FORGOTTEN SUNS - Revelations (2011)

FORGOTTEN SUNS is the most known Portuguese progressive metal band.
Their long-time career is a proof of consistency and their 3 albums boldly exhibit their competencies.
"Revelations" (released at the very end of 2010) is an EP that has turned out to become the home for some lighter tracks taken from the third album writing sessions back in the period between 2006 and 2007.
Here's a much more melodic approach than a metal edge, with the use of electronics and a 'friendly' sound.

The album kicks off with the remix of "Doppelgãnger", a song which was part of their last album 'Innergy'. A fresh version, edited and accesible. It's in the Dream Theater 'Awake' era style. A cool track.
The next 3 tracks never were released until now, and all are very melodic, far away from the typical metallic edge of the band.
"Phenotype" is an easy listening prog-metal ballad and shows that Forgotten Suns is able to write interesting songs. I believe that this is a track that substantiates what many progressive metal bands try to do, but they can't; to marry melody and skills in a very powerful song.

"Pinpoint" is even softer, a symph power ballad with high emotional tension. The keyboard arrangements make it a nice sounding song.
"The Hill" is yet another soft song with acoustic strings, a nice guitar solo and very good harmonies.
Last track "Betrayed" is in fact 2 into 1. Part II "Grey Zone" was already featured on the band's debut album, but now mixed with the never listened before Part I "The Curse". Very interesting concept, dynamic and expressive, plenty of entertaining passages.


"Revelations" isn't just the usual EP of left-overs and remixes with a new song-appetizer from a new album.
This is another side from the band with material that does not fit on their hard edged regular CD's. Melodic, creative and commercial. Perhaps a direction to follow in the future.
If you're new to this band, this EP? (running time 37 min) is a fine introduction to Forgotten Suns skills, an intriguing, well-arranged and very melodic disc.


01 - Doppelgänger
02 - Phenotype
03 - Pinpoints
04 - The Hill
05 - Betrayed
----- Pt.I The Curse
----- Pt.II Grey Zone


Nio Nunes - Vocals
Ricardo Falcão - Guitars
Nuno Correia - Bass
Miguel Valadares - Keyboards
J.C. Samora - Drums


www.forgotten-suns.com
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TRIUMPH - Diamond Collection 10CD Ltd Ed (2011)

TRIUMPH is one of Canada's greatest hard rock bands.
With 10 classic albums released between 1976 and 1987, they have left an indelible mark on the history of hard rock, melodic rock and are nowadays considered among the forefathers of progressive metal.

Epitomizing the essence of the power-trio sound, Rik Emmett (guitar and vocals), Mike Levine (bass and keyboards) and Gil Moore (drums and vocals) are regarded as virtuoso musicians in their own right and great entertainers thanks to the TRIUMPH concert spectacle that was second to none.

This very limited collector's edition box set with 10 CD entitled "Diamond Collection" have been remastered and feature an extensive booklet including lyrics.


CD01 Triumph

01. 24 Hours A Day 04:30
02. Be My Lover 03:19
03. Don’t Take My Life 05:02
04. Street Fighter 03:28
05. Street Fighter Reprise 03:02
06. What’s Another Day Of Rock’n'Roll 04:51
07. Easy Life 03:56
08. Let Me Get Next To You 03:02
09. Blinding Light Show – Moonchild 08:44


CD02 Rock And Roll Machine

01. Takes Time 03:50
02. Bringing It On Home 04:36
03. Little Texas Shaker 03:26
04. New York City Streets – Part 1 03:09
05. New York City Streets – Part 2 04:43
06. The City 09:32
07. Rocky Mountain Way 04:07
08. Rock & Roll Machine 06:58


CD03 Just A Game

01. Movin’ On 04:08
02. Lay It On The Line 04:05
03. Young Enough To Cry 06:03
04. American Girls 05:03
05. Just A Game 06:13
06. Fantasy Serenade 01:41
07. Hold On 06:07
08. Suitcase Blues 03:04


CD04 Progressions Of Power

01. I Live For The Weekend 05:19
02. I Can Survive 03:59
03. In The Night 06:17
04. Natures Child 05:42
05. Woman In Love 04:41
06. Take My Heart 03:29
07. Tear The Roof Off 04:20
08. Fingertalkin’ 01:59
09. Hard Road 05:26


CD05 Allied Forces

01. Fool For Your Love 04:33
02. Magic Power 04:56
03. Air Raid 01:20
04. Allied Forces 05:05
05. Hot Time (In This City Tonight) 03:25
06. Fight The Good Fight 06:31
07. Ordinary Man 07:17
08. Petite Etude 01:17
09. Say Goodbye 04:35


CD06 Never Surrender

01. Too Much Thinking 05:40
02. A World Of Fantasy 05:02
03. A Minor Prelude 00:42
04. All The Way 03:43
05. Battle Cry 04:59
06. Overture 01:53
07. Never Surrender 06:42
08. When The Lights Go Down 05:07
09. Writing On The Wall 03:39
10. Epilogue 02:46


CD07 Thunder Seven

01. Spellbound 05:15
02. Rock Out, Roll On 05:18
03. Cool Down 04:50
04. Follow Your Heart 03:35
05. Time Goes By 06:03
06. Midsummer’s Daydream 01:41
07. Time Canon 01:33
08. Killing Time 04:18
09. Stranger In A Strange Land 05:13
10. Little Boy Blues 03:39


CD08 Stages

01. When The Lights Go Down 06:01
02. Never Surrender 06:46
03. Hold On 04:21
04. Magic Power 06:09
05. Rock And Roll Machine 10:26
06. Lay It On The Line 05:04
07. A World Of Fantasy 08:38
08. Midsummer’s Daydream 02:44
09. Spellbound 03:56
10. Follow Your Heart 03:40
11. Fight The Good Fight 07:36
12. Mind Games 04:48
13. Empty Inside 04:03


CD09 The Sport Of Kings

01. Tears In The Rain 03:55
02. Somebody’s Out There 04:05
03. What Rules My Heart 03:52
04. If Only 04:01
05. Hooked On You 03:23
06. Take A Stand 04:34
07. Just One Night 03:40
08. Embrujo (Instrumental) 01:29
09. Play With The Fire 05:19
10. Don’t Love Anybody But Me 03:56
11. In The Middle Of The Night 04:34


CD10 Surveillance

01. Prologue- Into The Forever 01:01
02. Never Say Never 03:39
03. Headed For Nowhere 06:08
04. All The King’s Horses 01:47
05. Carry On The Flame 05:19
06. Let The Light (Shine On Me) 05:33
07. Long Time Gone 05:15
08. Rock You Down 04:02
09. Prelude- The Waking Dream 01:11
10. On And On 03:47
11. All Over Again 03:58
12. Running In The Night 03:52



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SHAKRA - Back On Track (2011)

Swiss rockers Shakra are surely no strangers among fans of melodic hard rock. In a period of twelve years the band has released seven studio albums, a live album and a DVD, played countless and has grown out to be a hard value within the genre.
From the fifth studio album, ‘Rising’ (2003), vocalist/front man Mark Fox was the voice and the face of the band, and let’s be honest; he did a tremendous job.
So when he decided to leave the band after the fantastic ‘Everest’ album, I was afraid that Shakra would never be the same again.

A new vocalist was found in the yet-unknown John Prakesh and the band started working on a new album.
The eight studio cd is entitled "Back On Track" and they couldn’t have found a better-fitting title.
From the opening track, "B True B You", onward the band makes a strong start and shows not to have strayed from their musical path. The stronger guitar sound that they revealed on ‘Everest’ is again present and the song rocks delightfully.
As soon as Prakesh opens his throat he immediately blows all doubts and questions away with his beautiful voice and strong vocal performances. His voice does show a lot of similarity with Fox’s and the somewhat hoarse sound that Fox’s voice had – and which had been his trademark on Shakra’s music – can fortunately also be heard back in Prakesh.

This new album is packed full of '80s tinged melodic hard rockers such as the title track, "I’ll Be", "Brand New Day", "Stronger Than Ever" or the magnificent "Crazy" and see for yourself if it’s possible to sit still.
"MMTWGR" is maybe the more modern hard rock song of the entire disc, and last track "Stronger Than Ever" features an anthemic chorus which gets stuck in your head immediately.
These gentlemen however have also talent for ballads and fortunately we also get that with "When I See You", "Yesterday’s Gone" and the beautiful "Lonesomeness". And also in these songs Prakesh stands his ground and doesn’t drop any stitches.


"Back On Track" has again become a diverse album and has all the typical Shakra elements and influences: the 'americanized' Whitesnake, Gotthard, Pink Cream 69, Pretty Maids and many '80s hair / glam rock bands.
The music sounds very accessible with easy to sing-a-long choruses but strong riffing and some hard edge. Production is big and tight.
Everything put together makes this Shakra’s strongest album to date without doubt.


01 - B True B You
02 - I'll Be
03 - Crazy
04 - Back On Track
05 - When I See You
06 - MMTWGR
07 - Yesterday's Gone
08 - Someday
09 - Lonesomeness
10 - Unspoken Truth
11 - Brand New Day
12 - Stronger Than Ever


John Prakesh : Vocals
Thom Blunier : Guitars
Dominik Pfister : Bass, Keyboards
Thomas Muster : Guitars
Roger Tanner : Drums





http://www.myspace.com/shakrarock
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VOODOO CIRCLE - Broken Heart Syndrome (2011)

bonus track digipak


"Broken Heart Syndrome" is the second album from Voodoo Circle, the brainchild of German guitar hero Alex Beyrodt (Silent Force/Primal Fear/Sinner), joined by his former Sinner & Primal Fear colleague Mat Sinner on bass, whilst vocal duties are taken care of by David Readman (Pink Cream 69, Khymera).
His mission is simple: to evoke the spirit of the late '70s / earlier '80s classic hard rock acts he holds dear to his heart, such as Deep Purple and Rainbow.

Beyrodt is clearly heavily influenced by Ritchie Blackmore and this legacy shines throughout this album.
The guitar work it top notch, and although his style is reminiscent of Blackmore, he isn't a mere Ritchie clone, and has enough of his own style to stamp on each track.
One influence that you can't fail to notice on this album is not Blackmore himself, but one of his former acquaintances: Mr. David Coverdale.
This is largely down to the vocal style of David Readman, whose rich, powerful and bluesy voice is at times a dead ringer for that of Coverdale.

A fair chunk of this album does sound very much in the vein of Whitesnake. Tracks like the hard rocking opener "No Solution Blues", "King Of Your Dreams" and "Don't Take My Heart" all bare the stamp of the 'Snake, but that's no bad thing.
In fact it could be argued that if the current incarnation of Whitesnake came up with material of this quality, they would be hailed as a real return to form.

One of the highlights of the album is the powerful and soulful "Devil's Daughter", where once again the spectre of Coverdale looms, but this time in the guise of his time in Deep Purple. The track has a very strong flavour of the material on the 'Come Taste The Band' album, with 'You Keep On Moving' springing to mind. Definitely an invitation for Coverdale / Hughes era Purple fans to come taste this band.

"Broken Heart Syndrome" is an album strong on dynamics. There's plenty of hard rocking moments and plenty of bluesy moments, but there's also some quality laid back softer moments too.
"Blind Man" -another highlight- is a good illustration of this; a bluesy ballad with some very fine Hendrix inspired guitar work, along the lines of 'Angel'.
Meanwhile, the awesome "When Destiny Calls" and "The Heavens Are Burning", both evoke the spirit of Blackmore's Rainbow / Joe Lynn Turner era.
The same can be said for "I'm In Heaven", which has an almost AOR feel to it.

Jimmy Kresic provides some good keyboard work throughout the album, with organ and synth sounds giving some of the tracks a Jon Lord feel to them, adding a touch of that authentic 70's rock sound into the mix.
Drummer Markus Kullmann consistently provides the kind of solid and powerful performance the album needs.


Although Voodoo Circle has made a great job successfully getting back the sound of classic '70s rock on some tracks, the most part of "Broken Heart Syndrome" is more evocative of the earlier '80s in style, with Whitesnake and Rainbow being obvious reference points.
The title track itself is more akin to Deep Purple's 'Perfect Strangers' than 'Machine Head' for example.
This album is a very fine, bluesy hard rock little gem, the performances are consistently strong throughout and the production is top class.
If, in a parallel universe, Ritchie Blackmore had ended up joining Whitesnake, it may not have sounded a million miles away from this.
The best album of the year so far.
Highly Recommended



01 - No Solution Blues
02 - King Of Your Dreams
03 - Devil's Daughter
04 - This Could Be Paradise
05 - Broken Heart Syndrome
06 - When Destiny Calls
07 - Blind Man
08 - Heal My Pain
09 - The Heavens Are Burning
10 - Don't Take My Heart
11 - I'm In Heaven
12 - Wings Of The Fury
13 - Strangers Lost In Time (Bonus Track)


David Readman - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Alex Beyrodt - Guitars
Mat Sinner - Bass, Backing Vocals
Jimmy Kresic - Keyboards
Markus Kullmann - Drums


www.myspace.com/voodoocircleband
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THE TREATMENT - This Might Hurt (2011)

THE TREATMENT were formed in 2008, when founder member drummer Dhani Mansworth was still at school in Cambridge, UK. Although only 15 at the time he already had a clear vision of the kind of band he wanted to form.
Having grown up on a diet of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith he began to put the band together under the watchful eye of his father guitarist and manager Laurie Mansworth (More, Airrace, Roadstar).

Having had little success with local musicians he decided to go further afield.
First to join the line up was 18 year old Ben Brookland from Tadley, he shared the same passion for classic bands as Dhani. Ben's unique guitar style suited the bill perfectly.
Soon after came bass player Rick Newman (aka Swoggle) also 15. Rick's enthusiasm and solid bass sound fitted perfectly.
Rick suggested that the band audition Tagore Grey, his school friend and guitarist from Petersfield. Rick's recommendation was spot on as Tag's guitar style was exactly what they had been looking for.
The boys passion for the band was proved when they all packed bags and moved to Cambridge were they shared a home with the Mansworth family so they could focus completely on the band and rehearse on a daily basis.

After a 6 month search they found the final piece of the jigsaw.
Matt Jones, a 17 year old wonder kid hailing from Norwich. His high energy rock vocals was exactly what the guys were looking for.
Matt moved to Cambridge within 1 week of joining the band and after locking themselves away to refine their sound, they emerged one year later, they were ready to showcase.

The Treatment did few gigs through UK as support act, a label executive saw them live and immediately signed the band.
Their debut album "This Might Hurt" was recorded at Iron Maiden's Steve Harris Barnyard studios, produced by Laurie Mansworth and mixed by Tony Newton of Voodoo Six.

Don't be fooled by the extremely young age of these boys. They're consumed professionals and skilled musicians.
They have an 80's hard rock sound but with a 70's hard rock vibe running through them. I mean, 'Real' British Hard Classic Rock.
Think Aerosmith mixed with early Def Leppard with some AC/DC and Tesla scent.

"This Might Hurt" is high-energy Rock 'N' Roll with hot guitars direct to the amp, mighty riffing which brings to mind '81 Def Leppard, blasting rhythm section ala Led Zepp and a vocalist that has the sort of raspy throat that should only be allowed after a decade of hard gigging and even harder drinking. Strongly remembers me Jeff Keith of Tesla on various tracks.
There's no single songs to highlight, all are killers, but maybe "Shake The Mountain" and "The Doctor" win the poll.


Don't miss these new UK wonders, they Rock!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED


01 - Departed
02 - The Doctor
03 - I Want Love
04 - Just Tell Me Why
05 - Lady Of The Light
06 - I Fear Nothing
07 - Winter Sun
08 - Shake The Mountain
09 - I Will Be There
10 - The Coldest Place On Earth
11 - Nothing To Lose (But Our Minds)
12 - Stone Cold Love [hidden track]


Matt Jones : Vocals
Ben Brookland : Guitars
Tagore Grey : Guitars
Rick 'Swoggle' Newman : Bass
Dhani Mansworth : Drums






www.myspace.com/the_treatment
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THE IDES OF MARCH (Jim Peterik) - Still 19 (2010)

The year was 1964. The place was the working-class Chicago neighborhood of Berwyn.
The British musical invasion was under way, but the homegrown schoolboys from the Chicago blue-collar western suburb had just formed a rock band of their own called THE IDES OF MARCH.
Turned out that one of them, a young Jimmy Peterik had a knack for songwriting. One of his early songs, 'You Wouldn't Listen' actually got played on radio and reached #7 in Chicago and #42 on Billboard Magazine's Top 100.
The dreams started getting bigger...

Then, fueled by the trials and tribulations of teenage love and the frustrations of high-school romance, he penned a little ditty called 'Vehicle".
In 1969, they recorded the song for W.B. records and their world changed. That song went to #2 on Billboard and #1 on Cashbox, the industry's other main publication.
The kids from Berwyn were suddenly on tour with the likes of Janis Joplin, The Allman Brothers and Led Zeppelin. The Ides were a sensation.

Today, 46 years later, those four friends are still together, still playing music with each other, releasing a new album titled "Still 19", being the oldest notable classic rock band performing with its original members.
Two years in the making that found the boys from Berwyn reaching back into the past and drawing an arc into the future-standing up to the challenge of the 21st century.

Since leaving Survivor, Jim has been touring with the Ides in between his work with Pride of Lions, World Stage and solo work, but this is the first album of new material in quit some time.
Peterik is the main creative force behind the album as usual, and as usual the songs are first class.
There are a couple tracks that were re-recorded from his other work such as “Secrets of a Woman” and “Live Life” from his 2006 solo album 'Above the Storm' and the beautiful ballad “Come Dancing” from the recently released Lisa Mclowery album 'Time Signatures' which he wrote and produced.
The songs were re-recorded with the Ides of March signature classic rock sound and are still great.
Along with those we have 7 new Peterik penned masterpieces including the title track “Still 19” which is a recapping of the career of the Ides of March set to a great melody.


Like all of the other projects involving Jim, Ides of March’s “Still 19” is a wonderful album filled with great songs and melodies.
Jim Peterik himself slaved over the mix and mastering in intense sessions, resulting in a pristine document.
“Still 19” is a state of mind. It is the age this band feels when they play together, with energy, defying age, gravity and location - a sum of every mile they've traveled, every show they've played, and all the records they have made.


01 - Secrets Of A Woman
02 - Soul To Soul
03 - I Found Love
04 - Still 19
05 - For One Moment
06 - Live Life
07 - Come Dancing
08 - Keep Rocking
09 - Love Will Rock You
10 - A Day In The Life
11 - Vehicle [Vintage Mix]


Jim Peterik : Guitar, Lead Vocals, Songwriting
Larry Millas : Guitar, Bass and Vocals
Bob Bergland : Bass, Sax and Vocals
Mike Borch : Drums and Vocals
Chuck Soumar : Trumpet, Percussion and Vocals
John Larson : Trumpet and Vocals
Dave Stahlberg : Horns
Scott May : Hammond Organ, Keyboards and Vocals







www.theidesofmarch.com/merch.htm
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DAN REED - Coming Up For Air (2010)

iTunes version + bonus


DAN REED NETWORK was at the second half of the '80s the 'next big thing'.
His mix of funk and polished hard rock, a kind of Mothers Finest meets Van Halen, cracked the Billboard Top 40 and was in heavy rotation on MTV.
In late 1993, The DRN went on hiatus and in the years to come Dan followed numerous paths, working on solo projects and pursuing opportunities to act in theatre and film, as well as extending into screenplay writing.
It's now almost 20 years since the last DRN album 'The Heat', times have changed and so have people.

After years walking on the darker side, fuelled by alcohol, drugs and ultimately burning out, Dan realised that a change was required in his life.
A travel to India changed things drastically.
Befriending a couple of tibetan monks, it was their request of Dan to teach them western music (specifically Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You’), that gave Reed the motivation to once again return to writing music, with the track ‘On Your Side’ off his new CD, "Coming Up For Air" being the first track he wrote.
Encounters with Israeli musicians in India led to him venturing to Jerusalem, were further foundations for "Coming Up For Air" were laid.

This isn't the funked up Dan Reed Network, this is Dan Reed the solo singer/songwriter, in reflective mood and searching his soul through reflective lyrics and softly spoken sweet melodies and vocal harmonies.
Going on the contents of this disc, you'd have to say that Dan remains a very underrated songwriter and craftsman. These songs have a simplicity to them that few can achieve without over-complicating things.
There is a definite beauty to these tracks, stripped back to acoustic guitars, piano, steel guitar and an absolute ton of left of center instruments such as Turkish Kemence, Ude, Chinese Gu-zheng, lots of various percussion and even a couple of additional dialects in guest vocal appearances.

On “Brave New World” Dan quotes Ghandi, and there is a message of peace and hope.
“Dictator” has Charlie Chaplin’s voice mixed in giving his 'Great Dictator' speech from 1940 portraying the same uplifting message of peace. This displays a unique creativity that sets Dan Reed apart from the rest.
“Losing My Fear” is a feel good song and anyone who has had a trepidation about faith can relate to it.
This is just to name a few. All the tracks are equally amazing.


"Coming Up For Air" is a very spiritual album and will appeal to those that like intelligent acoustic based melodic pop, with authoritative vocals and a bit of world-music approach.
It's kind of like Eric Martin's 'Somewhere In The Middle' or Joey Tempest's 'Place To Call Home' and more recently Richard Page's 'Peculiar Life'. Just with more twists…
Lyrically the album follows Dan's inspiring personal ups and downs and his exploration of faith and a search for something deeper in life.
Soft and reflective, but if the mood suits, this will impress.
Those a little more open minded, with an appreciation for good songs and performances regardless of the style, will find "Coming Up For Air" a rewarding experience.
Recommended


01 - Coming Up for Air
02 - Losing My Fear
03 - Closer
04 - On Your Side
05 - Brave New World
06 - Feels Like Home
07 - Middle of Nowhere
08 - Sacred Ground
09 - Reach for the Sun
10 - Candlelight
11 - Promised Land
12 - Pray for Rain
13 - The Dictator
14 - Rainbow Child (Live) [iTunes bonus]


Lead Vocals - Dan Reed
Bass - Dan Reed, Bengan Jonasson, Tommy Anthony, Rob Daiker
Drums - Joe Mengis, Kfir Shtivi, Tommy Anthony
Guitar - Dan Reed, Tommy Anthony, Rob Daiker
Keyboards - Dan Reed, Kfir Shtivi, Rob Daiker
Piano/Synthesizer - Clay Ostwald
Percussion - Mike Collins, Joe Mengis
Violin - Srour Saleeba


www.danreed.com
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BLACK SABBATH - Dehumanizer deluxe edition 2CD (2011)

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