STRANGEWAYS: "Age Of Reason"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Dangerous Dog Records 2011

Review by Satu Reunanen

Strangeways, one of my favourite bands ever since I heard them the first time ages ago, is out with their eight studio album. This might seem a surprise to some, because the hype always seems to be around "Native Sons" (released 1986) and "Walk In The Fire" (1989), like the band hadn't recorded in ages. In fact their latest releases before "Age Of Reason" were "Perfect World" (2010), and "Gravitational Pull" (2000). Yeah, there was quite a gap between these albums, but Strangeways has always been there in our hearts, and never really disappeared too far.

There hasn't been much change in the band's music through the years, "Age Of Reason" is just a more mature album that stays even more in the mellower area mixing rock, aor and blues, which Strangeways has always done. The band has stayed true to their classic sound, it is something warm and cozy, something new bands struggle to find these days. It is this sound that always brings me back to this sort of music and Strangeways. Put on a Strangeways album and you're always right at home. It would be crazy to change something as perfect as this. And what makes it an even more enjoyable listen is the vocals of Terry Brock, who has always had a great sound.

Mostly filled with midtempo and ballad stuff, this album might not be for some Strangeways fans, as it doesn't carry rockers in the style of the two earlier mentioned eighties albums. It does have its moments though, and as a whole the songs are still very Strangewayish, only very laid back. I still find the old warmth in each song, the album flows like a seamless dream. As such it is very easy listening. My favourite two ballads are thrown in a row, "Playin' It Over" and "As We Fall". These songs show how strong Strangeways has always been in ballads department, sending chills down my spine once again. The few rockers on offer, "The Sentinel", "Run" and "Frozen" don't much stand out from the whole picture as the tempo changes aren't big, but each song gives you more and more through each listen. "The Sentinel" is a good opener, and there's no denying the collaboration between Brock and guitarist Ian James Stewart always makes Strangeways moments worthwhile. "Age Of Reason" is a beautiful album for daydreaming.

TALON: "III"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Escape Music 2011

Review by Satu Reunanen

US-hardrockers Talon are back with a new release, and take off with a smoking start with "Crying To Me". Now it took me quite a few spins to get a liking to their songs, so it was only after those spins that I realized they started the album very nicely. In their very light and easygoing hardrock style one would assume that you would take a liking to them immediately, but Talon fools you easily to thinking there's nothing more to them than what you hear at first spin. Don't be fooled by your first impression.

A band that started off as Voxen and had a song featured in the movie "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman, they still remain quite unknown. Firefest-fans have had a pleasure capturing the band at the festival twice, both times with a different singer (Michael O´Mara (Joshua Perahia, EFX) and Chandler Mogel (Outloud), but on this album the band introduced a new singer, Shawn Pelata (Line Of Fire). Pelata is a good singer, who manages the songs well. The album also features another Firefest face, Jeff Scott Soto (Journey, Talisman, JSS) on "Take You All The Way", and you can't guess wrong on his vocals, Soto has a very recognizable voice. He seems as though he's struggling a bit on some parts. Maybe he had to record on a flu day, or then he just had to sing too high, who knows. Mainly he's doing a great job though. On the keys the band has Eric Ragno, another regular face in Firefest, and also from bands such as China Blue and Takara.

Talon is strongly weaved around the guitarwork of Kory Voxen and Jim Kee, and the melodies are beautiful. Great shredwork too. The choruses in "III" are what need the many spins though. In each song Talon has the potential to go soaring high in the choruses, but fail to be bigger than life. Great hooks are thrown in many directions, and strangely happen to be greater than the actual choruses. Talon states this release is a "return to the sound, vibe and energy of our debut selftitled release", and as such, having never gone further in the melodic rock scene, they should adventure to unknown paths to find where their true strength lies at. The band, with Phil Keller on bass, John Parker on drums and Erik Johnson doing backup vocals, is great and powerful, but a deeper look in the songwriting wouldn't be a bad idea. "Crying To Me" could show the way with its big chorus and smoking attitude. The band closes the album with a Starship-cover "Jane", another fine song for a fine hardrock album.

Talon @ Reverbnation

SIMULACRUM: "Master And The Simulacrum"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Inverse Records

Review by Martien Koolen

In the summer of last year I reviewed the promo EP of these Finnish prog metsl rockers. The four songs on that EP can of course also be found on this full length debut album, so I will only review the 4 new songs being: Hammerhead, Flagiston, Autumn Rain and Genesis Part 1.

Hammerhead features a typical prog metal intro and later on evolves into a rather complex or should I say chaotic song. The guitar solo is quite enjoyable but the high-pitched vocals tend to get on my nerves a bit.

Flagiston is an instrumental song filled with lots of piano and organ passages, but also with some amazing melodies and guitar parts; this is probably my favourite song on the album.

Autumn Rain is a sort of ballad with a rather boring - read: too long - piano intro and sometimes very irritating vocals. On the other hand I really do like the orchestral part and the guitar solo.

"Genesis Part 1", the last song on the album, also the longest one, is again a superb prog metal piece with all the necessary ingredients and do check out the excellent guitar solo!

Resume: this is a great prog metal album and if you love Dream Theater and Symphony X you really should buy this album. However I feel/think that the vocals are sometimes too dominant and singer Niklas Broman strains his vocal chords too much resulting in rather over the top vocal passages in songs like Autumn Rain or Hammerhead.
But the future looks great for these ytoung Finnish rockers!

Website

IAIN ASHLEY HERSEY: "Vintage Love - The Best Of"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Avenue Of Allies

Review by Martien Koolen

For people who are not familiar with the work of guitar picker Iain Ashley Hersey this is truly a great album as you can enjoy 15 mid tempo melodic hard rock tracks filled with lots of energetic guitar solos on this compilation.

Vintage Love contains 4 songs from the album Fallen Angel featuring singers Paul
Shortino, Dante Marchi and Mike Stone, 5 songs from his second album Holy Grail with vocalists David Montgomery, Graham Bonnet, Carsten Schulz and Randy Williams, and 5 songs from his third album Nomad featuring Carsten Schulz and Doogie White on vocals. The latter sings the Rainbow cover L.A.Connection.

There is only one new song on this album, namely Red Head Rampage, sung by Carsten Schulz. If you already possess the three albums of Hersey it will be really not worthwhile to purchase this best of album.

However, it is a great classic rock album and play it LOUD, please! My favs are: Blood Of The Kings and When Will My Love Fade.


MySpace

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA: "HoS"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Lion Music 2012

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

There are certain bands that seem to have it all together and in theory they should be among my all-time faves, but something just doesn't click. House Of Shakira is one of those bands. They're a highly respected Swedish Melodic Rock band with a sound of their own and a bunch of praised albums under their belt, yet I'm somewhat indifferent towards them. I've quite enjoyed those albums in the past, but to be honest, I don't think I really remember any of their songs. That's not to say that they don't have any.

"HoS" marks a new chapter in the band's history, with the band revamping their line-up with three new members, vocalist Andreas Novak, bassist Basse Blyberg and drummer Martin Larsson. With such a major line-up change one would expect a major change in the sound as well, but no, "HoS" sounds very much like a House Of Shakira album. Guitarists Mats Hallstensson and Anders Lundström haven't tried to re-invent the band, merely update it. Novak has a different sound than his predecessor, but I think he fits really nicely into the band. As a result of all this, "HoS" might just be my favourite album of theirs, a thoroughly enjoyable effort.

Each one of the album's 13 songs gets a "thumbs up" from me, some more hesitantly than others though. Despite that, the album "only" gets an "8" because none of the songs really blew my mind. Even the best tracks like "Fractions Of Love" and "I'll Be Gone" are merely very, very good but not the kind of songs that would fight over the title of "Song Of The Year". But "all good" isn't bad at all.

If you've liked the previous House Of Shakira albums, I don't think that you'll be disappointed with this one. If you haven't heard any of their music but like hard rock along the lines of Van Halen (Hagar-era especially), Tyketto and the rockier side of Journey, I don't think that you'd be disappointed either if you were to purchase this album.


Website

THEOCRACY: "As The World Bleeds"

Rating: 8/10


Label: Ulterium Records 2011

Review by Satu Reunanen

The American powermetal group Theocracy isn't the easiest band around for a music fan.
Releasing their follow-up album after the epic "Mirror Of Souls", "As The World Bleeds"
opens with a megalong eleven-minute "I Am " that already keeps you busy with the thought
"what the heck just hit me", and closes with an eight-minute "As The World Bleeds".
In between there's no short hits either.

Those who know the band already are pleased to hear, that the band has kept
their familiar elements on this album. The fastpaced, cheerful melodies are abundant, the
choruses are high and mighty and the heavy parts show that the bands hasn't gotten any
softer. The instruments have surely been smoking from their masters touch.
The sound is still very clean, but with all the different styles the band
uses the cleanliness that some don't like on an album doesn't end up being in the
spotlight but the songs themselves.

Theocracy is one of those bands struggling in the not so popular
powermetal genre. Also they're not as well known as many other similar bands, which is a shame
since they have great songwriting and musical skills. If a band can pull of an eleven
minute opener with shining colours, they can probably do anything. The problem with these
bands is though, that not many music fans have the interest and patience to listen to
something, that demands many listens to get into. And with "As The World Bleeds", it really
takes many listens to get into. Sure at first each song gives you their highlights, but
to really get the point of this music you have to be really dedicated to the music. I
doubt many would take on that dedication even if they were handed out a free cd.

Some of the songs that let the listener off with ease are "The Master
Storyteller", a fastpaced moodlifter, "30 Pieces Of Silver", a high spirited, goosebump
roadrunner moment, and "Drown", a slower, more of a singalong song. But each song has something
to grasp into if you're not too familiar with powermetal yet.

The vocals of Matt Smith are still awesome, he can use both the low and high
register with a very clean sound, and even has some Michael Kiske tone to it at times.
The bands massive choirs bring their own powerful touch all in the right places, the
guitars are very inspiring and the rhythm section massive. The band is so, so impressive

The constant change is what keeps Theocracy's music interesting and fresh
sounding, but some soloparts and middlesections are a bit too long, one being in "30
Pieces Of Silver". I have nothing against great solos, being a fan of Dream Theater and other
bands going for those and epic songs, but some parts seem sometime a bit useless, even if
they are awesome. This is the weak spot with Theocracy, but luckily they're not overdoing it
as much as some bands. Even Dream Theater overdoes it sometimes. As impressive as Theocracy
is as a band, their weak spot dropped my points to eight from ten. They could be perfect,
but hey, ten points is only for the God, right. I'm very pleased with "As The World
Bleeds", and the title track ends the album very nicely with a gloomy, yet thoughtprovoking
way with a beautiful chorus and wicked guitars. Definately a brilliant follow up for
Mirror Of Souls".

Website

ANNO MUNDI: "Cloister Graveyard In The Snow"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Independent 2011

Review by Martien Koolen

Anno Mundi is an Italian hard rock/metal band from Rome and actually consists of two
members being Alessio Secondini Morelli (guitars, percussion and backing vocals) and
Gianluca Livi (drums, percussion, acoustic guitar and bass guitar). On this debut
album you can listen to 6 metal songs and they are all in the vein of the great
masters of metal Black Sabbath. In the 10 minute epic metal song you even hear
quotes from the classic Black Sabbath track "Black Sabbath". The entire album is
filled with deep, heavy sometimes doomy metal riffs and the vocals (performed by
Magagnini and Serafini) are a mix of Robert Plant and Doug Igle of the notorious
Iron Butterfly.

All the songs are rather well composed but I sometimes had the feeling that I was
back in the seventies. The short instrumental title track is again a rather spacy
song and during songs like "Scarlet Queen" or "Gallifreyan's Suite" Anno Mundi
sounds like a blend of prog rock and Black Sabbath.... In my opinion the influences
of BS are too obvious but again there are worse bands to use as a "role model".
It is not a bad album and I especially like the aggressive last track "God Of The
Sun", but these guys have to work more to create a sound of their own as the
Paranoid and Master Of Reality influences are too obvious. Last advice, play at
maximum volume!

MySpace

THE SAINT JAMES SOCIETY: "Pray For Us" EP

Rating: 4/10

Label: TeePee Records 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Encouraged by the fact that the last two obscure releases I've reviewed turned out to be quite good, I picked up the third one and hoped for the third stroke in a row... no such luck.

According to the bio, The Saint James Society from Texas are "psychedelic garage rockers" playing "Pentacostal Desert Glam". Say what? All I know that I didn't really find anything to grasp in their music, I didn't hate it but I didn't like it either. After repeated plays their songs stayed distant, and the only song that I really noticed was "The Ballad Of White Horse", which has a bit of a glam vibe. Think of Vain or Bang Tango with an overdose of The Doors and 60'ies psychedelia... Weird.

I'm sure that some fans of garage rock will think that this band is really onto something, but for me the greatness of this band remains a mystery.

Facebook

TEODOR TUFF: "Soliloquy"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Fireball Records 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Now this is something different - Norwegian Metal band Teodor Tuff have created a sound that truly separates them from the run-of-the-mill melodic metal bands. Built on the foundation of traditional metal of Iron Maiden and the likes, the band have added all kinds of flavours to their sound - a bit of Kamelot, some middle-eastern touches and even some quirkiness of System Of A Down. Not to mention some opera, exotic instruments and whatnot...

The guitarwork by Knut Lysklaett and Christer Haroy is outstanding, and vocalist Terje Haroy is simply brilliant - great range and a lot of power in his delivery. The rhythm section of Knut Hellem and Rayner Haroy has to be applauded too and I have no complaints about the production either. The only reason why I don't rate this higher than I do is the fact that some of the songs aren't that captivating. Then again, the highlights such as "Addiction", "Mountain Rose" and "Mind Over Matter" are indeed great, and I have a feeling that Teodor Tuff are one of the bands people will be talking about in 2012.

Website

MySpace

TRUCKER DIABLO: "The Devil Rhythm"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Ripple Music 2012

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

"Trucker Diablo". "The Devil Rhythm". Opening track "Drink Beer, Destroy". Four rough-looking guys posing in front of a truck. Ok, I was almost certain that this would be the kind of straight-forward, boring biker rock that I rarely have time for, but I'm glad to say I was wrong!

Make no mistake, "The Devil Forward" is straight-forward biker rock but it isn't boring. Despite their rough style and sound, these guys obviously aren't afraid of writing songs with big melodic hooks. The opening triple threat of "Drink Beer, Destroy", "Juggernaut" (feat. Ricky Warwick) and "Big Truck" proves just that, these songs have probably the sharpest hooks of the album.

The rest of the songs do dot quite reach the level of the first three, but they're still decent enough. Maybe they could have benefitted of a slightly more polished production, some of the songs sound a bit muddy. "Black And Blue" is possibly the worst case, with vocals a bit low in the mix and the overall sound being somehow chaotic. Maybe it's what the band wanted, you never know...

Website

COASTLAND RIDE: "On Top Of The World"

Rating: 5/10

Label: Avenue Of Allies 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Much like on their debut (just re-issued by the same label), Swedish AOR/Westcoast band Coastland Ride kick off their new album with the best of what they've got. "Act Of Faith (One Million Reasons)" is a catchy and classy AOR track boasting a strong chorus, guitars up front and lively keyboards. "Wait" is another good song, reminding me of Street Talk, another smooth AOR band from Sweden. Unfortunately after those two songs they sail their yacht deep into the westcoast waters...

Among the remaining nine tracks, there's not much to shout about. "Made Up My Mind" is okay and maybe a couple of the others, but the rest... let's just say that I was expecting to hear a smooth cover of the "Love Boat" theme somewhere between the band's own yacht rock exercises.

Knowing that this band is capable of delivering first class melodic rock, I just wish that for the next album they'll do just that. Enough with this smooth wimp fluff, stay away from the yacht and crank it up!

MySpace

COASTLAND RIDE: "Coastland Ride"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Avenue Of Allies 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Avenue Of Allies record label hooked up with Coastland Ride and as a result, we're served with a double dose of their music - a re-issue of their 2003 debut album and a brand new album. This is the re-issue, and it's enhanced with three bonus tracks.

I remember somewhat liking this album back then, and the opening track "Let Me Let You Go" was among my favourites of that year. That song is still a fine piece of AOR, but overall I find this album a bit too lame for my taste these days. When the band choose to rock out a little more they aren't too bad at all, but the wimpy, poppy westcoast stuff like "Never The Same" or "Second Hand America" makes reach for the skip button.

Out of the three bonustracks, "The World Is Not Enough" is the standout one, with a cool, dark vibe and a strong hook. "Jenny's Heart" weers more towards the westcoast style, while "Pitch Black Ride" is harder-edged one reminding me strangely of INXS. All three are better than some of the tracks that originally made it to the album.

The original album was a nine-track CD and for those songs I'd give a "6". With the additional three songs, this version of the album is stronger, and deserves a better rating. So there, it's a "7".

MySpace

RED, WHITE & BLUES: "Shine"

Rating: 9/10

Label: Own Label 2011

Review by Alan Holloway

Way back in the mists of time, before records began, there was a band called Jagged Edge. Okay, so it was only the early 90’s, but it sure feels like a long time ago. They had a go at the melodic rock thing and did a good job, but the timing wasn’t great and the fizzled out. Guitarist and songwriter Myke Gray went on to success and record company battles with Skin, whilst vocalist Matti Alfonzetti has done a variety of good work both solo and in bands. Well, in case it wasn’t obvious, Alfonzetti and Gray are back with a new project, and Red White & Blues is the name.

Myke Gray sure likes to keep busy, and we should all be grateful. Last year’s Skin revival was a critical success, resulting in a great album, with “Shine” being a great follow up for him, although the two are different beasts. Alfonzetti himself delivered a very good solo effort, and it has to be said that this album manages to take bits and pieces from the two artists previous efforts and build on them beautifully.

As the name infers, there is an amount of blues at work here, but don’t think that Gray has decided to go all Gary Moore on us, as “Shine” is more Thunder/Bad Company style (check out the title track for a hefty dose of 70s blues)with a side order of AC/DC. Hell, there’s even a dose of Y&T as Alfonzetti tells a tale that includes the clichéd line “Me and the boys wanna have some fun” in the shallow yet catchy “Good Time”. Alfonzetti is worthy of praise throughout, as his voice has stood the test of time as well as any, and he’s a towering presence here, taking command of every song on an album that at the right time would have been considered a classic. This isn’t to say that Gray doesn’t earn his stripes, because as ever he’s a constant force behind the frontman, throwing out licks and solos that are never showy but always worth listening to.

What you get with “Shine” is an album that is a celebration of everything you always liked about hard edged bluesy rock and roll. There’s plenty of melody and plenty of rock hard licks and the ultimate result is category defying yet accessible to any melodic rock fan. Skin fans needn’t worry because they will absolutely love it, but anyone who likes the more melodic rock of Alfonzetti should also have a great time. Released off their own back with no record company help, the two chaps should be very proud of this one, which has already earned them support spots with Whitesnake and Chickenfoot, so do us all a favour and nip over to their website and buy a copy. What a superb start to the year…

Website

ORIZ: "Oriz II"

Rating: 4/10

Label: Doolittle Group/Liljegren Records 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Now here's a strange album... Swedish melodic metal group Oriz specialize in... well, melodic metal and hard rock. Just my kind of music usually, but not in the case of Oriz. While in theory their songs are at least half-decent hard rock tracks, there's something that's horribly wrong with them. The lifeless production maybe? The dull songwriting? The sometimes clumsy lyrics? The average vocals buried deep in the mix? Maybe all of the above...

The album opener "Forever Free" is by far the band's strongest song, but it's all downhill from there. What's more, Oriz seems to have a weird fascination with annoying synth sounds. The irritating parp that destroys the otherwise decent "Put Out The Flame" is the best (or worst?) example of that. I wonder whether they sampled that riff from an Aqua album...

After the fourth song there's not much to write home about, merely one dull song after another, each one of them suffering of the muddy production. A shame really, because at times there are glimpses of something much better...

MySpace

M & R Rush: "Alpha"

Rating: 5/10

Label: M & R Rush 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Chicago-based readers who followed the scene in the seventies might remember this band, as apparently they were "local heroes" and had local radio hits and sold-out shows during their heyday. In 1987 they threw in the towel, yet the people didn't seem to forget them. Finally in 2002 the band was re-formed and they've played a lot of summer shows after that and released a few CDs. With 40 years of history behind them, it's worth applouding that the guys still release new material for their fans and continue to play gigs. "Alpha" is their latest product, an 8-track mini-album with 5 M & R Rush originals, a couple of short interludes and an Autograph cover "Turn Up The Radio".

The band's songs rate from the metallic opener "He's A Different Kind Of Kat" to the flowery-powery 60'ies pop rock of "Loved By You". The "...Kat" song is probably the best of the bunch, although it doesn't have much of a chorus - the riffs and the groove is cool though. "The Hour Of The Wolf" and "She's Hotter Than Hell" are just too Spinal Tap for their own good, and "Sometimes She Cries" is a bland ballad. Maybe the band should've covered the Warrant song by the same name...

The Autograph cover is a fairly faithful version and the band pulls it off quite well. Unfortunately the bands' own compositions pale in comparison to it.

Chris ANTBLAD: "Century"

Rating: 8 /10

Label: Melodicrock Records 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Former Spin Gallery vocalist Chris Antblad finally got his first solo album out a while ago, and this is a safe bet for anyone into down-to-earth melodic rock. Antblad is a fine vocalist in the vein of Danny Wilde or Bryan Adams, and his songwriting is carved from the same wood as theirs. The production is quite excellent, although those who like their melodic rock a bit raunchy and raw might find it too polished and polite.

The album's opener "A Fire Burning" doesn't give the best first impression, as it's hardly the "hottest" track of the album, despite the title. It's a nice enough pop-rock track, but for me one of the weaker songs. The title track has a slight "new country" vibe, but I prefer it to the first song.

Both "Asleep In Your Arms" and "Battlefields" are somewhat darker and more dramatic songs and quite excellent, as is the very Danny Wilde-like "Get In Your Car" with its' catchy chorus. The highly melodic "When Fools Rush In" is one of my favourites, but I'm not too keen on the overtly "modern" production of "I Stand Corrected". The squeaking synths are frankly downright annoying!

Between two country'ish songs is the straightforward rocker "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" which I rate as one of my faves. "Jealous Eyes" stands out as a bit different because of its' Toto-like vibe. The last two songs are both very good, especially "Living On A Lie" which closes the album very nicely.

I can't say I dislike any of these songs, but then again, as good as they are, I'm not sure whether any of these songs will make it to my "favourite songs of 2011" list. Therefore, only an "8", albeit a strong one.

Chris OUSEY: "Rhyme & Reason"

Rating: 7 /10

Label: Escape Music 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

I'm puzzled. Heartland vocalist Chris Ousey teamed up with two well-known and respected AOR magicians for this album, yet the result isn't magical, merely just "good". Out of all the releases of 2011, I thought that this was one of the safest bets to be a killer album, with both Tommy Denander and Mike Slamer in the team. I wouldn't call it a big disappointment, but it's not quite the album I expected it to be.

The album definitely sounds excellent, the production is superb, glossy, warm and all the nice adjectives you can come up with. Ousey sings well, and if you've got people like Slamer, Denander, Neil Murray and Gregg Bissonette playing the instruments, there's not really room for improvement, is there?

The reason why this album isn't in my Top 10 of 2011 is in the heart of it all - the songs. While most of the album's tracks are good, the real killers are nowhere to be found. "Mother Of Invitation", "Bleeding Heart" and "A Chemical High" and a couple of the others are certainly very good tracks, but then there are the likes of "Motivation" and "Watch This Space", which somehow sound cold and hollow. It's as if they could've used an extra injection of melody.

ANGELINE: "Disconnected"

Rating: 7 /10

Label: Avenue Of Allies 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Swedish melodic rock band Angeline were actually formed back in 1987, but only released their first album 2010. Now that they've got their motor running again, they didn't waste any time coming up with their second effort.

"Disconnected" is a nice slice of modern melodic rock, comparable to the recent output of Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Europe. It's a well-produced album that sounds contemporary yet it's still easily accessible to those into more vintage melodic rock style. Especially the vocal production is excellent.

The standout tracks for me are the irrestistably energetic opener "When The Lights Go Down" and the superb power ballad "Found", with which Nickelback, Daughtry or David Cook would certainly score a massive international hit. I must also mention the title track, which is very much in the vein of Bon Jovi... there's the talkbox, a chorus with some very familiar lyrics and an air of familiarity in general. A decent track though. The Jovi connection pops up again a bit later, with "Solid Ground" which sounds like an outtake from "The Circle", complete with a Coldplay-influenced chorus that JBJ & co seem to churn out these days.

There isn't a song on the album that I'd rate as "bad", but still there are way too many songs that sound just "okay". "Disconnected" is how I feel about them indeed. When they do get it right they're onto something special, I just wish it would happen more often. Good, but not great. Yet.

Website

WILD WET: "Cocktail In Bloodshed"

Rating: 5 /10

Label: Indie 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Wild Wet are a young sleaze rock band from Italy. This is their first album, and it does show some promise. The next Guns'n Roses they aren't just yet, but give 'em a few years and they might evolve into something.

The band are capable of writing pretty decent hard rock tunes and have an ear for melody, but the vocals (and lyrics) might be a bit too much. "Dnl Crystal" has a really thick Italian accent and things don't improve when drummer "Matt Nyx Frye" takes over for one song. That one song ("Ashtray") is by far the weakest song of the album, strangely reminding me of the wellknown Finnish weirdos 22-Pistepirkko and their quirky, "homemade" amateur sound. Don't go there, guys...

Tracks to check out: "Before You Die", "Last Tattoo" and "Crazy Little Star". My advice for the band would to get a frontman with a better command of the english language.

MySpace

ARENA: "The Seventh Degree Of Separation"

Rating: 9 /10

Label: Verglas Records 2011

Review by Martien Koolen

My last review of a new Arena album - "Pepper's Ghost" - was back in 2005, so it took these progressive rockers 6 years to come up with a new album, but what an album it has become! Singer Rob Sowden left the band in 2010 and he was replaced by
Paul Manzi; later on bass player Ian Salmon also left the band and he was replaced
by good "old" John Jowitt. So, this is the first album with the new vocalist and it
is again a conceptalbum dealing with the last hour here on earth and the first hour
in the after life; if there is one of course.... It is a rather morbid theme and the
booklet is also filled with dark and rather gruesome pictures, but the music is
wonderful.

The album opens with the spoken words of Manzi before "The Great Escape"
evolves into a bombastic prog rock track with some mean and lean guitar hooks by
John Mitchell. The latter being very present at this album as he upgrades this album
by his marvellous guitar licks, riffs, hooks, melodies and amazing solos.. In
"Catching The Bullet" - the longest track on the album - he plays one of his best
guitar solos ever. "One Last Au Revoir" features an amazing addictive VERY catchy
chorus, while follow up "The Ghost Walks" is again filled with very dark lyrics.
"Close Your Eyes" is a rather experimental song, while "Bed Of Nails" has
outstanding guitar melodies and wonderful vocal passages. But as I already mentioned
before, the absolute highlight is the longest track called "Catching The Bullet"
where Mitchell and Co go wild and this is what I was waiting for. I truly wished
that the entire album was like this, but the other 12 songs are really awesome neo
prog songs as well.

The weakest link is still Nick Pointer, as the other musicians Nolan (keyboard walls
all over the album), Mitchell (superb guitar playing), Jowitt (great bass player) and
new singer Manzi really kick ass! This album grows on you and it is certainly one of
the highlights of this year! Buy it, put it in your CD player and enjoy it over and
over again....

Website

WOLFSBANE: "Wolfsbane Save The World"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Self Released 2011

Review by Alan Holloway

If we’re honest, British metal hopefuls Wolfsbane never really set the World on fire, or even singed much of it, but were still admired for their full on attitude and cheeky aggression often served with tongues wedged firmly in cheeks. The music was pretty good, too, and that has helped them stay lodged firmly in many people’s memories since their last, self titled release way back in 1994.

As we all know, frontman and head Howling Mad Shithead Blaze Bayley jumped ship to have a good bash at superstardom with Iron Maiden, a move that unfortunately showed him to be a square peg in a Bruce Dickinson shaped hole. It seems that the rest of the band has finally forgiven him, as the optimistically titled “Wolfsbane Save The World” features Bayley along with original band members Jase Edwards, Jeff Hateley and Steve ‘Danger’ Ellett.

Seventeen years is a long time, and it’s fair to say that Wolfsbane have learned a few things, something that is very apparent from the sheer quality of the songwriting on the album. Whilst Blaze has been busy being as metal as a Cyberman’s cock with his own band, the Wolfsabane material isn’t half as intense, with more melody being let in as well as a hefty dose of variety. Not to say that this isn’t a metal album, cos it is, but there’s a lightness of touch that allows the songs to breath and not be swamped by fist punching and goat sacrificing. Almost a metal version of Terrorvision, Wolfsbane are the good time that wanted to be had by all.

There’s certainly several salutary songs secreted here (try saying that when you’re pissed), and in “Starlight” there’s even a ball breaking belligerent ballad. There’s your typically straightforward rockers with catchy hooks, like “Smoke & Red Light”, “Who Are You Now” or “Teacher”. Let’s be honest - Wolfsbane are at their best when they go at it full tilt, and they don’t disappoint on the new disc, which has plenty of this sort of thing. Other slower tracks go over well, although “Child Of The Sun” pops up near the end and proves to be the only track that doesn’t seem to go anywhere. “The Illusion Of Love” mixes balladry with full tilt melodic metaliciousness, though, and should be a great draw live.

The thing is, if you were ever a Wolfsbane fan you are going to love “Wolfsbane Save The World” as it’s like they never went away but got even better. Blaze sounds very good, although his voice is still instantly recognisable, and the band are tight as you like. The perfect antidote to arty modern European metal with pretty pictures on the cover, it’s great to see the HMS’s back at last. All together now… AWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Website

MINEA: "Voittaja"

Rating: 8 /10

Label: Jiffel/Noste Records 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

A couple of years ago I reviewed the first album by this band. I quite liked it and compared them to the likes of Kilpi, Stryper and The Rasmus. Now on their second album the band has taken a couple of steps towards melodic hard rock or even AOR, which should sound good to most of our readers. At least it sounds good to me, and I would say that this album is a more balanced package than the debut.

AOR as in "Album Oriented Rock" would be a really good term for this album, because it's very good from track 1 to track 10. Just about every song contains memorable melodies and fine playing, and I find it very hard to name any highlights. Still, there isn't a "song of the year" candidate here, merely just 10 good to very good songs.

A couple of things prevent me from giving this a higher rating. First of all, some of the lead vocals have been over-tweaked, and the voice of Reijo Tiitinen has gotten an annoying "robotic" tone. The other thing is the fact that two of these songs sound disturbingly familiar... "Huutaa Lujaa" borrows a lot of things from "One Love" by W.E.T., not a bad source as it is one of my favourite songs of the last few years, but anyway... even more obvious is "Tulen Talo", which lifts its' riff and verses straight from Hardline's "Takin' Me Down". The chorus is different, and a really good chorus it is too, but still... "oops?".

Despite those little "flaws", I must say that this is a very good album, and one that could appeal to many of our readers if it wasn't for the language. You can listen to samples on the band's Facebook page - those melodies are universal, even if you don't understand the lyrics...

Website

Facebook

ELOY : "The Tides Return Forever"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Artist Station 2011

Review by Martien Koolen

This is a re-release of the album which was originally recorded back in 1994. "The
Tides Return Forever" is a classic Eloy album with some of the best songs of this
German prog rock band.

Now Eloy mastermind Frank Bornemann has managed a great remix of the title track as
a bonus song, making this album even more recommended to any prog rock fan. For me
the best songs are still "Fatal Illussions" and "Company Of Angels", featuring a
classical choir. So, if you still have not got this album, now is your chance!


Website

SOUL SECRET: "Closer To Daylight"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Galileo Records 2011

Review by Martien Koolen

About 3,5 years ago I heard some music from the Italian prog metal band Soul Secret
for the first time and later on I reviewed their debut album called "Flowing
Portraits". I really liked that album and now, finally they have released a
follow-up album with the title: "Closer To Daylight".

The new album is in line with
the debut, so musically speaking there are no great surprises, but the line up
changed and that has taken its toll on the sound of the band. Michele Serpico used
to be the singer of the band but as he was ill his vocal parts on the debut album
were sung by Mark Basile. Next singer was Arno Menses who made a guest appearance on
the epic song but the new singer actually became Fabio Manda, so can you still
follow this.... Besides changes of vocalists bass player Lucio Grill was replaced by
new comer Claudio Casaburi.

Well so far so good, how about the music? Well the sound
of singer Manda is higher and in fact he did a great job adding a real new dimension
to the sound of Soul Secret. The eight new songs can still be described as powerful
prog metal tracks with a high Dream Theater influence. But the band absolutely has a
sound of their own and I think that on this album their sound has become more
distinct and therefore I really think that this album is a lot better than their
debut.

Soul Secret invited a couple of important guest musicians like Anna
Assentato, whose voice shines in "If", Marco Stogli, who played guitar on James
Labrie's solo albums and of course singer Arno Menses, who takes care of the vocals
in the epic song "Aftermath". The latter is THE absolute highlight of this album as
it is a prog metal epic gem, clocking over 16 minutes, filled with amazing tempo
changes, solos and superb vocal passages.Other great songs are "Behind The Curtain",
"Pillars Of Sand" (really guitar oriented) and the opener "Checkmate". If you liked
their previous album and if you like Dream Theater and VandenPlas then this album is
a must for you; play at maximum volume if you can!!


Website

LEST: "Odysseus"

Rating: 4/10

Label: Artist Station 2011

Review by Martien Koolen

Lest is a French progressive rock band formed in 1995 and this album called
"Odysseus" is their debut. The group consists of Pascal Rameix (bass guitar),
Sebastian Mauve (guitars and vocals) and a guy called Kickers on drums. The first
thing that caught my attention was the horrible voice of Mauve, meaning that he
screams, his voice is rather nasal and his pronunciation is definitely not English
enough... Mauve's vocals really get on my nerves in songs like "Sir Knight" or
"Innocence & Experience" as he really sounds as if he were dying.
Therefore the best song is of course the very short "Birth", which features a nice
guitar melody.

All the songs are reasonably complex but also very chaotic as the compositinal
skills of Lest leaves much to be desired yet. Musically speaking some of the songs
sound promising but as soon as Mauve's voice enters the song it is over for me.
Also take a look at the childish cover and you know what to expect from Lest; at the
moment not very much...

MySpace

NIGHTWISH: "Imaginaerum"

Rating: 8/10

Label: Nuclear Blast 2011

Review by Alan Holloway

You have to admire the massive brass balls on Nightwish’s creative force Tuomas Holopainen, a man who refuses to sit on his laurels and rake in the cash. After the furore that was the departure of lead Diva Tarja Turunen, he escaped with just a few death threats, a first class new vocalist (Anette Olzon of Alyson Avenue) and the best album of his career in “Dark Passion Play”. This is not a man you want to be sitting at a poker table with.

Things rarely get more Gothy and up their own arse than a band called Nightwish calling an album “Imaginaerum” (a made up, pretentious word). The only way to make them seem more aloof would be to make it a concept album. They did? Oh…. Well, it had better be fucking good, is all I can say.

Okay, so that’s the background out of the way. What we have here is a concept album that at some point next year will be accompanied by a full length movie, although it has been designed to stand on it’s own two feet and should not be considered a soundtrack album. This, of course, has not stopped just about every reviewer referring to it as one, but they are fools, fools I tell you!

“Imaginaerum” is an album of quite a few layers, and is not something you’re likely to fall instantly in love with. This is deliberate, and you really should expect to slog through it a few times before you are able to appreciate what has been done here, something it has in common with lots of other concept albums. Starting off with a gentle, Finnish language and soft music intro, the first real track is the stormingly good single “Storytime”, but don’t expect a whole album like this. There are a few basic, upbeat tracks thrown in like the wonderful Celtic influenced “I Want My Tears Back” and the more power metal sty lings of “Ghost River”, rounded off by the dramatic but furiously catchy “Last Ride Of The Day”. These tracks are Nightwish barrelling along with catchy hooks and tons of attitude, really ramming home why they are sometimes referred to as “ABBA Metal”. Hey, ABBA wrote some damned catchy songs!

Elsewhere there’s a couple of good instrumentals, notably the closing title track, in which Pip Williams gives us an orchestral medley of all the previous tracks. It’s something that’s been done before, but sounds brilliant. The orchestral side on the album is pretty big this time round, and those involved get full marks for integrating it so well into the guitars, drum and bass that are the anchors of the Nightwish sound. Alongside the instrumentals and foundation stompers we also get a jazz/blues ballad (“Slow Love, Slow”) that is surprisingly effective thanks to Anette’s sultry vocals and the expected long track (“Song Of Myself” which rolls in at 12 and a half minutes) that I was hoping would equal the previous albums awesome title track but loses points because the second half of it is deep, meaningful (and depressing) spoken word stuff that is eminently skippable if you’re not in exactly the right mood (although up to then it is great). There’s also a nice pipe led ballad in the shalpe of “Turn Loose The Mermaids”, plus a longer, deeper slowie, “the Crow, The Owl and The Dove”.

Yet another journey through the twisted mind of Tuomas Holopainen, “Imaginaerum” is not the masterpiece it wants to be, yet it has a great many things in it’s favour. Best appreciated in a dark room or through earphones, it’s a grower that continually rewards the listener yet will alienate those after a quick fix. However you look at it, it’s not as good an album as “Dark Passion Play”, but it’s no less of an achievement. If you get it, I would advise getting the version with the instrumental bonus disc, as it allows you to enjoy the album over again in a different way, and it also means people still banging on about Tarja can pretend in their tiny heads that she’s singing and then go on message boards to tell people how awesome it would sound.

Website

BEGGARS & THIEVES: "We Are The Brokenhearted"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Frontiers 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

Beggars & Thieves were one of the last hard rock/hair metal acts of the late eighties rock boom that got signed by a major label. Their only album for Atlantic was released in 1990 and despite its' quality, it didn't storm the charts. It earned them a cult favourite status, and finally in 1997 they followed it up with "Look What You Create" on the now-defunct MTM Music label. In 1999 they released another album for MTM, only to disappear into the night again... they re-emerged in 2010 to play at Firefest and now they're back with a new album.

There's much to like about "We Are The Brokenhearted": the band has a cool, organic sound, vocalist Louie Merlino is one of the most soulful vocalists in hard rock and the songs themselves sound like the band had poured out their hearts into them. "Hair Metal" this is not, it owes more to Bruce Springsteen than Mötley Crüe, yet it actually doesn't sound much like Springsteen at all. Ever since that 1990 debut, B & T has had their own, dark sound.

So why I am not giving this a higher rating? Well, even though I like the album, it doesn't quite grab me the way a great album would. Now that I have played it a few times, I haven't found any standout tracks that I would like to listen again anytime soon. Because of the good qualities listed above, I really wanted to like this album more than I did, but the band could have used some real "hits". You know, the kind of melodies that one would catch himself/herself humming unexpectedly.

MySpace

ROYAL HUNT: "Show Me How To Live"

Rating: 9/10

Label: Frontiers 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

So, what were the odds that Royal Hunt would come up with an album like this in 2011? The band's output for the last 10 years has been... well, it has its' merits but to be honest with you, I haven't been too excited about albums like "Collision Course" or "Paper Blood". I actually haven't even heard their previous one "X". So, despite the fact that the band recently re-united with DC Cooper, the vocalist on their biggest albums "Moving Target" and "Paradox", I didn't dare to hope that they'd record a real killer album. I thought that the days of Andre Andersen writing big, melodic choruses were over, but I was wrong. Very wrong.

"Collision Course" was said to be a sequel of the "Paradox" album, and maybe lyrically it was, but when it comes to the music, "Show Me How To Live" is much closer to it in style. It's big, orchestrated, epic and layered, but in the heart of all this there are some exceptionally catchy and melodic songs. Not to mention the voice of Mr. Cooper, who is still one of the finest singers of the genre.

The highlights for me are "Another Man Down" and "Half Past Loneliness", to name a couple. As for the weaker tracks... well, I haven't really warmed up to "An Empty Shell", but that's about it! This is one of the strongest albums of the year, and definitely the best Royal Hunt album since "Paradox". Yes folks, the Hunt is on again!

Website

Facebook

LEATHER BOYS: "Real Leather"

Rating: 3/10

Label: indie 2011

Review by Kimmo Toivonen

In this day and age when most of the promos we get are in mp3 format, it always warms me up when someone sends an actual CD. The Leatherboys did, which earns them an additional point... unfortunately the contents of the CD do not really add much to that.

The band got as far as to the televised Spanish finals in the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of years ago, so I was thinking that they would surely have some commercial potential. Well, if they do then I don't hear it. The band plays generic sleaze rock which suffers of a severe lack of hooks or melodies. You can hear some of their influences, Guns 'n Roses, Aerosmith etc, but the songwriting is on a very basic level and they not ready to compete with the big guns yet.

The band plays reasonably well, but the singing is rather substandard throughout the album. There's more than enough of off-key moments here. Other than that, the production is okay... if the band had a better singer and better songs, they might have a chance. Now, I guess they'll remain local heroes.

Website

MySpace

ALFONZETTI: "Here Comes The Night"

Rating: 7/10

Label: AOR Heaven 2011


Review by Alan Holloway

Matti Alfonzetti first came to my attention, as he did for many others, as the lead singer of Jagged Edge at the arse end of the 80s. After that fell to bits he has done all sorts of stuff, including writing for The Poodles, fronting Road To Ruin, and putting out a couple of very good solo albums. Well, nine years after the last one he’s cobbled together another first class set of tracks, writing, producing, singing, playing and probably cleaning the studio toilets as well.

I’ll freely admit that “Here Comes The Night” took a few spins to grab me, but when it did it certainly didn’t want to let go, and as I sit here I’m listening to it for the 6th time on the trot and quite happy to do so. Alfonzetti sounds as good as he ever has, and has done a decent job on the production as well. The songs are good, solid, hard rock fare that will be accessible to any fan of classic rock, and especially any existing fans of his work. Mostly mid paced, the best moment is when things heat up a bit on “Rock & Roll Heart”, but in truth there’s not a naff track in sight.

The wheel has unsurprisingly no been reinvented here, but Matti Alfonzetti has been a consistent provider of quality hard rock for many years now, and with “Here Comes The Night” he continues to a great job.