Monthly Archives november 2011

Posted in Cd Reviews

Typically when a record company releases a collection of stuff from an artist its either a single CD greatest hits album or sometimes a double album. Occasionally though you get something a bit more comprehensive. ”The kinks in mono” is definitely in the latter category – this is one seriously impressive collection.

Firstly it contains the bands first 7 albums – Kinks, Kinda Kinks, Kontroversy, Face To Face, Something Else, Village Green Preservation Society, and Arthur. Then you have four EPs – ‘Kinksize Session’, ‘Kinksize Hits’, ‘Kweyt Kinks’, ‘Dedicated Kinks’ and finally another two discs (entitled The Kinks Mono Kollectables) of unissued tracks and various singles from around the world. All the discs are in Mono.
That’s ten CD’s in total !!

Sanctuary haven’t skimped o...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Universal music and Time Out magazine have got together to create a compilation album of songs inspired by London. When I heard that, I had a think about London inspired songs and only managed to come up with a handful of songs, yet this CD contains 20 of them by well known artists including Roxy Music, The Kinks, Pet shop boys, David Bowie, Gerry Raffery and many more

There are a few obvious omissions from the songs included here – The Clash’s classic song, London Calling being top of the list – especially since a poll in Time Out voted it as the best London song...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

MECCA is that almost mythical proposition of a band that made headlines in 2002 with their debut ”Mecca”. They were compared to the likes of JOURNEY and TOTO. Of cause some might say, main man and vocalist Joe Vana was aided by ex. TOTO members Fergie Frederiksen and David Hungate, plus the song writing and production skills of Jim Peterik (SURVIVOR). Since then various efforts has been made to create a follow-up involving Tommy Denander and guitarist Christian Wolff. The core band that emerged was Joe on vocals, his son Joey on guitars as well as Mark Alano, bass player Wally Hustin, drummer Rick Witek, synthesizer player Paul Pisciotto, and keyboard man Brian Moritz. An album that spent seven years in the making should either be a masterpiece…or a disaster.

The gentl...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Limb Music/Sound Pollution

SANDSTONE has been around since 2003. Founded by guitarist Stevie McLaughlin and singer Sean McBay they opted for their own material right from the start. Bass player David McLaughlin (yes, they are brothers) and drummer Paddy Flemming completed the line-up. First up was a debut album, “Tides of Opinion” in 2006 followed by a follow-up in 2009, “Purging the Past”. The latter was praised by no other than Bruce Dickinson of IRON MAIDEN. Now it´s time for the difficult third album, and it seems they go for progressive melodic metal. The major changes since last time is the drummer switch, Paddy´s been replaced by Dan Lafford, and Sean has taken on rhythm guitar duties. Aw well, convince me!

Opener “Reckless Thought” says Ireland not out of the game...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Lion Music/Warner

In the mid-nineties vocalist Ian Parry was looking to follow up the success of his solo album “Thru´ the Looking-Glass”. He wanted something ambitious, and it would take until 1999 before this album was finalized. The ELEGY touch surely helpend sales, as did probably the inclusion of world-renowned guitarist Patrick Rondat and ex VENGEANCE bassist Jan Bijlsma. Today it might be at least as helpful to have KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood and AYREON star ARJEN LUCASSEN as guest on one track, playing the bass. Other musicians in the first incarnation were; guitarist Stephan Lill (VANDENPLAS) and well-travelled drummer Dirk Bruinenberg. Apart from the eleven originals this re-mastered edition contains two bonus tracks.

The story of power hungry people´s quest for a...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

Norwegians LONELY KAMEL is in the business of stoner rock. Surely no-one doubts that after seeing the band name and the cover… The band has only been around for three years, still they have released two albums and shared stage with bands like MONSTER MAGNET and KARMA TO BURN. Blues, grooves and booze seems to be the band´s motto, and it works well enough for them to have a go at their third release. I wonder if tracks like “Grim Reefer” will be enough to make every listener high on the music alone?

Bluesy stoner it is, straight from the opening chord of “Grim Reefer”, the hypnotic voice of guitarist Thomas Brenna fills my ears. They change pace once, but mostly the stubborn repetition of the likeable riff is the main concept...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

Introducing BOBBY KIMBALL and JIMI JAMISON feels like asking a catholic who the pope is. But anyway… Bobby rose to fame as the voice of TOTO between 1977-84, and 1998-2008, while Jimi was, and is the returning lead vocalist of SURVIVOR. Both of them has been solo artists, or are, and have a wide experience of making music. To enhance things further they have enlisted the aid of a.o. Jim Peterik (SURVIVOR, PRIDE OF LIONS), JOHN WAITE and Erik Mårtensson of W.E.T and ECLIPSE, while Mat Sinner (SINNER) handled the production. The backing musicians are; excellent German guitarist Alex Beyrodt, bass man Mat Sinner, keyboardist Jimmy Kresic and drummer Martin Schmidt. I sthis what the melodic rock community has been waiting for?

Well, after “Worth Fighting for” I´d say yes! Actu...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

German mediaeval metal band SALTATO MORTIS has been quite successful. From humble beginnings in 2000, this combo has successfully combined their folk and metal influences and turned into a band to be counted with. Eight albums to date, and a highly successful DVD recently, sounds like more than they bargained for in the first place. They all have tongue wrecking names that are impossible to remember, perhaps the song material lingers better?

Contagious might be the right word. The mix of German rock, some metal and a lot of mediaeval instruments makes they boy wonders back home no doubt. The in-your-face character of the songs makes it difficult for me to see them as mediaeval, in spite of their colorful live show...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Ministry Founder Al Jourgensen, the godfather of industrial metal, has long been known as his country doppelganger, Buck Satan – an ode to Jourgensen’s longtime country hero Buck Owens, who just prior to his death “blessed” Jourgensen’s country side project Buck Satan & The 666 Shooters. Featuring guest artists from the metal world as well as country artists, fiddlers, cellists, pedal steel guitars, mandolins, banjos, Jourgensen digs deep into the vaults of his extensive knowledge of country music to produce this array of original tracks as well as a nod to Gram Parsons on Drug Store Truck Driving Man. Jourgensen describes the music as “Heavy Western” or “Country Core.”

Well, I have to say this is definitely very very different to Ministry...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Danish band Fate are a band that has been through plenty of lineup changes since the band first formed in 1984. After almost ten years, several lineup changes and several album releases, the band split in 1993. The band then reformed in 2006, and since then have had yet more lineup changes, released a new album (”V”), and are now ready to release their latest album – ”Ghosts from the past” – hopefully with a stable lineup this time. Original member Peter Steincke is the only member of the band remaning from the bands 1980’s incarnation.

”Children of the night” opens with some 80s keyboard sounds before the guitar kicks in and is a great guitar driven melodic rock song

”Seeds of terror” is a slightly heavier guitar driven track and is the first song on the album to do without a keyboard ...