I can’t say I’d ever heard of this French unnamed duo. Apparently, they’re from Angers (coincidentally the twin town of my home town, St Helens), but there seem to be few other details about them. The album is composed of eight songs; Sell Your World, Scars, Revelation, The Growl, Disturbing, The Curve Of Forgotten Things, Cause..
Mushroomhead – A Wonderful Life (Napalm Records)
It has been easy to wave off Mushroomhead. Eight people with masks - and in their early days - boiler suits. Have we not seen this before? The constant comparison with Slipknot has dogged the band despite history showing that Mushroomhead pre-date the Iowan mob by a couple of years and have a more alt...
ELECTRIC MUD – Quiet Days On Earth (TimeZone)
Now, where to begin with Electric Mud - as it will surely be necessary to start near to the beginning to explain an outfit like this, who will be unjustly unfamiliar to a lot of potential listeners I am certain. First and foremost, Electric Mud are a German instrumental progressive rock duo, consisting of Hagen..
PARALYDIUM – Worlds Beyond (Frontiers Music)
Paralydium is another new band from Stockholm, Sweden, being formed in 2015 - with Worlds Beyond being their very exciting debut release. The level of sophistication and maturity shown on this album is quite amazing, which really should come as no surprise as the three-track EP called The Paralydium Project (the band’s original name before..
SHAPE OF THE RAIN – Riley, Riley, Wood & Waggett: Deluxe Edition (Cherry Red / Grapefruit)
Shape Of The Rain. If you are immediately asking ‘who?’, then you are in good company, as I have to confess they are a band who had eluded me as well until this release appeared. In actual fact they were a band formed in Yorkshire around the mid to late ‘60s, who did the hard..
SAPPHIRE EYES – Magic Moments (Pride And Joy Music)
Sapphire Eyes is yet another Swedish band and, for a country with just ten million inhabitants, its contribution to the world of music is quite remarkable. Formed as a project in 2011 by Niclas Olsson (Alyson Avenue, Second Heat), the self-titled debut was released in 2012 with the musicians effectively being hired guns. The reception..
BLUE OYSTER CULT – iHeart Radio Theater 2012 (Frontiers Music)
The latest live release from Blue Öyster Cult is this very intimate show recorded in New York at the iHeart Radio Theater on December 17th, 2012 and it is nice to contrast these type of shows with the huge stadium gigs we are more commonly used to on DVD. This was a gig recorded before..
Steve Hackett – A Genesis In My Bed: The Autobiography
At a dinner party, (Robert Fripp) reprimanded me for eating too much of his cheese. To his displeasure, I ate another piece…forty years on, I’ve never been invited back.' ...that may not be the most intriguing, revealing or touching quote from Steve Hackett's new autobiography A Genesis In My Bed, and it probably says more..
MAGNUS KARLSSON’S FREE FALL – We Are The Night (Frontiers Music)
We Are The Night is the third album by Magnus Karlsson’s Free Fall, the project put together by the highly respected and very hard working Swedish multi instrumentalist and song writer. A quick glance of his discography is very revealing as he has a wealth of credits to his name and has worked with some..
Gösta Berlings Saga – Konkret Musik (InsideOut)
In preparation for my first listen to Konkret Musik, the sixth album from spectacular Swedish sound wizards Gösta Berlings Saga, I did something I'd never done before a review: I listened to every one of their previous albums top to bottom, in chronological order. Each CD I pulled from the shelf prompted fond memories, but..