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Review: Chantel McGregor – Bury’d Alive

Tis Rock Music Ltd (Sept 6th 2019)

Reviewer: Dan Mann

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Chantel play live a few times, and I’ve enjoyed the previous releases of hers. I’m always intreagued to see which direction a live album is going to take, whether more studio like in sound or just too live (yes that is possible). Thankfully under the expert steering of Wayne Proctor‘s production, ‘Bury’d Alive‘ hits what I call the sweet spot. Great sound quality but still easily recognisable as a genuine live recording.

The album kicks off in fine style with one of my favorite songs by Chantel, ‘Take The Power‘, which is the opening track on her 2015 release ‘Lose Control‘.

Next up a stormimg live rendition of ‘Killing Time‘, again off ‘Lose Control‘. The tightness of the band is evident as the song sweeps you along with it’s pounding bass and drums and controlled guitar playing.

We slow things down for track three, the title track from ‘Like No Other‘. The combination of Chantel’s voice and accoustic guitar at the start is totally mesmorising, then the track gathers steam. The separation of the instruments and vocals in the mix is fantastic, with a real clarity and depth.

‘Caught Out‘ takes no prisoners with it’s energetic attack, if it doesn’t get your foot tapping then it must be nailed to the floor!

‘Eternal Dream‘ is next, another firm favorite of mine, Chantel’s vocals raising the hairs on my arms. An absolute delight.

‘Lose Control‘ is another energetic song, a shout out to drummer Thom Gardner & bassist Colin Sutton for such a storming engine department, helping to propel the whole song along at such a pace.

‘Inconsolable‘ again highlights Chantel’s vocal talents, her voice almost haunting, she just drags you in, gaining all your attention as you listen. There are just so many musical elements, beautifully encapsulated in this track.

Off ‘Lose Control‘ we have ‘Your Fever‘, another personal favorite (yes I’m a fan okay haha) Love the riff on this song!

We’re given a real treat next, ‘April’ only appears on ‘Bury’d Alive‘ and is nearly 8 1/2 minutes of musical prowess. If you need to hear just one track on this album to understand the level of talent, then this is the one. Think Steve Vai / Joe Satriani levels of instrumental goodness.

The penultimate song ‘Walk On Land‘ is yes another personal favorite, taken from ‘Lose Control‘ Can I put my finger on why I like it? Nope but it grabs me everytime I hear it.

And so sadly we reach track eleven, the final song. ‘Freefalling‘ is the perfect song to take us to the end. This is guaranteed to get any crowd on their feet and be allowed to be carried along to a triumphant climax.

So to sum up….If your already a Chantel McGregor fan the nthis is a must buy. If your not familiar with her music then this is a perfect introduction. Another potential entry for my top ten of 2019.

 

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Review: Tygers Of Pan Tang – Ritual

Mighty Music (November 22nd 2019)

Reviewer: Grant Foster

The Tygers have been around in one form or another since 1978. Most famously, having John Sykes play on their 2nd album ‘Spellbound.’

Robb Weir is the only original member of the current line up from those heady days, but, don’t be fooled. The  previous Tygers release, the self titled ‘Tygers Of Pan Tang’, released in 2016 showed an outfit that was still full of bite and roar.

So, what of ‘Ritual?’

The one – two punch of ‘Worlds Apart’ and ‘Destiny’ showcase all that is good about the modern day Tygers. Chorus’ that will have you hollering not just at the weekend, but all through the week too. That might piss your bosses off, but bollocks to them. This is hard rock at its finest.

A word regarding singer Jacopo Meille. A hell of a voice. Tygers have always had vocalists with that ‘smooth’ sound. Jacopo has that and more besides. His delivery is right on the money throughout, although, and the band might not thank me for it, he has a distinct similarity in timbre, to Davy Vain at certain times! But for me, that’s no bad thing.

‘Rescue Me’ is a controlled mid tempo affair, but don’t confuse that with a lack of power. Another chorus of note and a fine guitar solo, punch this song into the upper echelons.

‘Raise Some Hell’, sees the pace turned up several notches. This is your foot on the monitor, head shaking number.

There’s a certain Saxon element to ‘Spoils Of War’, the guitars chugging along menacingly, with a middle part guitar solo that is classic Tygers.

‘White Lines’ uses some early vocal double tracking to good effect. It’s no big surprise to learn that the subject matter isn’t about flour, or what separates one side of the road from the other!

A melodic guitar and vocal intro to ‘Words Cut Like Knives’, showing a slightly mellower side. Again, it’s what the Tygers do really well and this is no exception. The track then cuts loose with some very cool lead guitar work indeed.

‘Damn You!’ is a thumping track. ‘Urban jungle, broken hearts and broken minds – I wanna stay alive!’ It’s a song about revenge or getting revenge. Enough said.

Jacopo’s vocals on ‘Love Will Find A Way’ are probably the best on the album. Even if you don’t like songs with the word, ‘love’ in, trust me, you’ll be singing this when you see them live. And you will be going to see them on tour, won’t you?! You bloody well should be on this album’s showing!!

I’m not keen on ‘The Art Of Noise.’ Fans of the really heavy end will like this though.

The album closer, ‘Sail On’, swings along like an old sea shanty. Touches of Maiden maybe, but it is it’s own sailor, so to speak. It knows when to step off the throttle as well, as when to step back on it.

The Tygers have delivered a consistently strong, muscular, melodic, hard rock album of high quality. Make sure it’s part of your daily Ritual from now on.

 

 

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Review: Burning Sermons – Liv Sin

Despotz Records (September 6th 2019)

Reviewer: Grant Foster

I thought I’d review something way out of my comfort zone – which is AC/DC or bands that sound like them!

What I knew about this band you could have tried to have written on the top of a pin head. I really haven’t a clue how you’d describe them. Nu Metal? New rock? Church rock? Metal metal?!

How about we settle on Heavy Metal. Their Facebook page actually describes them as, ‘Metal for Sinners!’ These guys (and gal!) are from Sweden and came together in 2016. The singer is Liv Jagrell, a visually striking woman and possessor of a fine pair of lungs to boot.

What’s apparent is that they know how to weave pretty good melodies into their choruses, which means you end up humming them for a few days after. Which is always a good sign.

Opener, ‘Blood Moon Fever’, leads in with an Evanescence style keyboard intro, before it all kicks off. Liv’s voice propels the verse into a seriously catchy chorus. The guitars underpin everything in a time honoured chugging style.

Liv Sin definitely have their own style and I can see it going down really well with our Euro metal cousins.

Second tune, ‘Chapter Of The Witch’, means business, very menacing, fast riffs, but with another catchy chorus.

Its about now you realise how much the keyboards also contribute. They weave in and out, underneath the guitars, without ever overpowering or detracting from them.

‘Hope Begins To Fade, ‘could almost be a modern Europe track at the beginning, but what Liv Sin do well, is to move it slightly far enough into their own style to change the track.

Not every track works though. ‘War Antidote’ strays into pastiche. Maybe it’s just because of the higher standard of the other tracks here?!

‘At The Gates Of The Abyss’, sees Liv ease off of the power and her voice is impressive in this softer delivery.

‘Slave To The Machine’, has a thumping bass and drum during the verse, allowing the space for the rest of the band.

The heaviest tune on offer could well be ‘Death Gives Life Meaning’, as Liv spits out the line, ‘Take your fucking ways, burn them to the ground!’ I wouldn’t try and steal this lady’s Prosecco!!

To balance this, next up is ‘Ghost In the Dark’. Picked guitars and swirling keyboards provide an atmospheric background to an impassioned vocal. Impressive.

There’s probably people better qualified to review this style of music, but I tried to keep an open mind and I honestly enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The production is punchy, clear and concise. The playing is of a high order too.

I bet Liv Sin would go down a storm at a festival in Germany.

 

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Review: Jack J Hutchinson – Who Feeds The Wolf

Jack J Hutchinson Music (October 18th 2019)

Reviewer: Dan Mann

The man with the hat, Jack J Hutchinson, is back with a brand new 11 track album titled ‘Who Feeds The Wolf‘.

From the offset it is pretty obvious that Jack is not sticking to the overly ridged rules of what constitutes blues / blues rock. This is an album of som much more, a mixture of influences showing their face.

‘Justify‘ the opening track is as Jack says himself about the album, angry, a take no prisoners song if you like, grabbing you by the lapels and saying “listen to this”.

Second track ‘Haunted Bones‘ has a fantastic heavy riff chugging through the song, a multi genre track that will appeal to blues rock & rock fans alike.

The third track ‘Kiss Your Ass Goodbye‘ is much more on that southern infused blues that Jack is more known for. What I refer to as a Jim Beam sipping song!

‘I Will Follow You‘ slows things right down with a beautifully balanced  accoustic number.

‘Lucky Man‘ sounds a lot like Rival Sons, not a bad thing in my book, and it’s I think always great to have a real mixture of styles on an album to keep the listener on their toes rather than everything melting into one track.

Track six, ‘Peace Of Mind‘ as another laid back track, again beautifully layered that grows into a real foot tapper.

‘Roll Another One‘ sits perfectly with the current crop of British band’s releases and should certainly help gain more fans, especially with ‘Haunted Bones‘ paving the way on Planet Rock’s playlist.

We take another fork in the road with ‘Let It Ride‘, with it’s Americana slant. Not AOR but certainly that side of the rock genre.

‘Autumn Leaves‘ is without a doubt one of my favorites on the album. Laid back, yes, but with such a great atmosphere. I can’t put my finger on exactly why this song resonates but it hits me on a personal level, bringing up certain memories and events.

‘Winds Of Change‘ is not to be confused with the Scorpions hit. With it’s waves of Hammond organ it’s suprisingly more mellow rock than blues, but an enjoyable, catchy tune.

And alas we reach the final track on the album. ‘Sleep Awake Obey‘. AIt’s a track as the title suggests with some angst as well as some of the urgency of the openning two tracks.

Overal ‘Who Feeds The Wolf‘ just works on many levels. I’ve found myself playing it a fair bit since the promo dropped into my inbox. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing the material live at Planet Rockstock later in the year.

All in all, highly recommended.

 

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Review: Matt Pearce and the Mutiny – Gotta Get Home

May 3rd 2019

Reviewer: Peter Scallan

Matt Pearce is the Glasgow-born guitarist from Voodoo Six. In addition to V6, he also plays in the Metalworks collective regularly and also in AOR Legends with vocal maestro Jimi Anderson. Therefore, as you can image in he is already a pretty busy boy and yet he still managed to squeeze in his first solo outing as Matt Pearce and the Mutiny. I was already hooked in when I saw the band playing last year at Winterstorm Festival in Troon on the west coast of Scotland. The band sound has been loosely labelled as blues but transcends this label somewhat as they throw a good measure of funkiness and variety into the mix.

And just to prove that point ‘Scarecrow‘, the opening track, kicks in with a funky keyboard and guitar riff that could easily be on a classic 70s Stevie Wonder album. The song bounces along nicely with an extended instrumental opening allowing Matt to introduce his chops. ‘Ordinary Blues‘ is next and opens with a great guitar riff before building into a song that could easily sit on any Black Crowes album with Jimmy Page on guitar. Ordinary it ain’t!

We then slip into a little more straight-ahead blues with ‘Like a Hammer‘. It is based on another great riff with some great organ chops in there and a great chorus with on-point female backing vocals. ‘Some People‘ takes the tone down a notch or too with a more sparse arrangement allowing the keyboards to carry the song with nice some guitar licks across them. The song builds nicely in layers with each verse and is a highlight and is very radio friendly to my ears.

‘Dig Deeper‘ takes us back to funkalicious side of the album and is driven along nicely by a funky bass/drum/guitar rhythm. And of course there is another great chorus which reminds a little of Steely Dan. We then drop into a more contemporary blues number in ‘Set Me Free‘ with some great keyboard touches and Matt takes the vocals up a little in terms of adding a little edge to them. It also features some tasteful guitar playing too.

Title track ‘Gotta Go Home‘ opens with some great bottleneck playing and the song from start to finish is just pure Black Crowes with a huge hook for a chorus and some additional great female vocals on it. The pace drops again for the opening of ‘Worried‘ which has a delta blues feel to it with the electric picking and reminds me of very early Chris Whitley in places. It is a real stripped backed number with guitar and vocals with a sparse backing arrangement. Although good, it’s possibly the weakest song and could maybe have been a little shorter. And all of a sudden we are on the last track of the album with another funked up rocker called ‘Who Do You Think You Are‘. Again it bounces and bops along with another killer chorus with a great middle eight before slipping into great piano breakdown and then launching into a tasty hook-laden guitar solo.

In a market that is starting to become saturated with blues-based rock, like most genres you will get the albums that just don’t float your boat. This is especially true if they stick to a formulaic approach and don’t really have the songs. Good knows there are enough blues guitarists out there who think they can sing but just really end up sounding like guitarists trying to sing! However, Matt is definitely not one of these as he has a great voice, although I would like to have heard more of the edgy side of the vocals demonstrated on ‘Set Me Free‘. However, what we have here a some finely crafted songs, great production and mix that all adds up to a killer debut album. I doff my blues cap to you sir – now when do I get to sing one of these babies with ya?

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Review: Danny Bryant – Means of Escape

Jazzhaus (September 20th 2019)

Reviewer: Peter Scallan

I was fortunate enough to play HRH Blues last year as part of the Brian Rawson Band. As my interest in blues-based music was being rekindled I decided to hang around for the weekend and check out some of the other artists I hadn’t heard. Danny Bryant was one such artist and he blew my socks off with his playing and his singing. Therefore, I jumped at the chance of reviewing this baby.

The album opens with a slow burning blues rocker called ‘Tired of Trying‘ where Danny let’s rip guitar and vocal wise. In place it sounds like vintage ZZ Top with Danny’s vocals and is great opener. Next up is ‘Too Far Gone‘ which is also a slow burner but a little bit more laid back with piano, horns and some rip-roaring guitar licks. The vocally melody and delivery give the song a Tom Wait feel.

The title track ‘Means of Escape‘ is next up and is based on a driving rhythm of bass and drums and raises the pace a little. It feels a little like a across between Neil Young and early electric Dylan and maintains the quality level of the previous numbers. ‘Nine Lives‘ is a bit a shuffle and again has a Tom Waits style delivery and bounces along nicely. It also has some neat Hammond playing also in it. The pace and tone drops somewhat for ‘Skin and Bone‘ which opens with vocals and acoustic guitar only. The song continues more or less as a solo effort with Danny singing and on acoustic, which works reasonably well as it is fairly short.

The power levels are raised for ‘Warning Signs (In Her Eyes)’ which is another slow burner. While this a great number in itself, it kind of highlights the main issue with this album for me in terms of the lack variety of pace.

The next number has more light and shade contained within it however. Entitled ‘Where the River Ends‘, it opens with a stripped back piano and vocal intro which is lush. However, once the rhythm kicks in it turns into another slow burner, albeit this is probably my favourite song on the album. Next up is ‘Hurting Time‘ with a great bottle neck intro before going into another slow burning blues track. Again, in itself, it is a pretty good track but by this time the album needs an injection of pace.

‘Mya‘ is the final track on the album and is an instrumental number. The superb keyboard intro set me up a classic blues ballad reminding me a little of the Stone’s Black and Blue era. But guess what? Yeah, that’s right another slow burning blues track. I would have loved to heard some vocals on this song.

So, where are we with this album I hear you asking? Live, this guy was monstrous on the one occasion I was lucky enough to see him. However, despite so looking forward to reviewing this, I feel kind of disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, there is some great playing and singing on the album but I just think that a guy with such undoubted playing and singing ability needs to mix it up a little more and needs some better songs. This is a pretty good album, but with the plethora of blues-based rock bands currently plying their trade, pretty good probably isn’t good enough for Danny to move up the ranks which is a pity. You just need to compare this album with the likes of King King or Kenny Wayne Shepherd and I am sure you will get where I am coming from. Good, but maybe not quite good enough on comparison within the crowded genre.

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HRH Sleaze III – Preview

by Stephan Brophy

Here’s a quick preview of this weekends HRH Sleaze III Festival which once again will be taking place at the O2 Academy in Sheffield over the weekend of 31st August & 1st of September 2019. As with the last couple of years this is sure to be a lot of fun a great mix of different types of bands across the Sleaze and Rock genres. As always some up and coming Artists will be getting a great chance to expand their fanbase on the 2nd Stage, while some legends will be headlining the main stage. With bands spread evenly over both stages at this two day event there should be enough to hold everyones interest.

So let’s start with the with the Day 1 lineup –

This year haven’t heard anything about Acoustic sets which are usually on before the venue fully opens as a bonus for the Royalty/VIP patrons – if they are on they should take place between 12pm and 2pm.

Lovebite

With a much more staggered start to Day 1 of the Festival, Stage 2 opens for business at 2pm. Lovebite are a sleazy rock band that certainly look the bill and their hard rock/sleaze music is bound to get people up and moving, hopefully they’ll have a decent crowd to get the weekend off to the perfect start.

Trophies Of Man

A rock band with tonnes of attitude, and another one to look forward to, these guys are hitting Stage 2 and have no doubt they will be getting the audience singing and moving. Lead singer has a bloody powerful voice but haven’t managed to catch these guys live before, yet.

Dust Bowl Jokies

Since the very sad announcement that the Jokies are calling it a day this particular set has taking on even more importance, if you haven’t seen them before then do your self a favour and get in early to check out their set. There’s a genuine passion is the delivery of the songs, Alexx is a great frontman who infuses the presence of some legends, last time I saw them I got a little Layne era Alice in Chains and some of the great sleazy rock singers of our generation. This will be an interesting one so make sure you are at Stage 2 at 4:20pm tomorrow.

Saints Of Sin

Just before the Jokies finish up on Stage 2 the Main Stage kicks off with the massive ball of energy that is Saints of Sin trying to drag everyone kicking and screaming along with them. This is a real hard rock band with a bit of a pop edge, and live they really are like a coiled spring just being released. This will be one of their first shows with out second guitarist Sophie, so it will be interesting to see what change that has made to their overall sound, but should still be a lot of fun.

The Main Grains

Having seen Danny playing a couple of times already this summer with the Wildhearts it’s great to see The Main Grains on the bill for Sleaze, they could easily fit into a number of the HRH event lineups. Punky, Rock and Roll, bring it on and lets hope it translates well with the crowd, I think it will. There is a lot of homegrown talent on the lineup this year.

The Cruel Intentions

Back over to the Stage 1 to catch The Cruel Intentions, there could definitely be some running around over the course of the weekend. Playing on the back of their excellent debut No Sign Of Relief which came out last September, this could be a very Happy Birthday for the Norwegian quartet. Probably the most aggressive and heaviest band of the weekend they should not be missed, if they sound anything live like they do on record this will be a monster set.

Daxx And Roxane

Closing out the 2nd Stage on Day 1 are the excellent Daxx And Roxane, another band that have released some cracking material in the last year with their album “Ticket To Rock”. This band is definitely well worth checking out and could be one of the bands of the weekend.

Rocky Shades Wrathchild

Of all the artists on show this weekend Rocky’s Wrathchild is possibly the one I’m most worried about while at the same time thinking this could be the set of the weekend, anything could happen with this one, but I’m sure either way they will put 100% into their set and it won’t be boring.

Crash Diet

The Swedes are chomping at the bit right now with a new album on the way and the band really eager to get out and play new and older music we should be confident of a smashing set. Really looking forward to hearing Gabriel Keyes live and songs off the forthcoming album. Add to that a mix from the excellent previous albums and we should be in for a hell of a set. Simon Cruz was always a very striking frontman but perhaps Gabriel is the one to take this band where it should be.

VAIN

Davy Vain and the guys will hopefully blow us all away to close out what looks like being a cracking first day. There have undoubtedly been some gaps through their career, but the really great thing is that the band is almost the complete original lineup with the exception of Joel Proto who stepped in for original guitarist Danny West back in 2016. The tracks from their debut album still hold strong today and I’m certain they will go across well with the crowd..

Day 2 –

As with the first day of the Festival there will be two more Acoustic Sets on Stage 2 to kick off the day for VIP/Royalty Ticket holders, as yet they have yet to announce the Acts so it will be a nice surprise on the the day.

Fallen Mafia

Opening Stage 2 will be Fallen Mafia, definitely a Rock rather than Sleaze band, but that shouldn’t make any difference here, the audiences for these Festivals tend to be very open to everything and if they like it they will let you know. One of the few female fronted bands on over the two days should provide a nice contrast to some of the other bands which is never a bad thing.

Sykko Dolllz

People are sadly going to have to be making some choices with clashes, the excellent Sykko Dollz will be smashing minds on Stage 1 while over on Stage 2 Doomsday Outlaw will be trying to do the same over there. The Dollz are not only a cracking band that draw an audience in but also such a visual delight. Doomsday Outlaw have been getting a lot of good press since signing with Frontiers and should provide a nice contrast on the other stage.

Trench Dogs

Next clash is the battle of the Dogs, for me it’s gotta be Trench Dogs (Stage 1) as I’ve seen Midnight Dogs (Stage 2) before, but will hopefully be able to catch a little of their set and take some shots. Of course that option isn’t available for everyone, but toss a coin and go with which ever band is lucky enough to get you. Trench Dogs are 100% Sleaze with a punky edge, and the London outfit are going to be raring to go, Midnight Dogs are much more of a Rock ‘n’ Roll band, and if you are ok going up and down stairs split the set in and give your attention to both.

Knock Out Kaine

It’s like a massive battle of the bands on Day 2 of the Festival, next up on Stage 1 are Knock Out Kaine, who were once again excellent at HRH AOR earlier in the year, while over on Stage 2 are Takeaway Thieves who I don’t know a whole lot about, fairly new outfit having only been created last year, but often there’s a band at a Festival you don’t know and they turn out to be one of your new Favourites, every band that takes to a stage is worth your attention if you don’t know them.

Stop Stop

Almost at the end of the massive clashes as the last couple of Stage 1 acts will have a clear run at it, but next battle is with Spanish mayhem kids Stop Stop (Stage 1) and UK Rockers Black Roze (Stage 2), two very different styles here and I will be doing my best to catch as much of both as possible.

The Idol Dead

Last of the evenings clashes is natuarlly probably the worse of them all, but at least The Idol Dead will be taking to Stage 2 a full 20 minutes before Reckless Love are due to start up over on Stage 1, so I’ll certainly be checking out the Dead’s set, a really cracking band that fully interact with the audience, great songs, great attitude and this will be a really fun set alongside their undoubted musical talents.

Reckless Love

The Finns are without heavy hitters in the Sleaze scene, undoubtedly there will be a number of female attendees getting closer to the front of the stage to catch a glimpse of Oli, lets be honest he rarely manages to keep his top on. But that’s not what this band is all about they are a top notch rock band that have released some cracking albums and always attempted to expand on what they have previously done. Expect a powerful and rocking set with a lot of fun thrown in.

Enuff ‘Z Nuff

Chip and the guys most recently played HRH AOR VI in 2018, and that was a really cool set, since then unfortunately they have lost guitarist Tony Fennell since then which is a real shame as he was a great fit. Replacing Tony is Alex Kane who briefly played in the band back in 1987, so an interesting move but we will look forward to seeing how they sound, some great songs are sure to be in the set and Chip himself has a very interesting and generally cool sense of humour.

Tyla’s Dogs D’amour

Headling Day 2 it’s Tyla’s Dogs D’amour, pretty much the top of the tree in the UK Sleaze scene, these guys were definitely the real deal, there’s been a massive amount of lineup changes over the years but Tyla’s always been there and they have always had a different sound to everyone else, this should be an interesting set, more than likely a greatest hits one.

As usual a good mix of different styles within the Sleaze/Rock genres, just a shame that the 2nd Stage Acts overlap so much but there’s a number that are well worth checking out, and for those lucky enough to have access to the Acoustic Sets definitely make the effort to get in early and check out something different from artists you know well doing something different.

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Kenny Wayne Shepherd – The Traveller

Concord Records (May 2019)

Reviewer: Peter Scallan

Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been kicking around the blues scene since the early 90’s when he burst onto it as a teenage guitar prodigy. However, judging by the opening track on this album he has progressed somewhat since then.

‘Women Like You‘ is the ultimate blend of melodic and blues rock with a great blues riff and huge chorus hook with superb blues, which I believe are provided by vocalist Noah Hunt. ‘Long Time Running‘ picks up the peace and continues in the same melodic blues vein before ‘I Want You‘ kicks in and takes the band back to a more slow blues base in Shepherd shows his roots.

The feel changes again for ‘Tailwind‘ and is an upbeat acoustic number with another absolute superb vocal performance and catchy chorus. ‘Gravity‘ is next and opens with a great build on guitar and drums before building up into a great bridge and chorus.

As the album only has ten tracks we are by the half-way mark with ‘We All Right‘, which straddles the blues with a great rhythm through the verse before bursting into another hook-laden chorus. We slip right into the blues groove with the ballad-like ‘Take It Home‘ with some great keyboards and equally lush guitar solo and vocals. Again, the chorus is as catchy as a catchy thing that catches things!

The double-time drumbeat drives ‘Mr Soul‘ which I believe is a cover version of a Buffalo Springfield song. It has an almost R & B feel to it and certainly raises the tempo back up. Next up is ‘Better With Time‘ which has a real Rolling Stones groove to it with a little Living Colour thrown in for good measure. It bounces along on a grooving guitar riff with keyboard accompaniment and of course a killer chorus. By now we are onto the last track, ‘Turn To Stone‘, which opens with some great guitar licks and then drops into grooving staccato guitar riff and a great one-liner chorus. Most definitely a fitting end to a superb album.

This album for me is certainly up there with the best blues rock out there in terms of the quality of songs, which ultimately is what it is all about. I have only heard the odd few tracks from this guy in the past but based on this outing I will be sure to delve into his back catalogue over the coming months.

 

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Jailbirds – The Great Escape

Golden Robot Records (July 5th 2019)

Reviewer: Stephen Brophy

 Jailbirds are an Australian / Irish 4 piece Rock band based in Dublin. The guys have been working really hard to build up a really good reputation and no shortage of fans on the local scene, so now is the time for their first Album to be unleashed on the public. Consisting of the MacDonald brothers on lead vocals/guitar and drums, Ed Orr on rhythm guitar and Jamie Trimble on bass these four young guys make one hell of a racket and live they are just electric.

The lovely acoustic into on the opening title track is of course a little misleading, there is no doubt in their sound that these guys produce classic Rock/Metal and that this is a fine opening salvo from Jailbirds. We get treated to 8 tracks on this one and there’s certainly differences in tempo and style throughout, which is always great.

There is something a little refreshing about this album, not sure I can put my finger on exactly what it is that’s drawing me back over and over, but it’s there, it’s a package rather than just a couple of individual tracks, but still there are highlights here, ‘Loose Canon‘ is just a kick ass rocker that like most of the tracks on this album will obviously translate brilliantly live. ‘Nothing Good Lasts Forever‘ has some earworm inducing catchy riffs that run right through the middle of it and ‘The Pilot‘ that again is catchy as hell and just pounds along and like everywhere else on the album Axel’s vocals are on the money with some strong backing vocals to kick it up a level, for me the best think about this one is that it’s most definitely a group effort, everything works in a tight unit.

There is a grit to this music, a bite, it’s not light and happy there are definitely elements of shade in this album, but at the same time it’s certainly upbeat and not grimm. When you get the chance to see these guys live please do, that’s when it all pieces itself together so nicely there is a ravenous feel to the live show, this is a hungry young band and that’s great.

For a first release this Rock ‘N’ Roll roller coaster is a thrill ride, elements of antipidean rockers AC/DC and Airborne are in the makeup but this is very much Jailbirds and hopefully they are here to stay, please check these guys out you won’t regret it if you like power rock that’s unabashed fun, a classic sound but still fresh and best of all it just gets in your head from the first listen.

 

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Review: Age Of Reflection – A New Dawn

AOR Heaven (September 27th 2019)

Reviewer: Paul Saripo

Age Of Reflection are a Swedish AOR six piece crew that are poised to release their second album ‘A New Dawn’.  With all the essential Scandinavian rock comes a heavily guitar oriented power rock that has a hint of New Jersey hair metal influences coming through.   

The album starts with a dawn chorus of melodic guitar work then directly powers into the first track ‘A New Dawn’, which is a lively intro that pushes you into the album with real momentum.

‘Stay With Me’ is a mini anthem track that overall stood out from the album. ‘Here I Stand’ and ‘Death Do Us Part’ have a softer vocal approach, rather like a big hair ballads of  Bon Jovi  and continue with solid harmonies.

‘What If I Break’ is one of the slower tracks on the album with gentle guitar melodies that progresses into a lively chorus and with solid vocal lines drive energy into the composition.

One of the standout tracks for me is ‘I Just Died’, a creative rocked up cover of Cutting Crew’s 1986 classic anthem. Whilst keeping some of the original flavour this track is the sum and difference.

‘Never Alone Again’ is a breakup track with upbeat hooks that carry along throughout the song. ‘Write It On The Wall’ follows naturally on with a backdrop of breakup, yet with energy and positivity coming though in the music.

The production on this album is polished and flows quickly with fantastic riffs and vocals. I’m reminded at times of Dokken whilst the album plays.