Category Cd Reviews

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Initially a model and actress, German singer Nico moved into music and found fame when she sang three songs on the Velvet Undergrounds debut album before starting work on a solo career.

The Music industry is often criticised for being ruthless and money driven, and there’s no doubting that at times it can be, but then they come out with a release like this. Despite good reviews when it was first released, it was a commercial failure, so to spend more cash remastering it, add in a load of bonus material and reissue it seems an odd move from a commercial perspective, but for music lovers it’s a great move as we not only get the original album but also some rare material to listen to.

Newly remastered the album sounds better than ever...

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Finnish rock band The 69 eyes are back with their tenth studio album – X. The band formed in 1989 and released their first single the following year, with their debut album (Bump’n’Grind) coming in 1992. In the early days they had a Glam/Sleaze sound, but over the years this has changed as more Gothic influences have been incorporated.

I must admit that despite being aware of The 69 eyes for some years, I’d never actually listened to them until I was given this album to review.

Brief comment on a few songs

The album starts with ”Love runs away”. It opens with powerful guitars before the vocals kick in. I must say that my first action was to check the band’s lineup to see if it was Billy Idol singing – The 69 eyes singer Jyrki 69 really does sound like Billy Idol in this song...

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”The world is ours Vol.2, Anyplace crazy as anywhere else” is the follow up to last years ”The world is our Vol. 1 – Everywhere further than everyplace else”. Volume 1 featured the entire set from their 9th April 2011 show at Teatro Caupolican, Santiago, Chile, and volume 2 features more shows from 2011 – three festivals to be precise.

There are various versions of this release..

Digipak – DVD plus 2 CD
Double CD
Double Vinyl gatefold sleeve (Wacken Open Air concert)
Blu-ray
Direct to consumer box featuring 2CDs, DVD, Blu-ray and a special booklet featuring exclusive on and offstage photography.

The three shows featured on this release are – Sonisphere UK, Wacken Open Air, and Rock in Rio...

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Leave’s Eyes singer Liv Kristine is back with her latest solo album. Libertine is her fourth solo album. Liv has an impressive track record, first as the singer with Trail of Tears and then with Leaves Eyes. While she’s known as a rock/metal singer, her solo albums are more pop/rock. In other words if you’re hoping this is another Leave’s Eyes album under a different name, then think again – it’s quite different but is definitely going to be of interest to a lot of Leaves Eyes fans.

Brief comments on a few of the tracks..

”Solve me” is a fast paced pop-rock song.

”Vanilla skin delight” is a duet with Tobias Regner – a former winner of the German series of Pop Idol. It’s a great track and is an obvious choice to be released as a single at some point.

”Paris Paris” has a definite Blondie ...

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Northampton band, Sacred Mother Tongue may have only released their debut album in 2009, but since then they’ve played both Download and Sonisphere festivals along with a whole load of tour dates, and have built up a great reputation. With their second album expected for release in late 2012 or early 2013, they’ve released a new EP to keep the fans happy. Although signed to Transcend media, the album is being released in conjunction with EMI which should give the band some extra exposure

What you get here is three new studio recorded tracks plus one live track.

”The city is crying” was recorded on the band’s recent tour of China which included performing at the Hang Zhou West Lake Music Festival

I really can’t understand why Sacred Mother Tongue aren’t much better known and playing much ...

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It’s been five years since Witchcraft released their last album (The Alchemist). Since then they’ve had a major change in lineup – losing two members and recruiting three new ones (the extra recruit being a second guitarist so guitarist/singer Magnus Pelander is able to drop his guitar duties and focus purely on singing). They’ve also switched record labels and are now with Nuclear Blast.

They’ve got a very 1970’s hard rock sound with a definite Black Sabbath influence.

Brief comments on a couple of tracks.

Album opener ”Deconstruction” starts with a nice heavy Sabbath-like riff, and when the vocals kick in, the Black Sabbath similarities just keep on coming...

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Redlight king may be a new name to many people but they’re about to make a whole load of new fans. They’re on tour with Shinedown in October so will be playing nine UK dates with them and judging by this single then assuming they’re as good live as they are on CD then they’re likely to go down extremely well and come away with plenty of new fans.
Movie fans may know one of their songs – ‘Comeback’ which was the second single/video from ‘The Avengers Assemble’ soundtrack.

Their debut album was released last year in the US and is finally getting a UK release through Spinefarm. This is the first single to be taken from the album, and it sounds pretty damn impressive.

It’s definitely a radio-friendly song that deserves to get plenty of airplay...

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Chris Helme first rose to fame as the front man of John Squire’s post Stone Roses band ‘The Seahorses’. His latest solo album, ”The Rookery” was recorded in just 9 days at The Rookery, a country hideaway nestled in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales. That’s an impressive feat – 9 days is very little time to record a full album, but that shows his experience.

”Pickled ginger” is an unsual track. Opening with the what sounds like a double bass being tuned, it then moves into the main part of the track. There’s some lovely gentle guitar and what sounds like woodwind instruments (but these days may be keyboards amde to sound like that), and the track gently meanders along. It’s a beautiful track but it is very different to the rest of the album and as such feels out of place.

”Longway...

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Frontiers/BAM

Canucks TRIUMPH had levels of success in their native country and in the States that was rather unheard of in Scandinavia. Formed in 1975, the power trio of Rik Emmett, guitar and lead vocals, Mike Levine, bass, and Gil Moore, drums and lead vocals, found success in only about three years time. They went from humble beginnings to filling giant arenas, not to mention their famed gig at the US Festival 1983. From the late seventies until the early nineties they secured gold and platinum sales of their releases, scoring hit singles like “A World of Fantasy”, “Magic Power” and “Somebody´s Out There” in the process. But there was tension in the ranks, with Rik on one side, and Mike and Gil on the other concerning the bands direction...

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Frontiers/BAM

PLAYER rings no bells for me, but the band has quite a history. This EP contains their best remembered songs, of which their major hit from 1976, “Baby Come Back”, has been re-recorded.

The original lineup of guitarist/lead vocalist Peter Beckett, guitarist JC Crowley, Bass player Ron Moss, and drummer John Friesen were in a flow as they got signed by RSO (home of the BEEGEES) and were taken aboard as special guests of ERIC CLAPTON on his American tour of 1978. Four albums were the result of their active touring years. Moss left and can be seen in the daytime TV-horror “The Bold and the Beautiful”, JC got into country music, and Beckett wrote songs for other artists and movie scores, as well as a stint with LITTLE RIVER BAND, and a solo album, “Beckett”...