Category: All Exclusive

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2012, Fads and fashions may change on a yearly basis but class is timeless. The Danish boys have been delivering their brand of Progressive Power Metal for twenty years and this ´Best Of` compilation takes us on a journey through the 1990’s era of recently restored vocalist D.C. Cooper, an era which arguably saw the band gain their best commercial success and possibly produce their finest work. Remember albums such as CLOWN IN THE MIRROR and MOVING TARGET and not to mention the almighty opus that was PARADOX all represented here. It’s easy to forget how big these guys were in the 90’s especially in Japan and mainland Europe, with album sales in excess of one million units these guys certainly know what they’re doing.

HEVISAURUS!Now!

“Dinosaurs playing heavy metal to the kids”. That was the concept that Mirka Rantanen (drummer of Thunderstone) came up with a few years ago, and HEVISAURUS was born. Two highly successful albums were released under that name, but last year things went sour between Rantanen and the band’s label Sony. Lawsuits, dirty dinosaur suits and insults were flying all over the internet and media, and as a result, things are a bit complicated now. There are actually two dinosaur bands now touring and recording in Finland: Sony-owned Hevisaurus which includes the orignal vocalist and production team/songwriters and SAURUXET, Rantanen and the original live band with a new vocalist. Sauruxet were the first to release new material, and apparently the new monicker didn’t alienate them from their audience – the band went straight to number two on the Finnish Top 40 chart this week. Without diving any deeper into the waves of controversy (or is it too late already?), let’s take a look at the album…

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Dirt Rock, defined as the sour mash blend of hard rock, classic rock, blues, and metal.

Late 2011 brought about the birth of Pittsburgh, PA’s RULE OF TWO. With the band’s inception, their brand of rock n’ roll was also born: Dirt Rock, an amalgamation of blues, classic rock, and heavy metal. Beaver locals Aaron Bender (vocals/guitars) and Flavion Mancini (drums) left their alt-rock band shirtcollarsmile in order to explore their own songwriting skills and focus more on their hard rock/metal roots. After going through a multitude of bass players, Bender and Mancini were forced to place an ad in Craigslist. Lured by the promise of money, shows, and (mainly) beer, journeyman bassist Herm Staving (Downfall, ex-One Step Away, ex-Without Fail, etc.)—also a Beaver native looking for a hard rock-based project—joined the fold, rounding out the trio. Now armed with an arsenal of material and a six-song EP, Hair of the Dog, RULE OF TWO is bringing Dirt Rock to any and all venues that will open their doors to the band. So stop by a show, buy a CD, maybe get the guys a beer; experience the unique sounds grown from these roots.

now…rrrhhhh

Besides the ordered EP of Caroline, the label Hyena Records has also sent us the latest album of Isäntä Meidän. The album entitled “Toinen Tuleminen” [The Second Coming] represents, logically, the second release of the quintet from Kokkola/Finland. The album cover promises Metal and even though the press release specifies the genre with Heavy Metal and Heavy Rock, in the end it`s rather Power Metal than anything else – and thus it isn`t really my taste. BUT, the opener “Vapise Vanha Valta” has a nice intro, starts in a strong way and the chorus knows how to please even a non-Power Metal fan like me. The guitar sound on the second track “Mies” is intoxicating as well. The dramatic shouts – which are typical for this genre and appear besides “Mies” amongst others on “Mestarin

Finnish rockers, White Flame have released a new single, “I Know Where You Live”.

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yes!eahhh!!…now

In 1987 guitarist Alexey Belov, vocalist Nikolay Noskov, bassist Alexander “Big Sasha” Minkov, guitarist Jan Ianenkov, and drummer Alexander Lvov (formerly from Aria) came together to form Gorky Park. Stas Namin, a famous 70’s soviet musician, became the band’s manager. Because Gorbachev lifted the censorship, many underground rock bands, including Gorky Park, became able to receive more widespread popularity. Later that year the band left Russia for the United States in search of a record deal.

In the U.S. the band soon made some connections in the record business. One of the first people to take notice was famous guitarist Frank Zappa.Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora also helped them to secure a deal with Mercury Records.

Band Zillion (ex – Grave Digger, Rage, Axel Rudi Pell, Tarja)
Info: Germany
Info: Zillion
Style: Melodic Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Years: 2004
Info: MP3 CBR 320 kbps
Info: 98.1 Mb

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Columbus, Ohio’s Iconic Tonic is another strong act that has been signed to the Jamsync Music label in recent times. After the listening to “Out Loud”, I assumed the band was going to be a straight-ahead party rock band but that’s not the case. Rock And Roll shows off a band that has many influences.

The intro “MMXI” gives me a Black Sabbath vibe, possibly something you’d hear from the Tony Martin era. “Out Loud”, of course, is a fun hard rocking number and is one of the singles from the album. Definitely the most obvious choice for airplay. “Zombie Baby” not surprisingly has a bit of Rob Zombie to it while the trippy “Lost At Sea” sounds like something Pink Floyd could’ve done and “Bring You Down” sounds like alternative metal in the vein of Cold or Tool or like something from the last Lizzy Borden album. ”Time To Be With You” is done in a Beatles style. The instrumental “Iconic Tonic” takes us back to a simple hard rock style à la 1970s KISS.

now…keep a live

I would like to consider myself a huge Foreigner fan. I recently saw them perform this past Spring and SeaWorld Orlando and they put on a hell of a live show.
This album was recorded at the 2006 Bang Your Head Festival in Balingen, Germany. This 9-track concert was released previously on DVD but never as an audio CD. I feel that it is definitely missing the energy of the live show. The instruments seems a little bit toned down or muted during the songs. I still have a few original Foreigner albums on my iPhone and I re-listened to those track (of course a different singer), they just sound so much more energetic.

Now!Feel Good R&R From Australia