First Spin Impressions

[Nightrain]

BLESSED BY A BROKENHEART - Feel The Power (2012)

a surprisingly awesome modern heavy metal album with a significant 80s glam element thrown in. I still can spot a little bit occasional screamo effect on some songs, but that's still acceptable, and to hear how Shred Sean (lousy nickname btw) launch the superfantastic solos on most songs, that's a big plus on this album. I love 'Shut Up and Rock', the radio friendly hit 'Forever', the fast-paced 'Holding Back For Nothing', the superb and anthemic track, 'Rockin' All Night', and the closing track, 'Sleepless Nights'.

I don't get this one. They have a freakin' awesome 80's rocker like Rockin' All Night and then they mix it with a bunch of nu metal. It's annoying. Either stay with the 80's stuff and market yourself as glam or stick with the screaming and the kick drums. Not sure if I like this band or not. I really don't. They are just so all over the place. I do then I don't. It's yo you music.

 

For band who started as a hardcore/metalcore and try to adapt with the 80s style, this is the best they can do. Usually, there's no 180 degree spin in other direction for a band, there'll still be old elements left from them. So if you really don't want the nu-metal stuffs at all, this is a risky investment, but I think the amount of that is acceptable to me, even though I think if they stick to the 100% 80s stuff, the result will be better

[Geoff]

BLESSED BY A BROKENHEART - Feel The Power (2012)

a surprisingly awesome modern heavy metal album with a significant 80s glam element thrown in. I still can spot a little bit occasional screamo effect on some songs, but that's still acceptable, and to hear how Shred Sean (lousy nickname btw) launch the superfantastic solos on most songs, that's a big plus on this album. I love 'Shut Up and Rock', the radio friendly hit 'Forever', the fast-paced 'Holding Back For Nothing', the superb and anthemic track, 'Rockin' All Night', and the closing track, 'Sleepless Nights'.

I don't get this one. They have a freakin' awesome 80's rocker like Rockin' All Night and then they mix it with a bunch of nu metal. It's annoying. Either stay with the 80's stuff and market yourself as glam or stick with the screaming and the kick drums. Not sure if I like this band or not. I really don't. They are just so all over the place. I do then I don't. It's yo you music.

 

For band who started as a hardcore/metalcore and try to adapt with the 80s style, this is the best they can do. Usually, there's no 180 degree spin in other direction for a band, there'll still be old elements left from them. So if you really don't want the nu-metal stuffs at all, this is a risky investment, but I think the amount of that is acceptable to me, even though I think if they stick to the 100% 80s stuff, the result will be better

No surprises here, but I love what they're doing. I have no issue at all with the modern elements, and I personally love seeing a new, young band try their hand at 80's hard rock - taking ALL the best elements, but throwing in a few textures of what is modern in music, just to keep it new, interesting and... well, fresh. For me, couldn't work better, personally.

[Geoff]

Spun these both multiple times now, but still early days:

 

Some comments before I begin. After a pretty average year in modern rock in 2011 it's a genuine surprise to be about 40 days into 2012 and there are only 4 albums worth listening to so far. All 4 are modern rock discs. IMO, BBABH, Safetysuit, Hit The Lights and Young Guns are easily the best I've heard this year, and they're 4 great albums.

 

Hit The Lights - 'Invicta' ; We got a taster of this last year with a 3 track EP ; all songs included here. Those three tracks displayed a new style for the band and an utterly stunning production job. The 3 songs were big, atmospheric and moody commercial modern rock tunes. The tempo on this album throughout is very different to the other 2 (great) HTL albums. Those 2 are awesome slabs of uptempo modern pop rock - this one has a lot more in common with the likes of Safetysuit and slower, more moody bands like that. I personally think they totally pull it off, but, I would like to have seen them vary it up a little with a few uptempo tracks like they used to do. As it is, the variety of tracks isn't massive. But there isn't a filler and tracks like 'Gravity' and 'Float through me' are sensational, with stuff like 'Invincible,' 'Earthquake,' 'Get to you' and 'All the weight' not being far off either. I do hope a few people check this one out - very good CD.

 

Young Guns - 'Bones' ; this is the 4th best CD of the year for me so far, but a very worthy 4th spot. I like their debut, but it was one of those too polished CD which lost it's balls for the sake of sounding so slick. Still, it's a good CD and I do enjoy it. This one is still sooo slickly produced, but it does seem to be a little heavier and have a ballsier sound. These guys don't really write standout amazing songs, but they don't write rubbish either. Every song ranges from good to very good and you can't help but enjoy every minute of a really good CD. Very good band.

[heaven&hell]

Primal Fear - Unbreakable

From the first few tracks of "Strike", "Give Em Hell", "Bad Guys Wear Black" and "Metal Nation" this storms out of the gate like a return to form from the good ole days of the early to mid 2000's Primal Fear with Ralph screaming his balls off and Matt and the boys coming up with some great old school style Metal. Then the middle of the album a new(or old) influence comes in with songs like "And There Was Silence" and "Marching Again" that reminds me of a old Kiske era Helloween or even a happy old school Ralph era Gamma Ray. The best song is the 8 minute epic "Where Angels Die". I could hear this album coming out somewhere between Black Sun and Devil's Ground. There's the old style PF metal and there's plenty of metal so I think most of the older fans that ran for the hills when they heard the symphonic sounds on New Religion will come to the fold. Welcome back boys!

 

House of Lords - Big Money

I actually gave this two spins because the first spin didn't grab me at all. The second spin was much kinder but even though there are a handful of great tunes there are more fillers on this on this disc than there has been since the Power and Myth release. Since James took control of the band they have seamlessly put together a nice string of great ablums with the "World Upside Down" being the best IMO. Now where does that put "Big Money"? I'd put it ahead of the previously mentioned "Power and the Myth" but it wouldn't go any higher than that. "Someday When", "One Man Down", "Big Money", "Searchin" and "Living in a Dream World" are the top tracks IMO but the back end of the disc really lets this one down. I do wish James would bring previous bassist Jeff Kent back for at least his songwriting as he co-wrote most of the tunes on World Upside Down and Come to My Kingdom and some of that songwriting quality seems to be missing as of late. Sure Mark Baker from the Demons Down days has been helping but I think they need a new set of ears.

[Nightrain]

FLYING COLORS - s/t (2012)

another project of Mike Portnoy and this time he collaborates with Neal Morse, and the result is a mix of prog and pop rock, but also with many genres including jazz, folk, and brit rock. Among 11 tracks, two tracks I categorized as filler, and the rest are good to great. Winners are 'Blue Ocean', very soothing with jazzy feel and nice guitar solo, although this track is too long; 'Kayla' is non-prog poppish commercial song; 'The Storm' is commercial melodic pop rock; 'Better Than Walking Away' and 'Fool In My Heart' are nice slow ballads.

 

An album full of diversity, beyond my expectation, and deserved at least 75%, and maybe could grow more.

 

 

FOX - 2012 (2012)

A good hard rock album but not more and nothing really special, some strong tracks, some average tunes, good riffs, predictable pattern, you've-heard-it-many-times-before type of album. Several songs that I like here are 'Nothing Without You', 'Anytime', 'Home Again', and 'We Are All'. Other tunes like 'Problem Child', 'Beds Are Burning', and 'Down Down' are quite okay too. 70-75%

 

 

LANA LANE - El Dorado Hotel (2012)

a moody album, try this only if you like symphonic rock genre, but I found this to be less-prog more melodic rock oriented thing, although many tracks are too average with the only standout here is 'Believe', but the rest are between 65-75, so nothing's horrible here. I kinda like 'A Dream Full of Fire', 'Maybe We'll Meet Again', 'Hotels', and 'Gone Are The Days'. The production is great and perhaps 70% is the max I can give.

 

 

L'ARC~EN~CIEL - Butterfly (2012)

An alternative/pop/J-rock band that I love since 1998, a new album is always a treat for me, and this is no different, not to mention at last a new album in 5 years. Although at the first glance, this is slightly weaker than the last two albums, but I can see this grow big later and enjoyed it a lot.

While the last two are more European rock style, looks like this album went back to Heart/Ark/Ray era of the late 90s, and songs that I love here are 'Bye Bye', 'Good Luck My Way', 'Drink It Down', 'Shine', 'Nexus 4', and 'Mirai Sekai'. No fillers except for 'Shade of Season' is a bit weaker than the rest. 85%

 

 

MARK SPIRO - It's A Beautiful Life (2012)

A lite AOR moment of Mark Spiro, unlike Westcoast that has jazzy feel, this is poppish and strangely, I can see a combination of Bryan Adams (especially the vocal) of 'On A Day Like Today' era and John Mayer's acoustical rock touch, especially from his debut, 'Room For Squares'. The first half is better than the second but most of the items are pleasantly good. Personal faves are 'It's A Beautiful Life', 'I Know Who I Love', 'Come Back To Me', 'Love Struck Dumb', 'Dream Big, Pray Hard', and the bonus track, 'A Beautiful Mistake'. 80%

 

 

SUNSTORM - Emotional Fire (2012)

wow, love it right from the first spin! Could be their best to date, but I'm not really convinced yet since I also love the sophomore and for now, probably quite on par. JLT's vocal sounds a bit different here than it used to be. The three covers are well executed with 'You Wouldn't Know Love' being the best, but the real best track here is no other than the opening tune, 'Never Give Up'.

The only patchy / weaker track here is the ballad, 'Lay Down Your Arms', and the rest are mostly awesome like 'Wish You Were Here', 'The Higher You Rise', 'Emily', and 'Follow Your Heart'. 90%

 

 

THE ITCH - Spreading The Wildfire (2011)

I stumbled upon this through sleazeroxx and been mentioned as one of the strongest albums of 2011. I missed it before but after hearing it, I think it's a good 80s hard rock style of album, but like FOX, good but nothing's special. FOX is slightly better and more melodic while THE ITCH is more straight forward no-frills hard rock type of band. Great songs here are 'Action', 'Propaganda', and 'Bring In The Wine'. 70%

 

 

VAN HALEN - A Different Kind of Truth (2012)

Could be the most controversial album of the year, some say it's perfect, some other say it's garbage, well like the last year's JOURNEY, i'm standing in the middle again. Not a fan of DLR at all but I dug their early albums, and their debut is simply sensational. With probably more than half of the album were taken from the old 70s demos, this is the raw VAN HALEN and Eddie still has many fantastic riffs and solos at his disposal. I must admit I prefer Hagar era, but this is not bad at all.

 

Unlike many people, I kinda dig 'Tattoo' but yeah kinda irritating to hear the chorus chant, but still good track, at least better than 'Bullethead', 'Honeybabysweetdoll', and 'Beats Workin'. Some other songs I like here are 'Blood and Fire', 'The Trouble With Never' (but hate the spoken part), 'Outta Space', and 'Big River'. 75%

 

 

YOUNG GUNS - Bones (2012)

A good modern rock, heavier than the usual. I love 'Dearly Departed', this song is very melodic, 'Brother In Arms' is also superb; 'Learn My Lesson' is awesome and 'Everything Ends' is a great power ballad. 'Broadfields' is a nice slow atmospheric ballad, but there are weaker tunes here such as 'Bones', 'Towers', and 'Headlights'. 75%

[TIM (2)]

Primal Fear - Unbreakable

There's the old style PF metal and there's plenty of metal so I think most of the older fans that ran for the hills when they heard the symphonic sounds on New Religion will come to the fold. Welcome back boys!

 

 

Unfortunately that works the other way around too. I liked the symphonic stuff and wished they'd pushed the boundaries of that sound more. Am sure this sound appeases older fans but I got into the band with "Seven Seals" and this just sounds like a re-hash to me.

[heaven&hell]

Primal Fear - Unbreakable

There's the old style PF metal and there's plenty of metal so I think most of the older fans that ran for the hills when they heard the symphonic sounds on New Religion will come to the fold. Welcome back boys!

 

 

Unfortunately that works the other way around too. I liked the symphonic stuff and wished they'd pushed the boundaries of that sound more. Am sure this sound appeases older fans but I got into the band with "Seven Seals" and this just sounds like a re-hash to me.

 

I loved Seven Seals but on that one the Symphonic sounds were so overbearing but with New Religion it was way to much. And even the non symphonic tunes on New Religion weren't very good songs. I loved the Simone Simmons duet "Everytime it Rains" but besides that and a few other tunes it was a let down. I've loved this band since Jaws of Death so yeah I prefer the old school approach but I do think the last one 16.6 and even this one isn't all old school and has some new sounds to offer as well plus the sound is great IMO.

[TIM (2)]

BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART - Feel the Power

 

My first proper spin through of this without just flicking through tracks. Yes this is much more melodic than their last disc, but it's still modern rock with production effects and some growling vocals and the odd breakdown. But much less than before. To be honest it's a mixed bag. The vocals sound pretty weak, whether in 'clean' form or growling (they're especially bad on "I've Got You") and the lead-guitar work is irritating - it's all played at Dragonforce-like pace with little ear for melody, and is too low in the mix. A lot of the songs are also quite samey, to put in mildly. Plus there's plenty of filler/cheese. "I've Got You" is the sort of ballad the Backstreet Boys would reject for being too gay. "Skate Or Die" is just plain horse-shit. "Forever" is just stupidly naff and cringeworthy, and some other tracks (like "Scream It Like You Mean It") are just synth-driven and have virtually no rhythm guitar, so just sound like dance/pop with female backing vocals (they might be male b/vocals, but is hard to tell). All that said there is some good stuff. Opener "Deathwish" is good, and "Love Nightmare" is pretty killer with nice heavy verses and a sweet chorus. "Innocent Blood" is the same, powerful stuff with a hooky chorus. In the end though it's all too patchy to be rated highly, but there are enough good songs to just about warrant owning this.

[Geoff]

BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART - Feel the Power

 

My first proper spin through of this without just flicking through tracks. Yes this is much more melodic than their last disc, but it's still modern rock with production effects and some growling vocals and the odd breakdown. But much less than before. To be honest it's a mixed bag. The vocals sound pretty weak, whether in 'clean' form or growling (they're especially bad on "I've Got You") and the lead-guitar work is irritating - it's all played at Dragonforce-like pace with little ear for melody, and is too low in the mix. A lot of the songs are also quite samey, to put in mildly. Plus there's plenty of filler/cheese. "I've Got You" is the sort of ballad the Backstreet Boys would reject for being too gay. "Skate Or Die" is just plain horse-shit. "Forever" is just stupidly naff and cringeworthy, and some other tracks (like "Scream It Like You Mean It") are just synth-driven and have virtually no rhythm guitar, so just sound like dance/pop with female backing vocals (they might be male b/vocals, but is hard to tell). All that said there is some good stuff. Opener "Deathwish" is good, and "Love Nightmare" is pretty killer with nice heavy verses and a sweet chorus. "Innocent Blood" is the same, powerful stuff with a hooky chorus. In the end though it's all too patchy to be rated highly, but there are enough good songs to just about warrant owning this.

Funnily enough, I actually thought 'Innocent Blood' and 'Rockin' all night' were the weakest 2 songs on the disc. And 'Forever' is my favourite song. I do agree, though, that 'Deathwish' is the 2nd best song of the year so far. And 'Love nightmare' is awesome too.

[TIM (2)]

BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART - Feel the Power

 

My first proper spin through of this without just flicking through tracks. Yes this is much more melodic than their last disc, but it's still modern rock with production effects and some growling vocals and the odd breakdown. But much less than before. To be honest it's a mixed bag. The vocals sound pretty weak, whether in 'clean' form or growling (they're especially bad on "I've Got You") and the lead-guitar work is irritating - it's all played at Dragonforce-like pace with little ear for melody, and is too low in the mix. A lot of the songs are also quite samey, to put in mildly. Plus there's plenty of filler/cheese. "I've Got You" is the sort of ballad the Backstreet Boys would reject for being too gay. "Skate Or Die" is just plain horse-shit. "Forever" is just stupidly naff and cringeworthy, and some other tracks (like "Scream It Like You Mean It") are just synth-driven and have virtually no rhythm guitar, so just sound like dance/pop with female backing vocals (they might be male b/vocals, but is hard to tell). All that said there is some good stuff. Opener "Deathwish" is good, and "Love Nightmare" is pretty killer with nice heavy verses and a sweet chorus. "Innocent Blood" is the same, powerful stuff with a hooky chorus. In the end though it's all too patchy to be rated highly, but there are enough good songs to just about warrant owning this.

Funnily enough, I actually thought 'Innocent Blood' and 'Rockin' all night' were the weakest 2 songs on the disc. And 'Forever' is my favourite song. I do agree, though, that 'Deathwish' is the 2nd best song of the year so far. And 'Love nightmare' is awesome too.

 

It's cos they're the heavier songs. "Innocent Blood" is nice n' meaty and mixes things up a bit, as opposed to the synth-driven cheese of stuff like "Forever" (which I really don't like).

[Geoff]

Silverstein - 'Short Songs' ; jeez, what the f*ck was that? Love these guys, but this is a terrible decision. I seriously feel like I've just clicked on samples of their new album on Amazon and got a taste for what the new album will be like. But no, that was actually the whole album. For those wondering what the hell I'm talking about, here's the track list and song length:

 

1. "Sick as Your Secrets" 1:08

2. "Sin & Redemption" 1:09

3. "SOS" 1:36

4. "Brookfield" 1:30

5. "La Marseillaise" 0:48

6. "World on Fire" 1:24

7. "Sleep Around" 1:19

8. "My Miserable Life" 0:28

9. "Truth & Temptation" 0:44

10. "One Last Dance" 1:26

11. "See Ya Bill" 0:06

Side B[5]

No. Title Length

12. "Short Songs" (originally by Dead Kennedys) 0:24

13. "236 E. Broadway" (originally by Gob) 1:20

14. "Good Intentions" (originally by Gorilla Biscuits) 0:26

15. "Destination: Blood!" (originally by Orchid) 1:08

16. "Coffee Mug" (originally by Descendents) 0:33

17. "xOn Our Kneesx" (originally by The Swarm) 0:24

18. "Scenes from Parisian Life" (originally by The Promise Ring) 1:21

19. "It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite" (originally by NOFX) 1:24

20. "Quit Your Job" (originally by Chixdiggit) 0:23

21. "The Ballad of Wilhelm Fink" (originally by Green Day) 0:33

22. "You Gotta Stay Positive" (originally by Good Clean Fun) 0:05

 

Yep, so you get 11 new "songs," but none over 90 seconds long. Which is just cruel, because they actually sound like good songs - possibly their heaviest yet - lots of screaming. But they're not real songs, they're just samples. 'Brookfield' lasted for 2 verses and choruses and funnily enough was my favourite song. Nothing wrong at all with the quality of what the songs should have been, but as it is, this album is useless. Really, really bad decision, guys. I hope they smarten up and re-record the first 11 songs as full songs. The covers, obviously, are awful too.

[Geoff]

Scream Out Loud - 'Live it up' ; split thoughts on this one. Strong songs with good hooks and nice choruses, perfect production job, super tight, musically impressive band. Almost all good, but the problem? The screaming vocals are terrible, and so unnecessary. It sounds like they're going to a Silverstein copycat sound in places, but the screaming vocals are sooo of the mark. A big shame too, because he has a good singing voice. This is a good CD and well worth checking out if you don't mind a scream or 2, but it could be about 10-20% better without those screams.

 

The Panic Division - 'Eternalism' ; impressive. I have their last CD in my collection but cannot remember the style let alone an actual song from it. No idea in the world. I wouldn't have even bothered with this had I not seen some comparisons to an excellent modern rock band from yesteryear called Acceptance. Killer band and whilst these guys certainly don't match their glory, this is a surprisingly good modern rock disc. Nice, catchy, smooth modern rock. Not a world beater, but again, worth a spin.

 

Mark Spiro - 'It's a beautiful life' ; pretty much what you'd expect from Spiro again. Very lite, but always pretty nice to the ear. It won't rate overly high with me, but I do enjoy this guy's songcraft and will enjoy more spins of this one.

[Glen]

Mark Spiro - 'It's a beautiful life' ; pretty much what you'd expect from Spiro again. Very lite, but always pretty nice to the ear. It won't rate overly high with me, but I do enjoy this guy's songcraft and will enjoy more spins of this one.

 

v much singer/songwriter type stuff. Lite indeed but a grower for sure. A nice relaxed listen - perfect background music in fact....hang on I just slagged it off I think. Seriously, its worth a listen.

[Geoff]

Mark Spiro - 'It's a beautiful life' ; pretty much what you'd expect from Spiro again. Very lite, but always pretty nice to the ear. It won't rate overly high with me, but I do enjoy this guy's songcraft and will enjoy more spins of this one.

 

v much singer/songwriter type stuff. Lite indeed but a grower for sure. A nice relaxed listen - perfect background music in fact....hang on I just slagged it off I think. Seriously, its worth a listen.

Yeah, similar to Jon Waite's stuff. Two masterful song writers who still have that great ear for a hook, regardless of how lite the actual music is. Good storytellers.

[phaffas]

Silverstein - 'Short Songs' ; jeez, what the f*ck was that? Love these guys, but this is a terrible decision. I seriously feel like I've just clicked on samples of their new album on Amazon and got a taste for what the new album will be like. But no, that was actually the whole album. For those wondering what the hell I'm talking about, here's the track list and song length:

 

1. "Sick as Your Secrets" 1:08

2. "Sin & Redemption" 1:09

3. "SOS" 1:36

4. "Brookfield" 1:30

5. "La Marseillaise" 0:48

6. "World on Fire" 1:24

7. "Sleep Around" 1:19

8. "My Miserable Life" 0:28

9. "Truth & Temptation" 0:44

10. "One Last Dance" 1:26

11. "See Ya Bill" 0:06

Side B[5]

No. Title Length

12. "Short Songs" (originally by Dead Kennedys) 0:24

13. "236 E. Broadway" (originally by Gob) 1:20

14. "Good Intentions" (originally by Gorilla Biscuits) 0:26

15. "Destination: Blood!" (originally by Orchid) 1:08

16. "Coffee Mug" (originally by Descendents) 0:33

17. "xOn Our Kneesx" (originally by The Swarm) 0:24

18. "Scenes from Parisian Life" (originally by The Promise Ring) 1:21

19. "It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite" (originally by NOFX) 1:24

20. "Quit Your Job" (originally by Chixdiggit) 0:23

21. "The Ballad of Wilhelm Fink" (originally by Green Day) 0:33

22. "You Gotta Stay Positive" (originally by Good Clean Fun) 0:05

 

Yep, so you get 11 new "songs," but none over 90 seconds long. Which is just cruel, because they actually sound like good songs - possibly their heaviest yet - lots of screaming. But they're not real songs, they're just samples. 'Brookfield' lasted for 2 verses and choruses and funnily enough was my favourite song. Nothing wrong at all with the quality of what the songs should have been, but as it is, this album is useless. Really, really bad decision, guys. I hope they smarten up and re-record the first 11 songs as full songs. The covers, obviously, are awful too.

 

Whats the point?

[Geoff]

Silverstein - 'Short Songs' ; jeez, what the f*ck was that? Love these guys, but this is a terrible decision. I seriously feel like I've just clicked on samples of their new album on Amazon and got a taste for what the new album will be like. But no, that was actually the whole album. For those wondering what the hell I'm talking about, here's the track list and song length:

 

1. "Sick as Your Secrets" 1:08

2. "Sin & Redemption" 1:09

3. "SOS" 1:36

4. "Brookfield" 1:30

5. "La Marseillaise" 0:48

6. "World on Fire" 1:24

7. "Sleep Around" 1:19

8. "My Miserable Life" 0:28

9. "Truth & Temptation" 0:44

10. "One Last Dance" 1:26

11. "See Ya Bill" 0:06

Side B[5]

No. Title Length

12. "Short Songs" (originally by Dead Kennedys) 0:24

13. "236 E. Broadway" (originally by Gob) 1:20

14. "Good Intentions" (originally by Gorilla Biscuits) 0:26

15. "Destination: Blood!" (originally by Orchid) 1:08

16. "Coffee Mug" (originally by Descendents) 0:33

17. "xOn Our Kneesx" (originally by The Swarm) 0:24

18. "Scenes from Parisian Life" (originally by The Promise Ring) 1:21

19. "It's My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite" (originally by NOFX) 1:24

20. "Quit Your Job" (originally by Chixdiggit) 0:23

21. "The Ballad of Wilhelm Fink" (originally by Green Day) 0:33

22. "You Gotta Stay Positive" (originally by Good Clean Fun) 0:05

 

Yep, so you get 11 new "songs," but none over 90 seconds long. Which is just cruel, because they actually sound like good songs - possibly their heaviest yet - lots of screaming. But they're not real songs, they're just samples. 'Brookfield' lasted for 2 verses and choruses and funnily enough was my favourite song. Nothing wrong at all with the quality of what the songs should have been, but as it is, this album is useless. Really, really bad decision, guys. I hope they smarten up and re-record the first 11 songs as full songs. The covers, obviously, are awful too.

 

Whats the point?

I truly regret to say it, but there seems to be no point at all. Shame to see a band I otherwise really respect waste a recording opportunity like this. I hope there is an overwhelming outcry from fans for the band to actually smarten up and record full versions of all these songs.

[JamesEagle]

Reason - The Darkest Star

 

This sounds a bit 'classic rock' to me and also reminds me of Whitesnake at times. The songs seem pretty good, with some fantastic guitar solos, although the vocals aren't my favourite (a little bland - adequate, but nothing special). With more distinctive vocals I might be getting into this a lot more.

[Dead Planet]

Autograph-Buzz.....I wasn't expecting much from this as I have never been a big Autograph fan but much to my surprise the first spin thru has blown me away...some very nice AOR with sweet hooks and melodies...this one should be gracing my cd player for some time to come...

 

Juicy Lucy-S/T...decent sounding hard rock that will either fully catch my interest with repeated replays or will gather dust on a shelf ...after 1 play count me undecided...

[embrock]

Autograph-Buzz.....I wasn't expecting much from this as I have never been a big Autograph fan but much to my surprise the first spin thru has blown me away...some very nice AOR with sweet hooks and melodies...this one should be gracing my cd player for some time to come...

 

Nice to see some love for this one! I always thought it was completely underrated and somehow it went under the radar pretty fast. Would love to get a new album by Steve Plunkett in whatever form (solo or Autograph)!

[phaffas]

Autograph-Buzz.....I wasn't expecting much from this as I have never been a big Autograph fan but much to my surprise the first spin thru has blown me away...some very nice AOR with sweet hooks and melodies...this one should be gracing my cd player for some time to come...

 

Nice to see some love for this one! I always thought it was completely underrated and somehow it went under the radar pretty fast. Would love to get a new album by Steve Plunkett in whatever form (solo or Autograph)!

Amen to all of the above

[Nightrain]

AOR - The Colors of L.A (2012)

I guess it's fully expected from Llama and probably hundreds of other guest musicians filling this album, mostly midtempo AOR with couple of westcoast and instrumental stuffs. My fave here are 'Jenny at Midnight', 'Dreams For Silver Lake', 'You're My Obsession', and the last two instrumental tunes, 'Grace' and 'Never Gonna Let Her Go'. No fillers at all but some of them are 7/10 and 7.5/10 quality so probably brought down the final score to 75%. Good album!

 

 

AUDIOVISION - Focus (2010)

Good melodic metal album, I missed this when it first released, from the first two tracks, 'Invitation' and 'Keep The Fire Burning', i have high expectation but things seem to got sloppy from the fourth track. Three fillers before the game is on again with 'We Will Go' which I think is the best track. 'The Way' is also a great track with furious riffs, but sadly the others are very average. 70%

 

 

CHRIS ANTBLAD - A New Dawn (2012)

weird cover album, he looks exactly like glasses ad model there, but this is a very nice soothing and smooth AOR stuff. Reminds me of 7TH HEAVEN and JOURNEY's 'Raised on Radio' light material, kinda almost on par with the new Mark Spiro, but different vibe. Fave tracks here are 'Love Was'; 'In Your Eyes' (quite similar to LADY ANTEBELLUM's 'Need You Now'); 'She's Waiting For Somebody To Love', the slow ballad of 'Nothing Happened'; the uptempo 'I Still Remember'; and the last two ballads, 'I'll Find A Way' and 'Love Came Along'. Great vocal and great prods, 80% for starter and I guess this is better than his previous album.

 

 

FROZEN RAIN - Ahead of Time (2012)

i loved their debut and this excites me as I'm expecting a better album only to be left out disappointed. The first track is a filler, the second one is good, but things get better on the third. 'Breaking Out', 'We're Gonna Rock', 'Too Late', 'The Last Dance Ain't Over', and 'Not At Home' are 8/10 materials, the rest are spread between 7 and 7.5. The production isn't really great and the debut is definitely better. 75%

 

 

FROZENROOM - Arise (2012)

Switzerland hard rock and crossed with groove metal. The vocal is heavy but I must admit I kinda hate it. Some okay tracks here are 'You Don't See', 'What If', 'Don't Let Me Down', and 'Out of Control', the rest you can let go, even though half of it aren't really bad. 60-65%

 

 

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA - HOS (2012)

Never a fan of HOS anyway and this disc is too volatile. I guess there is a handful of fillers here such as 'Changes In Mind', 'Zodiac Maniac', 'Endless Night', but there are great tracks too such as 'Carry My Load', 'Fractions of Love', 'Midnight Hunger', 'What Goes Around', and 'Lost In Transition'. The rest are quite patchy but not bad, and probably that three are the only weakest tracks here. I'm still thinking between 70% or 75%, but I'll go with the former first.

 

 

LEE SMALL - Jamaica Inn (2012)

A departure from SHY's sound, this is more classic/blues rock type of album, but surprisingly I enjoy it, especially the rendition of BOYZ II MEN's hit, 'End of The Road'. Small's vocal is simply amazing, I like the slow and bluesy breeze of 'The Captain's Quarter'; the uptempo of 'Walk The Plank' that reminds me of Zep's Rock N Roll; 'the easy listening of 'Dead Man Walking'; and the bluesy 'Voyager'. I'll go with 75% first but there's a possibility that it can climb to 80%.

 

 

REASON - The Darkest Star (2012)

This is hard rock / heavy metal and strangely combined with some spacey element, making it confusing whether they want to go the hard rock path or prog. Not to mention the duration of each song is quite lengthy so it can be frustrating for some. I kinda like 'Another World', 'Fire Eternal', and 'Evil Angel', but the rest you can just let go. 60% at best!

[JamesEagle]

Evergrey - Glorious Collision

 

Some nice tunes on this one, e.g. in 'To Fit The Mold', but I did find myself thinking, "when will it end?" I'm hoping it will grow on me, as initial impression is that it's too long and gets boring.

[Jez]

Sunstorm - Emotional Fire

 

Good disc in general, although I reckon it is the weakest of the three so far. The Two Michael Bolton songs are very pedestrian and are no way shape or form anywhere near as good as the originals. 'Gina' wasn't exactly the greatest Michael Bolton song in the first place and it isn't done any favours here. 'You Wouldn't Know Love' starts off ok, but JLT's vocals can't compete with the original version and I have to say the guitar solo is seriously crap. Best to have left them both well alone I reckon. The rest is good though, with 'Emily' and closer 'All I Am' being particular highlights.

 

Sonic Station - S/T

 

Non Westcoast fans stop reading now, but if you are, then look no further than here. This is how to do Westcoast music to perfection in the year 2012. Smooth, well written, superbly played & produced (you won't hear better than this on a disc this day and age) and the pacing of the album is perfect too. Highlights (and there are many) 'Love's Gonna Show The Way', 'You Have To Let Me Go', 'Running Through The Night', 'Love You More' and the perfect Westcoast of 'My Last Refrain'. Love the mix of different singers too, which adds to the whole feel of the album. As I said, if Westcoast is your thing, what ya waiting for BUY...NOW

 

 

Michael Thompson Band - Future Past

 

Big boots to fill in trying to follow up the brilliant 'How Long' album, but my god MT has given it a damn good go. No smooth Moon Calhoun vocals this time, but Larry King has a good go at it, reminding me a lot of Gregory Lynn Hall from 101 South. All the rest is in check, MT's exquisite playing, some great tunes in the middle section especially 'Beautiful Mystery', 'Future Past', 'Gypsy Road' and 'End Game' are all great. The remake of 'Can't Miss' is good although a little pointless, as the original was so good. A couple of marks docked for 'Here I Am' and a couple of others which are weak, as is the production on a couple of songs, but generally, whilst not as good as 'How Long', this is a really good album.

[Glen]

Sunstorm - Emotional Fire

 

Good disc in general, although I reckon it is the weakest of the three so far. The Two Michael Bolton songs are very pedestrian and are no way shape or form anywhere near as good as the originals. 'Gina' wasn't exactly the greatest Michael Bolton song in the first place and it isn't done any favours here. 'You Wouldn't Know Love' starts off ok, but JLT's vocals can't compete with the original version and I have to say the guitar solo is seriously crap. Best to have left them both well alone I reckon. The rest is good though, with 'Emily' and closer 'All I Am' being particular highlights.

 

 

backed on the Bolton covers - they are pretty inferior.

[TIM (2)]

Sunstorm - Emotional Fire

 

I have to say I'm pretty disappointed in this disc. I loved the first two but I don't love this one. The combination of old and new songs worked well on the last album, this time they're not as good. In fact I don't really enjoy any of the first 4 tracks at all - "Don't Give Up" is great until the chorus, and the title-track and "You Wouldn't No Love" are weak IMO. "Gina" the other Michael Bolton song is frankly garbage. Even the Martin brothers don't deliver with their only offering: "All I Am" - a dull ballad. Luckily there are 3 moments of genius: "Wish You Were Here", "Torn In Half", and "Follow Your Heart", which make the mid-section of this very strong. "Wish You Were Here" is lush AOR, the best chorus on here by a distance. Even Dennis Ward drops-the-ball with a muddy mix which makes this sound more dated than the previous two albums. Almost worth getting for the brilliant mid-section, otherwise there's nothing to see here. 6/10.