REVERENCE: A New Power Metal Band Featuring Members of SAVATAGE – TOKYO BLADE – Jack Starr’s BURNING STARR – New album due in early 2012.

REVERENCE: Studio Webisode 1

REVERENCE: Will be unveiling the album cover art for their highly anticipated debut album entitled, “WHEN DARKNESS CALLS” on March 17th 2012 at the band’s Official website: reverencemetal.com

In early 2010 the metal world witnessed the birth of Reverence, co-founding by (guitarist/songwriter) Bryan Holland and (vocalist/songwriter) Todd Michael Hall, these two musicians hatched a plan to form a new power metal band. Bryan and Todd had a instant brotherhood and the songs started flowing.

Bryan, best known as lead guitarist for NWOBHM legends Tokyo Blade and Arrest. Bryan has recorded several studio albums and European tours, Tokyo Blade ended. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, find a versatile soaring vocalist and add some unstoppable riffs, screaming leads and crushing rhythms…

Todd Michael Hall gained notoriety with his 4 octave range and is best known as the vocalist for Jack Starr’s Burning Starr, Todd has recorded several studio albums and toured throughout Europe. “I stumbled upon Todd’s website and I knew right then and there I had found the perfect voice,” stated Bryan.

When it came to a rhythm section, the choice was simple, Bryan continued, “I have been friends with Steve ‘Doc. Killdrums’ Wacholz 15 years and we always wanted to play together but the time was never right, until now!” Doc is a founding member of Savatage and Crimson Glory. Doc played on their first eight studio albums and numerous world tours.

“There was no one else I wanted on bass!” Enter, (bassist) Frank Kruckel, who has played with Overloaded and Tokyo Blade. Bryan insisted, “We’ve shared a lot of stages and thousands of miles, I couldn’t see myself doing another band without Frank, he’s a madman onstage!”. Frank has recorded several studio albums and European tours

The last pieces of the puzzle arrived, (guitarist), Pete Rossi and Tony Rossi. “Doc had played with Pete and Tony in another project, so they came highly recommended and after a quick audition, it was clear, Pete and Tony fit perfectly into our style” Bryan declared.

Reverence are currently writing their debut cd to be released in spring 2012 with a fall tour. The band will add legendary classics from their respective bands to their setlist.

Reverence is also represented by No-Nonsense Management and Booking.

Please, ‘Share’, ‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ these REVERENCE Links:

RN: reverbnation.com/reverenceofficial
FB: facebook.com/reverencemetal
Web: reverencemetal.com
Twitter: @ReverenceMetal

Released By : Kanki Rekords

Release Date: February 22nd 2012

Genre: Power Metal

Links: http://www.dominationblack.com/

Line Up:

Lauri Eerola / Bass

Juha Beck / Drums

Teppo Heiskanen / Guitars

Ville Wiren / Guitars

Juuso Elminen / Keyboards

Matias Palm / Vocals

Tracklist:

01. Legacy Of Fears

02. Passage Of the Dead

03. Porter At The Gates of Hell

04. The Final Sigh

05. Dimension: Death

06. Cold Touch

07. Angel Dark

08. Evilizer

09. The Hellbound

I’ve never heard either of Domination Black’s previous two albums, but one thing got me excited to hear their newest effort, Dimension: Death: It features the very versatile, and simply awesome vocalist, Matias Palm. First appearing with the unfortunately not too well known Heavy Metal Perse (who only sing in in Finnish), he was also on last year’s excellent Merging Flare debut. Both albums I’d heard with him up to this point had been very good, so would this be an exception? Nope, not at all.

I was expecting something fairly aggressive based on the band name, album name, song names, and artwork, so I was immediately surprised by the opener “Legacy of Fears”. A 10 minute epic, this song is symphonic in a very different way, as instead of the typical epic and bombastic sound, we have some very dark and twisted symphonic keys, the type of keys you’d more expect to hear on a Symphonic Black Metal album, and these drive the song while creating a chilling atmosphere, before the rest of the band enters in. The keys are the most important part of the song, though Matias ensures the chorus is also fantastic, and the music settles into a nice groove once it gets going, never really speeding up. There’s also a nice extended instrumental interlude halfway through, where the keys once again dominate. Overall, a very interesting way to start the album, and definitely one of the highlights. Next up is “Passage of the Dead”, and this gives a better idea of what the rest of the album sounds like.

The overall dark tone of the opener remains (as does the interesting keyboard sound), though the guitars mostly taking center stage, and there’s a good mix of fast and mid-tempo songs, with each song having a mix of great riffs and even better melodies, giving plenty of room for Matias to shine. The keys even take a more standard sound on “Cold Touch”, which happens to be the closest to what you’d expect from a Finnish band, with a very strong emphasis on the melodies, and a truly outstanding chorus. Aside from the lone ballad “Angel Dark”, the rest of the album is a bit more aggressive, with “Porter At The Gates of Hell”, probably being the most intense. I find the songwriting is good but not the greatest, since only four songs seem to really be sticking with me at the time of this review. A few songs in the middle song a little too similar for my tastes.

My favorite aspect of the album is obviously the vocals, and once again Matias delivers. I’d known him for being able to pull off several types of vocals before, though here he mostly uses his standard clean voice, which still manages to sound quite unique anyway, as it’s fairly gruff yet still pleasant all the same. He displays his excellent softer vocals on “Angel Dark”, where on “The Final Sigh” and “Evilizer”, he launches into his awesome falsetto. He does an awesome job throughout the album, and especially on the choruses.

For the most part, Dimension: Death doesn’t break a lot of new ground, though the keys do sound particularly impressive, and overall this is some solid Power Metal, with a fairly dark tone and some aggressive riffs at points. The songwriting could certainly be a bit better, though the choruses are often great, and there are plenty of memorable moments throughout. Highly recommended for fans of the genre. Anyone else would maybe like the opener, but not much else.

Written by Travis

Ratings   Travis    8/10

Released by: Elm City/EMI

Release Date: March 13th, 2012

Genre: Groove Metal

Links: http://adrenalinemob.com/

Line Up:

Mike Portnoy – Drums

Russell Allen – Vocals

Mike Orlando – Guitar

Tracklist:

1. Undaunted

2. Psychosane

3. Indifferent

4. All On The Line

5. Hit The Wall

6. Feelin’ Me

7. Come Undone

8. Believe Me

9. Down To The Floor

10. Angel Sky

11. Freight Train

When it comes to drama in the metal community, incidents have been few and far between, but one situation that has made waves was the departure of legendary and former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy last year. Since he parted ways with the Progressive Metal giants Dream Theater, the band he has been such an integral part of since the beginning, he has been involved in a flurry of collaborations, from his time as replacement drummer for Avenged Sevenfold to his Transatlantic involvement and worldwide tours to now a new project called Adrenaline Mob. The haters have not stopped expressing their point on why one of the most important drummers in metal history chose to take the high road and leave the band, and I feel that no matter what he does he will always receive harsh criticism from DT fans.

The bottom line is that Portnoy is long gone and DT has replaced him with a capable power house drummer in Mike Mangini. And please, stop the bashing. As you know many artists just get tired of the life or burned out (for lack of a better word) from the same creative flow after so many years. Who knows the real reason behind his split, but the bottom line is that people need to move on and appreciate that he still around making music, even if the avenues he has chosen are not the same stylistically as the progressive metal masters themselves, he’s skills as a drummer are short to bring many more exciting collaborations and possibly relaunch a new era for himself.

Adrenaline Mob’s self titled EP was released last year and left some of us intrigued as to what the this project would sound like if they managed to released a full album and they will with their debut “Omerta” which comes on March 13th, 2012. The team consists of the great Russell Allen from Symphony X on vocals, Mike Orlando handling the guitars, and of course, the drum work by Portnoy himself. The remaining players are bass player Paul DiLeo (Fozzy) and rhythm guitarist Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo/Fozzy). Since then both have departed and the Disturbed bass player John Moyer is now on board handling bass duties.

The sound of the band is a mix of Groove Metal and Modern Heavy Metal — don’t laugh — because if you take into consideration Portnoy’s recently stint with Avenged Sevenfold as their fill-in drummer, this type of style should come to no one’s surprise. The power vocals of Allen are a welcome sound, although if you’re a fan of his main band Symphony X, then you already know Russell has stayed in this power stream vocal style for the band’s recent albums; but it shouldn’t make anybody not relish his amazing voice, as he does a superb job on anything he takes any part in musically, and the same applies here with Adrenaline Mob.

Orlando had a collection of songs ready to go for a while; he approached Allen with a concept and idea for the band. Together they joined forces and refined those ideas. Allen then reached out to long-time friend Portnoy to see if he had any interest in playing with them and the rest is history.

The songs on Omerta are heavily driven in nature and the ardent shred of Orlando and his guitars are very evident on a few of the opening tracks like “Undaunted” and the killer groove solo in “Psychosane” which pierce thoroughly with Allen’s unmistakable vocal range. The heavy duty melodic power ballad of “All on the Line” works very well with Allen showcasing his amazing high soaring and resourceful vocals which take flight once more, and both Portnoy and Orlando fasten their seat belts on this awesome mid level tune, one of the best on the record period. All doesn’t just work without a hitch because some times the band sounds too modern for my touch, tracks like “All on the Line” have it’s typical shred coincidentally I felt that this tune and a couple others probably need a little more alteration, as it felt a bit too redundant and goes on too long.

The melodic chorus in “Come Undone” magnetizes the listener with its powerful rhythm section alongside some strong background vocals that add a nice flavor to the album. The production on Omerta is of the highest level, as to be expected, the drum work of Portnoy is second to none but it doesn’t overshadow the other powerful elements in the band, one Russell Allen and his pompous pipes, and second as the tight guitar assault of Orlando who kicks each song into high gear with his fret. The band’s most attractive asset will no doubt be in a live setting, as early reports from the band hitting the road for a number of shows have been powerful and positive. I did feel that some the tracks probably needed to be a little more touched up as stated earlier, but with another album under their belt hopefully this project can become a more complete entity. As for now enjoy this one because if you’re a metal fan there’s much to enjoy when it comes to pure aggressiveness and cunning stunts. Check it out when it comes out on March 13th. And as far as Portnoy is concerned, being that he has number of projects lined up, I do eventually want him to settle on a permanent band and build something new even though he has stated this is he’s new band, you never know for sure due to his vast involvement in other projects.  There’s always the possibility that the DT guys will want him back after all is said and done.  Let’s not forget it was his baby for a long time; I’m not advocating this nor do I care what music he ends up sticking with, the fact of the matter remains that it will be of the highest quality no matter what, but if you’re a hardcore DT fan wouldn’t would you want him back?

Written by Denys

Ratings    Denys    8/10

Released by: Independent

Release Date: Out Now!!!

Genre: Classic Rock

Links: http://resurgenceofrock.com

Tracklist:

Resurgence of Rock (Paul Shortino)

One For the Ages (Jeff Paris)

Your Boyfriend is Lame (Terry Ilous)

Take Me Back (Jeff Paris)

Livin’ It Up! (In A Mexican Bar) (Paul Shortino)

Still Turnin’ Heads (Lorraine Lewis)

Another Hotel Bar (Jeff Paris)

Hundred Years War(Lorraine Lewis)

Woman Side/ Famous Last Chords (Paul Shortino)

The nostalgia of the old school “Rock” sounds is what I’m talking about, you know what I mean? If you’re a child from the 80′s then you know that the world that you lived and breathed was slowly fading towards the dark horizon. Whatever happened to the good old days, huh? We live in a new age of digital media that controls the market and drowns any type of “real” music that used to be called good back in the day. Any regular joe can go into a studio and press a couple of buttons, use some auto tune and become a millionaire, but the reality is that the music business sucks now-a-days. Many labels are going down in drain, artists are moving farther and further away from the model that made bands so great long ago; is a crying shame but it’s true. Radio stations are controlled by pop and hip hop music and any most commercial rock bands are as talent-less as someone who thinks they can sing, only to be told the hard truth by some. Eventually if you drink the coffee you end up buying your own bullcrap.

Luckily they are still a sector of what we like to call real rock bands, mainly what is left of the 80′s revolution trying to hold on to a moment in time where things where all about having fun, the music and the lifestyle was like a freight train running all the time but the music was more fun than ever and fans actually united together to go see bands like KISS, AC/DC, Van Halen, and the names go on and on.

Blanca White is a labor of love from it’s creators Ken Savage and Austin Schell, who like to remind all of us that they don’t like the music world we live in and we need to revive that old school “Rock” that made us party down and forget your worries. Put together a project that involves guest rock vocalists from the past and put them together to remind us that rock is not dead and maybe even your neighbor will drop a copy of their Black Eyes Pea CD and take notice. Alright, maybe the press release over hyped this project as the almighty revival of rock by touting it as “inspiring a resurgence of Hard Rock”. I mean is nice to hear more stuff like this but I think is going to take a global music change for Rock to make a comeback; too many factors play a hand, but eventually it will be just like it never died — even to this day it will keep on pushing forward like some of these older rock bands pushing tin on their last crusade.

The vocal guests musicians here are Paul Shortino leading the way on the title track, adding his trademark raspy blues vocals to the flow. Terry Ilous, Lorraine Lewis and Jeff Paris take control of the rest of the songs. This project hides nothing, as it’s obvious the influences here are from AC/DC to Sammy Hagar. They key word here is “fun”, as some of the songs feature that recurrent theme. Some of the tunes like the Shortino lead once again “Livin’ It Up! (in a Mexican Bar)” are nice tunes but musically you won’t hear anything different than before, if you’re a rock fan. The mid tempo rocker “Another Bar” plays well with it’s mix of late 70′s rock and the keys in the background layer over nicely, a cool tune. Some of the songs however are lacking a bit in the production value level, for instance the song “Your Boyfriend Is Lame” makes Terry Ilous’ voice drown into the song itself, and the lyrics are a little aggravating. For what it’s worth I think this album is more about the message then it is about just the music, and for that I thought it deserved a listen. Musically the main members stick to some basic rhythm,s although at times do a good job of mixing 70′s and 80′s rocks sounds. While Blanca White won’t ignite a world revolution for Rock, it was a nice effort that I think more bands need to make a point of doing, and for that I give them credit.

Let’s face it people, we live in a modern day in age of iPods, mobile technology and social media; we have so many distractions pulling us out of the daily fold that we forget to appreciate real music once in a while. Too much good music slides under the table and many don’t get to experience it what it sounds like anymore. I feel sad for new kids growing up in this day and age. Their thoughts on what is real music is laughable. But this is why we do what we do, why a project like Blanca White, even with it’s basic and simple guitar rhythms, is something for people to just enjoy. It’s about having fun and listening to your favorite rock tune, the way it was back when real music ruled the airways. No, these guys won’t push any boundaries, or break new waves. In fact, you probably won’t hear much air play on a commercial level, but the fact that many of the old rockers and people who once lived and breathed this genre are on the same boat, brings me hope that maybe one day (hopefully soon) we can have a real resurgence of rock. Let’s face it, many of the older rock bands are or will become extinct soon (Kiss, Judas Priest, AC/DC, etc). Who will carry the torch then? Let Rock live forever!!!!

Written by Denys

Ratings    Denys    7/10

Released by: Eagle Rock Ent

Release Date: February 21st, 2012

Genre: Classic Rock/Fusion/Jazz

Links: http://www.santana.com/

Track Listing:

Disc 1:

1) Spark Of The Divine

2) SOCC

3) Back In Black

4) Singing Winds, Crying Beasts

5) Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen

6) Oye Como Va

7) Maria Maria

8) Foo Foo

9) Corazon Espinado / Guajira

10) Benny & Cindy Solo

11) Jingo

12) Carlos Speaks / Novus

13) Europa (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile) / I Want You

14) Batuka / No One To Depend On

Disc 2:

1) Duende / Open Invitation

2) Make Somebody Happy / Right On Be Free

3) Evil Ways / A Love Supreme

4) Sunshine Of Your Love

5) Smooth / Dame Tu Amor

6) Soul Sacrifice / Dennis Drum Solo

7) Samba Pa Ti

8) Into The Night

9) Love, Peace And Happiness / Freedom

Legendary Rock Hall of Fame inductee Carlos Santana should be on anybody’s music top list as the greatest and most innovative guitar player that has ever lived. Santana has been rocking crowds since the late 60′s, getting his big break at the Fillmore’s West as a replacement guitar player.  After successes there, Santana formed the Santana Blues Band with the amazing bassit/keyboard player Gregg Rollie. This is where his sound took shape and gave birth to his own original blend of Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa, and African rhythms. When asked what kind of music he plays, his answer is always simply “African Music”.

One of his biggest breaks followed in the following years as the Santana band got a spot on the famous Woodstock Festival and drew even more critical acclaim to the band. As time evolved, Carlos saw continued success with top rated records like “Abraxas”, “Santana III” and “Caravanserai” in the 70′s.  The 80′s, however, did not garner nearly as much success for Carlos and company. It is evident, through their harder rock-laden tunes, that with a change of times and the hard rock flourish, the band struggled to find its own identity. It was a long road to a surprising revival of sorts for Santana when he teamed up with music mogul Clive Davis and seemingly over night brought Santana into the 21st century with the then super commercial hit record “Supernatural” featuring a myriad of guest musicians.

Carlos Santana’s soulful guitar playing which can clearly be traced to early influences like B.B King and Johnny Lee Hooker, perfectly melted his own fusion of classic rock into one of the most prestigious venues in the world, which is the Montreux Jazz Music Festival, hosting a number of legendary icons like Miles Davis and Bob Dylan. Having already appeared a number of times himself, Santana geared up his band alongside some special guests on this memorable night last summer in 2011 and performed a collection of his greatest hits throughout his career.

His band features some of the greatest and most talented instrumentalisst around the world with the likes of super percussionist Karl Perazzo, Raul Rekow handling the Congas, Dennis Chambers holding down the battery on drums, alongside the tag team of vocalists Tony Lindsay and Andy Vargas. On this special 2 DVD set from Eagle Rock Ent, Santana flares up the night with some of his classics the likes of “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen”, which is always a fan favorite. An interesting cover of AC/DC’s Back in Black, the Supernatural cuts “Maria, Maria” and “Corazon Espinado” (a spanish lead vocals track which was another hit for Carlos on that record) show just how versatile Santana can be. The first disc closes in fine fashion with a radiant version of “Europa” (Earth’s Cry, Heaven’s Smile). The thing about Santana is he’s a totally different artist when it comes to vision, spirituality and connecting with the fans on that level. His music was always more about inspirations that brought a common message of peace, helping one another, and leaving a positive mark on  the listener for ages to come.

The second disc features more classics the likes of “Evil Ways”, “Soul Sacrifice” and a remake of Cream’s classic “Sunshine of your Love”.  It was nice to hear another oldie “Samba pa Ti” and conjure all the different elements of traditional African roots mixed with Afro/Cuban and jazz into this wonderful piece. This is where Santana truly shines and is able to connect all the dots which make his music so legendary and uncanny.

Santana ends the night with a message to all the fans and listeners, to make sure they make everyday their best day of their lives. For a man in his mid 60′s now, Carlos looks in fine shape; in fact, he has aged very gracefully. His guitar playing is as fluid and wondrous as ever, never using many synthesizers at all, he feels the music and does a wonderful job of leading all the amazing talent in his own band into one huge condensation of melting pots of flavor. I loved how his wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, makes a guest drum solo appearance and absolutely shines; I never knew she was a respectable drummer in her own right, so that was something very cool to see.

The DVD is shot in high definition and both the sound and video are super sharp and refined, a great job by Eagle to cover yet another classic icon like Santana making a memorable appearance on yet another year of Montreux. Some bonus features are the interviews by both Carlos and his wife and some behind the scenes footage as well. This is a wonderful concert experience and Carlos Santana integrates his multiple blend of rock/fusion into the crowd with wonderful rhythm and class, wearing all white with his trademark top hat and his Gibson custom guitars, all providing a beautification of his music through the years. A great treat in yet a long series of concert artists that have graced the stage in Geneva. Go check it out as you get plenty of bang for your buck here!!!

Written by Denys

Ratings    Denys    8/10

Released by: DYI

Release Date: Out Now!!!

Genre: Progressive Rock/Alternative

Links: http://www.caseintheory.com/

Line Up:

Jonathan -Guitar/Vox

Jamin – Drums

Tadeo -Guitar

Ben – Bass

Tracklist:

1.Mavericks

2.The Night

3.The Day

4.Run Like Hell

5.National Ave.

6.Cinematic

7.Mavericks III

8.Righteous Path

9.The Fall of Golden Gate

10.With Open Eyes

11.Mavericks IV

I love clean melodic vocals and I’m a big fan of progressive rock structures and when those aspects are combined with precise musicianship, strong melodies and a massive production, the result is almost always interesting enough to check out and in the case of the debut-CD of the Bay Area based band CASE IN THEORY, we even have something sensational.

This band sounds like the latest sensation in the Progressive Rockworld. Although their rhythm section is said to have a hip-hop/funk background, vocally and musically this CASE IN THEORY is pure Melodic Progressive Rock, reminding me more than once of Californian legends ENCHANT. Guitarist JONATHAN POSADAS has a terrific melodic voice that makes each vocal line in every song a pleasure to listen to and combined with catchy hooks and melodic choruses, this is American progressive melodic rock at it’s very best!

Songs like “The day”, “National Ave.”, “Righteous path” (LOVELY!), “The fall of Golden gate” (super melodic catchy chorus) and “Cinematic” offer so much beautiful haunting melodies, I am actually still in a coma, even though the CD has left the player 1 hour ago! The band is said to be sounding like INCUBUS, DREDG and CIRCA SURVIVE, but take it from me that ENCHANT is also a very good comparison, though a little edgier and more modern sounding, so perhaps closer to the late 1990s/early 2000s records of that band.
Written by Gabor

Ratings    Gabor    8/10

Released by: Independent

Release Date: Out Now!!!

Genre: Modern Rock/Hard Rock

Links: http://www.stealingeden.com/

Line Up:

DAVE – Vocals

MAXIMUS – Guitar

SEAN – Bass

MIKE – Drums

Tracklist:

1. All I Need

2. Too Late

3. No One Else

4. Just a Memory

5. Thrown Away

6. Calling Out

7. Better Off

8. Never Give Up

9. Seed

10. Where We Belong

11. Right in Front of You

Every new generation grows up with a certain rocksound and especially in the USA and Canada a sort of Rockstyle is developed every once in a while, mostly thanks to just one single band. It lasts a few years until a new sound emerges somewhere. If you go back in time, you will see that this happened a lot of times since the introduction of Rock and Roll in the 1950s.

In contrary to mainland Europe where different genres can be popular at the same time during several decades, the North American continent has a very strict ‘policy’ that is clearly focused on the sound of the most popular band at a certain time and then all labels and producers are working on getting as many similar sounding records out as possible, just to give the people something similar in style. The Americans are very good in this and whatever band is the most popular one at a certain time, they are almost always able to release similar records that usually are also quality albums. Europe is sadly only open for a few of the absolute major acts and therefore so many bands never made it to the old continent.

This is starting to sound like an essay, but ever since the Grunge/Alternative Rockscene tore the Classic American Hardrocksound upside down 20 years ago, a new style has developed within the Rockworld. The past 10 years the sound has gone more melodic, catchy and accessible than the whole 1990s decade. Although a few bands have found fame and fortune here in Europe, such as NICKELBACK, THREE DOORS DOWN, LIVE, DAUGHTRY and ALTER BRIDGE, the majority of the bands active in the current modern North American way of Rock do not break out of their continent. This is a major pity, because at the moment the melodies in a lot of new rocksongs by Northern American bands never sounded so melodic. Actually, the new Modern Rocksound of the USA and Canada should be called Modern AOR, because the vocal lines, hooks and catchy choruses are reminiscent of the early – mid 1980s when a similar development happened across the Atlantic Ocean.

Back then only HEART, FOREIGNER and TOTO really broke through in Europe, but bands like SURVIVOR, LOVERBOY, JOURNEY and several others never found the same glory as in their homeland(s). The only difference is of course that the current Rocksound is heavier, with slightly distorted guitars and an aggressive approach instrumental speaking. Anyway, the past few years brought us not only superb albums by the already mentioned bands NICKELBACK, THREE DOORS DOWN, LIVE, DAUGHTRY and ALTER BRIDGE, but also from lesser known acts like RED, MY DARKEST DAYS, THREE DAYS GRACE, CREED, STONE SOUR, SIXX AM, CROSSFADE, NINE LEFT DEAD, 7EVENTH TIME DOWN, ABUSED ROMANCE, ADELITAS WAY, CHEVELLE, COLD, SALIVA, STAIND and many more but none of them scored big time in Europe and so their market was primarily USA and Canada, which is a pity, because without a doubt these band’s releases were all high quality albums. Back to reality, we have another act that fits between all these mentioned bands and they are called STEALING EDEN. They are coming out of Canada’s number 1 city for music, Vancouver, and are making their debut with this fantastic album titled ‘Truth in tragedy’.

Although at first sight, it sounds very cliché-tingled and is a typical product of the Northern American Modern Rocksound, it is by far one of the finest releases in the genre the past few years, easily beating the latest records by the established acts. Together with the new albums of RED, DAUGHTRY, BLACK STONE CHERRY and THREE DOORS DOWN, this is the 5th best Modern American (Melodic) Rock record of the year 2011. Songs like “All I Need”, “Too Late”, “Just a Memory”, “Never Give up” and “Where We Belong” and the almost AORish closing track “Right in Front of You” deliver the goods perfectly and resemble a sound that European bands will never be able to accomplish. It might sound a little polished for some, but without a doubt, this is high quality Rock with a capital “R” and should be heard by everyone. Check out this sensational new Canadian band

Written by Gabor

Ratings    Gabor    9/10

Released By : Angel Air Music

Genre : Classic Rock

Links : http://angelair.co.uk/sjpcd383.htm

Tracklist:

1. “Magic In The Air” The ATTACK 1967
2. “Mr Pinnodmy’s Dilemma” The ATTACK 1967
3. “Too Old” ANDROMEDA 1969
4. “Return To Sanity” (3 parts)
a. Breakdown
b. Hope
c. Conclusion ANDROMEDA 1969
5. “Tomorrow Night” ATOMIC ROOSTER 1971
6. “Devils Answer” ATOMIC ROOSTER 1971
7. “Night Living” ATOMIC ROOSTER 1971
8. “The Soul That I Had” BULLET 1971
9. “Fortunes Told” BULLET 1971
10. “Millionaire” HARD STUFF 1972
11. “Jay Time” HARD STUFF 1972
12. “Roll A Rocket” HARD STUFF 1973
13. “She’s My Woman” JOHN DU CANN 1977
14. “Don’t Be a Dummy” JOHN DU CANN 1979
15. “Don’t Lose Your Mind” ATOMIC ROOSTER 1980
16. “They Took Control Of You” ATOMIC ROOSTER 1980

The late John Du Cann, Who sadly passed away last September, may not quite have the household name credentials of guys like Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton, but the guitarist/singer/songwriter best known for his time fronting ATOMIC ROOSTER is a very highly regarded musician in the inner rock music sanctum and is regarded as one of the prominent figureheads in U.K rock history.

As well as a very successful run in ATOMIC ROOSTER, Du Cann has also spent time fronting bands like ANDROMEDA, HARD STUFF, BULLET and earlier on THE ATTACK. Now seems as good a time as any to put together a John Du Cann compilation and Angel Air Records have seen fit to do just that. THE MANY SIDES OF has been in the making for a while now and before his death John Du Cann himself was working with the label to come up with this fitting tracklist, which covers all aspects of his career from his early days with Mod Rockers THE ATTACK, through his Phsychedelica days in ANDROMEDA, the Hard Rock period of BULLET and HARD STUFF, some mid-career solo work and of course ending with ATOMIC ROOSTER. Of course there was more to come from Du Cann, but seeing that this album ends at 1980 you’d have to say that it’s pretty darn comprehensive.

As usual the guys from Angel Air have crafted a fantastic booklet filled with information, interview snippets and rare photos, and the remastered audio sounds just fantastic. The tripped-out front cover artwork is pretty good too. Listening through this anthology shows just how prolific Du Cann was as a songwriter and clearly there’s plenty of material here that could be classed as a highlight. For me personally though you can’t look past the three-part suite of ANDROMEDA track RETURN TO SANITY, which is mix of PINK FLOYD, THIN LIZZY and LED ZEPPELIN. Other great moments include ATOMIC ROOSTER smash-hit DEVILS ANSWER, the awesome boogie-rock vibes of HARD STUFF track MILLIONAIRE and the Du Cann solo track DON’T BE A DUMMY.

If you’re a fan of John Du Cann then THE MANY SIDES OF is definitely a must-buy, if you aren’t particularly familiar with him but have an interest in any of the bands mentioned above, or a penchant for British Classic Rock then it’s also definitely worth seeking out. Angel Air Records enters in fifteenth year in business in 2012 and they have started their bookmark year with a bang. Keep in mind too that basically every album that has had tracks taken from it for this compilation is also available in remastered glory via the Angel Air website.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 9/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Thrash Metal

Link : http://www.2black.ch/

Tracklist:

01. Dead Of The Empire

02. Breathing Fear

03. Faceless Mirror

04. Blood Of The Soulless King

05. Cutback

06. Journey Into This

07. Age Of Decadance

Being that this promo-only disc was originally released back in December of 2010, I guess I’m a little late to the punch with this review. But you know what?… It’s never too late to let you guys know about great up-and-coming band that you should be looking out for, so on that note let me introduce you to Zurich based thrash metal act 2BLACK.

As far as I know this promo disc still hasn’t been officially released and so far has only been made available for review purposes and to gather label interest. Well, the label interest certainly should be on its way I would think. Especially when we have thrash friendly indie labels these days like Pure Steel Records, Heavy Artillery and many more. While it’s evident that the Thrash Metal revival of the last half-decade or so has given us listeners a veritable smorgasbord of stuff to listen to, there’s always room for a band that can output that organic classic Thrash sound without sounding dated, which is exactly the vibe I get from NO TIME TO DIE. I’d say that the bands overall feel is somewhat along the lines of classic German thrash acts like KREATOR or SODOM or even a rawer version of DESTRUCTION.

The songwriting could use a wee little bit of tinkering in places as some of the tracks begin to feel a little repetitive toward the end, but I really like 2BLACK’S vibe and can certainly appreciate the way that they have managed to make the release sound like a classic eighties recording but with much better production values…Not too shabby for a self-released effort for sure.

Truth be told there’s not much 2BLACK need to work on here, a couple of tracks may have benefitted from being twenty seconds or so shorter and the vocals could use some slight changing up occasionally, but overall NO TIME TO DIE is as good a resume as any modern day Thrash Metal band could wish for and it should send them toward that ever-elusive recording contract and hopefully get them closer to releasing something that the general metal public can easily get their hands on.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 7/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Hard Rock/Heavy Metal

Link : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knight-Fury/173422112680692?sk=info

Lineup:

Chris Sanders – Guitars

William King – Vocals

Dave Ellefson – Bass

Ken Mary – Drums

Tracklist:

01. Nothing Left

02. Attack

03. Forbidden

04. Battle For The Castle

05. Awaken

06. The Message

07. Endless Night

08. Out On Your Own

09. Believe

10. Time To Rock

With the large amount of excellent releases in the rock and metal genres lately, unfortunately there’s always going to be a handful of great records that slip through the cracks. One album I would definitely put in this category is TIME TO ROCK by KNIGHT FURY, released in the latter part of last year without a record label. You may be tempted to skip this one due to it’s self-released nature, but this ain’t your ordinary unsigned band.

KNIGHT FURY was actually put together by none other that Chris Sanders from LIZZY BORDEN and also features MEGADETH bass player Dave Ellefson, ALICE COOPER BAND drummer Ken Mary and metal vocalist extraordinaire William King. A very juicy line-up indeed and the perfect combination of experience, skill and raw hunger. The band don’t try and take their music to a new level or anything like that, instead they opt for a very dedicated hard rock/heavy metal hybrid that takes a little from the melodic metal side of things for good measure. The experience of the members involved in this band shines through in every aspect of this album and you don’t just get a great feel like this unless you really know what you’re doing.

There’s an interesting element here in the fact that vocalist William King is probably not the typical sort of guy you would usually expect to front this sort of outfit. He has an almost Vince Neil quality about him at times and occasionally even brings out a voice that would usually be more associated with AOR music, but don’t panic he can still metal wail when he wants to.  This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t belong here though, in fact this slightly different vocal approach really adds to everything else that is going on. The rhythm section is a sgood as you would expect when you get two guys of the caliber of Ellefson and Mary together. Where the album truly shines though is is the outstanding guitar work of Chris Sanders, who is quickly becoming one of today’s most exciting metal stringers. I’m not the first one to say it I know, but Sanders tone and guitar phrasing really does remind me of the the late Randy Rhodes, and as a traditional metal guitarist that would have to be one of the biggest compliments you could receive. The riffs all have that sharp mid-eighties metal feel to them and the lead breaks are virtuoistic at every turn. Some good old shredding never goes astray with this kind of release either.

If you are looking for something different and innovative then TIME TO ROCK probably isn’t for you, but if you yearn for the days when technical ability, great songwriting and skillful vocals were just as important as image then this new KNIGHT FURY project certainly offers up a tasty platter. Personally I hope the members involved in this project are looking at it as more of a proper band thing as I’d really like to hear what they can come up with next.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 8/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Heavy Metal

Links : http://www.tyrant-eyes.de/

Lineup:

Claudius – Vocals

Max – Bass

Marcus – Guitars

Jurgen – Keys

Sascha – Drums

Tracklist:

01. Another Ray Of Light

02. Beginning Of The End

03. No Way No Limit

04. Gravitation

05. Infraction

06. Ingratitude

07. Physically Alive

08. Born Criminal

09. Green Tiny Monsters

10. Friendship

Due to being a little late to punch with this new album from TYRANT EYES, I have had the chance to browse around online and read a decent handful other reviews. I have seen this album rated anywhere between 2 and 9 out of ten and have seen it called irrelevant, amateur and boring, but also refreshing, exciting and world-class.
For me personally the truth lies somewhere in-between, and while I did enjoy what I heard I couldn’t in all consciousness declare THE SOUND OF PERSISTENCE to be essential listening.

The best part of this album is the interesting mix of styles the band has used to get their sound, which is actually pretty unique. TYRANT EYES have found a middle ground between modern American Power Metal and the more traditional eighties metal sound, which actually gives them a bit of an early nineties power metal sound reminiscent of early ICED EARTH and GRAVE DIGGER. There is a draw-back though, and that is that the band attempt to include some simplistic newer sounding riffs which to on occasion get quite boring. Case in point here would be the chorus in NO WAY NO LIMIT and the entirety of ANOTHER RAY OF LIGHT.
Vocalist Cladius Bormuth has a pretty good classic metal voice, and his occasional higher pitched wails work pretty well too, but I really didn’t like his more aggressive approach on INFRACTION.

I think TYRANT EYES are at their best when they give off the mid-nineties metal vibe, which will please fans of GRAVE DIGGER, ACCEPT, ICED EARTH and SAXON. Unfortunately though there are a few occasions throughout this disc where the band try to do something a little different, which really does affect the overall cohesion. If they could stay consistent, and drop the odd growled vocals I think they could possibly release something pretty good. Hopefully they can once again gather the backing of a label though as this sort of music demands a better production and artwork than is on offer here.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 7/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Power Metal/Heavy Metal

Link : http://www.reverbnation.com/powerstormetal

Tracklist:

01. Just What I Am

02. The Other Way

03. Mother Is Dying

04. Break The Chain

05. Long Gone

06. The 3rd Alternative

07. Riding To Freedom

08. Land Of Fire

09. On My Side

10. The Wolf

POWERSTORM, in their original full-band format, were formed in Greece back in 1995 and spent the new few years gaining respect as a solid live outfit but never really got the opportunity to release anything. Eventually in 2002 the band folded and it seemed as though the tale of POWERSTORM had officially ended. That is until founding member Kostas Falieros decided to resurrect the moniker recently and this time do all of the work himself. So, while this release still has the original band moniker, with Kostas credited for vocals, guitar, bass, drums and keys make no mistake that ACT I is certainly a one-man project.

Yes, yes, all of this sounds mighty impressive, but it count for nought if the music is crap right?… Well, rest your heads guys because ACT I is actually pretty darn good. Kostas’ style is a sort of hybrid of Power Metal and Traditional Metal with a strong emphasis on sweeping guitar solos and epic multi-layered vocal choruses. Kostas Greek accent also gives some of the slower patches a real Gothic Rock feel too which adds some mystery to the album. Nothing we haven’t heard before, but still a very enjoyable album from cover to cover mad all the more impressive due to its one-man-band stature. During my time with the album I heard small patches of ICED EARTH, 220 VOLT, SAXON, IRON MAIDEN, HAMMERFALL and even a touch of JUDAS PRIEST, so if you are a fan of any of the abovementioned acts you could do worse for yourself than checking out ACT I.

The highlight moment for me on this disc was the DIO-esque metal ballad LONG GONE, but more upbeat and thundering tracks like JUST WHAT I AM, BREAK THE CHAIN and the fantasy lyric-based RIDE INTO FREEDOM also offer up an enjoyable listening experience for anybody with a traditional metal heart. I should also make mention of the war-torn Middle East inspired track LAND OF FIRE… potent lyrics, frenetic riffs, Middle-Eastern sounding intro and a bombastic sounding production really does the whole protest-song thing justice.

POWERSTORM are likely never destined for the highest pinnacles in the Heavy Metal world, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking them out. Kostas Falieros had single-handedly crafted a great sounding metal album that sticks true to it’s inspirations and is enjoyable from start to stop, Falieros should be very proud of himself indeed.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 7/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Heavy Southern Rock

Links : http://www.soulriverdogs.com/

Lineup:

Bobby

Brad

Darren

Mike

Tracklist:

01. Crazy

02. Hell No!

03. Karma

04. All I Wanna Do

05. Keep Rockin’

06. Jesu$ Money

07. Never Change My Ways

08. Nothingman

09. Roses For The Dead

10. The Junk (All Funked Up)

In the midst of progressive based rock and metal releases, and other more serious entities, it’s always nice to run into the occasional band that will give you a no-frills, straight-up, unpretentious record. This self-titled, self-released debut from Canadian Southern Rockers SOUL RIVER DOGS is about as no-frills as it gets and the record is all the better for it.

SOUL RIVER DOGS display a more streamlined version of the typical Southern Rock formula by holding on to its influence throughout the disc, but never fully succumbing to it either. There’s much more here that’s in common with your straightforward 3 chord bar rock music than anything else, but there’s also a slight modern flair that gives a few of the songs a bit of a FM radio flair too. The drawback with a release like this though is the entire track-list sort of gels into one big lot of noise, with not really any colour to break things up, but hey, if you’re going to use it as a driving record, or a party disc then that is actually a good thing anyway. If though, you like to sit and listen to your music alone through some good headphones then you may tire of the formula around the half-way point.

Well, when an album is as simple at this one, there’s not really much more that needs to be said. Simply put, if you want a mindless rockin’ good-time, then SOUL RIVER DOGS have got ya covered, if however you demand a little more out of your music than verse-chorus-verse, maybe skip this one out.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 7/10

Released By : Self-Released

Genre : Power Metal

Link : http://www.sonicprophecy.com

Lineup:

Shane Provstgaard – Vocals

Austin Dixon – Guitars

Steve Bishop – Guitars

Michael Graybill – Bass

Jeff Dreher – Drums

Tracklist:

01. A Divine Act Of War

02. Call Of Battle

03. Solar Run

04. Lady In The Flame

05. A Warrior’s Destiny

06. Sacred Ashes

07. Heavy Artillery

08. Juggernaut

09. Canticle

10. A Divine Act Of War

11. A Warrior’s Destiny (Orchestra Version)

The word ‘potential’ gets thrown around a fair bit in music reviewing circles, and I’m gonna let you in on a little secret… A lot of the time ‘potential’ is the buzz-word a reviewer will use in a review of an album that they probably didn’t like, but thought the band were nice guys, or good-looking girls depending on the line-up. I hate to sound so typical here, but after spending several listen-throughs with A DIVINE ACT OF WAR, the self-released debut album from Power Metal act SONIC PROPHECY, ‘potential’ is the best word I can think of to describe my overall feelings.

Musically, these guys all seem very good at what they do, and some of the sweeping guitar solos could rival the big lead-breaks on any major label Power Metal release. But it’s the overall songwriting that feels a little typical in places that lets the band down a little. Don’t get me wrong, this album is still filled with songs that are way better than most debut efforts, but SONIC PROPHECY want to push into the next rung then next time the songwriting needs to improve just a little bit. Maybe dedicated die-hard Traditional Power Metal fans will disagree with that previous statement, but in an era where there a handful of exciting bands pushing the boundaries of the genre, the guys that stay behind will get left behind for good.

Where the truest factor of the ‘potential’ element comes into it is the vocals of front-man Shane Provstgaard. At this point in time I feel he is still developing and does need to do a little bit of work on his higher register, but… his phrasing, tone and overall approach actually remind me of a rawer, younger version of EDGUY/AVANTASIA mastermind Tobias Sammet, so if he can add some finesse and keep at it he could definitely he the reason this band hits in a big way.

If SONIC PROPHECY spent the next couple of years touring hard and finessing their writing style, I feel that album number two may just be something pretty great, until that time fans of a more streamlined and standard approach to Power Metal, and fans of Tobias Sammet should at least give this album a quick look in.

Written By ZeeZee

Rating : 7/10