Posted in Cd Reviews

Angel Air/Border

The second album of 1971/72 success HARD STUFF ”Bolex dementia” was another example of an album that was delayed in the wrong time. But after a serious accident traveling from a gig in Frankfurt´s Zoom Club the band had no choice since their guitarist/vocalist and drummer were hooked up in a Belgian hospital, lucky to be alive. Almost a year after the iron was hot this cramped release was first heard, sporting a legendary awful cover, which did them no favors. The band broke up shortly afterwards, with DuCann and Hammond reforming ATOMIC ROOSTER, and Gustafson joining ROXY MUSIC. Is the album as bad as the cover?

The subject of the title is madness, and the title track, hushed away at the very last spot of the B-side, is not short of that description...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Angel Air/Border

HARD STUFF was first known as BULLET, but changed to avoid confusion with an American band. Behind the words stood three experienced musicians with careers both behind an in the future; John DuCann, guitars/vocals, (ex ATTACK, ex. ANDROMEDA, ex. ATOMIC ROOSTER), Paul Hammond, drums (ex. ATOMIC ROOSTER), and JOHN GUSTAFSON, bass (ex THE MERSEYBEATS, ex. QUATERMASS). A heavily touring band, often as support to DEEP PURPLE or URIAH HEEP, they almost ended up dead on the road in a car crash in Germany. The band´s story was seriously hampered when DuCann and Hammond were seriously injured, and bedridden for long rendering them far too late with the follow-up to this 70´s success...

Posted in Gig/Festival Reviews

First up tonight are the support band. Earlier dates on the tour had The Treatment as support, but tonight the support came from veteran rockers New York Dolls. They took to the stage considerably earlier than advertised, but the venue was already pretty busy when they came on. A backdrop limited them to using the front portion of the stage, but this seemed to suit their style anyway. They got a fairly good response from the crowd but their performance did feel a bit lacking to me, and the sight of David Johansen regularly checking a folder of lyrics didnt inspire much confidence.

There were plenty of fans dresed up in costumes and horror makeup and before Alice Cooper’s set then some of these were picked out to come on stage and be judged for the best costumes – the winners getting ca...

Posted in Interviews

There are not many truly active bands still remaning from the glory days of the NWOBHM. The band split in the mid eighties, after two albums, but the resurgence via the internet caused BITCHES SIN to return roughly 20 years later.The first sign of life was ”UDUVUDU”, and now the follow-up ”The Rapture” is here. The band is both new and old these days; Guitarist Ian Toomey soldiers on, surounded by a world-renowned producer, Chris Tsangarides, on guitar, and Macca on bass. Vocalist chris Mills has a past in rock music and drummer Steve Turton is part of the older side of the band. But a rejuvenation might be the only way, as with BLITZKRIEG...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm Records/Sound Pollution

Their fascination of the legendary Atlantis still remains. VISIONS OF ATLANTIS now surpass four releases with a mini-album. The band has been on an apparently successful tour and wants to show their progress with some new and refreshed tracks, plus a catchy cover of SANDRA`S old hit “Maria Magdalena”.

The cover will be a hit! Remember the SANDRA original? This one has a slight touch of depressed seriousness but also the voices of Maxi Nil and Mario Plank. The arrangement captures the spirit of the original and adds the right touches to make it feel a VISIONS OF ATLANTIS track. This will do well when played in clubs and pubs. Of the remaining five two are re-workings, “Last Shut of Your Eyes” and “Beyond Horizon”, and the rest are totally new...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Massacre/Sound Pollution

Leather clad Germans MAJESTY return to the scene with a 2 CD of something new and old, but nothing borrowed and nothing blue. Founded by vocalist Tarek “MS” Maghary in the late 90´s they have not blushed from worshipping MANOWAR openly. They have opened for their heroes, and claim to be true metal. After a name change in 2008 (to METAL FORCE) they now return with a mixed bag of tracks, of which tow are new, the title track and the touring life tribute “Metal on the Road” are brand new. Most of their treasury is here, from the deleted first (raw) demo tape to their latest reunion efforts.

To get started on the right foot, “Metal Law” is spiced up by the crude voice of UDO Dirkschneider...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

Dennis “Fergie” Frederiksen rose to fame as vocalist of TOTO, and has cemented his position with bands and projects like TRILLION, LEROUX, FREDERIKSEN/PHILIPS, MECCA, FREDERIKSEN/DENANDER etc. This is a special album, being made during a period when Fergie was diagnosed and in therapy for cancer. In 2011 he was cured, and had a new record to display. Written from a perspective of how much you have to lose and the joy of being alive this is bound for glory…or?
Apart from being written in companionship with Jim Peterik (ex. SURVIVOR, PRIDE OF LIONS), the albuim also boosts the talents of Dennis Ward, bass and production, Dirk Bruinenberg, drums, Eric Ragno, keyboards, and Nathan Eshman, guitars. The general feeling of joy and happiness is contagious...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Cyclone Empire/Sound Pollution

Hailing back to 1994 (as TERMINAL GRIP) PAGANIZER are slowly moving towards their 20th Anniversary. They might even hit 20 with their tenth album since this is their 8th. No fussing about with trends or infusions of other genres they wave the banner of old school death metal. Main man vocalist/guitarist Rogga Johansson is active in no less than eight bands. Here he is backed by lead guitarist Andreas Carlsson, bass player Anders Brisheim and drummer Jocke Ringdahl. Here comes “the blast of the undeniable death-machine” the info says, but is the fire still there?

A better title than “Total Lovecraftian Armageddon” will not be conceived! The opener is a bit pale though, the effort of hatching the title seems to have taken its toll...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Napalm/Sound Pollution

FORLORN was formed in 1990, and eventually morphed into ISOLE in 2003 to avoid mix-ups with another band. The reborn band released three albums in two years, with the debut “Forevermore” in 2006 and both “The Beyond” and “Throne of Void” in 2008. Moving to Napalm Records they released “Silent Ruins” in 2009, and a successor in the same apocalyptic vein was promised. “Born from Shadows” is here now, the future of Swedish doom is saved…or?

Opener “The Lake” has a familiar ring to its title (KING DIAMOND anyone?) but the style is not quite that of ISOLE in the past. I miss the near CANDLEMASS pace of yesteryear is replaced by a more arty approach...

Posted in Cd Reviews

”Under the grey banner” is the latest album from Swedish symphonic power metal band, Dragonland. It’s been a long wait for their fans with their last album (Astronomy)having been released. The new album is a concept album relating to mythology and fantasy.

In the words of Olof Mörck: ”After ’Astronomy’, we knew we needed to explore our music further not to risk becoming a band that releases music every year cast in the same mold, so the idea from the beginning was: what would it be like with a metal album based in fantasy that respects the literary genre, that actually tries to be mature and that enriches said fantasy world with inspiration from millenias of human mythology? To make a neoclassical album filled with overly bombastic clichés of steel clad warriors was out of the question...