Reviews

The band officially announced its retirement in early 2009, and this release is a more than worthy goodbye to the fans. It's so good it could pass for a brand-new studio album.

"Till We Have Faces" is a totally uninspired album and one of Hackett's weakest efforts, one the maestro thankfully forgot about as fast as he could.

With "Fireangel," Mystic Prophecy haven't just weathered massive lineup changes. They've kept all their trademark traditional heavy metal craftsmanship intact and built on it, with zero sugarcoating

A bold Euro-Russian metalcore attempt that, in its uncompromising rage and barely bearable noise, sketches out some guidelines alongside bands like Carnal Forge, Darkane or Mnemic. No joking around this time!

When dwarves down the mine who love traditional heavy metal get angry and decide they want to play "black metal", you get Wolfchant. Nothing special, but solid, and with a fresh upgrade on the previous album.

Despite reworking a tried-and-tested recipe, "Frequency" is another excellent album, one where longtime IQ fans will find plenty to be happy about.

»Contact« is a double live recording that captures the entire farewell-slash-anniversary show in Munich, which most longtime fans agree was one of the best performances in the band's history.

The album is undoubtedly worth buying for Rïah Sahïltaahk alone, but the weaker second half means that, as far as I'm concerned, this is the worst studio album in Magma's history.

With "Hope," the legendary Canadians hit their artistic peak and, with mighty orchestral arrangements, came closer than ever to the high standards of 1970s symphonic prog rock.

This time we're dealing with a truly mature album, one that will appeal mostly to fans of indie pop/rock with a touch of post rock a la Radiohed and electronics.

The old California frontman is still kicking.

Deluge Grander have put together a really good album, one that'll appeal to fans of symphonic prog rock and to anyone who prefers their adventures a bit wilder.

"Animals" is another crown jewel in the treasure chest of prog rock's greats, and it still shines as bright as ever. This is an album that nobody who has learned to think for themselves can hear and stay cold.

This album is outstanding. It captures nearly every shade of quality music. You get witty moments, dark stretches, goosebump-inducing passages, emotional twists,...

A folk gothic metal album that puts bagpipe harmonies front and center, sung in German with a fittingly dark vocal approach. Its trivial, minimalist riffs make it predictable and full of self-repetition.

After years away, Jade Warrior have pulled off one of the most convincing comebacks around with "Now", a fresh, varied album that pairs retro production with a return to their musical roots.

Third time's the charm: Corkscrew finally nail their debut album!

Let Love Rule is Lenny Kravitz's debut, an album that steers wide of the predictable, trend-chasing leanings of its day, both in style and in substance.

The album that was supposed to bring a rebirth for the revamped band didn't exactly shift the earth's axis. Agathodaimon build on dark and gothic elements, while real black metal ones keep slipping away.

"Gazeuse!" is a masterpiece of percussion-driven jazz fusion, brimming with melody and ambient warmth of the kind Moerlen's crew could conjure up at their best.

Label: Rhino RecordsRelease date: 03/31/2009Production: Jason SlaterLength: 60.36 minGenre: Art Metal Queensryche! A band that left an unmistakable mark on the rock/metal map for all time, but somehow started drowning musically in…

On their excellent debut, Supertramp showed up as big-time melancholics who, right from the start of their career, were already hunting for a wholly their own, instantly recognizable take on progressive rock.

»American Soldier« brings huge hooks, a dark atmosphere, and a real step forward in the right direction for the band. It's the album that marks Queensryche's true comeback, and it should have come out 10 years ago.

"Wicked Maiden", with singer Rob Rock back on deck, proves once again that the Impellitteri-Rock pairing works best. It's a very solid new album, though Impellitteri has already shown us all of this before.

The second studio album from Dutch symphonic gothic metallers Delain is a superb follow-up to their debut Lucidity (2006). It floors you with its melodic and sonic polish. A genre that definitely hasn't said its last word!

After wrapping up his stint with the Yardbirds, where in a year and a half after Clapton's departure he'd earned worldwide fame as a guitar hero, Jeff Beck decided to go solo in 1968.

With "Moment Of Truth," ELO Part II pulled off a real surprise: they didn't just build on a more-than-solid debut, they took a long-range shot at the classic ELO sound, and Bevan's crew actually landed it.

You get first-rate fusion with plenty of improvisation, especially since this is a live recording. The record shows off the band's outstanding chops, both improvisational and compositional.

BBC Sessions is an important album in the Rory Gallagher story, mostly because it paints such a vivid picture of the full breadth of what the legendary guitarist had to say.

"Nightcap" is a collection of some never-before-released goodies and early forms of later standards, plus three decades' worth of studio ballast that's interesting mostly from a historical standpoint.

Under the baton of the true old-English folk school and the legacy of the infamous Liverpool quartet, »Friendliness« and its relaxed, playful vibe invite the listener straight into its lavish pastoral bosom.

Two Steps From The Blues is a modern blues gem, a stunning showcase of power, versatility, robust stance and, at the same time, sensitivity from one of the finest vocal blues performers ever.

With "Divinities," the legendary troubadour of progressive folk rock has crafted a superb instrumental album, blending influences from a range of ethnic traditions into one rounded whole through enchanting pastoral melodies and orchestral…

V2 is an album the guys from Mostar can be proud of. It's rare to hear a record that blurs the lines between genres this effortlessly and still sounds so relaxed and natural.

With its attractive blend of soul, blues and r&b plus touches of roughly hewn rock, Never a Dull Moment doesn't stray far from Stewart's traditional moves.

Alex has plenty to be happy about with "AphasiA": with a little help from some prestigious international guests, he's pulled off a convincing blend of quality melodic hard rock where the influences of most of his idols shine through the…

The second album from these Finnish power metallers, with a great feel for building high-drama atmosphere, bombastic anthemic choruses, and the odd detour into progressive metal territory. Generic template and all.

Pride Tiger rely on a simple formula, the rattling single-beat machinery of generic rock & roll, and The Lucky Ones shows that their problem lies in an obsessive worship of Thin Lizzy iconography.

With "3:47 EST", Klaatu delivered a seriously good debut, in fact one of their two best albums, and what wins you over most are the ethereal orchestral arrangements, the gorgeous pastoral melodies and the Beatles-style vocals.

I think Electrix's music has to be taken as a whole. All that matters is the end product, which shows these guys have put together tight music full of listenable, upbeat melodies.

The birth of a black cult, with the debut from Ljubljana black metal outfit Naberius.

»Sheik Yerbouti« is, in every respect, yet another timeless masterpiece from Frank's one-of-a-kind compositional genius, and through the prism of his unique spin on comedic progressive rock, it has reached cult status worldwide.

With Behind The Sun, Eric Clapton completed his personal transformation from a lonely blues-rock rider into a more conciliatory helmsman of assembly-line, pop-bleached hits.

"Sounds Of The Universe" is an album of further maturing, total sobriety and expressive grandeur: a Depeche Mode record unlike any before it, not necessarily chasing a hit and still managing to take an artistic step up.

"Vrooom Vrooom" is a must for anyone who wants to hear the endless, utterly unpredictable sonic dimensions of the two-headed King Crimson rhythm beast embodied by the Double Trio.

What do you get when you drop vocals with a punk-ish twang into metal, vocals that absolutely have to come off as grating or annoying? "Fake" metal. A double-edged sword that can only end in huge success or total ridicule. Be careful.

Alpenglühen really is their debut, and they kept getting better with later albums, but this record defined the essence of Spaltklang's sound and music.

Stackridge's debut is a real treat for anyone who loves progressive folk rock and a very particular kind of British humor. It's an album bursting with great ideas, so every new listen turns up something you missed before.

Obduction's debut Fingerprint is a powerhouse of a record that doesn't let up for a single one of its 45 minutes.

A freshly tested Silentium symphonic gothic power metal saga, with male vocals cut back even further in favor of female ones, and a slightly more modern production direction. A manifesto of maturity.

Compared to the excellent debut, "Alpha" is a bit of a letdown, and you can tell the Asia collective didn't go into it with everything they had.

»Where Have I Known You Before« is an evergreen jazz rock fusion classic, the record that first introduced the music world to the astonishing guitar talent of young Al Di Meola.

"Shamal" was a magnificent kickoff to a run of more-or-less brilliant jazz rock fusion albums that Gong, under the up-and-coming leadership of their drumming powerhouse Pierre Moerlen, cranked out almost like clockwork.

With »Released«, Jade Warrior made a huge leap forward from their self-titled debut and delivered one of their best albums, one that still thrills today with its sheer range of styles

Masterstroke go dark. Every now and then they pull a riff into thrash territory, but they always keep a milder, melodic "old school" streak that keeps them firmly in power metal. Fashionably gloomy stuff!

If there's no unstoppable urge burning in your shapely little body to gorge on quasi-punk racket, you'll walk right past Sick without so much as a psychosomatic tremor.

Despite the archaic feel of some of its motifs and the rather naive lyrical content overall, "In Search of the Lost Chord" is a psychedelic rock classic and an important album in the development of progressive rock.

"The Secret Language of Birds" is another very strong outing from a prog rock icon, and you could just as easily call it a step up from its instrumental predecessor "Divinities".

The combination of simple compositions, polished technical playing and subtle lyrics is seriously effective, and it puts Heartland among the greatest masters of the AOR genre.

“Audio-Visions” still stirs up pretty mixed feelings today, since there's a ton of untapped potential on it for more convincing prog rock maneuvers, which easily makes it the weakest release from the classic Kansas lineup.

Three-odd years into their existence, and with just one demo to their name, this English black metal trio has finally managed to record a debut studio album, Nihil Sine Diabolvs. This blasphemous platter holds nine studio tracks, released…

A really interesting release from Norwegian black metal outfit Beastcraft, essentially a reissue of three early demo recordings made between 2004 and 2005.

Brez dlake na jeziku is the newest weapon in the scrawny little hands of Adi Smolar, who uses it to keep up his hopeless fight against the epidemic of lunacy that has been mowing people down on the sunny side of the Alps since time…

A unique approach you could call art punk. Bernays Propaganda are true musical oddballs, indebted to the post-punk explosion of the late eighties as well as the new wave of a few years earlier.

George Lynch figured out a long time ago that he's no longer among the fastest fingers under the sun, and that it's getting harder to keep up with the Jeff Loomises and Rusty Colleys of the world.

Even more compositional polish on the individual AOR/melodic rock firestarters, with more variety in the lead melodies across the songs and higher consistency across the material overall, compared to the debut "False Metal".

"ELO Part Two" is a surprisingly successful record despite the absence of a key ELO member. It pulls off a blend of some classic ELO seventies elements with the melodic rock of the eighties.

With Everyday Demons, The Answer wrap things up pretty decently, rising into one of the main shock troops of modern rock schooling, with their sights at times aimed way back into musical history.

With "Smallcreep's Day," Rutherford crafted a superb concept-album hybrid of progressive and melodic rock, one that still thrills today with its many mighty anthems and a great conceptual flow.

They say the third time's the charm! The album "3" is the third outing from Icon, the duo of Geoffrey Downes and John Wetton, and it finally shows the high pedigree of both musicians in the right light.

The first Saga album with Rob Moratti on lead vocals is, as a whole, brilliantly balanced between their unique sonic tradition and a few modernist touches. The perfect start to a new era.

Going forward, the whole quartet should focus more on putting the songs together instead of leaving all the work to Karlsson alone, because on autopilot the album is too predictable and stylistically tried-and-tested.

Label: Frontiers Music Srl. Release year: 2008 Production: Tony Harnell & Magnus Karlsson Album length: 52.43 min Genre: AOR / Melodic Rock Starbreaker are the band that pleasantly surprised fans of old-school melodic hard rock with…

With "Remember the Future," Nektar created their first true masterpiece and hit a new level of songwriting maturity. This album stands as one of the finest achievements of 1970s progressive rock.

The supergroup's first DVD/CD, a sort of missing link between Dream Theater and Symphony X with vampire-grinning metal fangs, captures their set at the long-running ProgPower VIII festival!

A gorgeous document marking the end of the development cycle for the lineup that earned Pain Of Salvation their reputation as one of the finest progressive metal/rock bands of our time. On the threshold of a rebirth.

With "Two Against Nature," the two old cats proved that even two decades after their last studio release, they can successfully defy nature's toll on their sensorimotor skills and deliver a fresh, challenging album.

This album is built around jazz, but it's no ordinary jazz. Yolk blend elements of rock, avant-garde, symphonic rock (classical), folk and a few other things into the mix.

"Solar Plexus," just like its two predecessors, is another superb album on which Nucleus deliver a hugely instructive lesson in primal jazz rock fusion.

TZGIV have pulled off yet another excellent album. It's fascinating to hear some of Zappa's vocal compositions played instrumentally. If anyone can do it justice, it's Stauss and the gang.

Despite a few slip-ups, One Eye To Morocco is a praiseworthy stew of all the essential ingredients of Gillan's musical kitchen, and proof that the years haven't robbed Ian of his unmistakable charm and charisma.

»Against The Gravity« lays the groundwork for a safe symbiosis on the world map and secures the band a safe, independent artistic path ahead. With more rock daring than you'd expect.

"A Sense Of Purpose" cements In Flames' chosen path of sticking with a trendy brand of metal, and they pull it off with ease using a few minimalist tricks. The sound is even more on-trend, smoother and prettier than before.

Jade Warrior's debut is full of holes when it comes to sonic consistency, but it still gives anyone a great peek at their refined knack for blending rock and world music.

The likely creative peak of the band, an album that cleverly tames the wild "Pack Man" soloing and builds it into compact, tightly arranged wholes: eight tracks of shock, extremes and fun.

The main goal was obviously to write a relaxed, confident, no-frills album devoted to the sheer directness of a rock/metal riff. It brings no musical revolution, just a nice gift for the fans.

The seventh studio album from the power metal smiths deftly steers between the retro, nostalgic moves of the band's early days while adding freshness and a mature edge, thanks above all to a lineup shake-up!

"If I Could Do It All Over Again..." has in many ways become the prototype of the signature sound of the legendary Canterbury scene champions. Caravan would keep refining it in the years to come.

The first proper, officially released compilation from Finland's "Monsters in the Closet" delivers way more than just a best-of-the-best pick. Get ready for the dance of the worms in an impressive market throng of decaying corpses!

"Civilian" is more than a respectable farewell from the legendary heroes of eclectic progressive rock, who are still one of the most original and visionary rock bands of all time.

"Rising" is the logical continuation of the story from its predecessor. Maybe a less inspired album, but a lot brighter and more upbeat. "Rising" keeps up Great White's tradition of an instantly recognizable hard rock message.

The Moody Blues classic »Days of Future Past« is one of those monumental sixties albums that deserve a spot in every household.

"Asia" is an album that still stirs up wildly mixed feelings among plenty of music connoisseurs, but everyone agrees on one thing: its exceptional musical quality is beyond dispute.

"Contact - Live in Munich" is a monumental concert document, capturing Michael Sadler's farewell show as a member of the band and the thirtieth anniversary of one of the best Canadian bands around.

Avant-recoding the language of the "craziest" moments of "Ummagumma", the unreachable genius of Frank Zappa, and the newer vocabulary of Mr. Bungle, Fantomas and The Dilinger Escape Plan into their very own musical footwear.

In terms of quality, 7800 Fahrenheit sits right around the level of the Bon Jovi debut, but since the album is stripped of a big hit compared to its predecessor, realistically it lands a notch lower still.

You wouldn't be far off if you said that Noddy Holder and James Lea, members of the Wolverhampton quartet Slade, were the Lennon and McCartney of glam rock.

"The Descended" is an interesting blend of power metal punch and ambient-tinged theatrical gloom, a style in which these Scandinavian musicians are very well versed across the metal spectrum

"Giant For a Day," a textbook product of its time, is the weakest record in the legendary band's story. Still, it's far from devoid of upsides, with their old prog rock magic flaring back to life every now and then.

Bon Jovi's debut is nowhere near fanning the flames of some new musical revolution. Within their limited creative and developmental means, they start out by simply following trends obediently.