Toto, that's one thing Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams have in common. While Lukather is a founding member of the legendary rock outfit, it was Williams who joined along the way. On February 26th, both musicians unveil solo albums. 'I Found the Sun Again' is the one coming from Lukather and 'Denizen Tenant' is penned... Continue Reading →
MARTY FRIEDMAN announce ‘Tokyo Jukebox 3’
Born in Washington DC, it is Tokyo being the homebase for guitar wizard Marty Friedman since 2003. The axeman released in 2009 and 2011 already two albums under the banner of 'Tokyo Jukebox', featuring cover versions of Japanese songs. The series will be enriched by a third strike on April 16th. The album comes via... Continue Reading →
DVD review KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD ‘Straight to You: Live’
Good music does not need much wrapping to unfold its full brilliance. A musician capable of writing such good music is Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The guitarist is publishing his first concert video these days, recorded on November 25, 2019 in Leverkusen during the Leverkusen Jazztage. The concert was recorded by the iconic Rockpalast Team and... Continue Reading →
CD review AYREON ‘Transitus’
A release that has carved the moniker Ayreon on the cover artwork is always more than merely a longplayer. Ayreon is the outlet for Arjan Lucassen's creative ideas, already manifested in stellar outputs such as 'Into the Electric Castle', The Human Equation' and some more. The latest album was the 2017 release 'The Source', followed... Continue Reading →
DVD review FLYING COLORS ‘Third Stage: Live in London’
The inflationary usage of the term ‘supergroup’ is why I’m hesitantly using the expression. In case of Flying Colors though, ‘supergroup’ describes the band in an excellent fashion. There is no other way to summarize a musical powerhouse that includes Steve Morse, Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson. The band's release pattern... Continue Reading →
Details about the upcoming VANDENBERG release
Dutch guitar mastermind Adrian Vandenberg recently announced the return of Vandenberg. After having had some successful years in the '80s, the axeman reactivated the band that also includes singer Ronnie Romero, Randy van der Elsen and Koen Herfst. '2020' is the simple title of the album that also includes 'Shadows of the Night' , a... Continue Reading →
AYREON unveil details on the upcoming live album
To introduce Arjen Lucassen is like carrying sand to the beach. Not only that the Dutch guitarist was part of the legendary Vengeance, it's his impressive solo career that put him right into the spotlight. With the Ayreon project the multi-instrumentalist released the 'Into the Electric Castle album in 1998, a good moment to celebrate... Continue Reading →
CD review DEWOLFF ‘Tascam Tapes’
One of the first real surprises this year reaches us from Holland. Psychedelic Rock trio DeWolff shows the world that fancy productions and newest recording technique isn‘t needed to record a damn cool album. ‘Tascam Tapes‘ comes without hammond, drums and guitar amps. DeWolff recorded the 12 songs for this album on a Tascam Porta... Continue Reading →
CD review MESHIAAK “Mask of All Misery’
Meshiaak, hailing from Australia, unleashed their debut 'Alliance of Thieves' three years ago. Power- and Thrash Metal, that's what came together on the first album the Australian guys released. What slowed down of working on a next record is the fact that drummer Jon Dette stepped-out due to the long distance between Australia and his... Continue Reading →
DEWOLFF announce new album
„No drum kit, no Hammond and no guitar amps”: Dutch rockers DeWolff announce their next album entitled ‚Tascam Tapes’. Release date is January 10th, 2020 and the album comes through Mascot Label Group. An interesting album trailer can be watched HERE also explaining the „No drum kit, no Hammond and no guitar amps” statement.
CD review FLYING COLORS ‘Third Degree’
(8/10) Casey McPherson, Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy and Dave LaRue, these five guys are Flying Colors and they are all experts in their fields. Each of the five musicians has a proven track record that includes bands like Deep Purple (Steve Morse) and Dream Theater (Mike Portnoy). Looking at the musical expertise of... Continue Reading →
CD review BETH HART ‘War in My Mind’
(9/10) Right away, 'War in My Mind' is one of the most touching albums this year and it comes from Beth Hart. The singer and musician from California releases with 'War in My Mind' her thirteenth album and it's a very peronal one. Hart's life was a rollercoaster with many ups and number of downs... Continue Reading →
CD review CROBOT ‘Motherbrain’
(9/10) Pottsville, Pennsylvania is the homebase of Retro rockers Crobot, a band that started in 2011. Crobot is the brainchild of Brandon Yeagley and Chris Bishop with Dan Ryan and James Lascu completing the current line-up. So far the band has released three longplayers and 'Motherbrain' adds a fourth chapter to the books. The new... Continue Reading →
CROBOT announces a new album
Fans of Hard- and Heavy Rock can look forward to August with full excitement. US rockers Crobot have their new album in the making and it’s August 23rd when the rubber will hit the road. Their forth longplayer is entitled ‘Motherbrain’ and it’s Crobot’s first release that comes via Mascot Label Group. With ‘Keep Me... Continue Reading →
CD review TERAMAZE ‘Are We Soldiers’
(8/10) The foundation of Teramaze was laid in 1993 when guitarist Dean Wells kicked-off this Progressive Metal outfit. The band's hailing from Melbourne., Australia and the guys faced some ups and downs over the last years. Even a split-up in 2002 is a part of Teramze history and it was the band leader himself that... Continue Reading →