Multi-instrumentalist, workaholic and AOR hero PHIL VINCENT is back with a hot new CD release. 'Circular logic' is the title of Phil's 7th CD and the surprise was very big when I saw that it is a double CD, with a total playing time of almost 2 hours! You might think that after a few songs, the level isn't that high anymore, but I can guarantee you that the whole CD is filled with fantastic high quality Classic 80s AOR/Melodic Rock. It sounds like the perfect mixture between ARC ANGEL, DOKKEN and early BON JOVI. What strikes me are the perfect keys all through the CD that give the AOR/Melodic Rock of PHIL VINCENT a pure 80s touch without sounding dated. Anyway, in total there are 20 songs on the 2 CDs and right from the start you're hooked until the last second of the album.

Opener "Rise up" has a superb AOR chorus that sticks in your head right after you heard it the first time, it just can't get any better and we're only at the beginning! Following track "Time out-time in" has a lovely start, with pure 80s AOR keys, while the song itself is a great pompous AOR tune a la ARC ANGEL, CANNATA… And in this style the CDs continue, and so we get to hear on and on lovely AOR/Melodic Rock. Interesting to see is that Phil has also put some other influences into his songs, such as the tracks "If…" and "3:45 am". These 2 songs both have a playing time of 10 minutes and are a great mixture of AOR and Progressive Rock, with some excellent keyboardwork. But most of the time PHIL VINCENT is making Pompous AOR/Melodic Rock.

My favourite tracks are "Outside looking in" (great AOR ballad), "If you ever want me" (lovely 80s AOR), "Torn" (beautiful semi AOR ballad), "Doin' my best" (very good uptempo AOR), "Heart of stone" (uptempo AOR, impressive keyboardwork!) and the earlier mentioned tracks. 'Circular logic' is another fantastic AOR release in the growing discography of Rhode Island, USA based multi-instrumentalist PHIL VINCENT. I need to add here that this time Phil got help from outsiders, such as drummer Dirk Phillips, bassist Glenn Cipalone, guitarist Michael Riesenbeck and guitarist/songwriter James Kennedy. I can easily recommend this CD to everyone who is into AOR/Melodic Rock, this is as good as any of the releases done by the European AOR/Melodic Rocklabels!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

FOR ABSENT FRIENDS is one of the few Dutch bands left from the big 80s scene and secondly, also one of the few to keep playing the same melodic style. Although the band is described as a sympho/neo-prog rockband, I have to say that on their new CD 'The big room', they are a step closer to AOR. On the other hand, it is not pure AOR, because there are also elements of Sympho and Neo-prog and melodic (hard) rock. Actually it is hard to describe the style of FAF, because these guys have created an own style.

'The big room' is one of the finest pieces of melodic sympho/aor rock around today over here in Holland. With this record, FAF has proved to be one of the best Dutch bands at the moment, no doubt about that! The new lead singer Hans van Lint is without a doubt one of the best vocalists in Holland, his voice is so perfect and very melodic. And also the songs are very melodic, like a mix between Sympho/Neo-prog and AOR. Their previous albums were always very good, but this new CD is definitely their best release so far.

On the CD we can still hear original keyboardplayer Peter de Jong, but on stage former TIMELOCK keyboardist Julian Driessen has already replaced him. The CD contains 10 tracks and only song didn't appeal to me (the bluesy "Don't hurt me"). The other 9 songs are all sensational Sympho-AOR tunes. The best tracks are "Cameroon" (semi AOR ballad), "Silly love song" (semi AOR ballad), "If love" (beautiful neo-prog AOR ballad, even a bit like JOURNEY, SURVIVOR with some 80s MARILLION thrown in for good measure), "Little things" (superb progressive AOR rocker, very impressive, reminded me of STREET TALK) and closing track "The one".

This last mentioned track is also my favourite one of the CD. "The one" is a terrific uptempo AOR rocker, with haunting melodies and harmonyvocals, above all, it's the only uptempo song on the CD, but who's complaining here, because what you get to hear on 'The big room' is very impressive music. The songs of this CD should be played by radiostations all over the world, because FAF's melodic music may appeal to many different music lovers. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of Neo-prog, Sympho or AOR/Melodic Rock, you will all like this new FAF CD very much, trust me!

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

I was almost blown away when I put on the disc of the Brazilian band SILENT. Not because the album is such a heavy record, but it sounds so PERFECT! SILENT is a band out of Rio de Janeiro and you can out them right on top of all your wantslists, because their debut CD 'The bright side' is filled with high quality big produced 80s AOR/Melodic Rock with many harmonyvocals, fantastic soaring lead vocals, classy 80s AOR/Pomp keys and all packed in catchy songs all over the album. There are 12 tracks on the CD and at the end you just want to hear more, because by far this SILENT is the best band ever to hail from the Southern America. The band consist actually of two singers who both can sing very well (in English), and instrumental they just sound perfect and very 80s!

The line-up of the band is Gustavo Andriewski (guitar, vocals), Alexandre Franca (guitar), Federico Martin (bass, vocals) and Luiz Alexandre (drums). Opener "Dreamer" is like AOR/POMPROCK HEAVEN, because this song is packed with harmonyvocals all over the place, while the song itself is a stunning uptempo early 80s orientated AOR/Pomprocker that sounds like a mix between STYX, AIRBORNE (1979), TOUCH and PREVIEW! Totally unexpected that I would give such a description to a Brazilian band, but it really is the truth. If I have to compare it to recent acts, I could easily add KHARMA, because that Swedish band has the exact same sound as this SILENT.

Anyway, the CD of SILENT continues with the lovely fun midtempo AOR/Melodic Rocker "Joy of livin'", a song that sounds like the perfect cross between the first HAREM SCAREM and DEF LEPPARD. Next track "Love is" is a fantastic midtempo AOR ballad that follows the paths of BAD ENGLISH and STREET TALK. Then comes the first song that didn't sound sensational, namely the semi ballad "Watching". The following two songs are again very impressive. "I found faith" is a lovely AOR ballad a la FRANKE AND THE KNOCKOUTS with some great 80s piano-keys. "Modern life" is a very good midtempo melodic rocker that could've been on the debut CD of the Christian band NOUVEAUX (with the DEF LEPPARD typed harmonyvocals).

Dissapointing is the following track "Bitter tear", a modern popballad that even reminds me of WESTLIFE, but fear not this is the only Popsong, because the other 11 tracks are all classy pieces of pure AOR/Melodic Rock. "Empty land" for example is a terrific midtempo AOR ballad a la BAD ENGLISH. Up next is the midtempo melodic rocker "Hard enough", a nice song that reminds me of MICHAEL MORALES, BRYAN MCDONALD, NOUVEAUX and DEF LEPPARD. And then we're back in AOR HEAVEN again with the fantastic early 80s typed AOR/Radiorocker "Silent rain", a song that reminds me of ERIC MARTIN BAND and PREVIEW. The CD continues with the strong midtempo melodic rocker "Answer me" that sounds like 80s DEF LEPPARD.

Closing track of this wonderful CD is the calmer ballad "Lovers", with beautiful vocals and pianowork. Not a single AOR/Melodic Rockfan can ignore this album, because this is high quality AOR/Melodic Rock and SILENT comes out of Brazil, so that makes it even more interesting to track down a.s.a.p. Very soon you can expect an interview with the band, for now, check out their site at: http://www.bandasilent.cjb.net and e-mail them at: cave@openlink.com.br

Rating:9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This German band has just re-released their debut 'M.A.D.' in South Korea! Their debut 'M.A.D.' was already released in Germany last year, but due to the interest of BMG MUSIC KOREA, the album has been re-released over there. The CD features 2 newly recorded tracks, so even if you own the first CD release, this re-release is very interesting. There are 11 tracks on the album and musically TOXIC SMILE is playing high quality Progressive Rock. The band reminds me a little bit of RUSH and the Canadian MYSTERY, but actually the band has an own style that is very melodic and may not only attract fans of Progressive Rock, but also AOR/Melodic Rockfans will enjoy this band. Vocalist Larry B. has a very good melodic voice and after listening to the whole CD, I have to admit that this is one of the best progressive rock releases from the past few years. All the songs are sensational and just sound perfect!

Opener "Nothing to believe" is a great progressive melodic rocker. Next track "Madness and despair" has some great keys, while the song itself is very good uptempo prog. rock/metal. The big keyboardsound of the uptempo progressive rocker "Rollercoaster" is one to admire. Then comes the first newly recorded track, namely the beautiful calmer Sympho-AOR Ballad "Daydream", a definite must for anyone into 80s MARILLION. Up next is the good uptempo progressive rocker "Toxic smile". The instrumental "0185" will be a favourite among fans of pure Progressive Rock. Then comes the YES cover "Owner of a lonely heart", very well done and this is the 2nd track they recorded for this re-release.

One of my favourite tracks is the impressive progressive rocker "The crown", again a song with a big keyboardsound (totally awesome!). Also very good is the Pomprock ballad "Hate me", a superb song actually, but sadly a bit short, if it had been a 6 minute-track it would have been the best song, because the super melodic chorus is very catchy! The CD continues with the longest song, namely "Arirang". This song was written when drummer Daniel Zehe had heard a Korean traditional folk song and the melody and lyrics of that tune inspired him to make it an original TOXIC SMILE song.

Without ant doubts, "Arirang" is the most progressive song on the album, a must for fans of PALLAS and PENDRAGON. The CD closes with the bonustrack "Autumn leaves 2", a live recorded song that is the heaviest tune on the CD, as this is faster uptempo prog. rock/metal. I have heard many German Progressive Rock/Metal bands, but this TOXIC SMILE beats them all, and can easily be called a new sensation. No matter if you're into prog., RUSH, TRIUMPH or AOR/Melodic Rock, this CD is a pleasure to listen by fans of any rockgenre we promote at the Strutter'zine camp. Get it a.s.a.p.! Check out the band's website at: http://www.toxic-smile.de and of course don't forget to read the interview I had with the band.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Some of you might wonder why FRONTIERS RECORDS have released the new ROYAL HUNT, because it certainly is not an AOR record! But fear not, because the new ROYAL HUNT is a very melodic album that definitely will attract fans of many genres within the Hard Rock scene. The music on 'The mission' is bombastic, majestic, melodic, progressive and above all, very powerful. The heavy keys of ANDRE ANDERSEN (who can play all the instruments actually, but only does keys on the ROYAL HUNT releases) and the very melodic vocals of the powerful lead singer JOHN WEST (who also sang on the fantastic ARTENSION albums) are making this new ROYAL HUNT a winner!

'The mission' is also a concept album, based on a SciFi novel by Ray Bradbury called "Martian chronicles" and takes the listener beyond his day to day earthling little chores. There are 13 songs on the CD, but 6 of them are shorter (semi) instrumental intro's for the 'real' 7 songs. But these 7 songs are definitely worth hearing, because they are all high quality progressive melodic power rock/metal tunes with a lot of bombastic keyboardwork. The titletrack "The mission" is a great midtempo progressive heavy rocker and this song opens the CD. My favourite track is definitely "Surrender", a faster uptempo progressive melodic metal song with a very catchy chorus and a very big sound in general.

The slower progressive metal of "Judgement day" is a bit less good, but not bad at all. "World wide war" is another fast uptempo metal song that reminds me of STRATOVARIUS. Also very impressive are the midtempo "Out of reach" and the lovely melodic ballad "Days of no trust" (a la CITA/GUILD OF AGES). The final track of the CD is "Total recall", another faster power metal tune. If you're a ROYAL HUNT fan or you're into bands like BALANCE OF POWER, ANGRA, STRATOVARIUS, ARTENSION, then do check out the new CD of Danish ProgPower rockers ROYAL HUNT…

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

'Mandrake' is the 5th CD of German Power Metal heroes EDGUY. Although it was said that the band would change their style, I can confirm that their new CD is in the same style as their previous albums. I am glad they haven't changed, because their melodic power prog metal sounds pretty good. It's heavy and bombastic, but melodic at the same time. The band is big time in Germany, as previous CDs hit the national charts with top 40 positions! There are 10 tracks on the CD, while my promo copy has a limited edition bonus track (can't tell if that song is also on the official CD release).

If you don't know EDGUY yet, I can tell you they play in the same style of BLIND GUARDIAN, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, but a bit more powerful and proggy than those acts. My favourite tracks on the new CD are "All the clowns" (faster uptempo metal with a very very catchy and super melodic chorus), "Wash away the poison" (very nice melodic ballad), "Painting on the wall" (great melodic rocker, not unlike PINK CREAM 69) and "The devil and the savant" (big keyboardsound, very good uptempo melodic rocker). Also very impressive are the midtempo power prog metal tunes "Tears of a mandrake", "The pharoah" and the melodic heavy rocker "Jerusalem". Fans of EDGUY and AVANTASIA can easily buy this high quality new CD release.

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This Spanish band is very popular in Spain, and with this release, their 4th CD 'Sangre de reyes', they will become even more popular, because their new CD sounds very good. The music of TIERRA SANTA is progressive power metal, but very melodic, due to their great singer Angel (who also plays guitars) and the fact the band has a keyboardplayer in their line-up (Paco). The band sings in the Spanish language, but somehow this makes them more interesting to listen to. The best songs are "La ciudad secreta", "Juana de arco", "El laberinto into del minotauro" (great melodic rocker, big 80s sound, a bit like PRETTY MAIDS), "El amor de mi vira" (great AOR/Melodic Rockballad) and closing track "Sangre de reyes". I don't have any complaints about this release, if you like your powerful progressive metal to sound very melodic and you don't mind Spanish lyrics, then do check out TIERRA SANTA. The official CD release is early November, so you will have to wait a while, but the surprise will be even bigger when you put this great disc into your CD player!

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here's another high-quality band from Sweden. So far they have only released a demo CDR with 4 songs, and that's a pity because they sound very professional and could easily be signed to LIMB or INSIDE OUT. Musically AMETHYST is playing progressive metal like a mix between THRESHOLD, EVERGREY and HAMMERFALL. The 4 songs on the demo CDR they sent show that these guys can really make high quality music. Opener "Unmasked vision" is a great progressive metal tune that reminds me of THRESHOLD.

Up next is "Reaching skies", a great semi ballad with some very melodic chorus lines and a sound like EVERGREY. The faster progressive metal song "Winternight" follows and is similar to HAMMERFALL. The CDR closes with the instrumental "Beyond the horizon". All in all, this progressive metal band is definitely a recommendation to anyone who is always checking out the LIMB and INSIDE OUT releases. Let's hope AMETHYST will release a full-length CD in the near future… More info at: http://www.amethyst-metal.com and e-mail them at: amethyst@spray.se

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

ANTARES is a hot new Dutch neo-prog band and their first release 'Choking the stone' is a very good album that musically needs to be placed somewhere between JADIS, ARENA and FLAMBOROUGH HEAD. The production and sound quality is from a very high level. There are 6 songs on the CD, and I have to say that the first couple of tunes are just nice, while the last 3 songs are very impressive. The CD starts with the calmer neo-prog song "Ragamuffin rag and bone-man", a song with some breaks and after hearing the whole CD, this was the least interesting track. Much better is the next track "Letting go", a good neo-prog rocker that sounds very catchy and reminds me of JADIS, ARENA IQ…

The semi progressive rocker "Ethnic cleansing" has some nice instrumental parts. Then we get to hear a really fantastic epic progressive rocker entitled "Half of the mirror". This song is quite long in playing length and has some lovely keyboardsound, while the song itself has a big sound that will attract all fans of progressive rock. Up next is the great semi-instrumental progressive melodic rocker "Circle of keys". The final track of the CD is the best song of the whole CD, namely the perfect prog. rocksong "Choking the stone". This song features all the elements a good progressive rocktune needs to have, and with a playing length of 12 minutes, this song beats all other tracks on the CD. Fans of neo-prog a la JADIS, ARENA, IQ, PENDRAGON and 70s GENESIS really need to check out this Dutch band at: http://www.antares.mu and e-mail them at: antaresband@hotmail.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Yet another band from New Jersey! TURI however doesn't follow the footsteps of bands like BON JOVI and DANGER DANGER, because they are mixing all sorts of influences on their CD. TURI is a Hard Rock band, but it's clear that their songs are very diverse, and range from Bluesy songs, Melodic Hard Rock, AOR, acoustic pieces and even Progressive Rock can be heard on the band's debut CD. Leader of the band is singer/keyboardplayer Michael Turi, who has a very good voice, something that gives the TURI sound a melodic approach. Somehow it all reminds me of TATTOO RODEO, the follow-up band to classy AORsters WHITE SISTER.

If I have to pick up my favourite tracks of this CD, I have to add "Train" (good solid 80s Hard Rock), "Tell me Virginia" (great semi melodic rockballad), "Rumble in the wind" (good semi melodic rocker), "Fade away" (great semi AOR rocker) and closing track "Memories" (nice calmer semi AORish ballad, very laid-back). I also need to mention the songs that show the band's diversity. These are the acoustic driven semi rocker "O.B.E." (kinda like HEEP's "Lady in black"), the progressive rocker "Castle", the late 80s/early 90s typed semi rocker "Faye" (with Partyrock influences, even reminds me of POISON circa 1991!!!) and the slow blues song "Insanity".

It's hard to put this TURI in a specific corner, because they sound very diverse. On the other hand, this makes it all very interesting to check out, especially since the songs are all quite good. Although the band states that their influences come from BAD COMPANY, LED ZEPPELIN etc., I heard lots of other influences as well, and only 3 or 4 tracks are Bluesy Hard Rock orientated, most of the other tunes show a lot of other diverse rockstyles. The closest comparison I can come up with is TATTOO RODEO, but I think the best thing to do is just give this CD a listen and hear how a quality band can make a good solid diverse rockalbum!

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

The Italian band DFA has been a household name for fans of instrumental progressive rock/fusion rock the past five years. Last year they performed in the USA for the first time, at the North-East Art-Rock festival (NEARfest) in Pennsylvania and this CD is the live registration of that concert which gained them much more popularity in the USA. Like their previous records, this new CD is mainly focused on instrumental complex progressive rock with only a few vocals. Sometimes you can hear similarities to the instrumental passages of bands like YES, FLOWER KINGS and TRANSATLANTIC, which means DFA is digging into the past and is focusing on 70s Progressive Rock.

The songs are always melodic and interesting to listen to, but not easy, because the textures and songstructures are very complex at times. The best songs are the instrumental progressive rockers "Escher" and "Pantera", while the semi-instrumental complex progressive songs "Caleidoscopio" and "La Via" are also very impressive. This is a damn good mostly instrumental progressive rockalbum from a very high quality. Fans of DFA can easily buy this live release. More info at: http://www.moonjune.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Another Italian band on the New York based label MOONJUNE RECORDS. This band is called FINISTERRE and they have already put out 2 CDs, but just like the above reviewed DFA, this is their American debut. 'Storybook' was recorded live during the PROGDAY FESTIVAL at Storybook Farm, Chapel Hill in North Carolina, USA. FINISTERRE follows the footsteps created by so many Italian prog bands in the 70s, long mostly instrumental progressive rocktunes with enough space for keyboards, guitars and also the flute. The band even does a cover of the PFM classic "Altaloma", a song that starts out very calm, but ends up being a pure Progressive uptempo rocker with great keyboard and guitarwork.

The beginning of the CD is actually very calm, with soft fusion kinda prog songs such as "In Limine" and "Hispanica". The best songs however can be found towards the end, when the band starts rocking and ends up sounding like an instrumental pure Neo-prog act (a la FLOWER KINGS, PENDRAGON). I am talking about the fantastic progressive rockers "Macinaaqua macinaluna" (partly vocal), "Asia" and "Phaedra". These are wonderful songs that capture everything you need to hear in a classic progressive rocksong. As I said earlier on, most of the songs are instrumental, but the semi neo-prog ballad "Canto antico" has vocals and is a very good song actually. Although the start of the CD was a bit too much focused on fusion prog, the last 4 tracks (together a playing time of almost 40 minutes!) showed a very good pure Progressive Rockband performing excellent high quality music. More info at: http://www.moonjune.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

BURNING BLUE hails from York and Lancaster PA, USA and their same titled debut CD contains 5 tracks. Musically this is good old big produced 80s Melodic Hard Rock with some very strong melodic vocals of lead singer/guitarist Randy Hock. Sometimes, the band reminds me of a harder edged version of LOUD'N'CLEAR. The CD starts with "My hypcrasy", a great 80s typed Melodic Hard Rock song a la BATON ROUGE. Up next is "Take a hold", another very good uptempo melodic hard rock in the best 80s tradition, this song reminds me a lot of LOUD'N'CLEAR. Moving on with the calmer melodic rockballad "Your place is in my heart", a song with some very good emotional vocals and a sound reminding me of the late 80s, not unlike FIREHOUSE.

The CD continues with the semi melodic rocker (with a hard edge) "Time for understanding". The last 3 minutes of this song are uptempo rocking with a great guitarsolo! Closing track of the CD is the heavy groovy metal riff based "Peace with the reachin", though it still is a fine melodic tune. This band is mixing melodic vocals/choruses with heavy guitars (kinda like TALON/TEER/HAREM SCAREM/EYEWITNESS/MILLENIUM). Check out their site at: http://www.mp3.com/BurningBlue and e-mail at: Burningblueband@hotmail.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Out of Kentucky comes multi-instrumentalist Dave Leahy who is the man behind the ROSEMONT PROJECT. He did everything on his own, and I have to say it doesn't sound bad at all. Instrumental it is very good, only vocally it lacks a bit, partly due to the fact that Dave's voice is rather close to OZZY OSBOURNE. I am not saying it's bad or anything, but it just doesn't match with the type of music ROSEMONT PROJECT is playing. The music presented on this disc is AOR/Melodic Rock, very 80s orientated, kinda like PHIL VINCENT, JOE ROBINSON and AVION, with some JOURNEY thrown in for good measure. However, the vocals are making it sound a bit different, but the songs are really good AOR. Anyway, the CD starts with the good catchy early 80s orientated AOR rocker that reminds me of Aussie rockers AVION (remember them?).

The following 4 songs are a bit softer in approach, but still nice aor/poprockers. "Seize the day" has a very nice keyboardsolo. Further tracks I would like to add are the uptempo melodic rocker "You don't know me", the calmer AOR ballad "How can love find a way" (great song, with piano-keys a la JOURNEY) and closing track "Hole in the sky" (uptempo melodic poprocker with some great keyboardwork). All in all, a nice record with ups and downs, but overall a fine AOR/Poprock record, very much like JOE ROBINSON and JAY GONZALEZ (aka JUST JAY). More info at: http://www.mp3.com/rosemont_project and e-mail at: rosemontproject@aol.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

ORANGE CRUSH is a hot new band from Norway and they sound very close to other Scandi Westcoast AOR bands such as HIGHER GROUND, LAVA and PROMOTION. There are 5 songs on the disc and especially the first 2 tracks are very impressive. The vocals are very good and remind me of FREDDY CURCI! Opener "Losing it without you" is a good semi AOR ballad like a mix between FERIE FREDERIKSEN and FREDDY CURCI. Next track "Can't believe it" rocks things up a bit, because this is a very nice uptempo westcoast AOR rocker a la TOTO. The last 3 songs are a bit disappointing unfortunately, namely "Ophelia", "The way" and "What I came here for" are all 3 poppy ballads. Nevertheless, this band has definitely some quality to offer. Check them out if you like any of the mentioned acts. More info at: www.mp3.com/orange_crush or www.orangecrushmusic.com and e-mail them at: simplyjohs@hotmail.com or dannepalmqvist@hotmail.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Guitarist Alex Masi and vocalist Kyle Michaels return with a new MASI band record and I must admit that 'Eternal struggle' is maybe the best MASI album put out so far. The Italian born guitarhero Alex Masi has already done a lot of releases in his career so far, starting with DARK LORD in the 80s and besides the MASI albums, he also released a few solo-CDs, including the critically acclaimed 'In the name of Bach' CD from a few years ago on which he transcribed keyboard/violin pieces written by J.S. Bach. Anyway, his latest effort is the CD 'Eternal struggle', definitely one of his best band releases so far. This CD is filled with high quality classical Melodic Hard Rock that leans a lot towards the old YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and JOHN NORUM.

There are 12 tracks on this very well produced MASI album. My favourite tracks are "Crow haven's corner" (faster uptempo melodic heavy rocker a la MALMSTEEN, LION'S SHARE, STORMWIND), "All I want" (fantastic uptempo melodic rocker with a lovely catchy 80s typed melodic chorus and a nice organ), "Blue morning, blue day" (a surprisingly very well done FOREIGNER cover), "Caught in the middle" (nice uptempo melodic hard rock) and "On and on" (another great uptempo melodic rocker). This is a high quality melodic hard rock release, get it as soon as possible!

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

This 15-track compilation CD contains 15 artists and bands currently signed to the Finish Rocklabel LION MUSIC. Most of the songs can also be found on the releases of the performing band or artist. Like the title predicts, we have to deal here with a compilation of rock ballads, 15 slow and emotional songs. Included acts are ROLF MUNKES, BALTIMOORE, LARS ERIC MATTSSON, BYRD, VISION, TORBEN ENEVOLDSEN, ASTRAL GROOVE, JARRA, WINERLONG, MATTSSON, ALEX MASI, CONDITION RED, VISION, MASI and EMPIRE.

The last act is EMPIRE, a new supergroup formed around DON AIREY, MARK BOALS, LANCE KING, NEIL MURRAY and ROLF MUNKES. They will release their debut next month and I can't wait to hear it, because their featured ballad "Spread my wings" is a great preview of things to come. By the way, LION MUSIC will also release the upcoming TAKARA album, so there are 2 albums to look out for. For now, if you're in the mood for something calm and melodic, then do check out this compilation as it features some of the best LION MUSIC has to offer.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

A few years ago I reviewed the debut CD of this Canadian band. Leader of BIG SMILE is bassist/keyboardplayer Chris Brockway, who used to be in the Classic AOR band WRABIT (I will never forget such songs like "Tell me what to do", pure early 80s AOR, unforgettable!). Anyway, BIG SMILE is slightly different, because they are mixing AOR and Melodic Rock with some Blues influences. The new CD 'Going vertical' is a lot better than their poppy debut. This new record is much rockier and has some very nice moments. The first two songs, "Everything must change" and "Coming to you" are good examples how quality melodic rock should sound. The bluesy "High road" is a let down, but the following 4 songs are again pretty good

. First up there is the great semi AOR ballad "Short of angels". The midtempo AOR/melodic rocker "Look out down below" follows. The titletrack is a nice faster uptempo melodic poprocker a la LOVERBOY, while the best song of the whole CD has got to be "Runaway eyes". This song is a very impressive midtempo AOR tune that sounds like DENNIS DEYOUNG singing a SURVIVOR song. The PAUL DEAN typed bluesy Hard Rock song "Sound of alarm" has some nice harmonyvocals, but overall this is a weaker song. I would also like to mention the closing track "We have love", a very nice calmer AOR ballad. BIG SMILE has released a very nice AOR/Melodic Rockalbum with ups and downs, but in general a professional sounding album that can easily be recommended. More info at: http://www.bigsmile.net and e-mail at: bigsmile@interlynx.net

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Although the bandmembers of this Dutch band come from Arnhem and Boxtel, NICE BEAVER is a Papendrecht settled Sympho/Prog Rockband. They released their official debut CD 'On dry land' a few months ago. Last week I saw them live in concert and it all sounded very good, so I knew I had to check out their CD. 'On dry land' is a very well produced CD that contains 7 songs. Musically it is typical neo-progressive rock with some elements of Hard Rock and Sympho. They have a similar sound to other Dutch progressive rockbands like CLIFFHANGER, MARATHON and RICOCHER, although their influences come from MARILLION, GENESIS, YES and even LED ZEPPELIN (!) and SIMPLE MINDS (!!). Anyway, the songs are all pure Rocksongs with good melodies.

The first 3 songs are nice neo-prog. rocksongs that sound a bit dark, but on the other hand a song like "Oversight" is also quite catchy (because of it's simple but effective chorus that also are the only words of this song). However, the best songs can be found towards the end of the CD. "Hope you don't mind" for example is at the start a very good rockballad, but then suddenly after a while there is a break and the song has a twist into uptempo progressive hard rock with the words "Could I be wrong, could I be right". This is quite an unexpected surprise!

The following track "Like this" is a great uptempo neo-prog rocker with a catchy singable chorus. One of the best songs has got to be the uptempo neo-prog rocker "Where the river runs", especially live this song was a crowd-pleaser, somehow the catchy chorus reminds me of PRISM! Closing track is the semi progressive hard rock song "We are the sun", a song with some heavy guitar riffs. NICE BEAVER is another quality neo-prog band from Holland, check out their site at: http://www.nicebeaver.nl and e-mail them at: erikgroeneweg@nicebeaver.nl

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

METALSYMPHONY is a project from Uruguay formed around one person, Diego Sendra. He did everything on his own on the first METALSYMPHONY CD. The music is described as "doom / medieval metal", and basically that's what you get, although I can not call this Metal. Bands such as HAMMERFALL and STRATOVARIUS have influenced him, but the CD of METALSYMPHONY sounds very different. This is stripped down Power Metal, so no drums, no bass and also the big harmonyvocals during the chorus are missing here. What you get is a man singing with his acoustic/electric guitar and keyboard, it's not bad or anything, it's definitely something different.

It even sometimes sounds like Folk Pop/Rock. Happily, Diego knows how to play his instruments and his singing isn't too bad either. He is currently working on a different project that will be a pure Power Metal CD a la HELLOWEEN, HAMMERFALL... On the other hand, he's also working on a new METALSYMPHONY CD that will be again a calm 'Doon/medieval' album. If you're interested in hearing METALSYMPHONY, then go to: http://www.mp3.com/metalsymphony and e-mail him at: symphony@internet.com.uy

Rating: 6/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

I believe 'Eternity' is one of the last missing pieces in the collection of Finish guitarist/bassist/keyboardplayer LARS ERIC MATTSSON that hasn't been re-released on LION MUSIC. But the album from 1988 has now also been re-issued on CD by LION MUSIC, and it even contains 3 extra bonustracks. Musically 'Eternity' is filled with quality Melodic Hard rock that sounds like MALMSTEEN, but due to the rawer lead vocals of singer Bjorn Lodin it definitely has an own style.

The best songs are the midtempo AOR/Melodic rockers "Can't go on without your love" and "Love is the answer" and the uptempo melodic rockers "Where do we go?" and "Children of the sun". Not all the songs feature vocals, because there are also some interesting instrumental Hard Rock pieces, such as "Mujahedin warrior", Eternity", "Midsummer night's dream" and "Tales untold". This is a must for fans of LARS ERIC MATTSSON, but also if you're into 80s MALMSTEEN. Maybe not Lars' his best CD release, but still nice to hear what this incredible multi-instrumentalist already did 13 years ago on one of his earliest recordings. http://www.lionmusic.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Guitarist (bassist and keyboardplayer) Chris Steberl has just finished his 2nd CD, although this new album is more like a project. The project is called ALCAZAR and together with drummer John Homan, they have released a CD entitled 'Reasons for a decade'. The CD contains only 7 songs and has a short playing time of only 30 minutes, but nevertheless, this is quality instrumental music. Chris and John are doing their versions of classical pieces from such composers as Mozart, Vivaldi and Mussorgsky. Just listen to "Vivaldi's summer concerto" and "Mozart's 25th symphony" and you can hear how classical music influenced hard rock music, because on this CD the songs sound like typical instrumental Hard Rock tunes, but the melodies are taken right out of previous centuries. Anyway, this is the perfect record for fans of instrumental Hard Rock with a 'classical' touch. http://www.lionmusic.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

JARRA is a 4-piece metal band out of the New York/New Jersey area, and 'test of Faith' is their official full-length debut here in Europe. The band is formed around the female lead vocalist Kathie Jarra. The CD sounds pretty professional, with a big heavy production by Kathie and guitarist Johnny Russian. There are 8 songs on the CD, but most of them have a playing length around 7 minutes, so you still got your 50 minutes of music. Opener "Eternal love" sounds more like a standard modern Metal song, but happily next track "Black snow" is much better. This tune features some excellent guitarwork and good melodic vocal lines, not unlike BITCH/BETSY from the 80s. The chorus of "Black snow" is very melodic and is making this song one of the best on the whole CD.

Also very impressive is the song "The Indian war love song (deliver me)", some very good melodies and guitar riffs can be heard in this track. The slow metal song "Too many lies" has a very melodic haunting chorus that is actually catchy (not in a cheesy way, but it just is appealing to you the more you listen to it). Another notable song is the ballad "Always, all ways". Most of the other songs can be labelled as heavy melodic metal songs that sound a bit like the last DORO, only more complex, progressive and also much more powerful, due to the strong voice of female singer Kathie Jarra, so actually that comparison is more or less forgettable. Anyway, for more info go to: http://www.lionmusic.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Another Swedish band in the 'Power Metal' genre. Their debut CD features the likes of LARS ERIC MATTSSON and MYSTHERIA as guest keyboardplayers, because the band doesn't have one in their line-up, but instead they choose for 2 guitarists of whom one is singing. And that's the weak point of this band, because the vocals of guitarist Hussni Morsare are nothing that special. Musically they play typical uplifting melodic power Metal a la HELLOWEEN, HAMMERFALL, ICED EARTH… Instrumental everything sounds perfect, but vocally it just isn't that good, but also not that bad that you should avoid this record, because WINTERLONG can write a decent song here and there, such as the songs "From heaven to hell", "Winterlong" and "Mystery of life". Check them out if you're into this type of Metal. http://www.lionmusic.com

Rating: 7,5/10 (Review by Gabor Kleinbloesem)

Here we go again, yet another blast from the blast. The Tygers are back for another stab at the rock n roll ladder. The band in the hey day were one of the better NWOBHB and this new album is a fitting return and will impresses unsuspecting prey with its cunning and skilful expertise, but long term die hard fans of the band may be slightly disappointed. Joining the pack is singer Tony Liddell who had a brief stint if I remember with Strangeways, he gets his paws into songs such as the opening 'Detonator' whilst the heavier 'Firepower' is one of my favourite tracks. Liddell's performance is powerful and Robb Weir's axe work is short and snappy making this song wonderfully melodic, memorable and catchy.

The band get low down and funky on 'Keep The Rock Alive' whilst, 'Secret' proves to be another favourite song and is a pretty lively affair. 'Mystical' shows a slight progressive AOR edge, nice keys and a melodic backbone, not a bad track, it certainly grows with each listen, Liddell's vocal are pretty screechy on this one. The guitars get a burst of energy on 'Roar' but is over shadowed by a weak production sound which is my only complaint about
this record, which otherwise stands up against the bands previous works. Next up is 'Street Fighter' , now then this is more like it, the Tygers fire well on this track and get back to the style created on earlier records like "The Cage", Liddell is well hot and the song itself bounces along and is definitely one of the albums catchiest songs.

'Jump In Your Shoes' continues to rock and is remisant of No Sweat and Thunder whilst, then the melodic side of the band shines on the rather tasty 'Ride 4 Free' the guitars swirl, and the song is a simplistic AOR/hard rocker that is fairly effective, formularisation which is taken to the point of excess, this should go down well live. 'Greed' is straight ahead ordinary rock saved by Liddell's vocals, whilst the last song 'Sun Lotion Suicide' finishes the album off on a classy note and is brilliant song. However this record on one hand has some great songs, but on the other sadly fails to live to the expectations of the bands earlier works because of the weak production, Liddell has to be honoured really for saving the songs, lets see what the band deliver next though. A flick from the Tygers paw but hardly a killing blow.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Yeeee harrrrrrr, Masi the band are BACK!! This album rocks and is possibly Masi the bands best recording since "Vertical Invader" and "Attack Of The Neon Shark". The album spits open with the insanely heavy ''Crow Haven's Corner' surly this is the metal song of the year? Singer Kyle Michael's is just a god and his unmistakable venomous character drives the song and every song into the first divison, such as on the galloping 'All I Want', this builds into a catchy song, I loved the Billy Sheehan like bass tapping from Greg Young, the whole song just rocks and Masi's non-stop guitar frenzies are in full stream..

This album is Masi's "Odyssey" if you like, check out the sparkling and melodic 'On And On' and the Queensryche/Dio inspired 'Black Flames Allure' which breaks into a mid paced neo-classical piece before the commercial grooves give way to 'Blue Morning Blue Dog' which actually sounds like the Harem Scarem classic 'Blue'. Masi's piece-de-resistance is the ear catching 'Caught In The Middle' which is huge, huge, huge, imagine Joe Lynn Turner and
Rainbow performing this song, totally orgasmic jolting neo-classical riffs from Masi, this track is totally wild and pulls out the punches, whilst the progressive 'Highway To Nowhere' delivers powerful technical riffs galore laced with Geoff Tate/Mike Vescera inspired vocals from Kyle.

'Wheel Roll On' is a catchy commercial melodic rocker whilst the neo-classical virtuosity and racy keyboards are prominent on 'Lost In The City'. The album then drops in pace for the magnificent 'Excerpts From A Random Horizon'. This is a jaw dropping ballad that leads into the albums finale 'Writing On The Walls'. Here we get fast neo-classical finger ripping virtuosity and racing keyboard wizardry from Alex, the result is a vintage brew that could very well turn you into an alcoholic. Let's hope that "Eternal Struggle" brings Alex Masi the recognition he deserves and if you don't like this album you don't like rock, pure and simple, beg, steal do whatever it takes to own this classic technically perfect album.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

The main ingredients you need for a good AOR/Melodic rock album are variety, excitement and originality and with this debut album from Sweden's Broke 'N' Blue we have a superb album that says it all.If you miss Saraya or Heart then you will love Broke 'N' Blue. I first discovered this band early last year and have followed them each step of the way. Broke 'N' Blue are Eva Eggesjo-Abrahamsson (lead vocals), Lars Abrahamsson (guitars, keys), Peter Gustavsson (lead vocals), Ulf Vestlund (drums, bass) and they are a welcome force to the saturated AOR and Melodic Rock scene and I'll tell you this now, were gonna be hearing lots about this band in the future.

The band feature two main singers Eva Eggesjo-Abrahamsson and Peter Gustavsson who swap vocal duties through this album which make it that little bit special.'I Will Be There' kicks things off and is an uptempo start and lets you know what your in for style wise as well as introducing Eva's amazing vocals, imagine a mix of Stevie Nicks, Fiona, Belinda Carlisle and Sandy Saraya. 'I Will Be There' is instantly hummable and could prove to be a hit given the right promotion, this is a great start brimming with energy, personality and style as is the next song 'Cry For You' where we hear Peter Gustavsson's vocals for the first time. It's a strong melodic piece a'la Journey and Giant - the chorus is huge and threatens to bring the house down and is a steady melodic piece with dashes of keyboards throughout and a touching solo from Lars Abrahamsson.

The summery 'Enuff' is a burning keyboard driven AOR number. Eva handles this number and her vocals are absolutely stunning whilst 'Touching Me Tonight' is predictable and safe and is a wonderful listen. 'Needed To Believe' explodes into action, Lars pitches a hot solo backed by Peter's vocals and is perfectly constructed melodic rock, even better is 'Heaven In My Hands' because this song is ridiculously catchy and is similar to Jeff Paris. 'Heaven In My Hands' still remains one of my favourite songs by Broke 'N' Blue. It's a lovely Heart inspired ballad a good song where both Eva and Peter swap vocal duties. 'Back Again' is next, an excellent song, basically a brilliant foot tapping 'Never' type song. Another radio friendly song sung by Peter is 'Oriental Eyes' which grabs you upon first listen, a well written and constructed rock song with keyboards and is one of my favourite songs because it's instantly hummable because it brings tons of Giant to mind with it's similar chorus and melody patterns coupled with Peter's voice that is very up there like Dan Huff.

'Heavenly Beauty' is a soother AOR tune,and then the tempo pumps up again on 'Heart 2 Heart', which leave just one more track 'Northern Light' - an emotive formulised AOR tune. Over all this is an exciting an album that explores the sort of commercial territory that made Heart and Giant famous. Aor fans keep your eyes on the future developments of Broke 'N' Blue.www.mp3.com/broke-n-blue

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)