Category Cd Reviews

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Lion Music/Leading Digital Platforms

ARACHNES are part of Lion Music´s new digital venture. The band hails from Italy and is based around vocalist Enzo Caruso and his guitar playing brother Frank (STRINGS 24). They list influences from a wide scope, denoting DEEP PUROPLE and QUEEN via YES, ELP, as well as MILES DAVIS and classical music. Eleven new songs plus a cover of DEEP PURPLE`S “Fireball” are on offer.

Opener “I Know the Darkness” is a fine example of YES inspired Italian power metal. The slight prog touch blends well with Frank´s guitar work and a nice enough refrain, a highlight. The first half of the album is the most interesting, and they really excel. YNGWIE MALMSTEEN is probably the number one influence, though not cited, but still a vibrant part...

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”Handful of dreams” is the superb debut album from London band Slam Cartel. The band can count Billy Morrison, Bass player for The Cult (and guitarist with Billy Idol) as one of their fans – and that’s a man who really knows about what makes good rock music.

A few comments on some of the tracks…

”Wishing eye” is the opening track and immediately impresses.

”Handful of dreams” has great guitar riffs, and like so many of the tracks on the album has parts that feel familiar even though its the first time you’ve heard the song.

”Once in a lifetime” is a cover of the Talking Heads classic, and they’ve really done a superb job on it – for a really good cover version a band needs to do something different to make it stand out from the original, but they still need to keep some resemblance...

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Lion Music/Warner

14 never before heard performances and seven new songs make up the numbers of this retro release of JAMES BYRD`S ATLANTIS RISING. Discovered only last year by lead vocalist Freddy Krumins, these songs tell the story of the time after James had left FIFTH ANGEL back in 1987. Recorded by a mobile, like “Smoke on the Water”, these raw tracks of Greek mythology and lost love will entertain fans of the finest American heavy metal of 1987, or?

US heavy metal has never been this much influenced by SCORPIONS, RAINBOW, UFO, and YNGWIE J MALMSTEEN. The classical themes was mostly European, but right from the solo of “Chasing the Shadows” through to the acoustic guitar picking of “Requiem Atlantis” the material is not really US sounding...

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Lion Music/Warner

CONSORTIUM PROJECT is the creation of Ian Perry (ELEGY etc.). Every album, this being the fifth since 1999, has featured an armada of prominent guests, and this time is no exception. Playing on this one are; guitarists like Stephan Lill (VANDEN PLAS), bassists like Kris Gildenlöw (PAIN OF SALVATION) and drummer Casey Grillo of KAMELOT. The epic story is based around the destruction of the earth and how females save the day. Ian celebrates 25 years in rock and metal, is it a worthy celebration?

This is supposed to be a heavy installment in the series, which is noted right from the start. Opening intro “Epilogue (Storyteller)” has a ring of KING DIAMOND to it, and together with the heavy and progressive “Life on Earth” it makes my expectations rise...

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Angel Air/Border

YOUNG BLOOD was formed back in the early eighties. Included among the countless bands of the NWOBHM they may not ring a bell (of more than a UFO single), but they were a good example of victims of circumstances. Their melodic take on the NWOBHM got them on tour with PHIL LYNOTT`S GRAND SLAM, TOKYO BLADE, STRAY and MOTÖRHEAD. A record contract was offered, more than one actually, but the constant instability of the group caused delay, and during that period things changed in the record company offices. Ultimately guitarist/vocalist Stewart Goodchild´s aspirations were cut short by grunge in the early nineties, but YOUNG BLOOD had folded in 1986. Here are the rare “First Blood” EP, plus a full unreleased album.

Opener “Fantasy” is a reminder of days gone by...

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Vicisolium Productions/Sound Pollution

EXELOUME är ett norskt thrashband, som hämtar sinidéer från tidig amerikansk thrash och Old School dödsmetall. Omslaget har legenden Ed Repka gjort, gästar gör Andy LaRoque och Dan Swanö, som även mixat och mastrat. Bandet i sig består av Tom ”Welhaven” Wahl, gitarr, André Ulriksen, gitarr, Öystein Haltbakk, sång, Johnny Wangberg, bas, och Alessandro Elide, trummor. Uppskrivna är de så det räcker, hur låter det egentligen?

Introt ”Lex Talionis” är faktiskt så bra att de borde gjort det till en hel låt. 0.51 kort är det inget typiskt skvalintro utan en melodisk men kort låt. Därutöver noterar jag att ”Blind Billions” och ”The Bitsa Maniac” håller mycket god amerikansk klass, låtar som de amerikanska förebilderna gärna hade gjort...

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”Rarities & Reacharounds” is a limited edition EP from The Erotics, which consists of six previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1996 and 2001. The EP is on a Vinyl effect CD, in a plain black sleeve & a gatefold inlay with track details, giving it a very retro feel. The EP is limited to 100 copies, all hand numbered, making it a must for the bands fans.

A nice touch is that the CD inlay lists for each track, what year it was recorded and what the band’s lineup was for it. Over the 6 tracks, there are four different band lineups represented

While the bands last album (”Today The Devil, Tomorrow The World”) had a sleaze rock feel, the tracks on this EP have far more of a punk sound, but its not pure punk – the sleaze feeling is still there, it’s just not as prominent as in their new...

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Frontiers/BAM

1982, young guitarist Laurie Mansworth exits MORE. To get into the more melodic vein he hooks up with vocalist Keith Murrell, bass player Jim Reid, keyboardist Toby Sadler and drummer Jason Bonham, the son of LED ZEPPELIN drummer John. To keep things ZEPPELIN style they sign with manager Peter Grant, who subsequently signs them to Atco/Atlantic Records. Not bad for a young band. Beau Hill worked with the band on “Shaft of Light”, a lighter than they wished for affair, but still highly regarded by the press. In spite of gigs with bands like AC/DC, QUUEN and TED NUGENT the band crashed to a halt in the summer of ´85. 25 five years later the debut albums gets an anniversary re-release overhaul, in effect reuniting the band. Gigs with the likes of THUNDER and TESLA followed...

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Frontiers/BAM

20 studio albums, and more than 33 million albums sold worldwide since 1968. That is a very short description of progressive symphonic rock band YES. Today the band consists of the perennial bass player Chris Squire, plus well-travelled guitarist Steve Howe, drummer Alan White, who´s been around since album number five, Geoff Downes, who´s more famous as a member of ASIA, and new boy Benoit David, who was brought in to replace the ill Jon Anderson in time for the reunion in 2008. For this album the band has rejoined forces with Grammy Award winning producer Trevor Horn, who also helped out with songwriting and added the aid of ASIA keyboardist Geoff Downes for the benefit of the album. Is the music all that good?

Being a progressive symphonic rock band of old foxes they of ...

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Napalm/Sound Pollution

Dutch Goth metal outfit STREAM OF PASSION goes for the throat with their fourth release “Darker Days”. Spearheaded by Mexican vocalist Marcela Bovio, Dutchmen Martijn Peters (drums), Johan Van Stratum (bass), Eric Hazelbroek (rhythm guitar), Stephan Schultz (lead guitar) and Jeffrey Revet (keyboards) seem like a stable line up, with a penchant for playing live. They are so adamant on playing live that they have explored different styles and incorporated them to suite the stage. More wonders of the world are promised, let´s scrutinize the album.

Different genres is the battle cry. Opener “Lost” has a slight tango ring to it, which makes it quite original. The more complex “Reborn” may have depths and dimensions, but it doesn´t linger...