Category Cd Reviews

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Naïve are a French band from Toulouse. The three member band describe themselves as ”Trip-hop metal” – a fairly strange description I’m sure you’ll agree. A better description is that they combine Metal, electro and trip-hop (downtempo electronic music). it’s a fairly unusual range of genres to merge together, but it’s what Naïve have done.

It’s a really interesting sound that has been created here – at times you’ve got a laid back gentle melody with soft vocals and fairly prominent electronic sounds (on ”Focus” for instance), but then you also have heavier guitar-driven sections with more agressive strident vocals (e.g. on the track ”Belly”).
”Luna Militis” is probably one of the most effective tracks as it combines both of the bands sounds into one song – the previous songs had give...

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Just in time for Christmas, Saxon have released ”Heavy Metal Thunder – The Movie” on DVD. FOr anyone who hasn’t heard anything about the movie yet, it’s a documentary charting the history of Saxon right from the very beginning up to almost the present day (obviously it has to end a year or so before the release to give them time to edit the footage together and get it released).

Given the bad blood between Saxon’s current lineup and the version fronted by former members Oliver & Dawson, it’s very nice to see that both Oliver and Dawson have contributed fully to the making of the movie, so you really do get a very comprehensive picture of the history of the band – there’s no attempt to gloss over any problems, they cover the good and the bad.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this release...

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Frontiers/BAM

From humble beginnings as YESTERDAY & TODAY back in 1974 Dave Meniketti has always fronted the band we now know as Y&T. This live concert, captured for posterity, is actually a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of “Earthshaker”, their finest hour according to many. Or their, the band consists of Dave on guitars and lead vocals as always, backed by guitarist/vocalist John Nymann, bassist/vocalist Brad Lang (who replaced longstanding bass man Phil Kennemore when he succumbed to lung cancer in 2011), and drummer Mike Vanderhule. Anyway…on with the show.

To their credit the revamped Y&T perform no less than seven tracks off their latest effort “Facemelter”, including the rather nondescript opener “Prelude”...

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Limb Music/Sound Pollution

Having been around since 2006 CIVILIZATION ONE, formed by vocalist Chitral “Chity” Somapala, have just gotten round to releasing their second album. Belated by membership changes this album sports the lineup of Chity and original bassist Pierre-Emmanuel Pélisson, plus new recruits guitarists Nicklaus Bergen and Oliver Marmann and RED CIRCUIT drummer Michael Stein. Their aim is to put out melodic power metal that can compete with anyone, and, albeit in their own way, I believe they can achieve that.

The intro “Aazis” is an opener among many, but the title track hints at bigger things. Among their influences is something from the jungle, which is augmented by a fine arrangement and a sensible force...

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Frontiers/BAM

One of Americas top vocalists of all time, or maybe in the past tense after the barren album made with Bobby Kimbal of TOTO fame about a year ago, returns to form in 2012. A very active player on the scene Jimi has been with everyone from his old bands TARGET, COBRA and SURVIVOR to the likes of ZZ TOP and JOE WALSH. This time around he has opted for a band consisting of Frontiers stalwart Erik Mårtensson (W.E.T., ECLIPSE etc.), everything but drums, Jonas Öijvall, Hammond B3, piano and analog synthesizers, Magnus Ulfstedt, drums and Magnus Henriksson, lead guitars on “Street Survivor” and “Heaven Call Your Name”. An all Swedish backing ensemble and an all-American vocalist, is that the way to go?

Opener “Everybodys´s Got a Broken Heart” almost hit the spot...

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Frontiers/BAM

Frontiers seem to house most of the old SURVIVOR squad, and here goes Jim Peterik again. His fruitful venture as PRIDE OF LIONS together with the voice of Toby Hitchcock has more albums to their belt with this one. Offering a mix of ballads and rockers in the melodic rock vein the dynamic duo hopes to break it big in the US, which obviously hasn´t happened yet.

This album is more of a mixed bag that I thought. It has the big sounding five-star ballad, e.g. “Everything that Money Can´t Buy”, the catchy mastership of “Coin of the Realm” and the aged smokey rock of the long-time developed “Vital Signs”...

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Lion Music/Border

Italian band LORD OF MUSHROOMS returns with their third album after seven years in limbo. In the late 90´s guitarist Laurent James and bassist Julien Negro founded the band. They started out playing covers, went through the usual lineup changes before slowly transforming into the band of today. Fronted today by ex. ADAGIO vocalist “Gus” Monsanto, the rest of the ranks are made up by keyboard playing clarinet man Luca Mariotti and drummer Marco Talevi. Always allowing themselves five years between albums the question is whether the gaps have done them good.

To be precise, the only weak moment here is the less lavish “Awaken”. Otherwise this is a myriad of riffs, movements, rhythms, refrains, variation, and arrangements...

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The Spokes Band, a Swedish country-inspired blues rock quartet. Hailing from Ljusdal, they began as a cover band in 2000 and since 2007 decided to start writing their own material. Their rock and blues influenced grooves paired with high tempo drumming keeps to the soul of their music while also keeping the audience on their feet. Their newest album, “In My Head” is reminiscent of the mid-1970’s era country-blues-rock movement.

The “nothing left to lose” lyric from the track “Can’t Find My Way Back Home” keeps true to the Southern American vibe. Looking at the titles of each song with “Down in the Water” and “Lay Down in Hunger” also construct that “down-home” country effect of the entire album...

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Famed for his collaboration with Scroobius Pip Dan Le Sac has taken a break and has kindly thrust ‘Space between the words’ upon us, which is kind of him. Spanning the electro side of things rather than sticking to the more tried and tested electro, hip-hop leanings of his join efforts with Mr Pip, Le Sac has enlisted a who’s who of contemporary artists, predominately British based artists as well including Emma-Lee Moss, Merz, and Pete Hefferan among others. The result is an eclectic mix but it all blends together effortlessly. Offering up Portishead-esque moments with the Emmy The Great with ‘Memorial’ and ‘Play Along’ which features Sarah Williams-White, the trip-hop feel is rife throughout the album and done superbly by all parties involved...

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Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion is a six piece band which contains members who have worked with the likes of Nina Simone, Van Morrison, Paul McCartney and more. Described as ”a contempary six piece blues band” in the press release I was expecting some fairly traditional blues, but this album is far more than just plain Blues music – there’s a really strong Jazz feel to it as well. This meeting of Jazz and Blues means that what you get here is really interesting and very enjoyable music to listen to.

The album contains 14 tracks with roughly half being original songs and the others being cover versions of songs from Billie Holiday, Willie Dixon and more...