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Hailing from Pearland, Texas, A Step Behind has emerged as a rock band to be reckoned with. With a blend of energy, motivation, melody, and drive A Step Behind doles out catchy, sometimes emotional songs, that incorporate their life experiences, hopes, and even dreams which have tugged at the ears and souls of their many fans who relate to every verse.
Writing explosive songs, playing high-energy shows, and focusing on their fans have made A Step Behind a band to watch. Our focus is to energize the crowd with the energy that we feel every night on stage, says lead singer Matt Geronimo. The bands love of the crowd and their love of music takes a hold of everyone who sees them perform their music live.
The band is gearing up for the release of their new 5 song EP "This Is What We´ve Become." This EP shows us the alternative rock and passionate lyrics the band has to offer. The guys Matt, Dustin, JP, and Justin capture some really heartfelt, catchy songs on this EP.
My favorites on the album are "Truth Be Told" and The really catchy almost a little harder All American rejects style tune "This Could Be Happening." This song was the one track that really stood out to me. Very catchy and driving from the very start and the chorus will be stuck in your head. I think if it was a full length they should really go toward this sound more. It will open a lot of doors for the group and set them apart to be noticed throughout the crowd of bands now.
I like the harmonies and duo vocals on this record. It breaks up the hooks and gives the listener that yearning for more approach. Well done and a check out if your into the indie Alternative rock. Check them out at their myspace page to get a taste - www.myspace.com/astepbehind |
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| A Torn Mind is a progressive rock band from Scotland. If you read on their website they write that they have influences from bands like The Mars Volta, Dream Theater, Thrice, and Genesis. But I think it is quite wrong to stay there. For most people who like British prog, there are plenty of bands in the genre in UK and there is more to these bands that A Torn Mind sounds. Imagine a hybrid of Pallas and Dream Theater in the first song. The fourth song, is a sort of a hybrid between Pendragon and more modern prog a'la Porcupine Tree. In other words, there is much more modern British prog in their sound than what they write about in their biography. Is it good then? - Yes, it's good even if it does not achieve the heights where the big bands in the genre like Pendragon, Pallas, Marillion, Dream Theater, IQ and the rest are. But the album is definitely worth checking out for fans of British prog rock. Best song is the last one out - the 10.29 long "Vita". Brit-prog at a very high level. |
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If you?re no big fan of Smashing Pumpkins but like a few songs with them and are more into the emo/metal genre,then this tribute is the right album for you.
Some of these versions are kickass and truly sounds like they could be new songs from these bands upcoming albums,fans of Smashing Pumpkins might have a problem with hearing these songs in emorocking versions.
I don?t!
Highlights:
Roses are red-Cherub rock
A Thorn for every heart-Jellybelly
Poison the well-Soma
Armor for sleep-Today
Eighteen Visions-Quiet
Ok covers:
Emanuel-Mayonaise
Hopesfall-Eye
Vaux-1979
32 Leaves-Zero
Murder by death-We only come out at night
Could?ve been left out:
A Static Lullaby-The everlasting gaze
This is the second tribute from Reignition records,the first one was "A tribute to Guns?n?roses-Bring you to your knees" (2004) and there will be a 3rd tribute released in March to Black Flag titled "Black on black". |
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I think of Minneapolis based A Verse Unsung´s music as strong black coffee, it will get you up and running in the morning in no time.
Grammy award producer Steve Hodge (Sting, Janet Jackson) said AVU is the best band he´d worked with in a long time and Sebastian Davin of Dropping Daylight also loves this band with the following quote "when you turn it up loud you forget how young these guys are...I wish I rocked that hard at 17".
The 5 songs on "The Autumn EP" left me wanting more, there are too many bands out there without any personal sound whatsoever with songs that are only "so-so" - it takes a helluva lot to convince me of something good but AVU have the potential to make it big because they´ve got it all........the right attitude, the right image, strong melodies, a tough sound and a good bandname.
None of the songs on the EP is featured on the band´s full length debut "Sleeping tigers", the album contains 10 three minute rockers making it a short album with only 32 minutes of running time.
I still think the EP is a bit better because some of the songs on "Sleeping tigers" soundalike but the album still rock with energetic rockers like "Coming home", "Too late" and "Six strings" with the cool phrase "Six strings will take me home".
AVU have created a great mix of emo, alternative metal and modern rock. |
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| A-ha have for some reason always been looked at as just a popband with one song. The same problem as Nik Kershaw have. People doesnt take them seriously. Do that! This their new album is brilliant wellproduced bombastic popmusic with Morten Harket great voice. the opening track (and titletrack) shows the and is stunning in the pomp-esque costume. Nah - the album is filled with pearls and is probably the best stuff A-ha have done up to date, not included Harkets marvellous soloalbum last year - still a great piece of plastic well worth a buy. Beautiful stuff. |
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The 8th studio album from the Titans of Norwegian popmusic comes out 20 years after the breakthrough with the hitsingle "Take on me" taking over the charts around the world.
I have always been weak for A-ha?s beautiful melodies and Morten Harket?s sensual voice,songs like "Manhattan skyline","I?ve been losing you" and "Hunting high and low" are nothing but pop classics.
It?s hard to understand how big they are in their homecountry but they played in front of the largest crowd ever in Norway this summer where 120,000 came to see this legendary trio.
So how does "Analogue" sound then? Well,you could say the band has taken a slightly new direction soundwise with a more melancholic and atmospheric touch to their already unique A-ha sound.
Most songs on the new album are written on piano and acoustic guitar,synthesizers has a more hidden role on "Analogue" but Harket?s characteristic voice gives these songs the special trademark that their fans have learned to love during 2 decades.
It almost feels like listening to music to a sad ballet in some moments,the first single "Celice" is a cold but passionate uptempo track and the first obvious choice for a radio release.
The title track "Analogue" might be the second song to be released on single,it features a 10 points chorus that echoes smash hit all over Hardangervidda.
Other songs that belongs on the next best of compilation with this band are the hauntingly beautiful "Birthright" and the 60?s smelling "Halfway through the tour".
It?s no doubt that the new album is a grower coz you will discover new favorites for each spin,the second track "Don?t do me any favours" sounds like a cousin to "Celice" without being a carbon copy.
Not their best album up to date but it has it?s place on the top 3 after their first two releases,"Analogue" definitely has more depth but also a few too many slow songs. |
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Morten Harket must have one of the finest voices in Scandinavia, wherever he´s singing the flowers go into bloom and the birds dance in the air.
I was surprised to hear a more synth based sound on their new album "Foot of the mountain" in the same direction as their first albums from the mid 80´s.
The new album is atmospheric and beautiful, several songs can be considered as new A-ha classics while other just are great songs.
There aren´t that many bands around today with all the original members left that still can deliver first class albums but A-ha makes an awesome free kick goal with "Foot of the mountain".
The opener "The bandstand" is one of the best synthpop songs on this side of the century while the title track belongs on every future Best of compilation with this band.
Other songs that will make me scream Euphoria are "Shadowside", "Real meaning" and "Start the simulator".
Magnificent......again.......oh la la!
Pär´s opinion
There is no doubt that Morten Harket sits on one of the best voices in the popworld. His solo album "Letter From Egypt" is a very good disc and A-ha has been for many years spoiled us with stylish synth-based pop, with a beautiful atmospheric undertone and also sometimes spiced with an "arena-feeling."
On the new album "Foot Of The Mountain" the band continues to spoil us listeners with beautiful melodies. The CD feels a bit more ´electronic´ than their last album "Analogue". The sound is beautiful and more retro, which feels really fresh, and Morten Harket ... What a voice.
Best songs then? Title track which is also the single is awesome, the 80-century smelling "Shadow Side" is beautiful and melancholic, and "Riding The Quest" has an immediate catchy hitfeelin ´and sounds like a classic Ultravox song.
The kings from Norway has done it once again. |
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Andrew Espinola is a 21 year-old math major with a strong dislike for both school and mathematics. His real interest is his Austin-based folk-pop band A. Rex, where he acts as both front man and primary songwriter.
Now after reading the first line of this bands bio i was really intrigued. This Austin, TX Indie Pop 2 piece display great slower rock tunes with a lot of pop glee, but not radio pop, just the pop thats pretty catchy without actually trying to be. The singer reminds me of Tom Petty in a way. Great vocals and production. Great music to just put on and relax and chill out to. "Determined" is a very good slower tune that opens the album that sets the tones for the rest of the disc, so you kinda get the vibe from the first track. You can really notice the influences of The Perishers, Coldplay and Wilco stand out in this record.
Great first offering form this independent artist. Hope to see good things happen with this group in the future. |
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Step into Restaurant A.C.T where doorman Herman welcomes you to a menue of pompgourmet,moogsalad, progressive smorgasbord,filet Saganese,City Boy Suffle? and ELO dessert....an a la carte you can?t resist! Compliments to the chef Jerry Sahlin that is responsible for this luxury that is being served. Very well worth the big money you have to spend on this mighty product.
3rd time out for these wonderful personalities who are having the time of their lives supporting Saga on the European tour,their two previous albums "Today?s report" and "Imaginary friends" has put a mark on the map of rock where A.C.T have come to stay...with this new concept album "Last epic" that is about life in an apartment house,takes them further up on the ladder of progressive rock. These five guys have their own theatrical sound that will influence many other bands,be so sure about that!
New drummer Tomas Lejon has become a true member of the band and puts a little more weight into their trademark of pomp. Hats off! Oh!..I almost forgot when you see Mr.Landlord...put on your big smile and start sucking on. |
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Swedish artrock band A.C.T needed a whole year longer for their 4th studio album than the usual 2 that the first 3 albums took to record and release, the debut "Todays report" on MTM from 1999 felt like a fresh wind of Swedish progrock and when they put in some more muscles soundwise on the second one "Imaginery friends" (2001) - things really started to happen outside Sweden and they supported Saga on their European tour.
The concept album "Last Epic" from 2003 is the bands strongest work which was released on their second label Atenzia records, now 3 years later they return with the 19 track album "Silence" on their new home Inside Out that I hope will promote the band just as much as they deserve.
This album was released in Japan earlier this summer with the bonus track "Polish, reduce and enlarge" that is more of a pop song and I can understand why it?s not included on the European release.
Just like the first two albums, A.C.T has now done a new lengthy track with many different pieces called "Consequences - The Long One" - this one is their longest so far with a running time of 25 minutes.
However, it doesn?t reach the same high level as "Personalities" from the first album or "Relationships" from the 2nd one.
A.C.T knows exactly what they?re good at and they continue to deliver theatrical artrock with an excellent performance on "Silence" but after 4 albums I start to feel that they are recycling melodies and chord changes over and over again.
Still, you know what you get and there aren?t many bands out there sounding like A.C.T! |
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Formed in April 2002, A.D.D. was assembled from the key components of various established Chicago bands. And all you guys who adore all these bands with distorted guitars and fat productions, and
exactly the right portion of aggression will perhaps find a new band to check out. Take one spoon of Evanescence and one spoon of Adema and one spoon of Linkin Park and you have the sound of this band. Im probably the wrong guy to review this album, as I am so damn fed up with the genre because A.D.D is not bad but personally I think its more interesting to watch a cricket match on TV than listening to this sort of stuff. But as I just wrote - if you like the bands I just mentioned check them out and listen yourself. Im not a fair judge. I just think its boring. |
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When you see the producer Tadpole?s name on an album, you?re almost guaranteed a quality rock album because his involvement with Disturbed, American Motherload and Inept are nothing but good stuff.
Our editor in chief reviewed this band?s first EP from 2003 but wasn?t too impressed by their classic numetal sound, Par compared them to Evanescence and Adema but the only thing I see similar to Amy Lee?s Evanescence is that A.D.D is also a female fronted rock band but this Chicago based band are definitely more metal than the million selling Wind-up artists.
A.D.D?s new 7 track EP "Elements of Emptiness" is a mega fat numetal album with a wall of guitars, a safe buy if you?re a fan of female fronted numetal like Lennon, Alone and Wicked Wisdom.
I wonder if Margaret Young of A.D.D comes from the same neighborhood as Rinat of the Chicago based acts Alone/Sphera?!
They sure do sound like sisters to me. |
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a.i. is a REALLY cool band somewhere between classic 80´s new wave, electronica (both retro and new) and pop. This is probably what The Police would have sounded like if they were newcomers the year 2008 and were produced by a young a wild Rupert Hine.
Cause there you have the odd mix of the sound... Old stuff The Police, Rupert Hine, The Fixx, Silent Running mixed with the year 2008. But also with a dramatic softer Nine Inch Nails electro-edge on a few tracks. It´s very hard hard to explain... You gotta hear it. The result is nothing less than tremendous... And NOTLEAST unique in their way of being... And we love that - don´t we?
No tracks mentioned. Why? The whole damn album is great.
PS - The cool thing is that the guys aren´t newcomers, cause in 2002, the band signed with DreamWorks Records and released their debut self-titled album, produced by Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna. The album was made along with keyboardist/synth bassist Pablo Manzarek, son of The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek, but he is no longer on the boat. |
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| The award for the best place to find unsigned and/or independent released CD s on the net of 2002 goes without a doubt to the Christian musicplace Grassroots Music. Its an awesome place to be and discover new music. I have at least found myself 6-7 new acts during 2002 and here is another one, and perhaps the best of them all! A.M Drive is the name and theyre producing a modern midwestern pop-rock with a very nice melodic edge. Musically were somewhere around Better Than Ezra and Big Tent Revival which are not so bad to be compared with as you all know. What else to say then? Well not much actually, just a big freekin! bravo to the guys and Im already looking forward to a forthcoming album. Surf away to www.gmusicd.com and buy yourself a CD at once. |
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| Frederic Slama has gathered the whole studio mafia on this album. Playing are Michael Ruff,Bruce Gaitsch,Michael Landau,Michael Thompson,Toto and many others. Goran Edman guestsings on a couple songs and those are the best ones. This westcoast project are a mix of both old songs from the previous albums "L.A concession" and "Next stop L.A" and some new written but the production is very 80?s sounding. New albums of this genre can be counted on one hand so it?s nice to hear these westcoast songs but I feel there?s something big missing......and that?s the material! They are too laid back and "go shopping in the mall music" if you know what I mean. But any lover of this type of music will probably enjoy it so get your copy on Aorheaven.com. I?d rather play the records with Maxus and I.Ten....there?s some muscles in that stuff. |
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Did you know that?
Myles Kennedy was asked by Slash to audition as lead singer of Velvet Revolver, but he declined the offer. Two years later, he was called up by Creed guitarist Mark Tremonti asking to join a new band he was forming since Creed had recently broken up due to personal issues with singer Scott Stapp.
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latest reviews
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