C.J. Wildheart - Blood (2017)

Genre - Hard Rock / Punk Rock

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01. Tea Leaf

02. Gutless

03. Lazybones

04. Beak

05. 50 Percent Indian

06. Tired Of Sex

07. Kiss It

08. Plastic Invasion

09. Itch

10. Lost In The Game

Wildhearts guitarist CJ Wildheart returns with his third full length solo release, and follow up to last years rather excellent release, 'Robot', in the form of 'Blood', and his musical evolution continues to develop. Gone are the bubble gum pop/punk melodies of his first post Wildhearts solo projects such as  Honeycrack and The Jelly's, in favour of the harder edged more riff based direction that began with 'Robot' and its predecessor 'Mable'. I have to say that 'Blood' is some of the most heavy and riff based (and dare I say intense?) material that CJ has put his name to outside of The Wildhearts to date. 'Blood' opens with 'Tea Leaf', a great track that would have sat well on 2014's 'Mable'. A few electronic samples mixed into some great riffs and CJ's instantly recognisable vocals fitting perfectly. Next up we have 'Gutless', a song driven along by some great intense riffs, and a song that would have sat well on any Wildhearts release. A great statement of intent, and brilliant indication of what is to follow. 'Lazybones' follows and continues to deliver on both the quality and intensity fronts. Another great riff too! 'Beak' is up next, a slightly more melodic and up tempo track than its predecessors, and a great song to showcase a slightly different side to CJ's song writing talent. '50 Percent Indian' marks the half way point to this great album, a great song with a great lyric throughout. Next up we have 'Tired of Sex' (surely that cant be true!). Here the keyboards are slightly more prominent, adding atmosphere to this songs fairly laid back feel. 'Kiss It' follows and is a short sharp blast based around a great riff with very few vocals.  'Plastic Invasion' sees things slow down a little and return to the type of blue print used throughout 2014's Mable album with electronic samples being mixed with some great guitar rhythms and riffs. The albums penultimate track is 'Itch' which follows a similar blue print to its predecessor, and seems to be a rather autobiographical track, concerning the career path the mighty Wildhearts. 'Lost In The Game' closes out the album, and is one of the best songs CJ has ever been involved with.
I have to say that 'Blood' is the best album so far from CJ's solo output. It truly has everything. Intensity, melody, riffs, great songs, brilliant production (once again courtesy of Dave Drapers magical ears!).
This is one album that you really do need to check out! 10 tracks that clock in at around the 33 minute mark, leaving you hungry for more!!

Rating: 10/10

Ginger Wildheart - Ghost In The Tanglewood (2017)

Genre - Rock / Country / Folk / Roots

Label - Pledge Music / Round Records

Track listing:

01 - The Daylight Hotel

02 - Paying It Forward

03 - Golden Tears

04 - Phantom Memories

05 - Minus You

06 - Remains

07 - The Words Are Gonna Have To Wait

08 - My Old Friend The Blues (Stevie Earle Cover)

09 - The Reaper

10 - Don't Say Goodbye

available as part of the "This Is Not A Raffle" pledge.

11 - A Few Old Memories (Acapella) (Dolly Parton Cover)

12 - Has She Got A Friend For Me? (Richard and Linda Thompson Cover)

13 - I Could Have Cared For You

So here we have it folks, "Ghost In The Tanglewood", that album the Ginger Wildheart has promised and threatened to make since time began. In all seriousness Ginger has been hinting at this kind of album for years now, with the folksy Wildhearts classic, "Geordie In Wonderland", through the spoof country album World Of Filth, released under the pseudonym Howling Willy C##T, and through the Rootsy tracks that emerged as part of the tremendous G.A.S.S. project such as "Toxins & Tea", "Last day Of Summer", "The Pendine Incident" and "Cear Urfa". Now he delivers a full 10 track album of sublime heartfelt country / folk music
As Ginger himself puts it, "My fairly unavoidable accent means that the songs come off less Willie Nelson and more Bobby Thompson, but every lyric is purely heartfelt and every song is as true a story as you’ll ever hear in roots based music. This is Country music, played by a working class Geordie raised on Country and Northern Folk music. This stuff has always been in my blood since I was a wee nipper and it’s an honour to finally get to play it for you."
And what an album it is, sure it lacks the venom and attitude that has made some of Ginger's Wildhearts songs such classics, but here was have out favourite Geordie once again opening up his heart and bearing his soul in such a moving and tender way that you would have to be one cold hearted mutherpuger not to be moved, especially with the way in which the albums closing track, "Don't Say Goodbye" tugs at the old heart strings. The album really does run the full range of emotions, with songs such as "Golden Tears" and "Paying It Forward" giving hope and imploring faith and "Minus You" and "The Words Are Gonna Have To Wait" and the aforementioned "Don't Say Goodbye" giving glimpses of Ginger's more fragile side, together with the honest genius of "The Reaper". Plus Gingers cover of the Stevie Earle classic, "My Old Friend The Blues" is simply sublime!
This really is an album that needs to be digested and absorbed. Quite possibly Gingers crowning glory that tops off his long, long list of song writing achievements.

I have included three bonus tracks in the track listing that do not appear on the album proper, primarily because they were recorded as part of the albums sessions and are available through the albums pledge campaign, but also because they are great songs. The three part acapella harmonies of "A Few Old Memories", the melancholy bleakness of "Has She Got A Friend For Me" and the pure brilliance of "I Could Have Cared For You". All worth having and adding to any Ginger fans collection.


Rating: 10/10

The Scaramanga Six - As We Take The Stage (Single) (2017)

Genre - Rock / Alternative

Label - Self Released / Bandcamp

Track listing:

01 - As We Take The Stage (Parts 1 and 2)

02 - Owned

The mighty Scaramanga Six return with a taster for their forth coming new studio album (Pledge campaign to be launched soon), in the form of a two track digital single available through the bands bandcamp page.

The first track, 'As We Take The Stage' is driven along by some thunderous drums, some very tribal and organic rhythm patterns, with slight detours into a western feel. Love it!
The second track, 'Owned' has a darker more sci-fi feel to it as it begins, before blossoming into a great moody monster of a track.

If these are signs of what to expect from the bands new album then personally I simply can not wait to hear it!

Rating: - 10/10

Chris Catalyst -Life Is Often Brilliant (2017)

Genre - Rock / Pop / Alternative

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - No regrets

02 -Same Old Sun

03 - Cracking Up

04 - Yeah - Oh No

05 - Wake Me Up On Monday

06 - How Do You Sleep

07 - Distance Over Time

08 - I Hope We Always Stay The Same

09 - Sticks and Stones

10 - Far

11 - You Die At The End

12 - Able Seamen

13 - When We Fall Apart (Bonus Track)

2016 proved to be a busy year for Eureka Machines main man, Chris Catalyst. Although his main band had decided to take some time out, he performed a few solo shows, a couple of shows with Ginger Wildheart,  played guitar for US rockers Ugly Kid Joe on their tour and toured with UK veteran rockers Terrorvision too. He also managed to find the time to record his rather excellent debut solo album too, and here it is in the form of Life Is Often Brilliant!
The album opens with the excellent 'No Regrets'. A great song with a stop start type of riff intro and a hugely melodic chorus section. Brilliant start to Life Is Often Brilliant!
'Same Old Sun' is up next, its intro changing the feel completely before the song kicks in. Once again the song has a huge chorus section. Next we have 'Cracking Up' which has a great opening riff. he rest of the song is pretty awesome too! Tons of tempo changes and vocal harmonies. 'Yeah - Oh No' follows, which has a rather Eureka Machines feel to it, only not as heavy. 'Wake Me Up On Monday' is just a great melodic track that would have fit perfectly on to any of the Eureka Machines albums. Great choice for a single! Another of the albums many highlights follows in the form of the awesome 'How Do You Sleep At Night'. This song is quickly becoming one of my favourite songs of all time! 'Distance Over Time' is up next. A beautiful atmospheric intro that just builds into an absolute monster of a song! Yet another highlight! Next up is 'I Hope We Always Stay The Same' which builds in a similar way to its predecessor, and proves to be every bit as much a great track!
'Sticks and Stones' follows, now I didn't really like this song when I first heard it, but it is a real grower, and sounds so much better within the context of this album! 'Far' follows, with its slick bridges and awesome harmonies. Yet another brilliant song. 'You Die At The End' is the albums penultimate song and an absolute classic ta boot! The album closes out with the subtle 'Able Seamen' but I've included the last track, 'When We Fall Apart' as a bonus track for a couple of reasons. Firstly its an absolutely excellent song that deserves to be on the album, and secondly, it was a given away as a bonus track at the very beginning of the pledge campaign, and is thus still available to anyone that pledges for the album!
Once again with Life Is Often Brilliant Chris Catalyst proves what a great song writer and musician he really is!

Life Is Often Brilliant is a blinding debut solo album from one the hardest working and most talented Uk musicians out there. Do yourselves a bloody huge favour and grab yourself a copy!

Rating: 10/10

Black Star Riders - Heavy Fire (2017)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Label - Pledge Music / Nuclear Blast Entertainment

Track listing:

01 - Heavy Fire
02 - When The Night Comes In
03 - Dancing With The Wrong Girl
04 - Who Rides The Tiger
05 - Cold War Love
06 - Testify Or Say Goodbye
07 - Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed
08 - True Blue Kid
09 - Ticket To Rise
10 - Letting Go Of Me

Heavy Fire is the long awaited third album from Black Star Riders. Black Star Riders were created in 2012 by members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy, and delivered widely acclaimed music in their first two records ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’ and ‘The Killer Instinct’ which established Black Star Riders as one of the finest present-day rock ‘n’ roll bands.
The title track 'Heavy Fire' jumps out of the speakers from the very first second you hit the play button. It punches the air out of you as it declares there is no room for complacent listening here. Crank it up and succumb!
A mid-tempo yet power-packed track which does justice to the signature Black Star Riders sound - crisp and raw.
This essence is carried into 'When the Night Comes In' which is one of the catchier songs on the album with awe-inspiring vocals, cool lyrics and an infectious chorus. The song shows the new approach the band adopts while still upholding its heritage in spirit.
Remarkable musical ingenuity is showcased in 'Dancing with the Wrong Girl' which has a heavy classic spirit while 'Who Rides the Tiger' delivers a monster groove.
There’s been no compromising with the band’s distinct quality and the record upholds the appeal of heavy rock through and through as evident in the compact and powerful rocker 'Ticket to Rise' also featuring soulful backing vocals.
There is a nice shift in thought process from the laid back 'Cold War Love' to the heavier 'Testify or Say Goodbye' which is one of the finest songs on the album. The latter bears the magnificence of classic rock in elements like its traditionally composed chorus.
'Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed' starts with an epic bass line and is rhythm-wise wonderful. 'True Blue Kid' further demonstrates versatility within the magnitude of heavy rock while 'Letting Go of Me' provides a perfect finish to the album by leaving a hard-hitting impact.

The Limited Edition includes the atmospheric 'Fade', another great piece of finest melodic hard rock with a feel that brings to mind guitarist Gorham days with 21 Guns.

Just like the Thin Lizzy of old, Black Star Riders rely heavily on the glorious power of their twin guitar attack, but play with a greater sense of sustained urgency than their former incarnation tended to do.
As a result they have produced an album that is certain to prove fervently popular when they hit the stage this year – every song is designed to get you out of your seat and have you leaping around.


Rating: 10/10

Ryan Hamilton and the Traitors - The Devil's in the Detail (2016/17)

Genre - Rock / Pop / Alternative

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - Smarter

02 - We Should Never Have Moved To LA

03 - Anywhere

04 - Heavy Heart

05 - Scottish Mud

06 - Back In Time

07 - The Gulf Of Mexico

08 - Cheaters Never Change

09 - Drugs and Fashion

10 - Strength In Numbers

11 - Don't Say I Told You So

12 - It Ain't Easy

The Devil's In The Detail is the brand spanking new album from Ryan Hamilton and the Traitors, a trans Atlantic rock n roll band hailing from Texas and the UK. And what a bloody debut. Great bounce filled rock n roll, with a tremendous sense of melody. Incorporating so many musical elements its unbelievable, from country to blues to punk to out and out rock n roll. What a refreshing band. This, their debut album has been financed through a blinding pledge music campaign, hence the 2016/17 release dates (pledgers were lucky enough to get their hands on this brilliant album last year!).
The albums kicks off with the bouncy and rather excellent 'Smarter', which flows into the equally brilliant 'We Should Never Have Moved To LA', before the tempo slows a little for the rather laid back 'Anywhere', with its bluesy overtones. Next up comes the beautiful 'Heavy Heart'. A really beautiful ballad with some great harmonies and soul searching lyrics! Surely one of the albums many highlights. The rather fun 'Scottish Mud' is up next, picking up the pace a little. Yet another great song. Next up is the excellent acoustic driven 'Back In Time', a beautiful song that features Ryan taking a look back in time. 'The Gulf Of Mexico' follows, with its chugging main riff. possibly the heaviest song so far on the album, bloody brilliant non the less. Hot on its heels we have 'Cheaters Never Change', a real blues country mix. Yet another brilliant song! 'Drugs and Fashion' picks up the tempo and the mood once again, returning to the bouncy rock of the albums first couple of tracks.
'Strength In Numbers' is a great song about a defiant spirit, a great up-tempo song that has a brilliant energy to it. This could be killer live!
The albums penultimate track is 'Don't Say I Told You So', a beautiful duet. this song sends tingles down my spine. Beautiful and haunting!
'It Ain't Easy' closes the album out, a great fun song with a proper country feel to it, and a nice snarling surprise hidden inside if you are patient enough to wait for it!

This is one of the best and strongest debuts that I have heard in many a year, and very well worth checking out. Definitely one of the most complete and rounded releases that I have heard in quite a while, and possibly a contender for release of the year!

Rating: 10/10

Love Zombies - Passionfruit (2016)

Genre - Pop / Rock / Punk

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01. Oblivion

02. Lighten Up

03. Robots & Aliens

04. Spiders

05. Favourite Song

06. Big and Strong

07. Backwards World

08. Fast & Frantic

09. Birthday

10. Who The Fuck Are They?

11. Love Zombies Theme Song (Bonus Track)

 So finally the wait is over and the Love Zombies pledge final comes to an end with the release of the bands debut album. Not that I am complaining as there have been plenty of pledge bonus pledge's along the way with around six or seven pledge EP's whilst the band have been hauled up recording this little beauty. Now Love Zombies first came to my attention through singer Hollis Mahady's involvement with Ginger Wildhearts Hey! Hello! project, where she fronted the band last year for various live dates and even recorded an album with them only to leave the project on the eve of the albums release resulting in the album being pulled, re-recorded with new vocalists and released last month, some five months after its original planned release.
The album opens up with the fast paced 'Oblivion' which really sets the tone for the bands infectious blend of bubblegum pop / rock / punk. 'Lighten Up' follows and keeps things moving along as does the brilliant 'Robots & Aliens' before 'Spiders' slows the tempo down a little. 'Favourite Song' sees the tempo stay rather relaxed even though it does start to rock things up a little again before 'Big and Strong' throws us a curve ball with its weird laid back feel. A great song though. The tempo picks up a little with 'Backwards World' before 'Fast & Frantic' kicks in, which is a great put down to over eager lovers lol. The fun is at an all time high with 'Birthday', a song about not wanting to dump someone on their birthday,  before the albums closer sends a message to all the bands haters in the form of 'Who The Fuck Are They?'. We have a bonus track in the form of 'Love Zombies Theme' which is a good bit of fun.

Love Zombies are a great band, but they aren't really going to set the world on fire, but their music is a good old dose of solid fun to keep the listeners entertained.

Rating: 9/10

Hey! Hello! - Too! (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Pop / Punk

Label -  Round Records / Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - All Around The World

02 - This Ain't Love

03 - Glass Of champagne

04 - Kids

05 - Forever Young

06 - Loud And Fucking Clear

07 - Can't Stand You (Hurting Me)

08 - Lets Get Emotional

09 - A History Of Lovers

10 - Body Parts

11 - Perfect

Its been a rough ride for Ginger Wildheart's Hey! Hello! project. Originally conceived around the time that he was working on the Mutation projects as a noisy pop project that was to release a couple of  pledge exclusive singles. recorded with Victoria Liedtke on co-vocals and Ginger pretty much handling everything else, the project ballooned up into a full album that Ginger eventually released commercially in 2013 to great critical and fan acclaim and a few selected live dates including a trip to Japan. Just when things were looking like they were really going to take off there was a falling out between Ginger and his then manager and boyfriend of Victoria and for all intents and purposes it looked as the though Hey! Hello! were dead in the water. Then all of a sudden Ginger enlists the services of Love Zombies vocalist Hollis Mahady for some live dates and then the next thing you know there is a tour book for late 2015 and an album in the bag. Unfortunately disaster would once again strike and the album and tour had to be postponed as Ginger was hospitalised with depression. Then just as the band are set to release the album and embark on some rescheduled UK live dates, Hollis decides that shew no longer wants to be apart of the band and relocates to LA! The album is immediately pulled (but not before it had released it to some lucky pledgers) and once again things begin to look dark for Hey! Hello!. The band decide to hold some auditions to find a new female vocalist but when the online fan community voice some rather cruel and negative opinions Ginger announces that he will re-record the album with him singing all the parts. Then the wait begins!
Now the wait is over, the album is here and Ginger and the band have pulled a fast one, or several to be honest!
Firstly the track listing has been rejigged, Three tracks have been outed Automatic Love, Don't Stop Loving The Music and Little Piggy are gone and replaced by All Around The World, A History Of Lovers and Perfect, but wait that's not all. The guys have also enlisted the help of various guest vocalists! The sly buggers them!
The album opens with the blistering melodic pop rocker, All Around The World featuring Vicky Jackson on lead vocals. Things are off the a great start! Next up we have the re-worked version of This Ain't Love, featuring Emily Lee on lead vocals. The arrangements been tinkered with when compared to the initially released version, but only serves to highlight Emily's powerful lead vocal. Great song!
The cover of Sailor 1976's Glass of Champagne follows, this time with drummer Ai and Laila K singing in harmony. I have to say that I think that I prefer the original Hey! Hello! cover of this with Ginger and Hollis vocally sparing through the verses. Still a good solid track. Next we have another of the re-worked tracks in the form of Kids. Now Kids is still one of the best songs on the album all the stronger for the stunning vocal delivery of Cat Southall!
Christina Maynard tackles the emotional vocal for Forever Young and does a sterling job of it to!
Long time co-conspirator Givvi Flynn provides the snarling duelling lead vocal with Ginger for the awesome Loud And Fucking Clear, that is after Ginger provides an verbal update on what's been going on....The songs lyrics have been completely re-worked and they pull no punches trust me!
Can't Stand You (Hurting Me) sees Cat Southall taking the lead vocal again on this fantastic melodic song. Next we have another of the albums highlights in Lets Get Emotional. The Rev and Ginger provide some blistering guitar work whilst Eloise Kerry provides a sneering angst filled vocal. Next we have the second of the new songs, A History Of Lovers, which sees Ginger handling the lead vocals. Another slab of Gingers melodic genius! We then have the albums quirkiest track. This time its the re-working of the Albion track, Body Parts. Here we have Ai and bassist Toshi singing the verses in Japanese whilst the chorus stays in English. Somehow this feels a little out of place and breaks the albums momentum. Closing out the album is the last of the new tracks, Perfect. This is a blistering song with The Rev delivering a great lead vocal!

So despite a little stumble towards the end, Too! is a fantastic album and proof positive that there is something truly magical about Hey! Hello!

Rating: 10/10

Ginger Wildheart - Market Habour (2016 Re-master)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Label - Round Records / Pledge Music

Track listing:

01. Casino Bay
02. Soap Hammer
03. The Queen Of Leaving
04. Attentionette
05. The Ninns Of Mourning
06. House Of Moths
07. How Hard Can You Make It?
08. Awareness And The Great Integrity
09. A Philosophical Conversation About Age
10. Josser Bank
11. Tennant's
12. Regret.Com
13. Black Yeah
14. I Knew You (An Amnesis)
15. You And Me (That's What I Want)
16. Couple Trouble
17. The Perilous Burden Of Prodigal Obligation
18. A Malibu Chronicle
19. Overeasy
20. Eye Of The Rotunda
21. Shatterproof

Originally released in 2008, Ginger Wildheart's Market Harbour now gets a full re-mastering over haul and release along with his two preceding solo albums, Valor Del Corazon and Yoni.
Now I know of absolutely no reason why this album required a re-master, it has always sounded great to my ears. yet saying that I am fairly sure that this re-master (once again handled by the uber talented Jase Edwards), has a slightly brighter and clearer sound, especially evident on the drums and cymbal's. Also the vocals seem a little clearer in the mix.
Market Harbour was always a special album, with each track merging into the next to create the illusion of one continuous piece of music, something that Ginger and the guys involved pulled off very well, as the listener very rarely skipped a track. This album has some great songs on it, tracks like 'Casino Bay', 'House Of Moths' and two of my personal favourite Ginger songs of all time, 'How Hard Can You Make it' and the bluesy 'Awareness And The Great Integrity', just two examples of Ginger's musical and lyrical genius sitting side by side on this album. there are also the fan favourites such as 'Couple Trouble' 'A Malibu Chronicle', 'Overeasy' and the epic album finale, 'Shatterproof'!

Of the three re-releases, Market Harbour is probably the least essential of the up-grades, (Yoni being the most essential of the three!)yet in my honest opinion it is still worth having as it sounds fresher, brighter and clearer than its original release.

Rating: 10/10

Ginger Wildheart - Yoni (2016 Re-mix and Re-master)

Genre - Hard Rock / Classic Rock

Label - Round Records / Pledge Music

Track  listing:

01 - Black Windows

02 - When She Comes

03 - Holiday

04 - Smile In Denial

05 - Jake

06 - The Night I Was Born Again

07 - Why Can't You Be Normal All The Time

08 - Can't Drink You Pretty

09 - This Bed IS On Fire

10 - Save Me

11 - Wendy You're Killing Me

12 - Siberian Angel

Originally released back in 2007 and the follow up to Ginger's debut solo album Valor Del Corazon, Yoni is also being re-issued. Only this time Yoni is not only being re-mastered like Valor Del Corazon and Market Harbour, no, Yoni is also getting its long over due re-mix treatment. Once again re-mastering, and in this case re-mixing duties fall to long time Ginger producer and friend Jase Edwards, and it has to be said he has done a fantastic job here!
Firstly it has to be said that although it has always been recognised that Yoni is jam packed with brilliant songs, its production, well to be more accurate its mix, has at times come in for a little criticism. It also seemed to sound thin and well tinnie in comparison to other albums, especially when you played a track from Yoni in a playlist with other non Yoni tracks. and although I always loved many of the songs on this album I often found myself not listening to them for that particular reason. Well no  more! Jase Edwards has done a fantastic job in rebuilding the alum from the bottom up Yoni now sounds huge!
Not only is every instrument and vocal clearer and more defined, but they sound fuller, and well more powerful throughout. You finally get to hear Random Jon Poole's awesome bass playing, especially the awesome solo / run on the mid section of 'The Night I Was Born Again' and 'Why Can't You Just Be Normal All The Time'!
'Smile In Denial', always one of my favourite Ginger tracks sounds awesome as do Ginger classics like 'Black Windows' and 'When She Comes.' The new mix really brings to life the string arrangements and intricate guitar works on 'Jake'. Amazing.
To be fair you start to notice new hidden textures that had previously been buried in the mix with each and every new listen of the album.
I would hazard a guess that Yoni finally sounds as it was intended to sound, rich full and amazing!

Very highly recommended!!!!!!!

Rating: 10/10

Ginger Wildheart - Valor Del Corazon (Re-mastered) (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock /  Pop / Powerpop / Punk

Label - Round Records / Pledge Music

Track  listing:

Disc One

01 - Ugly

02 - Mother City

03 - G.T.T.

04 - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

05 - This Is Only A Problem

06 - Ten Flaws Down

07 - Paramour

08 - The Man Who Cheated Death

Disc Two

01 - The Drunken Lord Of Everything

02 - L.O.V.E.

03 - The Way

04 - Drinking In The Daytime

05 - Keep It Cool

06 - Only Lonely

07 - Your Mouth

08 - Change

09 - My Friend The Enemy

10 - Bulb

11 - Something To Believe In

Originally released back in 2006, Ginger Wildheart's proper debut solo album, Valor Del Corazon,  gets the full re-mastering and re-release treatment (along with 2007's Yoni and 2008's Market Harbour albums). Valor del Corazon was original written and recorded during a very turbulent part of Ginger's life, with him dealing with various drug abuse issues and the collapse of his family. Recorded in Texas and produced by Ralph Jezzard (who had previously produced Endless Nameless by The Wildhearts.)
The album contains a lot of very personal lyrical references throughout and was an instant hit amongst Wildhearts and Ginger fans.
But how does the re-master sound?
Well to be fair I personally never had any issues with the original release, but I have to say Jase Edwards has done a sterling job here. Now don't get me wrong, this is a re-mastering not a re-mixing (unlike Yoni) but non the less the difference is noticeable. First of all everything sounds brighter and fresher, every instrument sounds that little bit clearer and more defined. the listener starts to notice things that had previously gone un-noticed, such as the guitar melody / riff during the mid section of 'G.T.T.' which Ginger would later recycle into the main driving riff of Market Harbour's 'Shatterproof'! The acoustic guitars are more defined on 'This Is Only A Problem' which emphasize
 the country feel of the song even more. The sound effects during the first verse of '10 Flaws Down' are less annoying and distracting allowing the song to achieve its full impact. One of the biggest differences that I noticed is just how bright and clear the piano sounds on what I believe to be is one of Ginger's greatest ever songs, 'The Man Who Cheated Death'. Truly breath taking.
The re-mastering also brings out more textures in songs like 'The Drunken Lord of Everything' which I have always felt is 'Geordie In Wonderland's' big brother, here the drums seem sharper and clearer.

So there you have it, this re-mastered edition of Valor Del Corazon is well worth checking out, and hey if like me you already own the original then its still worth the investment if just for the fact it upgrades the originals sound quality a little.


Highly recommended

Rating: 10/10

Lesbian Bed Death - Evil Never Dies (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Gothic Rock / Female Vocal

Label - Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - Evil Never Dies

02 - Claws

03 - Make Your Wish

04 - Book Of The Dead

05 - Satan In The Swamps

06 - She Sell's Hand Grenades

07 - Church Of V

08 - Son Of A Thousand Maniacs

09 - Survive The Night

10 - Drag Me To Hell

11 - The Final Curtain

"Lesbian Bed Death was founded in the United Kingdom by guitarist Mr Peach as a side project designed to pay tribute to all of the Gothic Punk, Glam, Sleaze bands he grew up with. He was soon joined by Johnny Hell (Vox/Guitar/Keys/Programming) and in 2004, the duo recorded their first song 'Goth Girls Are Easy'. It was put on the internet for free download, and the band started to build a following.  The Duo soon became a trio with the addition of Magic Andy on Bass. A few demos were recorded and Lesbian Bed Death performed a string of live shows, with the rest of the band being made up of various musician friends. The live band varied, depending on who was available to play at the time. Unfortunately things didn't work out with Johnny Hell, mainly due to other commitments and the distance between band members. Lesbian Bed Death brought on board Luci4 as the new lead singer. The only recording from Lesbian Bed Death with Johnny Hell on vocals that received an official release was 'Goth Girls Are Easy' which was featured on the compilation album 'Kill Your Management Volume 6'.
Lesbian Bed Death recorded its debut album 'I Use My Powers For Evil' at the Lizard Lounge Studios in Stoke-on-Trent. It was produced by Alex Jockel, and saw the Lesbian Bed Death recorded its debut album 'I Use My Powers For Evil' at the Lizard Lounge Studios in Stoke-on-Trent. It was produced by Alex Jockel, and saw the LBD trio being joined by members of the 'then live band' including lead guitarist Chuckmaster C, and numerous musician friends from the local scene. It was released on Halloween 2006. The debut album was followed by three music videos and gigs all over the UK, including some underground festivals. The band also played shows in The Netherlands. The band built up a cult following and have sold albums all over the world. People searching Youtube for 'Lesbian' and 'Goth Girls' certainly didn't hurt.
Lesbian Bed Death began working on a new album in the Summer of 2009. On the first day of recording, Magic Andy quit the band. The remaining members recorded almost the entire album over the next few months hoping that he would reconsider and rejoin the band. Eventually, Chuckmaster C had to record the bass parts. Unlike the debut, the second album was recorded by just four people: Luci4, Mr Peach, Chuckmaster C and long-standing drummer Danny Stigmata. Soon after the recording of the album, the band recruited bassist Will Power to complete the line-up. Lesbian Bed Death was now becoming a band as opposed to a 'project'.
In a long standing tradition of utter chaos, Lesbian Bed Death announced the departure of lead singer Luci4 only weeks before the Halloween 2010 release of the album.
The band announced Kittie Racchea as their new singer, and went on to record a further two albums, 'Rise Of The Living Dead' (2012) and 'The Devil's Bounty Hunters' (2013)"

Ok so history lesson over, now I have a confession to make. I lost touch with Lesbian Bad Death shortly after they released their debut album, and until recently I had absolutely no idea that they were still going, yet alone that they had released a further three albums, so I had a little catching up to do before getting my ear lobes around their new, and fifth studio album, 'Evil Never Dies'.

The album opens with the stunning title track and lead single, 'Evil Never Dies' before steam rolling into another slab of infections gothic glam in 'Claws'. The momentum continues until they slow things down with the moody and grinding 'Satan In The Swamp' where new vocalist Sienna Venom's intricate vocals get the chance to shine. The tempo picks back up with the great little rocker, 'She Sell's Hand Grenades'.
'Church of V' is a great atmospheric tribute to the cult sci fi classic show V, whilst 'Son of a Thousand Maniacs' is a rocking tribute to the Nightmare on Elm Street series. 'Survive the Night' pays homage to the classic slasher movies of yester year, with its epic atmospheres!
'Drag Me To Hell' is a rocking track, probably the most up-tempo song on offer here, and a great tribute to horror movies most famous bad guys!
'The Final Curtain'  fittingly closes out the album, a slow atmospheric almost lullaby. with Sienna Venom providing a lovely haunting vocal.

Very, very, very Highly recommended!!

Rating: 10/10

Paul Miro - Sinombre : 'The Devil's Arithmetic' (2016)

Genre - Dark / Western / Atmospheric / Rock / Acoustic / Soundscape

Label - Pledge Music / Self Released

Track listing:

01- Outlaw

02 - The Devils Ride

03 - All Hope Is Gone (Acoustic)

04 - Ghostheart (Acoustic)

05 - Aces & Eights

06 - Swimming In The Dowling Pool (Acoustic)

07 - Evil Is Comin'

08 - Find The Beast (Acoustic)

09 - Dead Man's Tale

10 - The Only Devil (Acoustic)

11 - The Sun's Gonna Shine (Acoustic)

The Devils Arithmetic is an album that contains some exclusive alternative stripped down versions of some of the tracks from Sinombré Vol I: All Hope is Gone, together with a bunch of cinematic-themed tracks written for TV and film, this collection is only available during the Pledge campaign.

It features stripped down acoustic versions of five of the Sinombre's album tracks in the form of All Hope Is Gone, Swimming in the Dowling Pool, Find The Beast, The Only Devil and Sun's Gonna Shine, giving the listener the chance to hear the these great songs in a different light, and they all translate to the acoustic format very well. Other tracks on offer is the beautiful acoustic version of Ghostheart, the great Evil Is Comin' that would have fitted beautifully on to the Sinombre album, together with The Devils Ride. The instrumental tracks are all great too. This album is a great piece of work in its own right, but when combined with Sinombre Vol 1: All Hope Is Gone, it truly becomes something special.

An essential addition to your Paul Miro collection!

Rating: 10/10

Paul Miro - All Hope Is Gone (Digital Single) (2016)

Genre - Dark / Western / Atmospheric / Rock / Acoustic / Soundscape

Label - Pledge Music / Self Released

Track listing:

01 - All Hope Is Gone

02 - The Devi Made Me

All Hope Is Gone is the lead single taken from Paul Miro's latest solo release, Sinombre Vol 1: All Hope Is Gone.

All Hope Is Gone is a great taster for a great album, an acoustically driven song that just builds and builds into a real monster of a song.

The Devil Made Me is exclusive to this digital single (available from Amazon and iTunes) and will not be available elsewhere, so its worth grabbing a hold of for that reason alone, plus its a bloody great song that really fits in with the stylings of the album, a western themed acoustic driven song that is well, just bloody ace!

Rating: 10/10

 

Paul Miro - Sinombre Vol I: All Hope is Gone

Genre - Dark / Western / Atmospheric / Rock / Acoustic / Soundscape

Label - Pledge Music / Self Released

Track listing:

01 - Nothing Left Here (Part 1)

02 - End Of Days

03 - All Hope Is Gone

04 - Suddenly Righteous

05 - Wilderness

06 - Nest Of Vipers

07 - No Party

08 - Travelogue

09 - Night Fall

10 - Find The Beast

11- Devil Man Jump

12 - Fall From Grace

13 - Swimming In The Dowling Pool

14 - The Only Devil

15 - Sun's Gonna Shine

16 - Nothing Left Here (Part II)

Former Apes, Pigs and Spacemen front man, Paul Miro, returns with his latest solo offering in the form of Sinombre Vol 1: All Hope Is Gone, released via Pledge Music.
As Paul describes it,
"Sinombre is a two-hour long project, split into two albums, each of which features sixteen tracks. The first album is entitled All Hope is Gone".
"Like many journeys, Sinombre started out as a fortuitous accident. I’ve said about some previous albums, ‘this was not what I set out to make. ’I was already at work on a new solo album, which had the working title Snow Monkey, which I will record at some point in the future. Quite a lush affair that, if it resembles anything from my previous albums, is probably more in the vein of Scary Tales with more of an edge.
I then received a brief for some TV music. Dark, western, sinister, atmospheric, demons and monster stuff. It isn’t often that I get to immerse myself so freely in a TV project - generally, there are a lot of restrictive rules of form and style applied. But on this one, I had a free hand. And I quickly realised that it was something I wanted to develop further, outside of the imposed lyrical strictures.
Writing about mythical demons and monsters just made me think about all of the real demons we are currently powerless to resist. Corporate, financial, religious, political monsters, right wing populism, corruption, greed, inequality, suffering and a general sense of prevailing hopelessness. The next logical progression in my head was, ‘What happens when it all comes tumbling down?’
And that was the starting point for the project: at the edge of, and after the fall."
"  If you are inclined, you can follow it as a concept album that goes full circle. But, each song stands as it’s own story. Moments of darkness, and moments of light. Because it is so stylised and nothing like anything I have done before, and because it has a life of it’s own, I gave it the Sinombre identity, Sinombre being the beast that runs throughout the two albums, with me as the agent charged with presenting the story. You can take it like that, or just listen to it as a bunch of songs about which I happen to feel supremely proud."

But how does the album sound?
Well the album opens with Nothing Left Here (part 1), which is a stripped down acoustic based track, that serves to set the listener up for what is to follow. Its a melancholy and beautiful track too.
Next up we have End Of Days, this is basically a dark soundscape with Terrorvision's Tony Wright providing a narrative that really does set the lyrical tone of the album. All Hope Is Gone follows, this track has been the albums lead (digital only) single , and a great song it is too. Acoustically driven with some great dark western flavourings. One of my favourite songs to be released so far in 2016!
Next we have the brilliant Suddenly Righteous, a brilliant song with a real country feel to it that slowly builds a real groove. Another outstanding track! Wilderness is up next, a short instrumental track that clocks in at just over a minute long, A dark western soundscape of a track. Nest Of Vipers follows, continuing the western theme musically, that again builds into a solid rocking track. Another great song! Next we have No Party, a great song that builds from a semi acoustic intro to a typical Paul Miro rocker! Travelogue is another great short instrumental track that serves as a great intro for Night Fall. which picks up the tempo some what, becoming a dark atmospheric track with a fast pulse! Find The Beast is up next, and is one of the albums real gems. A great western flavoured almost rockabilly song t is well, simply brilliant! Devil Man Jump follows, with is dark heavy western flavoured groove. Fall from Grace, is a beautiful mellow track, again acoustically driven with some western flavoured baritone and flamenco guitars. Next we have something a little special in Swimming In The Dowling Pool. A great song featuring the talents of and inspired by one Mr Willie Dowling of Honeycrack, Jackdaw4 and Dowling Poole fame!
The Only Devil is another great song with a heavy south western feel that just keeps building as it moves along.
Sun's Gonna Shine  is pretty much the album big ballad. A great song with some absolutely brilliant lyrics! The album closes out with Nothing Left Here (Part II), which is a bigger production continuation of the albums opener. A great ay to close out a great album.....now I am rally looking forward to part two!

Very Very highly recommended!!

Rating: 10/10

Role Models - Forest Lawn (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Punk / Alternative

Label - Self Released / Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - Radio

02 - (I Broke My Back) Disappointing You

03 - Got No Time

04 - Bullshit Corner

05 - Wanted To Be Wanted

06 - Goodbye and Hooray

07 - The Ditch

08 - Sleep Tight

09 - The Lights On Your Road

10 - I Ain't Lucky

11 - No Shame

12 - Guest List

Forest Lawn is the sophomore album from Roles Models, the alternative Punk / Rock band led by a certain Rich Rags.
The album picks up pretty much where their debut album, 2015's The Go To Guy, left off, with more sleek punk tinged rock n roll. The songs are slick and well constructed, the band as tight as a ducks arse, so to speak, and the production is just sweet.  After a quick one two three punch of Radio, Disappointing You and Got No Time, the band slow the tempo sown a little for Bullshit Corner which turns out to be a rather touching ballad, despite its title! The pace picks up again with Wanted To Be Wanted, which turns out to be a great melodic rocker of a track. Goodbye and Hooray and a bit more bite to it, whilst the band return to their melodic rock formula with The Ditch. In fact in many places Forest Lawn reminds me a lot of Soul Asylum, which is no bad thing in my opinion.
Sleep Tight is a more raucous affair, whilst the tempo slows again for The Lights On Your Road.
I Ain't Lucky is a short and sweet track that has a real rock n roll feel to it. Penultimate track, No Shame is another slice of melodic rock genius, whilst album closer Guest List, is the albums big ballad. A great way to close a very solid album!

Well Worth Checking Out

Rating: 9/10

Paul Miro - Live Undangerous (2016)

Genre - Live Acoustic

Label - Self Released / Pledge Music

Track listing:

01 - The One

02 - Nothing Left Here / Take Our Sorrows Swimming

03 - Beanman

04 - 15 / Monster

05 - Swimming In The Dowling Pool

06 - The Best Thing 

07 - Fragments

08 - True At First Light

09 - Carry On

10 - Great Place

Live Undangerous is an exclusive live release from former Apes, Pigs and Spacemen frontman Paul Miro, released as a free Pledge exclusive and available for a limited period only!
Recorded live on his tour last year with Terrorvision frontman Tony Wright this album captures Pauls performance perfectly. The sound is crystal clear, which just adds even more to the listening experience as Paul works his way through a selection of tracks that span his career, plus one live version of a track that is set to appear on his new album, Swimming In The Dowling Pool.
This is a great album, and worth pledging for alone!

Rating: 10/10

The Wildhearts - Never Outdrunk Never Outsung: PHUQ Live (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock / Punk / Alternative / Britrock

Label - Self Released / Round Records / Pledge Music

Track  listing:

Disc 1

01 - I Wanna Go Where The People Go

02 - V-Day

03 - Just In Lust

04 - Baby Strange

05 - Nita Nitro

06 - Jonesing For Jones

07 - Up Your Arse You Fucking Cunt

08 - Woah Shit You Through

09 - Cold Patootie Tango

10 - Caprice

11 - Be My Drug

12 - Naivety Play

13 - In Lily's Garden

14 - Getting It

Disc 2

01 - Don't Bout Me

02 - Weekend

03 - Stormy In The North, Karma In The South

04 - Red Light, Green Light

05 - White Lies

06 - 29 x The Pain

Now I have never been the biggest fan of live albums. The sound is usually crap or they contain so many overdubs that they cant really be classed as a live album any more, so it has to be said that I faced listening to the The Wildhearts Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live anniversary show live album with a certain amount of trepidation. I needn't have worried though as this is exactly what a live album should bloody well sound like!
Recorded in London during the PHUQ twentieth anniversary tour this is a warts 'n' all recording, featuring the album played in its entirety, together with the encores. But what makes this album special is the sound. this album sounds fantastic! The mix is perfect, thanks to the mixing talents of Dave Draper. I really can not stress just how good this album sounds, every instrument is crystal clear, (yes even CJ's guitar!), the mix captures the power and finesse of the songs and performance. This album is definitely the closest thing to actually being there!
Any fan of the band, or even Gingers solo work really should check this release out!

Definitely the best live album that will be released this year!

Very, very Highly Recommended!

Rating: 10/10

Tony Wright - Walnut Dash (2016)

Genre - Hard Rock

Label - Pledge Music / Self Released

Track listing:

01 - Music Is The Food Of Love

02 - One Size Fits All

03 - Lost Property

04 - A & E

05 - Life's Too Short

06 - Rise Up

07 - Delete Repeat

08 - Spoons And Knives

09 - The Blues

10 - Where Would I Be

11- Opposites Attract

Terrorvision front man, Tony Wright, returns with his second solo album, Walnut Dash,  the follow up to 2015's mainly acoustic affair, Thoughts and All. This time around we get a full blown electric album, and what a great album it is too!
The album opens with "Music Is The Food Of Love", which really sets the tone for the album. A great melodic anthemic rock song, as catchy as hell, and well just a bloody great song! "One Size Fits All" follows, another great melodic rock track. "Lost Property" is up next, with its great acoustic Bluesy intro that leads into another great rocker! "A&E" follows with its spaghetti western feel intro, another great song, one of my personal favourites on the album. It also has a blistering guitar solo! "Life's Too Short" is up next, with its gentle beginning, and bluesey undertones. Another great song. Next we have "Rise Up",  a song that bursts onto the scene before dropping back to an acoustic driven rocker. One of the heaviest tracks on the album despite its great tempo changes and acoustic sections. "Delete Repeat" follows, now this really is my favourite song on the album, just simply perfect. Acoustic driven with some great tempo changes and heavy sections. A follow on to "Do You Love Me" from last years Thoughts And All. Next we have "Spoons and Knives", that once again begins as an acoustic driven track, with loads of atmosphere before exploding into a great rock track! "The Blues" follows, a great song with a southern blues feel to it.. The albums penultimate song is "Where Would I Be" which is again a moody acoustic driven song. Another great song. The album closes out with "Opposites Attract", which just happens to be another of my favourite songs on the album, A great fun song.

This album is a bloody great album that should appeal to anyone who is familiar with Tony Wrights previous releases, either solo or with Terrorvision.

Very Very Highly recommended!

Rating - 10/10

Pre order the album here at:

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/tonywright2

CJ Wildheart - Robot

Genre - Hard Rock / Modern Rock / Alternative

Label - PledgeMusic / Self releasd / Vinyl Junkie Recordings / Devilspit Records

Track listing:

01 - The Robot

02 - Light It Up

03 - Ctrl-Alt-Delete

04 - The Box

05 - Sleep Deprivation

06 - Delirium

07 - F.U.B.A.R.

08 - No Rhyme Or reason

09 - I Got You

10 - Sasquatch

11 - Maureen (Fountains of Wayne Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)

12 - Sick of Myself (Matthew Sweet Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)

13 - Black Bugs (Regurgitator Cover) (Japanese Bonus Track)

Ok this album has been available for a couple of months now, (it was released back in March!) so I will keep this review short and sweet.
The Robot is the second solo album to be released by Wildhearts and former Jelly's and Honeycrack singer / guitarist CJ Wildheart. (His first solo release came out under the moniker CJ and the Satellites), the first being 2014's Mable.
The album sees CJ take a much heavier route, with the likes of F.U.B.A.R.' and 'Light it Up' highlighting a more aggressive sound. CJ adds "This is something that has happened naturally and also due to having Jason Bowld on drums. You can't help but go heavier when you have an engine like that behind your music." The Robot showcases CJ Wildheart as one of the best - and most underrated - songwriters operating in Britain today. Robot is him operating right at the top of his craft. It's a complex work, with songs that rise and swoop and deliver catchy beats "The Box", crunching power "F.U.B.A.R." and pace changes "Sasquatch" aplenty. There's not a bad track on here!
As for just how this album sound, well for anyone who is familiar with CJ's history it sounds pretty much exactly like you’d hope an album from someone with his back grund would sound. It combines  the gorgeous harmonies of Honeycrack, the bounce factor of the Jellys, the aggression and heaviness of The Wildhearts. In fact it would be fair to say that a couple of the songs here would have made fantastic additions to Wildhearts album!
Do yourselves a favour and check this album out!

Rating: 10/10