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	Asia "Omega " (Frontiers Records ,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR / Pomp Format: Album Website: www.originalasia.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula

Asia is a super-group where the members Geoffrey Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer and John Wetton has played with bands such as Yes, Emerson Lake & Palmer, King Crimson and The Buggles but most of you knew that already. Well, here they are with a brand new studio album called Omega and this is the best album since Aqua in my opinion. After they reunited in 2006 they released the first album 2008 together called Phoenix and was OK but lacked with up-tempo songs and sounded similar to Downes and Wetton�s side-project Icon. On Omega they have found the true Asia feeling again where they mix up-tempo songs with more calm songs and ballads. They sound more hungry now than on Phoenix and the wonderful keyboard sound are back that they had in the early days and I just love the arrangements on this new one. There�s couple of less good songs, but they are not bad just not as good as the best ones but I�m surprised by the quality throughout the whole album. The album opens awesome with Finger On The Trigger (this song was on the 2nd Icon album). This is a pure 80s pomp/AOR song with all the right Asia trademarks that takes you back to the early days with a fantastic chorus. This version is a lot better than the Icon version. Through My Veins is a superb that reminds more of John Wetton�s solo album Battle Lines. Ever Yours is a amazing ballad with classy melodies and John sings stunning. Listen Children is another up-tempo AOR-song with layers of keyboards and a catchy chorus. Emily is a bonus track that are included in the first digi pak pressing. This is a great pop-song with dut-dut piano and is a mixture of Asia meets Melee. I�m Still The Same is the only song that feels average and could have been left out. There Was A Time is a huge ballad where John Wetton sings his heart out and Downes plays his keyboard/piano just magnificent and listen to the fantastic chorus, it gave me goose bumps. I Believe is another winner with a Heat Of The Moment and Don�t Cry feel over it and the chorus is pompish with strong background vocals. Omega is a fantastic album and they guys have really done it again. Omega has all the great trademarks that made Asia big back in the 80s and this is album that many have waited for including me and is a fantastic mixture of old and new Asia. Stunning album.

	Atomic Tom "The Moment" (Universal Records ,2010) Producer: Genre: New Wave Format: Album Website: www.myspace.com/at... Reviewed by: Kaj Roth

Is there place for Atomic Tom´s new wave influenced dance rock in 2010? I do hope so because their major label debut "The moment" will appeal to the same fans that love The Killers and Panic at the disco. But ofcourse, Brooklyn based Atomic Tom wouldn´t be here today if it wasn´t for bands like A Flock of Seagulls, Simple Minds, Big Country, The Cure etc. This album is infectious from track 1 "Let let go tonight" to the new romantic "This is how we like to end", and between these tracks we have the catchy electro rock single "Take me out" and the anthemic U2 inspired "The moment". We welcome you Atomic Tom!

	Aurora Sky "Aurora Sky" (Indpendent ,2008) Producer: Michael Raphael Genre: Alternative Rock Format: Ep Website: www.myspace.com/au... Reviewed by: Troy Kramm

It�s a shame that this CD isn�t available for purchase because it would definitely be worth the money! Oklahoma rockers Aurora Sky sent me their self-titled EP, which contains six incredible songs that will rival any band out their today. What really helps this band is the fact that they may fall into their own perfect genre. They have a hard rock edge yet it wouldn�t be unheard of for fans of pop music to fall in love with this band. Songs like �Give Into You�, �Drive� and �Better Left Unsaid� give you a sense of what lead singer Andrew West is capable of vocally, which is a lot. The man has come a long way from his days with his former band Fear The Clown. Even having only four out of the six tracks mastered and produced by the renowned Michael Raphael, �Better Left Unsaid� and �Is This Not Enough� still sound AMAZING! These songs will definitely hold fans over until the band releases their first full length CD that is expected sometime in 2009, hopefully with a label backing them!

	Band Of Horses "Cease To Begin" (Sub Pop Records ,2007) Producer: Phil Ek Genre: Indie Rock Format: Advance album Website: www.bandofhorses.com Reviewed by: Tom Spinelli

Now Achieving musical transcendence is a tricky feat, almost definitively. If it happens at all, it happens naturally and perhaps nobody knows that better than Seattle, Washington�s Band of Horses. Sub Pop Records really delivers on this album by the three-piece. Now don�t get them confused with "Horse The Band," because they are completely different yet with a similar name. I just wanted to clarify that if there was anyone out there like me who got the band names mixed up and was expecting a metal album when I popped this into the player. now if you don�t know either band then forget anything i just typed and I just wasted about 15 seconds of your life and I apologize and keep reading on because this album is a soulful masterpiece in its own right. Let me be the first to tell you this CD caught me by surprise. This Tuesday October 9th will see the release Indie Rockers of �Band of Horses� with the release of their debut album "Cease To Begin." the album starts off with the repeating catch phrase of "I Can Sleep, I Can Sleep." Now once you hear this it will surely be stuck in your head for a long time. Now thats not a bad thing at all. This band created powerful hooks and ambient alternative rock with soul and folk rock delight. The album has more upbeat tunes like "The General Specific" which is like a 60�s rocker that just brings you back in the day. Another cool slower soulful tune is the "Detlef Schrempf" that sways with warm tones and relaxing vibrations. Guitarist/Vocalist Ben Bridwell and Guitarist Mat Brooke formed Band of Horses in 2004, after the dissolution of their nearly ten-year run in northwest melancholic darlings Carissas Wierd. Carissas Wierd trafficked in sadly beautiful orchestral pop, whose songs told unflinching stories of heartbreak and loss, leavened with defeatist humor. And, Band of Horses rises from the ashes of that well-loved band. After playing music with each other for over a decade, Bridwell and Brooke picked up together again when Bridwell began fleshing out his compositions post-Carissas. This 10 track album running only 35 minuites, leaves no room for filler tracks. Bridwells warm, reverb-heavy vocals (which strangely channel a dichotomous blend of Wayne Coyne, Brian Wilson and Doug Martsch,) ooze with amorphous tension, longing and hope. This album is for any indie rock fan as it will lighten your day and make you realize there is new music out there that will still captivate you and take you to a whole other level. For fans of Annuals, New Pornographers, Interpol, Arcade Fire.

	Band Of Horses "Infinite Arms" (Columbia Records,2010) Producer: Band of Horses & Phil Ek Genre: Indie Rock Format: Album Website: www.bandofhorses.com Reviewed by: Rickard Holmgren

The long-anticpated third album from Band of Horses is here. The question was whether it would live up to the expectations set by the previous record, Cease to Begin. Does it? Well, not quite. The opening track, Factory, is a nice little song, and so are Blue Beard and the title track. Overall the Band of Horses sound can be recognized throughout the album, and Ben Bridwell is still a great singer. However, one can sense a little bit more commercial sound on this album, which is not necessarily bad, but might not sit too well with hardcore BoH fans out there. Now to the negative parts with this album; the melodies are not that strong, and that goes for the lyrics as well. It is still a solid album it just does not blow your mind. There are no tracks that measure up to Is There a Ghost, No One's Gonna Love You and Detlef Schrempf on here. The biggest problem is that none of the songs really linger in your head. Infinite Arms is an album that sounds good while listening to it, but as soon as you walk away you forget about it. A small disappointment.

	Barry Goudreau "s/t" (Rock Candy Records ,2010) Producer: John Boylan, Barry Goudreau Genre: Classic Rock Format: Album Website: www.barrygoudreau.... Reviewed by: P�r Winberg

In late 1979, Scholz became involved in legal and contractual battles with the band's manager, and later on, with CBS. Therefore, he informed the members of Boston that he would not be working on Boston material for at least a year and that they should feel free to do solo projects. By this time, Goudreau had written many songs in hopes that Scholz would incorporate them into the next Boston LP. Scholz did not express interest in using any of Goudreau's work. In 1980, Goudreau recorded his first solo LP titled Barry Goudreau, using Brad Delp and Fran Cosmo (who would join Boston in 1991) on vocals, and Sib Hashian (then drummer for Boston) on drums. The record company sought to cash in big time with this "almost Boston" line-up. The LP successfully hit the airwaves with the songs "Dreams" and "Mean Woman Blues". The album was promoted as a kind of "Boston-lite" and when Scholz caught word of this he was furious. Ultimately, it was this album that triggered Scholz to ask Goudreau to leave Boston. I remembered when I bought the album cause my expectation were of course very high and I remember that I first was a little dissapointed as I expected a more Boston-orientated album all through, and I couldn't understand why in heaven he put bluessongs like "Mean Women Blues" and "Whats Fella To Do" on the album. But all in all it's a very good album with fantastic songs like "Dreams", "Nothing To Loose" and "Cold Cold World". BUT there are a few tracks that doesn't come up in the same high class (including the ones I just mentioned) but also a few others and that is a shame. The performance is lovely and to have two singers like Fran Cosmo and Brad Delp in the same band... just a thing like that. Even if there are some songs that doesn't reach the highest step on the ladder, It's still a classic album and listen to "Dreams" and imagine a whole album with songs in that class... phew... The Booklet is lovely with unique pictures and a new interview.

	Brandtson "Send us a signal" (The Militia Group,2004) Producer: Ed Rose Genre: Alternative Rock Format: Album Website: www.brandtson.com Reviewed by: Kaj Roth

After 7 years in the underground rock scene,the Cleveland based band Brandtson takes the step out to a broader market with their new label The Militia Group. This indie rock act has released 6 albums before "Send us a signal" so Brandtson has built up a sizable fanbase and have also become a experienced band in the studio,it?s really hard to describe their music coz they do not walk in anyother bands footsteps. In these times it would be quite easy to call it emo but there?s just too much powerpop vibes in their songs to put them in that category,is it powerpop then?!.....well,not really because this foursome gets rather melancholic in their melodies so the only right thing to do is to say-they play alternative rock with a personal sound. Maybe a modern version of the 70?s English punkband The Jam wouldn?t be so wrong coz they both have/had the same artistic way of playing autumn inspired rockmusic. It?s hard not to love Brandtson,ladies and gentlemen-in this fxxked up music business where too much is built on fake talents,I am pleased to present to you Brandtson-a band full of natural talents with music as real and alive as a newborn baby.

	Brandtson "Hello Control" (The Militia Group,2006) Producer: Ed Rose Genre: Alternative Rock Format: Album Website: www.brandtson.com Reviewed by: Kaj Roth

The new album from Ohio based Brandtson is a bit different compared to their previous album "Send us a signal" from 2004. They have taken more influences from the new wave genre on the new record with some songs being almost 100% electropop. It?s like putting The Cure, Interpol and The Killers into a big blender and out comes "Hello Control", but since these songs are actually really good - they are riding the right train so to speak with this dance-punk style that every radio station loves to get out on the airwaves. Great stuff!

	Bronz "Carried By The Storm " (Your Time Music,2010) Producer: Genre: AOR Format: Album Website: www.bronz-music.com Reviewed by: Juha Harjula

Here we have a pleasant surprise for sure. Do you remember Bronz that released their debut album Taken By Storm back in 1984 fronted by Max Bacon (GTR) on lead vocals. They had a 2^nd album in the pipeline back in 1985 but it never got released. Shaun Kirkpatrick the only founder member stayed in the band back then a put together a new-line up with a new singer named Ian Baker, Lee Reddings (bass), Michael O´Donoghue (ex- Grand Prix on guitars) and Clive Edwards (ex- Wild Horses, UFO on drums) and they recorded a the 2nd Bronz album. So now 25 years later the album gets a release and this is truly a gem filled with fantastic 80s classic British AOR/Pomp style next to Airrace, Strangeways, Shy and FM. The album has been produced by fame producer Max Norman (Ozzy Osbourne, Y&T and Loudness) and the albums sounds very good for being recorded 25 years ago. The singer Ian Baker sings just outstanding and is really a new hidden treasure. The album opens up with Can’t Live Without Your Love, this is a awesome hookladen AOR-rocker with crunchy guitars filled with brilliant melodies and the chorus is fantastic with strong harmonies. Carried By The Storm reminds of Van Stephenson and Russ Ballard. When The Lights Die Down is AOR by numbers with pompish keyboards and the chorus is a winner. You And Me is a first class AOR-ballad in the same style as Strangeways. Tell Her is a brilliant up-tempo AOR-rocker with great melodic riffs. The cover of Russ Ballards Two Silhouettes is fabulous and this is a magnificent song and this is a bit more rockier but the keyboards makes this song. Figure In The Dark sounds like a classic 80s Survivor song, yes this is pure 80s AOR when it was best back then with lots of keyboards. The albums ends with the pompish Dangerous Game with keyboards and hooklines everywhere, a fantastic way to end a first class album. So if your into classic 80s AOR with plenty keyboards, big hooklines and stunning vocals then this is album you can’t miss. It’s a shame to miss this great opportunity now that Your Time Music has given every AOR-fan. This is a album that I recommend to every fan of those mentioned bands. So don’t hesitate, get a copy of this unreleased gem.

	Bruce Kulick "BK3 " (Frontiers Records ,2010) Producer: Genre: Hard Rock Format: Album Website: Reviewed by: Juha Harjula

2009 must be a fantastic year for Kiss fans with new albums from legendary Kiss and Ace Frehley. 2010 starts with another Kiss related album from Bruce Kulick that was the lead guitarist in that band between 1984-1996. BK 3 is his 3rd solo album and is filled with hardrock with heavy riffs but also with some pop melodies. Kulick has invited several guest artists to appear on BK 3, including Gene Simmons (Kiss), Doug Fieger (The Knack), Tobias Sammett (Edguy, Avantasia), Eric Singer (Kiss), John Corabi (Union) and Steve Lukather (Toto). This is album that contains 12 songs. There�s couple of really nice songs like Friend Of Mine with John Corabi done a great job. The stunning Dirty Girl reminds little of Rick Springfield with a great riffs and a catchy pop chorus. Final Mile is a pop song with a acoustic feel over it with nice melodies and the chorus is good, The Rembrandts comes in mind. Up-tempo rocker I�m The Animal could have been taken from a Kiss album, great rocker. But there�s songs that don�t much for me and it�s just plain and boring. A album that has nice moments but don�t go all the way. I�m sure Kiss fans will enjoy this, as I said not bad album but still there�s missing couple of better tracks to lift up the grade. There�s two instrumental tracks aswell but Dirty Girl is the song of the album.

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