Album Reviews

The greatest selection of albums, reviewed and rated

Circle 7 – In between

Circle 7 are a hard rock band from San Diego, California.  It was formed by Daniel Cease and Ryan Holliday who first met in school and since then have been involved in several bands and projects.  In 2006 they formed Circle 7, and three years later they released their first …

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3 Doors Down – Greatest Hits

It’s always difficult to review a greatest hits album.  You’re reviewing a band and their music that has been around a good while, in 3 Doors Down’s case since 1996, and whose music is also well loved enough that they can spawn a greatest hits album.  Fans ignore the review …

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H.I.M. – XX: Two Decades of Love Metal

Compilation albums have always divided response in two. To some, they are simply monetary releases that are brought out whenever a band or artist needs a little injection of funds in the kitty. To others though, they are the perfect entrance into discovering a well-established act for the first time …

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Trail of murder – Shades of art cd

Trail of murder – Shades of art Having never heard of Trail of Murder before I dug a little deeper as the first track kicked in. It seems I knew more about the band than I first realized, as all the members at one time or another have all been …

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WORLD FIRE BRIGADE Spreading My Wings cd

WORLD FIRE BRIGADE is a new modern hard rock group featuring ‘Fuel’s’ Brett Scallions, ‘Smile Empty Soul’s’ Sean Danielsen and producer Eddie Wohl. After a brief intro, the title track “Spreading My Wings” really opens this opus up. We get to discover if this new band is in fact new, …

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AC/DC – Live At River Plate

The wait is over as arguably the greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll band the world has ever known bring the Rock ’N’ Roll train extravaganza steaming into your stereo and park it right up your buffers. The album represents AC/DC’s first official live album release since ’Live’, a mere twenty years …

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Rainbow – On Stage (Deluxe edition)

Rainbow are one of the legendary names of Rock and featured some amazing members including Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Cozy Powell, Roger Glover, Don Airey, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner and more. “On stage” was the bands third album and was recorded live over several dates and then spliced …

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Rainbow – Long Live Rock’n’Roll (Deluxe edition)

Rainbow are releasing a Deluxe edition of “Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll”.  It was the band’s third studio album and was released in 1978. It was Rainbow’s last album to feature Ronnie James Dio on vocals.  Rainbow are one of the legendary names of Rock and featured some amazing members …

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Graveyard – Lights Out

Before Gothenburg’s Graveyard had their own brand of beer in Sweden, or won a Swedish Grammy for Best Hard Rock album, or landed on three Billboard charts and multiple “Best of 2011” lists with their album ‘Hisingen Blues’, they caught the attention of Rolling Stone’s David Fricke at SXSW in …

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Orphan Hate – Attitude & Consequences

“Attitude & Consequences” is the second album from German Alternative Metal band Orphan Hate.  The band formed in 1996, and after a few lineup changes recruited singer Sina Niklas in 2004.  They released their debut album “Blinded by illusions” in 2008.  They’ve toured extensively including festival appearances, and have played …

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MACBETH – ‘Weiderganger’

The German Thrash merchants unleash a powerful beast of an album. The bands history could honestly read like a play from the great bard himself, banned from playing live in their native East Germany, two tragic suicides, splits, reformations, line up changes, the dramas seem never ending, how on earth …

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Incite – All Out War

We’re going to play a little game here folks. 1. What does your Dad do for a living? 2. Now imagine that he’s one of the most highly respected people in his field. 3. OK, now think what it would be like if you got in to that business too. …

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SINISTER – ‘The Carnage Ending’

The Dutch Death Metal legends deliver a gem of an album that will send you reeling.   With roots way, way back in 1989 Dutch Death Metal giants Sinister are absolute legends of the genre, spewing out album after album throughout the 90’s of top class, top drawer Metal that …

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Red Lamb – ‘Red Lamb’

It was probably inevitable that, almost 30 years down the line, some members of the ‘Big Four’ would start collaborating at one level or another – but the teaming of Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine and original Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz may not seem to be the most obvious couple to …

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Knock Out Kaine – ‘House Of Sins’

The UK doesn’t really have a reputation for producing great sleaze rock bands – well, certainly, not ones who could challenge the supremacy of the likes of the Crüe, LA Guns, GNR or Cinderella in their prime. The likes of The Quireboys, Wildhearts and Dogs D’Amour always have been more …

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Loudness “Eve to dawn” CD

More than 30 years and counting, Loudness are still going strong, these Japanese metal veterans are still finding new ways to deliver good, heavy, fresh and interesting metal. If you haven’t followed Loudness in a while,’ Eve To Dawn’ is a good record to get you back into the band. …

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Steve Hackett – Genesis Revisted II CD

Steve Hackett’s latest album is a follow up to 1996’s “Genesis revisited”. This album, once again revisit’s Genesis songs and rework’s them in Steve’s own musical direction. It can be hard to do justice to this type of music, as I can only think of one Genesis song that has …

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Paul Gilbert “Vibrato” CD

This album, Paul’s 12th solo record includes four new guitar and vocal compositions, four instrumentals, plus three live cover songs from Gilbert’s 2010 “Fuzz” tour. Ably backed in the studio by his wife Emi on keys and vocals, Kelly LeMieux on bass and the utterly brilliant Thomas Lang on drums …

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