This past month has proved to be a great month for discovering new releases, but also somewhat of a slump for writing full album reviews. I should be getting back in the groove soon.
Ray Wilson - An Audience and Ray Wilson (Live)
Ok, Wow. This live album is a flawless gem. It captures an acoustic Ray Wilson solo performance in Warshaw in 2003. The show is entertaining, very personal and has an incredible warmth to it. Ray's voice is superb, adding some very special touches to the songs. There is a great connection between the audience and the artist and everything just clicks on this performance. As far as I know the album can only be purchased
here.
Luca Turilli - The Infinite Wonders of Creation
The highly awaited new solo album by Luca Turilliiiiiii.
A huge production results in a very bombastic sound with many layers. If this is unmastered then I can't wait to hear the final product. The addition of a female singer gives a different vibe to the music, but unfortunately she does not quite match the great and powerful Olaf Hayer. "The miracles of life" has already infected my brain to the point where images of happy, jumping dolphins flash before my eyes whenever I try to relax. Too early for a final verdict, but promising so far. For a taste of the music go to the official Turilli
website where some samples are available.
Loch Vostok - Destruction time again
Loch Vostok's second album and the first to reach my ears. The first time I listened to the whole thing I got the feeling that, yes, this could be something special. The band creates a special mix of aggresion, melody and progressiveness, making for a highly interesting album that grows with each listen. I haven't quite gotten used to the vocals yet, but this is the nicest surprise of the year so far.
Primal Fear - Seven Seals
Still getting plenty of listening time. It should have a good home in any Heavy Metal collection. "All for One" is extremely infectous.
Hubi Meisel - Kailash
Got the full album and starting to get more into the concept now. Adventurous music that sometimes makes you feel like you're sitting at the peak of a snow covered mountain looking out over the world. Full review is coming.
Phenomena - Psycho Fantasy
Bought this one blindly after having it recommended. Turned out to be a solid hard rock album, oozing with a dark atmosphere. It takes a little time for the songs to open up but they are still growing. Only "Crazy Grooves" falls somewhat short. Several high profile singers take on the vocals and make the album a varied affair. The songs with Glenn Hughes are personal favorites so far.
The Dogma - Black Roses
The debut from a new Italian act. It may come as no surprise that their style is based on Power Metal, but they do it with flair for variety and the result is a good effort, which shows strong promise for the future. Unfortunately the production of the drum sound is lacking.
Rage - Speak of the dead
The dreaded anti-piracy speak-over makes it impossible to listen to this promo and gain any kind of relationship to the music. Extremely frustrating. The one track that does not have the speak-over, "No Fear" is heavy and aggressive but doesn't leave a lasting impression. Now I'm looking forward to hearing the full album properly.
Luca Turilli's Dreamquest - Lost Horizons
Takes a slightly different direction compared to the solo album. An abundance of keyboard sounds give the music an electronic feel, a female vocalist and many many choirs bring a lot of atmosphere to the album. Promising, but it definitely needs more time to grow.
Edguy - Rocket ride
Varied and entertaining but I still miss the days of "Theater of Salvation" and "Vain Glory Opera".
Narnia - Enter the gate
Sounds like Narnia have kept their melodic approach while keeping the music heavy. Great stuff.
Thin Lizzy - Black Rose
A very nice revelation. The groove is tight and the songs are great.
CD purchases of the month
Phenomena - Psycho Fantasy
Edguy - Rocket Ride
Bob Catley - Spirit of Man (Great album)
Hubi Meisel - Kailash
Dogpound - A night in the gutter (Finally got the real version of this hard rocking CD. Highly recommended)
Ray Wilson - Live (Haven't listened to it yet)
Ray Wilson - An Audience and Ray Wilson (Live)
Green Day - American Idiot (Another one of Tommy's influences... Haven't listened to the whole thing yet)
