Reviews

With "The Killer Instinct," Black Star Riders keep up the next phase of the Thin Lizzy evolution, sticking all the way through to the winning songwriting-and-arrangement formula that turned the Irish rockers into legends.

Kiske / Somerville for short is the pairing of Michael Kiske (Unisonic, Place Vednome), former lead voice of Helloween, and Amanda Somerville (Trilium, Avantasia). Two fascinating vocalists who are highly regarded in the metal and hard rock…

Martin's guitar artistry is the main and only truly good reason to listen to "Order of Play," which is otherwise completely dispensable, if not downright unnecessary, as a live recording.

With their new album, Ludovik Material offer a glimpse into a band with real heart. Boldly, and bathed in the glow of full-blooded, freedom-loving musical substance you can almost touch, they build up their sonic and stylistic originality…

The great rhythmic spirit of Eye of the Tiger still smolders in the embers of AOR's fiery passion!

Always lucid and mischievous, the old Gong wizard bid farewell with "I See You," the final voyage of his flying teapot, in a surprisingly brilliant way, crafting a last musical act that stands right up there with the peaks of his rich…

"Un' Isola" sounds just as good live as the original album "L' Isola Di Niente" did forty years ago, while PFM prove beyond a doubt that they haven't gotten the least bit 'rusty' when it comes to reviving old material.

"Dan zatvorenih vrata" is yet another record that shows just how much Hladno pivo have matured as artists. And it doesn't crawl under your skin right away, since the arrangements are so meticulously detailed.

Cordura's debut is an astral upgrade on Tim Draksler's solo first outing Morbid Desire, and an attempt at interesting-sounding progressive thrash that actually pulls it off.

The reunion of Šank Rock is one of the biggest events to shake up the Slovenian rock scene last year. The result is a record with four new tracks and reworked Šank Rock classics.

The new album is fresh proof of the incredible creative freshness and evergreen creativity that clings to the band even into its mature years and never lets up. A masterpiece and surely a contender for one of the best rock albums that have…

"A masterpiece and surely a contender for one of the best rock albums to come out (and still to come out) on the Slovenian music scene in 2015!"

The new EP from Swedish "super group" The Resistance will fire up fans of old-school Swedish death metal, though it's seasoned with newer hardcore elements and a pinch of melodic death metal.

Over his vast and incredibly varied musical career, Peter Hammill has proven time and again that he needs no outside help to pull off ambitious studio projects, and »...All That Might Have Been...« is no exception.

The new album from comeback band Cholane will appeal to anyone who loves the classic German heavy metal school. Call it the Teutonic school, led by Accept and Victory, while the vocal approach brings Saxon to mind.

A phenomenal setlist and an incredible zest with which the titans of progressive rock play some of the best chapters from their own and Hammill's solo careers are the key reasons why »Merlin Atmos« is a must for every loyal VDGG…

»Heroes and Villains«, the band's ninth studio album overall, picks up the story so successfully told by both »Rockville« albums, and it also celebrates the band's first 30 years!

Radio Unfriendly is undeniably a wild album, but judging by the running times and the structure of the songs, plenty of these tracks could be pitched as potential radio hits.

»The Grand Experiment« is strictly for the die-hard Neal Morse devotees, the ones who'll forgive a few clichéd arrangements and the leaning on some seriously worn-out instrumental and vocal tricks.

»A Ghost« is a gorgeous concert document, one where PFM bring one of the brightest chapters of their career back to life on stage, with plenty of passion and a touch of nostalgia.

Remarkably well balanced in quality, »The Unquiet Sky« is a classic Arena album that will remind plenty of people of their best past achievements, while blending just the right mix of winning formula and fresh touches, so it…

If you know this singer's body of work, you'll surely be thrilled with "Over My Dead Body", an album that shows us Tony Mills in a slightly different but once again utterly fascinating light, full of creative perfection and the vocal…

A gorgeous, polished new entry in the band's rich discography, though this time they put more weight on sophisticated arrangements, which take priority over the extreme forms of metal on the album.

After three years, Slovenia's own Celtic punk-rock assault troops Happy Ol' McWeasel are back on the scene with a new album. The new album "Heard Ya Say!" cements their position on home turf, where there really aren't many similar bands, if…

"Steven Wilson remains the guiding light of modern progressive rock even after the excellent »Hand. Cannot. Erase«, where, while blending a whole range of musical influences, he uses a moving concept to deliver some very welcome and…

Steven Wilson remains the guiding light of modern progressive rock even after the excellent »Hand. Cannot. Erase«, an album where, while blending a wide range of musical influences, he uses a moving concept to put forward some very welcome…

»Wolflight« is a classic Hackett album, made the way most of his fans want it and a worthy follow-up to the best moments of his solo career, even if it brings nothing thrillingly innovative.

With their fourth album, technically polished and packed with dynamics, Texas In July prove they've matured as musicians, and there's a hint of even more to come.

We all know Neca Falk. After more than ten years, the esteemed Slovenian singer and musician has decided to put out a new album. This time she's teamed up with some seriously interesting players: two key pillars (and members) of Katalena,…

»Penitenziagite! Watch out for the draco who cometh in futurum to gnaw your anima!« Time to repent!

»War of Kings« shows off the band's wealth of experience, and with the new album Europe hold on to the career credibility built by the string of solid studio efforts from their first era. »Bag of Bones« put the band back on that track, and…

The release of the new Toto album is a true celebration for every music connoisseur out there, because "Toto XIV" lives up to all the sky-high expectations of the loyal fans who had to wait patiently a full nine years for the big moment.

I'd say this is a live album where H.E.A.T. come across even more convincing than in the studio, and the songs grab harder and crawl further under your skin than the studio originals. That's the quality that puts H.E.A.T. among the best of…

If you're a Journey fan, you have to check this one out. It deserves your full attention: it's an impressively solid copy, or rather a close approximation, of the original. Not identical, but sonically and performance-wise very faithfully…

»Generation Steel« is the band's ninth studio album, and once again Majesty stay the stylistic and sonic constant.

I Am The Fire isn't a game-changer, but that's what makes it such a fun, dynamic record that blends heavy metal and hard rock elements nicely. It's a solid nudge for Gus to keep going with his solo career, which is looking pretty successful…

Dedication and devotion to polishing the arrangements are richly rewarded. Jernej Zoran's new album, in the sheer musical compactness of its tracks and his refined guitar playing, is a gorgeous piece of work, devoted to the legacy of rock…

"Just like with the album »Stratosfera«, the new album »Romeo, Julija in tatovi sonca« is another document in Jernej Zoran's discography that doesn't have a single track you could call filler to pad out the running time"

Rudi Bučar remains, with the album »Konǝc«, an absolute one-of-a-kind in the Slovenian music scene, someone who never stops impressing with the sharpness of the way he channels traditional melos into his very own singer-songwriter dossier

The band keeps evolving, maturing and growing, and the new album carries the musical stamp of real, tangible songwriting identity.

»Live at the Orpheum« doesn't have enough performances from the two nights to give listeners who haven't (yet) seen the latest version of King Crimson the full concert experience, but there's still enough good stuff on it to get at least a…

Just eight months after Queen's second album, "Sheer Heart Attack" came crashing into the world.

A people's album that will be rolling around the folds of your brain for a good while! Such is Slovenian »morbida« in 2015! "In Natriletno kolobarjenje s praho" is its thoroughly authentic imprint.

"So that's what it looks like? Slovenian "morbidity" in 2015! And Natriletno kolobarjenje s praho is its supremely authentic imprint. A gutsy experiment that is provocative throughout, hits straight and head-on, and is unbridled in its…

A solid first step in their career and a nicely honed rock debut that the band can be proud of.

Obsolescence is a must-have for every death metal fan. The band smartly blends elements of old-school and modern death metal while building its own identity, though it'll take another album or two to really nail that down.

Can you imagine what metal that wants to go to Eurovision sounds like?

»Še vedno živ« is gloomy, sure, but it's played with heart and total devotion to the faith of rock'n' roll. It works like a live album, and on it Charlie Butter Fly build their recognizable musical dossier, which is typically…

"Stripped Down" packs in 14 live tracks, covering Springfield's hits, three covers (Oh Well, Rollin' & Tumblin' and Baby Blue) and one brand-new song with the playfully titled If Wishes Were Fishes.

With their fourth album, Enforcer cement their status as one of the best bands devoted to reviving old-school eighties metal. Their packaging, all about recycling familiar contents, stays hugely convincing.

Beardfish have once again made a thoroughly fascinating album, one where every repeat listen still turns up plenty of surprises and overlooked details, so that amid the excellent atmospheric balance the fun never runs out, courtesy of the…

It's great to realize that a band can still deliver such a positive shock of freshness and real, hard-hitting rock power in their golden years! And they said they'd retired. Good thing they didn't!

For Supertramp, breakfast in the heart of exploitative capitalism, a system they never went easy on in their lyrics, went down a treat. With »Breakfast in America« they stormed the top of the world's charts with hit after hit and made an…

From a distance it looks like the wrapper of your favorite perfume bottle, but get closer and a real corporate monster leaps out at you, the machine of modern-day (slave) ownership, grinding, grinding and grinding....

"A Conspiracy of Stars" is an album with a clearly defined musical vision and focus, and the old veterans stay loyal to it like grizzled desperadoes who haven't lost an ounce of punch or shine with age. UFO don't hold back.

"Good evening. Come in, come in. Sit close."

A completely redundant live document. We wouldn't even be having this thought if Uriah Heep stopped recording new albums that no longer grab anyone with their substance, and freshened up their predictable live repertoire.

You could say that, in combination with both orchestras and the guest singers, Rage created an exceptionally beautiful album to close out an era of the band, one that shows the maturity of its creators' unsuspected talents, especially the…

With »Beyond The Red Mirror«, Blind Guardian have once again built a fascinating bridge between the worlds of fantasy and reality, creating a concept masterpiece that's sure to be one of the top contenders for best metal album of 2015.

Juggernaut could be the end of it all. Or the start of something new. Periphery have shown just how much is possible when it comes to giving djent some real meaning.

What happens when three hard rock heavyweights, I'd even say titans of hard rock, join forces? Revoluton Saints are born, along with an outstanding "mishmash" of (mostly!!) Journey influences, plus Night Ranger and Whitesnake,

This latest live document from Bristol, featuring stellar full-length performances of two classic Yes albums, is eloquent proof of why it's a good thing that the elder statesmen of progressive rock, despite the respectable age of most of…

»Ludi Voyak« is sure to appeal to many fans of an avant-garde take on progressive rock.

By the end of the seventies, as their deal with Island ran out, Jade Warrior had hit the peak of their most creative phase. »Way of the Sun« is the proof.

Thunder have never sounded as nostalgic as they do on "Wonder Days". It's as if the circle of their career has closed and they've taken one more look back at where their mission began.

»Armageddonize« is a record that melodic rock fans, Eclipse fans, and fans of the other Scandinavian melodic rock revivalists will grab with both hands. The magic and the spark aren't dying out. They've just become predictable.

»Inside the Vertigo« is a stylistic departure from the discography of this fascinating and highly respected singer, but Jeff pretty much needed this album to get all the anger and negative emotion out of his system.

The album »The Blessed Curse« very successfully and effectively catches up with the brightest chapters of Manilla Road's discography. With a bit more care put into the production, which sadly limps on this record, it would have reached even…

Visigoth's studio debut will appeal to anyone who digs American bands anywhere between the newer Jag Panzer and the fossilized, wildly unhinged forms of cult heroes Manilla Road.

With »Wearewhoweare«, Pallas have made the darkest album of their long, complex career. Amid plenty of shattering arrangements and moving moments, it also serves up a lot of 'food for thought' in a world where thinking too hard for yourself…

Going instrumental on "Electric Savage" was a hugely welcome call, because the virtuoso talents of the individual players, especially the two main 'stars', get a bit more room to shine than they did on the predecessor "Strange New Flesh".

The Haunted are back, and they've done it right. This is the band that gave us The Haunted Made Me Do It and One Kill Wonder. Maybe it's not a masterpiece, but it's an album with balls, and it shows a lot of potential for the current…

The album »Kvadrat« defines the band's musical dossier even more sharply and, in doing so, cements its position as a one-of-a-kind sonic usurper in the underground music world of the Balkan region.

In these tough times, when only the kitsch and glitter of the colorless materialism of indifferent degenerates "count," the work of Društvo kočevskih glasbenikov is vital for preserving Slovenian (rock) musical and (more broadly) cultural…

The album »Uantaunataunatanara« is a new stylistic and sonic shift in the band's career. It sees them discovering new musical territory and widening their repertoire toward even more work with free-form jazz and even avant-garde music.

Iamdisease's second album shows good signs of natural progress. The songs feel more polished and the sound is undoubtedly better.

A fine document to set you off on an adventure into the musical world of Gamma Ray, and one that may well tempt you into collecting all the classic Gamma Ray albums being reissued bit by bit throughout this year.

The Brazilian prog metal nightingales are back!

The superb live document »Vital« offered a great glimpse of a VDGG lineup bursting at the seams with untamed energy and fighting spirit, which makes it all the harder to believe it was the prog legends' last show before their (temporary)…

»Decadent« is the 14th studio album from U.D.O. , led since 1987 by none other than Udo Dirkschneider, the former untamed, ultimate frontman voice of the classic Accept albums of the eighties.

55 minutes of pure magic, treading the floorboards of the old-school heavy metal textbooks. A brilliant, credible heir to the band's first two albums, and under the baton of Axel Julius it announces Scanner's return in grand style.

A rock and metal opera that, with all the demanding aspects of its conceptual starting points and the visionary genius of the exceptional Trond Holter, delivers an experience like nothing you've heard before. And Jorn Lande, of course,…

Stormwitch got away with their skin intact on this album. Times have changed, so you can't expect the potency of the eighties from the old guard of German metal. The new album shows some bite, but it's missing a touch more fire.

For all the high-flying live sparks this document captures so authentically and wholeheartedly, the only miss is that there aren't at least three or four more originals in the set. Still, Travers has set a stage on fire yet again!

A proven, effective hard rock album with infectious melodic rhetoric and occasional detours into the German school of metal a la Primal Fear. This one will be of particular interest to fans of the bands and projects that Russell Allen and…

Antioksidanti are a rock band from Ajdovščina that has been active since 2009. Their studio debut packs 10 original tracks of short, punchy rock that has no patience for rambling and gets to the heart of the message fast.

Thunderbabies are yet another very well-guarded secret of the Slovenian alternative rock underground. After a good ten years of waiting, they've finally put out their second studio album. Raw and crunchy, garage-corrupted, rasping and…

Monowi Twins can basically be called an alternative outfit, but one that takes in musical information far more broadly, since the form of the songs is loose enough genre-wise, unpolished and fresh. "Different" in the truest sense of the…

Burn fuse prove on their second outing that they're evolving, though at times they come across a little reserved. But if that's a sign they're saving the best for their first full-length, there's plenty to look forward to from Burn fuse.

Every once in a while an album comes along where everything is exactly in the right place. This brilliant creation by two outstanding music icons is a must for every fan of classic hard rock, with stunning melodic seasoning in its chorus…

The third album from German old-school heavy metal revivalists Alpha Tiger cements their status on the international metal scene!

The Swedish power metallers' sixth album trades the riff-first directness of its predecessor for a more bombastic punch, mostly thanks to keyboards that play a much bigger role in the arrangements.

Kotzen has delivered an exceptionally mellow, disco-flavored album that keeps all the distinctive songwriting identity of this fantastic artist and will surprise every fan of his catalog.

»Ravenhead« is a killer album, then, and hardcore fans of the kind of power metal that only the old European continent can produce in its tradition will grab it with both hands!

A debut album of undeniable songwriting and arranging chops: a brilliantly repackaged patchwork of ideas, experience and routine from a crew of seasoned musicians, devoted to the core tradition of Euro power metal.

These days, the EP »Spot The Pigeon« is of interest only to collectors of rare records and Genesis fanatics who want to complete their collection.

Sure, in 1977 Van Der Graaf were running without two of their four key 'generators', but they were still conducting enough energy to make another excellent record in "The Quiet Zone/The Pleasure Dome", one that set itself apart from their…

"The album 'Severnica – Zgodbe o odhajanju' is an exceptionally polished piece of work artistically, and one of the best albums on the Slovenian scene in 2014. "

"Čedahuči carry that timely pulse of baking folk melos with rock, and in the glow of its picturesque stringing together of natural sonic pastels, it could at any moment be a darling of radio frequencies. The EP »Čedahuči« is a work of…

Even though »World Record« often gets looked down on a bit next to its predecessor »Still Life«, it was hardly a weaker effort. With it, the classic Van Der Graaf Generator lineup delivered its last studio masterpiece for a long, long time.