Reviews

»The Revölution By Night« had all the signature sonic trademarks of the unbeatable agents in black, plus an extra dose of arranging sophistication thanks to a hefty helping of shimmering synth textures, which only boosted their appeal to…

»Cornerstone« was a smash commercial hit on release and became the third Styx album in a row to climb to the top of the American charts, though with a bit more saccharine than usual, it doesn't reach the artistic heights of its two cult…

A document you could just as well call "The Eagle Has Landed pt. IV", and in its combined DVD/2CD edition it's a must for every Saxon fan, as well as holy communion for every freshly fired-up metal newcomer.

From now on even Steve Lee can breathe easy, wherever his soul may be sailing, and Gotthard remain the focal point of forging the most captivating anthems of the classic hard rock school in 2012 too.

Right out of the gate, Toto showed off a debut loaded with the virtues that would define their entire career, and it announced that the first half of the eighties would belong to them: an almost ideal marriage of production perfectionism,…

»The River Sessions« is a first-class live treat that catches Magnum right in the middle of their greatest artistic bloom, when there was no debate over which British band was able to challenge the biggest American melodic rock…

After every storm, no matter how mercilessly it rages, the sun comes out.

With »Pieces of Eight«, Styx were at the creative peak of their career, rightfully enjoying their status as America's most thrilling arena rock band. Alongside »The Grand Illusion«, this is the 'definitive' album of their journey.

With Kastalija, Avven stay anchored in folk metal, but this time they allowed themselves more daring, opened up the musical space to a greater degree of experimentation and generally built on their debut.

»Repete« is yet another piece of the unique Orlek mosaic, a heartfelt album of rare depth and sensuality, and, not least, a document of a band's maturity, rising above any genre barriers more than ever before.

»The Grand Illusion« is still the top contender for the best album in the story of the legendary Chicago prog rockers, with its only serious rival being its follow-up, »Pieces of Eight« (1978).

Alongside the new (this time single-disc) DVD »Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland«, Rush have also put this concert document out as a double CD!

The main attraction, the centerpiece of the band, remains guitar phenomenon Miha Petric on "Changing Parameters" too. His unmistakable technique is the biggest reason Moonlighty Sky Trio don't end up as just one of many Slovenian fusion…

With its truthful touch of deeply felt intimacy and sparkling metaphorical confession, and in a happy pairing with the brilliant Peter Dekleva, »Beležnica« adds yet another one-of-a-kind, deeply personal gem to the rich pulse of Slovenian…

»Comeblack« is Scorpions' final studio album, so it's a must-have for every die-hard fan, while the average listener craving that classic Scorpions melodic fix will still reach for the old albums instead.

»Unisonic« is an effective blend of influences from the members' parent bands (Keeper-era Helloween, Gamma Ray, Gotthard, Krokus, Pink Cream 69) and projects (Avantasia, Sunstorm, Place Vendome).

The debut from a new supergroup, a wizardly quintet of Neal Morse, Steve Morse, Mike Portnoy, Dave LaRue and Casey McPherson, pushing onto the market a one-of-a-kind document of a successful blend of the musical vocabularies of their home…

The outstanding second album from the homegrown electro duo serves up fresh doses of smart rhythms, and N'Toko, once again the unrivaled master of rhymes, adds his own stamp to the mix. There are enough standout moments to leave you…

As befits a musician of his caliber, "ph7" was yet another stylistically wildly variable album, sailing successfully between the white and the black of Hammill's ambient palette while also serving as a mighty farewell to Charisma Records,…

Genre-wise, Morbid Desire swims mostly in thrash metal waters, but a seriously technical kind, packed with complex, unpredictable, almost progressive lines.

A triumphant return to form for White Skull, proving that Federica's vocals fit the band like a glove. Let's hope she sticks around from now on, because she's a guarantee of studio excellence on the band's future albums.

»Izhod« keeps the signature rock n' roll sermon of the band intact, yet it sounds serious, mature, and tighter and more dynamically defined in its arrangements than any Big Foot Mama album to date.

With "Veseloigra," Barni Band have delivered a record that, compared to their first two albums, is a more mature step up in sound production and arrangement, with an infectious retro-nostalgic rock sentiment.

A deeply confessional, sensually intimate album that won't tolerate casual listening, but will undoubtedly reward every music gourmet out there hunting for something with real character! A genuine herald of the buzzword "independent rock"!

Ever cracked open an album that reeked of sulfur like some musical version of the Necronomicon, where flipping through the booklet you'd hear the screams of virgins with every turn of the page, all wrapped in an overwhelming sense of…

"Consequences" is the first-class treat we were all expecting, made for every fan of prog-rock eclecticism and high-tension ambient intensity of the kind only an old-school music legend can deliver.

»Not Your Kind of People« is an album with a generous dose of seductive artistry, made to the taste of most longtime Garbage fans, and so it marks a successful comeback for this cult band on the music scene.

Bruto Slavo/VBK is a powerful confessional document with which Debeli Precjednik cement their position in the alternative rock scene forged on the Balkan peninsula, adding a new, well-measured step up to their discography landscape.

The band has wittily merged several genre watersheds, even retro-sounding structures of eighties synthpop cosmetics, and served them up as an interesting, offbeat musical picture book, leveling up from their studio debut.

With »Radlands«, Mystery Jets are probably finally opening the door to America too. They've widened their sonic landscape even further; the 'americana' experiment largely worked. But with less cohesion and completeness than its predecessor…

»Bag Of Bones« is the album on which Europe reaffirmed themselves. The mediocrity of the previous three releases is forgotten, and »Bag Of Bones« delivers, already in the first half of this year, one of the year's…

»Passion For Red« presents Ludovik Material as an act with an already fully formed character: an eclectic blend of classic organic sonic cues and manipulative doses of electronics.

"Shadowmaker" confirms that Running Wild are a different band today, and that we have to make peace with the fact that Rock N' Rolf writes differently now, though still in the glow of a quality reflection on the old-school heavy metal.

With Beyond Magnetic, Metallica serve up Death Magnetic leftovers that only partly hit the spot.

"New Audio Machine" can be called a true continuation of the story that came to a way-too-early halt for the band in 1992 with the album "Hear!". It's a great record that stands proudly next to both of the Trixter albums from the nineties.…

»Dig In Deep« is Tyketto's grown-up makeover, and it fits right in with the times. The springboard to this stage of their artistry in 2012 is the album from the Vaughn project, »Traveller«.

»Riot Avenue«, as Crazy Lixx's third studio album, is a different story. But it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if it had ended up playing the role of the debut, or had come out before »Loud Minority«. Furious and masterful!

"Awakening" still comes with quite a few reservations before you could call it excellent, or at least good enough to stand confidently shoulder to shoulder with the high-quality level of its predecessor »Blind Faith«.

Graz outfit Klynt try to take on Manowar-style anthems and Tankard-style odes to beer on their debut. Do they pull it off? About as well as the jokes at the Slovenian Viktor awards.

All things considered, The Journey is a truly impressive piece of work. | The Journey amounts to a truly impressive work of art.

Steeds of Time is an EP that, had it been recorded in the heyday of the NWOBHM boom, would have cult status today, and despite its "archival" sound it comes across as authentic, sincere and full of energy!

The godfather of the mod revival has headed into new, uncharted territory of musical vocabulary with his 11th studio album of "sonic kicks", conjuring up a colorful sound of psychedelic, kaleidoscopic landscapes.

A masterpiece inspired by elements of world music, »Arena« reflects the many ambient virtues that adorned Asia in the era when the dynamic Downes-Payne duo was at the helm.

The most controlled album the band has released in terms of production so far, and the most dynamic when it comes to arrangements. This new step in their artistic development manages to hold on to the band's signature trademarks.

Picture this: it's the eighties, and your instrument collection includes the most cutting-edge synth technology the industry has to offer, which you cross with guitar distortion into a catchy, high-octane melodic mix.

The Rasmus cautiously blends the band's traditional sound with a new sonic dimension. It doesn't rank among the band's best releases, but it isn't a creative misfire either. It manages to mask an identity crisis.

»Stratosfera« is a really beautiful album, the kind Slovenia is short on. With its retro sound it doesn't start a musical revolution, but it slots the missing pieces back into the mosaic of Slovenian rock history, in spots that forge a…

"»Stratosfera« is an album that knows no filler minutes. 12 tracks with clearly defined character, polished lead vocal melodies, excellent arrangement craft, and a whole load of emotional impressions"

Out of the Coma is definitely an essential listen for every Comus fan. | Out of the Coma is definitely an essential listen for every Comus fan.

If you want a taste of the authentic pulse of our great-grandfathers and fathers from centuries ago, served up for a new era through a vivid, one-of-a-kind choral-vocal re-interpretation, then »Kateritem« is going to be right up your alley!

The sequel to "Thick As a Brick" will keep Tull diehards arguing for a long time to come. Between the 40th anniversary of this masterpiece and a decade of studio laziness, it was clearly Ian's main (and totally unnecessary) goal to grab as…

Even though the members of Pinela had thoroughly "roamed" all over the face of the globe before this album came to life, "Govori z mano" comes across in its homegrown vibe as a musical harvest that actually sprouted from the soil of the…

It was only a matter of time before Florence Welch, one of the most prominent faces of British indie pop/rock with hints of art and baroque rock, took on a live album project. After two successful studio albums, Lungs and Ceremonials, an…

Low Peak Charlie are the Primorska region's »groove nuts«. Being nuts is a good thing these days! This new, fresh, potent and musically challenging quartet blends metal, funk and reggae, throws hip hop on top, and no joke, the…

»Le lepe pesmi« is really the only fitting title for this collection of 13 tracks, a gorgeous, vivid musical picture book with an original, confessional spirit, led by the infectious, supple and colorful voice of singer Jana Sen.

The right balance between building on jazz roots, heaps of heartfelt soul, and the odd instrumental tour de force.

»Acoustic« is a superb acoustic album, honest and confessional, shot through with David Knopfer's deeply sensitive personality, and Harry Bogdanovs and all his pithy guitar ornamentation add a lot to the mix.

Arena are one of the best progressive rock collectives of the 21st century live too, which makes »Breakfast in Biarritz« a real treat for longtime fans and a great chance for latecomers who haven't caught them live yet to hear for…

An album of acoustic instrumental extravagance, recorded live on the streets of Ljubljana, boasting original authorship, a distinct voice and a sly genre-hopping blend of world-music melos, rock and jazz!

A vivid reinterpretation of Slovenian folk song heritage built on a single voice that, at key moments, gradually morphs like a chameleon into a full-blown choir of harmonies. Elemental, delicate, one of a kind, and a whole lot of fun.

A new monster DVD from a monster band! A trip through time, the whole of "Moving Pictures" played live, two brand-new songs, and a return to Cleveland, where Rush's music first found its way onto the radio airwaves!

At first glance, the form of the traditional melos in Slovenia's beloved folk "serenades" looks cast in concrete (or even "untouchable"), but it turns out it can be changed. In that light, "Etnosoul" is a hugely successful and fun musical…

»El Vivo!« is a very welcome official document of the 'The Final Frontier' tour. It doesn't come anywhere near the cult status of »Live After Death« (1985), of course, but it can still sit comfortably alongside their other live releases,…

Heresy, an eclecticism of perfect stoner and elusive brilliance, mixed with the mysticism of a total intellectual switch-off, testosterone-soaked raw barbarian being and potent musicianship, blows past every expectation. You won't have to…

A double-bass-drum gem that took a little longer to get its final polish, but oozes a perfectionist spirit, quality and an unstoppable hunger to fly among the stars. Free at last is finally "here at last"!

With the kind of fury »Stalingrad« carries, there's no fear we won't be meeting Accept in a new war any time soon. The hardest Accept album to date and, in its own theater, the darkest too!

A step up from the debut, with such skillful arrangements and songwriting that fans of gypsy punk and bands like Gogol Bordelo, Golem, DeVotschKa,... will happily prick up their ears to the music on "Ja kažem mir".

Relight are a fresh Slovenian alternative rock outfit with a strongly pronounced art vector that gives them a completely distinctive, one-of-a-kind nature, or let's just call it a unique, authorial character of musical expression.

This album doesn't bring a musical revolution, but it's tailor-made for fans of Rainbow, Deep Purple, Dio, the "late" Black Sabbath with Tony Martin on vocals, and the early work of Yngwie J. Malmsteen.

With »A Question of Balance«, The Moody Blues cemented their reputation as a 'people's' progressive rock band. They dropped the complex overdubbing technique that marked their earlier albums and tweaked their sound to fit what they could…

With »Map of the Past,« It Bites have made a superb concept album with a wonderfully contemplative atmosphere. Despite all its nostalgic 'good old days' nature, it's far from being meant only for the typical British soul.

Put bluntly, the album »21« is »Carved In Stone« fixed down to the last detail and upgraded with a vengeance! A welcome and well-executed swerve away from "Strings To A Web", and Rage at their splendid best.

Upon release, the masterpiece »Crystal Ball« marked a new chapter in the career of these Chicago masters of arena-rock eclecticism and sophistication. Tommy Shaw's arrival beefed up their already rich sonic maneuvers and pushed…

»Equinox« was a major turning point for the Chicago masters of arena-rock pomp, finally launching them into the elite of the most exciting bands of the late seventies.

A highly infectious melodic rock album fronted by the commanding vocals of the legendary Joe Lynn Turner. It holds the level of the previous two studio efforts but brings no progress for Sunstorm. That one clearly ended with the excellent…

»The King Of Metal« is an album that fails to impress. It's a middling follow-up in Bayley's run of low-budget input and low-budget payoff (sadly).

The first live document from Mi2 works as a great starting point for anyone who doesn't know the band yet, since the selection of material is a nice retrospective of the key moments in their discography.

Few rock classics can boast such a far-reaching influence on future generations as this magnificent landmark of musical art, made when The Who were standing at the very peak of their career.

"Robert Jukič remains the nameless gunslinger. An outcast drifting from town to town, wanting to make a name for himself. With a gang of outlaws, each with their own scars from the past. And a fine backing that feeds the imagination just…

"Awakening is, in the end, more than a solid debut, held back mostly by Stanisavljević's take on traditional jazz. The strongest parts are the nu-jazz ones: a little experimental, a little odd, because they don't quite fit the idea of…

For everyone who missed out on the sixties!

The soundtrack to the Hollywood spectacle »The Hunger Games« is a stew of indie rock favorites, mostly resting on their laurels today and forgotten tomorrow, with the watchful eye of hyper-consumerist, empty-headed MTV production hovering…

»Man of Miracles« was a very solid effort overall, and a touch moodier in atmosphere than audiences are used to from Styx, who are mostly known as a 'cheerful' band.

One of the rich expressive branches of alternative rock, or "underground" rock, the kind that's supposed to keep evolving in its own way, fully independent, out of sight, quietly and in the spirit of total freedom, is the one that builds…

This album is a landmark in the history of Slovenian heavy metal, because it's the record that defined thrash metal in Slovenia. It was made by humble young guys with genius musical talent who just hungered to deliver an ominous, shockingly…

»The Serpent Is Rising« was an artistic step backward from Styx's usual high standards and, despite a few bright spots, is quite clearly the least inspired album of their entire career.

In 2011, Paradise Lost managed to breathe new life into a seventeen-year-old genre classic.

On »Styx II«, the arena rock legends took another step beyond their debut in developing a sound all their own, and came up with an art-rock-flavored album that still deserves the attention of up-and-coming music gourmets today.

With all the miles on the clock, the experience and, of course, the natural talent, there's very little room left for Soto to go wrong when he's cooking up a solo studio album. And this time is no different.

Jack Blades' influential songwriting stamp on the sound of his home band Night Ranger is so strong that it naturally spills over into his solo studio album! An album that couldn't define Jack Blades' stature and voice as an artist any…

This is a release every die-hard Pretty Maids fan will grab without a second thought, and at the same time a document that's a manifesto of the band's sheer power and onstage invincibility. Happy first 30 years, boys!

Even though you can hear plenty of rookie rashness on it, »Styx« was a solid debut for this legendary Chicago band, who went on to crank up their exceptional knack for crafting epic anthems and power ballads even further over the rest of…

With Steel Alive, the Slovenian metal scene has landed a milestone we could only dream about not so long ago. The first Slovenian metal "live" album!

»Jamaica Inn« is an album full of surprises compared to this singer's earlier work in melodic rock / AOR. Then again, it isn't really unexpected, at least not for anyone who knows who Lee Small is. A pleasant surprise of an album, and one…

»HoS« is an excellent album, polished down to the last detail. It's the band's heaviest record, even their darkest one so far. With it, House Of Shakira came through their transformation phase beautifully, kept all their trademark traits…

You could say that the musical philosophy of Dario Mollo, the main driving force behind this project, hasn't budged one bit over the past decade. Where Mollo has leapt ahead is as a producer. The pairing with Tony Martin keeps its "deadly"…

»No Offence…« is a cracking hybrid debut from the Irish-Celtic punk rock lunatics Happy Ol' McWeasel. It serves up a juicy fistful of 10 finely polished, meticulously arranged songs, brimming with adrenaline and a…

»The Future Now« is experimental from head to toe, packed with unexpected atmospheric twists. At the same time, it once again stands as a total one-off next to the master's earlier studio gems.

Label: EMI RecordsRelease date: January 29, 1990Production: Jon KellyAlbum length: 50.38 minGenre: Art Rock / Neo-Progressive RockRating: 9.5/10 Scottish vocal oddball Fish (real name Derek William Dick) put out his solo debut not…

»Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors« is a neo prog rock classic that helped Fish establish himself as a successful solo artist right after the split from Marillion.