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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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| Hidden Hospitals is a new exciting band from Chicago, the band features former members of Damiera and Kiss Kiss and I must say that I am very thrilled about their debut EP. They´re artsy, experimental and progressive. The production from J.Hall goes in the same style as Aaron Sprinkle´s work, very classy and edgy. The distorted bass on "Controlled chaos" gives me the goosebumps, amazing! The vocal harmonies from David Raymond (Damiera) on "One to ones" and "Swan dive" is worth a Grammy, mark my words. If you think a mix of Thrice, Mute Math and Anberlin sounds like something really awesome, then HH is your band for sure. |
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| Green River Ordinance from Fort Worth, Texas is a productive band with several Ep's and a full-length record released on Virgin in 2009. Musically they play classic rock with a large dose of 90's influences like Matchbox 20, and Sister Hazel and dose it very well.
Hoped much on them is they got signed to Virgin, but unfortunately it did not happened enough since they was able to get a sequel out there. But the band did not give up and I'm really happy for that considering what they deliver here on "Under Fire". Like the bands “new” style that is even more classic in its sound like Needtobreathe, Parachute and Augustana with more heart and soul than before.
Songs like "Heart Of Mine" "Under Fire" and "Resting Hour" is among the best the band have done and am very impressed with what they deliver here. Does in fact think that it is better than major label album both when it comes to the sound and the song wise.
So if you like bands that I compare them with, "Under Fire" is a crystal clear must have album and one of the best in the genre this year! |
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| A few years ago, the Swedish band The Animation released their debut album "Everest" independently and I wrote in the review that I hoped it wouldn´t be the only release from this promising band. I was right, the band signed to Supernova/Cosmos Music Group and on Feb 13th their new album "Dance into the unknown" will be available. This band loves to write atmospheric songs in the Britrock style like a mix of Big Country and Keane, if you don´t know what delay and reverb are before listening to this album. You will definitely know it afterwards. The Animation has re-recorded a few favorites from the "Everest" album like the awesome "Overboard" and "It´s late" along with several new songs, one of those new tracks that totally blew me off the ground is "Lights over the sea". If a song deserves to be called Stadium rocker, this one does! What a quality album "Dance into the unknown" is, perhaps also your new favorite band? |
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| The new album from The Panic Division sounds big and more rock oriented in the same vein as their 2007 album Songs from the glass house, "Eternalism" is produced and performed by Colton Holliday except live drums by Joe Ramos. I think this is the best album so far from Colton and his TPD where he has taken the best of both worlds from the arena rock of the first albums as well as the more 80´s new wave sound of the previous "Sleepwalker" EP from 2009. 3 tracks from that EP have been remixed with guitars added so they would fit with the other new songs on "Eternalism", the tracks "Shut up and leap", "Melody Ave" and "Easier" sounds better on this album for sure but my favorite tracks are the new ones such as "Silver rings", "Bleed" and "Too young to fall". It´s time this band break through because they deserve the same attention as The Killers or OneRepublic. Release date Feb 7th. |
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| Modern rockers Shinedown returns with one of the most anticipated releases of 2012. You might have heard the single Bully on the radio or the internet. I have and it got me excited about this upcoming album. The fact that I like pretty much everything they have released so far did not lower my expectations.
The album kicks off with Adrenaline which is a fast-paced rocker. Bully follows and that is a good song with a nice drive to it. If you like the sound from Bully you will like this album because that sound is constantly there, a little more polished that their latest effort. There are a couple of slower, softer songs on here and generally they work great. I’ll Follow You has some really cheesy lyrics here and there but in overall it is a good song. Another song worth mentioning is My Name, probably the heaviest song on here and a really good one.
So I can tell you in the end that this is a good album, not as good as Sound of Madness but more of a complete and unified album. As always the production is top notch and the vocal performance as well. A solid album if you like the singles so far and also if you are a fan of this band. A way better band than Nickelback in my books. |
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| Keep it groovy and do it the non compromising way but don´t forget to fire on all cylindars, well that seems to be the motto for Florida hard rockers NerVer. Their new 5 track EP "Kings will fall" has the same groove as Suicidal Tendencies but with combination of grunge-like metal a la Alice in Chains and Ozzy (Zakk Wylde era). I love their attitude and energy, they´re just as tight as Disturbed but the riffs has more in common with Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo. This is a bloody great hard rock EP my friends. Also available : Twenty Twenty One Twenty Twelve (2010). |
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| It Bites is one of my favorite bands and keep all their albums very high. Their 1986 debut, "The Big Lad in the Windmill" started it all and is British progressive pop / rock at it best for sure. The post follows "Once Around the World" and "Eat Me In St. Louis "are no exceptions, even if I think that the later one perhaps is their weakest album.
Unfortunately, the band split up in 1990 when Francis Dunnery chose to pursue a solo career. A disappointing decision, but his solo efforts are all good, especially "Tall Blonde Helicopter", "Let's Go Do What Happens" and "Man", so it wasn’t completely bad after all.
2006 saw the return of the band, and this with the new singer and guitarist John Mitchell. We got the album "The Tall Ships" which was surprisingly good and kept the same class as their best moments in the 80s.
And in April earlier this year (2012) we got this concept album "Map of the Past", inspired by the discovery of an old family photograph. Again, an album with a typical It Bites sound with a perfect mix of pop and rock in a progressive package.
To me it’s better than expected and even stronger than “The Tall Ships” with a warmer and more varied sound. Has listened to it for months and cannot be tired of it, it is that good. Songs like "Flag", " Map of the Past " and "Cartoon Graveyard" are among the best band have done and overall and there are no dull moments on this fine album.
So check if you like bands like Rush and Genesis, you won’t be disappointed! |
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| HOUSE OF SHAKIRA is not only among the oldest Swedish melodic hard rock bands still playing today – they’re also one of few that has added some unique touches of their own in the music. It’s also a “new” band this time! Vocalist Andreas Novak (MIND’S EYE) has replaced Andreas Eklund, and two more new members are in: bass player Basse Blyberg and Martin Larsson on drums. I’d say HOUSE OF SHAKIRA has become even heavier this time, so the AOR influences have disappeared totally. But they can handle any melodic rock genre, it seems! Their hard rock of today has got more 70’s melodic hard rock influences, especially soundwise. The opener “Brick wall falling” is a fine example, as well as “Changes in mind” with its LED ZEPPELIN vibes! You should also devote some minutes to the funky, swinging “Zodiac maniac” which also brings some of the typical HOUSE OF SHAKIRA spices with a slight African touch. I’d also like to recommend the rather rock’n’roll based “Midnight hunger” a chance – it’s a grower! These guys know what they’re doing, and Andreas Novak’s voice fits in perfectly! |
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| I fell completely for Crazy Lixx’ previous album as it was a fresh breath of air into the sleaze rock genre. The songs were all about partying and girls and that stuff, combining to an easy, fun listening experience. On this album they said beforehand that it was going to be darker I that got me a bit worried that they would lose some of the elements that I liked about them. The biggest news is the addition of a second guitar player, which adds another dimension to the songs. After a couple of spins I think that there might be a slightly darker tone to the songs, there is at least a thicker sound this time around. But do not worry, the playfulness is still here. Still present as well is the vocal performance from Danny Rexon, which is just as good as on New Religion.
The band still produces classic rock ‘n’ roll with the best of them and if New Religion had more hit songs, this album feels more like a complete album. Standout songs so far are: Church of Rock, Young Blood and In the Night. Especially the latter has some heavy AC/DC-influences, although the vocals bare more than one hint of Def Leppard. Sweet, Bad & Beautiful sounds like Poison or Motley Crue. It is easy to see where Crazy Lixx draws their inspiration from but they manage to piece it all together to create their own sound.
If you already own New Religion you must also buy this. If you have not heard that one you should that and this album as well. You cannot go wrong with this band if you like rock ’n’ roll. The future for Swedish rock looks very bright again. Good work lads! |
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| The German-Swedish formation Jaded Heart are here with their 11th album. Jaded Heart has been around for over 20 years first with Michael Bormann as front man, but since 2005 Swedish vocalist Johan Fahlberg has fronted this band. They´re previous albums Sinister Mind (2007) and Perfect Insanity (2009) has sounded much heavier than before and have been little up and down, I missed the huge hooklines and strong choruses. On Common Destiny they have found back to the powerful and huge sound with stunning hooklines and strong choruses. I don’t know if Erik Martensson has something to do with it, he sings background vocals and co-written couple of songs. Johan sound better than ever on this album and one of the reasons may be the fantastic melodies and arrangements they have on this new album. They have produced the album together with Michael Voss (Casanova, Mad Max) and Chris Lausmann (Bonfire, Frontline) with a fantastic bombastic sound. With You opens the album in a great way with strong hooklines and a powerful chorus filled with outstanding melodies. Into Tears is pure melodic hardrock heaven, a great mixture of Eclipse and W.E.T with an awesome chorus. Run And Hide are filled with crunchy guitars and amazing hooklines and a killer chorus with huge background vocals, classy stuff. Life is Beautiful goes in the same style with riff strong guitars and wonderful melodies and the chorus is freaking excellent with cool keyboards. Common Destiny is an album for fans of Pretty Maids, Fate (Scratch´n Sniff) and Eclipse. So don’t miss this powerful album from these rockers, Jaded Heart are back with strength. There’s also a bonus video clip of the song With You. |
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| Florida based Modern Rock band Atom Smash released in 2010 the very nice "Love Is In The Missile" on Jive Records. Unfortunately, they only release one album there, but showed nevertheless that they are a band at the top of the genre. Really liked their balance between attitude and great melodies that seemed like the prefect combination of the 80 century melodic hardrock, the 90’s grunge and today's Modern Rock.
2011 became a new start for the band containing Luke "Cowboy" Rice (guitar), Mark "Taco" amino (drums), "Crazy" Dave Carrey (bass) and SergSanchez (vocals) when they went into the studio again to record new material. This time they chose to produce and mix it themselves with some help from Paul Trust that have helped them before.
And is impressed by the results here since it got the same high class as the Jive record, if not better. The opening and title track "Beautiful Alien" with a cool western touch shows at once the band class and is a favorite on the album. Other tracks that shows that is the more groovy "Baby 2012" and "Hangman", which shows a bit of new side of the band. Can imagine that they wake will work very well live with their cool and Quentin Tarantino smelling style.
The highlight for me is first single "The World Is Ours" which I think is one of the best songs the band has written. With its stunning melody and powerful chorus, it is a song that will be a highlight when I will summarize the best from 2012 later this year.
So if you're a fan of Modern Rock and acts like Saving Abel, Cavo, Theory Of Deadman, Atom Smash is a band that you cannot miss and especially this record! |
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| I thought the Swedish label Atenzia was dead and buried, so it was a great surprise when I realized that CHRIS ANTBLAD (SPIN GALLERY, ANTBLAD/NYMAN) releases this new solo album on Atenzia. And for starters: don’t let the album cover fool you! It may look more like a country album or even some modern melodic rock piece that you’ve already seen too many of. NOPE! This is lightweight AOR with some lovely westcoast moves! Also worth mentioning: this CD is light years better that the “demo album” that Chris released in 2011. So how does it sound? Well, anyone who likes KEVEN JORDAN, STAN MEISSNER and ALIEN should wake up right now. You get the usual smoothness in the vocals and harmony singing, because Antblad is a marvelous creator of vocals. “In Your Eyes” and “I’ll Find A Way” are perfect examples of the KEVEN JORDAN sound; AOR:ish and yet a little westcoast spiced in some ways. Those who have heard ROBERTSON BROTEHRS will love these songs. “Nothing Happened” even takes us into more straight-forward melodic rock/AOR, not far from STEFAN ANDERSSON or BRETT WALKER. There are also some JOURNEY hints here and there on this CD. TOTO fans need to lend an ear to “Too Far Away”, and it’s not that far from SURVIVOR either. Chris also manages to create a lovely mix of LITTLE RIVER BAND and WESTLIFE (!) in “Heartbreaker” – maybe not strange, since the Antblad catalogue has created some modern pop tunes picked up by other artists. Summing it up, we have a very nice CD here. Well produced, and the only remark I might shoot in would be a slightly dull drum sound at times. Not to worry about, though! This is a yummy album. Full of rich keyboards, some crispy guitars and top notch singing by Chris. A warm recommendation! |
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| Candlebox is one of the major bands from the grunge era and achieved tremendous success in 1993. Their debut sold the entire four million and they became one of the biggest bands in the style that destroyed the success of 80’s glam and melodic rock. Is personally a fan of both eras and is happy what happened back then since we today got a lot of cool bands like Nickelback and Creed that got a bit of both styles.
Candlebox with Kevin Martin in the front has not been especially productive since their start and has "only" released five albums. This is very dependent to a ten-year break between 98 and 08 where Kevin had his own band Hiwatts and released an amazing album, perhaps the best he has done in fact.
Did like the bands comeback album Into The Sun produced by Ron Aniello (Lifehouse, Matt Nathanson, Days of the New), released in 08. The band was not as grunge-oriented as in the 90's and had more of a clean and updated rock sound. This without losing their own style and I think it was a smart and natural step for the band.
The band is now back with another album in Love Stories and Other Musings and where they have worked with the hero Ken Andrews. Is pretty surprised that they worked with him since he normally works with more alternative bands. But it’s great choice since he’s very talented and should get be of the hottest producers very soon. Stylistically the album follows the same line as Into The Sun with a straight rock format with both a little tougher tracks and more semi-ballad like ones. The tougher “Youth In Revolt” and “Believe In It” shows the best of the band and will be great live tracks for the band. But since I’m a sucker for the more melodic side of the band I prefer the radio friendly “Sweet Summertime”, “Turn Your Heart Around” and “She Come Over Me” that all most be candidates for being singles.
Overall this is to me a better album than Into The Sun with a better line-up of songs. It feels more complete and I really think that it can do well on the charts since it got a handful of songs that can do well on radio. Great album that is a safe buy! |
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| Finally the full-length album from the Swedish/American AOR band Osukaru sees the light of day. It’s been a long journey for guitarist Oz Osukaru to get this album released. They released two EP´s called Never Too Late (2011) and GBG2LA (2010) earlier and had some problems with line-up changes, but now it seems like they have gathered all the pieces for this album. For this album the production sounds really good and the new singer Chris Tiann has a good voice and sometimes reminds of ex-H.e.a.t singer Kenny Leckermo (but not as strong and powerful). The album has 10 songs with a running time around 37 minutes and that’s the only thing I have to complain about. Highway To The Stars is a great AOR-song with dut-dut keyboards and it’s filled with layers of melodies and I love the keyboards that lies in the background and the chorus is stunning. Hot Blooded Woman is a bluesy hardrock song with similarities to FM meets Tyketto, OK song, but I think it’s the weakest on the album. City Lights is a fantastic AOR-song with a strong melodies and a damn catchy chorus with lovely keyboards. A song that reminds of H.e.a.t’s debut. Till The End Of Time is a nice AOR-ballad with good harmonies where Alien´s debut comes in mind. Never Too Late is a mid-tempo rocker that could have been on the debut album and the keyboards plays a big roll again, I like it a lot. On Tear It Down Oz gets to shine out with crunchy guitars that can be heard all over this song and this song rocks nice with a strong chorus. Promised Land is an awesome AOR-rocker with fantastic keyboards and hooklines that runs out to a catchy chorus with powerful harmonies, best song of the album AOR by the book. After many years of waiting, I must say that the wait has been worth because Oz and his band has come up with a strong piece of work. This is a fantastic album filled with slice of catchy AOR/melodic rock in the veins of H.e.a.t, Tyketto and Alias. |
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Did you know that?
Foo Fighters are a term that was used by World War II pilots to describe strange flying fireballs they sometimes saw.
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latest reviews
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