Ronnie Atkins, that’s one of the most iconic frontmen in rock and metal. The Danish singer is renowned as a crucial part of Pretty Maids and also enriched the Nordic Union releases with his voice, not to forget his contribution to Avantasia’s great longplayers and live shows The shock came when it was announced that... Continue Reading →
CD review JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 ‘Running Games’
Guitarist Joel Hoekstra is known for his work with Nightranger, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Whitesnake. In addition, the axe wizard from Iowa City, Iowa also recorded three solo albums before releasing the first Joel Hoekstra's 13 album. 'Dying to Live' was launched in 2015, followed six years later by 'Running Games', the sophomore offering. The total... Continue Reading →
CD review WIG WAM ‘Never Say Die’
Norway's flagship glam rockers Wig Wam had their first creative era from 2001-2014 before they decided to disband as a band. One of the highlights of the quartet during this time was certainly their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005, where they represented their home country Norway and achieved a respectable ninth place. After... Continue Reading →
CD review W.E.T. ‘Retransmission’
W.E.T., that's still Robert Såll (the “W” from Work of Art), Erik Mårtensson (the “E” from Eclipse), and Jeff Scott Soto (the “T” from Talisman) who teamed up with a few more musicians to work on and record the forth longplayer. 'Retransmission' is the title of the new musical treat that reaches us from the... Continue Reading →
CD review ALTA REIGN ‘Mother’s Day’
Alta Reign is the new project of an old acquaintance. Jeff Plate, drummer for TSO and well known from his time with Savatage, launched with Alta Reign a new band that includes next to Plate also TSO keyboard player Jane Mangini, vocalist & guitarist Tommy Cook, vocalist & guitarist Collin Holloway, as well as bassist... Continue Reading →
CD review MAGNUM ‘Dance of the Black Tattoo’
Magnum released three years ago with 'The Valley of Tears - The Ballads' a very successful compilation which focused on the calmer moments of the Magnum discography. Now the veterans of melodic rock have decided to revisit the idea and re-entered the archives to compile a continuation of 'The Valley of Tears - The Ballads'... Continue Reading →
CD review PALACE ‘Rock and Roll Radio’
If I counted correctly, 'Rock and Roll Radio' is Palace's third longplayer. It follows the 2018 release 'Binary Music' and brings for a next time some melodic rock to your private palace. Palace, that's basically Michael Palace, who started his collaboration with Frontiers Music with First Signal. This contact was the springboard for Palace to... Continue Reading →
CD review STAN BUSH ‘Dare to Dream’
Stan Bush is certainly no stranger to rock and AOR, as Bush has had his great moments and worked with such greats as Jim Vallance and Paul Stanley. With 'Dare to Dream' the singer releases his new album, packed with catchy rockers that can best be described with the song 'The 80's'. I have to... Continue Reading →
CD review BROTHER FIRETRIBE ‘Feel the Burn’
Brother Firetribe started their ear-candy production again and the result is their fifth longplayer called 'Feel the Burn'. That the guys are on fire when it comes to catchy Rock songs is what they showed on their earlier records and the new release didn't bring a change of musical direction. Three years after having launched... Continue Reading →
CD review ARCTIC RAIN ‘The One’
Arctic Rain is a new band that has with ‘The One’ their solo debut in the starting blocks. The band, that‘s the result of a collaboration of Pete Alpenborg and guitarist Magnus Berglund, who together with frontman Tobias Jonsson, are the core of Arctic Rain. The rhythm section, including Gert Daun and Jonas Jönsson, joined... Continue Reading →
CD review RAMOS ‚My Many Sides‘
Josh Ramos worked on his solo debut and if you asked yourself where you met the name earlier, here‘s the answer. Ramos has a history with Harddline, The Storm and Two Fires. Knowing about the importance of a great singer, being one part of the success of an album, Ramos could convince some of the... Continue Reading →
CD review ENUFF Z’NUFF ‘Brainwashed Generation’
With premiering in 1989 with 'Enuff'Z'Nuff', the rockers from Blue Island, Illinois were just a couple of years late, since they started when the rising curve of Glam Rock and Hard Rock began to flatten, givingg space to e.g. Grunge. However, Chip Z'nuff and guys have stamina. While other bands disappeared from the spotlight it's... Continue Reading →
CD review VEGA ‘Grit Your Teeth’
You don't need to grit your teeth for going through Vega's newest longplayer. Although being entitled 'Grit Your Teeth' the album is fueled by smooth rocking songs that can be listened to with an ease. Once again the UK-based rockers managed to write songs that catches your attention with great melodies without becoming too predictable.... Continue Reading →
CD review HOUSE OF LORD ‘New World – New Eyes’
It feels like James Christian and House Of Lords have been around forever, especially when it comes to melodic rock with roots in the '80s. In 1987, when Angel member Gregg Guiffria founded the band, it quickly became apparent that House Of Lords was a band with potential. The debut album and the following release... Continue Reading →
CD review FM ‘Synchronized’
All in all we can conclude that FM is releasing with 'Synchronized' another good longplayer that is going to make melodic rock fans feel happy. Smooth melodies, a cool groove and catchy hooks are the foundation for an album that is easy to listen to. A summertime soundtrack that comes right in time.