf, the famous 'Whisky A Go Go' on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The same place and dressing room where they first met Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot) as he kicked the door open and told them to stop using so much hair-spray. Poor Kev must have been jealous of all that hair (R.I.P.). I guess they were using too much hair-spray anyhow.

Recorded live in October 2013 during the "No More Hell To Pay" tour and album, which featured all the original band members for the first time since Against The Law. Indeed. Watch all the serious riffing courtesy of Oz Fox, the thumping bass of Tim Gaines, and the visual timekeeping of Robert Sweet (drums). The latter, no longer sideways as he's facing the audience like the rest of them. The trademark harmonies and soaring voice of Michael Sweet, still flying across the room and set (just like an eagle) and may not have lost that much in quality and strength in the last/past 30 years. But let's face it. Some of the Alvin & the chipmunks like harmonies (Calling On You, Free, etc.) are difficult to recreate and handle live on stage. Nicely done though.

Starting up the concert with the massive-riff and head-banging of "Legacy". The yellow and black are coming across more like Barren Cross than Stryper actually. They are definitely "Marching Into Battle" with a blunt axe and a thrashing melody. "You Know What To Do" certainly gets the crowd and melodies going. I'm surprised to see exactly how much of the lead guitars are down to Michael as I always thought that Oz did most of them? The sound is "Loud N Clear" even if the drums and bass could need the extra fat and beef. The stage banter goes through the routine of 'how many of you has/hasn't seen us before live' and M.Sweet's comment and reply of 'Why, man?' 'You just figured. I'll wait 30 years and catch them when they're old'. Well. Here's your chance to catch them when they're old on DVD. They are still tossing out bibles into the audience (see Robert prance around like a tosser) and they are still providing a jolly good time. What ever happened to all the ballads of the past? Not a single one of them (Honestly, Lady, etc.) and at least one of them were one of the most requested songs on MTV when you could still give them a call/ring.

Bonus material DVD: The videos of "No More Hell To Pay" and "Sympathy". Plus the short interview (Nashville All Access) when they (Michael actually, the rest are just standing there) speak about their latest album. 'It feels like we're at our peak'. All the tears, blood, sweat, and prayers that went into the effort of recording. Their fans. 'We have some of the best, if not the best fans in the world. They're so die-hard and they've been there since day one'. I also noticed that Frontiers has managed to screw-up the track list order (simply replace 'The Rock That Makes Me Roll' from #9 to #12). It's otherwise the nice experience of the no-longer-quite-as-much yellow and black and it's 16 tracks of christian hair-metal at its peak. And remember, "when things are going wrong you know who to blame"... sigh.
stryper.com
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YES: "35th Anniversary Concert Songs From Tsongas Special Edition"

Rating: Live
Label: Eagle Records 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

The "Songs From Tsongas – The 35th Anniversary Concert – Special Edition", contains an extra 70 minutes of Yes from their performance in Lugano, Switzerland in 2004. YES played the outdoor festival with a stripped down stage set and full on rock versions of the acoustic tracks from Tsongas (Massachusetts). Indeed. The unplugged section done in a similar style as their acoustic DVD, clearly the worst part with Tsongas in my humble opinion.

I'm not keen on watching some of my favorite YES songs as the mellow bonfire gathering (Zzz!). For instance, "The Meeting", Wakeman and Anderson hanging and waiting around on stage for the others to come up one by one as they continue with not-so-fun acoustic versions of "Long Distance Runaround", "Roundabout" and "Owner of A Lonely Heart". etc. Now you can skip them and instead watch the Lugano show. Excellent. I only wish they could have performed "Wonderous Stories", "Time Is Time", and "Show Me" in their original versions too. But sadly no such luck in Lugano.

The 35th Anniversary Tour in 2004, was in fact the last (?) tour by the band to feature the classic line-up of Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Alan White. The Tsongas concert shows a massive stage, designed by their long-time art-work and cover man, Roger "Art Machine" Dean. They walk out to the playback of "Firebird Suite" and kick-off the show with "Going For the One" and Steve Howe's lap guitar. The geezers are strictly professionals and there are not many of the long and at times boring solos in the set. Yet they all get a turn in the spotlight. The impressive original vocalist may not be able to reach those really high notes and pitch of the past. However, it comes with aging and every vocalist experiences it. Squire does beautiful bass work and lines on "Turn of the Century" and Howe plays the breathtaking solo in "Yours Is No Disgrace". Wakeman is perhaps not as animated as in the past?

The only real downer with the original release? Hardly the wink nor smile, or even the nod of appreciating from your fellow band member. Strictly business and Wakeman and Anderson left the band after the tour. The BluRay, highly visual quality and the simply flawless production. The total running time of 252 mins. - the perfect work-out and YES marathon. Highly Recommended.
www.yesworld.com

ASIA: "High Voltage Live" (CD/DVD)

Rating: Live
Label: Frontiers 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Where do I begin? Recorded live at the High Voltage festival in London, Asia stormed the stage at 6:30 in daylight, before any hint of any summer dusk. The short introduction by Roger "Art Machine" Dean, and you're about to watch something else as the DVD give a completely new meaning to the old saying of warts and all. It's the pale, the chubby, the hoarse, and the nearly over excited drummer, "are you having fun? cause we are".

Nah. That's a bit harsh. It's ASIA in 2010 and people need to understand that certain things DO change with time and it's no longer 1982 (even if they say/sing so in 'Heat Of The Moment'). Let's not put down people for being animated and especially not Carl Palmer since he's the proper legend, still bashing away behind the skins. The sign of a great drummer? If there's a gong in the set-up of course. Or is the opposite? Just kidding. Palmer's on fire through out the gig and no doubt the most energetic and fun member of the band.

"Hello east-enders. How ya' doin". John Wetton may not spend much time with banter (or walking for that matter) and the vocals are not quite as smooth as in the eighties. Perhaps not his best performance overall, a couple of blue notes, it's at least the real deal, warts and all. The backup vocals of Stevie Howe and especially during, "One Step Closer", hardly perfect pitch (and that's nice, very nice of yours truly). It doesn't matter in all honesty, since it's the rather boring song, way too pompous and dated. The almost jazzy and progressive work of "Time Again", the nice surprise as it clearly works the best live and in front of an audience.

Speaking of the folks at the festival. Waaay too laid-back and silent, merely the closing track of "Heat Of The Moment" gets them going. The mix is at times hard on the ears and basically the polished bootleg. But again, it's at least the reality of a band and not the fake-azz production.

US AMONGST THE REST: "Follow The Truth"

Rating: RRRR
Label: Ecco/PrescriptionPR 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Us Amongst The Rest are from England and the ancient old town of York. Are we merely to accept as well as expect the classic 'Yorkshire sound' including brass section, pudding, and the whole she-bang? Nah. Quite the opposite. It's radio friendly and commercial Melodic Hard Rock of today and you'll forgive me if I type down, 'the American way and sound'.

At first impression, I would have guessed USA as the origin of UATR as they have that glossy sound of Bullet For My Valentine meets Alter Bridge going on in the production. In fact. They mix the sound built by above mentioned acts and manage to push the rock elements further and onwards on their smashing debut album. "Follow the Truth" has been recorded at Innersound Studios and produced by Joe and Sam Graves (Axewound, Yashin, Glamour of the Kill, Asking Alexandria, With One Last Breath) and the Yorkers have truly created eleven tracks plus one intro of splendor.

The majority of the album has the similar style and output, catchy hooks, sleazy vocals by Karl Sandor, magnificent guitar lines and solos, proper drums, but that does not mean that every song sounds the same. The album is basically crammed with the kind of melodies that most modern (hard) rock bands would kill for. Everything from "Fields Of Fray" to "Falling Skies" speak of quality and determination. I just don't know... according to the press-release, they claim to be alternative rock?. But seriously... how alternative can you (still) be, if you're playing radio-friendly music? The proper kick to the head and they're on the very brink of major success. Recommended.
uatrband.com
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THESE REIGNING DAYS: "Opera Of Love"

Rating: RRR
Label: Ecco/PrescriptionPR 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Up and coming U.K. act with bags of attitude and potential? These Reigning Days from Devon are causing waves on the melodic arena scene, having enjoyed support slots with Bon Jovi (in front of 80,000 fans at the home of Milan and Inter, San Siro), Metronomy, festival appearance at Glastonbury, Hop Fram, etc. as well as having songs in major feature films and on MTV. Not to mention that their single "Too Late" (cracking tune) ended up at the very top of the Italian chart.

They have that slick stadium Rock meets pulsating electro Pop going on through out the album and you're not quite sure if you're supposed to boogie-down or simply just head-bang along to the melodies? Influences are plenty and acts such as The Killers, Maroon 5, Savage Garden, The Editors, and Coldplay (always bloody Coldplay) are constantly popping up while playing These Reiging Days' debut release.

The album is overall the danceable and memorable pop/rock experience with a couple of odd balls and moments. "Fishbowls", coming across as moody as The Cure with an electro twist. "Living It Up", sits nicely in between the sound of The Killers and Coldplay (always bloody Coldplay). Perhaps too familiar at times as they walk a fine line between playing today's popular stuff and simply resorting to clichés. Still, it's one way of covering up the commercial market and staying on the good side of the teens. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the CD. But it's hardly original? Great production by Yoad Nevo (Moby, Goldfrapp) and the additional mix by Ade Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse).

Final note: Drummer, Joe Sansome [how ya' doin', mate?] thinks Heart's "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You" is 80's hair ballad at its best. Blimey!
thesereigningdays.co.uk
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ZOO HARMONICS: "Business In The Front... Party In the Back"

Rating: RRR
Label: Pet Harmony/PrescriptionPR 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Oy! Oy! Oy! Eclectic, hectic, manic, frantic! It must be four mad Punk rockers from Israel? Why not? Face paced rhythms and jumping at-ya' melodies seems to be the latest export from Tel Aviv as the Zoo Harmonics combine cutting guitars with gang vocals and shout-a-long choruses. Recorded in Seattle, U.S. of A at the Robert Lang Studios (Nirvana, Taking Back Sunday) and produced by John Goodmanson (Blood Brothers, Death Cab For Cutie), you're in for a sonic overkill of the kid friendly punk sound.

Dirty and mean punks like the mad Brits of Sex Pistols, they are most certainly not. They have this alt. melodic power pop sound going on in the background and thus ending up as: 'Taking Back-No Use For A-Blink' [see how yours truly combined the names of three acts there. Wow! stunning work]. I guess it's Skater Rock meets Punk Rock with a twist and the songs reminded me of nothing more than those entertaining albums that MTV folks are so fond of today.

"Business In The Front... Party In the Back", no longer the working girl's statement (oy vey!), it shows what can be done with a punky vibe and attitude. The album ticks in at merely 30 minutes or so and the eleven tracks goes by just like that. I'm having trouble finding opener "Stemweder Open Air" to be anything more than your quirky, but not quite excellent punk rock song though. The beat and guitar work is interesting, however, the chorus part is lacking. The album starts in my opinion with the following catchy number "Henry & Clare".

"Awake At Night" is the latest single release off the CD and it's a cheeky little number with just the right amount of the MTV sound with a twist. The lyric is kind of out there and speaks of 'Sailing away on cellophone. Inside your empty suitcase. Airplanes above are sliding fast on cables', end quote. Power-Pop-Punks. You know what to expect and you won't be disappointed.
www.zooharmonics.com
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220 VOLT: ”Walking In Starlight”

Rating: RRR

Label: AOR Heaven 2014
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Swedish hard rock band 220 Volt made some significant noise back in the eighties and were one of the bigger Swedish bands for a while. Their biggest international album was ”Eye To Eye”,  which was produced by Max Norman and featured the minor hit ”Love Is All You Need”.

The band reactivated itself again and have been working hard on this album since December 2013. The line-up of the band has gone through some changes, the biggest change being the replacement of original vocalist Jocke Lundholm. Although he’s been replaced by the very talented Anders Engberg (Lions Share etc), something’s missing. Engberg is easily as good a vocalist as Lundholm was, probably even better, but Lundholm’s rather unique style was a pretty big part of the ”220 Volt” sound.

Rather than 220 Volt of old, this reincarnation sounds more like modern day Europe. In a way it’s understandable, both groups are in the same age group and probably have the same influences, which are shining through. There’s a definite 70’ies hard rock vibe in these songs.

Unfortunately, much like most of the post-reformation Europe songs, some of the new 220 Volt material kind of leaves me cold. It’s competent, well-played and produced classic hard rock, but there’s just way too many songs that don’t ”stick”. Let’s concentrate on the positive things though… Having played this album quite a few times now, I have found my favourites and I’m glad to say that there are a few songs here that do leave a lasting impression. The title track is one, a massive rocker with an anthemic hook, and the more balladic ”The Waiting” and ”Guiding Light” are very good too. My picks from this bunch would be the almost ”power metallic” ”Through The Wastelands” and it’s neighbor, the melodic ”Burning Heart”.

http://220volt.se

VOYAGER: ”V”

Rating: R
Label: Nightmare Records 2014
Review by Rich " The Meister" Dillon

Voyager is a progressive metal band hailing from Perth Australia having been in the game since 1999 and issuing five full length albums to date.  So why haven't I heard of them?

Vocalist Daniel Estrin is the only remaining original member and is joined by guitarist Simone Dow, guitarist Scott Kay, drummer Ashley Doodkorte and bassist Alex Canion.  This fifth album aptly titled V was available in June 2014 and was funded via a crowd funding campaign that saw the goal reached in just three days!  While it seems that Voyager does have a legion of devoted fans out there as evidenced by the crowd funding, I personally was less than impressed by the V album.

I cued it up and was greeted by the synthesizers of the opening track 'Hyperventilating'.  Less than a minute into the song and my interest had waned, being far too ambient and progressive for my tastes.  I continued on through the lead single 'Breaking Down' which started out stronger but still too heavy in the progressive vein for my particular enjoyment.  'A Beautiful Mistake' seemed a little better and I started to get into it but by the time I got through the minute long 'Fortune Favours the Blind' that followed I gave up and shut it off.

That's why they haven't crossed my radar previously.

http://voyager-australia.com/

KILMARA: "Love Songs & Other Nightmares"

Rating: RRRR
Label: Sony Music Entertainment 2014
Review by Rich "The Meister" Dillon

Kilmara are a heavy metal band born in Barcelona, Spain in 2003 under the moniker Jadde.  The addition of German vocalist Christian Wolfgang Kohl (Wolf) brought an evolution of the band but they continued to write Spanish lyrics.  After a couple of demo recordings mostly in Spanish but some experimentation with English lyrics they decided on using English lyrics in the hopes of opening up to a wider market.  In 2007 Kilmara issued their debut full length, Hunting Dreams, with English lyrics.  2010's Don't Fear the Wolf was recorded in Slovakia at Grapow studios and helmed by Roland Grapow (Masterplan/Helloween).  Now, earlier in 2014 they have unleashed their third effort, Love Songs & Other Nightmares again under the direction of Roland Grapow.  The album cover artwork was created by Canadian artist Jessica Allain who is known for her digital photo manipulation work.

For many a man a love song is a pure nightmare but not to worry Kilmara leads the album with "Fantasy", a fast paced metal treat.  Combining elements of power metal, the NWOBHM movement along side melodic vocals with periodic guttural growls makes it difficult to put a specific label on the sound of Kilmara, but I like it!  The opening riffs of 'Devil's Eye' really get their hooks into the listener and the song contains lots of delicious guitar work to enhance not out-do the composition.  The lone song under the four minute mark (four of the twelve are even over six minutes) and only short by a second at that, 'The Break Up' is the lead single and a great representation of what's contained on Love Songs & Other Nightmares.  The six minutes of "Cold Rain" are some of the best on the release and even the slower paced 'Believe' is meaty enough to keep your interest.  The second half of the album plays much like the first creating a release that basically doesn't let up from start to finish.

http://www.kilmara.com/

GREGORY LYNN HALL: "Heaven to Earth"

Rating: RRR
Label: AOR Heaven 2014
Review by Rich "The Meister" Dillon

In the early 80's the band Rat Sally was a popular player in the Hollywood scene appearing at clubs like Gazzarri’s and The Troubador.  Gregory Lynn Hall, Rat Sally vocalist, went on to lend his vocal talents to commercial jingles throughout the 90's and formed AOR band 101 South with Roger Scott Craig in 2000.  With a three album 101 South discography under his belt, Hall strikes out on his own for his debut solo recording, Heaven to Earth.  The album could be considered a one man band in many ways as Hall not only takes care of all vocals but also the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and harmonica!  Gregory Lynn Hall did receive some assistance from other musicians, mostly in the form of guitar solos from the likes of Craig Goldy, Jeff Duncan, Billy Liesegang, Mike Turner and Johnny Navarro as well as Bandit Bellamia (drums).

With a couple of different versions available of the track order, my review copy began with "You Got Me Runnin"" an upbeat 70"s infused bluesy treat.  "Rockin' the Road" continued the decided 70"s rock vein, including some great Jeff Duncan guitar solo work and Hall"s gruff vocals.  Duncan also provides the licks for "Stars in the Night" but then it"s time for Craig Goldy to show his chops in the title track, "Heaven to Earth", one of the clear standouts.  While "I Thought I Saw Heaven" slows things down, "Love Can" explores the more mellow style of AOR rock.  Two back to back ballads follow with "Fly On" and "Ordinary Man" and coupled with the previous two songs equal a total loss of interest at this point.  "Cry No More" returns to the 70"s vibe and groove while "Mama Said" ramps up the blues element largely due to the harmonica use.  Then it's back to a bluesy slower pace for the album closer of "Cryin"" again showcasing the talents of Jeff Duncan.

This album could have been a lot stronger without the ballad four-pack in the mid section.  Aside from that with better than half of the compositions being over five minutes in length and the others more than four minutes, this release contains plenty of 70's vibe/groove rock infused with bluesy, raspy vocals and talented guitar work.
http://www.gregorylynnhall.com/
http://www.gregorylynnhall.com/

Gary MOORE: "Live At Bush Hall 2007"

Rating: Live
Label: Eagle Records 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

The absolutely best thing about "Live At Bush Hall 2007"? The excellent performance, guitar playing, and stunning rich tone of the late and very great Gary Moore. The absolutely worst thing about this live recording? The rather sub-standard blues material on display. Originally the Planet Rock Radio broadcast from London/U.K. and I'm pretty sure that die-hard fans already have this in their collection. Here's your chance to get the real deal on CD though.

Moore kicked off the show with several tracks from his by then new album, 'Close As You Get', and I believe you get a total of seven tracks from the album. You have three tracks from 'Still Got The Blues', the title track, the fun strut of 'Walking By Myself' and 'Too Tired'. One from 'After Hours' and the only rocking track of 'Don't Believe A Word" from the Thin Lizzy daze/days. Let's face it. He was the average white man's blues vocalist and especially if you compare him to the original blues veterans of the old. Superb guitarist though and I guess you can tell that I prefer his "pure rock" material.

Technically brilliant as usual and the studying guitarist might just enjoy the licks and tricks of Gary (RIP).

ASTRAL DOORS: "Notes From The Shadows"

Rating: RR
Label: Metalville 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

I'll have to say that the epic nine plus minute track, "Die Alone", one of Astral Door's better moments as they dabble with the progressive arrangement and Black Sabbath influences. Not to mention that Patrick Johansson is indeed the impressive vocalist with just the right amount of power and finesse. On the other hand, "Notes From The Shadows", overall the disappointment in my opinion.

It really doesn't matter how great the band members are, when the songs are starting to wear and tear on your mind and memory. Surely I've already heard the majority of the Notes From The Shadows melodies in their vast back catalogue? I believe it's the Status Quo and AC/DC endgame at play here? Same, same, but hardly ever different? It feels like a half-hearted attempt at your Astral Doors album and several pieces of the jig-saw puzzle are sadly missing.

Obviously still appealing to many of their fans as they would rather have the trusty old rather than something experiential and new. I couldn't find many songs that stand out from the rest, the above mentioned epic tune excluded. "The Last Temptation Of Christ" and "Disciples Of The Dragon Lord" are interesting tracks, lyric-wise, but might just lack the extra oomph and energy of their forceful melodic power metal of the past. What this seems to mean is that they simply charge out a never ending stream of 'been there, done that' compositions.

PERFECT VIEW: ”Red Moon Rising”

Rating: RRR
Label: Avenue Of Allies 2014
Review by Rich Dillon

Four years after their debut release, Hold Your Dreams, Modena, Italy’s melodic rockers Perfect View are back with Red Moon Rising.  This new release finds bassist Frank Paulis replacing Cristian Guerzoni and joining founders Max Ordine (vocals), Francesco Cataldo (guitar), Luca Ferraresi (drums) and keyboardist Pier Mazzini to fulfil the Perfect View roster.

The opener “Where the Wind Blows” starts off with some 80’s keyboards and is a generally upbeat outing, reminiscent of the style of Journey.  “By My Side” follows suit while “Room 14” is a little grittier (although that’s not the word I’m searching for) I suppose and one of the stronger compositions.  "Slave to the Empire" is a solid melodic hard rock with a hooky chorus and “I Will Remember” sports the longest runtime and thankfully the only ballad they chose to include.  The clear standout on the album is progressive flare of “In the Name of the Father”, also possibly the heaviest (which may explain my enjoyment of it) contained herein.  Next up is “Living in Disguise” followed by the heavier edge of “Dead End Street”, another standout cut.  The 80’s vibe of “Holdin’ On” carries us through to the groove laden “In a Blink of an Eye”.  The album closes out with a cover of a Toto song from their 1988 The Seventh One album, “Home of the Brave”.

Although I generally prefer a little harder of an edge to my rock and a little less pop flavour, Perfect View have issued a solid collection of melodic hard rock compositions with elements of AOR, classic and progressive rock thrown in.  This release should appeal to fans from Journey to Europe.

http://www.perfectviewtheband.com/

THE PRETTY RECKLESS: ”Going To Hell”

Rating: RR
Label: Razor & Tie / Cooking Vinyl 2014
Review by Rich Dillon

New York band The Pretty Reckless issued their sophomore album, Going to Hell, back in March 2014.  The debut, Light Me Up, garnered some commercial success spawning three singles in 2010 and now Taylor Momsen returns with her band four years later.  Momsen follows a long tradition of actors turned musicians having starred on TV’s Gossip Girl as Jenny Humphrey among several other roles throughout her career.  After deciding to leave acting for the time being to focus on her music we find her joined by Ben Phillips (guitars), Mark Damon (bass) and Jamie Perkins (drums) in The Pretty Reckless.

The cover art, Momsen’s naked back decorated with a black cross and arrow pointing to her ass, was inspired by the Pink Floyd poster with nude women sitting on the edge of a pool with album covers on their backs.  During the recording of the record the studio was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy forcing the band to rerecord a lot of the material.  The album opens with “Follow Me Down” including a woman moaning as the intro.  The song is an upbeat rocker with a chorus that evokes thoughts of the bayou.  The title track, “Going to Hell”, has some great guitar work and chorus, but “Heaven Knows”, called a Queen rip-off can’t hold my interest.  “House on a Hill” is a slower number and frankly a bit of a sleeper.  “Sweet Things” picks up the pace a little, but is just a generic composition and the 56 second “Dear Sister” rather pointless.  Going to Hell does not improve and after a couple of listens this is not really my style of rock and sounds too much like a dozen other bands.  There are some good riffs and compositions but a little too much of the modern rock/alternative flare for my particular tastes.

http://goingtohell.me/hell/

COLD SHOT: "Cold Shot"

Rating: RRR
Label: Eonian Records 2013
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Cold Shot, one of those L.A. Sunset Strip acts of the eighties that 'almost' made it and that Eonian Records are so good at digging up? They sold out places such as The Roxy and The Whiskey at regular bases and secured endorsement deals. They even recorded two songs "Juicy Lucy" and "Higher", the latter co-written by the Cavazo brothers (Quiet Riot, Hurricane) for the soundtrack to Brad Pitt's film, "Across The Tracks" in 1989/90. This led to a deal offer from Virgin Records, but, the wind of change (grunge) came and and Cold Shot became yesterdays news.

The eleven tracks on this CD were all recorded between the years of 1989 to 1991. Additional background vocals by Nate and Paul Winger (there's a Kip connection) and the two above songs from the Pitt film and soundtrack are indeed included on this record. Their flamboyance lead singer Adam Murray is quite the sleazy vocalist with the hint of barbwire and blues. The same goes for the song material as they come out sounding like Great White meets Every Mother's Nightmare or if you prefer Faster Pussycat meets Cinderella? Simply mash the four acts together and end up with Cold Shot? Well. Not quite. But you know what I'm getting at.

It's sleazy/bluesy eighties stuff and quite the groovy attitude as the opening track of "Juicy Luicy" isn't complete without the harmonica intro. Hard hitting numbers such as "Mine All Mine" and "Heart Of The City" are fun and rather aggressive sleaze/blues tracks. The power ballad "Without Your Love" is the nice surprise as they manage to capture the essence of the Cold Shot sound even if the chorus part might just have you thinking about Dokken. "Long Legs", inspired by Crue ála Girls Girls Girls?, and "Captured", ehem, capture the strong vibe of Van Halen (pre-chorus) and the Ratt/Poison refrain. No pun intended. It's hardly rat poison :)

I'm not too keen on uptempo tracks such as "Higher" as they simply lack hook and melody. Some of these tracks could/should have stayed in the vaults or in this particular case, Brad Pitt's old movie. Final verdict: The majority of tracks sounds great. The solid release and pickup if you're into sleazy eighties blues and above mentioned acts.

Paul GILBERT: "Stone Pushing Uphill Man"

Rating: RR
Label: Mascot 2013
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Guitarist Paul Gilbert of Racer X and Mr Big fame (they have a new album coming out next month) and his latest release, the cover album, "Stone Pushing Uphill Man". Reading the track list, you'll quickly notice familiar songs such as Loverboy's "Working For The Weekend", Aerosmith's "Back In The Saddle", James Brown's "I Got The Feeling", "Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", The Beatles "Why Don't We Do It In The Road", Eric Carmen's "My Girl" and "K.D. Lang's "Wash me Clean".

That's a very eclectic and varied bunch of tracks for sure and completely unnecessarily in my humble opinion. Why? Because it's all instrumental and most of these tracks are simply not working (out) without lead vocals. Gilbert does his best to mimic the vocal lines with his singing guitar and I guess it's the nice idea on paper. Truth be told. Merely a couple of tunes such as 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and 'Why Don't We Do It In The Road' are truly winners in my book.

There are also two new originals in "Shock Absorber" and the old time R&B/blues of the title track (think 1930's meets 1960's). The latter with vocals actually and not too shabby at all. Final Verdict: Pretty pointless?

DEEP PURPLE: "Live In Graz 1975"

Rating: Live
Label: earMUSIC/Edel 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

This is probably my favorite live recording of the Mark III line-up of the band. Well. At least the first five tracks of "Live In Graz 1975" as you'll find absolutely storming versions of "Burn" (Jon Lord's solo), "Stormbringer" (never sounded better), "The Gypsy", "Lady Double Dealer", and the extra long version of "Mistreated", even if Coverdale goes on and on and there's plenty of extensive and inspired solo parts on this sucker.

Indeed. You're in for a treat if you enjoy Coverdale/Hughes and their vocal treatments on these songs as they are top notch. You can't really tell that Blackmore, during a short break before the last of the planned dates in 75', informed the management about his decision to leave. Thus why they decided to bring in the Rolling Stones mobile recording studio to capture the these final Mark III shows in Graz, Saarbrücken and Paris.

However, the Graz versions of "Smoke on The Water" and "Space Truckin" are perhaps not quite as great? Glenn Hughes goes absolutely bananas during "Smoke on The Water" (many over the top high-pitch screams and wailing) and the inclusion of "Georgia On My Mind" is slightly out of place. "You Fool No One", comes with its solo intact and Blackmore include bits and pieces from songs later found on the Rainbow debut album. The twenty minute or so version of "Space Truckin" is frankly just long and boring enough to have most people including yours truly running for the exit door (the rather short inclusion of Child In Time is interesting though and the same goes for Hughes' bass-work). But, the pure energy of the first five tracks. Excellent.

FLYING COLORS: "Second Nature"

Rating: RRRR
Label: Mascot 2013
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Flying Colors' debut album - the proper shock to the system. Full of great songs, prog-rock passages and lovely soft-rock harmonies in the vein of The Beatles, Supertramp and Steely Dan. We expected nothing less from their sophomore release, "Second Nature", and one quick glance at the band members of this super-group is frankly enough to have you drooling like a rabid mad bulldog. But are they capable of living up to the hype with their second studio album at the Mascot Label? Well... yeah. No doubt. But, it's different from your ordinary prog album.

I've been playing this disc for a couple of weeks and it's quite the roller coaster ride at first with many outrageous passages and keyboard/guitar interludes. They still blend complex prog-rock with sweet and fluffy pop choruses and it's definitely something out of the ordinary. You need to spend time with this platter as it's progressive music in its original sense and order. Instead of playing the safe card of recording just another Flying Color debut, you'll find plenty of weird choices and experiential arrangements.

In truth. "Second Nature" is basically the hybrid-project where complex prog meets pop meets post-grunge groove. I guess it's simply just ART-Rock as there's plenty of space and breathing room for the musicians to roam. You'll even forgive Casey for watching the first Shrek movie one too many times and thus being the Hallelujah wannabee vocalist (the song originally recorded by Leonard Cohen). "Peaceful Harbor" get most if its inspiration from the song. Not to mention that "The Fury of My Love" is coming across like pompous prog lite power ballad where above mentioned song meets Bon Jovi's Never Say Goodbye. Weird but good stuff.

"A Place In Your World" is grand and powerful music with old school keyboard work by Neal Morse (think Gentle Giant, YES) and the extremely catchy refrain. "One Love Forever" folk-rock meets prog and the three piece epic tune, "Cosmic Symphony", and especially part 3 (Pound For Pound) sounds more like something The Band (classic act of the late 60s/early 70s) would record rather than your Prog super-group? Final verdict: The note by note work of Steve Morse, top notch as always and all the musicians of Flying Color are great anyhow. Recommended to the open-minded music fan. Obviously progressive rock, but you really get to experience a fresh new taste for each and every piece of the pie.
www.facebook.com/flyingcolorsofficial

STATUS QUO: The Frantic Four's Final Fling

Rating: Live
Label: earMUSIC/Edel 2014
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

The Frantic Four's Final Fling? The final show of the final tour. Ever? Have we heard it all before? Yeah. It's merely been 30 years since Status Quo first decided to do their first farewell concert and tour (1984). The 12 bar boogie UK band was back on stage again in 1986. However, this is what most people regard as the proper line-up of the band with original drummer John Coghlan (he decided to leave the band just prior to their 20th anniversary in 1982), original bassist Alan Lancaster and the same ugly geezers upfront (Francis Rossi & Rick Parfitt).

In fact. The three of Coghlan, Lancaster, Rossi, started playing together in 1962 as The Spectres. They took on a second guitarist (Parfitt) in 1966 and changed the name to Status Quo, a byword for uncomplicated rock n roll and boogie for years and the rest is as they say history. Listening to this 2CD live recording from Dublin in April 2014 and it's quite easy to understand why people think of this as Ultimate Quo. It's loud, raw, and energetic boogie rock n roll with plenty of riffs and bags of attitude. Not a single note of the at times sappy melodies of the eighties, nineties, or any other era than the seventies for that matter.

If you came here looking for the same old standards and play list as always keep walking as you merely get "Down Down" and "Caroline" in the set. Instead it's tracks such as "Junior's Walkin", "Backwater", "Rain", or why not "Big Fat Mama" that shines through with flying colors. It's heavier than your poppy Quo era and it's definitely hard rock with stronger material than any Ted Nugent live album (well, they sort of belong to the same blues category of the 70s).

BIG COUNTRY: "Steeltown" 2CD Deluxe

Rating: Re-issue
Label: Universal/Mercury 2014 (1984)
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Steeltown, the death of industrial U.K. plus all the mood swings of the politics in the early/mid 80s. The evil one a.k.a. Thatcher, the miner's strike, recession, civil unrest, the trade unions, Falklands, the death of the coal industry, the anti-nuclear movement, racist coppers, football hooligans, fish and chips, and the sheer agony of the cold war. British Steel, no longer relevant to the modern world as the workers found themselves unemployed in the eighties depression.

Plenty of groups (U2, The Alarm, New Model Army, Simple Minds, The Clash, etc.) were strongly influenced by the politics as they became the soundtrack of the era. The Scots of Big Country had a slightly different approach to their sound as they continued to explore their Celtic-tingled melodies on their second album from the year of 1984. Big arena rock, huge drums, heavily processed guitars and effect, mandolin, and the close to overkill use of the e-bow (a device which allows your guitar to sound more like strings or synthesizer). To be completely honest. Their debut album, "The Crossing", featured even more of the e-bow.

Indeed. It's all right here on the 2CD Deluxe edition and it's all good! Big Country and their first two albums are very much essential stuff in any serious record collection in my humble opinion. Recorded at ABBA's studio (Polar Studios) in Stockholm, Sweden, "Steeltown" entered the U.K. albums chart at #1 and featured three top 30 hit singles. Yet, it's the forgotten gem? It's basically 10 tracks of fun Alt./Arena Rock/Celtic/New Wave/ U.K. music of its time and era. Disc two: 17 tracks of A-Sides/B-Sides/demos and rough mixes. Three different versions of Wonderland. B-sides such as "Giant", "Prairie Rose", "Belief Is The Small Man", "Bass Dance", "Winter Sky", etc.

Singer/guitarist Stuart Adamson (formerly of Skids) fought alcoholism, mental and emotional health for years. In November 2001, Adamson disappeared and was eventually found dead in a hotel room in Honolulu, Hawaii on 16 December 2001 (RIP). Highly Recommended.
www.bigcountry.co.uk

VANITY BLVD – “Wicked Temptation”

Rating: RRR

Label: Noisehead Records

Review By: Alan Holloway

Here’s one that’s been stuck in the ‘to be reviewed’ file on my computer for a few months, so apologies for all those fans of female fronted crunchy hard rock that have been waiting. Vanity Blvd take a pretty basic formula of sexy sleazy big hook rock and roll, throw in a nicely spicy lead singer and see what happens.

“Dirty Rat” opens the album, and certainly nails the band’s colours to the mast efficiently. The riffs are solid, the rhythm upbeat and the vocals sleazy without being cartoonish. There’s hints of the Runaways in the attitude and delivery of singer Anna Savage, and the daftly named Traci Trexx (seriously, dude, double Xs went out in the nineties) keeps it tight and rather old school on the guitar. It’s good, sure, and infectious, but nothing you haven’t heard before. The feeling of déjà vu continues throughout the eleven tracks, mainly because Vanity Blvd cling to their formula like it’s a piece of driftwood in the middle of the Atlantic. There’s a few Motley Crue like ruffs spicing things up, but “Wicked Temptation” never really takes off, although it cruises very nicely.

Vanity Blvd have made a solid album here, with songs that will certainly appeal to fans of sleaze and glam rock who want something with a bit of a crunch to get between their teeth. The only drawback is the lack of any real progression or variety apart from the nice power ballad “Falling Down”, and let’s be honest and say it’s a rare album that doesn’t have a ballad on it somewhere. There’s definite promise here, and enough talent to ensure a decent number of satisfied customers even at this early stage. 

Official Site