UNRULY CHILD – Our Glass House

Let it be known that yours truly is quite fond of AOR stalwarts Unruly Child and it is great to see that these skilled musicians have been as creative and productive as they have these past few years. Having said that, their previous offering (”Big Blue World” from 2019) was mediocre at best and lacked…

MEER – Playing House

The musically daring and innovative Norwegian outfit named MEER will soon release this sophomore effort of theirs, and there is a lot to look forward to if you fancy immersing yourself in an original and eclectic mixture of prog rock, (symphonic) pop, and (experimental) rock music. There is a surreal and dreamlike quality to this…

JEFF SCOTT SOTO – Wide Awake (in My Dreamland)

The talented Jeff Scott Soto’s latest solo record titled "Wide Awake (in My Dreamland)" consists of eleven melodic hard rock tunes that boast great hooks, big riffs, and even bigger choruses. Jeff’s ability to compose an infectious song is as prominent as ever here and this crisp, good-sounding LP is pretty damn solid all the…

AMAHIRU – Amahiru

The international ensemble that is Amahiru, which includes the talented bass player Frédéric Leclercq (Kreator) in its ranks, recently released this musically intriguing 12-track record and offers an exciting blend of melodic heavy metal and power metal. As the name of the band and the song titles suggest, there is an exotic, Eastern-tinged aura to the…

DEPRAVITY – Grand Malevolence

"Evil Upheaval" (2018) was one hell of a death metal album and and not just in a colloquial sense. It thundered through the scene of Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal, Immolation, Nile and ancient Death lovers heralding the arrival of a new sheriff in town, as flawed as the debut album was. Depravity, a Perth, Western…

FALSE GODS – No Symmetry…Only Disillusion

Few bands can boast of invention in the post-hardcore/sludge metal scene. Arguably, latter Prong and early Mastodon had sealed the deal long before it was even called a contest so chances are we’re dealing with more or less of a derivative. Having said that, the New Yorkers False Gods (who remind me of the now…

ORIANTHI – O

Skilled guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Orianthi’s (ex-Alice Cooper) latest album offers plenty of massive, stadium-sized riffs, infectious melodies, and more vocal hooks than yours truly can possibly count, and there is a sharp, modern edge to this contemporary-sounding hard rock output. The result is also quite varied and you get mellow ballads that serve as a good contrast…

SARCOPTES – Plague Hymns

Sarcoptes, named after a genus of mites, is a black/death metal duo of Sean Zimmerman (bass, guitars, keyboards) and Garrett Garvey (drums, vocals) from Sacramento, California, a consistent lineup since its inception in 2008 through "Thanatos" EP (2013) and the debut full length, "Songs And Dances Of Death" (2016), the former released independently and the…

HATEFUL – Set Forever on Me

A while ago I reviewed "Condemnation", the third album from Italian deathsters Valgrind whose guitarist, vocalist and bassist, Daniele Lupidi, happens to be also the same trimaster in the technical death metal band Hateful with "Set Forever On Me" also a 3rd installment. You’d think with the same main songwriter in both bands they would…

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