First Spin Impressions

[Jez]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

Jimi Jamison & Jim Peterik - Extra Moments

 

This is the very first release on Andrew McNeice's Melodic Rock label and as the title suggests, is made up of tracks that were mainly extras written for Jimi Jamison's 'Crossroads Moment' album from 2008. Of the 11 tracks, 7 are sung by Jamison, with an extra 4 demo versions sung by Peterik. I really liked 'Crossroads Moment' in general (although it was 3 or 4 songs too long imo) and there are some more good songs to be had on here aswell, 3 of which should have definitely been on the original album, namely 'Chiseled In Stone', 'Dream Higher' and 'Lifeforce'. The rest are ok, typical Peterik tunes, good whilst nothing spectacular - Oh! and a small minus point for the CD cover which is cheap & horrid

 

 

Over and Out

[TIM (2)]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

[Jez]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

 

The Stan Bush has gone up a little more in my estimation since the first couple of spins, although I will stick by the 2 best songs on it - 'More Than A Miracle' is a killer pomp tune and 'Two Hearts' is excellent. I love both the Terry Brock and First Signal and whilst both different to each other, I can't say I heard many, if any filers amongst both of them. Of the three, First Signal just nicks it, with Terry Brock closely on it's tail and Stan B coming in a healthy third place. It must be said, 3 Very good Frontiers releases in one hit.

[heaven&hell]

Blind Guardian - At the Edge of Time

I actually cheated and have listened to this three times since that's about what it takes for a BG release to start to sink in. This one really threw me off with the opening track "Sacred Worlds" and the first 90 seconds being very orchestral and reminding me of a film score but once it kicks in wow it's awesome. The closing track "Wheel of Time" also has the very Orchestra sound but is still a great song. There really isn't a song I don't like on this disc but it's much different than the previous release "Twist in a Myth". The overall sound is much more similar to the classic BG discs but with some twists thrown in here and there. With BG you really have to read the lyrics and really listen to all the sounds going on both musically and vocally with Hansi's voice. To be honest I wasn't sure about this one on the first spin but after three spins I think that Blind Guardian has another winner on their hands. Fav songs so far "Tanelorn(Into the Void)", "Ride into Obsession", "Curse My Name", "Valkyries", "Control the Divine", "War of the Thrones" and "A Voice in the Dark".

 

 

 

Vice - Made for Pleasure

Killer reissue of this melodic hard rock gem from Germany originally released more than 20 years ago. I had mp3s of this but had never owned an original disc so was happy when yesterock reissued this last month. It comes with two good bonus tracks "Circle" and "Angels Crying" and also includes some new liner notes/band history Chris Limburg. Fav songs so far are "Last Day of War", "Red Light Night", "Trouble in Paradise", "Running" and "Hot Summer Night Party". Here's hoping that yesterock/sony reissue the rest of the Vice catalog and maybe even the other Vice from the US.

[Glen]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

First Signal is excellent too.....but what did we expect from Hess and the song writers involved. Just a natural follow on for HS fans.

 

As for Stan Bush.....there are a couple tracks which sound very familiar..'In My Life' in particular....sounds like 'The First Time' is it...cant remember now [something off 'In This Life']....but there are some excellent tracks...the second half was well strong.

 

Cheers

[glam_junkie]

 

Vice - Made for Pleasure

Killer reissue of this melodic hard rock gem from Germany originally released more than 20 years ago. I had mp3s of this but had never owned an original disc so was happy when yesterock reissued this last month. It comes with two good bonus tracks "Circle" and "Angels Crying" and also includes some new liner notes/band history Chris Limburg. Fav songs so far are "Last Day of War", "Red Light Night", "Trouble in Paradise", "Running" and "Hot Summer Night Party". Here's hoping that yesterock/sony reissue the rest of the Vice catalog and maybe even the other Vice from the US.

 

 

where is this re-issue availalbe?

[TIM (2)]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

 

I didn't think the first two tracks were very stunning at all. In fact the opener is very generic and pretty dull IMO. I actually like "Rain" better than most of the others. The fact it got 99/100 on Melodicrock.com is just totally absurd IMO, it's good but miles from Strangeways best albums...

[heaven&hell]

 

Vice - Made for Pleasure

Killer reissue of this melodic hard rock gem from Germany originally released more than 20 years ago. I had mp3s of this but had never owned an original disc so was happy when yesterock reissued this last month. It comes with two good bonus tracks "Circle" and "Angels Crying" and also includes some new liner notes/band history Chris Limburg. Fav songs so far are "Last Day of War", "Red Light Night", "Trouble in Paradise", "Running" and "Hot Summer Night Party". Here's hoping that yesterock/sony reissue the rest of the Vice catalog and maybe even the other Vice from the US.

 

 

where is this re-issue availalbe?

 

I ordered mine from NEH Records.

[JamesEagle]

Needle Park - C'Mon Get Real

Didn't like this at all. Not sure how to describe the sound, maybe 'radio rock', but it really grated on me. The first track was okay, but I didn't even get to the Donnie Vie tracks as I had to turn it off after about 8 or 9 songs. Really bland commercial rock without any really good tunes.

 

Newman - Decade (CD1)

I think this is going to be one of those "I don't get it" artists. There are one or two reasonable tracks and plenty of really good guitar solos but no songs really grab me, there are no great choruses and his voice is, well, okay. That is, just okay, but nothing special imo, not up there with infectious AOR voices like Perry, L.A. Greene, Terry Brock, etc. Still a massive improvement on Needle Park though.

 

White Lies - To Lose My Life

Not a hard rock/AOR CD, more of an indie album similar-ish to bands like Interpol and Joy Division. Some great tunes on this one, the vocals are a bit dreary for my tastes, some real singing would have gone down well, but a good album overall.

[Glen]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

 

I didn't think the first two tracks were very stunning at all. In fact the opener is very generic and pretty dull IMO. I actually like "Rain" better than most of the others. The fact it got 99/100 on Melodicrock.com is just totally absurd IMO, it's good but miles from Strangeways best albums...

 

I cant help it, I just love this sound. Sounds like a smooth Steelhouse Lane to me which = bliss.

[JamesEagle]

Riot - Through The Storm

First Riot album I've listened to in years, in fact since the excellent 'Thundersteel'. So far, the heavier tracks haven't grabbed me at all, but surprisingly for me I quite like the ballad 'Let It Show'. Best track on first listen is 'To My Head', not one of the heavier songs, but quite nice with a decent guitar solo.

 

Silent Force - Empire of The Future

Melodic metal with some great guitar. The vocals turn me off a bit, they don't seem to complement the music very well, maybe I just need time to get into them. Some of the guitar solos are jaw dropping though.

[TIM (2)]

STONE SOUR - Audio Secrecy

 

After a couple of decent but unspectacular discs this band finally release a big album. Much more radio-friendly than previous albums and with some big power-ballads ("Hesitate" will be a massive future hit) and an all-round consistency they haven't demonstrated before. "Mission Statement" is totally killer with a monster riff, and almost every tune has a massive hook/chorus. Only disappointment are the 3 bonus tracks on the 'special edition' version - which is not worth bothering with. Awesome.

[Glen]

STONE SOUR - Audio Secrecy

 

After a couple of decent but unspectacular discs this band finally release a big album. Much more radio-friendly than previous albums and with some big power-ballads ("Hesitate" will be a massive future hit) and an all-round consistency they haven't demonstrated before. "Mission Statement" is totally killer with a monster riff, and almost every tune has a massive hook/chorus. Only disappointment are the 3 bonus tracks on the 'special edition' version - which is not worth bothering with. Awesome.

 

I actually picked this up the other day after a couple of recommendations - havent listened to it yet but looking forward even more now. Someone described it as a metal version of Harem Scarem, which I cant quite imagine, but we'll see.

[Swazi]

HOUSTON - Houston

 

Has this one gone unnoticed by you guys ??

 

 

Definitely one of the AOR highlights in 2010, imo ! Highly recommended !

 

Tracks:

 

01 - Pride

02 - Truth Slips

03 - Hold On

04 - I'm Alive

05 - One Chance

06 - Give Me Back My Heart

07 - Misery

08 - She's A Mystery

09 - Now

10 - 1000 Songs

 

Line-up:

 

Hampus "Hank" Erix - Lead Vocals

Freddie Allen - Drums

 

Tommy Denander - Keyboards, Guitar

Mats Olausson - Keyboards

Thomas Vikström - Vocals

... and many more session musicians

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEiwfUMxLfU

[JamesEagle]

STONE SOUR - Audio Secrecy

 

After a couple of decent but unspectacular discs this band finally release a big album. Much more radio-friendly than previous albums and with some big power-ballads ("Hesitate" will be a massive future hit) and an all-round consistency they haven't demonstrated before. "Mission Statement" is totally killer with a monster riff, and almost every tune has a massive hook/chorus. Only disappointment are the 3 bonus tracks on the 'special edition' version - which is not worth bothering with. Awesome.

 

I actually picked this up the other day after a couple of recommendations - havent listened to it yet but looking forward even more now. Someone described it as a metal version of Harem Scarem, which I cant quite imagine, but we'll see.

 

Listened to 2 tracks on the band's Myspace page, nothing like Harem Scarem at all imo. Just out and out modern rock/metal, not my cup of tea at all.

[Jez]

HOUSTON - Houston

 

Has this one gone unnoticed by you guys ??

 

 

Definitely one of the AOR highlights in 2010, imo ! Highly recommended !

 

Tracks:

 

01 - Pride

02 - Truth Slips

03 - Hold On

04 - I'm Alive

05 - One Chance

06 - Give Me Back My Heart

07 - Misery

08 - She's A Mystery

09 - Now

10 - 1000 Songs

 

Line-up:

 

Hampus "Hank" Erix - Lead Vocals

Freddie Allen - Drums

 

Tommy Denander - Keyboards, Guitar

Mats Olausson - Keyboards

Thomas Vikström - Vocals

... and many more session musicians

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEiwfUMxLfU

 

 

No it hasn't. On order as we speak

[LV KIX]

DC DRIVE ~ "DC Drive" 1993

 

Five songs in I now why I have never checked this one out before. When the first song kicked in with the sax solo I should have know this was gonna be a long listen. The second and third song were, to these ears, nothing more then fillers. The fourth song being a semi-ballad that just never seems to go anywhere. Song five didn't seems as if was going to change the opinion I already had about this release... So, mid song five I'd had enough. Out with the disc.

 

My first spin ,4 1/2 songs anyway, most likely will be my last.

 

If there is anything between track 6 and track 10 I should check out... let me know. Otherwise this one collect dust as long as I own it.

[JamesEagle]

Sinner No More Alibis

Not keen on this one. The songs didnt grab me and the vocals grate at times. One or two tracks didnt seem too bad, while some of the songs are plain awful, e.g. 'Save Me' and 'I'm Not Over You Yet'.

 

Tarot Suffer Our Pleasures

Melodic metal album. Another disappointment, I didnt like this at all. None of the songs stood out and the keyboard was annoying at times. Follow The Blind has a fantastic guitar solo and some of the other solos are okay, but thats the only positive I can say about this on first listen. I need to play it a few more times, as there are some great reviews of this one (e.g.: album reviews).

 

Seven Wishes s/t

First four tracks are excellent hard rock, really enjoyed them. After that, it seems to run out of ideas and the songs arent nearly as good. The lyrics are very cheesy throughout, but the vocals are good. Pleased with this overall, just because the first few tracks are so good.

[Geoff]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

 

I didn't think the first two tracks were very stunning at all. In fact the opener is very generic and pretty dull IMO. I actually like "Rain" better than most of the others. The fact it got 99/100 on Melodicrock.com is just totally absurd IMO, it's good but miles from Strangeways best albums...

 

I cant help it, I just love this sound. Sounds like a smooth Steelhouse Lane to me which = bliss.

My thoughts? Jeez, okay guys. No need to be so pushy about it:

 

First Signal - s/t ; 'This city' is about the best song I've heard this year and as I heard it for the first time I thought this'd be album of the year no doubt. It's not all quite that good, but it's excellent nevertheless. I hate the inclusion of 'Goodbye to the good times' (just an average, overdone song) and although it's good, 'When you believe' just sounds like a Khymera song too much to deserve a place here. I can't ever recall Hess stooping down so low as to sing lyrics about never giving up and believing in your dreams and such bollocks... but aside from that I love the CD. The 3 songs the guy who wrote 'This city' wrote are all awesome. 'First signal' and 'Yesterday's rain' are the other 2, if I recall correctly. Brilliant. The two Richard Marx songs are both excellent too. Yeah, aside from 'Goodbye to the good times', and the only-okay ballad, 'Crazy,' and the fact that Hess didn't write a thing on this CD, I love it.

 

Terry Brock - 'Diamond Blue' ; another outright winner. Much, much better than Slamer's solo disc and not too dissimilar to the Steelhouse Lane CDs in sound and style. I particularly love the 1st half of this CD but there's nothing bad on here at all. The title track and 'Jessie's Gone' would probably be my faves so far.

 

Stan Bush - 'Dream the dream' ; as I said in the other thread, it's exactly what you'd expect from him. Same ol' story, but lucky for him it's not a bad story. 400 songs about believing in your dreams and never giving up, which is very tiresome to be honest (next he'll be singing about God, surely), but it's a nice melodic rock / AOR disc regardless. The weakest of these 3 by countless miles, though.

[TIM (2)]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

 

I didn't think the first two tracks were very stunning at all. In fact the opener is very generic and pretty dull IMO. I actually like "Rain" better than most of the others. The fact it got 99/100 on Melodicrock.com is just totally absurd IMO, it's good but miles from Strangeways best albums...

 

I cant help it, I just love this sound. Sounds like a smooth Steelhouse Lane to me which = bliss.

My thoughts? Jeez, okay guys. No need to be so pushy about it:

 

First Signal - s/t ; 'This city' is about the best song I've heard this year and as I heard it for the first time I thought this'd be album of the year no doubt. It's not all quite that good, but it's excellent nevertheless. I hate the inclusion of 'Goodbye to the good times' (just an average, overdone song) and although it's good, 'When you believe' just sounds like a Khymera song too much to deserve a place here. I can't ever recall Hess stooping down so low as to sing lyrics about never giving up and believing in your dreams and such bollocks... but aside from that I love the CD. The 3 songs the guy who wrote 'This city' wrote are all awesome. 'First signal' and 'Yesterday's rain' are the other 2, if I recall correctly. Brilliant. The two Richard Marx songs are both excellent too. Yeah, aside from 'Goodbye to the good times', and the only-okay ballad, 'Crazy,' and the fact that Hess didn't write a thing on this CD, I love it.

 

Terry Brock - 'Diamond Blue' ; another outright winner. Much, much better than Slamer's solo disc and not too dissimilar to the Steelhouse Lane CDs in sound and style. I particularly love the 1st half of this CD but there's nothing bad on here at all. The title track and 'Jessie's Gone' would probably be my faves so far.

 

Stan Bush - 'Dream the dream' ; as I said in the other thread, it's exactly what you'd expect from him. Same ol' story, but lucky for him it's not a bad story. 400 songs about believing in your dreams and never giving up, which is very tiresome to be honest (next he'll be singing about God, surely), but it's a nice melodic rock / AOR disc regardless. The weakest of these 3 by countless miles, though.

 

After several more listens to them all, the FIRST SIGNAL is the best of the bunch IMO. Outstanding stuff. "This City" and "Into the Night" are my two fave picks...

[Geoff]

First Signal - S/T

 

For starters, for me, this is way way better than the last few Harem Scarem discs, with a return to the more traditional AOR/MR sound and looking at the list of songwriters on here, that should come as no surprise at all really I suppose. 3 tracks from the Martin Bros., 2 from Richard Marx, the same from the excellent Bob Marlette, 2 from Erik Martensson (with Magnus Henriksson and Robert Sall in tow) aswell as a James Christian co-write. All this adds up to a really very very good album indeed and a real pleasant surprise in the recent times of generally lacklustre AOR releases. I look forward to spending many more hours listening to this one.

 

 

Terry Brock - Diamond Blue

 

The AOR/MR world is definitely being spoilt for Terry Brock related releases this year - the latest Giant disc (very good it is too), a forthcoming new Strangeways album in October (can't wait for that one) and this new solo album aswell. Accompanied by Mike Slamer throughout, 'Diamond Days' is choc to the brim with quality songs, with 'Jessie's Gone (co-written with Strangeways Ian Stewart), the title track, 'Face In The Crowd', 'Soldier Calls' & 'Too Young' being some of the songs that really jump out at you initially. 'Diamond Days' is generally a great mix of uptempo stuff and some great ballads and I can honestly say after 2 spins, there isn't anywhere near a bad song on here. Time will tell if this is better than than Slamer's 'Nowhere Land' disc, but on first few spins it definitely runs it close.

 

 

Stan Bush - Dream The Dream

 

As I suspected, another solid, well written and performed typically Stan style AOR disc with no surprises at all. I was hoping he may throw in the odd curve ball here and there on this album, as the previous few discs, whilst good, solid AOR, have started to get a little samey if truth be told. Apart from a new re-working of 'The Touch' which has been done in a more modern rock style (which I don't particularly like it has to be said), the curve balls are few and far between on here. 'Two Hearts' and 'More Than A Miracle' are great tunes and my highlights and as I said, there are some very good songs, but nothing with any particular wow factor. Put this disc up against the other 2 above and I know which ones I will be playing much more in future. File as Good but not essential.

 

 

Interesting. I've only spun these three once so far but I like the Stan Bush more than the Terry Brock, and the First Signal better than them both. I love Brock's vocals - especially on "Rain" - but I thought there were some real blatant fillers and only a couple of really big songs on it...

 

Wow, fillers on Brock. The only thing thing even close to a filler is 'Rain' IMO....nice ballad but a bit laid back for my taste.

 

Elsewhere, the first 3 tracks are stunning. As is 'Broken', 'Why' etc. Massive album for me. And Brock sounds a million bucks.

 

 

I didn't think the first two tracks were very stunning at all. In fact the opener is very generic and pretty dull IMO. I actually like "Rain" better than most of the others. The fact it got 99/100 on Melodicrock.com is just totally absurd IMO, it's good but miles from Strangeways best albums...

 

I cant help it, I just love this sound. Sounds like a smooth Steelhouse Lane to me which = bliss.

My thoughts? Jeez, okay guys. No need to be so pushy about it:

 

First Signal - s/t ; 'This city' is about the best song I've heard this year and as I heard it for the first time I thought this'd be album of the year no doubt. It's not all quite that good, but it's excellent nevertheless. I hate the inclusion of 'Goodbye to the good times' (just an average, overdone song) and although it's good, 'When you believe' just sounds like a Khymera song too much to deserve a place here. I can't ever recall Hess stooping down so low as to sing lyrics about never giving up and believing in your dreams and such bollocks... but aside from that I love the CD. The 3 songs the guy who wrote 'This city' wrote are all awesome. 'First signal' and 'Yesterday's rain' are the other 2, if I recall correctly. Brilliant. The two Richard Marx songs are both excellent too. Yeah, aside from 'Goodbye to the good times', and the only-okay ballad, 'Crazy,' and the fact that Hess didn't write a thing on this CD, I love it.

 

Terry Brock - 'Diamond Blue' ; another outright winner. Much, much better than Slamer's solo disc and not too dissimilar to the Steelhouse Lane CDs in sound and style. I particularly love the 1st half of this CD but there's nothing bad on here at all. The title track and 'Jessie's Gone' would probably be my faves so far.

 

Stan Bush - 'Dream the dream' ; as I said in the other thread, it's exactly what you'd expect from him. Same ol' story, but lucky for him it's not a bad story. 400 songs about believing in your dreams and never giving up, which is very tiresome to be honest (next he'll be singing about God, surely), but it's a nice melodic rock / AOR disc regardless. The weakest of these 3 by countless miles, though.

 

After several more listens to them all, the FIRST SIGNAL is the best of the bunch IMO. Outstanding stuff. "This City" and "Into the Night" are my two fave picks...

I'd be inclined to agree, although it does have a slight "Hey Harry, I don't want to hear a creative word from you but here's the songs; record the vocals and send them back to me via email" kind of feel to it. That said, the Brock album sounds like 100% Slamer's work to me, and even I could have sung on that and it would sound awesome... but yeah I think I'd give First Signal the slight lead.

[Jez]

Houston - S/T

 

Pure AOR is the name of the game here and very impressive it all is too, from the songwriting, performances, down to the nice warm production aswell. Some top class songs on here ('Pride' & '1000 Songs' being my immediate picks) but generally I can't find any weak moments on here at all. There's a strong list of Swedish musos featured, including the excellent Tommy Denander, Ricky Delin (Prisoner), Kristoffer Lagerstrom (Spin Gallery, Union Mac) and Thomas Vikstrom (Talk Of The Town,Dark Illusion, Brazen Abbot etc). AOR doesn't get much better than this in this day and age, so go check it out pronto as it's a belter.

 

 

Lordi - Babez For Breakfast

 

The monster boys (and gal) release their 5th studio album and by now you know pretty much what to expect. I know some are put off this band by the vocals and image (personally, they don't bother me at all & I have heard alot worse vocalists, but to each their own I suppose), but there is no denying that they have written some absolute top class hard rock songs over the space of their 5 album career and this album is no different. Special mention to for getting Michael Wagener involved on the production, as it sounds freakin' huge. Personally I love it, and If you are already a fan, then this is a no brainer, but if you hated them before, steer well clear.

[Swazi]

Houston - S/T

 

Pure AOR is the name of the game here and very impressive it all is too, from the songwriting, performances, down to the nice warm production aswell. Some top class songs on here ('Pride' & '1000 Songs' being my immediate picks) but generally I can't find any weak moments on here at all. There's a strong list of Swedish musos featured, including the excellent Tommy Denander, Ricky Delin (Prisoner), Kristoffer Lagerstrom (Spin Gallery, Union Mac) and Thomas Vikstrom (Talk Of The Town,Dark Illusion, Brazen Abbot etc). AOR doesn't get much better than this in this day and age, so go check it out pronto as it's a belter.

 

 

I couldn't agree more !!

[TIM (2)]

THE SHOWDOWN - Blood in the Gears

 

The third-disc in a row that I've bought by-sight from this Christian Metal Band, and this is the only time I feel I've been a bit hasty. This album completes the transition from grooving Southern-Metal band to full-out aggressive modern Metal act. There's even a fair bit of screaming/growling on this one. They're still hardly LAMB OF GOD or KILLSWITCH but they sure are aggressive these days, though the music itself is still very tuneful. Frankly though the material is horribly generic and they are going-backwards at an alarming rate. Their last two discs are pretty damn good ("Temptation Come My Way" and "Backbreaker") but this one is just flat. They remind me of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. Heavy, but too clinical and soulless. If you want grooving Heavy Metal buy FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH or even THE THROWDOWN latest discs instead...

[Glen]

STONE SOUR - Audio Secrecy

 

After a couple of decent but unspectacular discs this band finally release a big album. Much more radio-friendly than previous albums and with some big power-ballads ("Hesitate" will be a massive future hit) and an all-round consistency they haven't demonstrated before. "Mission Statement" is totally killer with a monster riff, and almost every tune has a massive hook/chorus. Only disappointment are the 3 bonus tracks on the 'special edition' version - which is not worth bothering with. Awesome.

 

Backed 100%. This is pretty awesome. I pretty much love every track on this album.

 

Probably sitting at No 2 in the modern stakes behind the mighty SOTY.