Crimson Sky - 'Dawn' (selF Released) 4/5

Its been three years since Bristol prog rockers Crimson Sky hit us with their impressive debut album Misunderstood, and since then there have been a few line up changes, mainly the replacement of vocalist Holly Thody with new girl Jane Setter, the arrival of new keysman Moray Macdonald. But after a very quiet couple of years they are back with this new four track ep.

Over all this is pretty good, there are two brand new tracks on offer. Crimson Sky is a neat little cut that sounds like Seasons End era Marillion jamming with cult NWOBHM act Runestaff - all Mark Kelly style keyboard widdles under pinned with some nice tasty faux-metal riffage. Then you have The Park, this ones stand out track, a number that kicks off with an almost MC5 proto-punk groove before switching into a feel and vibe that smacks of classic Pendragon with a hint of Stray thrown in for good measure. Pretty good stuff. Vocalist Setter may not have the 'rawk chick' snarl that made her predecessor so distinctive, but her almost ethereal alto tones and impressive range more than do the business. And it must be said that the keyboard of Mr Macdonald really do raise the standard of musicianship in the band by several clicks, and that is not a reflection on the rest of Crimson Sky, all of whom are pretty competent players in their own right.

The other two cuts are re-recorded versions of numbers from the Misunderstood album. The first, The Sea, is a pretty good rendition of an already impressive track, noteworthy for Mr Leamons tasty Steve Rothery / Andy Latimer style lead guitar work. However the new version of After The Rain provides a pretty downbeat ending to the ep, as compared to the rest of the tracks on show it comes over more than a little limp, as its Fleetwood Mac meets Mostly Autumn acoustic stylings and trip away with the fairies vibe come over as a very light weight and finish the ep with a whimper rather than the bang this releases deserves, (and to be honest isn't as good as the Misunderstood version.)

However don't let that put you off as the rest of this one is well worth a listen, and if Crimson Sky continue to follow the road laid down on tracks like The Park there could well be a brighter dawn ahead for them.

Worth a look or three

For fans of... Marillion, Runestaff, Pallas, Pendragon, Delusion Squared, Porcupine Tree etc....

Grave Digger - 'Clash Of The Gods' (Napalm) 5/5

Koln band Grave Digger first set sail on the seas of metal way back in the early 1980's, and ever since then they have have been plundering the sonic seascapes with their distinctive brand of legendary piratey power metal in fine style, and now we have this, studio album number sixteen, to remind us that Grave Digger are still up their with the very best of them.

OK I have always been of the opinion that what German metal does best is the big epic power metal type of thing, and in my mind Grave Digger, a band I've been a fan of ever since I first heard their album War Games way back in nineteen eighty something, have always been in my mind one of the acts that sums up that form of Teutonic sub thrash epic metal best, and this album is in my mind could well be their finest hour yet. Eleven tracks each one a vast sounding head bang frenzy that grabs hold of your brain stem and forces your head to ossilate violently to the music until your a happy sweaty mess on the carpet.

Blending their pirate / power metal musical style with lyrics that draw heavily from Greek history and mythology, these guys have cooked up real gem of an album. Kicking off with a rather salty sounding shanty by the name of  Charon, that soon explodes into the power metal thrash out of God Of Terror, this album just kills. Other gems include the razor riffed and turbo fueled Helldog, the huge anthem of Walls Of Sorrow with its references to the seige of Troy, the dark and doomy grind of Call of The Sirens and the 'Iron Maiden on steroids' work out of the closer Home At Last.

Vocalist Chris "Reaper" Boltendah, has the perfect voice for this kind of metal, deep gruff and growling, yet at the same time more than powerful enough to deliver those huge air punching man-rock choruses that is the hallmark of power metal. High praise as well to axe swinger Axel "Ironfinger" Ritt, whos riffs smash into your ears like a unit of very angry hopolites and whose solos stike you down like the bolts of Zeus himself. And for the record, the rest of the band; Stefan Arnold (Drums), Jens Becker (Bass) and HP Katzenburg (Keyboards) are no slouches either and do thier part in delivering the Grave Digger sound to the masses in fine style.

All in all this could well be the best slice of power metal I've heard since Powerwolfs 'Blood Of The Saints' from back last summer, and whether your rowing a longship to Vinland, sailing the Spanish Maine on the prowl for English merchentmen or going off to Troy in your Tireem to deliver a wooden horse to Helen, this album makes for the perfect sound track. Of course us lesser mortals will more likely play this one in the car on the way to work or crashed out on the bed / couch with a cold one, but believe me it's just as good for that as well.

EPIC

For fans of... Powerwolf, Primal Fear,  Royal Hunt, Viking Skull, Ex Deo... etc

Firewind - 'Few Against Many' (Century Media) 4/5

This is album number eight from Greek metal gods Firewind and main project of Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G.

Now I am a bit of a Firewind fan I will confess, their 2008 album The Premonition being a particular fave of mine. So I was a bit excited about getting this one to say the least. However having lived with it for a while now, I will say I'm finding it a bit of a double edged sword.

On the up side this album is a pretty good exercise in power metal. There are 10 tracks on show, all of a high standard. Gus G is in fine form, check out the wonderful shred and widdle solo on Losing My Mind for an example of a guitar hero at is best. Vocalist Apollo Papathanasio shows once more that he is one of the most distinctive and engaging vocalist in metal at the moment. As for the music, well tracks like Another Dimension with its driving riffs and the huge anthalmic Glorious are all first rate examples of modern commercial metal.

However I do one issue with this album and that's the production.To my ears its a bit too well produced, everything is polished to perfection, and whilst on tracks like the chilled out and introspective Edge of A Dream it works well, in other places the stacked vocals and layered guitar lines and big keyboard wash only serves to take the cutting edge off the whole thing. Riffs that should kill merely stun, solos that should blow the mind tend just to titillate... I dunno may be its a personal thing on my side, but I like my metal with a little bit of the rough edges left on.

Still that gripe aside I can't really say anything negative about this one, and the fact that its topped the Greek album charts and is generating highly favourable fan reviews means they are doing something right here, and more power to Firewind for that.

Pretty Good Overall

For fans of... Helloween, Dragon Force, Iron Maiden, Queensryche, Primal Fear....

Fen - 'Of Losing Interest' (Ripple) 4.5/5

This is the fifth album from British Columbia based stoner prog outfit Fen, an outfit that has been around since the late 1990's and their second for Ripple music.

First impressions of this one are very favourable, like a lot of Ripples roster the term stoner rock is the first thing that springs to mind as the opening cut Riddles lurks from the speakers and conjures up sonic images of early Rush, Black Sabbath and Triumph. However as the nine tracks on offer play you begin to pick up a lot more diversity of influence and sound that many of their retro rocking stoner counterparts. A Long Line has an almost Kashmir style Zeppelin vibe to it. The Glove, with its not so subtle lyrical references to Michael Jackson, hints at the work of Max Webster, Light Up The End is a sweet acoustic led pseudo ballad that hints at The Grateful Dead on a Rainbow trip and Snake Path reminds me a little of Blue Oyster Cult in places (a very good thing indeed in my book)

As is to expected the playing and production here is faultless, Doug Harrison and Sam Levin are both superb guitarist, each capable of laying down some spine tingling lead work and joining together in some classic Wishbone Ash style twin lead sections - just check out the lead playing on Pilot Plant. Another big plus is the lyrical content; which serves up some very intelligent and quite dark imagery that is delivered by Mr Harrisons Burke Shelley / Geddy Lee type vocals in spine tingling style.

All in all a great record from a first rate band, and a release that will do both Fen's and Ripple's growing reputation the power of good.

Highly Recommended

For fans of... Mos Generator, Rush, Stone Axe, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zeppelin...

Los Criptozoos - 'La danza del cadáver' (self released) 5/5

This is another lucky random surf find, Los Criptozoos hail from Castellón in Spain, they have been together since 2009, play a highly infectious brand of rock and roll fueled pop punk and this is their second album.

Now what first attracted me to this one was the fact that these lads sing in their native tongue. I will freely admit that my Spanish abilities none existent, so I can't tell you what they are going on about, but there are times when listening to songs in a language you can't understands adds to the listening experience. You find that vocal rhythms and melody take on a greater importance and gives the songs a whole new twist and vibe (I love French rap for that exact reason), and listening to this album is really pleasurable experience.

Blending influences that range from old school Clash / Stiff Little Fingers type old school punk, Mighty Mighty Bosstones style bop-able sub-ska sensibilities with buckets of traditional rock and roll feel good attack and big helpings of uplifting Latino get down and party rhythms, they have forged one of the most accessible and likeable pop punk releases I've heard in a long long time.

There are 11 tracks on offer, each one a real get down and boogie gem of high energy punk rocking excellence. Tracks like Xic Dolent, (whose lyrics seam to be about nuclear power), La Danza del Cadaver (The Dance of The Corpse - that one I can translate) and Quein se queja all dance into your ears and get your feet tapping your fists pumping and a smile on your face as wide as the straight of Gibraltar.

On top of that there is some first rate musicianship on show,  just check out the groovy bass line on the wonderful Ska driven Tormenta de feugo (Torment of Fire?) and the sweet rock and roll style guitar solo on Nada nuevo for starters. The vocals are melodic, direct, infectious and demand that you join in even if your Spanish is as bad as mine the drums are tight and driving and the whole thing is played and produced to perfection.

Basically, as you can guess I'm loving this to bits, and I'm sure you will as well, especially as its a free album (see below for download details), I've now got a huge urge to see this lot live, so if your a punk promotor reading this, please try to bring these guys to England on tour sometime, you will have a real hit on your hands I'm sure.

Just Amazing!!

For fans of... The Clash, The Subways, Stiff Little Fingers, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Blunders....

(Download this great album free from here -  http://loscriptozoos.bandcamp.com/ )

Spires - 'Lucid Abstractions' (Self Released) 5/5

One of last years most exciting releases was undoubtedly Spirals of Ascension, the debut album from Manchester prog metal outfit Spires. That release picked up a lot of airplay, both on BCFM and RS666 and narrowly missed out on being shortlisted for the BCFM shows album of the year award. Now Spirals have issued this new five track acoustic album as a follow up. Apparently the idea for this one came about after a series of unplugged show the band performed late last year. It is four new tracks and an acoustic rendition of Spirals of Ascension the title track from their debut album, and its damn good.

Kicking off with a nice and mellow cut entitled Under Bloodstained Skies, this album is breath taking in concept and scope. Stripped of the razor edged metalisms of their debut album Spires have forged in this album (and yes I will say album, cos although the band are calling it an ep, anything with a play time of nearly 40 minutes says album to me) a quiet and deeply introspective exercise in acoustic prog rock that not only shows them as first rate musicians and song writers, but as masters of the soundscape, as they weave delicate patterns of light and shade that flit moth like across the ears and bathe the soul in a gloriously dreamy wash of aural delight.

Highlights? well the whole album flows together perfectly and almost seamlessly but my personal fave moment has to be the spine tingling Perception, a track that is spine chilling, uplifting and head soothing all at the sametime.

All in all this is a fantastic release that shows that Spires are indeed an outfit that are capable of greatness, and the fact that these guys are still unsigned is a travesty. However if they keep issuing material of this diversity and quality they will not be independent for long.

If you only get on progressive album this year, make sure its this one.

For fans of... Fornost Arnor, Awake, Dream Theater, Fates Warning.....

To get you hands on a copy of this gem visit www.spiresband.co.uk (but if you want a CD copy, hurry this comes as a limited pressing of 500 copies)

Triumph - 'Live at Sweden Rock Festival' (frontiers) 4.5/5

From the mid 1970's right through to the early 1990's Canadas Triumph were right up there with very biggest names in rock, albums like Sport of Kings and Allied Forces sold by the truck load, and they toured the world playing in the biggest venues. However in the early 1990's guitarist and band main man Rik Emmett departed for a solo career, and Triumph fell from view into the were are they now file to spend the next 15 years almost forgotten. Then in 2008 the band reunited for a one off appearance at the legendary Sweden Rocks Festival and as often happens the one off lead to a small tour, which lead to a bigger tour and before you could say I Live For The Weekend the band were back together full time. Now since then there has been no new Triumph material - in fact the band have said there will not be any new studio albums in the foreseeable, but the band have been doing a fair bit of archive raiding and they have just issued this, the full set from that Sweden Rock reunion gig.

Now I will confess I was a bit of a Triumph fan back in the day, but over the past 20 years their albums have been laying at the back of the record rack - in fact I can't remember when I last played a Triumph album for my own enjoyment, and a flick through my playlist archive shows I've only span one Triumph track on air since the BCFM show started, and that was 3 years ago (something I intend to redress over the next few months). So I am finding listening to this one a bit of a journey of rediscovery.

And what a pleasant journey it is. The album kicks off with When The Lights Go Down, a glorious slice of stoner rock, that shows just where the likes of Stone Axe and Mos Generator are getting some of their influences. Other highlights include Allied Forces - a cut that comes on as a real surprise when you realise exactly how heavy Triumph could be from time to time; the aforementioned I Live For The Weekend, always my fave Triumph number, and a rock and roller that still sounds as fresh as it it did back in the 80's; and then there's the epic and progressive Blinding Light Show with Mr Emmett showing he still knows his way around a fret board. All good and classic stuff and when you reach the final notes of the wondrously uplifting Fight the Good Fight you end up with a wonderfully satisfied feeling of having rediscovered something very very good indeed.

This album is a great live document, the production is spot on, showing the pure talent of the band and capturing the excitement of the live situation perfectly. This one will certainly remind the world of Triumph and exactly how good they still are. There's only problem, this has left me wanting more Triumph, new Triumph, I'm sure musicians of this class and standard are still capable of writing and recording anther killer album to add to their back catalogue. Come on guys whatdya say?

Triumphful

For fans of... Rush, Van Halen, Stone Axe, The Rods.....

Various Artists - 'The End is Near' (Shire Records) 4.5/5

The End Is Near is the title of a series of highly successful punk weekenders held in the sleepy Wiltshire town of Trowbridge, that are rapidly becoming some of the most important events on the UK punk scene, having attracted the likes of The Sub-Humans and Rita Lynch in recent times. Now the organisers have put together this rather tasty 15 track compilation celebrating and showcasing some of the best acts that have appeared at the events.

Now this is a rather good un over all, kicking off with Disco, a rather neat slam and boogie cut from The Blunders, this CD is a great portal into the best punk from the English West Country and beyond. I'm not going to give you a track by track breakdown - far better you dig yourself a copy up and explore it for yourself. But I will point out a few of the highlights on offer...

There's Petrol with the driven and frenzied Feed Yourself, Hater UK give a glorious low fi rendition of the Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson classic Hey Santa!. Instrumental noise grind merchants We Are Romans serve up a groovy little cut entitled Heligoland and the irrepressible Rita Lynch gives the spin tingling Longing. Chuck in The Dynamite Pussy Club with Vampire Blues and nine other pretty damn god and infectious cuts from the likes of The Set Backs, Bite The Buffalo and A-Heads and you have a real treat for all those who like it a bit on the punk side.

There is an old joke that says 'punk aint dead, it just smells that way', well this gem not only shows that punk is alive and kicking, but it till has something to say and is laying waste to small Wiltshire towns in the process

Get a copy and pogo til you puke

For fans of... PUNK

The Spittin' Cobras - 'Year Of The Cobra' (Omega Records) 5/5

If you take a couple of ex-pat Brits who have cut their teeth playing with the likes of Ginger (ex Wildhearts / Quireboys), hook them up with a couple of talented types from the musically active melting pot of Seattle, cook well in a huge pot of classic hard edged rock and roll and season with an endless series of gigs traveling in a large motorhome (thats an RV to you American types).... Then result will sound something like The Spittin' Cobras.

Gotta say from the off I'm loving this one, nine cuts of pure, no bullcrap, heads down and let the dandruff fly, air guitar a gogo old school hard rock, that once again shows that the US underground rock scene has thrown  off the post emo teen agnst fakery and the pig grunting devil worshiping sub genre fixated death thrash scenecore sensibilities and has at last remembered how to rock like bastards once more.

This album kicks off with a rather tasty headbanger called All The Way, a track that hits you like a sonic sledgehammer and pounds your brains into a gloriously satisfied mess. And then it just doesn't let up, cuts like Hooker With A Heart Of Gold, Built For Speed, Criminal Mastermind and Throw Your Horns all come at your ears like speeding bullets and pepper your head with wonderfully enjoyable rock and roll buckshot. All the greats are referenced here, Motorhead, AC/DC, Foghat, Quiet Riot, Odin, Aerosmith... and believe me this record sounds just as good as the very best those classic acts have produced.

The final track on this gem is a storming balls out rendition of the Rainbow classic Long Live Rock And Roll and when you have bands like The Spittin' Cobras out there you just know Rock and Roll aint nowhere near dead yet!!

Just Great

For Fans of... Gypsyhawk, Crash Street Kids, Antique Scream, Airbourne....

Gypsyhawk - 'Reverly & Resilience' (metablade) 4.5/5

Pasadena hardrockers Gypsyhawk have been causing a bit of a stir in classic rock circles over the past year. Certainly their reputation reached my ears long before any of their music did, tales of a band from California who sounded like a mad mix of Thin Lizzy, Golden Earring and UFO certainly made me keep a special eye out for them. Then I got hold of Hedgeking, the lead single from this album, and that really impressed me, and now we have this their debut album for Metalblade on our hands.

And I gotta say from the off that its every bit as good as I was expecting. Kicking off with Overloaded, a track that just drips classic Thin Lizzyisms; bass playing singer Eric Harris doing a damn fine Phil Lynott impression whilst guitarists Andrew Packer and Ian Brown do the twin lead bit in the style of the 'Renegade' era pairing of Scott Gorham and Snowy White. Hell if the late great Mr Lynott was still with us this is what Lizzy would be sounding like.

Having laid out the goods in fine style Gypsyhawk then take us on an eleven track cake walk through a damn fine classic rock soundscape. Highlights include the Golden Earring fueled The Fields, Frostwyrm with its hat tips to the likes of The Almighty and Wild Horses, the majestically epic Night Songs From The Desert and the post Motorhead rock out of The Red Wedding. Chuck in a belting cover of the Rick Derringer classic Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo to wrap the whole thing up and you have a damn fine album indeed.

It is indeed great to find acts like Gypsyhawk, who along with the likes of Crash Street Kids, The Muggs and Antique Scream are keeping the old fashioned, no bullshit hard rock flag flying proud and proving once and for all that not all modern rock and metal is inaccessible sub genres and and angry youths with emo haircuts. And long may they continue.

Highly Recommended

For Fans of... Thin Lizzy, Golden Earring, Airbourne, Crash Street Kids, Motorhead etc.....

Titans Eve - 'Life Apocalypse' (self released) 4.5/5

This is the second full length offering from Vancouver metal merchants Titans Eve, a band who seam to love doing it old school and touring their butts off across their fairly vast native land in a beat up old van and to be honest its quite a good one.

There are eleven cuts on offer here (if you include the obligatory short intro and a short linking instrumental number). Mixing old school power metal in the Anvil, Exciter, Armored Saint mode with good healthy dollops of Onslaught, Megadeth, Exumer type late 80's trash, the band have in this release served up a damn fine platter of good old fashioned, no bull shit heavy metal, that sets the head banging, the pulse racing and makes even this old headbanger want to start a circle pit right here in his own office.

Just to pick a couple of highlights, there's the headlong slam dance of Life Apocalypse with its blast beat drumming and distinctive signature riffing. Then there's the high speed thrash out of Destined To Die - a cut that reminds me of Onslaughts classic 'Power From Hell' debut album; a gloriously chilled and melancholy out instrumental entitled A Wound That Never Heals - complete with a rather groovy bongo drum line!! and the divinely majestic Frozen In Time - an true mini epic if ever there was that goes from slow and acoustic to Priest-U-like twin guitar harmonies to heavy as fuck grind and pound and back again. All damn good stuff.

Got single out a couple of people here for special praise. First up the vocals of Brian Gamblin, a guy whose delivery is gruff and aggressive, yet never falls into the trap of the old cliched pig grunt all of which means you can hear what the guy has to say. And I always say if you have something to say, make sure people can hear it. Add in the fact that both Brian and his brother(?) Kyle Gamblin play a mean and impressive guitar that can balance on the line between melodic delivery and brain melting shred and the rhythm section of Jesse Hord and Casey Ory are as tight as a Scotsmans wallet and you really do have a line up that can deliver the metal in fine style. On top of that the production here is first rate, its smooth enough to give Titans Eve a huge and ear shreddingly vast and aggressive sound, yet is rough enough around the edges to keep the whole kit and caboodle bouncing along with the hungry urgency this kind of metal demands.

All in all a pretty impressive album that will win them a lot of friends. At the time of writing Titans Eve are about to hit the road in support of the legendary Anvil, so if your in Canada and get chance to see em, do so, and where ever you are in the world, buy this album. You will not regret it.

Very Impressive


For fans of... Anvil, Armored Saint, Onslaught, Six Feet Under, Portrait, Raven.....

Circus Maximus - 'Nine' (frontiers) 4/5

Prog metal time again, and this time its Norways own Circus Maximus in the spotlight with this their third studio outing.

Now this is a pretty slick and impressive offering from Michael Eriksen and his band of slick power prog metallers, ten cuts, each a well penned, played and produced slice of musical edification that marks this lot out as leading players in the well populated field of European prog metal.

Once you get past the obligatory short intro track you get into the real stuff, first up there's the impressive Architect of Fortune a 10 minute plus epic that manages to be involved and complex yet avoids the Dream Theater style pomposity and self indulgence. Other highlights include the maidenesque Namaste, the huge and uplifting anthem of Reach Within, and the pair of epic closing tracks, the nine minute Burn After Reading with its superb interplay between guitarist Mats Haugen and keys man Lasse Finbråten; and the ten minute plus The Last Goodbye with its long and glorious build up into a breath taking Yes influenced finale. All in all, damn fine stuff indeed.

Now all the prog metal tick boxes are met on this one; complex riff structures, tempo and key changes, huge soundscapes, deep lyrics, Yes style harmony vocals, huge choruses.... Yet there is more to the Circus Maximus sound than the traditional European prog metal cliches, theres an almost AOR / Stadium rock feel in places here, and Circus Maximus are all the better for that it gives them an accessibility many of their contemporaries lack and a sound that will win them friends beyond the hard core prog metal audience.

Over all a good and very listenable record that stand up to repeated listening.

Worth a spot purchase


For fans of.. Opeth, Yes, Royal Hunt, Dignity, Fates Warning, Dream theater....

Lastwind - 'Return Of A Sonic Assassin' (Flicknife) 5/5

Ok a quick history lesson. Back in 1977, after a particularly disastrous US tour space rock gods Hawkwind decided to split, (only for a short while before they reformed as 'Hawklords' in the summer of 1978), but in the gap Dave Brock and Robert Calvert met up with Devon based prog rockers Ark for a one off gig at Barnstable Town Hall under the name The Sonic Assassins. The gig was recorded and gave rise to the rather impressive and hellishly influential 'Sonic Assassins' ep, Brock later used several Sonic Assassins for the reformed Hawklords (bassist Harvey Bainbridge went on to become a regular fixture in the hawks for the next 10 years), Now, lord knows how many years on, Ark / Sonic Assassins member Paul Hayles has recruited some of his former band buddies, along with a couple of of the great and good from the south West music scene (including former Groundhogs drummer Ken Pustlnik) to form Lastwind. and they have just issued this rather tasty long player.

Now I will admit to being a huge fan of Hawkwind, ever since I had my 16 year old mind blown by a mates brothers copy of Space Ritual, and although I have found that the Hawks themselves haven't done anything that has really impressed me since Xenon Codex back in about 1988 - all those classic albums are still the benchmark I judge space rock by. And I'm glad to say that this one is a bit of a classic.

Kicking off with a title track that harks back to that classic Sonic Assassins ep, Lastwind have put together a cracking album that sounds more Hawkwind than Hawkwind themselves have sounded in years. You get cuts like the spaced out and grinding Winds Of Time, that wouldn't sound out of place of the Hawks 'Warrior on The Edge Of Time' opus, the hard driving Autoroute, that sounds like a classic Calvert era track in all but vocal delivery, the heavy space metal of Monster Trucks which hat tips the hawks PXR5 era and the trippy astral boogie of Which Way When with its references to the works of the likes of Harvey Bainbridge and Steve Swindals.

However don't think for a minute that this classic album is a mere hawkclone offering. There are loads of subtle nods and winks to some of the other greats of UK space rock as well, Inner City Unit, The Lloyd Langton Group, The Alman Mulo Band, Mournblade, Magic Muscle, Underground Zero... the spirit of all these classic acts and more is alive and kicking on this one, and that makes this old acid rocker very happy indeed.

In short this is a great album that should be in the collection of all Hawkfans, space rockers, prog boys and acid trippers whatever planet they happen to be on.


Very very highly recommended

For fans of... HAWKWIND, Mournblade, Gong, The Deep Fix, Krankshaft.....

Blackwolf 'Taking Root EP' (self released) 4.5/5

I first encountered Bristol hard rockers Blackwolf about 18 months back when their self titled demo ep dropped into my inbox. That was a cracking offering, it picked up a lot of airplay on the show and got me, and many of the good folk of radioland interested in the band. Since then they have wowed crowds all over the West Country, chalked a show stopping performance at last years Bulldog Bash and got themselves a bit of a reputation as being one of UK's ones to watch. Now we have their first official release in the form of this rather cool four track ep.

Taking their cue from the likes of AC/DC, Airbourne, classic Aerosmith, early Def Leppard and even the likes of The Little Angels (the vocalist here don't half remind me of Toby Jebson), Blackwolf play no bullshit, heads down, air guitar a go-go, sledgehammer subtle, old school hard rock and they play it very well indeed. Of the four cuts on offer here everyone is a nice little hard rocking gem that just demands to be listened to. You get the balls out bounce of Stairway Ticket, the bang grind boogie of Finding Fables, AC/DC meets Black Alice rock out of Wayward One and NWOBHMesque Seeds. All of which are first rate rockers that show that Blackwolf have a musical maturity many more established acts would sell their right arms for.

A damn fine ep indeed, and one that will win this lot a heap of friends and hopefully open the door for them to go on to the recognition and fame they richly deserve.

Very Highly Recommended

For fans of - AC/DC, Wolf Mother, Airbourne, Aerosmith, Dedringer, Def Leppard.......

Asia - 'XXX' (froniters) 5/5

Supergroups tend be short lived on the whole. Widowmaker, Three, GTR, The Law... there is an endless list of outfits featuring the best of rocks good and the great that promised much but  only struggled on for an album, sometimes two then vanished. However there are exceptions to the rule, and Asia are one such exception. Formed way back in 1982 by Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster / ELP), Geoff Downes (Yes / The Buggles), Steve Howe (Yes) and John Wetton (UK, King Crimson, Uriah Heap, Wishbone Ash and many many more), Asia put out an eponymous debut album - a record that is now days viewed as one of the classic albums of all time - and then followed it up with the equally impressive Alpha a year or two later. Since then the name Asia has never gone away, but the band since then has always had a fluid line up with various members coming and going through the years. But now the original four have reunited for a 30th anniversary tour and this rather tasty album release.

Now I will declare an interest and say I've been a big fan of Asia ever since that first album hit the stacks and so I was more than a bit excited when I first got wind that this one was on the cards. And I am glad to say I'm not disappointed. From the opening cut, Tomorrow The World, right through to the closer, Ghost Of A Chance this is one great record that manages to capture all the magic and uplifting feel good vibes of those first two albums in fine style. There are nine cuts on offer here and everyone is a winner, we get I Know How You Feel where Geoff Downes keys gives the whole thing a kind of Supertramp feel, the truly wonderful Bury Me In Willow, when Mr Wettons heart felt vocal delivery and emotive lyrics move you to the very core and lift the soul on sonic wings at the same time; and the driving No Religion where Carl Palmers distinctive drumming drive the whole thing along in fine style and give Steve Howe room for some truly remarkable lead guitar work. If fact there isn't a weak track on show here at all.

All the classic Asia trade marks are hear, nice accessible poppy prog rock tunes, expert musicianship, huge soundscapes, big uplifting choruses and enough catchy hooks to keep a velcro factory on over time for months. I will keep saying it, this is one damn fine record, a classic in the making. An album that stands proud alongside those first two Asia albums, and although I don't like saying it (after all I am quite fond of albums like Astra, Aria and Aura) the best thing Asia have issued since 1984.

All in all a damn near as perfect album as you can expect from these guys, and with Yes seemingly changing line ups every two weeks, ELP on hiatus and Mr Wetton  currently on a solo career, I for one would like to see this classic Asia line up sticking around a bit and doing a few more like this.

A True Classic

For fans of... Yes, It Bites, Journey,  Supertramp, Boston etc....

Various Artist - 'Fear Of Fiction - 008 12" Vinyl Compilation' (Fear Of Fiction) 4/5

Fear Of Fiction is a Bristol based music magazine and record label that has been doing a lot in recent years to help raise the profile of music in the Bristol area and this is the latest of their long list of compilations show casing some of the cream of the current crop of up and coming Bristol talent.

And what an interesting listen this one makes. Whilst batting firmly off the old alt and indie rock bats, a quick pick through of this one soon goes to show not only the depth of talent Bristol has to offer but what a diverse fields those old genres are these days. I don't often give a track by track breakdown on these reviews, but here I think I will make an exception.

We kick off with an outfit called Scarlet Rascal & the Trainwrecks doing a rather interesting little cut entitled The Haunting, a sort of post gothic noise rocker that sounds not unlike Rock In Your Pocket jamming with Alien Sex Fiend - a very good thing indeed. Then we have The Hit-Ups  with A Turn At Twelve Paces, a rather tasty slice of punk fueled leftfield post indie that drips heart felt angsty vocals and sweet chiming guitar lines.

Archimedes contribution Orrey is a tad more traditional alt rock in the Radiohead mode, a sweet number, nothing too earth shattering, but good enough to pass muster. Contrast this with Encore Encore by The St Pierre Snake Invasion, a track that blends a post screamo vocal, a sub Sabbath doom metal riff and the spirit of Screaming Lord Sutch and The Savages into a rather tasty little pseudo punk pasty. With Casimir and their track Lucid we return to the more mainstream modern indie vibe, whose dreamy vocals and a stammering guitar lines are sure to make this lot a big hit with the students.

Idles provide one of the real stand out cuts on here with Thieves, still very much indie, but here those chiming guitars are given an almost rockerbilly beat and the whole song drives on in an almost Cheap Trick pop-rock vibe. My Favourate track on offer is Grand Moff Tarkin by The Naturals, which features an almost prog rock signature riff and a wonderfully spacey atmosphere.

Another cracker is Call The Doctor's Seventeen. Nice crunchy hard rocking punk inspired riffs, a Lauren Harris style vocals and the overall vibe of the great and much lamented SAL. Trials by Mayans is another cut that falls into the more traditional indie territory, but is still a sweet little cut overall with some wonderfully tripped out moments, some engaging vocals and a dreamy laid back feel.

The album finishes with Nightmares by Emma McNeill, a rather fetching soft rocker with some distinctive and compelling vocals wrapped around some rather deep and heart felt lyrics.

Over all this compilation is pretty good and shows a good insight into whats going on on the local indie and alt rock scenes, and maximum praise to Fear Of Fiction for all their hard work in getting local music out there and in the public eye.

Recommended

For Fans Of... Good music in the alt / indie vein


For more information on Fear Of Fiction and this album visit - http://www.fearoffiction.com

Jorn - 'Bring heavy Rock To The Land' (frontiers) 5/5

OK I'll admit I'm turning into a bit of fan of Norway's finest metal hero Jorn Lande and his solo band Jorn, Maybe its his sounding uncannily like Ronnie James Dio at times, maybe its cos he pens and performs balls out old school hard rockers full of lyrics like 'raise the metal signs and bring heavy rock to the land' or maybe its the cover artwork that turns me on. I suspect its all three, but whatever the reason. This band speaks to me in ways I've not been spoken to for years, they revive my teenage years when all that was really important, was getting the beers in, getting off with girls and listening to a bottom booting metal sound track while you were doing it.

Now this is the seventh studio album Mr Lande has issued under the Jorn monicker (he has done many others with Masterplan, Vagabond, Millennium and a host of other projects), and I gotta admit in my humble opinion this is one of his best. Aided and abetted by a very talented band of metal merchants including guitarist Tore Moren and drummist Willy Bendiksen he has cooked up a cracking metal album of the old school that pay tribute to and is more than equal to the metal of 25 years ago. You get slices of Dio and 80's Sabbath (natch), hints at the Michael Schenker Group, hat tips to Iron Maiden and Judas Priest and even a garnish of The Scorpions for good measure.

There is not a weak moment on offer here. Highlights include the Dio-esque title track, the Rainbow influenced Chains Around You, the power drive of the Helloween tinged Time To Be King, and the closer I Came To Rock a cut that has a certain Armored Saint feel to it. There is also an interesting cover of the Christopher Cross cut Ride Like The Wind which comes over like the version Saxon originally had in mind before they had their take on it remixed and murdered for the American Radio market.

Basically this record does just what it says on the cover, it brings heavy rock to the land by the JCB bucket load, and in a world awash with ten thousand minority metal sub genres the fact that Mr Lande and friends are still producing no bullshit quality hard rock of the old school to such a high standard can only be seen as a very good thing indeed.

Buy or Die

For fans of.. Dio, Black Sabbath, Helloween, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Rainbow, UFO and classic hard rock in general.

Richard Marx - 'Inside My Head' - (frontiers) 4/5

US based soft rocker Richard Marx has become something of an institution with the more AOR types of rockers. Ever since his big break came in the late 1980's with a string of US chart busters, such as his seminal single 'Hazard', he has built up a loyal following worldwide and is still bringing out quality records in his trade mark feel good laid back rock style.

This double album is his latest release and is a sort of semi compilation work, bringing together a number of tracks from a couple of download only albums such as 'Emotion Remains' and 'Sundown' along with a few other odd songs he seams to have had laying around.

All in all this is pretty standard Richard Marx fare. Late night chilled out ballads such as Through My Veins and Loved rub shoulders with some very listenable light weight rockers such as Over My Head, Always On My Mind and Come Running... metalheads and the like my find it a bit forgettable, but anyone with a taste for the early works of Elton John, Tom Petty and The Eagles will find a lot here to entertain them.

Chuck in the fact that Mr Marx had a bit of a talent for songsmithery; turning out catchy hooks, intelligent lyrics and hummable melodies and for anyone who likes their rock on the soft side this one has a lot to offer.

Highlights? well this album is pretty good over all, and there is any track that strikes you as duff, but my fave cuts have to be the hard edged rocker All Over Me and the funky groove workout of Scars.

Worth checking out if you like good solid soft rock

For Fans Of... Tommy Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, House Of Lords....

Great White - 'Elation' (frontiers) 4.5/5

It's sad that after all Great White have been through and achieved over their long and illustrious career, from the highs of such tracks as Face The Day (still one of the greatest hard rock anthems of all time in my mind) to the tragic low of the Station Night Club disaster, that they have now entered a period of schism and we have two incarnations of the band suing the pants off each other for material usage rights and use of the band name. Still they do take time out of litigation from time to time to remind us they are infact musicians and here we have have the latest album from the version of the band that doesn't feature Jack Russell.

Now I gotta say that despite my frustration of seeing a band I really admire implode this is still a damn fine album. OK vocalist Terry Ilous is no Jack Russell, but he still does a great job and his vocals are distinctive enough to carry it off in fine style. As for the rest of this version of Great White, well, they sound like Great White. Nuff said.

There are some great, and I mean great tunes on offer here, You get some wonderful sleaze rockers in the likes of Lowdown, some first rate classic GW type hard rockers such as I've Got Something For You and Shotgun Willies, spot on slices of Americana like Love Train... hell even the power ballad Love Is Enough is not as bad as it could have been. In fact the only thing iffy about this album is its cover art work.

So all in all a pretty good release from a classic band, and one good enough to help me forget all their legal handbags for a while.

Recommended

For fans of... Whitesnake, Crazy Lixx, Beggars And Thieves, Trixter.....

Stone Axe - 'Captured Live! Roadburn Festival 2011' (Ripple Music) 5/5

US stoner rockers Stone Axe have been causing waves over the past couple of year, two cracking studio albums, an impressive series of live dates that's taken them to the four corners of the world and now we have this rather excellent live album add more fuel to the flame of Stone Axes excellence.

Now I know some people don't like live albums, but personally I love them, and this is a bit of a gem. From the opening double whammy of Stonin' / On with The Show, via the dark and sleazy Diamonds And Fools, the damnation boogie of Old Soul and the dance floor friendly We Know It's Still Rock 'n' Roll (my fave SA track) to the shuffle riffage of the closer Nightwolf, this album is fifteen cuts of Stone Axe style stoner rock excellence, that compliments their two studio albums in fine style

Highlight? well the whole album is one long highlight but if I was to pick one track it would be the spine tingling and very chilled out Skylah Rae.

All in all this is one fine record and it pens another chapter in the high history of Stone Axe with a flourish few other acts can match.

Highly Recommended

For fans of... Mos Generator, The Muggs, Blue Cheer, Groundhogs....