Posted in Interviews

Four crazy rockers from Jönköping exploded in the studio as the cold winter reached Sweden-, mixing nostalgic feelings with heavy rock, spicing it with a touch of sleaze to wake us up! Their “best of“ album shows the public, once again, what rock ‘n roll is all about.

“Shakedown Suzies is still an unsigned band – although nowadays this may not be that important. Jon and Agust are pretty busy with their other band, The Embodied, writing songs, working on the new album, the touring… and since we all believe that they need to dedicate more of their time to fulfill their dreams with The Embodied, we decided to record our best songs before it is too late.”

This rock n’ roll formation was established by vocalist Erik and guitarist Jon on an early cold winter morning after party in ...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

One of the best rock-metal competition of Sweden is getting close to its finish in the year, finding again notable groups to rock with them. Who loves the fresh blood? So, lets headbang hard in the end of the month, -the programme is not less, than ’young fighters’ with Hardcore Superstar in Stockholm- on 21st of December.

Released and unsigned is a competition in Sweden from 2010, clearly for unsigned, talented, and naturally impassioned bands. Guys are coming from everywhere, with different styles, and feelings, but who cares the ruins- just play us, ”nice boys, play, play, play rock ’n roll..”

The prize is huge: winner get the chance to play at Sweden Rock Festival in the next summer, so the stakes are really high, and the flurry also. But the rock audience likes the trilles…

Aft...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

Norwegian rock diva ISSA, or Isabell Oversveen, is getting a lot of attention for her efforts. First up was her debut “Sign of Angels” in 2010 and then came follow-up in 2011, “The Storm”, both were rewarded rather gratuitously, but not by me. This time around ISSA goes for 12 tracks of past glories, as she sets out to put her mark on classics by the likes of 21 GUNS, TANGIER, BLVD etc. Not a single track of her own means safety in a way, at least amongst genre buffs, but also that she will be put to the test and compared with legends.

AVIATOR`s “Can´t Stop” opens the exam. Though ISSA has a certain edge to her voice she does the track justice. The AOR magic is complete with dexterous keyboards and solid backing overall from HARDLINE personnel...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Funklord Dynasty

NUBIAN ROSE seems pretty much a vehicle for the charismatic front woman Sofia Lilja. Great reviews and a favorable release in their native Sweden have paved way for this unashamed 80´s party. Lots of radio potential and somewhere between DIO and JOURNEY the info states, let´s see…

Opener “Ever See Your Face” is pretty much in the promised vein; rather basic though efficient, but very Scandinavian. The title track has a more gritty riff, and leans far more in the direction of DIO. The moving balladry of “How Am I” reminisces of RICHARD MARX, and is a fine contribution to the overall impression...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Massacre/Sound Pollution

East Germans (yes, they´ve been at it since 1985) are the epitome of bad luck and oppression. Being one of the first on the East side of the famous Berlin wall they toured like crazy and won heaps of fans. But the regime banned them, and when that finally changed in 1989, their lead vocalist Detlef Wittenburg committed suicide and the band split. One reunion later, in 1993, drummer Rico Sauermann took his own life. The body count almost matches that of Shakespeare´s drama. Another decade passed, but then another return, then as now with bassist Hanjo Pabst and guitarist Ralf Klein, the ubiquitous members. Newer boys on the block are vocalist Olli Hippauf, guitarist Alexander Kopp, and drummer Simon Mengs. Who came aboard after their second album...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Black Lodge/Sound Pollution

HYSTERICA are back for a second stab at world domination. This album is said to incorporate classic metal, melodic metal, doom and power metal, that ought to have pretty much all basses covered? Since last time keyboard player Marydeath has joined, but is the all-round approach right?

The general feeling is not that of classic metal, since there is sharpness to the sound, and, quite often, a bit of growl that I did not detect seeing them live at Sävsjöfestivalen in their early days. I also find the album lacking refrains, and it takes until the rather beautiful “Message” before I find anything on offer interesting. Unfortunately the last half of the album only raises hell in “Force”, as they leave out the growl and provide a reasonable refrain...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Being a modern youth(ish) it is fair to say I come supplied with a degree of self-obsession. So when I saw a band called Te’ were up for review, I of course assumed it was some sort Yorkshire thing and having spent most of my formative years in Yorkshire I thought “aye, I’ll ‘ave a bit o’ that love”, under the assumption it was ‘te’ as in “I’m off te’ park” or something similarly colloquial. Incorrect, well just goes to show I should pay attention to the wider world and maybe read more. Te’ are definitely based in the wider world, hailing from Japan the band formed in 2004, ‘Therefore, the illusion of density breach, the tottering world “forget” tomorrow’ is their fourth album, and notably to followers of the band, it is the first album to feature new bassist Matsuda...

Posted in Cd Reviews

A review of SYN:DROM’s Iconoclasm

By Amanda Beadman

Iconoclasm is the latest offering from Swedish death metal band SYN:DROM. The release launches itself at the world without a backward step in the opening song, Black Dawn, with a brain drilling drum assault that sets the pace and the standard for the unravelling of the first two tracks.
There are occasional disruptive jolts to the relentless rhythm and growling, intense vocals, with these deviations more often adopting a cut and thrust formula where the guitar spirits itself out from beneath the density of the vocal layering to momentarily take centre stage – before ushering the commanding vocals back into their centrifugal position of dominance.
There are moments when the frenetic pace of the drums seems almost matched by the guitar,...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Classic punk-rock music is not always the easiest thing to find nowadays. Often, the sound is mistaken for the likes of boy-band, pseudo punk types who croon about lost loves and past transgressions; and many would claim the true, gritty punk sound has left the music industry.

But that is not always the case. English band The Machines newest release, The Machines is not a far cry from the classic punk sound. The band, from Southerland-on-Sea have been playing together since 1977, so it is no surprise the album hails towards a more authentic punk-rock sound.

The album opens with Racing. This song provides an energetic sound with a strong opening...

Posted in Cd Reviews

A review of Motorfinger’s Black Mirror

By Amanda Beadman

If we accept a linear interpretation of the way the loudest, heaviest music came to be – first there was rock, then hard rock, then heavy metal – then all the variants of metal splintered off, each vying for a new place in the evolution of powerful, intense musical genres.
If bands didn’t diversify their style and move away from metal as they evolved, they necessarily became heavier, darker, scarier, louder, angrier – or they just became Nickelback.
But some bands find what they like, work out how to do it well, and then they stick to it.
This is the case with Norwegian hard rock outfit Motorfinger.
You won’t find anything new here, but that won’t necessarily bother any listener who fondly remembers the era of Soundgarden, Al...