Posted in Cd Reviews

AOR Records/Sound Pollution

Behind the moniker PHOENIX RISING stands guitarist Andrea Maddalone (NEW TROLLS, session musician) and lead vocalist/drummer Titta Tani (ASHENT, GOBLIN etc). After a successful EP, “Give It a Name” in 2012 the band were on their way. They state influences like BOSTON, JOURNEY, PRIDE OF LIONS and GIANT, and they seem to be aiming very high.

The eighties poppy opener “No Lie to Say” boosts electronic sounding retro drums, a nice chorus but alas not the star quality of their peers. On the other hand that may well be the weaker spot on the album, odd choice for an opener. And “It´s Up to You and Me” will not please the target group of listeners either...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Frontiers/BAM

Here´s a new one, imagine three guys, members or associated with Italian heavy metal band LABYRINTH doing a moderns sounding hard rock album?! Well this is not a mirage, it has happened. Guitarist Andrea Cantarelli, bassist/vocalist Roberto Tiranti and drum ace Alessandro Bissa /VISION DIVINE) are A PERFECT DAY, and have debuted with Frontiers Records.

On the strong side this album contains a lot of well played and highly skilled melodic hard rock. The voice suits the music, the songs are of a quality that would work in many genres..but it is very modern sounding in places. Their self titled opener has a touch of its own, but the refrain can´t reach as high as possible due to the modern sound...

Posted in Press Releases

Vi är oerhört glada att kunna presentera Mando Diao till Norrköping i sommar! Borlängegrabbarna har under loppet av tio år släppt ifrån sig fem stycken studioalbum som sålt mer än 1,5 miljoner exemplar runt om i världen vilket gör dem till ett av våra internationellt mest framgångsrika band på den här sidan millennieskiftet. I sommar kommer de endast att ställa sig på ett par få festivalscener för att framföra musiken från den senaste succéskivan Infruset så därför känns det extra kul att de väljer att besöka Bråvalla Festival.

Mando Diao har som band visat sig vägra att stagnera, som om utrymmet i den garagerock de utgick ifrån vid debuten Bring em In 2002 inte var tillräckligt för all fantastisk musik inom dem...

Posted in Press Releases

Singer/songwriter Chantal Claret unveils an exciting new direction, blending big 60s beats with a contemporary hip hop embellishment, for her new solo debut ‘The One, The Only…’out in the UK this March.

Fans around the world know the little lady with the big voice for her time fronting acclaimed rock band Morningwood, whose “catchier than Chlamydia hooks” (as described by Rolling Stone), led to sold-out tours around the world, countless film and television appearances and a No. 1 debut on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.

Written and co-produced by Chantal, new album ‘The One, The Only..’ puts a modern twist on early femme-pop, getting inspiration from the clubs she used to sneak into underage...

Posted in Press Releases

WITH A storming new stomp in their boots and a renewed, lithe swagger to their legendary sound, Saxon will release “Sacrifice”, on 25th February 2013 through UDR Records. Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on this, their 20th album, Saxon have produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy successor to their last album “A Call To Arms”. “Less tricks, more power!” roars frontman and founding father Biff Byford, “my brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.”

The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced by Byford with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Swiss melodic death metal band Dreamshade formed in 2006, and in 2008 released their debut EP – To The Edge Of Reality. After two years of touring and playing festivals including Metalfest, Metalcamp and Summer Breeze open air, they signed to Spinefarm records. In January 2011 they released their debut album (What silence hides). Since then they’ve been busy touring, playing more festivals and recording their second album – The gift of life. Now that album is ready to be released. The band recorded the album in their own recording studio and then brought in Jacob Hansen, a man with a seriously impressive reputation, to handle the mixing and mastering.

Guitarist Rocco Ghielmini says of the album ”The songs’ lyrics are mainly about common life situations: questions, torments, thoughts, ...

Posted in Cd Reviews

Swedish rock band takes our head again..

Rock, we could say, is the genre, what everybody knows. Maybe not like, or love, like thousands and millions of funs all over the world, just simply knows. Anyway the name is with us: in movie titles, on t-shirts, and so on, and so on.. And this is what actually counts. So what? Rock is important, heroic, and gives us emotions. Last but not least people likes to think that it’s even so easy to write a rock melody. Ojjoj: false. You will only like or love the actual song, if you feel or find the soul in. Soul of rock. The real one I mean.

Stallion Four guys give us the chance to find this soul, what we need. (I try to be not so emotional- blame rock music!) On the other side there is also the part of the great eighties...

Posted in Interviews

Jag blir ombedd att möta två av medlemmarna från Soilwork på Hotell Hellsten i Stockholm. Gruppen kommer snart släppa sitt senaste alster ”The Living Infinite” (release i mars). Det är deras nionde studioalbum, och jag är en av de lyckliga som fått förlyssna på skivan innan dagens intervju.
Jag möter upp sångaren Björn ”Speed” Strid och bassisten Ola Flink, som sitter i hotellets bardel i bruna skinnfåtöljer. Killarna har haft en lång dag redan, fullspäckad med intervjuer, men är fortfarande pigga och pratar gärna om ”The Living Infinite”. Hur skulle de då beskriva den?

– Åh, detta epos, säger de leende. Nej, men jag tror folk kommer känna igen sig, även om vi har tagit ut svängarna lite mer än vanligt faktiskt...

Posted in Press Releases

www.davidbronsonmusic.com
www.facebook.com/david.ian.bronson
www.twitter.com/bronsondavid

‘If you like well-produced, catchy, decent guitar playing and solid vocals then you’ll like this.’ – Gold Flake Paint

After a number of years of writing, producing, and recording, David Bronson officially releases the first instalment of a 22-song cycle project, The Long Lost Story, in the UK. ‘Story’ is the first album out now, to be followed by ‘The Long Lost’ later in the year. To celebrate the occasion, Bronson gives away two free downloads of tracks from the record, accompanied by beautifully intimate new videos.

Bronson on the tracks:
”’Easier’ is a very reflective kind of song, roughly narrating some of the story of the record, in a hopeful, if kind of wary way...

Posted in Press Releases

NEW ALBUM ‘ANGELS WITHOUT WINGS’
OUT FEBRUARY 18TH 2013 ON NAVIGATOR RECORDS

‘Angels Without Wings’ is an album of original compositions glowing with special guests from the worlds of folk, pop, rock and bluegrass. Featuring collaborations with Mark Knopfler, King Creosote, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Karine Polwart, Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) Julie Fowlis and more

“A voice that’s both awestruck and tender” (The New York Times)
US Indie Acoustic Award, twice BBC Folk Awards nominee

When Mark Knopfler and Jerry Douglas offered to play on Heidi Talbot’s new album, they thoughtfully recorded their parts in several different styles – some were instantly recognisable, others more low-key...