Latest Reviews


	Guardian "First Watch" (Retroactive Records,2009) Producer: Genre: Christian Rock Format: Album Website: houseofguardian.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Back in 1989 Guardian released their debut album First Watch and now Retroactive Records has re-released it as a remastered 20th Anniversary Edition with 2 bonus tracks from the 1987 California Metal Session. This was the only album that Guardian released with Paul Cawley on vocals. The album was produced by Oz Fox of Stryper. It may not be so strange that their sound reminded very much of Stryper but I think they had weaker songs. But if you missed this Christian band back in the late 80s then here you got your chance. Nothing sensational but solid hardrock in the veins of Stryper and Dokken. Songs like I�ll Never Leave You, Mystery Man and the ballad Miracle are worth a mention. The two bonus tracks are Spiritual Warfare and Marching On the later was already on the album. Their next album Fire And Love was much better with Jamie Rowe (Adriangale, London Calling) on vocals and produced by the Elefante brothers.

	Phil Vincent "Controlled Insanity " (Independent,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR Format: Album Website: www.philvincent.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Phil is a busy man, not only has he released the 3rd Tragik album recently he�s here with a brand new solo album. This is his 12th solo album, yes you read it right his 12th solo album. Like on the Tragik album he has given the keyboards more room on Controlled Insanity than before. Phil had on his early albums a lot of keyboards but on his 3 latest album they have played a smaller part in the sound. Like on his other albums he has done almost everything on his own with some help from his friends Steven Albanese and William Roux. This new album is one of his better albums. The variation in the songs are good and you get nice mix of melodic hardrock with more AORish tracks. The heavy Why? is filled with crunchy guitars with nice melodies. Carry On is a brilliant 8 minutes epic song with fantastic AOR/Pomp piano/keyboards sound. Something About You has a Rick Springfield feel over the song with strong hooks and melodies. Part Of Me is a great hardrock song with nice keyboards in the chorus, a song with a Firehouse feel over it. Should Have Known Better has great dut-dut keyboards and with a strong chorus, a superb AOR-song. The catchy chorus on Tell Me Again is brilliant with lovely keyboard sound. Phil�s new album is a nice one with couple of really great songs and like I said the keyboards lifts up this album and the production. There�s couple of less good song but overall this album holds good quality. Both this and the new Tragik album surprised me in a good way. Great work Phil.

	Tragik "And We All Turn To Dust " (Independent,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR Format: Album Website: www.philvincent.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

The man who never sleeps Phil Vincent are back with a new album with his project Tragik. This is their 3rd album and I must say the best so far. Together with Damian D'Ercole (guitars) and Dirk Phillips (drums, keyboards) Phil has recorded a strong album. They mixture melodic hardrock with Pomp/AOR with great hooklines and melodies. I think they have found the right way to go with this this new album. I�m surprised that they have used the keyboards so much on this album but nothing against me. The production sounds a lot better with the keyboards lying in the background. The album opens up with a intro and continues with the rocker Jaded. It�s a good song with nice harmonies in the chorus. Can�t Find The Words is the best song of the album and is a stunning song with a fantastic pompish chorus and listen to the awesome keyboards. Giving In is a strong riff strong rocker with nice keyboards in the background and a melodic chorus. Long Way From Home is great and has pompish keyboards all over the song. There�s 3 average songs on the album and if you take away those you have a really good album. Phil sings really strong on this album and as I said I�m really glad that the keyboards has got a big roll in the sound. Tragik has a very own sound but if I would compare them with another band I would say Phantom�s Opera.

	Graham Colton "Twenty Something" (Universal Records ,2009) Producer: Genre: Midwest Rock Format: Ep Website: www.GrahamColton.c... Reviewed by: Rickard Holmgren Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Graham Colton is a very talented artist and since I have always preferred his acoustic songs this Ep really appeals to me. I like his voice and I think that the songs on this Ep really lets it shine. My favorite track has to be Helen which is a very nice tune. The title track is also great and shows Colton's abilities as a song-writer. If you are a fan of his previous work, this Ep should be a solid buy. I'm looking forward to what Graham Colton has up his sleeve in the future. Judging by the material on Twenty Something, it will be something good.

	Christopher Jak "Leadfoot Lover EP" (440 Records,2009) Producer: Christopher Jak Genre: Midwest Rock Format: Ep Website: www.christopherjak... Reviewed by: Henrik Holmgren Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

One of my favorite folk artist Christopher Jak returns with a couple of new EPs. After his latest albums he spent time as a producer for bands as The Heyday and The Northern Way but now he is back and Leadfoot Lover EP is the first release with the FolK EP coming later this spring. On this EP, which is only available digitally Jak present us four songs, three new and an acoustic version of his biggest hit "Begin to Cry". First out is the title track and it is a song that could have been taken from his New Nostalgia album, a nice up-tempo song. Second out is "Strong Enough" and no, it is not a cover of Sheryl Crow or Cher either for that matter. This song has a slower tempo and is more acoustic but it is just as good. The third one, "Good Boy", is a mix of them both, acoustic but with a higher tempo. Last song out is the acoustic version of "Begin to Cry" and I really like it every time I get to hear a good song stripped down to the core. If you like that original song you will probably like this version as well. Somehow Jak manages to get really personal with his songs as they feel really intimate and interesting. If you like what he has done before you should "run" to your nearest digital store and get a copy asap. I rather listen to Mr. Jak than Mr. Mayer to be honest. Good to have you back!


The band �311� was named after the �exact time the band formed.�
	Gotthard "Live Klubben Fryshuset Stockholm 19/2- 2010 " (Independent,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR / Hard Rock Format: Concert Website: www.gotthard.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Swiss rockers Gotthard are on a tour here in Sweden and made a visit in Stockholm this cold Friday night. To warm up their show they got Fatal Smile from Sweden. I got there to late and I unfortunately missed their show. But I was there to see Gotthard and this would be my 5th time I get to see them live. I have seen them at twice at Sweden Rock Festival were they have delivered two fantastic shows. Klubben is a small club in Stockholm that had gathered couple of 100 Gotthard fans. In their home country Gotthard are huge and plays in arenas and sells a lot of records. So it�s hard to understand why they won�t fill bigger places here in Sweden. But it�s great to have them here and those that were there this night got to see a fantastic show and the band seem to have a good time on the stage. The whole band is very tight and you can see and hear that they are a professionals. To bad that the sound was not the best and did not reach the best result. Steve Lee is a fantastic front man and he knows how to entertain the crowed and he sings just outstanding. Both guitarists Leo Leoni and Freddy Scherer played faultless and delivered stunning riffs with both feeling and melodies. The rhythmsection Marc Lynn on bass and drummer Hena Habegger played tight. Gotthard has been around since their debut album from 1992 and has a lot of song to choose to their set-list. But almost every time I have seen them they have played strong sets and so was the case this night. There�s always song that you miss but Gotthard has so many great song to choose so it�s hard to fail. They opened up the show this night with Unspoken Words from their latest album Need To Believe (2009) and it�s a great starter. The show continued with Gone To Far that really got the crowed on fire, great song by the way. The only song from Human Zoo this night was Top Of The World and they could have played some more from that album but they took one of the better ones from that album. Everytime I have seen them they have delivered Hush and so was the case with this show. Gotthard makes a great cover version of this song and with the sing-a-long feel over this it�s a great live number. Right From Wrong from the new album is just brilliant and they nailed it. In the middle of the show Steve Lee and Leo Leoni got alone on the stage with just two chairs and a acoustic guitar. The did a Acoustic set with One Life, Let It Be and Heaven. The Oscar Goes To just got the crowed wild and this is a outstanding rocker with huge sound and with big hooklines a perfect live song. After that they were on fire and delivered the next big arena rocker Lift You Up from Lipservice that almost rocked the roof of from Klubben. The first encore they gave us Sister Moon and the magical Anytime Anywhere with pompish keyboards and that made my day. They left the stage after that song but came back with a 2nd encore and ended the show with Led Zeppelin cover Rock N'Roll. This was a fantastic night and hopefully they will return to Sweden soon and hopefully with bigger show. Even if I missed couple of songs in the set they had a strong set-list and the sound could have been better but otherwise this was brilliant. Set-list: Unspoken Words Gone To Far Top Of The World Need To Belive Hush I Know You Know Make My Day Right From Wrong Delay From Hell Unconditional Faith (Acoustic set) One Life, Let It Be & Heaven Shangri-La All We Are I Don't Mind The Oscar Goes To Lift You Up (Encore 1) Sister Moon Anytime Anywhere (Encore 2) Rock N'Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)

	Justin Levinson "Predetermined Fate" (Independent,2009) Producer: Justin Levinson Genre: Folk Rock Format: Album Website: http://www.justinl... Reviewed by: Henrik Holmgren Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Here is a little heads up for you guys who like folk rock with country influences. There are violins, handclaps and harmonicas and of course, slide guitars. There are some hints of Counting Crows at their most country moments and also some Ben�s Brother and Seven Mary Three. Too me it is a little bit too much country influences here and there and I am not a big fan of violins in my music. Sure there are many pleasant moments on here but that is when the country influences are toned down a bit. "Myra�s song" is a nice one, a low tempo song with piano, guitars and harmonica. "Groundhog Day" is another one. On the slower songs the western influences work better for me as it does not to turn into full blown country songs. However I do like the opening song, that one is good as it has a nice intro. The main problem with this album is that it does not grab my attention, like for instance Jamie Hartmann and his band does. It is all good and promising but I lack that special extra to boost the music and to make it great. It is not a bad album at all, it is just that everything has been done before. The competition among folk artists is very stiff and I just wonder if Mr. Levinson has got what it takes to make it. Hopefully he does as this album holds some strong songs and shows potential here and there. Investigate if folk rock is your cup of tea.

	Secret Smile "This Is Our Time Now " (Envision Records,2009) Producer: Genre: AOR / Hard Rock Format: Album Website: www.metalmayhem.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

This is Secret Smile�s fifth full-length album and it�s filled with nice melodic rock/Aor songs. Their sound is a mixture of White Lion, Poison, Enuff Z Nuff, Danger Danger and Ted Poleys solo albums. I wrote on my review of their The Road Less Travelled that singer T.J Gabriele had a tendency to sound glam and therefore the many of the songs gets to sound like the mentioned bands. This is a Ok album but the production takes down the grade because the album sounds more like a demo and I don�t know if they have failed when they did the mix of the album. Songs like Wasn�t Meant To Be is a nice Poison kind of rocker with great keyboards, Don�t Want To rocks like Ted Poley with great riffs, melodies and a good chorus and Heaven Only Knows is a great Danger Danger kind of rocker The Hardest Part is a Poison sounding rocker with a catchy chorus. These 4 songs are really good and there are couple of more nice songs but the weak production spoils the songs. It�s a shame because they have the songs and a good singer but the should get somebody else to produce their next album.

	Hybrid Ice "Mind�s Eye " (Independent,2009) Producer: Genre: AOR / Pomp Format: Album Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

AOR/Pomp rockers Hybrid Ice are alive and kicking. It�s been 21 years since we heard anything new from this band. They released their debut album in 1982 with the song Magdalene that Tom Scholz Boston re-recorded for their 1994 album Walk On. Their follow up album entitled No Rules saw the light of day in 1988 and was filled with great songs and they did a cover of Bon Jovi's Secret Dreams on that. 4 of the original recording members Chris Alburger, Rusty Foulke, Rick Klinger and Robert Richardson are in the band with a new bass player named Mike Boarman. Mind�s Eye includes 9 tracks and the quality is really nice and some of the songs are damn fine pomp-rockers. The album starts with a rocker Fight Another Day that sounds like a mixture of 38 Special meets Styx, a nice song. Worth The Wait is a fantastic classy pompy AOR song with great hooklines and the chorus is brilliant with classy harmonies. Stop Searching starts with heavy riffs but turns out to a Boston sounding song in the chorus. Only The Lonely fools you first when it starts slow but turns out to a strong up-tempo AOR-song with pompish keyboards and with a great chorus a'la Kansas. Mind�s Eye is another pompy AOR-song with strong riffs and a powerful chorus, a song that reminds little of Streets. Shining Star is pure Styx style and the melodies are nothing but excellent and the chorus has impressive harmonies. They end the album with Faith Without Works that�s almost 10 minutes long. This is pure pomp and it never gets boring and you just wait for new great twist and turns, a great way to end this pompy album. A great comeback from Hybrid Ice and if your into those mentioned bands then don�t hesitate to check this great album and the production is superb. A nice pomp/AOR album that really surprised me.

	Night By Night "Can�t Walk Away" (Independent,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR Format: Ep Reviewed by: Juha Harjula Add to MySpace Add to Facebook

Myspace is a wonderful place to find new great acts. Night By Night is new music sensation from London fronted by Sister Of Mercy guitarist Ben Christo. This four-piece act has released a awesome EP produced by Romesh Dodangoda of Funeral For A Friend, The Blackout and Bullet For My Valentine fame. The sound of their EP is just amazing and it�s filled with fantastic hooklines, melodies and huge rockers that blew me away. When I heard the first riffs from the first song Can�t Walk Away I was stunned by the quality. The song is just stunning with brilliant melodic riffs with big hooklines and a damn catchy chorus in the best Danger Danger, Hansel, Crazy Lixx style and some touches of Rick Springfield . The harmonies are just superb and yes this is prime time modern AOR mixed with classic 80s touch. The vocals from Ben Christo is powerful and he sounds outstanding with great feeling. It�s Not Faith is another fantastic powerful rocker with riff strong guitars and the chorus is catchy with powerful background vocals. The Moment leans more into modern rock but it�s still damn melodic and they know how to catch your attention with great hooks and a memorable chorus. This is a fantastic EP filled with first class songs and top-notch production . I hope they can deliver a full-length album with same quality and I can�t wait to hear more songs from this awesome band.

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	Guardian "First Watch" (Christian Rock)
	Phil Vincent "Controlled Insani.." (AOR)
	Tragik "And We All Turn T.." (AOR)
	Graham Colton "Twenty Something" (Midwest Rock)
	Christopher Jak "Leadfoot Lover EP" (Midwest Rock)
	Gotthard "Live Klubben Frys.." (AOR / Hard Rock)
	Justin Levinson "Predetermined Fat.." (Folk Rock)
	Secret Smile "This Is Our Time .." (AOR / Hard Rock)
	Hybrid Ice "Mind�s Eye " (AOR / Pomp)
	Night By Night "Can�t Walk Away" (AOR)
	Hard "Time Is Waiting F.." (Hard Rock)
	Impulsia "Expressions" (Hard Rock)
	Barefoot Truth "Threads" (Folk Rock)
	Jess Klein "Bound To Love" (Singer Songwriter..)
	Razer "Dark Devotion" (Metal)
	The Reggie Knighton Band "s/t" (AOR / Pomp)
	David Cloyd "Unhand Me, You Fi.." (Modern Singer/Son..)
	N.O.W "Force Of Nature " (AOR)
	H.E.A.T "Beg Beg Beg " (AOR)
	Trillion "s/t" (AOR / Pomp)

	Sweet Comfort Band "Perfect Timing " (AOR)
	Sweet Comfort Band "Cutting Edge " (AOR)
	Sweet Comfort Band "Hearts Of Fire " (AOR)
	Sweet Comfort Band "Hold On Tight " (AOR)
	Sweet Comfort Band "Breakin� The Ice " (AOR)

2010-03-16
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	Tom McRae The Alphabet of Hurricanes ()

	Neon Trees Habits ()

	The Whigs In the Dark ()

	The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights ()

	Flobots Survival Story ()

	Jimi Hendrix Valleys of Neptune ()

2010-03-19
	Crazy Lixx New Religion (Frontiers Records)

2010-03-23
	Disturbed The Sickness 10th Anniversary Edition ()

	Saliva Moving Forward in Reverse: Greatest Hits ()

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