hard rock

" Experience, know-how, routine, seasoning, and a long twelve-year stretch of gathering solid songwriting ideas and solutions. All of it has added up once again in just the right place."

" Fans of Biff Byford's iron voice and Saxon's music in general will be thrilled once again. That's the fundamental takeaway, along with the fact that this is, all in all, a very good new album, backed by a revered vocalist who long ago…

"The album is exactly what only old, seasoned tomcats who breathed hard rock in the eighties can conjure up and deliver. An incredibly nostalgic record that would have given Black Swan instant commercial success if it had come out in the…

"“Circle Of Dolls” doesn't stir up the same interest and excitement as, say, its predecessor “Scatterbrain.” It feels like KXM hit some kind of expressive zenith that closes out their evolution."

"A 'Jornification' of evergreen, radio-friendly hits and a few rock classics, tailor-made for Jorn's most hardcore fans"

" Compared to his two previous solo studio albums, the new one, "Ten," is closer in musical identity and production to what Sweet does with Stryper, though it's a fully self-contained story and a fresh step forward on the colorful musical…

"»Radiocarbon« is the work of battle-hardened old tomcats who know exactly how a composition has to be built in the genre sphere they've been prowling for years, so it grabs you instantly and completely. Innate Swedish perfectionism and…

"When it came out, the Black Sabbath debut was met with mostly disapproval and incomprehension from the critics of the day, and it took years for it to earn the respect and standing it deserves as one of the most important achievements in…

"“Coat Of Arms” is another superb studio achievement from a legendary band that stays true to its traditional (chiseled) style. On the new album, Wishbone Ash radiate expressive freshness, creative sparkle and even a cheeky playfulness,…

"The Serpent Rings" is very much cut from the same cloth as its predecessor. Magnum conjure up the magic of their golden era (the 1980s) with real success, but for all the 'corrections' they still can't hide Catley's fading vocals.

"“Face the Music” easily picks up where the first three albums left off and keeps all the excellence of this quartet, who, with expectations sky-high, have delivered exactly what they had to!"

" It's all in one! A finished package! Essential and one of a kind, carved out of the unique Angel recipe. Yes. It's possible. Even in 2019. Another unexpected win at this year's "gathering of rock'n'roll dinosaurs."

"Michael Schenker crossbred with his "Flyin' V" electric guitar! Literally. The symbolic "fusion" of the iconic guitarist with his axe lives on with the new Michael Schenker Fest album, another artistic bloom and renaissance"

"Deep Purple ride on, then. Into infinity, into eternity! The iconic group crossed into myth and legend long ago. Given the form on display, the farewell is going to last a good while yet. And that's a good thing!"

"Frankly, and no beating around the bush: there's not a single artistic stumble on this album. An excellent new studio effort from an incredibly seasoned and experienced band."

"With »II«, CoreLeoni deliver exactly what everyone expected: a second helping of fun, freshly reworked Gotthard classics!"

"With this album, Rock 'N' Roll got yet another proper affirmation of its mission. Long before Christmas, The Darkness have moved it to Friday, October 4, 2019, and, like we said, cancelled Easter without a shred of respect!"

"The album is once again good, solid and quality. But with no standout moments whatsoever. So, nothing special. Despite the detours Mat Sinner took with a female vocalist, extra guests and a more varied genre styling on some of the tracks."

Label: earMUSICRelease date: 17.05.2019Length: 99.18 min (2CD)Genre: Heavy Metal / Hard RockRating: 8.5 / 10 A few more words on the new live document from the mighty Loudness, one of the most recognized hard rock and heavy metal…

Location: Zagreb / ŠRC Šalata / CroatiaDate: Wednesday, 03.07.2019 Whitesnake. New album, new tour. These hard rock legends, who we figured more than ten years ago were probably on a farewell tour, or at least one of their last, are…

»Black Moon« comes remarkably close to what Lucifer's Friend were putting out in their prime, and it's a worthy follow-up to the previous record, which already made it clear that this band was going to be a force to reckon with after the…

"An album signed in sweat and blood. With the pedigree to grow into a classic of Slovenian hard rock, that's Mary Rose on "Resničen svet"! Thirteen years after the release of "Feniks", they're happily back among the living!"

"The foundations of a new era are laid. Now it's up to Mary Rose to pour as much energy as possible into promoting the album, find their place on the airwaves and concert stages, and claim the spot in the music world that the most carefully…

"“Flesh And Blood” is, generally speaking, a very good hard rock album, written, composed and produced just the way it should be for the Whitesnake name in 2019"

" Up N' Downs, as heralds of a new generation, use this album to build a bridge between old and new and hold up a mirror to their generational peers, showing where Slovenian hard rock is headed, so we don't have to worry about the genre…

»Life« is a quality new album from Hardline, packed with righteous rock slaps in the face, with three average ballads wedged in between. That doesn't take away from the essence of the record, which is its credibility.

"However "Shock" ends up splitting the band's fanbase, one thing is clear. It's a different Tesla album. Different from everything Tesla have recorded so far. That was the band's wish, and they pulled it off. At what cost, though? We'll…

"For fans of Hardline, Axel Rudi Pell and Crush 40, adding the album »One Voice« to your CD collection is an absolute must."

"»Untold Stories« is considered one of the best hard rock releases of 2018, or AOR too, if you like. With it, Airirace bridge the influential seventies with incredible juiciness, add a nostalgic AOR flirt from the eighties, and fuse the two…

Clutch, together with The Picturebooks and The Inspector Cluzo, warmed the hearts of plenty of hard rock devotees on a cold Sunday night with an unforgettable show.

»Club Ninja«, packed with plenty of seriously interesting metal/hard rock gems, ranks among the most overlooked Blue Oyster Cult albums.

"Amar Caballero" couldn't live up to the standards Babe Ruth set with "First Base," but it's still a solid effort, and these days it'll appeal mostly to prog rock fans who like a quality female lead vocalist.

At London's O2 Forum in Kentish Town, Corrosion of Conformity, Orange Goblin, Fireball Ministry and Black Moth served up a wide range of metal and rock styles. A tour finale done right!

It's hard to believe that "Broadway the Hard Way" came out of a grueling, cut-short tour after which Zappa wrote off the whole rock-band concept for good, because listening to it, Frank's crew sounds like a well-oiled machine having the…

"Headless Cross," one of the most overlooked achievements in the saga of the masters of metal darkness, ranks among the very best Black Sabbath records without Ozzy or Dio on vocals.

release date: September 14, 2018 label: Frontiers Music Srl. album length: 52:25 production: Peter Mansson & Anders Wikström rating: 9.5 / 10 Treat are long-lived Swedish hard rockers, a band with the track record of Europe's…

location: Ljubljana / CUK Kino Šiška / Slovenia date: 01.08.2018 This time Kino Šiška played host to famed American hard rockers Mr. Big, who had their biggest commercial successes in the early nineties with a handful of hits, among…

"There was no shortage of attention from the ladies, and it kept him going long after the show, when he just couldn't tear himself away from hanging out at Hangar Bar."

With »Rise to Glory«, Loudness keep the quality high and the creative fire burning, while holding on to the unmistakable character that put them on the metal pedestal back in the eighties.

"The image we've been missing all these years is also, let's hope, one that will (be)come a fixture of the new era, with which L.A. Guns will keep delighting their fans for many years to come."

Date: Tuesday, 8/8/2017Location: Majano / Area Concerti Festival / Italy On day two of the summer festival in the Friulian town of Majano, the stage belonged to red-hot Los Angeles retro hard rock revivalists Rival Sons. This hugely…

"Many of those in the crowd at Zagreb's Arena were sorry to see the show by these indestructible rock veterans fly by while they were reveling in the one-of-a-kind Deep Purple evergreens, as the seasoned masters of music once again proved…

Opća OpasnostApril 21, 2017Ljubljana / Orto Bar / Slovenia Opća Opasnost is a Croatian hard rock outfit that's been at it since way back in 1992, formed in the town of Županja. After a decade-long break between 1997 and 2008, the…

Label: Ear Music RecordsRelease date: 2017Production: Bob EzrinAlbum length: 45.47 minGenre: Heavy Rock/Hard RockRating: 8.0/10 After a four-year break from the studio, Deep Purple are back with "Infinite", their twentieth studio…

Location: Velden Am Wörthersee / Bluesiana Rock Cafe / Austria Date: Thursday, 04/13/2017 It doesn't happen all that often that a band from the days when glam metal was riding its commercial peak stops by somewhere near us. Ladies…

Location: Vienna / Simm City / AustriaDate: February 16, 2017 The legendary Glenn Hughes is the man who picked up the flattering nickname "The Voice Of Rock" a long, long time ago. After a good while away, and especially after his…

"After Drevored's album "Na zahod," Jernej Zoran's new album is another exceptionally strong original achievement on the Slovenian rock'n'roll front, and both came out at the very dawn of 2017."

" So Up N'Downs have dropped their studio debut, which counts as one of the nicest rock surprises ever to come out of Slovenia, and we can safely call it one of the best rock albums to hit the Slovenian music scene this year."

"From mechanical resonance to a mechanical renaissance!"

"If this was one of Whitesnake's last shows in Coverdale's mighty career, you could say the still-vital frontman is saying goodbye to his fans in more than a dignified way."

Label: Frontiers Music Srl. Release date: 22.01.2016 Production: Eric Martensson Album length: 44.01 Genre: Melodic Rock / Hard Rock It's been five months since this album officially dropped, but it's still well worth a spotlight,…

"With the kind of playing and devilish rock'n'roll sorcery the legendary lineup delivered this time in Vienna, there's no fear of the band thinking about retirement. "

Label: RCARelease date: April 13, 1973Production: Ken Scott & David BowieAlbum length: 40.47 minGenre: Glam Rock / Hard RockRating: 9.0/10 After the phenomenal success of the cult concept album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy…

Label: RCARelease date: June 16, 1972Production: Ken Scott & David BowieAlbum length: 38:29Genre: Glam Rock / Hard RockRating: 10/10 In 1972, the single "Starman" hit the music scene like a bolt from the blue, suddenly became a…

Label: Mercury RecordsRelease date: November 4, 1970 (US) / April 10, 1971 (UK)Producer: Tony ViscontiAlbum length: 40:29 minGenre: Hard Rock / Folk Rock / Glam RockRating: 8.5/10This review is dedicated to the memory of David Bowie…

Location: Salzburg / Rockhouse / AustriaDate: 09/16/2015 Salzburg, the picturesque Austrian city best known for Mozart's legacy, its old baroque center and the nearby salt mine, played host to Glenn 'the Voice of Rock' Hughes, the…

"The basic premise of the band's calling card hasn't changed. It's a fresh ring match-up of AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, UFO and Queen. Blended, of course, according to The Darkness' one-of-a-kind recipe, which keeps cranking out a brand-new,…

"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"

"Chasing analog rawness, a beautiful, stripped-down and honest hard rock effort that is anything but what the title promises."

"Unlike the other bands, Night Ranger also didn't use any canned backing vocal tracks. They're bursting with energy! And that's a really good sign, because the new studio album »High Road« is about to hit the scene, and let's hope a…

"Stryper lived up to their headliner billing, despite the stellar Pretty Maids and Eclipse ahead of them, who for many were the highlight of the second day's festival sets."

"If I may add a personal note: after years of waiting, seeing Tesla again finally made it happen, even though I'd have loved to hear at least a few more songs than the "modest" thirteen. Tesla, Rockline is already looking forward to your…

"Foreigner, Europe and FM are bands that each have their own path and identity, and every one of them managed to add its own little piece to the mosaic of yet another unforgettable concert experience tonight."

"If you're into the progressive rock that flourished across the former shared republic in the seventies, or the pioneering British hard rock outfits like Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep and Procol Harum, then what the album "Nebo od skaja"…

Location: Vrba na Korošem (Velden Am Wörthersee) / Bluesiana Rock Cafe / AustriaConcert date: Sunday, December 22, 2013 Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal had to step into giant shoes in 2006. That's when he joined the lineup of rock 'n' roll…

Performing: Skid Row, Dead City Ruins, The MorningLocation: Udine / Pala Cus / ItalyConcert date: Sunday, 1 December 2013 The last show of the current Skid Row tour brought the legendary American glam metallers to Udine, Italy. The…

Location: Munich / Backstage (Halle) / Germany Date: 07.10.2013 Denmark's Pretty Maids are one of the few "survivors" of the hard-hitting, finely tuned school of melodic hard rock, stubbornly holding their ground on the scene since…

"A true rocker's heart is impossible to crush. And both Pretty Maids and Pink Cream 69 proved it with a vengeance, in the rawest, most honest light. Exactly the way the magic of the European hard rock Bible knows it."

Location: Majano / Festival Concert Area / Italy Date: Wednesday, 24.07.2013 These days, Deep Purple are, alongside Black Sabbath, the only 'old school' heavy rock band with roots in the sixties that can still fill big concert…

"Once again it was one of those gigs that leave you gaping in post-show afterglow for days. Justin and the band don't let you catch your breath for a second while you share the live magic with them"

"Slash was his usual reserved self, only addressing the packed hall for the first time near the end of the show, and with a handful of thank-yous he threw even more fuel on an already blazing atmosphere."

"The album grabs you by the ears right away and, in its highly durable erectile stance, doesn't let up until the end. "

Location: Ljubljana / Križanke / SloveniaDate: 20.09.2012 Even a year ago, anyone who has to travel abroad to catch their favorite bands would have shot a sarcastic smirk at whoever dared predict that a concert by two legendary…

"»Perfect Strangers« was a triumphant return for hard rock legends everyone had already written off. They found their feet brilliantly in the radically changed technological and production landscape of the eighties and delivered one of the…

"The often-overlooked classic »Come Taste the Band« is a worthy farewell to Deep Purple's seventies and an immensely valuable testament to Bolin's unique guitar talent, one that makes you forget Blackmore's absence altogether."

Label: EMI RecordsRelease date: November 16, 1974Production: Deep Purple & Martin BirchAlbum length: 36.31 minGenre: Hard Rock / Heavy RockRating: 10/10 "Stormbringer" was the ninth studio effort from British heavy rock legends…

"»Burn« was the magnum opus of the newborn Mark III lineup, which blazed with incredible fire from its very first post-birth pangs, hell-bent on showing the world a revitalized face of the legendary English heavy rock champions. For the…

"'Machine Head' is the golden crown atop Deep Purple's finest studio efforts and the peak of the Mark II lineup, which created the band's most beloved classics to this day."

"The experimental masterpiece »Fireball« is in many ways an even more interesting studio record than its famous predecessor, and it would've overshadowed it in every respect if it didn't have just one single flaw, going by the name…

"Deep Purple in Rock" is a timeless heavy rock masterpiece and, without a doubt, the most important studio achievement in the whole Deep Purple story. It's also one of the most important rock albums of all time. With it, Mark II began their…

"“Deep Purple” was, without a shadow of a doubt, the best record of the Mark I Deep Purple lineup. The legendary band hit its artistic peak here, with one foot already stepping toward the big stylistic shift that came right after Evans and…

Location: Faak Am See (Faaker See) / Harley Davidson Biker's Week / AustriaDate: Friday, 08.09.2012 And it has rolled into our neck of the woods for the fifteenth year running! The new European Bike Week, with the Harley Davidson…

"Even though the band was on a rapid creative climb, the album completely bombed commercially on British soil, while the American response was likewise below expectations. Meanwhile, the first irreconcilable differences over the band's…

With their self-titled debut, Black Sabbath pulled off a genuine revolution: while tinkering with the blues, they unexpectedly stumbled onto a whole new form of rock music, which the critics of the day dubbed heavy metal, making this one of…

"»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"

"Almost two hours of wandering through their set convinced me once again that Mary Rose are one of a kind on the Slovenian hard rock map"

""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…

Opća OpasnostApril 9, 2011Brežice / MC Brežice / Slovenia Croatian hard rockers Opća Opasnost are back from the dead. They made a spectacular comeback on July 10, 2008, opening for the legendary Whitesnake in Osijek alongside Divlje…

"So Lynch mob didn't disappoint. It wasn't the tightly orchestrated show we got the day before at Satrijani, but the intimate vibe, a lot like the one at Bluesiana in Carinthia, plus the spontaneity and chemistry of four seasoned stage cats…

"The fact is, the crowd isn't nearly as fired up as the one we see on the "Comin' Atcha Live!" DVD. Apparently Europe has cooled on the band a bit, and of course the band has only itself to blame. Its absence from European stages was simply…

"Even if you squint and look the other way, you still have to admit that despite the merciless ticking of Alice Cooper's biological clock, catching one of his shows remains a real treat, worth the trip for every music gourmet out there."

Location: Vidia Rock Club / San Vittore (Cesena) / ItalyDate: Saturday, October 24, 2009 Barely a year and a half had gone by, and Swiss hard rockers Gotthard were already serving up a new record, "Need To Believe" (2009). New year,…

Location: Lignano Sabbiadoro / Arena Alpe Adria / ItalyDate: Sunday, 05.07.2009 Chickenfoot is an all-star lineup of veterans made up of Joe Satriani, Chad Smith (Red hot chilli peppers) and fifty percent of Van Halen (Sammy Hagar,…

""Comin' Atcha Live 2008" is a document of Tesla with all their power intact: fresh, tight, in superbly preserved shape, a band that takes no compromises onto the stage."

"Times change, and so does Tesla. Luckily, they're growing upward!"

Location: Roncade (Treviso) / New Age / ItalyDate: 11/23/2007 Unbelievable! With how much I zip around Europe by every means possible, it still happens that I end up at a gig completely alone, with no company whatsoever. This time…

"Mary Rose return in grand, triumphant style with "Feniks". I'd go so far as to say that with the birth of "Feniks", after the slump with Martin Krpan, we're finally seeing the glory and honor of healthy melodic hard rock restored in…

"Križanke couldn't handle all that Whitesnake volume. How was Plečnik supposed to know 100 years ago that Whitesnake would play here one day, and build in extra elements for it?"

"The chemistry between the crowd and the band was incredible all night. Not a single flub to be heard. Purple took our breath away (as always) with their famous trademarks. Flawless solos and songs flowing into one another through witty…

"The Darkness are an unbelievably fired-up, energetic young band who simply made it. What stands out is how incredibly approachable they are with the crowd, without a trace of the snobbery you might expect from a group whose videos get spun…