Steamhammer/SPV/Playground FULLFORCE entered the scene in 2009 as a vehicle for vocalist Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE), guitarists Stefan Elmgren (ex. HAMMERFALL) and C.J. Grimmark (ex. NARNIA), bassist Tommy Larsson, (ex. HEED) and well-travelled drummer Anders Johansson (ex. YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN, HAMMERFALL). Their debut “One” was unleashed in 2010. Now CJ has left and is replaced by…
Napalm/Sound Pollution The need for more genres and new ground to break leads to both digestible and indigestible results. Back in the year of your choice during the days of the Roman Empire they never foresaw this! Fronted by Kataklysm front man Mauriozio Iacono EX DEO devotes yet another album to the rather unbroken territory…
Napalm/Sound Pollution Californias newcomers HUNTRESS are contenders to the envious spot of the newcomer of 2012. Power and force can be found in most albums I review, but Jill Janus and her female approach to the chartered country of KING DIAMOND sure is interesting enough. The info says it´s epic and timeless, I´ll settle with…
German Power Metal legends Helloween are back with their fourteenth studio album. The first track on the album (and indeed the first single – check out the video on Youtube) is Nabatea. A departure from the typical subjects of rock and metal songs, this seven minute epic tells the tale of Nabatea (a real place)….
Greek singer/musician Tatiana Manolidou comes from a musical family, and has studied piano,vocal and theory of music from an early age. She has composed music for the Greek theatre and TV, as well performing many concerts across Greece and Cyprus. She provided vocals for the album ”Matricide” by Prog rockers La Tulipe Noire. Now she’s…
It’s been a long time since Wintersun released their debut album – eight years in fact. Jari Mäenpää appears to subscribe to the Axl Rose school of album making to take that long over an eagerly awaited album. So after eight years it would be reasonable to expect a superb album, but what Wintersun have…
”Lights out” is the follow up to 2011’s successful album ”Hisingen Blues” Since the release of that album they’ve seen their popularity soar and have toured and played festivals to capitalise on the album’s success. Expectations then for this new album, their third, are high. The band’s sound is still heavily influenced by 70s hard…
SPV/Playground Legendary US metal band VICIOUS RUMORS has definitely not kicked the bucket. 14 live and studio albums on they still soldier on. Some might say that their heyday passed after albums like “Soldiers of the Night” and “Digital Dictator”, which was back in the second half of the eighties, others like me prefer the…
VAN Records/Sound Pollution The three Dutchmen behind the moniker VANDERBUYST are probably never going to be as hip as now. As the word “fun” is more restricted than ever pure fun and hedonism guys guitarist Willem Vanderbuyst, drummer Barry Van Esbroek and bassist/vocalist Jochem Jonkman are the answers to most boring issues. Because this band…
Road Show Productions This French lot dates back to 1982, and debuted on vinyl for Axe Killer Records in 1984. Or rather guitarist Frenzy Philippon did. In 1989 the band disintegrated but, as is soon customary, Philippon revived the band in 1996 bringing in lead vocalist Nathalie Greyer and drummer Vince Kohler, who are still…
Frontiers/BAM SOLEIL MOON is a duo consisting of Larry King of MICHAEL THOMPSON BAND and well travelled keyboard player John Blasucci, who has played with most of the pop rock world stars. They debuted in 1999 with “Worlds Apart”, and became a name in Adult Contemporary rock. Apparently the new single “History Repeats Its Pages”…
Frontiers/BAM Ever since the release of the classic “Dawn Patrol” in 1982 NIGHT RANGER have been top of their game. I discovered them when I heard “Rock in America” on the Swedish Radio Show “Rockbox” in the mid eighties, and most people have some fond memories to their music. This album is nevertheless a celebration…