Category Cd Reviews

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Thyrfing are a Swedish metal band that are often described as Viking metal or Pagan metal. The band take their name from Norse mythology – “Thyrfing” is a royal sword, a cursed blade that appears in several tales and myths. The band was formed in 1995 and released their first album in 1998 (the self titled Thyrfing). Since then they have released five further albums at intervals of 2-3 years, and after a gap of almost five years they’re back with their seventh studio album – De Ödeslösa. The album was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Paradise Lost, Witchcraft) at Fascination Street Studios.

Although there are only 8 sonsg on the album, the songs are all quite long – averaging around 6 minutes each, so the album is a good 48 minutes in length – more than enough to keep m...

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Swedish metal band Enforcer are back with their latest album, ”Death by fire”. It’s their third album, and their first for their new record label, Nuclear Blast.
The album clocks in at around 35 minutes – like all of Enforcer’s albums, it’s deliberately been kept under 40 minutes. Singer Olof Wikstrand explains : “We write all music for the vinyl format and a normal LP can never be longer than 19 minutes on each side without losing sound quality. None of my favourite records are longer than 39 minutes anyway. It’s the perfect length both in that sense as well as keeping up an interest from the listener throughout the whole record.” With the resurgence of interest in vinyl, then it probably makes good commercial sense to remember it’s limitations and time the album accordingly.

Th...

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Frontiers/BAM

SNAKECHARMER, the name itself implicates WHITESNAKE DNA. And the truth is that there is as much WHITESNAKE here, at least, as in the version fronted by DAVID COVERDALE these days. At least if you´re a devotee of the band´s earlier works – like me. Feature here are Mr. slide guitar himself, Micky Moody, who spent 1977-83 in WHITESNAKE, and well-travelled bass wizard Neil Murray, who served betwixt 1977-87. Reinforcing this endeavor are ex. WISHBONE ASH (1974-85) guitarist Laurie Wisefield, journeyman drummer Harry James (THUNDER, MAGNUM), keyboard player Adam akeman (OZZY, BLACK SABBATH, HEADSPACE) and under-appreciated vocalist Chris Ousey (ex. VIRGINIA WOLF, HEARTLAND, solo). So, will this lot give David Coverdale a run for the money?

First up this is not in any way rela...

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Sony Music Entertainment

30 years on HELLOWEEN release their 14th studio album, and they must be content. The first 5-6 years must have been fun, the next 3 disastrous, only to rise again with the splendid “Master of the Rings” in 1994. But member changes have been many and I dare say that I´ve not heard all that much about them until they returned with what was deemed full force in 2010. Since “7 Sinners” they have been much talked about and here is a splendid moment to capture on their latter day success. Will they do just that?

The nucleus of the ubiquitous guitarist Michael Weikath and bassist Markus Grosskopf are enforced by vocalist Andi Deris (since 1993), and guitarist Sascha Gerstner (2002 onwards) and drummer Daniel Löble, who came aboard in 2005...

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Frontiers/BAM

Reunited veterans ASIA, with all original members on board when this album was released, are somewhat productive with live albums. This is the third since their revival, and they seemed to think that “Fantasia” was too polished and “Spirit of the Night” a festival document. This one is said to be the band resonating an in your face “Omega” night in Central Europe. Let´s see if this one does them justice.

The track list is quite in favor of “Omega”, with highlights such as the classic ASIA tinged “Holy War” and the keyboard heavy “End of the World”. But I still think that the most tender moment of latter years is “An Extraordinary Life”, with its reality-based theme...

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Frontiers/BAM

NEAL SCHON is perhaps one of the world´s most recognized guitarists. From his early days, 15 years of age, with SANTANA to the second coming of JOURNEY he has kept his calendar busy like few others. 19 top 40 singles, 25 gold and platinum discs speak for themselves too. Now he somehow found time off from JOURNEY to reunite with the bands former drummer Steve Smith, keyboard players Igor Len and Jan Hammer. All strings arrangements come courtesy of the guitarist himself. Next stop is more concerts with JOURNEY, so how did this squeeze job come out?
First up this is a mixed bag of styles including just about everything Neal has tried out during his career. I personally prefer the rock and blues tracks, especially the very emotional notes of slow blues track “Blue Rainbow”...

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Limb Music/Sound Pollution

Australian band EYEFEAR was brought to my attention in 2008, and the excellent “The Unseen” – which was in fact their fourth offering. But the band´s history actually begins back in 1994, and of the founding members only drummer Zain Kimmie and guitarist Con Papazoglu remains. The rest of the band is Evan Harris on bass, Seb Schneider on keys and piano, plus vocalist Danny Cecati. The band has decided to remain with their progressive base, but they will also add various vocal elements courtesy of BE´LAKOR grunter George Kosma and Sarah Parker.

Opener “Redemption” is rather pompous, but also quite fast and with variation enough. But the real click doesn´t appear...

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Risen from what seems like the dead, 1970s punk band The Machines are back with their latest 16 track self-titled album. This record is fast paced from start to finish, with remastered opening track “Racing” setting the scene for the bands old-school rocker sound.
With vocal similarity to fellow 70s Londoner rockers, The Clash, and musical structure not unlike Iggy and The Stooges or MC5 – these guys capture all the gutsy anger of a disenfranchised youth generation, leaving you all fired up to attend a riot by the end of the record.
Nick Paul brings his tension building guitar riffs and sincere vocals together to create an apathetic and uncompromising sound, accompanied by the heart rate-increasing drumming of Steve Pegrum and Stephen Reddihough’s undeniably beguiling bass lines.
S...

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Malian singer Salif Keita is often referred to as the ”Golden Voice of Africa”. As an albino he was ostracised by his family and community, and left his village to move to the capital city of Mali – Bamako, in the late 1960s where he joined the Super Rail Band and then Les Ambassadeurs before leaving the country in the mid 1970s during the country’s political unrest. Now he is based in Paris and Bamako and is a major star of African music.

I have to be honest and admit that while I’ve listened to a lot of music genres over the years, I’ve never really paid any attention to African music – like many people the closest I’ve got to African music is Paul Simon’s graceland, or some Ladysmith black mambazo.
Despite this I was familiar with the name of Salif Keita – I just hadn’t heard anything...

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Lion Music/Border

Project mastermind Tony Vinci has been here before, with a similar band of the same name. But after the self-titled debut he saw the need for a new formation, better suited to the more progressive stand that was taking form. This time around it is Tony on guitars, Andy Engberg of SECTION A on vocals, keyboard player Anthony Brown (GRAPHITE SYMPHONY), Greg Putnam (JAM PAIN SOCIETY on bass, and last but definitely not least prog drummer hero Mark Zonder of FATES WARNING fame. The album centers on the elements, “Fire”, “Wind”, “Water”, “Earth”, and a fifth, “Quinta Essentia” to keep the themes together.

Opener “Fire” is of cause intense, straightforward on the border of leaving the genre, but also boosts a great refrain...