RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Ronnie Romero Official Site – Startside | Facebook The inhumanly skilled vocalist Ronnie Romero possesses a pair of lungs that are not of this world, which explains why legendary guitar-slingers such as Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, and Adrian Vandenberg have all employed the gifted singer from time to time. “Raised on…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/HouseofShakira/ Swedish melodic rockers House of Shakira recently released this nicely packaged double disc edition of their debut offering “Lint”, which is turning 25 this year. The booklet contains some interesting liner notes, but more importantly, you get a remastered version of the album as well as an entire disc containing…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: New Horizon – Startside | Facebook What a kick-ass love letter to classic heavy metal this wildly catchy debut offering by the Swedish outfit New Horizon is. Spearheaded by the inimitable Erik Grönwall (Skid Row, ex-H.E.A.T.) on vocals and multi-instrumentalist Jona Tee (H.E.A.T.), this gifted act delivers epic riffs, muscular songs,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/rustnrageofficial The promising Finnish outfit Rust N’ Rage released their debut album just a few weeks ago and there is reason to rejoice if hook-laden, well-written hard rock with plenty of drive and energy to it is what your mind and body crave. Consisting of eleven tunes that all encompass the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/FindMeBandOfficial/ I was quite enamored with the previous output by Find Me and found that one rather memorable and enjoyable and so this new album of theirs was something that I had been looking forward to. Luckily, they do not disappoint this time either. Musically, these guys dabble in melodic rock…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: Mecca – Startside | Facebook Mecca is one of those outfits that I have heard and read about previously but never actually listened to until now, and I must say that this collection containing the group’s three studio albums is quite impressive and oozes class and professionalism. We are essentially talking…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.girishandthechronicles.com/ The Indian hard rockers Girish and the Chronicles have made quite a name for themselves in the scene these past few years, and judging by the quality of this incredibly driven and energetic offering of theirs, it is easy to see why people are freaking out about this talented group.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: degreed (degreedmusic.com) The latest output by Swedish hard rockers Degreed sounds absolutely massive in every sense of the word and if you desire passionate vocals, an incredibly tight and powerful rhythm section, and thunderous choruses that will blow you away, look no further than “Are You Ready”. Listening to these barnstormers…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: HOME | TEN Official Receiving a promotional copy of an album by TEN is always a treat, and their latest effort, “Here Be Monsters”, is a gorgeous slab of well-crafted hard rock with a poetic quality and an enchanting atmosphere to it. Warm and heartfelt vocals infuse the compositions with passion…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cityoflightsbanduk/ City of Lights recently released this 12-track debut offering of theirs via Frontiers Records, and what immediately becomes apparent when spinning the disc is that these guys are massive fans of melodic hard rock’s glory days. There is a lot to like about this one; the crisp and punchy production…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/manicsinners/ Energetic hard rock from the country of Romania is what we have here and the 12-track effort that is “King of the Badlands” contains a pretty decent number of hooks and powerful riffs. The sound is crunchy and packs punch while the interplay between the three members of the ensemble…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://alanparsons.com/ The inimitable Alan Parsons released a marvelous live album via Frontiers Records late last year that impressed me greatly, more specifically the one titled “The Neverending Show – Live in the Netherlands”, and so I was rather curious as to how this sparkling new document named “One Note Symphony” would…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/SpiritsOfFireBand/ The project named Spirits of Fire is a rather overlooked one from my perspective but hopefully this superbly crafted heavy metal juggernaut of theirs titled “Embrace the Unknown” will reach a wider audience and receive more praise than their otherwise solid debut offering from 2019 did. While Tim “Ripper” Owens…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://nb-no.facebook.com/LIONVILLEofficial I am quite fond of the previous offering by the Italian outfit named Lionville, more specifically the album titled “Magic is Alive” from 2020, and so naturally, I was looking forward to the follow-up. Thankfully, “So Close to Heaven” is just as good if not slightly better than its predecessor,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/laluprog/ An incredibly diverse and intriguing mixture of prog rock and prog metal that somehow manages to pay homage to some of the legendary outfits from the 70s and simultaneously sound current and have a modern sheen to their eclectic style is what we have here, and “Paint the Sky” by…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/KandiaOfficial The Portuguese act named Kandia dabbles in something akin to alternative metal with subtle goth rock undertones to it and even a few metalcore elements. The emphasis is clearly on atmosphere, and they do manage to infuse their compositions with both a somber hue and a good amount of aggression,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/lana.lane.official.artist.page/ It has been a few years since Lana Lane’s last solo offering if I remember correctly, and seeing her latest album entitled “Neptune Blue” in the mailbox recently made me quite happy and also a tad surprised as I had no idea that she had been recording new material during…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/nassonchile Checking out new bands and debut albums is always something that I am looking forward to, and this one by the Chilean melodic heavy metal trio known as Nasson was no different. Actually, Nasson himself is the main man behind this project as well as the primary songwriter here, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Giant.The.Band/ What a pleasure it is to see and witness the return of Giant. I was quite smitten with the US rockers’ earlier albums back in the day and I was actually rather surprised when this sparkling new disc of theirs named “Shifting Time” showed up in my mailbox, but that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/edgeofforeverband/ Italian hard rockers/heavy metallers Edge of Forever are back with a new opus, and let it be known that I am thoroughly impressed with how melodically strong and energetic this record sounds. The songs and lyrics revolve around Native American culture and what awaits you are an abundance of hooks,…
