Reviews

Hawkwind's debut is an impressively solid opening to the long, winding creative road of the most notorious pioneers of space rock.

Buckle up! "Thundersteel No. 2" is coming!

The definitive "Aqualung" reissue is a reward for every longtime fan who patiently waited for the sound quality the album should have had when it first came out in 1971.

A midnight trip through the dreamy landscapes of flawless yet never pretentious sludge opens your pores, and through the third eye the listener slides, right at home, onto the divine axis of the universe.

Southern-fried and more intimate, "Homesick Blues" feels even more organic than its two studio predecessors, and the quartet's excellent instrumental chops really come into their own.

"The album "Možgani na paši" is a pearl that the label Celinka found at the right moment, in the right place. Check it out, no excuses. The most authentic gist of Slovenianness in poetry and music. Wash at Nula Kelvina, so your brains light…

A new laundry detergent is on the way, finally letting you wash your brains under conditions where they hit their peak flash of brilliance while keeping just the right balance of firmness, elasticity and shine.

Another concept album, another masterpiece from the best neo prog rock band of the past decade, and at the same time one of the most magnificent progressive rock achievements of 2011.

This is a true Def Leppard tribute album, a love letter to their AOR/melodic rock era and to the days when Leppard were setting the sonic and stylistic standards for the amusement park of the whole planet's rock map.

Chris Ousey's solo studio debut Heartland is another excellent record, one that keeps impressing with the polish and bombast of its lead melodies and the outstanding partnership behind its making.

An album of intense feelings and contrasting musical statements, set within this artist's established formula, yet to this day it hits with an authenticity few Kotzen albums can match.

A pleasant jazzy tickle for the ears, the kind you can sip an afternoon cup of tea to while nibbling a crunchy croissant, with no fear of it ruining your day.

Nonconformity can sound poppy, catchy and addictive, and Jane's Addiction live up to their name and hook you all over again, even though eight years have passed since their last studio outing. The perfect escape plan is written!

The Magnificent is an intriguing melodic rock odyssey from a crew of hugely talented next-gen Scandinavian musicians out of Circus Maximus, Leverage, Brother Firetribe...

A perfect AOR masterpiece that holds the debut's high creative level, leaving you to decide which of the two albums you'll love more. A musical relic lost in time, "par excellence".

Alternatively softened metalcore the German way sounds anything but stale and boring, and Related To The Heart has a few aces up its sleeve that might make your heart beat a little faster. Or does it?

Vicious Rumors are having their renaissance moment too! The wickedly destructive "Razorback Killers" is a manifesto of the band's most authentic return to its golden era, rounded off by excellent modern production.

No beating around the bush: this is an album you can instantly label the "Victims Of Deception of the 21st century." "The Evolution Of Chaos" is considered one of the finest releases on the metal scene in 2010.

The release Gotthard use to bid farewell to an era is an unforgettable live adventure for every fan of the band. An inimitable manifesto featuring one of the last performances by the magical voice of Steve Lee.

"In Metal We Trust" is a really lovely comeback album for the band! It's the only logical successor to Pegazus's back catalog. Sonically, it's the liveliest, hardest-hitting album of Pegazus's whole career.

True to its title, this is a very solid melodic rock album with big, prominent guitar riffs. Of all the David Reece / Martin Kronlund releases so far, it's the most successful one.

What does electronica sound like when a Slovenian collective with prog and electropunk running through its roots takes it on? Dated, obscene, neurotic, exhausting and pretentious, which isn't necessarily good or enjoyable.

While plenty of people go hunting for cosmetic add-ons to fake creative outbursts, Hatebreed's lead throat, the hard-hitting Jamey Jasta, has dropped a record with "la grande coyones" on top of a pile of side projects!

Two years after a stunning debut, the avant-garde fury rolls on with a record whose name is slightly misleading but whose run of creativity, madness and inspiration is superb. The wrestling match with the bears once again goes to the bears…

Haken are a band with the potential to freely push the expressive reach of the established standards of the highest forms of modern prog metal up to an even higher level over the next few years.

This is a special kind of album, and it's going to shake you up for sure. While you taste it, you'll be tasting and discovering yourself. How far into the boundless musical universe do you dare to reach?

There's no doubting the lofty musical pedigree of Orkestrada, but let's be honest. Why cling so desperately to such well-worn forms? Bartender! Another round of Gershwin or Mancini's Pink Panther, please.

The experiment in softening up their sound and chasing a modern tone only half works for the band. Fans of the old albums will probably walk away disappointed. After all, everyone knows Pagan's Mind are capable of delivering far more.

After four concept albums that were pretty exhausting for any listener without stamina, Mastodon deliver a record that doesn't need a rigid connecting concept to let the music breathe with full lungs.

More melody and tighter focus than on this prog metal powerhouse's earlier studio efforts, with a generous helping of "mortal" complexity and instrumental acrobatics from the sextet's seriously talented players

The masterpiece "Afraid Of Sunlight" is one of the best albums in the history of 'Britain's best-kept musical secret'. Marillion once again managed to create something fresh, without flirting with their mighty past.

Kate Bush proves in the 21st century, too, that she deserves her reputation as the eternal sonic perfectionist. The original versions of some of her past classics lacked for nothing, but on "Director's Cut" they come alive beautifully in…

Any doubts about whether two such different vocal approaches from highly regarded AOR/west coast singers can mesh vanish in an instant, the moment Jimi Jamison and Bobby Kimball "take off" in the first duet on this album.

Hladno pivo's seventh studio album is a professionally polished product, but sadly far too predictable and clearly bent to the will of commercial success and radio airplay.

The best proof of that claim is Adi Smolar himself. From his debut, the album Naš svet se pa vrti back in 1989, which shot him out of obscurity, to this day,

More melodic than the debut, and yes, the number is deliberately misleading. Under its jokey shell, it carries a pretty deep message.

The album runs a good 33 minutes, which is plenty to keep you from getting sick of the flirtation with Toto's "The Seventh One" era.

The ex-Toto vocalist makes a triumphant return with an excellent first solo studio album in 12 years, one that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best AOR/melodic rock releases of the year.

Lovers of the erotica of unshakable fusion, seen through the prism of the guitar's confessional sermon, take note! Grega Habič, the musical mastermind from Jesenice, has dropped the strongest solo studio release of his career.

After five official concert "bootlegs", here comes an official live album. Let's be honest: this release isn't essential, and given the setlist it feels belated. It's meant only for the most die-hard fans.

""Open Heart Surgery" is an album that, with its unshakable and utterly unique message, puts Grega Habič among the world's elite Earthlings, and one that can make even the biggest masterminds in this game prick up their ears at any moment,…

The new Shy album keeps up the urge to put every true melodic rock devotee to the test! It's the most riff-heavy, darkest album of Shy's career, but don't worry! The melodic hunger is still here!

I can say right away that, given the specifics of the chosen concept and the arrangement tweaks that came with it, Saracen will never make an album like this again.

A very lovely comeback album from a band that true Evanescence fans will worship first and foremost, while it won't manage to "buy" any new ones. It isn't chasing a hit and comes across as relaxed and unobtrusive.

"Acoustique & More" should have come out right after "Can't Slow Down". Of all the releases recycling classics with the new lineup, it captures the essence of Foreigner's musical charisma best!

Sever the Wicked Hand is a testament in which Windstein proves the power of his songwriting… by planting himself at the mouth of the Mississippi and bellowing NOLA, give me power! And boy, did it give him power, like nothing else on earth!

On their latest studio outing, Karmakanic once again stick faithfully to the tried-and-tested recipe that spells out exactly what goes into a 21st-century symphonic prog rock album.

"Beyond the Shrouded Horizon" is one more proof that expecting anything less than the brilliance that (once again) graces his latest studio effort would be almost insulting to a musician of Steve's caliber.

The real quality of "Heads Or Tales Live" won't be judged until years from now, but it's already a one-of-a-kind live document of a short-lived era in the story of these Canadian progressive rock legends.

It's downright unbelievable how the band managed, in less than 11 months since their excellent debut studio album, to upgrade it across the board and reach a personal brilliance of melodic rock perfection

"Under Southern Skies" brings no new tricks or stylistic growth from the band. Newman simply stick to their tried-and-tested sound, and with plenty of moves we've already heard on earlier releases, it comes out a touch less exciting.

With a seriously solid second album, Jeff Bridges proves that on top of his acting talent, he's got a real musical streak in him.

Hear a debut like this one, an AOR theory revelation, and it hits you instantly: AOR, that genre relic from a long-gone era, will stay a clearly present force on the rock scene well into the new millennium.

Label: Roadrunner RecordsRelease date: 12.09.2011Producer: John PetrucciAlbum length: 77.05 minGenre: Progressive Metal Dream Theater are the kings of a seriously seductive and technically demanding corner of music. When it comes to…

A Dramatic Turn Of Events introduces new drummer Mike Mangini, who steps in for founding member and one of the band's main driving forces, Mike Portnoy. But the shake-up isn't nearly as rough as it sounds.

The most mature album of the band's last four releases, and the deliberately "reduced control" in the production is welcome too, keeping the songs raw, with the outline of mildly crackly guitars pushed up front

"This album is a kind of 'half-brother' to the rest of the Fates Warning discography. In terms of exploring and expanding its own artistic character, it brings nothing special at all. But that's hardly important, because both Matheos and…

A successful "half-brother" in the Fates Warning album pedigree: a bold new collaboration between Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos and original Fartes Warning vocalist John Arch, with Arch returning the favor.

With »Heritage«, Opeth have crafted a new masterpiece of sweeping, atmospheric proportions and completed their gradual evolution into a progressive rock band, which will undoubtedly win them plenty of new fans with a sophisticated musical…

A solid piece of craftsmanship that could maybe use a bit more rage and a few more open registers of juicy inspiration of its own.

With their third album, Suicide Silence keep their grip on the most extreme, brutal reaches of sonic terror in deathcore. An even more sharply defined record, with an even bigger dose of fury.

A cracking debut from a promising London five-piece that draws effectively on the sound of bands like Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium, while winning you over with a lively, self-made songwriting identity of its own and a fashionable…

The third studio album from the white metalcore five-piece keeps the instrumental stiffness and triviality, but the band patches it up with better production and livens up the vocal structures with clean vocals.

A mature step up in the studio for the Split hip hop/funk crew, four years in the making, with sharper charisma, razor-sharp lyrics and more organic sound structures than ever.

Storms' debut is, expressively speaking, a trivial and easily accessible take on post rock, built on the elementary triangle of guitar, bass and drums. Likable, but with a cautious alt-leaning feel

A new, perfect Symphony X album that successfully pushes the band further into crushing sound and dark moods, while clearly keeping all the trademark elemental power of their earlier work.

The album "Scheepers" is a triumph of old-school power metal defiance, stamped with German-made Teutonic craftsmanship, and it proves that Ralf Scheepers is one of the finest singers Euro power metal has ever produced.

"Nadir's Big Chance," a wild fusion of prog rock and proto-punk, is one of the most important and colorful achievements of Hammill's career, bringing together a staggering range of styles.

The most melodic album of Sinner's career keeps all the band's trademarks intact while rocking a refreshed lineup. More inspired and varied than its two predecessors, it also brings more playful, dynamic performances

If you can keep in mind that "Power" is in many ways a product of its time (the second half of the eighties), you'll forgive Kansas at least in part for drying up their prog rock roots and flirting with the musical trends of the day.

A live album that shows the Swedish death metallers in a different light, one that embraces experiments and big challenges. No makeup, no cosmetic touch-ups, no posing!

The weirdos hunting stray thoughts, rhythms and bizarre musical patterns are back! Everyone who loves Brown Album and Antipop will be thoroughly satisfied by Green Naughyde. Primus suck so divinely!

With "Aria," the revamped Asia proved once again that they'd make it through the nineties as one of the finest melodic rock bands around. The difference is that they no longer cared about the eighties or about any potential commercial…

With "Osee Yee", which can rightfully be called their best work since "Heads" (1972), Osibisa have proven that they belong to that rare breed of legends still capable of reinventing themselves.

When a band's name defines the very essence of its music, it's time for some serious thought, or at least some caution, before you fall in love with music that goes all-or-nothing right out of the gate.

"Bands with a 40-plus-year career that can still surprise you with an album on par with their best work could be counted on the fingers of both hands. With "Osee Yee", which can rightfully be declared their best effort since "Heads" (1972),…

After two middling releases in a row, the Swedish progressive death metallers pulled themselves together and cut an album that easily measures up to the standards of Pitch Black Progress.

An exotic treat from Paris whose second record conjures up the feel of the Orient without losing an ounce of metal sharpness!

Jokers with a lame joke!

After 27 years, Airrace are back with a phenomenal studio album, more than making up for lost time and paying off their debt to everyone who never forgot the band from the golden age of AOR

"An album that clearly hints it'll pass the test of time with ease. We waited 27 years for it. Times have changed, so only listeners who lived out their "teenage" years in the mid-eighties will really cherish it."

Festivals of the Wicked is a textbook example of how to capture the unquenchable power of a band like Iced Earth on a piece of flat plastic!

Toby Hitchcock is one more name in the league of vocalists with superbly gritty pipes, and on his studio debut he dutifully follows the "west coast" AOR playbook he picked up from Pride Of Lions bandmate Jim Peterik.

A polished diamond of a personal touch from ex-Saga vocalist Rob Moratti, this album sees the musician return to the AOR tradition, where Moratti is right at home. But it comes with an art-rock seasoning picked up during his stint with…

"Where the melody and energy of Survivor, Pride Of Lions, and the solo work of Jim Peterik or Jimi Jamison live, the inspiration for "Mercury's Down" lives too. "

Raised In Captivity is a special entry in Wetton's rich discography. The legendary musician isn't bringing a musical revolution here, but he does deliver a varied, eclectic mix that deserves your full attention.

The vibe of "In Progress" digs even deeper into the character of their debut "Artwork" (2008). With this new release, Work Of Art have put out an AOR record that few in the genre will manage to top this year.

A cracking album from a British melodic rock project, fronted by a former Praying Mantis singer on one side and the Newman mainman on the other. It's a great launchpad for something even bigger down the road.

Don't go looking for the first Ten albums in Stormwarning. Sadly, those can't be repeated, but this one does show Ten at their peak in the state they've found themselves in since 2001. Warmly recommended.

With »Living And Dying in High Definition«, Serpentine have stormed into Shy's old spot on the British melodic rock scene. In just one year, we've got a excellent follow-up to their debut studio album.

A bombastic mix of alternative riffs, hard rock manliness and the occasional stoner vibe makes for a likable but by no means outstanding second album from Finnish quintet Defuse.

The beauty is in the details, and the Swedish progressive wizards of industrial death have no shortage of them on their eighth album. For one moment of greatness, you might easily find yourself ready to bleed.

Label: Roadrunner RecordsRelease date: 21.06.2011Production: Kelly GrayAlbum length: 70.51Genre: Art Metal What is there even left to say about a band that has sold over 20 million studio albums in its career, cracked the top ten,…

"Dedicated To Chaos" is the Queensryche album where the band masterfully blends free-form experimentation with their own unique artistry, and in doing so hits a new qualitative milestone.

The attempt to craft a dark album built on stereotypical apocalypse themes doesn't quite come off. You can feel the handbrake being pulled throughout, stifling the very thing HammerFall do best.

Black Country Communion combine inventive instrumental lines, and rhythms that seem simple on first listen are often hammered home and nearly tangled up, which keeps the listener on edge.

"Branded" is an album of thrilling quality that puts Bonfire exactly where they belong: in the classic waters of the German school of melodic hard rock. It's where the guys have always been at their best.

Tesla's new release gratefully bridges the long wait until their next album. With this connoisseur's pick of a repertoire, Tesla confirm that they're among the best rock interpreters on the acoustic scene.

""Twisted Wires And The Acoustic Sessions" is a true godsend for every Tesla fan. It's a manifesto of serene studio ease and of this band's extraordinary expressive power, driven by a primal knack for fascinatingly reshaping electric…

At a time when practically all of Great Britain is up in flames, the explosive debut from a bunch of youngsters out of Newcastle slips into your ears as the perfect soundtrack, and steals a moment of your attention and time in the best…