ALBUM REVIEWS

RECENT ALBUM REVIEWS

  • DAVID GILMOUR – Live at Pompeii

    Living legend David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) performed a number of shows back in 2015 that all took place in historic venues across the world. A year later he staged this spectular concert at the amphitheatre in Pompeii, thereby becoming the first artist to perform in front of a live audience there since the gladiators way…

  • L.A. GUNS – The Missing Peace

    The sleaze rockers L.A. Guns are back with a new album entitled "The Missing Peace" consisting of twelve adrenaline-fueled tunes that encompass everything that we have come to associate with the band, i.e. sweaty and energetic hard rock with loads of great hooks to it and in-your-face vocals on top of memorable riffs. The chemistry…

  • ANTZAAT – The Black Hand of the Father

    The Belgian horde named Antzaat released this 5-track EP consisting of cold, windswept black metal harkening back to some of those gloriously epic releases that saw the light of day in the 90s. The strong point of the release is definitely the memorable melodies and the rather bleak and morose mood that underpins every track…

  • BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION – BCCIV

    The hard rock revelation that is Black Country Communion, which is comprised of vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, has risen again and answered our prayers in the shape and form of this ten-track effort simply entitled "BCCIV" (the vinyl version includes a bonus track, just so you…

  • BLACK STONE CHERRY – Black to Blues

    The Kentucky-based hard rockers Black Stone Cherry recently unleashed this six-track EP consisting of blues covers upon the unsuspecting masses and the result is a satisfying one. While primarily focusing on the electric blues that came to the fore back in the 60s and covering such artists as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Albert King,…

  • WOBBLER – From Silence to Somewhere

    I was definitely intrigued by this album when I received the promo version of it not that long ago, not only because this 4-track record entitled "From Silence to Somewhere" looked really cool and experimental due to the cover artwork, but also because I had never actually heard or listened to Norwegian outfit Wobbler before.…

  • HIMMELLEGEME – Myth of Earth

    The Norwegian entity named Himmellegeme, which hails from the city of Bergen, completely blew me away by means of this exceptionally well-crafted and cleverly written debut album entitled "Myth of Earth". While these guys seem to hover and float somewhere between dark progressive rock and melancholic psychedelia, there is no doubt in my mind that…

  • INSURRECTION – Extraction

    Old-school death metal fra Quebec, Canada med samme produsent som Cryptopsy, Krisiun og Voivod høres flott ut.Tja… Dette Canadiske bandet høres rimelig greit ut, men det holder ikke helt til mål synes jeg. Lyd og spillemessig høres det helt innafor ut, men de havner altså midt oppi suppa hvor alt høres likt ut. Jeg har…

  • BILL & PHILL – Songs of Darkness and Despair

    I am waaaayyyy too late when it comes to reviewing this little gem of an EP, but better late than never, right? This brilliantly executed and entertaining 6-track release by the living legends that are Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects) and Phil Anselmo (Superjoint, Down, Scour) is a moody exploration and…

  • HORRIFIED – Allure Of The Fallen

    Just when you thought that all was said and done in melodic death metal, that the numerous clones of In Flames and Dark Tranquillity have murdered one of my personal favorites genres, in comes this majestic, beautiful yet still fairly extreme construct. I have to admit that the brilliant introduction to the album that came…

  • STEVE HOWE – Anthology 2: Groups and Collaborations

    This amazing and beautifully packaged 3-CD release consisting of no less than 56 different compositions that are all somehow linked or attributed to legendary guitarist Steve Howe (Yes, Asia, GTR) is truly a treasure trove of great music. First of all, the album artwork by renowned artist Robert Dean is stunning. I have no idea…

  • GLENN HUGHES – Return of Crystal Karma (2CD Expanded Edition)

     The excellent albeit overlooked album by legendary vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes entitled "Return of Crystal Karma" was recently reissued featuring the original studio album from 2000 in remastered form along with a kick-ass live show that was captured on tape in Brazil back in 1999. For some reason, the album never really received the recognition that…

  • WOLFGANG FLÜR – I Was a Robot – book

    Former Kraftwerk drummer/percussionist Wolfgang Flür published this interesting and thought-provoking autobiography of his a number of years ago, which caused quite a bit of controversy in that many of the myths surrounding his former band were debunked and laid bare. Flür provided us with a unique access and insight into the inner workings and dynamics…

  • RONNIE MONTROSE – 10X10

    The legendary and sadly missed guitarist Ronnie Montrose was not only a marvelous composer and musician, but also a visionary whose style of playing and way of crafting riffs were innovative and groundbreaking. Before he died, he was working on an album entitled 10X10 where the idea was to whip up ten songs and then…

  • VULTURE INDUSTRIES – Stranger Times

    Vulture Industries from Bergen makes their return in 2017 (four years after The Tower) with their new album, Stranger Times. The new album does not take the band in any new direction, but rather keeps them going steadily forward with the expression we have come to expect from these weird, circus-like musicians. The album starts…

  • VULTURE INDUSTRIES – Stranger Times

    It is hard to describe the excitement of waking up to a en email with a link that allows you to download a new piece of madness that is available for the enjoyment of a very limited pair of ears. The thrill was mainly due the fact that Vulture Industries’ previous release, The Tower, has…

  • DIRTY THRILLS – Heavy Living

    "Heavy Living" by the relatively new UK outfit named Dirty Thrills completely took me by surprise in that I am so used to receiving rather slick and melodic 80s-inspired (hard) rock from Frontiers Records, but this is something else entirely. We are talking raw, unfiltered rock in the grand old tradition of Led Zeppelin and…

  • KEE OF HEARTS – Nee of Hearts

    The brand new melodic hard rock outfit named Kee of Hearts, which is spearheaded by former Europe guitarist Kee Marcello and Fair Warning vocalist Tommy Heart among others, is about to release this self-titled debut of theirs containing eleven tunes that are riddled with huge choruses, 80s-sounding keyboards, simple and direct riffs, and hummable guitar…

  • WAYWARD SONS – Ghost of Yet to Come

    British rock ensemble Wayward Sons may be an entirely new band but it sounds as if these guys have been crafting songs and playing together for years. With an emphasis on huge riffs and a crushing rhythm section, Wayward Sons inhabit the same territory as The Answer, Gun, and Rival Sons do, but without sounding…

  • MEDICO PESTE – Herzogian Darkness

    The Polish horde named Medico Peste released this wonderfully sickening and morbid 26-minute long black metal opus entitled "Herzogian Darkness" a few months ago and there is plenty of reason to check this sucker out if morose and disease-ridden sounds from the deepest pit of hell appeal to you. While the four songs that constitute…

  • ANTHONY WHITE – Brian Downey: Alive and Dangerous

    The short documentary entitled "Brian Downey: Alive and Dangerous" by film maker Anthony White is a great and charming feature on legendary drummer Brian Downey’s relatively new outfit consisting of the talented guitarists Phil Edgar and Brian Grace along with bassist/lead vocalist Matt Wilson. In terms of structure and composition, the movie is quite simple…

  • RICK BUCKLER – That’s Entertainment – My Life in the Jam

    "That’s Entertainment – My Life in the Jam" by renowned drummer Rick Buckler is a thought-provoking and interesting biography chronicling his years with the legendary The Jam as well as his many other musical endeavors and activities outside of the aforementioned band. As with any good biography, Buckler starts from the beginning, more specifically his…

  • THE END A.D. – Scorched Earth

    Forming in 2014, Philadelphia, PA is home ground for The End A.D. – an East Coast act that embraces their hardcore influences as much as their metal, making for a potent blend on their debut full-length album "Scorched Earth". The 12-song record runs the gamut from quicker hitting, heads down arrangements that get the job…

  • WES ORSHOSKI – The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead

    I was fortunate enough to get my filthy paws on this superb documentary on legendary punk rock gods The Damned by director Wes Orshoski and this is one of those features that manages to actually get underneath the skin of who and what The Damned are and why they are considered pioneers of the aforementioned…

  • KRYPTONITE – Kryptonite

    Once you establish your talent and a fan base, opportunities abound for musicians to flex their collective muscles and set their sights on new creative endeavors. Kryptonite is another example of assembling musicians from other known acts in the melodic hard rock/metal community and putting out their self-titled 11 song debut record. Singer Jacob Samuel…

  • MR. BIG – Defying Gravity

    To be perfectly honest with you, it has been quite a while since I last dug into an album by Mr. Big. I had no idea what to expect when this 2017 effort of theirs entitled "Defying Gravity" showed up one day, but I was pleasantly surprised hy this 11-track record of solid and dynamic…

  • QUIET RIOT – Road Rage

    The semi-legendary heavy metal outfit known as Quiet Riot is ready to attack once again and quite recently unleashed an 11-track album that looks to both the band’s glorious musical past as well as its future. While firmly rooted in what may be termed old-school metal and hard rock, the record has a modern edge…

  • WORLD TRADE – Unify

     World Trade is a progressive rock outfit consisting of seasoned players and veterans, namely Billy Sherwood, Guy Allison, Bruce Gowdy, and Mark T. Williams, and "Unify" is the band’s third album. Truth be told, I was quite excited about listening to this 10-track effort of theirs in that I respect and admire Billy Sherwood and…

  • LEPROUS – Malina

    Fy faen! Nå har jeg hørt kun denne utgivelsen gjennom helgen og jeg sier bare: FY FAEN! Makan til atmosfære og inntrykk denne skiva gir deg.. Utviklingen til dette bandet er bare stor og jeg skal sjekke ut hvor de spiller live, for dette, DETTE skal jeg få med meg!  Skiva er nok roligere enn…

  • SEPTICFLESH – Codex Omega

    Septic Flesh, the mighty band who gave us one of the best, if not the best, symphonic death metal albums ever released, namley "Sumerian Daemon" from 2003. And just then, at the peak of their career, everything ended. No more Septic Flesh. Until 2008… Behold, Septicflesh! So, how do you return after delivering theperformance of…