SOLITY: "Booze Blues and Broken Bones"

Rating: RR
Label: Indie 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Solity from Sweden are now releasing their debut album and here's what I thought about their previous EP and I quote, "Solity is a totally solid, but at the same time unreliable and unpredictiable act from Sweden. Steeped in a strange formula and flavours of Thrashy Metal and Radio friendly U.S. Rock, this could either go all the way or straight to the bin", end quote. Well, I did like their "Species 2.0" EP as they turned things around and upside down with quirky hybrid metal.

Unfortunately the long play doesn't quite match up to expectations. Lionmusic did release a couple of albums with a similar sound and I'm mostly thinking about acts such as Mister Kite. Only problem is that you can't give away those albums nowadays and you'll find them in every bin across Sweden. But the Kites were at least flying high for a week or two. Opener "Gunslingers Kiss", doomy metal intro in slow motion before the CD takes off with "Down To The River". In fact, "Booze, Blues and Broken Bones" - it's basically a thrash tech-metal album based on massive riffing and groove. However, Solity are no strangers to eighties sleaze and melodic hardrock.

The EP also showcased a U.S. Rock influence and "Breaking News" sounds like Linkin Park on a date with Dave Mustaine. The riffing is fun and modern but you're not going to spend your summer humming these tunes. The lack of fun choruses are just too much in the end.
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PROFUSION: "Rewotower"

Rating: RRR
Label: ProgRock Rec. 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Jazzy prog passages and basically a spiral of genres, tones and rhythms, are melted together into Profusion. Taking elements of metal, fusion, 70's progressive rock, and pop, the band goes through every sound spectrum of music on their second album release. The Italians are clever right down to the album's title and many of their arrangements are refreshing and fun. They are actually very melodic at times and especially the ACT, IQ, Rush, fan will appreciate the formula.

Tracks like "Taste Of Colours Part Two" and "Tower Part Two" start to sound a little samey after a while (and yes, there's a part one of both tracks), but then every now and then you have absolute killer material screaming into view. It's definitely full marks for show/craftmanship and musical flexibility as these guys have been doing their homework as ambitious prog musicians. They may however still lack that little extra when it comes to actual songwriting.

Nontheless, each and every track reveals a new dimension, a different take at music as they mix rock, metal, fusion, pop and acoustic tango?? To be honest and frank (or whatever name you prefer), it's perhaps a bit too much of everything and the outcome is massively complex at times. This is not to deny the band's underlying abilities to record a smashing perfect album the next time around. For now, back to the drawing board and sort out some of all of their influences. Decent, good, but not quite the classic release.

XANADU: "The Last Sunrise"

Rating: R
Label: ProgRock Rec. 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Xanadu - not to be confused with the sappy film score tune sang by Olivia Newton John (and written by ELO's Jeff?) nor the legendary fantasy place of long gone days. Appearantly a continuation of the "old Xanadu" from the 1990's though as drummer (Hubert Murawski) binds the two bands. It's not like we knew about their old band for that matter. However, it's progski from Poland and these guys feel the need to play ambitious music with a hint of melancholy, yet with some rock inside?

There's a pattern of atmospheric, dark, moody, prog-metal, to be found within these seven tracks. Despite kicking off on the right foot with some fairly decent prog (Piece Of Mind), things gets quickly dull and dare I say boring? The vocalist is far from impressive and their heavy riffing reeks of Machine Head rather than Pink Floyd. The lack of proper melodies are however their weakest link. Final verdict: Good musicians, weak material.

POLUTION "Beyond Control"

Rating: RR
Label: Escape 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

The Polution debut "Overheated" also from Escape Music had its moments. Full-frontal guitar rock attack from Switzerland and in the vein of Airbourne, Dirty Looks, Krokus, D.A.D, you know, the three to four-chord 'Acca Dacca' style of music. Nothing fancy, nothing new, weird or pompous. But it works as long as you keep the hooks coming and the guitars screaming. Something which they haven't quite managed to capture on this particular record.

Lyrically, things don't get off to best of start as you endeavour to comprehend the angry words that are coming out of their very upset barbwire vocalist. 'Get outta' my way - Get outta' my sight'. Sigh, it's like you have to (once again) experience any conversation you've ever had with your parents/mates/neighbours/whatever (take your pick). Dude, I don't need the negative vibe... or perhaps I'am reading too much into this?

The lead vocals are desperately searching for a place to belong and finally end up somewhere between the modern rock acts and the deranged sleaze/thrash rocker of the past. The melodies are steeped in the AC/DC vs Metallica mode this time around and it's so been there, done that. The conclusion of Polution? it's nothing new under the sun and although I don't think that was the point with this record... I still believe it's important to make a sort of lasting impression. Could work as pub music after a dozen of beer or more.

MILLION DOLLAR RELOAD: "A Sinner's Saint"

Rating: RRR
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

For some reason, I thought that this band was from Switzerland. They're not, they're from Ireland, but they surely have a very "Swiss" sound. You know, Krokus, early Gotthard, Shakra... Riff-driven hard rock with some nice melodies here and there. And of course, a gravel-throated vocalist.

Among the more riff-based, AC/DC-influenced and frankly not that exciting rockers, the more melodic songs stand out positively. "Bullets In The Sky" is the first one of them, a song that reminds me a bit of Great White and Tesla. The ballad "Broken" sounds like something that Cinderella could've topped the charts with in 1988, while "Wicked" has a definite Tyketto vibe.

The album's highlight for me is the catchy "Smoke 'N Mirrors". The song may be a distant cousin of Cinderella's "Shake Me", but it has enough identity to escape any "rip off" accusations.

All in all, a rather rockin' effort from this band, even though I wouldn't mind if the band attempted to add some an extra injection of melody to ALL of the songs on their next album.

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JORN: "Bring Heavy Rock To The Land"

Rating: RRR
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

There's no question about it, Jorn Lande is one of the finest rock/metal-vocalists out there today. He's best known for his work with Masterplan and various projects like Avantasia, but ever since his first solo album in 2000, he has released several albums on his own. Or with a band called JORN, I guess that's the preferred description.

I haven't heard much of Jorn's solo material, but the couple of albums I've heard haven't exactly blown me away. Great vocals of course, but somehow uninteresting song material. "Bring Heavy Rock To The Land" shows some improvement in the songwriting department, with a few rather strong songs.

"My Road" is the "intro" of the album, a short song showcasing Jorn's superb voice, if nothing else. The title track is a hard-hitting, anthemic heavy rock track that will have Jorn's live audiences singing along to the powerful chorus. "A Thousand Cuts" is another winner, thanks to its' melodic chorus. The Christopher Cross cover "Ride Like The Wind" works well too, Jorn adding a gritty edge to this "yacht rock" classic. I still prefer the Saxon version though...

The rest of the album doesn't hold my attention quite as well as the first few songs, even though especially the balladic "The World I See" and the fast-paced "Ride To The Guns" give them a run for their money. As for the rest... solid heavy rock but not too memorable. Kind of like most of Jorn's material?!?

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WIGELIUS: "Reinventions"

Rating: RRR
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Wiggle Wiggle... apart from sounding a bit like the Finnish composer Sibelius, Wigelius is the last name of this band's vocalist Anders and drummer Erik. It's a bit unusual name for a band, but does it matter if the music's good? Had the band been named after one of the two other members, it would've been called Svensson or Petersson... I guess their current monicker is better.

Producer Daniel Flores scouted Anders Wigelius from a TV show where he was singing Journey, and hooked up with him. "Reinventions" is the result, an album full of sweet AOR melodies along the lines of Toto, Journey and Michael Morales. Don't know about "reinventions" though, this is pretty safe and standard AOR material.

Although I know that Wigelius aren't really offering anything new to the genre, most of their songs do push the right buttons and I can't help but like them. I'll admit that a few of the songs are bit too sweet for their own kind, but there's still plenty of enjoyable, well executed soft rockin' on the album for all you AOR fans out there. Just don't expect anything out of this world, just good basic melodic rock. Highlights: "Next To You" and "I Reach Out".
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REVERENCE: "When Darkness Calls"

Rating: RRR
Label: Razae Ice Records 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

"Featuring members of Savatage, Tokyo Blade and Burning Starr" boasts the band's website. Yep, we're talking about a supergroup of sorts. Maybe not an "A-list supergroup" since none of the bands mentioned haven't quite achieved a place on the A-list of metal groups. They all have a cult following though, and maybe with Reverence the combined fanbases will join together and push the band to the next step of the ladder.

To my ears, Reverence has a very American Eighties Metal sound. I don't mean the likes of Dokken or Ratt, I'm talking about bands like Malice, Lizzy Borden, Armored Saint, Savatage... from the rougher end of the era's heavy metal scene, but keeping a safe distance to the thrash/speed genre.

Vocalist Todd Michael Hall has a cool metal voice that has traces of Geoff Tate, Lizzy Borden and Ronnie James Dio. Truly a throat made for metal... The rest of the band are no slouches either, they've got plenty of experience and you can hear that. Bryan Holland and Pete Rossi play some tasty Maiden'ish twin-leads and the rhythm section of Steve "Doc Killdrums" Wacholz and Ned Meloni pound out intricate rhythms.

While the band's songwriting does have a distinct sense of quality and professionalism to it, their songs could have used a serious dose of memorability. Probably the "easiest" songs to get into on this the album are the title track, its' follow-up track "Bleed For Me" and "Revolution Calling" a bit later in the tracklisting. If the songs of the album had been a bit richer when it comes to the melodies, I wouldn't have hesitated to give a better rating. They've got the musical talent, now they only have to make their songs a bit more appealing to the non-diehard Power Metal fans. Maybe their next album will be their "Operation: Mindcrime"...
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BLACKMORE'S NIGHT: "A Knight In York"

Rating: N/A
Label: UDR/EMI 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

So far, I’ve managed to avoid Blackmore’s Night, mainly because I just didn’t want to hear Ritchie Blackmore doing Medieval Fayre music, and partly because part of me suspected that Candice Night had bewitched him into turning his back on rock music. Anyway, when someone offers a free DVD it’s hard to say no, so I took a deep breath and broke my Blackmore’s Knight duck with a bang.

The very first thing that sort of put me off this whole enterprise was the fact that the musicians are listed as Earl Gray Of Chimay, Bard David Of Larchmont, Squire Malcolm Of Lumley, Gypsy Rose and Minstrel Albert. Just reading this gave me a headache, as it smacks of being hippies for the sake of it, although I noticed that Night and Blackmore themselves didn’t have a daft suffix or prefix in sight. It’s good to be the King, eh?

Okay, so this is the point where I carry on hating, right? Where I say the whole thing is just a bunch of drippy, hippy nonsense? Well, it sort of is, but that’s really to be expected with names like that, straw on the stage and a hurdy-gurdy. For something I really should turn my nose up at, I seem to have watched this DVD quite a lot over the past few days. I’m watching it now, and I may well watch it later. The thing is… it’s really good. Okay, so it’s not rock music, admittedly, but that Candice Night has a superb voice on her, and Richie does get to throw in a few guitar/mandolin solos every so often, even going so far as to look like his old gurning self. Dammit, he looks happy, so he may not actually be bewitched.

There’s a mega low point when they start doing the refrain from “Bad Romance” and a roadie comes on as “Lady Ga Ga” - it’s even ore cringeworthy than the costumes, the straw and the two fake boulders at the front of the stage, but I’m sure they found it fun. The packed crowd in York seem to be enjoying the whole thing, and I have to say I would have liked to be there myself. Blackmore’s Night make music to chill out to, with some lovely intricacies, plenty of bounce when needed and vocals that carry across any room to perk the interest of anyone in earshot. As a DVD it’s simple stuff with no frills to the performance, but none are needed. If, like me, you’ve avoided this lot but actually quite like a bit of folk rock, then this is a great jumping off point. Egads! Forsooth! Etc etc…
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LEVELLERS: "Static On The Airwaves"

Rating: RRRR
Label: On The Fiddle Recordings 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

It’s been 22 odd years for The Levellers, a band who irritate some people because they basically look like a bunch of travellers, and delight other with their political, environmentally conscious yet catchy repertoire. Regardless of their politics or appearance, there are few people who can resist tapping a foot to the likes of “Beautiful Day”, or appreciating the solemn power of “Hope Street”, and in this lies then band’s true strength: the ability to rise above what they are perceived as.

I have to admit that I’ve not been bowled over by recent Levellers albums, although there certainly have been plenty of good tracks scattered amongst them. “Static On The Airwaves” sees a return to what I consider the core strengths of the band, with gritty folk rock spiced up with aggressive fiddle and well placed guitars, tied together with some fantastic lyrics. Most importantly, it’s a very catchy album, with none of the dirgy tracks that have dogged them for a while now.

The track that will get everyone hopping is the single “Truth Is”, which is about as traditional a Levellers song as you will ever get, with a frantic jig on the fiddle precluding a well paced, lively anthem that will see live audiences drunkenly carousing round in circles, waving cider bottles about for all their worth. My personal favourite, however, is the short “Forgotten Towns”. It consists of just Mark Chadwick’s vocals backed by Jonathan Sevink on fiddle, and it’s a very powerful portrait of Britain’s ailing high streets. Elsewhere they have a go at online addiction, America (for a change) and, of course, war, in the beautiful album closer “The Recruiting Sergeant”, itself a modern reworking of the Black Watch anthem “Twa Recruitin Sergeants”.

I have to say that I have enjoyed this Levellers album more than any other from the last decade, and am looking forward to hearing some of the new tracks live. It’s an album of peaks and troughs, but whilst the peaks are sky high, the troughs still reach for that sky. Angry and politically aware they may be, but The Levellers haven’t yet forgotten how to write a decent tune. In the end, we’re all of the fiddle…
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GUN: "Break The Silence

Rating: RRR
Label: Ear Music 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

Let’s be honest, Gun have never really had an easy time of it. Their debut album “Taking On The World” was a good attempt at a kind of stadium rock thing, but never quite gave them the success they craved. If you Google the band it’s likely that the phrase “Best know for their cover of Cameo’s Word Up” will crop up quite a bit, and to many that’s all they are. Their main problem has been the stop/start nature of the band, and after a brief and almost exciting stint with Toby Jepson at the helm, they’re back again, taking on the world all over again.

Although there’s been more than a few faces splattered against the revolving door of Gun, brothers Jools and Dante Gizzi remain, although Dante has ditched the bass to concentrate on being the new full time lead vocalist, a job he’s well practised at from his other band El Presidente, so it’s not like he just decikded to give it a bash here. Jools still holds down the guitar section as admirably as ever, although to be honest I was surprised that this album even sounded like Gun after so much drama and scene shifting.

Well, it certainly does sound like Gun, and fortunately it’s the good shit that was evident in the “Popkiller” EP, as in lively, bouncy tunes that coast on the back of strong guitar riffs. They fit in very well with the likes of Ash or The Manic Street Preachers, with strong pop based anthems like “Caught In The Middle” mixing with atmospheric tunes such as “How Many Roads”, which manages to be very Manic-y without copying. Nice trick if you can do it. Dante Gizzi has a pretty decent voice that suit’s the Gun style, with the ability to go a bit Axl Rose if he really has to.

In conclusion, this is a surprisingly solid album, with no real weak tracks and a nice, smooth production throughout. It will certainly stir some fond memories in existing fans, and hopefully create some new ones. Whilst it’s hard to get too excited, I can see this album hanging about for some time as a good one to play when I just want to kick back and listen to some good, uncomplicated upbeat pop rock.
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HERMAN FRANK: "Right In The Guts"

Rating: RRR
Label: Metal Heaven 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

Herman Frank is a rather well known German guitarist, who contributed to the Accept Classic “Balls To The Wall”, and has been with Victory since 1986 (although he is back with Accept for this years “Stalingrad” album). His 2009 solo album, “Loyal To None” was pretty well received, and so he’s back with another one.

For this album, vocalist Jiotis Parachidis has been replaced with the similarly voiced Rick Altzi (At Vance), who brings a comforting, gravelly sound to proceedings. This is the sort of voice that has graced many European metal albums, and whilst it won’t make your jaw drop it certainly gets the job done with absolutely no problems, and can be appreciated by just about anyone. Musically, “Right In The Guts” does just what it says on the cover, delivering fourteen powerful, driving melodic metal outings. As with the previous album it’s solid, dependable stuff and there’s nothing wrong with it except that the lack of anything that really breaks free and kicks you in, well, the guts.

So this is certainly a good piece of heavy metal, with plenty of melody, a bit like the last Bangalore Choir album, and like that album it only falls down because all of the songs are good but few are great. Nonetheless, it should certainly keep fans of Herman Frank happy, and if you enjoyed his previous solo outing you’ll certainly get off on this one.
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ROCK OF AGES - The Movie

Reviewed By Alan Holloway

Right… this really should have been shit, to be honest. Mamma Mia for Journey fans, with Tom bloody Cruise of all people pretending to be a rock god. Okay, so it’s based on a successful stage musical, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. This isn’t West Side Story, although to be fair West Side Story would have been improved with a Twisted Sister Song or two.

It certainly gets off to a dodgy start, as Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough, Footloose) is bussing her way to Los Angeles and starts signing Night Ranger’s “Sister Christian”. It’s horribly cheesy and there were more than a few laughs through the cinema, one of them mine as I prepared for a very long two hours to drag by as my favourite musical genre was ripped apart and stamped on. Bollcoks…

Then, as soon as the horrible bus ride is over, it all gets better! Sherrie reaches L.A, falls in love with Drew Bolie (Diego Boneta, 90210), and gets a job at an infamous club The Bourbon Room. Thrust into the mix are club owner Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin, lots of stuff) and his sidekick Lonny (Russell Brand, who can’t decide if he’s from London or Birmingham), along with genuine rock god Stacee Jaxx (some bloke called Tom Cruise) who is to play a gig there. Along for the ride we have anti rock shrew Patricia Whitmore (Catherine Zeta Jones, Darling Buds Of May), who wants to close the club down for good.

Okay, so the plot isn’t exactly Shakespeare, or even the bloke that used to clean Shakespeare’s toilets (Mr Ploppy), but it’s really not the point. This, my friends, is all about the music. We get songs by Journey, Def Leppard, Twisted Sister, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Poison, Whitesnake and more, all performed by the cast. Tom Cruise does a fine job on vocals, as does everyone else, and certain tracks really do bring a tear to the eye as the lyrics match the on screen feelings. I’m just an old softie, really.

The two leads are both charming and very sexy, Cruise plays up the rock god label with total style and not a few laughs, whilst Brand and Baldwin get the best moment in the whole movie, which shall not be spoiled here. Seriously, you’ll choke on your popcorn. There’s even a spot for Mary J Blige as a strip club owner, and she, too, gets her chance to exercise some great pipes as she belts out Journey’s “Any Way You Want It”.

ASIA: "XXX"

Rating: 10/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

First up, I should say that I’m not a massive fan of Asia, a band whose original members came from various big ass prog rock bands, yet together they made more of a melodic rock sound. Mind you, this hasn’t stopped people labelling them as a prog band for thirty years now. Personally, I like their first three albums, but when vocalist John Wetton was replaced by John Payne I felt they lost something in their sound and never really enjoyed an album from start to finish, although there were several good tracks here and there. Even though the four original members reunited for 2008’s “Phoenix” album, plus 2010’s “Omega”, even these albums were patchy, although better than much that came in the Payne era.

Named to mark the band’s 30th anniversary, “XXX” will play merry havoc with your internet search history, as anyone inputting “Asia XXX” will get plenty of results, nearly all of them pornographic. Well done, lads! The cover art has been provided by the ever present Roger Dean, and it’s pretty cool, but it’s when you listen to the music that “XXX” impresses most (as it should be).

The only bugbear I have with this album is at the start. Now I hate the trend for album intros, usually a minute or so of crap to set the tone or whatever, but at least I can skip or just delete them. On “XXX” (pronounced Triple X) there’s an intro bolted on to opener “Tomorrow The World” which is a gentle and very dull keyboard piece. Thank feck that once it’s over (after 50seconds) the album opener is classic Asia, reminding me of the excellent “Finger On The Trigger” opener to Omega - fast, melodic and catchy. It sets the tone for the album, as “XXX” is firmly based around tracks with a bit of pace to them, rather than ballads.

Just nine tracks are here, and every single one is up there with anything Asia have done before. I have had this album for weeks now, and it gets listened to every single day, usually more than once. As I said, I’m not a rabid Asia fan, and to be honest I hated Yes and their ilk for the most part. The tracks manage to combine keyboards, slick guitars and the unique vocals of John Wetton incredibly well. The best track, for me, is “Bury Me In Willow”, a very catchy and quite haunting song that follows up “Tomorrow The World” perfectly and showcases Wetton’s voice perfectly. “No Religion” follow it, and is yet another upbeat, well paced track with a chorus that sticks in your head like glue.

Even when we get a ballad, the excellent fourth track “Faithful”, it morphs into an upbeat track two thirds through. Throw in the catchy single “Face On The Bridge”, another mid paced, catchy track “Al Gatto Nero”, the guitar heavy and chorus led “Judas” and the mid paced “I know How You Feel” and you’ll realize that this isn’t an Asia album for the soft hearted. “XXX” screams melodic rock at the listener, and not slow, heartbreaking ballad heavy melodic rock either. Every single song has a singalong chorus, and every single track has cool guitarwork as well as creative keyboards. It’s all rounded off with a second quasi ballad, “Ghost Of A Chance”, which again goes all upbeat two thirds through with a nice orchestral arrangement that closes the album as well as anything could, coupled with a great Steve Howe solo.

Up to now, I thought my album of the year was going to be Halestorm, but with “XXX” the old guard have delivered the best Asia album in a thirty year career, and what will almost certainly be the best album of 2012, and yes I do know there’s a Rush one coming out!
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ROCKYARD: "EP"

Label: Rockyard 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

This is interesting. Rockyard play energetic, modern rock, yet one element of their music reminds me of a classic rock legend: vocalist Matt Warry-Smith seems to be channeling the spirit of Gary Moore! Some of the higher notes sound uncannily like Gary, even though the music sounds completely different to his material. Eerie.

Out of the four songs, the first three are all rather decent uptempo tracks. The last track "Wandering" does just what the title says, it doesn't seem to go anywhere.

All in all, this EP isn't too bad at all. There's still room for improvement when it comes too the hooks, but somehow the relentless energy of the band makes up for it.
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CIRCUS MAXIMUS: "Nine"

Rating: 8/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Norwegian prog metal group Circus Maximus have managed to pass me by, even though this is their third album. That's a pity, as their music seems to be just the kind of prog metal that I like. In other words, they are not constantly trying to impress with their skills and complex songwriting, instead they have some very accessible, melodic tracks.

Vocalist Michael Eriksen left his mark in the melodic rock scene with last year's The Magnificent album, which proved that he's a world class AOR singer. He shines here too, as does the rest of the band, but then again, have you heard of an established prog metal band with sloppy players?

The reason why I'm not rating this album higher is the fact that some of the songs do contain the "original sins" of the genre - there's just too much of everything yet not enough hooks, so they become a little self-indulgent. Die-hard prog fans would disagree though. However, when the ingredients are measured correctly, as in "Game Of Life" or "I Am", the band offer you something that's irrestibly good, even if you're more into AOR or melodic hard rock.
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JOE BONAMASSA: "Driving Towards The Daylight"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Provogue Records 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

So here we are with album number ten from a man who has risen to be a modern blues legend, and rightfully so. As with much or his previous output, “Driving Towards The Daylight” is heavy on cover versions, and for the seventh time he has the reliable backing of Kevin Shirley on the mixing desk.

There’s only three original compositions this time round, (the least since 2003’s “Blues Deluxe”) and it’s a nice surprise that opening track “Dislocated Boy” is one of the best tracks on offer, a solid blues composition with a low down and dirty groove to it. Elsewhere, the title track follows this up very nicely, and the third Bonamassa penned track “Heavenly Soul” is equally as good. It seems a shame that a man who can write such good songs does so many covers, but I guess he just likes to play and play with other people’s tracks. Mind you, he sure does pick some cracking songs to cover, such as the Zeppelinesque “Who’s Been Talking” by Howling Wolf, which just sounds brilliant. Bill Withers’ “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” gets the Bonamassa treatment, as does Tom Waits’ “New Coat Of Paint” amongst others. Robert Johnson crops up as Joe covers “Stones In My Passway”, but perhaps the most surprising is the album’s closing track “Too Much Ain’t Enough Love”, originally featured on Jimmy Barnes’ seminal “Freight Train Heart” album. Barnes helps out with the vocals, whilst Bonamassa’s arrangement bluesifies the whole thing up without taking away what made the song great in the first place. This, it seems, is a talent that serves JB very well.

There’s really nothing on “Driving Towards The Daylight” that will disappoint Bonamassa fans, as it’s an incredibly solid offering with some great tracks. There’s nothing that breaks any new ground, but the blues isn’t about breaking new ground, really. This is all about great tunes played well by a guy who will be remembered for many, many years to come just like his own heroes.
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Richard MARX: "Inside My Head"

Rating: 8/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

After being blown away by Richard Marx's great acoustic show back in late 2010, I've been looking forward to new material from him. "Inside My Head" is just what I hoped it would be, a new rock-oriented album with plenty of fine melodies. Okay, it might not be all new, as most of these songs were released on Marx' "Emotional Remains" and "Sundown" albums, but as far as I know, they were only digitally available for a limited time from his site. So, basically these are new songs to me and most of you I guess.

After the first spin, I thought this album sounded "nice", but I wasn't overtly impressed by it. After more spins, it has started to show its' true colours. "Nice" doesn't begin to describe it anymore.

Richard Marx is usually associated with ballads and emotional, melodic songs. Sure enough, you'll get those on this album, but you'll also hear him rock out seriously. "All Over Me" is an almost punky rock track and possibly the hardest rocking Marx song of all time. The AOR bliss of "Part Of Me" was earlier covered by Harry Hess with his First Signal project, and the opening duo of "Had Enough" and "Wouldn't Let Me Love You" should please any melodic rock fan. Another standout track is "Through My Veins", a truly moving ballad he wrote about his late father.

A few weaker tracks on the second half of the album bring down the rating a bit, but all in all, a very good album and a welcome return. Now, how about a full-band tour and a gig in Finland?
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JETTBLACK: "Raining Rock"

Rating: 8/10
Label: Spinefarm 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Hot on the heels of Crashdiet, Reckless Love, The Treatment and other new generation hair metal bands comes Jettblack, a UK band raised on a nutritious diet of Mötley Crüe, AC/DC and Van Halen. In fact, the band sounds like it could have been one of the "second wave" bands that released their debut albums between 1989 and 1992. However, had this album been released back then I'm sure that they could've been one of the more successful groups. Maybe not a million seller but a couple of hit videos and a gold album? There's something quite likeable in their recycled hard rock, and they've got plenty of energy. Not to mention a handful of infectious songs.

The album's first single and video "Raining Rock" might have almost Spinal Tap-ish lyrics, but it's a pretty damn effective hard rock song. So effective, that it's actually included twice on the album - the second version features Udo Dirkschneider giving the song his unique stamp. The video's worth checking out too.

My favourite moments of the album are the more melodic tracks though, the Skid Row'ish "Prison Of Love", "Something About That Girl" and "Never Gonna Give It Up". The good thing is that even the weaker tracks get an extra point or two for the sheer energy of the band.
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TORIAN: "Dawn"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Sound Guerilla/DA-Music 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

"Power Metal from Paderborn (Germany)" says the headline in the press release and sure enough, that's what we get. "Slightly thrashy, yet quite melodic with some really decent choruses" is how I'd describe this album.

After a somewhat dodgy start with arguably the album's worst vocal performance from the vocalist Marc Hohlweck on "Grateful", the album gets better as it progresses. The band seems to have a knack for writing quite catchy hooklines which is always a good thing, the hooklines rescue those songs where the other parts don't quite keep them afloat.

Thanks to the good melodies and and some fine guitarwork, "Dawn" is clearly an above average metal album. By trimming a couple of the weaker songs and maybe the pointless instrumentals this would have been a tighter package, but it isn't too bad as it is.

Highlights: "Thunder Battalions", "Oceans", "Fall Of The Golden Towards" and "Fires Beyond The Sun".
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LITA FORD: "Living Like A Runaway"

Rating: 8/10
Label: SPV/Steamhammer 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

Lita Ford’s last album, “Wicked Wonderland”, was a bit of a mess, although it certainly had it’s moments. The main problem was that it wasn’t the Lita Ford we all wanted, and the blame fell (quite fairly) on the shoulders of her now ex-husband Jim Gillette. Well, Jim is history now, and Ford has made the sensible decision (or had it made for her) of teaming up with accomplished guitarist and songwriter Gary Hoey to produce “Living Like A Runaway”, the title a shameless callback to Lita’s early years with the Runaways.

The best news of all is that there are no attempts here to make Lita Ford a grungy, kick ass modern rock chick. It’s not a blatant 80’s throwback, mind, just a cool album with lots of catchy melodic hard rock songs on it. Sometimes that’s all you want, and personally I’ve listened to it a couple of dozen times now without getting the least bit sick of it. Lita sounds great, and although the tracks are a little more aggressive than the likes of “Kiss Me Deadly” they’re still very melodic. There’s a few beautiful ballads, notably “Mother”, a track filled with love and anguish and sung superbly by Lita. Nikki Sixx contributes a track, “Songs To Slit Your Wrists By”, and it says something that this is the most generic and uninspired track on the album, although it’s still a fun listen. Another standout is the title track, which starts out similar to “We All Die Young” and turns into a very nice, laid back introspective little song about Lita’s musical beginnings.

“Living Like A Runaway” is one of those albums that starts off as good, getting a little better as you listen to it more. There’s no need to force yourself to like it, just sit back and enjoy the return of a well loves vocalist with one of her best song collections yet. After the last album I wasn’t that bothered about Lita Ford either way, but now I want to see her tour and make something of what can justifiably be called a quality comeback album.
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OXYGEN: "Final Warning"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Escape Music 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

A veteran in the Swedish metal scene, vocalist Tony Niva has been around for quite a while. OXYGEN is his new band, and this time, AOR is the name of the game. His high-pitched voice suits this kind of melodic stuff quite well, although I'm sure it will divide opinions. I'm not even sure of my own opinion - at times his wailing gets a bit irritating.

Most of the album is up-tempo, bouncy AOR with somewhat sugary choruses. More than once, the name of ABBA comes up. Especially the ballad "I Remember" sounds like it was stolen from the Andersson-Ulvaeus vault of unreleased songs. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing though, those guys know how to write melodies! A departure from the poppy AOR sound is the slightly heavier "Gold From The Future", which has traces of TNT's lighter material. Niva hits some very high notes on it.

All in all, I quite like the album. However, it could've used a few real killer songs and I'm afraid it will be overshadowed by those recent releases that do have them. File under "nice".

DESPITE EXILE: "Re-evolve"

Rating: 4/10
Label: Despite Exile 2012
Review by Martien Koolen

After their rather successful debut album Scarlet Reverse Italian progressive deathcore rockers Despite Exile come up with a new EP; featuring three songs. And if you like your music heavy and loud then this band will be a treat to your ears. However if you hate - like I do - or dislike grunting instead of singing then this album will be a bit of a problem..... As much as I like the really heavy, melodic guitar riffs, hooks, solos and melodies I cannot get used to the horrible grunting of Jei Durisotti. But if you like that and you like a band like for instance Meshuggah then this EP will not leave your CD player for a long while. Oscillate is filled with trashy guitar riffs and lots of progressive, technical metal elements and melodies while the third track Mechanical is a rather melodic song, but of course it is rather heavy and breathtakingly loud as well. Perfection Neutralized was already released as a music video on BlankTV and it got a lot of good responses.So, if you like complex and heavy deathcore Despite Exile is the band for you, I will pass as the grunting disturbes me too much to really enjoy the music.
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CARMEN GRAY: "Gates Of Loneliness"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Grey Music Entertainment 2011 (international release 2012)
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Well this band has re-invented themselves! With their two previous albums, they had a bit of a gothic flair to their hard rock, and you would have been forgiven for finding similarities to HIM, Negative and the likes. "Gates Of Loneliness" showcases a band that has dug deeper and found influences from the seventies. Gone is the metallic crunch of their earlier material, replaced by the swagger of The Rolling Stones or Aerosmith. And add touches of Soul Asylum, Oasis, The Goo Goo Dolls and David Bowie to the mix too...

The sound might be a bit different than before, but the band are still capable of writing big choruses. The title track, "Love Story Town" and "Real Punks (Plastic Smiles)" prove that. A special mention must go to the lyrics, they're better than what Finnish bands usually write. Due to the overall laid-back sound and the lack of uptempo songs the album doesn't completely win me over, but still, it's pretty decent piece of work.
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Neil DANIELS: "Metallica: The Early Years And The Rise Of Metal" Book

Label: Independent Music Press 2012
Review by The Bailey Brothers

An in depth look at the rise of arguably Americas premier Metal Act Metallica highlights the huge impact their first four albums had on the whole metal Genre. From cover to cover it's a journey that only Metallica could have travelled.

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal included artiste such as Diamond Head a band that truly inspired Drummer Lars Ulrich and vocalist James Hetfield. It would be the glue that eventually kept this band evolving into the formidable force it still is to this day. Having been at the forefront of the NWOBHM ourselves it's really encouraging to note that although it was Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon who broke out into the big league, many acts such as Diamond Head played their part and influenced others to follow. The book also recognises the part Judas Priest and Motorhead played in influencing Hetfield and Ulrich.

This is a well researched and executed insight into what it takes to be Metallica; a band who wouldn't compromise their beliefs, played it harder and faster and in time evolved into a formidable monster that is Metallica. There are contributions from artiste, the press and those who have experienced the phenomena up close, also a complete dissection of songs, background information and input from band members. It's a good read; it's unauthorised and unofficial but informative and entertaining.
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HEAVEN RAIN: "Second Sun"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Music Buy Mail 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Heaven Rain is the very first Bosnian band that has crossed paths with me. Apparently they are influenced by prog metal and "The Finnish school of Power Metal". I wonder where that school is... Anyway, having listened to this album a few times before reading the bio, I was a bit surprised to find that they have a female singer. All this time I thought the singer was a guy, although with a soft voice similar to that of Michael Voss (Mad Max, Casanova). But no, Miona Graorac is indeed a woman, there's no mistaking that if you look at the band photos! I have to say that she has a pretty distinct voice, she's definitely not one of those semi-operatic or "angelic" female vocalists.

"Second Sun" is the second full-length release from the band, although they have released several EP's and CD-singles since 2006. Kamelot, Sonata Arctica, Nightwish and Ayreon are mentioned as influences, but I'm glad to say the band has managed to create a nice, somewhat original sound for themselves. Plenty of melodic keyboards, driving guitar riffs and Miona's vocals are the focal points. The choruses could be stronger but all in all the album is rather likeable. Standout tracks are "My Only One" and the title track, both containing really fine melodies. As a special treat to the band's local fans, there's a version of "Veijte Snegori", an 80'ies hit from the Yugoslavian band Zana.
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DETHONATOR: "Dethonator"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Ironstone Records 2012
Review by Alan Holloway

Dethonator get two ticks from me straight off. One is for having the balls to send an album by a band called “Dethonator” to a Journey fan for review, and the other is for having a song called “Massive Demonic Killing Spree”. This is the point where I might be expected to say that these are the only positive points for this UK band with a daft name and ghoulish cover, but knock me down with a Nelson guitar solo if they aren’t pretty darned good after all.

Previously knows as Kaleb (one of the few names dafter than Dethonator fact fans!), the band play straight heavy metal with inspirations from all over the place, never copying another band but obviously just writing what they themselves like, and bugger what anyone thinks. Lead track “Wreckers” starts off with a rather amateurish couple of bars of thrashing, and I was all prepared to hate it, but as soon as the main song and vocals kicked in I realized that perhaps Dethonator would have something to offer. Jim Burton has a pretty good set of pipes on him, and although there is also some grunting it doesn’t intrude on the songs. Tristan Lineker and Henry Brooks share out some excellent guitar solos throughout the album, as well as some fast, well handled riffs that hold the songs together.

There’s not a great deal of progression between the nine tracks, with all banging along at a good pace and containing enough melodic and thrashy elements to keep most people happy. It’s not, admittedly, the sort of stuff I would personally return to again and again, but as a heavy metal band Dethonator have enough talent and original ideas to really stand out above the herd. Perhaps the closest bands to them doing the rounds at the moment are Fury UK and Blaze Bayley. Fast and furious with melody and meat, Dethonator are worth listening to.
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WIG WAM: "Wall Street"

Rating: 7/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Woah, that's one ugly art cover (see pic right). It looks like the work of some halfwit daft kid using the Atari computer 'ala 1984. Who's the little genius at work? OMG! I Wish I Had A Gun (pun intended). Album number four by The Norwegian Glam, melodic rockers may not impress at first spin but it's a grower... up to a certain point (quite the opposite to the Great White platter). Clearly not as straight forward and plain simple as their previous attempts at world domination though.

The Wig Wam's have decided for the big/grande picture and various soundswaves in the form of children choir, electronica effects, stomping beats, and perhaps a more Freddie Mercury vs. Alice Cooper style to their melodies? Pompous and over the top? Not really, but it's a diverse sounding record and it may require a more open-minded attitude towards the arrangements. It's difficult to stay true to their colours and at the same time try out something new and different. It's the old saying of damned if you do, damned if you don't, people simply won't be pleased no matter what.

Glam sings on the opening title track "Wall Street" that and I quote, 'I don't care about the money'. But according to Meja it's all about the money. It's nontheless a catchy sing along anthem. "OMG (I Wish I Had A Gun)" feature a simple but catchy refrain which I believe came straight out of the closet (at the house?) where Des Child lives. "Bleeding Daylight" is a darker, moodier version of the band and it feels like a mixture of Scorpions 'Alien Nation-sound' and the gothic side of Primal Fear. The eighties funky/electronica (industrial extra lite) rock of "One Million Enemies" is a nice change from the usual schlock and the chorus is very Alice Cooper 'ala The Man Behind The Mask and Constrictor. The same could be said about "Try My Body On" only skip the electronica. "Natural High" - verses are (very) low key and close to speaky (spooky?) before the chorus explodes into Glam rock. Final verdict: some real turds among the nuggets and it's far from the perfect picture. However, it's a solid attempt at the experimential side of Wig Wam-Glam.

GREAT WHITE: "Elation"

Rating: 4/10
Label: Frontiers 2012
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom

Great Shite? Nah, there's no need for any abusive language. But what if you're once bitten... twice shy? Hah! hilarious (not!). Let's just calm down, shall we? stop messin' around with the poor band and their follower(s). Formed in Los Angeles during the early eighties but never really one of those fun/catchy glam acts from the strip. They've always been a rather basic 'meat and potato' blues/rock band with aggressive riffs and tight but-never-quite great (white) arrangements. Personally, I think of Great White as the stereotypical U.S. bar band and not nearly as good on record/cd/vinyl/whatever.

They are no longer fronted by vocalist Jack 'Dog' Russell and the numbers are not as uptempo as in their heydays. It's quite the laidback affair actually and some of the tracks bare more resemblance to Rod Stewart and The Faces rather than old skool melodic hardrock. Not necesarrily a bad thing in my book as they were never really a great hardrock band in the first place. Terry Ilous of XYZ fame sings and it's notable since both acts (XYZ, Great White) started once out with the help of Don Dokken (he produced and helped them win a recording deal).

(I've Got) "Something For You" is no different from all the other bar bands since it's a tiresome mixture of Led Zepplin and AC/DC rock. I'm afraid we've heard it all a thousand times before. "Love Train" is a really slow number which takes you on a journey through the blues as well as Deep Purple influences without ever hiting the nerve. The heartfelt ballad, "Hard To Say Goodbye", Rod Stewart and Rolling Stones did these type of numbers already back in the early seventies and it works out nicely by Great White in 2012 too. At first spin I thought this to be a decent CD with great vocals (true) and decent song material (false). It actually managed to get worse by the spin(s) and merely the vocalist shines throughout the album.

THE RASMUS: "The Rasmus"

Rating: 6/10
Label: Universal 2012
Review by Kimmo Toivonen

The Rasmus have grown up. Their new, self-titled album is their most mature album so far, and whether that is a good thing is entirely up to you. I'm not so sure about it. This album is full of sophisticated, polished pop that owes more to the likes of U2 or Coldplay than to the Rasmus of old.

When Lauri Ylönen sings that "I'm A Mess" in the first single of the album, I find it hard to believe. The song is anything but messy, it's almost clinically clean and non-offensive. It was the first song I heard from the album, and I wondered why such a bland song had been chosen as the first single. Having heard the rest of the album, I don't wonder anymore. It's certainly one of the more immediate songs.

I'm not saying that there aren't any traces of The Rasmus as we know it here. Most of the melodies are unmistakebly Rasmusesque (Rasmussian?), but throughout the album I get the feeling that the band is holding back. As if they're saying "We've got to be mature, we can not write those easy hit choruses anymore"...

The highlight of the album for me is the ethreal ballad "Save Me Once Again", which might just do the trick as a single, despite of what I wrote above. But to pick the third single... that's a challenge.
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