RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/ These immensely talented Canadian rockers impressed me last year by means of their melodically rich and gorgeously crafted album titled Alive, so my hopes were high for this brand-new opus of theirs. Although lacking a bit of the vigor, energy, and immediacy that made its predecessor so memorable, “Wake Me up…
In what has become a tradition of sorts, this scribe caught up with renowned keyboard player Mark Stanway who is primarily known for his magnificent work with such legendary acts as Magnum and Grand Slam. Since 2018 he has been occupied with a fabulous musical outfit known as Kingdom of Madness, and this talented ensemble…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/wildnessofficial/ Wildness released a great and well-written album back in 2022 titled Resurrection, which blended melodic rock/AOR and hard rock to superb effect, and ever since then I have been looking forward to a follow-up to said piece of work. Their new record, Avenger, picks up the musical narrative where its predecessor…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/TheBandBigDeal/ The Big Deal hail from Serbia, and “immediately accessible” would be an apt description of what the quintet delivers on this twelve-track opus of theirs. They have certainly progressed as musicians and songwriters since the last time I listened to their stuff, which would have been the First Bite LP from…
RELEASE YEAR: 2025 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/wetofficialpage/ Receiving a new album by the fabulous international constellation known as W.E.T. is always a treat and this fifth full-length LP of theirs is no exception. Their line-up is akin to a wet dream (see what I did there?) to lovers of fist-pumping melodic hard rock and there is nothing…
Brazilian melodic hard rockers Landfall impressed me greatly with their spirited and energetic debut offering titled The Turning Point (2020) as it contained plenty of catchy tracks delivered with a sense of class and youthful vigor. The follow-up from 2022, Elevate, was a bit of letdown as it lacked those big, juicy hooks and memorable…
VENUE: Oslo SpektrumDATE: 09.06.2024 ORGANIZER: LIve Nation PHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. With a stellar line-up consisting of Return, Stage Dolls, and the legendary Journey, there was absolutely no excuse for sitting at home on this…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://honeymoonsuiteband.com/ Alive by the Canadian melodic rockers Honeymoon Suite was an album that I had looked forward to receiving and reviewing, and the cool thing is that it did not disappoint. Featuring some superb guitar work, excellent keyboard atmospherics, a tight and energetic rhythm section, and not least a great vocal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://jimpeterik.com/ There are few songwriters out there who can top the legendary Jim Peterik (Pride of Lions) when it comes to crafting a delicious AOR tune filled with irresistible hooks. This instalment in the “World Stage” project sees him teaming up with renowned singers and musicians such as Kevin Cronin (REO…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/grandthebandsweden/ Swedish melodic rockers Grand are back with a new, pristine-sounding album that leans heavily towards AOR, which is no bad thing in my book, and I could easily see this outfit appealing to fans of Def Leppard, the Joe Lynn Turner-fronted version of Rainbow, and late eighties/early nineties Foreigner just…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1uDc5JEr1w The premise and idea of having Michael Sweet (Stryper, Sweet and Lynch, Sunbomb) and Alessandro Del Vecchio team up was an interesting one, and I was looking forward to Return Me to Light, but sadly, it turned out to be somewhat disappointing and lackluster. There is no denying the musical…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.voyageband.com/home With a core line-up consisting of superb musicians and a knack for crafting a pleasing and richly textured AOR tune, this is a pretty enjoyable musical affair and one that bodes very well for the future should Hugo and his skilled bandmates decide to continue down this cool musical path.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/careofnight/ The third record by the awesome melodic rockers from Sweden known as Care of Night is just the thing if 80s-flavored AOR gets you high. Everything here is easy to digest and instantly appealing, the production is pristine and oozes professionalism, and the number of hooks and catchy vocal melodies…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://youtu.be/dRCYtDQB36s?si=qH43DNocKPNUSdsW Now this melodic debut LP by the duo sporting the moniker Vitalines is an interesting one. With Robbie LaBlanc on vocals and Tommy Denander on guitars, bass, and keyboards, it is hardly as if the band lack pedigree, and when things work on the album, which they do most of…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Nitrateofficial/ With their fourth album these cool British rockers have well and firmly established their credentials as one of the more exciting AOR/melodic rock groups out there. Exploding right out of the gate by means of the hook-laden title track, these chaps definitely mean business and sound more confident and focused…
VENUE: Troon Concert HallDATE: 23.11.2023 ORGANIZER: WinterStorm Festival (Plan B Events)PHOTOGRAPHER: C. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. Welsh vocalist and melodic hard rock sensation Chez Kane played the main stage at the brilliant WinterStorm festival on the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Houstonsweden/ Melodic rock and AOR of the highest order are what this fabulous and utterly talented act from Sweden offers, and while the previous full-length disc named IV was an amazing and expertly crafted opus, this 2023 output of theirs is just as wicked due to its enticing atmosphere, melodic strength,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.frontiers.shop/new-releases/1580/v/a-steel-bars-a-tribute-to-michael-bolton-cd-jewelcase I was not entirely sure what to expect when I popped this CD, which is a melodic rock/AOR/hard rock tribute to none other than Michael Bolton, into the record player. Truth be told, I have fond memories of listening to Bolton’s songs on cassette tape when I was a kid,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://aprideoflions.com/ I am still quite enamored with Pride of Lion’s superbly crafted Fearless LP from 2017 and to a slightly lesser extent the follow-up from three years later entitled Lion Heart. Dream Higher bears all the hallmarks of its predecessors in terms of its sound and style, but sadly, the songwriting…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/schonmusic/ This mammoth 3CD/DVD set captures legendary Journey guitarist Neal Schon and his friends live on stage in San Francisco back in 2018 when they did a charity gig to raise funds for victims of the fires that had ravaged the North Bay area of the San Francisco region in late…
