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| Has been a big fan of Royal Bliss since their "After The Chaos II" from 2006 and that also gave them a major deal. Like a more melodic Foo Fighters, they have a style is direct, but also alternative that gives them "real" and exciting sound. However, their Rob Daiker produced album didn’t for some strange reason secure them another deal. Odd to me since it takes time to build an up rock band and you cannot drop such a great band after “just” one album.
But, the band is back with a fresh new album independently that is as good as could as you could hope for. Did not really know what to expect to be honest and didn’t think that they would top their last album. But "Waiting Out The Storm" is just as good with a great mix of songs like the tougher "I Got This" and "Monster", but also the beautiful "Crazy". Must also mention "Singing For Our Lives," which Dave Grohl had sacrificed his left hand for have had written! Crazy good and this is just a safe buy if you're straightforward and classic rock with a modern twist!
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| I knew I was right when I said that Invicta would be the best album so far from Hit The Lights, the first appetizer from this album was the 3 track Invicta EP in December last year. And now with the final result in my speakers, I can only say the album fulfilled every expectation because it contains huge choruses and stadium rockers like "Float through me" and "Invincible". All 3 tracks from the EP are of course included here along with 8 more grandiose pop/rock songs. Do yourself a favor and purchase this album when it´s released on Jan 31st. |
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| Tantrum To Blind is one of the hottest up and coming rock bands in Sweden today. They were featured in a TV commercial and their career has skyrocketed ever since. Now they release their debut album and it is a feast for anyone who lists Paramore and Automatic Loveletter among their favorites. I know, the comparison with Paramore is a boring one but it is kind of hard not to compare the bands as they have a quite similar sound. I must say though that Tantrum has a bit rawer sound but I still think that they have to live with the comparisons. There are also traces of Green Day, Blink and The Offspring in the music. I like the voice of singer Melanie. It reminds me of Hayley Williams and that is not a bad thing. Both she and the rest of the band ooze energy and confidence. I am pretty sure that you will have your head nodding and your feet tapping to most of the songs. Catchy to say the least! There is no way to tell that this is a band in their early twenties at the most, presenting us with their debut album. The fact that the band also produced the album just adds to the accomplishment. A great start to a possibly great career. |
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| Am pleased and somewhat surprised by Fun.’s development. Really enjoyed their debut "Aim and Ignite", but really did not believe that they three years later would be a band that topped the charts and people hummed on the streets in Sweden. But they really deserve it for sure as they are a really talented band that stands out in terms of style with their timeless and fresh ELO and Queen-inspired pop.
This new album "Some Nights" with the super hit "We Are Young" feels like a very elaborate record with great songs from start to finish. Of course does their breakthrough song stands out, but there are several other equally good tracks like "All Alone" and "Carry On".
The production signed Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West) is very fitting with a mixture of classic rock elements and hip-hop rhythms. So some of their classic power-pop that was on the debut are gone. But even though I'm a big fan of thear music style, I consider that they have chosen the right path and really loves this new classic pop record, "Some Nights". |
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| The debut album from Swedish modern rock band Cervello is finally being released on Oct 31st through Supernova Records, the album has been a long time in the making ever since they won the competition Bandit Unsigned in 2008 where the first prize was to record a single, "Stay and bleed". Cervello was formed by the Baioni brothers in 2007, Michel Baioni on vocals/guitar and Antonio Baioni on drums. They headed into the studio with producer Henrik Edenhead to work on their debut album and the band recorded 8 of their own songs and was offered one song from Max Martin, "Cause I am" which is the new single plus one song from John 5, "First time" that was featured on the Bandit Rock Compilation in 2010. This album is a smorgasbord for modern rock fans, we get the brilliant opener "Carry me home" as well as the smashing "REM", not to mention the new single "Cause I am" that screams hit all over. This album of course contains "Stay and bleed" but I´m pretty sure you will find 9 more songs you want to hear just as much. |
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| I never was a big fan of Dario Mollo and Tony Martin´s first two albums The Cage (1999) and The Cage 2 (2002) but I have always been a huge fan of Tony Martin since his days in Black Sabbath. The man is a true powerhouse singer and unfortunately stands in the shadows of Dio and Ozzy in Black Sabbath which is just terrible, the albums he created with Black Sabbath are enormous and as a singer, he´s a titan! Italian guitarist Dario Mollo has worked with some of the best too, with Glenn Hughes in Voodoo Hill and Graham Bonnet in Electric Zoo. And this year Mollo and Martin teamed up for the Third Cage that will be out in Jan 2012, I must say that I am impressed by the material here. I would go as far as saying this is the best record Martin has done outside Black Sabbath, "The Third Cage" is a heavy but melodic hard rock album for fans of Misha Calvin´s "Evolution" (1993) and Black Sabbath´s "Headless cross" (1989). I just love tracks like "Wardance", "Cirque du freak" and "Still in love with you". Huge album! |
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| London-based Young Guns delivered in 2010 a solid album in "All Our Kings Are Dead". No a record that made any considerable impression, but it still showed glimpses of what the band would deliver two years later. Their new album "Bones" then is a real hit and a great experience if you're into cocky melodic rock with metal fragments. Really was taken by the first single "Learn My Lession" which is really brilliant and a crystal clear hit to me. And more tracks are in the same vein can be found in the punky "Brothers In Arms", the catchy "Dearly Departed" and the slightly heavier "Bones".
And even if the band have delived a more or less perfect collection of songs they've also found a perfect style. They are both melodic and epic in their sound, but also serious and emotional, which makes them very present.
A very good start to 2012 and think there are few albums that will top "Bones" when we summarize this year's best records later! |
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| St. Louis based Cavo got only one chance on Reprise Records with "Bright Nights Dark Days". Too bad as it was a very good modern rock album, produced by David Bendeth and which is a must have in your collection if you ask me. The band, however, had a great time and toured with well known acts as Daughtry, Lifehouse, Shinedown, Sick Puppies, Adelitas Way and The Veer Union, which I suppose gave them a taste to continue without a major label support
Now two years later they're back and have teamed up with the talented Eleven Seven Music, which really have a great bunch of bands signed to them.
Thick As Thieves is to me a surprisingly good album and had not really believed that they could top the last in fact. But this is actually one step better, with a little tougher sound signed Skidd Mills and slightly sharper songs. The harder title track "Thick As Thieves" and "War Within" are both really impressive track where you see the band's best side with crunchy guitars combined with melodies that stuck at once. Vocalist Casey Walker got with this “nice” and clean voice a nice contrast to their music that feels like a perfect blend with hard rock and pop. The softer "California" and "Southern Smile" are also tracks worth to mention from this fine album, which of course is a must buy if you like Modern Rock in its purest form. |
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| Joe Lynn Turner and German producer/songwriter Dennis Ward have yet again joined forces and recorded a new and the third Sunstorm album. Together with various songwriters such as Soren Kronkvist (Crash The System, Issa), Tom and James Martin (Vega, Sunstorm, Khymera) and Daniel Palmqvist (Xorigin) that has come up with amazing tracks. The previous album House Of Dreams (2009) did not reach the level of the first album in my opinion, sure there were a couple of winners, but overall the album was too uneven.
Emotional Fire takes off where the debut ended and it’s filled with some outstanding AOR-songs with stunning melodies and huge hooklines and catchy choruses. There are also three cover-songs, Emotional Fire (Cher), You Wouldn’t Know Love (Cher, Michael Bolton) and Gina (Michael Bolton). These are nice versions and has a more rocking touch, but I still think it feels a bit unnecessary to record them, but hey they are damn good songs. The album opens with the best track of the album called Never Give Up, this is a fantastic up-tempo rocker built up by some crunchy guitars and lovely melodies that runs out to a splendid chorus that will hook you up.Lay Down Your Arms starts slow with nice piano/keyboards, but burst out to a powerful chorus that reminds of House Of Lords.
Torn In Half is filled with riff strong guitars and the powerful chorus has strong background vocals and some cool pompish keyboards as well, classy song. The Higher You Rise is an awesome AOR-rocker with a huge sound and the chorus is pure magic. Emily is pure AOR-heaven with a strong chorus that has great keyboards and if you like Work Of Art, then you will jump of joy when you hear this one. Sunstorm is back and it’s with a big bang and Joe Lynn Turner sings his heart out and sounds brilliant. Dennis Ward has done a first-class job on the production because this album sounds top-notch. |
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| Calling The Fray for America's answer to Coldplay is not that wrong when the bands have some similarities. The fame of The Fray is though not even close to the British band since they do not have the same unique style, is a bit to happy and sounds too good to be honest. But personally thinks that they are much better nicer with their feelgood pop / rock and their previous album have been spinning many times at home.
They have now with their two previous albums made great impression and am sure that this is a band we will see on the charts for many years. The have a pretty own style, writes goes songs a have big name, so the future looks really bright for these guys from Denver, Colorado.
This new album then follows the same track as before with bombastic melodies in a neat piano-pop format. It is extremely well performed and produced like always, but think it suits their type of music very well. The first "Heartbeat" shows that and has done well on radio so far. Three other tracks that must be mentioned are "Run For Your Life", "The Fighter" and "Munich" that must be really hot single candidates. Besides these, there are more good ones, but also a number of standard tracks, which makes the album to feel slightly weaker than the magical debut.Still it’s a very good album and of course a must have if you’re into this kind of piano based rock/pop. |
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| Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Ryan Calhoun has had a successful solo career with no less than five Top 10 hits on iTunes, his newest project The Heaven Switch is more of a powerpop affair with traces of 90´s alternative rock. This is a very bright sounding album where most songs have hit potential, I love Calhoun´s voice where he most often lift the songs to a higher plateau. There´s no doubt this album will end up on many toplists of 2012, mark your calendar for Jan 24th when The Heaven Switch will be released. Best tracks are "Surface", "Trainwreck", "Stolen car" and "Raisea flag". |
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| The London-based Livingston is a really multinational band with members from England, Italy, Germany and South Africa. They released in March this very nice album "Fire To Fire" which is a very pleasant surprise for all lovers of melodic rock/pop. Produced by none other than David Bottrill (Muse, Placebo, Tool) they're a band to check out if you like well-made pop / rock with great melodies. There are similarities with the band Keane with beautiful and emotional melodies in "Supernova" and "No More Promises." However, Livingston has a somewhat larger and more electronic sound so you will also find some influences from The Killers as in "Perfect Dream" and "Set Fire To Fire".
The band has had great success in Germany and understands why since "Fire To Fire" is filled with hits and they’re better than most than the others in this genre! |
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| Canadian Our Lady Peace is back now with their eighth album since their debut Naveed in 1994. This is a reliable band that always delivers, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. The highlight for me is Spiritual Machines in 2000 where they found the perfect balance of great songs and a unique style. However Clumsy (1997), Happiness ... Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch (1999) and last Burn Burn (2009) are also great albums which any fan of Modern Rock should have.
Since the last album they're no longer on Columbia and it feels actually as a good alternative for them. Do unfortunately thinks that both Gravity (2002) and Healthy In Paranoid Times (2005) was quite boring albums where they became too commercial and impersonal. So that they become independent was to me as a perfect decision as they now have more freedom and probably will make more money in the end.
This new album "Curve” is once again a very solid effort and should be counted as one of the band's best. Stylistically, it is perhaps their quietest album to date, but there are a lot of emotion and sadness that make it very personal. The quiet and mysterious "Will Someday Change", "Mettle" and "Window Seat" is truly amazing where I think the guys are actually at their best. It is non-commercial and somewhat progressive, but still direct and accessible.
How it will sell is hard to say when there are no clear hits here. But as the album it is very good and should please all fans of this alternative and exciting band from North America.
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| Never say never, back in 1996 when VH reunited with Lee Roth the first time, it didn´t last long before the brothers had it up to here with the former VH frontman´s ego and the only songs the fans got from that short reunion were "Me wise magic" and "Can´t get this stuff no more" on the Best of Vol.1. But when they got back together in 2007 for a reunion tour, things looked a lot brighter between VH and Lee Roth so now the fans could begin to hope for a new studio album too. And here it is, "A different kind of truth" is the first album to feature Lee Roth since 1984 and the first studio album from VH in 12 years, it is also the first album not to include Michael Anthony on bass. This album contains reworked songs from 1976-1977 with a few exceptions just bring to out that old classic VH sound, and it truly sounds like an old VH record with loud guitars and upbeat rockers all over the place. This is big rock my friends, I had my doubts about recording a new album without Anthony´s backing vocals and I do miss him in the band but the music works, it surely deserves it´s spot at #2 on the Billboard album charts. Now, can we just ask for a new album with "new" songs the next time? |
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| Can a supergroup composed of Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue, Casey McPherson, Neal Morse and Steve Morse fail when they're doing an album together with Peter Collins as the producer? Of course not. And they haven't cause this is a really good album that they deliver as the band - Flying Colors. The sound is a great combo of styles... 70's prog a'la ELP, Genesis and Yes combined with Queen-vibes and Deep Purple (the 80's era) and all spiced with a modern twist. It's quite unnecessary to write about any specific tracks on an album like this but I must mention the last track "Infinite Fire" which is an orgy in well performed progrock (just listen to Steve Morse guitarplaying...) and "Kayla" with a tremendous commercial refrain on top of the progressive edge. Lovely album and a must for all proglovers. |
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Did you know that?
The Beatles recorded 191 songs at Abby Road.
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