Review: Smith/Kotzen – Better Days EP BMG (November 26th 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor A few years ago, if it had been suggested that the pairing of Iron Maiden man Adrian Smith and Winery Dogs/Poison (etc) man Ritchie Kotzen were to become a musical partnership, the idea would probably have been met with (if nothing else) […]
Chris O’Connor
Review: Overkill – The Atlantic Years 1986-1994
Review: Overkill – The Atlantic Years 1986-1994 BMG (December 3rd 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor I have an inordinate amount of Time for Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth’, DD Verni and their ‘Wrecking Crew’. Never quite ‘cool’ like Testament nor somehow revered like Exodus – which is plain ridiculous, ‘Blitz’ DD, and the New Jersey thrashers have sold […]
Review: Marillion, Support Antimatter, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, 17th November 2021
Review: Marillion, Support Antimatter, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, 17th November 2021 Reviewer: Chris O’Connor So, my first gig in forever, and it’s to see the always astonishing Marillion! Awesome. Not so awesome is a 182mile round trip in a small underpowered car that won’t do more than 60mph (with a strong tailwind behind it!). I […]
Review: The Pat McManus Band – Full Service Resumed
Review: The Pat McManus Band – Full Service Resumed The Store For Music (October 6th 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor My first encounter with the music of Pat McManus was forty years ago now, when he and his siblings John and Tommy (RIP) were but a stripling band called The Mama’s Boys, who were fresh out of County Fermanagh […]
Review: Bernie Marsden – Chess
Review: Bernie Marsden – Chess Conquest Music (November 26th 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor ‘‘I love the blues, they tell my story, if you don’t feel it, you can never understand‘’. Yes, I know, it’s probably a cliché to start a review quoting from Whitesnake, but Bernie’s heart and soul has always been as a Bluesman, so […]
Review: The Kentucky Headhunters – That’s a Fact Jack!
Review: The Kentucky Headhunters – That’s a Fact Jack! Practice House Records / BFD Distribution (October 22nd 2021) Reviewer: Chris OConnor Make no mistake, The Kentucky Headhunters have more than earned the mantle of Southern Rock Royalty, their timeless and wonderful music, unswayed by fads or fashions, is always played with verve and elan, and […]
Review: U.D.O. – Game Over
Review: U.D.O. – Game Over AFM Records (October 22nd 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor The little man with the big metal heart is back with his seventeenth solo studio album, and from the off, it is a massively quality release! I guess I’m one of the few people who genuinely doesn’t understand why he feels the […]
Review: Mostly Autumn – Graveyard Star
Review: Mostly Autumn – Graveyard Star Self Release (September 24th 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor Mostly Autumn’s music is consistently graceful, timeless, epic, grandiose, they are a truly uniquely wonderful band. It’s now been over a decade since Olivia Sparnenn took on the mantle of frontperson for the band, and she and her husband Bryan Josh […]
Review: Three Colours Dark – Love’s Lost Property
Review: Three Colours Dark – Loves’s Lost Property Firefly Music/Burning Shed (September 10th 2021) Reviewer: Chris O’Connor Last year, I reviewed ‘The Science Of Goodbye’ for Fireworks magazine, and it was far and away my favourite album of 2020, nothing else came remotely close, and it’s still an album I play pretty much weekly. Then, […]
Review: Sam Hill – Bringing It Back Home
Review: Sam Hill – Bringing It Back Home Self-released Reviewer: Chris O’Connor As most folk know, I am a colossal Southern Rock fan, hell, I’m practically a devotee to the genre, so I pride myself on recognising real Suvvern Rawk quality when I’m presented with it. Now, let me tell you, this debut by Jacksonville’s […]
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