Fury - VR Review

Fury are a uk based band originally formed in Manchester in 2002, VR is heir second full length album following on from last year’s Salvation Ep and , well its bloody great!The album opens with the title track VR, a true metal gem that brings dream Theatre and Iron Maiden to mind, with tempo changes galore, galloping bass lines, harmonized guitars, and well just class. You can certainly hear Fury’s, influence's here, but they (to me anyway) never try to "sound like" them, they just mix em up and give us a great song! The album continues with Game Over, which again is a great melodic metal track, to be honest the album is big riffs wrapped around a powerful vocal and thumping rhythm section, creating some absolutely magic metal moments. the band seem to take all the best bits from the major metal bands of the past few years, we're taking the likes of Iron Maiden, Dream Theatre, Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera Helloween, mix em together and bring out their own sound....Vr is a great album, the guitar work is sublime, the vocals, well to be honest Chris Appleton sounds a little like Whitfield Crane (Ugly Kid Joe) but that’s no bad thing, he has a great range that suites the band’s sound and the lyrics are brilliant, Dio could be proud in places!!!Stand our tracks for me are,VRGame OverOutpost (possibly the best power ballad I’ve heard in years!!!0The Human Condition (Should definably be released as a single!!!)Well to be honest there’s not a bad song on here!!!If you traditional metal with a contempary edge, with great songs played by talented and passionate musicians then you'll love this album!!Check it out, buy it, and support a great British band............

Rating 9/10

Spinal Tap - Back From The Dead Review

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the cult classic film "This is Spinal Tap", and now England's "loudest heavy metal band," SPINAL TAP, is celebrating with the release of its first new album in almost two decades, "Back From The Dead", which is also the first new album in almost two decades from England's "loudest heavy metal band" following 1992's Break Like The Wind, but does the world still want or need Spinal Tap?Well to be honest, yes, Spinal Tap have always shown that Rock fans and bands alike are not ashamed of laughing at themselves, and if you ask any artist from any genre of music I can guarantee that they've had a Spinal Tap moment or two in their carears!With Back From The Dead the comedy Gods of heavy metal return with a mix of old classics (many reworked like the (funky) SEX FARM and new material like Celtic Blues, Warmer Than Hell, Short And Sweet,Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare and Back From The Dead.Do the reworkings actually work?Erm.....I guess yes, Sex farm has a funky jazzed out feel to the music and even a little rap in the middle, which is interesting, and they've given Flower People a Reggae Stylee make over. In many cases I do prefer the original versions of the classic tracks that apperaed in the movie to these reworking although they do benifit from the better and more modern production. ARe the new tracks any good, well theyre typical Tap, so if you like Tap then you're gonna love em.If you remember the movie, grab this cd, if you dont well check it out!Highly reconmended, Long Live Tap!

RATING 11/10

Steel Panther - Feel The Steel Review

Ex-LA Guns singer Ralph Saenz's (aka Michael Starr) 80's tribute/parody band Steel Panther have been selling out South California's Key Club fairly regularly for some time now. Tongue in cheek humour, larger than life parody personas, and a wealth of on-stage celebrity guests (ranging from Tom morello, to Pink, to April Margera) helped them gain considerable recognition. It was only a matter of time until the guys landed themselves a record deal and set about recording their debut under the Steel Panther name. And what an album!The album opens with "Death To All but Metal", which most of you would have probably heard by now, if not, well its a great slab of glam/ sleaze rock circa 1987 - 1992 and brilliantly played,and i love the lyrics, you need to check this album out if only just for the lyrics to this song.Next up is Asian Hooker, which happens to feat guest appearences from buth Scott Ian (ANTHRAX) and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT!), and again is just another out and out rocker.Comunity Property is the next track, with its acoustic opening, and heartfelt lyrics, and to be honest the lyrics probably reflect the average frontmans attitude from back in the haydays of the glam and sleaze scene. Next up is my favourite track, Eyes of a Panther, another great rocker, just loving this song.Fat Girl (Thar She Blows) is up next and its just out and out WHITESNAKE!Eatin Aint Cheatin' is another fine rocker, followed Party All Day which if Bonjovi's Livin On Prayer, well almost! Turn Out The Lights picks up the tempo a little, even if its a lil moody, love this track (probably my second favourite on the disc!), with Its nob to mid period Bonjovi.Stripper Girl is another ballady track, acoustic openings building to the big rock finish. Good song.The Shocker is a plodding rocker, not a bad song but not the best on offer here.Girl from Oaklahoma tacks Extremes More Than Words as its main inspiaration, I doubt it will chart as well though....lolfeel the Steel closes with Hells on Fire, another great rocker, Bonjoviesque if they could remeber how to write rockers.This album is a great tongue in check album by a great tongue in check band, a more modern version of Spinal Tap if you will, with the theme being Glam/Sleaze's heyday and the subjec being sex, sex and more sex......The musicianship is amazing and the songs are all well crafted, in the styles of Kane Roberts (ex ALice Cooper) Whitesnake, Extreme and Bon Jovi!

rating 10/10 (go on have a laugh!!!!!!!!)

Glamour of the KIll - Glamour of the Kill EP Review

Glamour Of The Kill are a York based heavy metal or metalcore (if your prefer) who were formerly known as The Red Room Theory but they changed their name to "Glamour of the Kill" after a suggestion made by a friend of the band. The current line-up is made up of Davey Death (bass and vocals), Chris Carnage (guitar & vocals), Mikey Massacre (guitar and vocals) and Ben Brutal (drums).Glamour of the Kill present their debur mini album here, a 6 track Ep that clocks in at just under 20 minute in length.Whilst this Ep doesn't really bring anything fresh to the scene, it does serve it's purpose in this genre. Hardcore music, a mix of screams and vocals, some nice shredded guita solos, and a few catchy choruses, reminding me in many places of Bullet For My Valentine, but never sounding like rips offs. The EP opens up with a slow, but swift sounding Piano-based intro, an excellent mood setter which leads into the heavy intro of In Search For Salvation. A song which is a song packed with a fast set of verses and a slowed down chorus that just sticks in your head. The third track is So Who Said Romance Was Dead? The song name could infact be a reference to Parkway Drive's Romance Is Dead. The song is nothing too special but the mid-song shouts work pretty well. The solo towards the end is absolutlry brilliant and something they should be proud of. It's a great piece of music that leads into one hell of an outro. Next up is Kiss of Death. The start sounds a little bit like Hit The Floor by Bullet For My Valentine before it really starts. It gets quite slow when the verses begin and quite catchy when the chorus hits. A Hope In Hell starts with some catchy guitar riffs, but by this time the vocals are all starting to sound a little samey if you know what I mena, and that really does start to let the side down here. Last song on this is Rise From Your Grave. To be honest, this song is the highlight. It starts well, it goes well and it ends well. The catchiest so far. This is the only song the singer really stretches his voice on. If they were to do more songs like this, I think they could be onto something. This EP is by no means a bad EP, in fact I quite enjoyed it, sure it adds little to the genre but Glamour of the Kill show plenty of promise here, and if they can mix the vocals up a little more ala "Rise From Your Grave" then they really could be offering a great album.

rating8/10

XXX's - Heven, Hell or Hollywood Review

This could have gone so badly but thankfully XXX are a welcome addition to the glam rock scene!But to be honest we're not talking about fresh faced wet behind the ears new guys on the block here, the band comes with some great credentials!This is a party album, pure and simple, just crank it up and enjoy!“Heaven, Hell Or Hollywood” is a pretty happy album all around it has catchy riffs and choruses that grab straight from the first spin.The songs vear from classic punk (like Its Suicide) to LA Glam (Like We're Gonna Rock) to pure cock rock like on So Fucking You!Dont get me wrong, this isn’t a perfect album, and could do with a few more kick ass tunes than it has.Occasionally the vocals seem a lilttle out of place for my liking too, but what it does have is a lot of heart and a great sense of fun about it. When XXX get it right you can see them gaining a big following!If they can pull off the energy of the songs and the fun factor then triple X must be amazing live!Long Live the party!!!!!!!!!rating 8/10

Sons Of Buddha - Buddha Hates Us All Review

Sons of Buddha come across as a kind of punky mix match of the Ramones, Beach Boys and The Eagles to me.Great catchy melodies that do stick in your head, and well some pretty darn good songs.The harmonised vocals are great singalongs, and the feel of most of the songs just gives you that great feeling you get when listening to the Ramones, even though i think the guitars are slightly heavier in the mix.Some of the stand out tracks are the funny as hell "Drunk Punk", the brilliant "I Hate Xmas", "Heartless Games" and "Playing Suicide.""Sons of Buddha" offer up a great fun punk romp with "Buddha Hates Us All", which is excellent from begining to end!The album clocks in at just under 33 minutes ala most great punk releases and unlike most punk albums where each song just seems to merge into the next and the one before, "Buddha Hates Us All" manages to provide enough variety to keep the listener interested all the way through to the end.These Guys must be a blast live!!!rating 10/10

None The Less - The Way To save Ourselves Review

None The Less, a relatively new band having originally formed in 2007, have already reached fifth place in Best Unsigned Band by Kerrang and been billed to play at this years Download festival so "The Way To Save Ourselves", their debut mini album is an album that in certain circles may have a small sense of expectation behind it.None The Less are a young band in the Nu-metal vein, like so many out there on the British underground circuit at the moment, but what makes these guys stand out is their obvious talent especially in the songwritting department. "The Way To Save Ourselves" is an album filled with refreshing ideas, some great technical guitar work but above all some awesome vocal arrangments, beautifully crafted backing melodies and a sing / scream interplay that comes across as neither predictable or cliché. You only have to look at closing track I Feel Like Your Enemy to hear an example of how a great use of vocals can make a whole album sound amazing.These guys have the talent to really break big given the right breaks.If you like the heavier side of music, with a nu-metal tinge then these guys are really worth checking out.rating 10/10

Torpedohead - Lovesick Avenue Review

Torpedohead are born from the ashes of german sleaze merchants Nasty Idol whom only managed to release one Ep back in 2006. New band, new album and a new sound, because along with the bands name change theyve moved their sound away a little from the sleaze rock and bought more of a classic 70's rock feel to the front (ala Enuff Z'Nuff and The Dogs D'amour, but with a slightly heavier edge!)Lovesick Avenue really works for them too. The change in direction really suites Sven Spacebrain's voice, and the songs are all solid even if they offer nothing new to the genre, but theres no harm in that because what they do offer is great songs written and played from the gut.Some of the stand out tracks are, Wall Of Love", "Brand New Sinsation","The Devil Inside Her Eyes" and the excellent album closer that is a completely revamped version of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love". A great album, by a very good band, be sure to check these guys out!!rating 8/10

Teenage Casket Company (Rob Wylde) Interview

A little while ago I was given the oppertunity to interview Teenage Casket Company frontman Rob Wylde on behalf of Glitzine.net, below are the results of that interview.

Firstly, please let me thank you for agreeing to answer my questions on behalf of Glitzine.net.
so here goes,

Barry Gennard - After an almost two year hiatus this summer sees the welcome return to live action for Teenage Casket Company, for a short series of UK dates, why have Teenage Casket Company been away for so long?

Rob Wylde - In a nutshell we were burnt out. Jamie and I put the band together at the end of 2003 and for 4 solid years we worked our asses off. We released 2 self financed CD's toured the UK endlessly, toured the States twice, Italy, Ireland etc and I honestly think that no band in the UK worked harder than we did back then. We also did it all without a record label / management/ or any outside help whatsoever. With that being the case TCC became a 24/7 job to all of us in which we had to deal with every single last detail of "Everything"we were doing. After we finished our last tour in November 2007 we were physically, mentally, emotionally and finnancially burnt. We simply couldn't afford to record or be out on the road without some outside help which never came and I guess in a way we kinda hit a brick wall and didn't really know how to get over it, so the best option all around was for us to walk away from it for a while. I don't think anyone in the band thought we'd be gone this long though!

Barry Gennard - What have the various members of Teenage Casket Company been up to during the bands hiatus?

Rob Wylde - We've all been busier than ever, just not with each other! I relocated to the States to form Sins Of America in December 2007. We released our debut CD at the end of last year and have played over 70 shows in the States since March 2008. I've also played a bunch of solo acoustic shows. Jamie still plays with The Dangerfields from Belfast and has been seen out on the road as tour manager for various bands from time to time. Laney has been seen in pretty much every single band out there. I think at the last count, he'd played and toured with 8 different bands in 1 year from The Bulletboys to Let Loose, so he's been pretty busy! Spike does his solo thing and has recently joined a new band called Overvibe who have been playing around the Midlands recently.

Barry Gennard - So you have a few live dates planned for this summer, is there any chance of this becoming a full blown tour?

Rob Wylde - There's talk of us doing a full UK tour in September/October with a legendary cult-status American band but until it's 100% confirmed it's still a bit hush hush. I'd imagine if it is going ahead, the details should be announced pretty soon so watch this space!

Barry Gennard - I hope that this isn't a sore subject, but last year Teenage Casket Company played a one off gig without you, how did this come about?

Rob Wylde - No it's not a sore subject at all. I couldn't legally leave the United States due to my Immigration status that was still pending at the time. We confirmed that show months earlier and my case was all set to be approved last June. It ended up taking nearly a year so I had no choice. If I had have left back then, I'd have been banned from entering the USA for life. The whole Immigration thing has been a fucking nightmare to be honest with you and it's something I will never go through again. I had no option but to stay put and wait in the States so I spoke to Laney and he said rather than cancel the show Daz from Dip was going to fill in for me. I know a lot of people were probably confused as to what was going on but I really didn't have an option at the time which really sucked.

Barry Gennard - Are there any recording sessions planned for this year, is there any chance that we may get a new Teenage Casket Company album?

Rob Wylde - We've certainly talked about it. I'd personally love to put out a new album, I think we owe it to ourselves so we'll see what happens. I'm sure that with all the ups and downs we've been through in the past 2 years, not to mention all the playing we've been doing outside of TCC we're capable of recording a monster of an album!

Barry Gennard - If so, what direction will any new material take?

Rob Wylde - I'm not really sure until we actually get down to it. All I know is I have a ton of killer songs ready to go and I'm sure Jamie has songs up his sleeve too. Whatever we do, we're always going to have that fun, good time "Pop" edge with huge Chorus' but I think we've also grown up a lot since we were last together and dare I say "Matured" not just as musicians but also as human beings so it'll be interesting to see what we come up with. I have a few songs that might surprise some people.

Barry Gennard - What would you say are the biggest challenges facing Teenage Casket Company today?

Rob Wylde - The music industry or lack thereof! There basically isn't an industry anymore and we can thank the internet for that. As great as the internet is for getting your music out there and spreading the word it has single handedly destroyed the industry that we used to know. There's hardly any big labels left and I think in the next 10 years there won't be any left at all as they simply won't be needed. I think bands will just record and release their music directly onto the internet and there'll be no such thing as going to HMV or wherever to buy the actual CD and that's really sad. I know a ton of bands who are already doing that and I think it just takes all the magic away in my opinion. The internet has destroyed a lot, so right now if you're involved in the music biz you really just have to do it for the sheer love of it without having any other high expectations.

Barry Gennard - What are your views of the current musical climate?

Rob Wylde - America and Europe are both very different. In America Rock n' roll is kinda mainstream culture. It's soaked into the fabric of the country. So when you get in the car and turn on the radio it's Rock music 24/7. For some reason the Yanks don't seem to be sucked into the whole fly by night Pop Idol bullshit mentality like in the UK simply because it doesn't sell in the States. So if you're a Rock band signed to a good label in the States you're made. There's a hell of a lot more opportunities and exposure available to you. However for bands like SOA or TCC there really isn't any kind of underground scene at all in the States, not that I've seen anyway, so that's where the UK and Europe win hands down. The only problem with that is that as big as the underground scene is, none of the bands ever seem to progress beyond that and into the mainstream so it's all very frustrating.

Barry Gennard - What are you your favourite three albums of all time?

Rob Wylde - Def Leppard - HysteriaDanger Danger - Screw It!Kiss - Alive 2

Barry Gennard - Who would you most like to work with in the music industry?

Rob Wylde - I'd love to write with Desmond Child and have Bob Rock produce. How amazing would that be?

Barry Gennard - You spent most of last year tied up with Sins Of America, releasing a debut album and touring upon the back of it. How would you say that Sins Of America and Teenage Casket Company differ?

Rob Wylde - SOA is much more of a straight ahead Cock rock/ Glam type of thing. We all grew up listening the same bands and had the same posters on our walls so we all tend to play in a similar style, have the same ideas musically and have the same image going on. TCC is much more diverse band in the fact that all 4 of us grew up on completely different styles of music and have different heroes so for that reason it tends to be a lot more diverse and unique. If you listen to our last CD "Eat Your Heart Out" you'll see what I mean. There's Pop, Glam, Punk, Powerpop even a huge power ballad on there so it's kinda all over the place influence-wise but for some strange reason it works!All I can say is that if you dig TCC you'll also dig SOA and vice versa. Both bands are all about melodies and huge catchy hooks. They're just dressed up a little differently that's all.

Barry Gennard - If you could take Teenage Casket Company out on tour with any band in the world, who would they be, and what would be your dream tour package?

Rob Wylde - We'd happily tour with anyone from any genre as I know we can always hold our own. But it'd have to be with someone huge so we could open up in Arena's around the world and play to thousands of people every night. A couple of obvious choices would be bands like Kiss or Motley but I think it'd be really cool to tap into the youth market and get the kids on our side. I'm not a fan of the following bands but maybe we could open for someone like My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy or some shit like that. I know we could totally win over their audience just in the same way that we could if we opened for someone like Nickelback (even if they are god awful!) The key would be to play in front of the largest amount of people and get the exposure and that's what it's all about. If you have good songs and a good show people just need to see it on a grand scale. So if anyone wants to offer us a tour out there, we're listening!

Barry Gennard - Is there a particular song that you wished that you had written and why?

Rob Wylde - "Wild Is The Wind" from Bon Jovi's "New Jersey" album. If you listen to the lyrics it's pretty much the story of my life!

Barry Gennard - Teenage Casket Company have been together since 2003, releasing two independent albums and touring tirelessly. How has the band grown over the years? and has the bands philosophy changed?

Rob Wylde - Well when you spend some much time touring you can't help but improve as musicians which makes you grow in confidence. You also grow a lot closer on a personal level too because when you get out there on the road you have to deal with everything together, both good and bad. You certainly get that "Us against the world, All for one and one for all" type of attitude because you're all fighting together for one common cause. I think we're all a lot closer and understand each other a lot more now, that's probably cos we're getting older!As far as the philosophy goes we're defiantely doing this for the right reasons now which is for the sheer love of it. Before we were always chasing "the dream" and I don't think we ever once sat back and realised just what we have acheived because once we'd accomplished one thing there was always another bigger mountain to climb. We're still chasing that dream and I still think it's totally within our reach, it's just all down to us getting that one lucky break and that's the one thing that you just can't guarantee these days. If we get that break, awesome but if not we're OK with that too. At least we know we've done it on our own terms and gave it our best shot with no regrets.


Barry Gennard - How has the way in that you approach song writing changed over the years?

Rob Wylde - It hasn't really changed that much I've just gotten better at it. The music that I grew up on was always the really commercial catchy stuff with melody and hooks being the 2 key ingredients. Without a killer hook no-one's going to remember your song and that's the one thing I've always tried to aim for. I've also become a lot more open minded to new ideas and to giving different styles of music a chance to influence me, whereas years ago unless it sounded in the one type of vein that I loved I dismissed it. Then I realised a good song is a good song no matter what style it's in. Sometimes when you listen to a band from out of your comfort zone it can influence you in all kinds of wierd and wonderful ways. You'd be surprised at some of the music I listen to!

Barry Gennard - You once proclaimed Teenage Casket Company were the saviours of Rock n' Roll, has that view changed?

Rob Wylde - No it hasn't changed at all and we still could be so don't rule us out yet! We've just grown up that's all. We're a lot older and wiser now. I don't think we ever got that one big break we really deserved and that's very frustrating to deal with at times especially when you see some of the bullshit that does get noticed, but who knows what could happen in the future? We're very much still the savoirs of Rock n' roll and in August we'll prove it!

Barry Gennard - What does Rob Wylde like to do in his spare time?

Rob Wylde - This sounds boring but I really don't do anything besides music. If I'm not doodling on my guitar I'm usually just glued to a computer all day trying to promote this and that. I like watching movies and hanging out with friends, going to shows etc but that's about it, I'm pretty boring ha ha!!

Barry Gennard - Of all the bands on the British scene at the moment, who do you think are showing the most promise?

Rob Wylde - Well I've been out of the loop for a while but nothing's caught my ear in years to be honest. I mean some bands have a cool look and a cool vibe but I don't hear any songs behind that and I think that's been pretty much the case for years. I can't think of 1 single band in the UK that stands out at all unless I've missed something whilst I've been in America....sorry guys!

Barry Gennard - What was the last CD / DVD that you bought?

Rob Wylde - I just bought the new Steevi Jaimz CD after hearing that he'd worked with Songwriter Chris Laney who I admire a lot. The CD is awesome and the songs are really strong with a great production. Chris Laney is like a 2009 version of Mutt Lange. As soon as you hear anything he's written and produced you just know it's him. It's just a really good melodic rock album and I highly recommend it. The last DVD I bought was the 1984 Duran Duran U.S tour documentary called "Sing Blue Silver" I had no idea they were so big in America. They were like the Beatles of the 80's and the DVD is really good.


Barry Gennard - Are there any CD / DVD releases that you are particularly looking forward to this year?

Rob Wylde - The long awaited new Danger Danger album is out in September and I can't wait for that. I've been looking forward to that fucker for years. Also I hear the new Kiss album is going to be in a killer 70's style so I'm very anxious to hear that too. They better be worth the wait!

Barry Gennard - The tenth series of Big Brother is well under way here in the UK, are you a fan of reality TV and would you ever consider appearing on a celebrity version of a show?

Rob Wylde - No I hate reality TV. There's nothing worse, but I've got to say that I did enjoy Celebrity Rehab with Steven Adler. That was hilarious but also sad at the same time. That guy is such a fuck-up but you can't help but like him at the same time. Apart from that I never watch reality TV. Bret Michaels' Rock Of Love was the final nail in the coffin for me. It's helped Poison come back from the dead and they're probably bigger in America now than they were in the 80's but Bret comes across as a complete idiot. Again, he's likeable on the show but some of it is so cringeworthy, especially when it's someone you used to idolise as a kid.....don't get me started on Big Brother!!But me and my good friend Scott have said many times we should have our own reality show and everyone who knows us says the same thing. You would not "believe" some of the ridiculous situations we get ourselves into. Sometimes I honestly think that Punk'd are going come out from behind a tree or something and say "gotcha!" I'm also a freak magnet so the whole show would be fuckin hilarious. Seriously, if you followed us around for 2 weeks you wouldn't believe the shit that happens to us. I could write a book on some of the scrapes we've gotten into!

Barry Gennard - A silly little question now, do you prefer blonde's or brunettes?

Rob Wylde - Blondes, I seem to have very bad experiences with Brunette's!

Barry Gennard - and finally, as a final thought, what does the future hold for Rob Wylde and Teenage Casket Company?

Rob Wylde - Well first up we're going to get back together, rehearse and put a killer setlist together for our mini tour in August then we're just going to see what happens from there really. I think we're going to gage a lot of what we do in the future on the fans reaction at these shows. It's kind of a way of us testing the water in a way. As I mentioned earlier there's a potential tour in the works for September/ October time then I guess the logical thing to do would be to get into the studio after that, but we're going to take it one step at a time for now and see what happens. I'm also looking at recording a solo album at some point next year which is something I've always wanted to do. Maybe a new SOA CD too. I just want to play, tour, write and record as much as possible, it's my life but rest assured TCC is back!

thanks once again Barry Gennard
on behalf of Glitzine.net

Shake City - Shake City Review

I Bloody love this album!!
Shake City's new album isnt exactly new, with most of these tracks being recorded back in 1990/1991, but who cares. Every now and again you just find a cd that just hits all the right notes, and this is one of those.If you’re a fan of the L.A. strip bands back in the day you will adore this one. The tracks have that sensation of hair metal during the glory days, and enough attitude to pull it off in todays musical climate.All the tunes have great hooks, sweet guitar, and most of all vocal power. This one is a brilliantly exceptional release.The star name power behind this album is unbelievable, the album was produced by none other than WARRANT’s Erik Turner and KISS’s Tommy Thayer which gives a sound quality thats near-perfection.Warrants Jani Lane even pens the track Game Of War here too.Some of the stand out tracks include , Game Of War, sing-along tune Hot Love, the rocky Psychedelic Ride and the excellent opener One Good Reason.Once again Shake City offer up a great album here, which I Highly reconmend!rating 9/10

Helsinki Seven Review

Helsinki Seven are an alternative trio hailing from North England, namely Chehire and Manchester, delivering a nice mix of pop-punk-rock which is still a lil rough around the edges and not sounding overly polished. At times Helsinki Sevn bring to mind The Pixes and Nirvana, but fortunatley never sound like a band trying to clone their idols, they just wear their influences loud and proud.Stand out tracks on this debut album have got to include, people without faces (pure simplicity from the guitars yet so effective!) or the slightly heavier Im Sparticus and Oh Salamander.If you like your music ala The Get up kids, Lost prophet, Jawbox, Biffy Clyro or Nirvana then Helsinki Seven might just be right up your street.An excellent debut album if not too ambitous, these guys could go far!rating 8/10

Lizhard - Lizhard Review

Lizhard were originally formed as a “covers” band back in 1995, it didn’t take long for this Italy-based foursome to realize their true calling in creating their own original music. Now composed of drummer Ricky Lecchini, bassist Luca “Ze” Moroni, guitarist Paul Mainetti and lead vocalist Luke Marsilio, LIZHARD are poised to take their place in the European hard-rock scene. Theyve crafted their art on the road touring with the likes of Eric Martin (ex Mr Big) and Twin dragons, recievng rave reviews along the way and tuning up their songs for this their debut release. Despite some pretty unoriginal song titles like “Angel,” “Bad To The Bone,” and “I Cry For You” Lizhard managed to deliver some great cool classic rock blended with a great Bluesy groove, and some great riffs, but it’s lead vocalist Luke Marsilio who really steals the spot light here… almost sounding like a cross between Joey Tempest with a little Don Dokken thrown in for good measure. Nowhere is this more apparent than on hard rockers like “Let The Good Times Roll,” “My Wild Side” and “Devil’s Highway.”Although Lizgard excel at the great harder edged driven tracks it was when though show their subtle side on the acoustic numbers like “Diamond,” “Angel” (another stand-out ballad with a nice, soothing arrangement complimented by a powerful chorus and some harmonica accents) and my absolute favorite track on the CD “I Cry For You” which will find you having flashbacks of all those great, late-80’s power ballads ala bands like EUROPE, FIREHOUSE or POISON.If you like your rock with a bluesy, classic but contempory sound then Lizhard are for you!Highly reconmended

rating 10/10

Rydell & Quick - R.O.C.K.O.H.O.L.I.C. Review

Rydell and Quick, serve up the kind of catchy, feel-good, melodic hard rock that is perfect for the summer. This dynamic rock and roll duo, Christer Rydell on vocals and guitar and Malin Quick on saxophone and backing vocals have created a solid rock sound that echo such bands like Y&T, Whitesnake and Gotthard.Completeing the line up are Rikard Lindkvist on bass and Martin Furst on drums.Considered by many to be the hardest working band in Sweden, Rydell and Quick are on a mission to bring their rock to the world. They´ve held more than 3 000 concerts, and have broken audience records 72 times at venues in Sweden now thats impressive! This the band's debut release is filled with great songs from start to finish and absolutely no filler at all.But what about the music? Well "I'm A Rockoholic", opens the album and sets the tone of the album, The albums production is very big and the guitars sound cool. The power and the passion of Rydell's vocals and Quick's rocking sax play, have created some outstanding hooks. It really is a great album to listen to all the way through and really gets you rocking and fist pumping! “R.O.C.K.O.H.O.L.I.C.” is a remarkable rock and roll album. I really do recommend it to anyone who enjoys melodic rock music, whether that means superstar bands like Bon Jovi, Journey and Aerosmith or less mainstream bands like Fair Warning and Harem Scarem. If you like rock music that puts a smile on your face and will definitely get your motor running, you've just found your new favorite band!

rating 9/10

New Generation Superstars - Raising The stakes Review

Raising the Stakes is NGS's second album and follows’ up their 2007 debut “Crash Course in Rock n Roll”, and pretty much picks up exactly where Crash.... left off, with more songs filled with attitude, sleazy guitar riffs and some wonderful hooks that really do grab your attention, all perfectly snarled out by vocalist AJ. New Generation Superstars have paid their dues on the road and honed their craft to almost perfection. The songs here are perfectly crafted sleaze rock / punk tracks with a great pop edged hook that as I said really grabs you!And for those who may never have heard of New Generation Superstars (and shame be upon you!), what we have here is high octane, fun packed sleazy rock n' roll. For me the stand out songs on offer here are, "Sub Class", "I Won’t Stop", "Way Back Home", "Beat Em Down" and album closer “Save Me", which I think is the only time they take the foot off of the gas so to speak!Raising the stakes clocks in at just over 40minute long, but flies by, so high is the energy of each song! I really do recommend this band to anyone who is a fan of great sleazy Rock n Roll, they have shared the boards with the likes of, The Distillers, The 69 Eyes, Ginger/The Wildhearts, Duff McKagan's Loaded, Scorpions, Great White, The Levellers, The Supersuckers, Love/Hate, L.A. Guns, Tokyo Dragons, Vain, Crystal Pistol, UK Subs, Linchpin, Girlschool, Blaze Bailey, Wolfsbane,Vice Squad, Laika Dog, and were recently scheduled to appear of the ill fated tour with Sorry and the Sinatras and Eureka Machines. This really does show case their appeal to all rock fans.New Generation Superstars are one of the best bands out there on the British scene at the moment and Raising the Stake's really does do what it says on the tin!Highly recommended especially to fans of Kitty Hudson, Drugdealer Cheerleader, Wildhearts, LA Guns, demolition 23 and the like.

Rating 9/10