Wolfsbane / Spunk Volcano and the Eruptions Announce UK Tour 2018

Chris Appleton – Restless (2015)

Genre - Acoustic Rock

Label - Rocksector Records

 

Track listing:

01. Seafarer
02. Crazyhead
03. No Tomorrow
04. How Will I Feel When You’re Gone
05. Restless
06. Only When It’s Over (Absolva cover)
07. I See Red (Fury UK cover)
08. Wonders Of The World
09. Mama I’m Comin’ Home (Ozzy Osbourne cover)

Chris Appleton, lead vocalist with UK metal bands Absolva, Fury UK, and the lead guitarist with former Wolfsbane/Iron Maiden front man Blaze Bayley’s touring band, releases his debut solo album in the form of Restless.
Chris has enlisted the help of his brother Luke (Fury UK / Iced Earth) and Belgian singer Wizz Wizzard for the album, with the later providing backing vocals on several tracks as well as sharing lead vocals on Restless. Both of whom will be helping to support Chris on a short tour to promote the album.
The album has a rather raw feel to it, partly due to the fact that it was recorded in analogue, almost giving it a feel of a good demo in places but that just adds to the appeal, as over producing an acoustic album is a sure fire way to kill any feel that's there within the songs. As can be seen from the track listing above, the album contains three covers, two tracks that Chris was heavily involved with in the first place being covers of his own songs, and a wondrous rendition of the Ozzy Osbourne classic, Mama I'm Comin' Home.
Album opener Seafarer has a rather epic feel to it, with Chis and Wizz trading vocal lines a great song that sets the general tone for what is to follow. Crazyhead could be worked up in to a great full blown Absolva track with its hammered on riff. God this song sounds awesome as an acoustic track, with a full blown electric set up behind it, well damn that's all that I can say!
No Tomorrow is simply a beautiful song.
How Will I Feel When You're Gone, is something special, the opening riff sounding really familiar for some reason, but it is a really great song.
Title track, Restless, an instrumental, and very much a guitarists track, allowing Chris to show case his technique and virtuoso ability. It would also be interesting to hear this track worked up into a full blown electric affair!
Its great to hear acoustic versions of Only When its Over and I See Red, adding another dimension to two great songs.
Wonders Of The World, with its piano intro is another fine example of Chris at his best, sensitive and touching with elements of power throughout.
Mama I'm Comin' Home is simply sublime.
A great album well worth checking out!

Rating - 9/10

Line-up:

Chris Appleton (Absolva / Blaze Bayley / Fury UK) – Guitar, Vocals

Guests:

Luke Appleton (Iced Earth) – Guitar

Wizz Wizzard – Vocals

Dave Evans (Ex AC/DC) - Nothing To Prove EP (2014)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock
Label - Rocksector Records

Track listing:

01 - Put Up or Shut Up
02 - I Believe
03 - Reach For The Sky
04 - Baby Please Don't Go

Original AC/DC vocalist (and co-founding band member), Dave Evans returns with a new Ep, Nothing To Prove which also marks the fortieth anniversary of the very first ACDC live shows!

Nothing To Prove features three brand new tracks all co-written with Chris Appleton (Fury UK / Absolva / Blaze Bayley) and a cover of the traditional blues classic, Baby Please Don't Go.

Opening with Put Up or Shut Up, Nothing To Prove gets off to a great start. Driven by a stomping riff that propels the song along and gives it a classic feel, reminding me in places of sadly missed NWoBHM legends Samson! Dave's vocals dripping attitude with every line.Yet that being said, the song still has a very contemporary feel, due in the main part to its top notch production! I imagine that this track will fast become a live favourite!
Next up we have I Believe, a slightly more melodic track, especially the chorus, which has a Kiss feel to it (in my opinion anyway!), with the verses following a riff very similar to the main riff of the previous track. Again Dave's vocals are spot on and the band are as tight as a ducks arse so to speak.
Reach For The Sky follows which has a slightly quicker tempo than its predecessors, yet for some reason its sound brings to mind a sort of cross between Samson (Don't Get Mad Get Even era) and Praying Mantis!
The Ep's closing track, is a great spirited cover of the classic blues track made famous by the likes of Big Joe Williams, Budgie and Aerosmith! A great performance of a stunning song.

Nothing To Prove really does show that Dave Evans really does have Nothing To Prove, and captures an artist who really does seem to be enjoying what they are doing, with as much hunger as when they first started (40 years ago!) but with the benefit of 40 years of experience!

Rating 9/10

Wolfsbane - Did It For The Money EP (2011)

Genre - Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / Punk / Garage

Track listing -

01 - Did It For The Money
02 - Limo (Special Version)
03 - GSB
04 - Killing Machine
05 - Dance My Tune

I dont believe that I missed this release. Originally made available back in April 2011, and still available via the bands website, this was the bands comeback release, well 5 track EP.
Featuring one new song, Did It For The Money, which also features on the bands new album, Wolfsbane Saves The World, and four re-recorded versions of Wolfsbane classics, which include Limo and Killing Machine, two massive fan favourites.
Well the new song sounds like classic Wolfsbane, and the re-recorded classics all sound excellent, re-recording them really adding a new lease of life to the songs. I really love GSB and Killing Machine, although Dance My Tune is also a contender for track of the EP.

A Great release, welcome back lads!

Rating 10/10