1972’s Cabbage Alley is often lauded as the band’s finest collection, and it certainly has a strong case It’s been said many times (often by me, come to think of it) that the early to mid 1970s were an unrivalled time of experimentation and boundary-blurring, as bands discovered and played with new influences all the..
H.E.A.T – H.E.A.T II (earMusic)
This is a masterclass of hard melodic rock. It is relentlessly brilliant. Those unfamiliar with Swedish rockers H.E.A.T might assume this is the band’s second album. Those who know the band might also hesitate, thinking that this could be their eleventh album (actually, it is their eighth album if you include two live albums). The..
Marty And The Bad Punch – Walk a Straight Line (Enghardt Media)
The song Glass Mountain would grace any Eagles album without a doubt. Marty and The Bad Punch is certainly an original name for a band and one got me curious about what music to expect. Guitars and all writing credits go to one Martin Punsch, a German I believe, and hence the origin of the..
Anubis – Homeless (Incendia Music)
With Homeless, Anubis have stretched themselves, creating their own unique sound that is well worth listening to. Anubis are a six-piece band hailing from Australia with a history of producing good listenable neo-prog music, often with extended songs heading to the ten minute mark and beyond. Their 2014 effort Hitchhiking To Byzantium has been their..
Archon Angel – Fallen (Frontiers Music)
Another new project by Frontiers and one that will be universally welcomed is this thrilling debut by Archon Angel which is a combining of the talents of producer and guitarist Aldo Lonobile from Italian symphonic power metal band Secret Sphere and vocalist Zak Stevens. Yes, the Zak Stevens of Savatage, Circle II Circle, Trans-Siberian Orchestra..
Carl Dixon – One [reissue] (AOR Heaven)
The name of Carl Dixon may, initially, not mean too much to you but the Canadian singer, guitarist and keyboard should be better known as the vocalist with Coney Hatch and for his time with April Wine and The Guess Who. Dixon survived a catastrophic car accident in Australia in 2008 which left him hospitalised..
D-A-D – A Prayer For The Loud (AFM Records)
Formed in Denmark in 1984, D-A-D (Originally Disneyland After Dark) now release their 12th album in a career that has seen then consistently produce high quality rock albums full of energy and all with genuine boogie danceability about them. What is remarkable is that they have pretty much kept the same personnel in all that..
CoreLeoni – II (AFM Records)
No prizes for guessing that this is the second album by CoreLeoni, a project with its debut release on the Frontiers but now switched to AFM Records. CoreLeoni is the name chosen by guitarist and founder of the Swiss heavy rock band Gotthard, Leo Leoni to showcase his love of the heavy rock music of..
Autumn’s Child – Autumn’s Child (AOR Heaven)
Autumn’s Child is another in a long line of rock bands coming out of Sweden and is a coming together of like minded musicians being led by singer songwriter Mikael Erlandsson. He has built up a solid reputation for his work as a solo artist and with Last Autumn’s Dream, a most prolific Swedish hard..
Kryptos – Afterburner (AFM Records)
This is the first time that I have come across Kryptos or even the concept of Indian rock music as I have always imagined hard rock and metal to be a Western/European ideal although we are seeing more fine bands emerging from South America and other territories too. However, some research has shown that there..