The extraordinary, uber-versatile Jeff Scot Soto has taken this opportunity to run over 10 tracks from his very varied and distinguished career in “unplugged” form.
Unplugged may be the easiest term to describe this, but it’s a little simplistic for what this actually is. The 10 tracks have been re-envisioned and totally re-worked to the point where a couple are almost new tracks.
Every track is a winner – not hard when you’re picking 10 amazing songs – but even then, some stand out as really surprising and might even rival their original versions for passion and performance.
JSS’ vocals here are nothing short of amazing and give the stripped back nature of the songs, you really get to hear him wail. For me, the voice is the lead instrument on this release.
As JSS fans, you’ll know the songs – but special mention goes to:
Eyes Of Love was one of the big songs that really launched JSS as a solo artist and it sounds fresh and vibrant here.
The big ballad If This Is The End is simply sublime here. A vocal that defies gravity and so much passion.
Holding On was another key solo track and here features an even more soulful touch.
Till The End Of Time is re-made for acoustic guitar and sounds great.
Don’t Walk Away is perhaps the biggest left-turn of this release – re-imagined here as a R&B soul anthem….very cool.
Somebody 2 Love from the original Eyes album is another twisted gem. Soulful vocals, acoustic guitars and…a twang? Love it.
Great fun, relaxed and laid back, soulful and passionate – lots to love about these 10 songs and the production behind the re-thinking is well worth the investment here.
Bite The Bullet were originally formed in 1986 by singer songwriter Mick Benton and drummer Graham Cowling. The music played was in the style of Foreigner, Toto and Mr. Mister, an album was released in 1989 to some quiet success. In 2020 Mick and Graham decided to get writing new material for a second “Bite the Bullet” album.
It is available now and I must say it is a joyous soft melodic rock affair. A real pleasure to listen to. I’m finding comparisons hard to draw from, which to me is a sign the guys got it right.
I’m so tired of everything sounding the same, with only vocals differentiating one project from the next.
Black & White is a pure British AOR album, drenched in keyboards, but still driven by guitars and strong, unique vocals.
It’s a totally 80s sounding affair, yet a decent production keeps the sound in today’s realms.
There’s some Midwestern influences, some pop/AOR and straight up melodic rock amongst the albums 12 tracks. If you like real Bryan Adams, Heartland, Van Stephenson, Mr. Mister…give this a spin.
Aussie hard rockers Wicked Smile released their debut EP earlier this year. It’s a CD and digital release, so check your regular outlets for availability. For a release that’s only 4 tracks long, the guys make a real impact with this EP. 4 toe tapping, head banging, melodic hard rockers, with a classic era feel, yet a contemporary production courtesy of Paul Laine.
The band features the powerhouse vocals of Danny Cecati (ex-Pegazus & Eyefear), who delivers a raspy and at times gruff vocal, that ultimately turns melodic come chorus time. He really makes a big impact on this material. Guitarist Stevie Janevski (The Radio Sun & ex-Black Majesty) gets to really crank things up for the first time in a long while and he sounds ‘electrified’ on these 4 songs. Super heavy for The Radio Sun fans, but very comfortably at home for those that know Steve from the Black Majesty days.
Dave Graham joins Steve on guitars, with Glen Cav on bass and Jason Tyro on drums making up the very capable rhythm section.
It may only be an EP, but everything really comes together or Wicked Smile on this release. I’m left wanting more, with the 4 tracks all making their own mark. Outstanding start, hoping for a full-length album in the near future.
Finland's Temple Balls have really kicked up the dials for album number 3. This is a fast moving, kick ass, tour de force of melodic hard rock, easily blowing away their first two efforts in terms of songwriting, production and performance.
This album compares favorably with the most recent HEAT album and also classic Gotthard alongside old classics like Motley Crue, Kix and LA Guns.
It has that European hard rock feel, but a monster production effort from HEAT's Jona Tee has the band firing on all cylinders and there is a lot of HEAT at their heaviest in the new album's sound. Tee also produced the band's last album and played on the debut, but this is head and shoulders above all that came before it.
It's an all-guitar high energy attack from the opening riff with vocalist Arde Teronen really driving the melodies home.
Berlin have joined a select few classic artists that have delved into their studio cuts to revive them with the backing of a symphony orchestra.
American 80s favourites Berlin, the sometimes pop, sometimes rock outfit have delivered a highly enjoyable set of 11 songs (and an intro), all given a really fresh revamp with the orchestral infusion. These aren't re-records - its the original songs, with a fresh mix.
This is a great reminder of how many great songs Berlin have - from the iconic Take My Breath Away to the underrated classic No More Words and their cult classics Sex (I'm A) and The Metro. Then in the latter years you get the rockier Like Flames, Will I Ever Understand You and the brilliant moody You Don't Know.
All wrapped in this rich symphonic tapestry - highly recommended!
The wonderful pure AOR voice of Robbie LaBlanc is back in focus under his own moniker after a few recent project outings.
This album is described as a 70s and 80s pop/rock affair and I think that’s fairly accurate. There’s some pure commercial 80s AOR, some 80s pop, some more soulful 70s pop and a couple of songs with a heavier bluesier edge.
The album is controlled musically by Tommy Denander (all guitars, keyboards and co-production), so you know the sound/production style you are getting right there. The majority of the album has that programmed feel, drums are credited to a “Michael Lange” (his only other credit is on the last Robert Hart album with the same production team), they don’t sound live to me.
Steve Overland joins in for backing vocals throughout and his contributions are always welcomed. Second track Start The Motor Running has him all over the song. The super smooth My Lips Are Sealed stays in my mind after playback.
Other highlights include the opening anthem Only Human and Good Time plus the heavier track Temptation.
I love Robbie, but I prefer his recent appearances on East Temple Avenue, Find Me and the sublime Cannonballz album.
Fans of Radioactive and the Denander sound will appreciate this and the vocal quality of LaBlanc raises the overall quality of the songs.
Credit where credit is due, this is one of Frontiers Records best project ideas and the fact that the guys are delivering album number 4 shows that it has worked.
And in delivering their forth studio album, the W.E.T guys deliver another powerhouse statement. This is another classic for the genre and features 11 brilliant songs that lay a fresh path for the band without going outside the parameters of what we loved about the first three records.
‘Retransmission’ is melodic hard rock perfection from start to finish. From the glorious Big Boys Don’t Cry to the closing stadium knockout One Final Kiss. The album has a more direct, straightforward approach and is more guitar driven than its predecessors, changes you might think put the sound firmly into Eclipse territory, but no, W.E.T retains its own personality and there are still plenty of Robert Sall delivered keys underneath the layers and Jeff Scott Soto is a joy to listen to.
There are moments where you think this is Eclipse, but the JSS stamp quickly reminds you what you’re listening to. Erik Martensson is of course the chief architect and he has built another impressive 11 track structure here.
There’s two songs that could be described as ballads – but they’re more anthemic AOR songs (Got To Be About Love andWhat Are You Waiting For) – and the rest are all hands in the air singalong hard rockers with a crunch only matched by the sheer gloriousness of the harmonies.
Not only are there several moments that rival the best songs W.E.T have delivered to date, but there’s a few places where you think, wow, that’s a fresh take for these guys (such as the bombastic rhythm of How Far To Babylon).
And just when you think it just can’t get any bigger or better you get a song like You Better Believe It.
A perfect melodic hard rock record. Sharp production, blindingly good songs, huge vocals and even bigger harmonies and there’s 11 tracks of this where the pace barely take a breath and the quality doesn’t let up for a second.
Italian power/progressive metal outfit Secret Sphere return with their 9th studio album since their debut in 1997. Quite a feat considering how many bands come and go in just half the time the band has been active. This album sees the return of vocalist Roberto Messina to the fold, whom fronted the band from 1997 – 2012.
To be honest, I’ve overlooked these guys apart from an occasional glance, but Lifeblood has got my attention.
To be spoken of in comparative terms to Dream Theater for their prowess, or Masterplan for their power gives you a decent indication of what’s happening here.
Production and mix are both flawless and give the energetic songs their best chance to shine.
Vocalist Roberto is a powerhouse without sign of a heavy accent, giving the band a true international flavour and at 10 tracks clocking in under 50 minutes in total, there are only room for 2 longer tracks here, the rest get to the point fairly quickly. That means you’ve got hooks and progressive noodling competing for time, which is a winning combo for fans of a great song.
Its fast and sometimes furious, the double kick drum gets a real beating, but with strong vocals and an emphasis on melody, Lifeblood makes a big play for one of the best metal albums of 2021.
Guitarist and founder Andreas Gullstrand said Creye have never sounded better and I’d have to agree. The superb pure Scandi-AOR debut has been bettered and expanded upon on ‘Creye II’ and the transition to new vocalist August Rauer seems complete with no interruption to the sonics or pure AOR fans fell in love with the minute the band were introduced to the world.
Creye ‘II’ uses a more contemporary production template, with more effects, some programming that give it a strong modern edge, but the songs and the vocals especially are pure 80s at heart.
The upbeat and free flowing tempo give the album a sense of urgency, and with only one ballad you might think its overkill. But the fact is there is so much texture within the songs, moments of reflection, big choruses, passages of moodier moments and then some moments of more prominent guitar, which comes as a contrast to the layers upon layers of keyboards and piano.
So many song highlights to speak of. At 13 tracks it might seem a little long, but the album clocks in at 42 minutes, so these songs are all straight down to the business of delivering heartfelt emotions and big choruses.
All in all, this is quite wonderful ‘old school contemporary’ record wrapped in the pure keyboard driven AOR of Scandi-80s pop/rock and the programming and production techniques of today. The production and mix are first rate, which is vital to making the record sound so fresh. It could easily have been a muddy mess if not done correctly.
Masterpieces don’t come around too often, nor do albums that push the glacial boundaries of what normally defines the AOR/melodic rock genre. This album is everything I love about melodic and heartfelt music, wrapped up into a contemporary package that will appeal to old school devotees and a new generation who appreciate well crafted pop songs with an edge.
In an age where synth-wave is a growing phenomenon, Levara mix the best of a retro meets modern sound, delivering a bright, fresh and uplifting collection of songs, supremely written and crafted and expertly produced like a slick major label release from the 80s.
If you’ve been living under a rock with no internet connection, Levara are Trev Lukather (son of Steve Lukather) on guitars, bass and keys; drummer Josh Devine (son of vocalist Mick Devine) and vocalist Jules Galli. They are an extraordinary trio.
Half of the 10 tracks are already released as videos and if those haven’t convinced you of the brilliance of these guys, then there’s still 5 more chances with the remaining album cuts.
Of those, On For The Night offers listeners a lush mid-tempo melodic rocker before a Toto-esque rhythm sets up the monster ballad Allow.
Towards the end of the 38 minute album is a pleading modern rock song Just A Man that gives way to one of the finest and most gut-wrenching ballads in recent memory. No One Above You is simply wonderful – perfection personified and the bombastic end is majestic.
Chameleon is still on the top of my Best Songs of 2021 list, you just don’t get intelligent, unpredictable songs like this that often.
Oh, and vocal God Steve Perry pops up in amongst the choir of harmony vocals that are all over the record.
It’s a rare occurrence for me to agree wholeheartedly with a band’s own press release, but the words of Trev Lukather to sum up Levara are as good as any I could write. He says Levara is “Anthemic, massive drums, epic fills, loud guitars, soaring solos, huge vocals, unreal high notes, strong melodies and a hook that you can’t get out of your head.”
Proof that everything happens eventually, here’s a brand-new AC/DC album, designed to drop some rock n roll healing on a shitty year. Could this be the last ever new AC/DC studio album? Never bet against accadacca but given it has been 6 years since the last album, it’s entirely possible.
Having cranked the contents of ‘PWR/UP’ several times in quick succession, I wouldn’t say the band have delivered a career defining record befitting a grand exit, but they have exceeded expectations to deliver a very credible late-career record that I think will please most fans.
It is true that the guys could possibly have written this album in their sleep and there is no deviation from the style or delivery of the last several records, but there is something very comforting about new AC/DC tunes.
Twelve tracks at 41 minutes in length should give an accurate summary of the contents here. I am comfortable stating that the first 4 tracks are amongst their best in many a year. Realize is a superb opener, with Rejection, the single Shot In The Dark and Through The Mists Of Time all delivering great riffs and hooks.
Elsewhere it’s a pretty consistent run. Only track 8, Wild Reputation, drags significantly for me.
I do wonder how good this would have been with someone like Bob Rock or Kevin Shirley at the helm. The lack of urgency and a harder hitting sound is what I think it missing from latter day records.
Brian Johnson sounds as good as ever, which I’m really pleased about. He’s one of the good guys.
God bless AC/DC, may their reign over metal heads until the end of time itself.
Kreek was first formed in the summer of 2019 after Bigfoot parted ways with frontman Antony Ellis, who went on to form this new group.
I personally found the Bigfoot debut to be fairly likable and a solid album. Unfortunately for Ellis, Kreek doesn’t carry the warmth or appeal of Bigfoot over to the new band.
In fact, one of the weakest aspects of the Kreek debut are the lead vocals of Ellis. His tone and delivery just aren’t what they were in Bigfoot.
Also missing are the songs. I honestly can’t find a lasting appeal with any of these songs and now reviewed, probably won’t revisit this album ever again.
Its not melodic rock. Its not quite hard rock. Its not quite sleaze and it’s not straight-ahead rock. I think it lacks personality and the quality of songs are just not there.
Production is average, songs are average and the vocals are very average.
::: NITRATE returns with “Renegade” on July 30th, 2021! :::
(c) Nitrate/ Nick Hogg
Nitrate is back with their third album; ‘Renegade’, a follow on to their previous highly rated albums ‘Realworld’ in 2018 and ‘Openwide’ in 2019, which achieved great success. Inspired by the late 80’s rock scene with bands such as Def Leppard, Europe, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi, Nitrate is the brainchild of song writer Nick Hogg (bass guitar) from Nottingham England. Nick has this time changed the line-up and enlisted Alexander Strandell (Art Nation) to take over on Lead Vocals & has teamed up with Tom & James Martin (Vega) & Mikey Wilson (Kimber) to produce an album that has been heavily influenced by Def Leppard’s ‘Hysteria’. With Tom Martin playing all the rhythm guitars and James Martin taking over on Keyboards the album delivers a more melodic/AOR feel than ever before. Renegade delivers 11 Hook filled tracks with great melodies, walls of keyboards and backing vocals supplied by Alessandro Del Vecchio. Tracks were inspired from bands such as Def Leppard, Starship, Journey, Skid Row, and Roxette making for a true 80s sound. Taking over on Lead Guitar is Dario Nikzad (Hell to Play).
Nitrate is: Nick Hogg - Bass Guitar, Alexander Strandell - Lead vocals, Tom Martin - Rhythm Guitars, James Martin - Keyboards, Dario Nikzad - Lead guitars, Mikey Wilson - Drums p; & additional guitar and keyboards, Alessandro Del Vecchio - Backing vocals;
Produced by Tom & James Martin & Mikey Wilson; Mastered by Alessandro Del Vecchio; Engineered by Tom & James Martin, Mikey Wilson, Alexander Strandell, Dario Nikzad, Alessandro Del Vecchio & Paul J King
Music recorded at Strandell Studios - Sweden, Osborne Studios - UK, Ivorytears Music Works - Italy, Soundwave Studios - UK
Mixed by Mikey Wilson ; Mastered at Ivorytears Music Works
All songs written by Nick Hogg, Tom Martin & James Martin Except ‘Alibi’ & Children of the Lost Brigade’ Written by Nick Hogg & Rob Wylde & ‘Renegade’ written by Tom Martin, James Martin & Nick Workman
::: STEPHEN CRANE & DUANCE SCIACQUA team up for “Big Guns”! :::
Big Guns was formed in 1985 as a direct follow up to the record “KICKS” by Stephen Crane (MCA 1984). Due to Irving Azoff’s departure and the ensuing shake up at MCA that year, KICKS was left without any marketing or promotional funds and was basically ‘Dead on Arrival’ and did not chart. Although, interestingly enough, the record has subsequently been re-released two times in Europe and has received rave reviews!
As a result of MCA’s inability to promote the album and band, Stephen Crane and Duane Sciacqua continued their quest to write and record new songs that were, and still are relevant in the world of Rock! Joined by then band member, Johnny Burnett (RIP), Crane and Sciacqua soon enlisted fellow band mates Paul Daniel (drums), and Matt MacKelvie (guitars, keys, vocals) and created “BIG GUNS”. They began a series of recordings with engineer Brett Gurewitz at his Hollywood studio. Crane and Sciacqua wrote, or co-wrote, and produced the songs that would become their self-titled album “BIG GUNS”. The band became a staple playing around Hollywood at the ROXY, FM Station, and other well-known rock venues. They received label interest but could never reach an amicable agreement and their search waned - players moved on, lives changed and BIG GUNS faded into the Rock n Roll sunset.
Many years later as good fortune would have it, the once forgotten Stephen Crane album (KICKS) received its popular acclaim, and the search for the long forgotten tapes was on. Georg Siegl at AOR Heaven, sought out guitarist Sciacqua for material, and the re-emergence of BIG GUNS was underway. After searching through the archives of years past, Sciacqua found the missing BIG GUNS tapes and through careful remastering and some re-recording was able to render the 10 tracks that make up the album.
This project stands as a monument to the songwriters, the singers and the players who dedicated their time and talents to comprise their self-titled album “BIG GUNS”.
:::TUPLE releases new video for ”Welcome To Hell” today!” :::
“Welcome To Hell” (out today) is the follow-up to the highly-acclaimed “Wooden Box” album by TUPLE which was released in 2020 via AOR Heaven and resulted in a charty entry in the native country of this Finnish artist.
Finland is well-known for its Heavy Metal roots. Far and wide comes the list of Metal bands that are known all around the world. But there’s also a strong Melodic Rock/AOR community. Bands that rely, not only on heavy riffing, but also strong melodies and larger-than-life keyboards. TUPLE is a good example of it. Catchy songs, great melodies, fine artistry.
To celebrate today’s album release, TUPLE has released another video today:
Who on earth wants a Goo-y Christmas album? This monstrosity of cheese soaked, soggy cardboard ‘music’ is the ultimate 2020 ‘fuck you’ to fans of this once great band. As if everything else this shit sandwich of a year has served up isn’t enough, the Goo’s end all hope for humanity with this ultimate betrayal of everything the band once stood for. This almost makes me wish for a shit sandwich. More like a soggy lettuce hemorid.
Yes, I hate Christmas albums. Yes, I hate most Christmas songs, although there’s a handful out there that allow me to stop saying bah humbug long enough to enjoy.
And yes, the most recent Goo Goo Dolls output has been largely uninspiring. It’s been a long while since Long Way Down and Slide ruled the airwaves and the band sounded half interested in rocking their fanbase.
But this horrendous record is simply too much. Safe, boring, cheesy and lazy are its good qualities. This is so insipid it makes Wham sound like Napalm Death. One of their kids even sings lead on one track. I don’t even care enough to find out who. It will never pass my ears again.
From tracks that sound more like a badly imitated Tom Petty (his track opens the record) to jazzy Michael Buble standards, this is almost criminally bad.
Only the original track This Is Christmas (which is basically the sappy parts of Iris re-written) has anything remotely connected to the band’s past sound.
No redeeming features to this at all. Horrible. It gives new meaning to the word bland and if your ears can stomach all 30-odd minutes of this disaccharide goo, a good blast of the aforementioned Napalm Death is required to cleanse one’s musical palate.
Not sure how to categorize this one. Perhaps if Poison were a Christian band from the Midwest?
Martin Perticone is the Argentinian behind the band, but to my ears there is still a lot of work to do to take the next step and compete with today’s melodic rock artists.
The production and mix feel underdone and the songs are a little awkward in places as a result.
Steve Overland (FM) takes lead vocals on the opening track, but I didn’t even pick it was him such is the mix. Eric Martin takes lead vocal on two versions of the same song – a present enough acoustic driven pop rocker. After those tracks there is only 6 others to take in and while uplifting in its premise, the finished product feels like half an album. It needed more songs and a sharper sound to make an impact. And something completely different for the artwork. It looks like record for an independent rap artist.
A nice throwback to old school harmonies and a mixed acoustic/electric uptempo approach, but like I said, still a lot of work to do.
US melodic hard rockers SHAD should be well known to readers of MelodicRock. Their 2 singles to date have created solid interest, but now that’s all going to go into overdrive thanks to one of the classiest EPs I’ve heard in a long while.
I generally avoid EPs as I like a full plate of music, but the 5 tracks offered up here on ‘5ive’ – all powered by hotshot producer Bob St. John – pack the equivalent punch of many full albums.
Produced & Engineered by Bob St. John at PDQ Studio, Miami and then backed up with mastering by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, SHAD’s new EP puts them on the same playing field as the big boys.
Not only with the sonic quality and expert mix, but also by delivering 5 compelling, enjoyable solid rock anthems.
Back To You, Fool, Belittle, Today & Poor Excuse are five different tracks that work alone and also together, as the sound and the sequence of the tracks takes the listener on the same kind of journey a full album normally would.
Crunchy guitars, real drums, thumping bass are all clearly audible in the mix, then add some big layered chorus harmonies.
The sound is hard rock, commercial American – not necessarily 80s – but an amalgamation of what made the late 80s/early 90s so good with an updated feel. There’s a touch of blues, a little funk, but mainly its just all rock. Very loud, very good rock!
The mighty Jeff Scott Soto celebrates his birthday week with the release of a brand-new solo album that seems him paired for the first time with Frontiers in-house go to guy Alessandro Del Vecchio. That will draw some automatic presumptions over the sound and style of this record, which I must immediately dispel.
This is not a project release that has Jeff phoning in his vocals. Fans of Jeff will already know that he doesn’t put his name on anything that doesn’t include his heavy involvement, and this is even more true of a record that bares his name.
Tasked with production and music, Alessandro has worked in partnership with Jeff, who wrote all the lyrics and additional melodies. And the in-house band isn’t the usual ADV crew, with long-time Soto/JSS drummer Edu Cominato taking command of the kit and really belting out a powerful performance.
What I love about this record – and what I told Jeff after he sent me the album some months ago - was that I thought Alessandro had done a superb job in crafting a set of songs that play like a JSS Greatest Hits record. Throughout the record you hear parts of Jeff’s career, solo as well as a taste of Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen and even WET. I can hear parts of Lost In The Translation, Prism and Damage Control.
Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) sounds like the best of all parts of Jeff’s career, wrapped up in a seriously well produced and sounding package. On top of that, Jeff himself sounds as fresh as ever.
This is a classic Jeff Scott Soto record.
To showcase just a few of the songs, the album opens with one of the best solo tracks of Jeff’s career is the Talisman sounding Someone To Love, this is just everything fans love about Jeff.
Paper Wings again heads back to the heavy groove of Talisman, mixed with some Yngwie guitar hero stylings.
The heavy but melodic Love Will Find A Way has groove, funk and driving attitude that wraps up several eras in one song.
Between The Lines is a superb AOR ballad while the dark and heavy Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) is almost at the opposite end of Jeff’s spectrum.
No filler, just winner after winner, with the inspired paring of ADV and JSS really delivering for fans. As already stated, this is the best of JSS comprising of 11 new songs and another killer live set as a 10 track bonus disc.
Wig Wam in 2021 is exactly what I pictured after announcing their welcomed return. At times delivering mixed results in the last few years of their first run at fame.
Older, more mature and pretty much perfectly aware of what the name means to fans and what is expected of them, Wig Wam deliver on Never Say Die.
A little heavier, a little more contemporary (darker) and a little more straight ahead, this album is chock full of big anthems, big guitars and big attitude.
I hate 90 second intros and I’m still not completely sold on the second full track Hypnotized, nor the late in the album instrumental Northbound, but everywhere else I’m hypnotized!
The band have seldom sounded so good – the powerhouse approach works, and the big budget sound certainly ensures all songs are presented in their best light.
For those unfamiliar with my affinity with Night Ranger, they’ve been close to my favourite band since 1985 and have rarely disappointed throughout their distinguished recording career.
They’re also responsible for a couple of my most loved live albums over the years.
Add in solo albums, favourite songs and general songwriting prowess and you should get the picture - Night Ranger are melodic rock royalty.
With that status, each album is therefore highly anticipated. For a band recording since 1982, with 12 studio albums to their name (yes, I’m including the marvellous Mojo record), they have a remarkably consistent catalogue. And in the last decade they have continued to prove that veteran bands can still deliver fresh, energetic and engaging new music.
The guys peaked with the flawless Somewhere In California in 2011 and followed it up with the also excellent High Road in 2014. Don’t Let Up slipped a little off the pace in 2017, so fans were anxiously awaiting the band’s 2021 statement.
And I’m sorry to deliver the point of view that the band has missed a step here, delivering for me at least, their weakest album since 2007s inconsistent, modern-rock dominated Hole In The Sun album. And the reasons are very similar to why. Basically, the band has again veered off path, leaving some of their much-loved trademark sound behind. There are less harmonies, much less keyboards and a whole lot less of Kelly Keagy on this record. And while the band’s most popular songs showcase their knack of delivering emotional uplifting mid-tempo anthems, here the band is either rocking hard, or not. There’s not much middle ground.
Track By Track:
Opening with the furious rocker Coming For You, the band are off to a flying start and make up for the lack of a sing-along chorus with added raw power.
Bring It All Home To Me adds those layered with harmonies, which is a plus and its dominated by some sterling shred work from Brad Gillis, which culminates in the closing minute, but overall the song straddles the line between styles. Strip the guitars and add a banjo and it wouldn’t sound out of place on country radio. A theme that makes repeated appearances on ATBPO.
Breakout sees a welcomed increase in keyboard presence and is another track that races along at breakneck speed. Being the lead single there are considerable public comment on this track and many bemoan the lack of a big chorus. I say that note and appreciate the excellent melodic bridge that leads into the short, sharp chorus. A track that sounds great to me.
Hard To Make It Easy is the first major left turn and will be one of the songs I edit out on my playback version. I simply don’t need honky-tonk Night Ranger and while the song ‘rocks’, it isn’t in a way I can appreciate and is another almost-country song.
On the first ballad of the album, Can’t Afford A Hero, the band stop hiding behind the pseudo-country hints and come out as a full country flavour acoustic driven track that’s more Shaw/Blades or Garth Brooks than Night Ranger. I’m sad to say it’s another hard pass for me.
Now, the start of Cold As December has my full and immediate attention. The opening riffs and melody hint at an anthem of epic proportions, with intricate keyboard and guitar parts lighting up my ears. But without warning at the 48 second mark, the song abandons the entire premise to become another pretty bland screamy hard rocker. The melodic refrain makes a brief return at 3.35 for a few seconds, but I’m left wondering where that song went and why we were left with the one here.
Dance is a feel good mid-to-up tempo rocker with another strong Shaw/Blades vibe and a reasonable chorus, but again, it’s not Night Ranger.
The ballad The Hardest Road sees the first appearance of Kelly Keagy on lead vocals. Where has he been? It’s a warm vocal, but the song is reminiscent of the other Beatlesque ballads Night Ranger have delivered on the last two albums.
The attitude filled hard rocker Monkey has some recent era Night Ranger familiarity to it, but the chorus is horrible. “‘Cause I’m your monkey, well I’m your money, I’ll be your junkie?” Guys…c’mon.
A Lucky Man is another decent track, but it’s another with a strong rock-n-country-pop vibe and I just don’t think this is Night Ranger.
Closing the album is a good rocker sung by Kelly again, which is welcomed. Tomorrow is one of the more traditional Night Ranger sounding tracks and will likely rate as one of the fan favourites.
And that is And The Band Played On. Honestly, as much as I love all things Night Ranger, I’m not afraid to make a stand when something doesn’t live up to my high expectations.
To me, this is more a Jack Blades solo album. And that isn’t meant as an insult in any way. Rather it is more a point of reference to describe what I think this album is. Less ‘Night Ranger’ and more dominated by outside influences and styles. Ones I’d rather hear on solo albums, than on a new Night Ranger album. We only get them every 3-4 years, so for me, I want to hear Night Ranger at their very best each time.
I might add for the record - I'm not at all opposed to a band trying something different, but to do that successfully, the songs really have to be there. For me, that isn’t happening here.
Swedish melodic rock outfit Wildness are back with their second album, now featuring the very versatile lead vocals of Erik Forsberg. The band go back and forth between styles - Erik going higher on several songs but a more powerful lower pitch on others. All with equal effect thanks to some strong songwriting and a traditional 80s, keyboard friendly style, that has a good strong current production (and a big drum sound too) thanks to the band’s drummer/producer Erik Modin and Erik Wigelius' magnificent mix and master.
This is a nice mix of old meets new, with a classic Scandi-AOR feel. Sometimes you don’t need a lot of words to describe the package and that’s the case here. There’s an abundance of sharp guitar solos and keyboard swirls and the tempo is fairly fast moving.
A couple of the moodier tracks veer off closer to symphonic territory, such is their epicness. It adds a fresh dimension to the album.
Ultimate Demise might sound a bit dramatic for a record titles of this kind, but it certainly delivers for fans of this genre and the more traditional elements of it. Great stuff.
I absolutely love this album. It has everything I love about the two principles behind it and a added freshness that has been missing in some recent AOR releases.
Art is Work Of Art – that is, vocalist Lars Safsund, who is his usual blindingly good self, delivering a classic vocal that gives me the best of WOA, but more so, I hear him stretching out with some of the more adventurous material on offer and he knocks it out of the park.
Illusion is one of my favourite pomp songwriters, Grand Illusion’s songwriter/producer Anders Rydholm. Fans of Grand Illusion can hear Anders’ trademark pomp AOR all over this record and there are a few tracks which could easily be Grand Illusion tracks.
But there’s so much more on offer here. There are a few tracks that are completely bananas. It’s part classic rock opera and part falsetto overture and it sounds so good. Lars is extraordinary in his varied vocal delivery. There’s Queen, ELO and Styx influences throughout.
But it isn’t every track – its mixed in and around some traditional WOA style keyboard-AOR mixed in with some typical Grand Illusion pomp. There is a good dose of piano and some sentimental ballads, but also a few driving guitar tracks.
All in all it is quite the mix, but the superb quality of the songs and the performances make it work cohesively.
I won’t make a point of highlighting any particular songs as id like the listener to hear it fresh start to finish. Just be assured that this is a quality piece of work.
This could be the most pointless review ever written.
Rabid Yngwie fans will no doubt agree. But for the rest of you, I will explain.
Yngwie is Yngwie. An no amount of words with stop Yngwie being Yngwie. So why bother?
Yngwie is a one man show – he does everything himself. He takes no advice, believes his own self-written press releases, has an ego the size of the empty Marshall stacks he ridiculously piles up on stage and is basically a self-declared shred icon.
So, any review of an Yngwie album that doesn’t tug on the girth of his titanic ego will be met with derision. I’ve read a couple of good reviews for this album, which makes me wonder if the audio for those was heard via a shortwave radio transmission to the mountains of Uzbekistan, as there is no sane rationale for anyone to hear this and not think that it sounds like a big sonic turd.
The drum sound alone is worthy of instant rejection by normally functioning ears. It sounds like they lowered a kit into a medieval mud-filled well and recorded whatever was able to be played with a RadioShack microphone from the top.
Yngwie’s vocals are as warm as a used tray of kitty litter and the shredding is so intent on the one purpose of million-degree shredding, that the album cover itself began to melt.
In his desire to be seen as a faultless guitar-bass-drum-vocal-production-mixer-engineer-cello-everything-god, he makes the same mistake for the forth album in a row. There is no self-awareness in play here. Yngwie can play – I have every album from his first decade – but he can’t and shouldn’t do it all.
Hire a producer, hire a drummer, hire a bassist, hire a vocalist, hire ANYONE that will actually work with you. And work together on something that doesn’t sound like it was recorded by a self-obsessed raving lunatic.
Like I said. It’s all pointless. Almost like the score for this album.
Fee, where have you been?!! Fronting The Tubes reunion shows mostly… but it doesn’t matter – he’s back! And Richard Marx is with him once again. The singer/songwriter/producer is the foundation that this record is built upon, with a MVP performance delivered.
Popping up for a cameo is Michael Landau and Matt Scannell on a couple of tracks.
For physical collectors the package is a flimsy cardboard thing that you can barely pull the CD out of. My pet hate without doubt.
Musically though there are no disappointments here. From the opening hard rock of Faker to the anthemic masterpiece How Dare You (classic Fee), to the funk-riff-rock of Don’t Want To Pull The Trigger onwards through the album via a modern rock ballad in Say Goodbye, a lyrically biting Promise Land, the moody Man Of The World (more classic Fee) and three more classy rock songs.
Only 9 tracks here over 33 minutes, but there isn’t a filler in sight or a minute wasted. This is all Fee Waybill at his very best and Richard Marx does a superb job producing it and co-writing all tracks with Fee.
Sharp, snappy, loud – everything you could wish for from a Fee Waybill record. Another essential purchase here I dare say.
The second Joel Hoekstra’s 13 album does everything a sophomore album is supposed to do. It has improved upon every aspect of the debut, which itself was already a great record. But this is even better and the pleasing aspect is it delivers improvements in all departments.
Better production, better songs, better guitar work, all delivered in a more cohesive package.
The band featured on Running Games is sensational. The great Russell Allen is the only featured vocalist, which gives the record that band feel, more so than the guest vocalists scattered across the debut. Joining in the fun is Tony Franklin (bass), Vinny Appice (drums), and Derek Sherinian (keyboards). Jeff Scott Soto lends a helping hand with background vocals.
Running Games is a heavier record, yet more melodic and more accessible thanks to some very commercial songs and Russell Allen’s perfectly attuned vocals.
To say Joel is an accomplished guitarist is an understatement, but it is still nice to hear him doing exactly what he wants in his own project, writing music and lyrics and controlling every aspect of the sound. It is clearly a labor of love, as we all know the label wouldn’t be covering all costs involved.
So Joel should be very proud of the results. There’s a nice balance between the heavy and the melody and between the pace of various tracks. 13 tracks and over an hour of music flies by in no time at all as the flow is never allowed to drag at any point.
A top class hard rock record that will further entrench Joel as one of the scene’s most respectable and reliable musicians.
Bruce Mee is one of the better-known personalities behind the scenes of the melodic rock world. Starting with Now & Then Records he moved into his role as owner and editor of the now iconic Fireworks Magazine, which has dedicated fans worldwide.
Circle Of Friends is the moniker given to this project, put together by Bruce as a tribute to his late mother, who died of cancer in 2020. The majority of the singers and musicians appearing on the album are personal friends of Bruce’s and were all willing to help bring this wonderful concept to life – hence the title.
Of the 13 tracks featured on this wonderful slice of melodic beauty, four are covers and the remaining 9 are originals, most written by Sweden’s Mikael Rosenberg. Mikael has delivered some terrific songs here and his presence throughout gives the album a certain connectivity and consistency that some various artists projects don’t manage to pull off.
The lineup is really a who’s who of the melodic rock world. The rhythm section is supplied by drummer Josh Devine (Levara) and bassist Wayne Banks (Saxon etc) while Fredrik Folkare and Steve Morris provide guitars with Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake) and Steve Mann guesting. Backing vocals come from Mick Devine (Seven), Gary Hughes (Ten) and Kevin Chalfant (Storm). Eric Ragno is here on keyboards and there’s many more. Read the full bio for all the credits!
All this has been meticulously put together by producer Khalil Turk of Escape Music with a phenomenal mix by Fredrik Folkare.
To the vocalists. There is the Queen of Metal, Doro Pesch, delivering the high energy opener ‘Little Piece of Heaven’, Jaime Kyle brings her own song ‘Take My Love To Heart’ to the CD, with backing vocals supplied by Kevin Chalfant (The Storm, Two Fires). James Christian gives one of my favourite pomp-friendly vocals on ‘Never Gonna Make Me Cry’; Jeff Scott Soto goes full melodic on ‘Bad Blood’ and Robin Beck (with James Christian on backing) does a ripping version of the Abba classic ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’.
New star to the scene, Tao’s Karen Fell delivers the moody AOR of ‘Truth Or Dare’ and Robin McAuley knocks the big ballad ‘Alone’ right out of the park.
Canadian great Darby Mills delivers what she calls one of her favourite vocals on the big 80s anthem ‘Trick Of The Light’.
There are no fillers here, so discover the rest for yourself. Credit to everyone involved for making a really consistent, ‘contemporary’ classic 80s melodic rock record with plenty of keyboards, layers of harmonies and some outstanding lead vocal performances.
Production and mix are spot on and the songs are enjoyable from start to finish. The dominance of female lead vocals will give fans of that genre something extra to smile about.
