Bullet For My Valentine have just started work on their new, as yet untitled album. Due out later in the year, it's being produced by Colin Richardson.
GOTTHARD will release their new album ‘Domino Effect’ in the summer rather than April as previously planned.
DENNIS DE YOUNG (ex-STYX) will release a solo album ‘The Grand Pieces Of Paradise’ later this year and he promises it will be a ‘rock album’.
ALICE COOPER has started work on his new album but no release date as yet.
BON JOVI are strongly rumoured to have made a country-rock album. Two songs – I Love This Town and Make A Memory – have been leaked into the public domain ahead of a release date in April.
BB KING has been released from a hospital in Texas after treatment for a flu-like fever. The 81-year-old blues guitarist suffers from diabetes and upon doctors’ orders postponed a pair of gigs to be taken in for observation. He’s expected to make full recovery.
PRESS RELEASES
Melodic rockers MADISON PAIGE, who have made name a name for themselves with their seamless blend of arena rock with modern sensibilities, have posted a brand new song to their Myspace page and website. The song, “What If Said,” is a stunningly powerful ballad that was first debuted a few months ago at the band’s hometown Hollywood acoustic show in Hollywood, CA.
In conjunction with the release of “What If I Said,” the band has launched “Nu-Tunes,” which gives fans the opportunity through their website to not only preview demos of songs the band is considering for inclusion on their forthcoming sophomore release, but to actually influence the album’s final track listing by telling MADISON PAIGE directly which songs are killer and which songs are filler. In addition to “What If I Said,” currently available for previewing are “Summer Rain” and “Time And Time Again,” (both significantly enhanced from the previously available online versions), “Without The World” and “Fisher King,” another song also debuted at their Halloween acoustic show. More “nu-tunes” will be added over the next few weeks.
The songs that make the cut will be recorded for a Summer 2007 release, the follow-up to the band’s successful 2004 debut album, Famous Last Words; that album was financed through advance orders from the die-hard fan base the band amassed while playing the Los Angeles club scene. The band is currently in discussions regarding their album and touring plans, both of which will be announced shortly.
www.myspace.com/madisonpaige
GIG NEWS
BUCKCHERRY + BACKYARD BABIES
March 20th - London Mean Fiddler
March 21st - Glasgow Garage
March 22nd - Nottingham Rock City
PEARL JAM
08/6 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo Alges
09/6 Madrid, Spain Festimad
12/6 Munich, Germany Olympichalle
13/6 Katowice, Poland Chorzow Stadion Slaski
15/6 Italy TBA
16/6 Vienna, Austria Nova Rock Festivval
18/6 London, England Wembley Arena
21/6 Dusseldorf, Germany Ltu Arena
23/6 Tuttlingen, Germany Southside Festival
24/6 Scheebel, Germany Hurricane Festival
26/6 Copenhagen, Denmark Forum
28/6 Nijmegen, Holland Goeffert Park
29/6 Werchter, Belgium Werchter Festival
GARY MOORE
May
24 Norwich UEA May
25 Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
27 Glasgow Academy
28 Newcastle City Hall
30 Wolverhampton Civic Hall
31 Liverpool Philharmonic
June
2 Manchester Apollo June
3 Bristol Colston Hall
5 Portsmouth Guildhall
6 Oxford New Theatre
8 London Shepherds Bush Empire
6 Brighton Dome
GLENN HUGHES
Feb. 21 - Dom Oficerov - Petropavl Kamchatsky, Russia
Feb. 23 - Fesko Hall - Vladivostok, Russia
Feb. 25 - Octobersky Con. Hall - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
Feb. 27 - Muzcomedy Theatre - Khabarovsk, Russia
Mar. 01 - Dom Oficerov - Blagoveschensk, Russia
Mar. 03 - Cosmos Concert Hall - Ekaterinburg, Russia
Mar. 05 - B2, Moscow - Russia
Mar. 06 - Lensoveta Theatre - St. Petersburg, Russia
Mar. 08 - State Circus, Samara - Russia
Mar. 09 - Busin. & Ent. Centre - Chelyabinsk, Russia
Mar. 10 - Club Hootch, Ekaterinburg - Russia
Mar. 12 - KH Oktyabrski, Kiev - Russia
REVIEWS
UNION MAC ‘Lost In Attraction’ Escape Music (2007) www.escape-music.com
Swedish duo Kristoffer Lagerstrom (vocals/keys) and Mikael Klevengard (guitars/keys) have combined to produce this debut album and one stepped in the classic sounds of AOR/melodic rock bands in particular Europe, Skagarak and Saga. Highlights include opener ‘Bring Me In’ with a great keyboard run and swirling guitars, the ballad ‘Fading’ and the rock filled guitars on ‘Outside’. Excellent production throughout which a real must on albums like this.
The album does dip midway through with a few too many mid-tempo numbers but overall it is a solid melodic rock album and one for fans of 80’s Europe, Saga and Scandinavian AOR/melodic rock.
***1/2
Jason Ritchie
VOLBEAT ‘Rock The Rebel/Meet The Devil’ Mascot Records (2007) www.mascotrecords.com
The band’s second album and they have already built up a biog following on mainland Europe including their native Denmark. This album is a very enjoyable slab of riff based metal and vocalist Michael Poulson sounds like Elvis one minute (‘Sad Man’s Tongue’ complete with a hillbilly intro!) and for some bizarre reason he also reminds me of Adam Ant’s singing! The guitar riffs are set to max (I defy anyone not to bang their head to ‘A Moment To Forever’) and fans of Metallica, Breed 77 (‘Devil Or The Blue Cat’s Song’ could easily sit on a Breed 77 album) and System of A Down will dig these tunes and them some.
Not an instant album but certainly worth persisting with as those riffs just keep you coming back for more…
****
Jason Ritchie
Saturna: All Night
This is an EP of indie space rock from Seattle that occasionally has touches of
Foreigner's riffs, Joy Division posturing, and even hints of Pink Floyd. This
five track CD (the sixth is a radio edit of "Just for Thrills") contains some
fairly mellow and laid-back trippy stuff that would be perfect when one is off
your head after heavy night of partying and needs to mellow out. Now, not
exactly heavy or even that original, it does have qualities that require
repeated listens and appreciations. Then again Seattle and Manchester have a lot
in common.
Rating: 3/5
Marty Dodge
Double Eclipse: Eloquent Face Down
It seems at the moment that some bands in the UK are all nostalgic for grunge.
Alas, this band has a few dabbles with grunge ("Save Me" for example is dreary
in extremis... ditto "Learn") and its light alternative. However, there are a
few rather good tracks on here that rise above the dross. "Sorry Wasn't Enough"
drifts towards a pleasant form of AOR. It's quite a good song which has lighter
in the air qualities about it. It's the track which features the best singing so
why was it left as the tail-end track?
The band which comprises of the brothers' Hackney does possess talent (that is
quite obvious) but it really needs to be a bit more focused. The guitar intro on
"Don't Be So Low" is quite fun as well. This is certainly a curate's egg of a
CD. Double Eclipse show a great amount of promise and are worth keeping an eye
on.
Rating: 3/5
Marty Dodge
Yes: Essentially
You got five albums that didn't sell too well when released and are now
floundering. What do you do to give a kick up the sales arse? Well, if you are
Yes you slap 'em into a box set and have Classic Rock writer Dave Ling do a nice
write-up for you. This set is quite impressive looking and the sleeves for each
CD are rather nice as well. The live album included "Live in Montreux" is not
really one of their best, but that aside if you don?t have these albums, this a
good way of completing your Yes collection.
As with many of Yes' albums, each one of the four studio CDs has some good
tracks on it. For instance the title track to The Ladder was used in the game
Homeworld and is rather good. The title track to Talk is quite good as well. The
fact there is only one bonus track in the whole collection might irk some, it
has to be said.
So if you don't have the albums in this set and you like your Yes, then it has
worth. If you have more than say three it probably ain't worth it and this is
really not the best place to start your Yes education if you are unaware of
their talent.
Rating: 3.8/5
Marty Dodge
Diamond Head: To The Devil His Due
Diamond Head, beloved by Lars Ulrich and beevies of the New Wave of British
Heavy Metal fans, have had a rather patchy past with lame decisions and missed
chances. That is not to say the band is without talent and their influence on
metal should not be underestimated, whether it be the oft-covered "Am I Evil" to
constant Headisms that show up in the music of Metallica, Megadeth, and oodles
of others.
This is a live recording of the band's triumphant live gig at the Astoria in
London in 2005. It is not the original line-up as their former lead-singer, Sean
Harris, decided to sit things out. Nick Tart amply fills in and delivers the
power with a dash of pomp needed by the tunes. As you would expect this is
mostly a greatest hits show with "Am I Evil" and "It's Electric" taking
prominence.
It's a pleasant enough CD that satisfies you DH hole. Still watching this you
have wish there was footage of the band at their '80s peak.
Rating: 4.2/5
Marty Dodge
Nils Lofgren And Friends: Live Acoustic
Nils Lofgren is quite a legend, it has to be said. And the amount of friends who
show up to play this rather long gig is quite impressive. It includes one of my
favourite musicians Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitarist, former Doobie, and defense
analyst of Department of Defense).
You will probably know more of the man's work with Bruce Springsteen and Neil
Young, but his solo stuff is pretty impressive as well. The DVD is stunning both
in audio and video with a five camera recording. If the main set is not long
enough for you there are an extra cadre of tracks (six) including a Patti Smith
"Because the Night", tune sung by the impressively voiced Mary Ann Redmond.
This is impressive no matter how you slice it. Mellow acoustic guitar
performance with some awesome musicians in the company of the impressive Nils.
An absolute must for fans as you might imagine and probably a damn good intro to
anyone wishing to get into the man's solo work. And guitarists will delight in
this DVD as well. One of the best gig DVDs I have had the pleasure of seeing...
pure class.
Rating: 5/5
Marty Dodge
GOTTHARD will release their new album ‘Domino Effect’ in the summer rather than April as previously planned.
DENNIS DE YOUNG (ex-STYX) will release a solo album ‘The Grand Pieces Of Paradise’ later this year and he promises it will be a ‘rock album’.
ALICE COOPER has started work on his new album but no release date as yet.
BON JOVI are strongly rumoured to have made a country-rock album. Two songs – I Love This Town and Make A Memory – have been leaked into the public domain ahead of a release date in April.
BB KING has been released from a hospital in Texas after treatment for a flu-like fever. The 81-year-old blues guitarist suffers from diabetes and upon doctors’ orders postponed a pair of gigs to be taken in for observation. He’s expected to make full recovery.
PRESS RELEASES
Melodic rockers MADISON PAIGE, who have made name a name for themselves with their seamless blend of arena rock with modern sensibilities, have posted a brand new song to their Myspace page and website. The song, “What If Said,” is a stunningly powerful ballad that was first debuted a few months ago at the band’s hometown Hollywood acoustic show in Hollywood, CA.
In conjunction with the release of “What If I Said,” the band has launched “Nu-Tunes,” which gives fans the opportunity through their website to not only preview demos of songs the band is considering for inclusion on their forthcoming sophomore release, but to actually influence the album’s final track listing by telling MADISON PAIGE directly which songs are killer and which songs are filler. In addition to “What If I Said,” currently available for previewing are “Summer Rain” and “Time And Time Again,” (both significantly enhanced from the previously available online versions), “Without The World” and “Fisher King,” another song also debuted at their Halloween acoustic show. More “nu-tunes” will be added over the next few weeks.
The songs that make the cut will be recorded for a Summer 2007 release, the follow-up to the band’s successful 2004 debut album, Famous Last Words; that album was financed through advance orders from the die-hard fan base the band amassed while playing the Los Angeles club scene. The band is currently in discussions regarding their album and touring plans, both of which will be announced shortly.
www.myspace.com/madisonpaige
GIG NEWS
BUCKCHERRY + BACKYARD BABIES
March 20th - London Mean Fiddler
March 21st - Glasgow Garage
March 22nd - Nottingham Rock City
PEARL JAM
08/6 Lisbon, Portugal Passeio Maritimo Alges
09/6 Madrid, Spain Festimad
12/6 Munich, Germany Olympichalle
13/6 Katowice, Poland Chorzow Stadion Slaski
15/6 Italy TBA
16/6 Vienna, Austria Nova Rock Festivval
18/6 London, England Wembley Arena
21/6 Dusseldorf, Germany Ltu Arena
23/6 Tuttlingen, Germany Southside Festival
24/6 Scheebel, Germany Hurricane Festival
26/6 Copenhagen, Denmark Forum
28/6 Nijmegen, Holland Goeffert Park
29/6 Werchter, Belgium Werchter Festival
GARY MOORE
May
24 Norwich UEA May
25 Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall
27 Glasgow Academy
28 Newcastle City Hall
30 Wolverhampton Civic Hall
31 Liverpool Philharmonic
June
2 Manchester Apollo June
3 Bristol Colston Hall
5 Portsmouth Guildhall
6 Oxford New Theatre
8 London Shepherds Bush Empire
6 Brighton Dome
GLENN HUGHES
Feb. 21 - Dom Oficerov - Petropavl Kamchatsky, Russia
Feb. 23 - Fesko Hall - Vladivostok, Russia
Feb. 25 - Octobersky Con. Hall - Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia
Feb. 27 - Muzcomedy Theatre - Khabarovsk, Russia
Mar. 01 - Dom Oficerov - Blagoveschensk, Russia
Mar. 03 - Cosmos Concert Hall - Ekaterinburg, Russia
Mar. 05 - B2, Moscow - Russia
Mar. 06 - Lensoveta Theatre - St. Petersburg, Russia
Mar. 08 - State Circus, Samara - Russia
Mar. 09 - Busin. & Ent. Centre - Chelyabinsk, Russia
Mar. 10 - Club Hootch, Ekaterinburg - Russia
Mar. 12 - KH Oktyabrski, Kiev - Russia
REVIEWS
UNION MAC ‘Lost In Attraction’ Escape Music (2007) www.escape-music.com
Swedish duo Kristoffer Lagerstrom (vocals/keys) and Mikael Klevengard (guitars/keys) have combined to produce this debut album and one stepped in the classic sounds of AOR/melodic rock bands in particular Europe, Skagarak and Saga. Highlights include opener ‘Bring Me In’ with a great keyboard run and swirling guitars, the ballad ‘Fading’ and the rock filled guitars on ‘Outside’. Excellent production throughout which a real must on albums like this.
The album does dip midway through with a few too many mid-tempo numbers but overall it is a solid melodic rock album and one for fans of 80’s Europe, Saga and Scandinavian AOR/melodic rock.
***1/2
Jason Ritchie
VOLBEAT ‘Rock The Rebel/Meet The Devil’ Mascot Records (2007) www.mascotrecords.com
The band’s second album and they have already built up a biog following on mainland Europe including their native Denmark. This album is a very enjoyable slab of riff based metal and vocalist Michael Poulson sounds like Elvis one minute (‘Sad Man’s Tongue’ complete with a hillbilly intro!) and for some bizarre reason he also reminds me of Adam Ant’s singing! The guitar riffs are set to max (I defy anyone not to bang their head to ‘A Moment To Forever’) and fans of Metallica, Breed 77 (‘Devil Or The Blue Cat’s Song’ could easily sit on a Breed 77 album) and System of A Down will dig these tunes and them some.
Not an instant album but certainly worth persisting with as those riffs just keep you coming back for more…
****
Jason Ritchie
Saturna: All Night
This is an EP of indie space rock from Seattle that occasionally has touches of
Foreigner's riffs, Joy Division posturing, and even hints of Pink Floyd. This
five track CD (the sixth is a radio edit of "Just for Thrills") contains some
fairly mellow and laid-back trippy stuff that would be perfect when one is off
your head after heavy night of partying and needs to mellow out. Now, not
exactly heavy or even that original, it does have qualities that require
repeated listens and appreciations. Then again Seattle and Manchester have a lot
in common.
Rating: 3/5
Marty Dodge
Double Eclipse: Eloquent Face Down
It seems at the moment that some bands in the UK are all nostalgic for grunge.
Alas, this band has a few dabbles with grunge ("Save Me" for example is dreary
in extremis... ditto "Learn") and its light alternative. However, there are a
few rather good tracks on here that rise above the dross. "Sorry Wasn't Enough"
drifts towards a pleasant form of AOR. It's quite a good song which has lighter
in the air qualities about it. It's the track which features the best singing so
why was it left as the tail-end track?
The band which comprises of the brothers' Hackney does possess talent (that is
quite obvious) but it really needs to be a bit more focused. The guitar intro on
"Don't Be So Low" is quite fun as well. This is certainly a curate's egg of a
CD. Double Eclipse show a great amount of promise and are worth keeping an eye
on.
Rating: 3/5
Marty Dodge
Yes: Essentially
You got five albums that didn't sell too well when released and are now
floundering. What do you do to give a kick up the sales arse? Well, if you are
Yes you slap 'em into a box set and have Classic Rock writer Dave Ling do a nice
write-up for you. This set is quite impressive looking and the sleeves for each
CD are rather nice as well. The live album included "Live in Montreux" is not
really one of their best, but that aside if you don?t have these albums, this a
good way of completing your Yes collection.
As with many of Yes' albums, each one of the four studio CDs has some good
tracks on it. For instance the title track to The Ladder was used in the game
Homeworld and is rather good. The title track to Talk is quite good as well. The
fact there is only one bonus track in the whole collection might irk some, it
has to be said.
So if you don't have the albums in this set and you like your Yes, then it has
worth. If you have more than say three it probably ain't worth it and this is
really not the best place to start your Yes education if you are unaware of
their talent.
Rating: 3.8/5
Marty Dodge
Diamond Head: To The Devil His Due
Diamond Head, beloved by Lars Ulrich and beevies of the New Wave of British
Heavy Metal fans, have had a rather patchy past with lame decisions and missed
chances. That is not to say the band is without talent and their influence on
metal should not be underestimated, whether it be the oft-covered "Am I Evil" to
constant Headisms that show up in the music of Metallica, Megadeth, and oodles
of others.
This is a live recording of the band's triumphant live gig at the Astoria in
London in 2005. It is not the original line-up as their former lead-singer, Sean
Harris, decided to sit things out. Nick Tart amply fills in and delivers the
power with a dash of pomp needed by the tunes. As you would expect this is
mostly a greatest hits show with "Am I Evil" and "It's Electric" taking
prominence.
It's a pleasant enough CD that satisfies you DH hole. Still watching this you
have wish there was footage of the band at their '80s peak.
Rating: 4.2/5
Marty Dodge
Nils Lofgren And Friends: Live Acoustic
Nils Lofgren is quite a legend, it has to be said. And the amount of friends who
show up to play this rather long gig is quite impressive. It includes one of my
favourite musicians Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (guitarist, former Doobie, and defense
analyst of Department of Defense).
You will probably know more of the man's work with Bruce Springsteen and Neil
Young, but his solo stuff is pretty impressive as well. The DVD is stunning both
in audio and video with a five camera recording. If the main set is not long
enough for you there are an extra cadre of tracks (six) including a Patti Smith
"Because the Night", tune sung by the impressively voiced Mary Ann Redmond.
This is impressive no matter how you slice it. Mellow acoustic guitar
performance with some awesome musicians in the company of the impressive Nils.
An absolute must for fans as you might imagine and probably a damn good intro to
anyone wishing to get into the man's solo work. And guitarists will delight in
this DVD as well. One of the best gig DVDs I have had the pleasure of seeing...
pure class.
Rating: 5/5
Marty Dodge
posted by JasonR @ 2:20 AM
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