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We've listed albums in order of star rating. Best first.
PRYMARY The Enemy Inside (Prog Rock Records)
Supposedly melodic prog rock/metal from California, which kicks off in a brutal
trad metal fashion. The opening guitars are heavy and fast, and there are some
intricate keyboards there too, and a bass line reminiscent of Rhapsody Of Fire.
The prog rock is so brutal and in your face on the opening track, it hits you
like King Crimson’s Thrak. With a whack.
This five piece’s third album is well produced, and has many more melodic almost
acoustic moments, and the heavier moments keep the rhythms and melody too.
The vocals have a good range and strong sound, and the music intricate but not
anally so, there are classical metal touches.
When it gets heavy, it’s about as heavy as prog metal can go and still be
interesting, workable, and enjoyable. ***½
Review by Joe Geesin
ELDORADO Eldorado
Second album from this Madrid (Spain) based band and is solid hard rock that
mixes trad metal with more modern touches such as funk metal. Opener 'The House
Of The 7 Smokestacks' is heavy, full of riffs, catchy, and funky too. 'The
Rocket Song' could easily mix Glenn Hughes with Quireboys. 'Atlantico' is more
acoustic prog, while 'Falling Falling' is heavier, mixing metal and acoustic
balladry.
And there's some out there my recognise 'I Don't Need No Doctor'.
New Vintage Rock. ***½
Review by Joe Geesin
ATMOSFEAR Zenith (Prog
Rock Records)
Formed in Germany in the mid 90s, this is Atmosfear’s third album, and mixes
prog rock/metal with dark operatic undertones. The rhythms are solid, chunky,
catchy, and some of the scales and arpeggios give classical nods.
The slower moments still retain heavy touches, the piano mixed with chunky
guitar riffs is a good touch on 'Reawakening'. With two tracks at nearly 8
minutes each, two more at 12 and another at over 20, it’s very progressive
indeed. A mix of Magnum and Marillion, beefed up.
Good prog metal, if a little long at times. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
AJALON This Good Place
(Prog Rock Records)
This band were discovered by Rick Wakeman and through him got a lot of exposure,
and well deserved it is too.
The sound centres around multi instrumentalist Randy George (guitar, keyboards,
bass), who has played with Neal Morse for many years. Vocalist Will Henderson
and drummer Dan Lile complete the trio. These three have played a lot of session
work including with Steve Hackett, Paul Gilbert and Adrian Belew amongst others.
The vocals are good, strong yet often gentle, some good layered effects and the
prog influences varied. From Yes to Marillion and 80s King Crimson, there is
also a nod to the commercial guitar pop/prog of Toto.
At times the higher end vocals are reminiscent of Ra era Eloy, and as the album
goes on there are some surprisingly heavy bursts. The changes of pace and use of
female vocals (lead and backing) work well.
At times a little easy going, but really well worth a listen. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
IMARI TONES Welcome To
The School
Christian Rock from Japan? Yes, I've just wet myself too. But this is no
joke.
Opening title track is very cheesy guitar pop, and lets things down, because
when the rock really does start, this three piece produce some high energy metal
chock full of chops, riffs and the odd solo.
The
vocals are rather high, we're not quite in King Diamond country but there is
definitely something clamped on to his testicles. 'Illusions' gets a little
jangly at times but when it rocks it REALLY rocks.
While this is largely rock, there are a range of sounds, it's not all all-out
metal. A lot of beefed up 80s rock/pop, some trad metal, some power metal, indie,
beefed up guitar-pop.
It's all very energetic, some good stuff in here, but equally a little
inconsistent, and at times a little jangly.
Some tracks do stand out, but I'd listen online first. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
VARIOUS The Best Of
Fried Egg Records (Bristol 1979 - 1980)
(Bristol Archive Records ARC119CD)
Every music scene has its regional centres, and punk/new wave was no
exception. As the title suggests, at the end of the 70s Bristol was no different
and, like with any other scene, labels spring up to accommodate the interest. In
this case, Fried Egg Records.
Opening track 'Jerusalem' by Shoes For Industry has a post pub rock feel, with a
touch of r’n’b, think Dr Feelgood. Then it’s the more jangly Pete Brandt’s
Method, whose sound mixes the new wave of Siouxie/Banshees with the romantic
sound of Flock Of Seagulls, and a saxophone too. Quite jangly and a little
disjointed.
Art
Objects keep the punk / pop sound going well, spoken vocals and noisy guitar
aplenty. Exploding Seagulls feature a hint of rockabilly in with the very thin
punk sound. The Wild Beasts, The Stingrays, The Untouchables and The Viceroys
are amongst the bands included in this 20 track set.
Well annotated, a good intro to the regional scene, but really one for
aficionados. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
DAYNA KURTZ American
Standard (Munich Records)
Singer/songwriter, folk, country, it's all here, so I'll keep it brief. Some
interesting and good songwriting, the use of banjo on the opening 'Invocation'
adds a nice touch. Not quite bluegrass but a nod that way.
Things
pick up with 'Good in ‘62' which is more a rock'n'roll / rockabilly number, a
retro feel that's kept inoffensive by the singer/songwriter. 'Billboards For
Jesus' mixes blues with folk and rockabilly and has a dark tone to it. The organ
work keeps it moody, in a 60s garage kind of way. The lap steel works well there
too. 'Are You Dancing With Her Tonight?' is more balladic.
There are a range of styles here, the moodiness in places takes from the 60s
Garage the same way Siouxie & The Banshees did, and other influences are retro
too, but it's all done with the singer songwriter angle.
Dayna handles the vocals well, but at times it does sound like a man singing.
Songs range from just Dayna's vocals to a 6 piece band.
Good but not rock'n'roll, something to chill to maybe? ***
Review by Joe Geesin
ANGEL HOUSE The Gun,
The Love And The Cross (Escape Music)
Birmingham based three piece Angel House have roots firmly planted in trad
British metal, especially the NWoBHM, and in a melodic way are doing their
damndest to reignite it here.
This is their second album and is full of chunky riffs, solid rhythms and
screaming solos.
'Day By Day' is a little more commercial, a nod to Aerosmith or Def Leppard,
it’s the kind of metal that could have influenced Crue or G’n’R without being
hair metal itself.
Back in the 80s this would have been a guaranteed hit; it’s still very good but
not quite what you expect in 2009, a breath of fresh air perhaps. It’s solid,
it’s heavy, it’s trad, and it’s better than OK. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
THE MISERY GARDEN
Another Great Day On Earth (Prog Rock Records)
Formed in Geneva in 2005, this is the debut full album from The Misery Garden,
whose twin guitar take is on the dark metal side of prog.
Lots of dark grinding energy, heavy rhythms, and some bursts of extreme metal
screams, but it’s done with melody too. Imagine prog rock/metal influenced by
Katatonia, Tool and Perfect Circle.
At times the guitars get intricate, the vocals very melodic, the rhythms catchy,
all with dark undertones. Several songs have a constant upper-mid range
jangliness, giving an alternative alt.metal feel.
At times this is an interesting mix that comes off, at others it’s as annoying
as it is confused. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
HERO Fires Of Beltain
A mix of styles in rock here from this Canadian band, with opener 'Hey Hey Hey'
a catchy riff led number, while 'Living In The Closit' is a just straight rock
at the lighter end that is good, in an ordinary way, not standing out. The title
track is an intricate acoustic pop/rock track, soft, the drumming gentle, yet
quite commercial. 'Free As A Bird' is equally acoustic pop/rock with strings.
'Hangover' is slightly rockier, touch of blues rock.
Some good tracks, but stands out the most is that nothing stands out, and the
band can't decide if they're pop, rock, acoustic or god knows was. Despite the
good musicianship, even the rockier moments sound half hearted.
Just a
few songs in and I'm in a quandary. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
THE OCTOBER GAME Wildblood (Carmandie Records)
Kicking off with a
stringed intro before guitar strumming opens 'Greenbacks', this is very much
indie folk rock. Along the lines of singer/songwriter done with a full band. The
track is OK, some nice ideas but a little monotonous. 'Right On Time' has an
interesting rhythm, but the harsh / bright production makes the main beat stick
out a little too much.
That said, there is (in
their own way) a folkish nod to The Stone Roses. There is the emphasis on the
general sound, which at times is a little whimsical (the vocals are often soft
over music a little too harsh), but each individual component is kept simple.
Nothing too taxing or intricate. Some good melodies, but this is indie folk
rock.
There is also the rare nod
to prog, like an acoustic King Crimson before the drums come in. Hints of a 90s
sound. It’s OK, but it’s not rock’n’roll. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
L-Mo Got Gumption?
Ummm. You worry when an artist has a hip-hop style name. What does L-Mo
stand for? Little Mutha? Who knows. The other reason for deep concern is the
leery inner sleeve photo of a youth tipping a baseball cap towards the camera.
But contrary to expectations, L-Mo are a band. A multi national three piece -
singer Luke of Australian / American / English extraction, drummer Evan form
Ireland and bassist Phil from Oxford. And thankfully, they're not a hip-hop
band.
What they do serve up is 'upbeat adrenaline fuelled acoustic mayhem'. Which is a
fairly accurate monica. And with a growing fanbase around the Leeds area and
with exposure from Tom Robinson on BBC6, things are looking good for 2010.
For the most part Got Gumption? does what it says on the tin - manic acoustic
and heavily percussive tunes that sound like Jack Johnson on speed. And for the
most part it's easy on the ear, although the beatboxing on Too Bad and
Classicbox does nothing for this reviewer.
I can see that L-Mo would be an entertaining live act, but as a package, Got
Gumption? tends to be a bit singularly paced and unlikely to be an album you are
going to want to regularly listen to from beginning to end. **½
Review by Pete Whalley
HENNESSEY KEANE Nowhere
Fast
Named after the main men - Shaun Hennessey (guitars, banjo, backing vocals)
and Ian Keane (lead vocals, drums), the pair are backed by Carl Storey
(guitars), Spencer Brown (bass) and Nick Beere (hammond and production duties)
on their debut album Nowhere Fast.
Formed a little over a year ago, the duo draw heavily on folk and country
influences to deliver their own easy on the ear brand of classic country/ folk
embellished by their Irish and Irish-American roots.
With banjo, a telecaster twang and harmony vocals at the forefront of their
sound, Nowhere Fast owes more to Nashville and Johnny Cash style country music
than you would expect from a Southern English pairing.
Likely to be popular on the folk circuit and with the likes of Bob Harris, the
album is a little straight laced and 'traditional' for this reviewer. Certainly
there's little by the way of crossover material and while the playing can't be
faulted, it's hard to see where the market for Nowhere Fast is. Apart, that is,
from post gig sales. **½
Review by Pete Whalley
SOL SKUGGA Fairytales
And Lullabies
The third album in three years from Swedish solo artist Sol Skugga is not
what you might expect from a female solo artist who has - apparently - been
compared with Nine Inch Nails, U2, Blondie, Peter Gabriel, Amy Lee, Tori Amos
and Kate Bush.
And with a background as a classically trained singer and studio animal,
Fairytales And Lullabies should be an intoxicating mix.
But the warning lights flash as the album opens with a disclaimer that 'We will
not be held responsible for any hearing impairments or damage caused to you by
excessive exposure to this sound, sound .. sound …'
Any hopes you may have that you might be about to assaulted by some full frontal
female rock dissipates as it dawns that Fairytales And Lullabies is a lo-fi
affair that sits more in the teutonic, neo-classical industrial pop/folk field.
Perhaps of even greater concern is the lyrical content with lines like 'I'm
gonna say 'I do' when you ask me to'. Hardly rock 'n' roll material. More like
Aqua.
Yes, the album has plenty of folky pop meanderings overlaid with electronica and
classical influences, but it lacks any big hooks and conceptually Fairytales And
Lullabies couldn't be further removed from classic rock if it were from another
planet. **
Review by Pete Whalley
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