(9/10) Sunstorm is the solo project of hard rock veteran Joe Lynn Turner. Twelve years ago it was the charismatic singer and Frontiers Music president Serafino Perugino that explored options for such an endeavor. Things turned out well with a self-titled debut hitting the shelves in 2006. What started as a project found a continuation... Continue Reading →
CD review SAXON ‘Denim and Leather’, ‘Power and the Glory’, ‘Crusader’ – re-issues
It's a lot of Saxon on Markus' Heavy Music Blog recently. The only reason for it is the fact that there's a lot of activity in the NWoBHM-legend camp. 'Thunderbolt', the newest longplayer, has seen the light of day early this year and the band's on tour, promoting the new release. This led to two... Continue Reading →
CD review Amanda Somerville’s TRILLIUM ‘Tectonic’
(8/10) Amanda Somerville is a well-known name when it comes to female-fronted rock and metal music. The American singer worked together with Kamelot, Avantasia and Epica. Next to these cooperations Somerville and Helloween’s Michael Kiske released some excellently done records with the moniker of Kiske/Somerville. So, you should have heard the great singer already earlier... Continue Reading →
CD review LUGNET ‘Begging’ 7″
(7/10) Swedish Lugnet unveiled a first 7" with a song taken from the upcoming album. 'Begging' is a classic rock song that reminds very much of bands like Deep Purple and also some Jimi Hendrix. The B-side includes with 'Cockroack' another tune that refers back to the 70's as well. It's a grooving rock song... Continue Reading →
CD review FARGO ‘Constellation’
(7/10) Cosmic constellation seems to be quite good for Fargo and their new endeavour. It was Peter ‘Frago Pedda’ Knorn, also known from bands like Victory, who wrote a book, looking back to his career as musician, producer and label manager. This retrospect included the days with Fargo in the 70’s and early 80’s and... Continue Reading →
CD review SLAPSHOT ‘Make America Hate Again’
(7/10) Looking up ‘slap shot’ in the dictionary gives you the following definition. “A very powerful, fast-moving shot of the puck on goal made with a full backswing of the stick and an extended follow-through” (www.dictionary.com/browse/slapshot). Transferring this definition to Boston-based hardcore veterans Slapshot is spot on. Slapshot’s songs are fast and extremely powerful. The... Continue Reading →
CD review REFUGE ‘Solitary Men’
(9/10) Refuge is nothing else than the re-vitalization of the Rage line-up from the late 80’s/early 90’s. Manni Schmidt (g), Christos Efthimiadis (d) and singer/bassist Peavy Wagner all together have been Rage between 1987 and 1994, releasing some excellent metal records that still belong to the best the band ever released. After 1994 the three... Continue Reading →
CD review GLORIA VOLT ‘All the Way Down’
(7/10) Swiss hardrockers Gloria Volt have worked hard on their fourth album ‘All the Way Down’ and now it’s ready to be released. The band is very much into hardrock that has some boogie roots and is very much inspired by bands like AC/DC. They quintet was on the road many times, playing some headliner... Continue Reading →
CD review GHOST ‘Prequelle’
(9/10) One thing right away – if you liked Ghost up till now you will like the band even more after having listened to their new longplayer ‘Prequelle’. The fourth album, following the 2015 release ‘Meliora’, is rich in well-crafted soundscapes and catchy melodies. While other bands with a similar approach often drift away into... Continue Reading →
CD review DUEL ‘Live at the Electric Church’
(8/10) Duel is a band, hailing from Austin, Texas and that’s where this live release was recorded somewhere in time. The reason for mentioning it that way is, because no concrete date came to my ears. The show, done at The Electric Church, was a special one anyhow and I think not knowing the exact... Continue Reading →
CD review JONATHAN DAVIS ‘Black Labyrinth’
(8/10) What came a bit of leftfield last week was the new album of Korn frontman Jonathan Davis. At least I haven’t had it on my list and the more I was excited to listen to the newest delivery of the charismatic Korn-frontman. Next to all his years with Korn, Davis also has a longer... Continue Reading →
CD review JIZZY PEARL OF LOVE/HATE ‘All You Need is Soul’
(8/10) Love/Hate was a not unsuccessfully operating American sleaze metal band in the second half of the 80's and early 90'. 'Wasted in America', the sophomore album, was a bigger success and also the following 'Let's Rumble' faced a chart entry. Unfortunately the quartet couldn't maintain their successful career in times when grunge and alternative... Continue Reading →
CD review GRAVEYARD ‘Peace’
(8/10) One of last decade’s shooting stars in classic rock is Graveyard. The four Swedes began in 2006 and debut with a self-titled album the same year. It was Tee Pee Records and their great sense for new bands that led to the album number one. ‘Graveyard’ was the springboard for the band signing with... Continue Reading →
CD review LIV SIN “Inverted’ (EP)
(8/10) Female-fronted powerhouse Liv Sin, successor of Sister Sin, added a new EP to their discography. The disc is entitled ‘Inverted’ and follows the debut 'Follow Me' from 2017. Three songs found a spot on the short tracklist of this mini album. These three tunes are the first output with a contribution of the entire... Continue Reading →
CD review DIZZY REED ‘Rock’n’Roll Ain’t Easy’
(8/10) Dizzy Reed is no less than the keyboarder of Guns’n’Roses, which he joined in 1990. He was part of the two legendary “Use Your Illusion” releases and is the meantime, next to Axel Rose himself, the most consistent member of Guns’n’Roses. Next to being part of this iconic rock band, Reed also worked with... Continue Reading →








