Avantasia. The Metal Opera Pt.II
Competent guests and catchy melodies lift this symphonic piece into high altitude.
Avantasia. Lost In Space - Part 1
The title track is far from the blast I hoped for, being close to boring.
Best track is Promised Land, killer chorus line and Jorn Lande screaming his lungs out...but it isn't on the album.
Avantasia. Lost In Space - Part 2
Best track is Story Ain't Over, with a magnificent Bob Catley, unfortunately this song isn't to be found of the album either...Hmmm
Bruce Turgon. Outside Looking In
A cool rather modern Rock album with a serious underlying mood.
Any Other Time has a cool infectious drive and the chorus in the closing ballad Where Do We Go From Here keeps haunting me... always a good sign.
Corin & Edman. Roc De Light
I have had this one spinning regularly in my car stereo for months now. Spell-binding album with Edman sounding completely out of this world...just listen to his tender voice on the first lines of Live On Love. Other stunning tracks include Here Today - Gone Tomorrow, Fall From Grace and True Colors. Any fan of Westcoast/AOR should check this gem out.
Edge Of Forever. Let The Demon Rock 'N' Roll
Classic Hard Rock with a stench of AOR. A really cool record with high standard song writing and a vivid drive. In My Eyes is magnificent.
Elegy. Lost
A successful blend of atmosphere, progressiveness, power and melody.
Gamma Ray. Land Of The Free II
At first I was a bit disappointed, but it slowly opened up, and I must say that a handful of the choruses are really addictive and musically the band delivers the goods.
The reference to The Clairvoyant (Iron Maiden) in Opportunity is just too much and I lack a bit of variation, many songs seem to follow a certain formula.
So it's no way near the first Land Of The Free but clearly a pleasant dose of classic Power Metal.
Loverboy. Just Getting Started
Heaven on earth!!! This is absolutely brilliant. Melodic Hard Rock with stunning choruses and massive hooks. Track 1, 2, 5, 7 and 9 are completely irresistible. The word catchy is blown into new proportions through a thick and heavy sound with Mike Reno sounding forcefully agile.
Drop your toast in your coffee and get a hold of this fantastic comeback album as soon as possible.
Overkill. Immortals
Crunchy, well performed and solid trash...Yep; it's the new one from Overkill.
Pink Floyd. The Dark Side Of The Moon (30th anniversary SACD edition)
You can't take away from this album that it's very unique and quite "out there" with lots of wacky passages. It has a bunch of cool hypnotic scenarios but also a few songs that are just too weird for my taste.
Platitude. Nine
A brilliant and refreshing album from a young and promising band. Symphonic Power Metal with an emotional and energetic touch.
Rhino Bucket. And Then It Got Ugly
It's not as good as the bands three first albums, which all fans of AC/DC and kick ass Hard Rock should try and get a hold off. The cool attitude is still here, but the drive isn't as fierce or the songs just as memorable.
Sandalinas. Living On The Edge
Melodic Hard Rock with a bunch of catchy tunes. Nothing extraordinary but a quite good disc.
Seven Witches. Deadly Sins
To short playing time once again, but it doesn't really matter because this album is disappointingly unexciting and dragging. Sure some songs are decent but it simply lacks a genuine spark.
Shaman. Immortal
Once and a while captivating moods and harmonious melodies pop up, but there's too much filler material in between.
Threshold. Critical Energy. (DVD+ 2CD)
I'm once again deeply impressed. 18 well-selected tracks nailed to perfection and with a live sound being close to what they produce in studio. A brilliant gig, Mac sounds phenomenal and I love how some songs take on a whole new meaning, the acoustic part with Clear and Life Flow is two fantastic examples. This is Progressive Metal at its absolute best, with Paradox, Choices, The Latent Gene and Light And Space as absolute killers.
The Who. Who's Next (Deluxe 2 CD Edition)
Delicate would be a one-word review for this one. A bunch of neatly put together Rock songs, catchy refrains and also an experimenting touch keeping it evolving.
The deluxe edition is packed with live recordings and remixed tracks.
Transcending Mortality. The Last Horizon
A blend of Power and Progressive Metal mixing comprehensive structures with simpler, melodic passages. Quite interesting.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra. "The Christmas Trilogy"
Essential holiday music. Bombastic, passionate and moving.
Virgin Steele. The House Of Atreus Act I
Absolutely divine. The dark story is told with a spellbinding and authentic touch.
You are sucked in right from the start and when the thrill is over, you see the world with different and more enlightened eyes; this opus deals with the most fragile and essential human emotions... magical.
| |
