SERPENTINE - A Touch Of Heaven (2010)

SERPENTINE’s debut ‘A Touch Of Heaven’ is the culmination of two and a half years of work and dedication of a band founded by trio Gareth David Noon, Gareth Vanstone and Chris Gould.
When Noon returned from a vacation in 2007, an excited Vanstone informed him of the availability of axe-slinger Gould.
Noon recalls: “Gareth Vanstone and I had been writing rough material for a few years with no actual goals. It wasn’t actually until 2007 when we set up a jam session with Chris Gould that the whole thing actually started to take shape, and Serpentine was truly formed.
He happened to be a friend of Vanstone’s brother and he heard some of our rough demos.
We met up on a Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon we had finished a basic cut of our first song. It was instant chemistry.”

Fast-forward to the winter of 2008 and a chance encounter at a recording studio in Blackwood, South Wales between Gould and Shy drummer Bob Richards, which was to be the catalyst for Serpentine to hit top gear and get the band off the ground after 18 months of songwriting as a trio.
Less than a month later, Tony Mills (SHY, TNT) and his world reknowned, stratospheric vocals became the voice of Serpentine, and the band spent the next few months completing the demos for what has become the band’s debut album, ‘A Touch Of Heaven’.

In the summer of 2009, the band – with new members John Clews (Guitar) and Charlie Skeggs (Drums) in tow- decamped to M2 Studios in Staffordshire to begin reshaping their rough demos into what can be heard on the record, with Mark V Stuart (Magnum) and Sheena Sear twiddling the knobs behind the desk.

Keyboard flourishes, lush harmonies and breathless vocals provide the opening of the title track before the main riff kicks in aided by some surging guitars and Serpentine make an immediate impact.
“Whatever Heartache” will delight fans of JOURNEY and is the obvious first single for which the band have also released an excellent video; an anthemic, sweeping epic with double tracked guitars and a killer chorus.
The moody “Lonely Nights” and the ballad “For The Love Of It All” both sounds natural and from the heart.
Emotional is the word to describe “Let Love Rain Down”, while “We Belong” is like a summer breeze to your ears… SURVIVOR spirit is back!
You will be surprised by the closing track, a cover of the classic “Unbreak My Heart”.

This is an album that deserves to be heard live and hopefully the band will have the opportunity to take it on the road this year.

1. A Touch Of Heaven
2. Whatever Heartache
3. Lonely Nights
4. For The Love Of It All
5. Let Love Rain Down
6. In My Blood
7. Fashion
8. We Belong
9. Love Suicide
10. Unbreak My Heart

Vocals : Tony Mills
Lead & Rhythm Guitars : Christopher Gould
Lead & Rhythm Guitars : John Clews
Keyboards : Gareth David Noon
Bass : Gareth Vanstone
Drums : Roy Millward

320

Read more...

FM - Metropolis (2010)

“The boys are back”
UK favourite AOR act ” FM ” release their first studio album in over 15 years!
METROPOLIS is the resume of the brillant career of these classic rockers and their trademark sound, updated but never forgetting the roots.

Featuring up tempo monster rockin’ songs like ‘Wildside’, ‘Over You’ (awesome track) or ‘I Ain’t The One’ to terrific melodic AOR tunes: ”Hollow’, Who’ll Stop The Rain’, ‘The Extra Mile’, all are fine examples of their ability to give beautiful choruses and fine melodies.

The voice of Steve Overland sounds magnificent over the complete record confirming he’s the highest reference in Britain’s scene.
With a stunning production and truly brilliant songs, FM managed to make a stellar comeback, it is a joy to listen to such talented work from this band that know how to write excellent songs.

This new album should please all their fans and attract a whole new audience of rabid melodic rock AOR fans!

01 – Wildside
02 – Hollow
03 – Unbreakable
04 – Flamingo Road
05 – Metropolis
06 – Over You
07 – Days Gone By
08 – Bring Back Yesterday
09 – I Ain’t The One
10 – Don’t Need Nothin’
11 – The Extra Mile
12 – Who’ll Stop The Rain
13 – Still The Fight Goes On

Steve Overland – Vocals & Guitars
Jim Kirkpatrick – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Merv Goldsworthy – Bass & Backing Vocals
Pete Jupp – Drums & Backing Vocals
Jem Davis – Keyboards)

vbr V0 extreme

Read more...

NEWMAN - The Art Of Balance (2010)

It’s been a few years since we heard any new material from Steve Newman, the veritable one man band behind seven previous Newman releases.

The album starts with over a minute of news reports about dead pop and rock stars mixed together.
There’s Cobain, Hutchence and Jackson all lining coffins, paving the way for a very lively song called “Hero To Zero”, about the price of fame. Although the intro is certainly odd and a bit overlong, the song that follows sets the tone for the album perfectly.
It’s fast, melodic and catchy as hell, something Newman has a real talent for producing.

There’s no true influence here, and instead you can take several bands and throw them all in to get an idea of the Newman sound.
Try Brother Firetribe, Ten, H.E.A.T and Foreigner (but not the wussy stuff) for starters and you’ll get some idea of what we’re dealing with.

When Newman turns on the power he is simply brilliant.
The faster tracks on “The Art Of Balance” are by far the best, and “Edge Of The World”, “Endless” and “Stronger” kick some serious ass.
There are plenty of mid paced tracks as well, with some admirably fiddly guitar work throughout.
As well as playing and writing the majority of the album, Newman also delivers a great sound as producer, one I can’t fault in any way.
Vocally, he’s always had a strong voice, and whilst not one of the greats he has a similar range to Eclipse’s Erik Martennson which shows he is no slouch in this department.

If you’re the sort of person who appreciates solid, guitar driven, catchy melodic hard rock, then Newman is someone you really need to be introduced to.

01 – Hero To Zero
02 – Edge Of The World
03 – Endless
04 – The Miracle
05 – Stay With Me
06 – Tumble Down
07 – Wish You Well
08 – Find My Heart
09 – Your Surrender
10 – Break It Again
11 – Forever
12 – Stronger

320

Read more...

SCORPIONS - Sting In The Tail [Japan Release] (2010)

Japan release including 2 extra tracks


After the release of STING IN THE TAIL, and a three-year mammoth tour, which will take them across five continents, one of the most successful rock bands in the world, SCORPIONS, will be ending their career.

During their 40-year career, SCORPIONS sold over 100 million albums and received many awards, such as the World Music Award and several Echos (the German equivalent to the Grammy).
Today they still play sold-out venues around the world. Not long ago, 152,000 South Americans came to 15 SCORPIONS concerts between Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City.
Their song “Wind of Change” has become an anthem for the fall of the Iron Curtain.
The tour will launch in the band’s home country Germany in May.
After that, they will be touring through North America before they continue their journey through five other continents until 2012.

Guitarist Rudolf Schenker tells that the prospect of ending Scorpions is indeed “really sad, and I don’t even want to think about it.”
But he explains that the band and its management ultimately feel it’s the right move to end the band on a high note with its new album, “Sting in the Tail”, rather than risk a slow decline.

“You can’t think about Scorpions at 70, not moving on stage, playing ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ — but on stage it’s not like a hurricane, it’s a very small wind,” he says.
“There’s no stinger, and that’s not good. You’re going back down hill, from big hall to small how, small how to club…Everything has it’s end; the question is it a good end or bad end?
In this case we want to do these things and make it a good end.”

Regarding the Scorpions members’ future plans, Schenker says that guitarist Matthias Jabs has a musical instruments store in Munich, while drummer James Kottak has his own band, Kottak.
Rudolf himself intends to publish his book, “Rock You Live,” in the U.S. and plans a collaboration with his brother a Michael Schenker — which may include Scorpions’ singer Klaus Meine on some songs.

Good and last album from the legend Scorpions with an ’80s feel, to rock the World!

The japanese version includes "Let's Rock" (not present in the USA version) and the exclusive bonus track "Thunder And Lightning".


1- Raised On Rock
2- Sting In The Tail
3- Slave Me
4- The Good Die Young (guest Tarja Turunen)
5- No Limit
6- Rock Zone
7- Lorelei
8- Turn You On
9- Let's Rock (not in the USA version)
10- SLY
11- Spirit Of Rock
12- The Best Is Yet to Come
13- Thunder And Lightning ( Japan bonus track)


Klaus Meine: vocals
Rudolf Schenker: guitars
Matthias Jabs: guitars
Pavel Maciwoda: bass
James Kottak: drums
Tarja Turunen: background vocals

Read more...

TRAGIK - And We All Turn To Dust (2010)

Phil Vincent’s band TRAGIK comes with a new album, a collection of tunes that visits an eclectic variety of styles from milder AOR and melodic rock to metal-like hard rock.

The opener ‘Overture 3′ provides a point of difference to what you’d normally find opening up a hard rock CD, with a symphonic and at times bombastic opening instrumental sequence.
Boston meets Mastedon perhaps? of course they did something equally unusual on last years album too.

Movin’ on, ‘Jaded’ is the first rocker to land on our plate, an uptempo rocker with good use of vocal harmonies and hard driving drum work.
‘Can’t Find The Words’ is an intense mid-tempo affair with a (dare I say it) House Of Lords styled thickness applied.
‘Black And White’ is for all of those who are spectrally challenged, a fast paced rocker that is quite sad-sack in terms of the lyrics.. it’s about a guy who’s lost his missus… ‘all the color is gone in my life.. all I see is black and white’.
‘At The Shore’ is quite a cruisy number, lots of flanging guitar and seashore sound effects, occasionally it’ll beef up a bit.
‘Before It’s Gone’ is a pleasant number, ‘Long Way From Home’ is a bit slower tempo with AOR ideals, topped off by Phil’s Rik Emmett’s flavored mid-range falsetto.
The closer ‘Nothing’ features Billy Roux on most of the instruments, Billy has appeared on some of Phil’s previous recordings.

Tragik continues to deliver some quality material, and even though the lider Phil Vincent considers themselves to be the best unknown band around, you’ll find that continued exposure on sites like this plus other similar sites, will make that statement redundant over time.

01 – Overture III
02 – Jaded
03 – Can’t Find The Words
04 – Black & White
05 – Giving In
06 – At The Shore
07 – Before It’s Gone
08 – Long Way From Home
09 – Shadows Of Loneliness
10 – Nothing

Phil Vincent – vocals, bass, keyboards
Damian D’Ercole – guitars, percussion
Dirk Phillips – drums, keyboards
Billy Roux – guitars, bass, drums on ‘Nothing’

VBR

Read more...

JOHN PAYNE and ANDY NYE - The Passion (2009)

Vocalist John Payne (ASIA) together with keyboardist Andy Nye (MSG) formed the band PASSION at the end of the eighties.
They start writing and recording songs in order to get a contract and release the group’s debut.
But the twist of fate make that all these recordigs were shelved.
Payne joins ASIA and Nye become songwriter for various artists/bands (including ASIA).

20 years later, all these songs see the light of day for the very first time.
Glorious AOR melodies fullfilled with amazing keyboards and superb vocal arrangements.
Featuring former IRON MAIDEN’s drummer Clive Burr and MIKE OLFIELD guitarist Ant Glynne, the band sounds powerful, full of energy.

A real trip back to the golden years!

1 – All We Need Is A Miracle
2 – Break The Chain
3 – Burning The Innocent
4 – Desire
5 – Does It Look Like Love
6 – Don’t Hide Your Feelings
7 – Hearts Of Fire
8 – I Can’t Wait For You
9 – I Won’t Surrender
10 – Running Back To You
11 – Talk To Me
12 – Wasteland

John Payne (vocals)
Ant Glynne (guitar)
Andy Nye (keyboards)
Clive Burr (drums)

Read more...

H.E.A.T - Beg Beg Beg [CDs] (2010)

New H.E.A.T single!
From the forthcoming album to be released spring 2010.

Contains 2 tracks not available on the album to be released in the Nordic countries.

1/3 – Beg Beg Beg
2/3 – Tonight (bonus track)
3/3 – Living In A Memory (bonus track)

VBR

Read more...