THE SIGN is a new project that features a bunch of well-known musicians from the AOR scene. The band consists of Guitarist Randy Jackson (ZEBRA/CHINA RAIN), Bassist Billy Greer (KANSAS, STREETS), Keyboardplayer Mark Mangold (DRIVE SHE SAID, TOUCH, MICHAEL BOLTON), Lead singer Terry Brock (STRANGEWAYS) and Drummer Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH). Together these 5 excellent AOR musicians wrote, recorded and produced this wonderful CD.

Musically this is pure 80s AOR rock, very much similar in style to MARK MANGOLD's latest project MYSTIC HEALER, with a touch of JOURNEY, DRIVE SHE SAID, WHITE SISTER and TOUCH. The best songs are "Crossed the line" (classy 80s uptempo AOR in the Classic WHITE SISTER style, song includes a great keyboardsolo), "Aryon" (fantastic classic 80s AOR like a mix between JOURNEY and TOUCH), "I will be there for you" (HUGE AOR ballad in the best 80s tradition of JOURNEY, THE STORM and BAD ENGLISH), "Nothing but a heartache" (the JOURNEY typed keys is making this song a true classy 80s uptempo AOR/FM-rocker) and the slowtempo "Wine" with it's very catchy chorus).

Between the 12 included songs, I could only find one weaker tune ("Stranded"), but the rest is just pure AOR rock, with some elements of Pomp and Melodic Rock wrapped into. Closing track "Signs of life" is one of the songs that mixes all these styles which resulted in a very nice song that has somehow an own style (although a ZEBRA/CHINA RAIN reference is notable at the end of the track). Anyway, fans of mentioned musicians will love this record a lot and especially the AOR fans can easily buy this!

Rating: 9/10

The debut solo-CD of former GIUFFRIA/HOUSE OF LORDS lead vocalist David Glen Eisley is a nice record with both AOR and Bluesy melodic rockers. Musically it sounds a lot like the first (and only) solo-CD of JAMES CHRISTIAN. Besides producing, arranging and writing all 13 songs on his CD, David also played all the instruments.

Nevertheless, he also invited some well-known musicians from the AOR scene. Guest players include former SURVIVOR bassist Stephan Ellis, THE STORM drummer Ron Wikso, producer Pat Regan, old GIUFFRIA members Craig Goldy (guitarist) and Chuck Wright (bass) and BAD ENGLISH/THE BABYS bassist Ricky Phillips.

The best songs are the AOR orientated songs "Stranger from the past" (uptempo), "Don't turn away" (midtempo), "Stranger in love" (ballad), the semi AOR songs "Can't wait forever" and "When it's over" and the JOURNEY typed ballad "Olivia" (written for his wife). The other songs are melodic rock orientated and are just nice, but nothing sensational. The only weak song on the record is Who you tryin to fool", but further this is a well made record with some great tunes and it's not only pure AOR, so enough variation for the all-round melodic rock/aor fan!

Rating: 8/10

'Hourglass' is the new CD of American rocker MILLENIUM. The new vocalist of the band is Jorn Lande who sang with VAGABOND and THE SNAKES earlier on. Musically things have changed a bit, because the HAREM SCAREM typed uptempo melodic rocksound has almost vanished. The band is still playing melodic heavy rock, but there are now influences notable of WHITESNAKE, RAINBOW and 80s KANSAS/STREETS. The first two songs are quite a surprise, because "Power to love" and "Wheels are turning" are faster melodic heavier rockers with still melodic choruses happily.

The titletrack "Hourglass" is just pure WHITESNAKE orientated slowtempo melodic rock. My favourite songs can be found during the second part of the CD, namely "Superstar" (the only catchy uptempo melodic rocker in the style of their previous records), "I sill believe" (midtempo melodic rocker) and closing track "Chasing time" (RAINBOW meets 80s KANSAS). This final track sounds a lot like the 80s KANSAS song "Three pretenders" (except for the chorus), but still it is an enjoyable song for AOR/Melodic Rockfans. I have to admit that their previous albums are better, but still this new CD is nice to check out, especially the fact that the band has a new singer who does a great job.

Rating: 7,5/10

'Thrill of a lifetime' was the second album of KING KOBRA and according to me also their best. The album saw the band moving into a typical 80s AOR direction and therefore the album sounded quite radio ready. The original LP from 1987 sold about 150,000 units here in Europe, so it was quite a success. Unfortunately it was the last album with Mark Free on lead vocals, as the band's last record '3' featured vocalist John Edwards who also sang on 1 weak FOREIGNER album (speaking of vocalists making poor records).

This 'Thrill of a lifetime' is nearly a classic in the AOR genre. Not all the songs are convincing, but there are some killer AOR tunes on the album. Of course the vocals of Mark Free really make the songs sound even better than they actually are. Songs like "Second time around", "Feel the heat", "Iron eagle (Never say die)" (the theme song for IRON EAGLE) and "Overnight sensation" are just superb catchy hookladen AOR/Melodic Rockers. These are the songs that made this KING KOBRA such an enjoyable record that many AOR fans worshipped.

Other AOR songs like the RUSS BALLARD cover "Dream on" and the AOR ballad "Only the strong will survive" are also examples of how good this record really was and still is after all these years. The songs I haven't mentioned are the only songs that are a bit average, such
as the rap/rock mixture of "Home Street home". AXE KILLER RECORDS has done a fine job with re-releasing this second KING KOBRA album.

The added bonustrack is "This raging fire", a great AOR song, not performed by KING KOBRA, but this is a JOHN BUTCHER song that was also on the soundtrack of 'Iron eagle', just like that KING KOBRA classic "Iron eagle (Never say die)". For more info on this and other re-issues, check out the site of the French label AXE KILLER RECORDS at: http://www.musicentury.com

Rating: 9/10

RAINMAKER is a project consisting of PRISONER vocalist Geir Ronning, guitarist/ bassist/keyboardist TOMMY DENANDER, bassist Tony Franklin (who worked with BLUE MURDER and WHITESNAKE) and drummer Walter Dego. The first CD is now out on the English melodic rockalbum Z RECORDS and musically it not that far away from the label's earlier releases of PRISONER, 21K and NARO. This is a nice melodic rockalbum, but not sensational. The production by the fantastic session guitarist Tommy Denander, who also wrote most of the songs, is very good.

The album opener "Rainmaker" is a very catchy uptempo melodic rocker in the style of early HAREM SCAREM. This is definitely a very strong first track and a promise for the rest of the CD. Unfortunately the rest of the CD is just nice melodic rock with occasionally something really good. Everything is performed very well, but somehow I miss the catchy sound as created on the first track. It's not that songs like "Nancy Hold on" and "Kay" are bad, in fact they sound great, but it's not sensational.

On the other hand, there are also some interesting experimental songs to be heard later on the CD, such as "Going insane" (a song that starts as a weak 90s Grunge typed song but turns out to be a nice 70s inspired Classic Rocksong like RAINBOW meets MAGNUM) and "Bad call" (a very long experimental groovy rocker). Besides the first track, my other favourite tune has got to be "Passion again", an outstanding midtempo AOR song. This CD has a lot to offer and will attract AOR/Melodic Rockfans, but also if you want to hear some other influences wrapped into your typical melodic rock, this RAINMAKER is worth a recommendation!

Rating: 7,5/10

Another multi-instrumentalist from the USA who has released a very nice CD along the lines of other newcomers such as PHIL VINCENT, JOE ROBINSON, DAVE BALDWIN… His debut CD 'The search' is a nice collection of melodic rock with influences from AOR, Pomp and some Pop. A lot of times the songs sound like a cross between GARY HUGHES and DAVE BALDWIN. There are 10 songs on the CD that has been produced by Victor himself and actually he did a pretty good job.

The CD starts with "Livin' it up", a nice slower tempo melodic rocker. Next track "You'll know" is a nice semi melodic AOR rocker with some good harmonies. Then comes a great AOR ballad in the shape of "Smile for me", a song that sounds very much like DAVE BALDWIN. Following track "The search" is a very good semi AOR rocker with some Pomp influences. "The clock is ticking" is much poppier, this is an acoustic tingled song, really nothing special. "Learned from you" is another AOR orientated song. Up next is the semi ballad "So much remains", a song that sounds like a cross between TRIUMPH and JOURNEY. The instrumental melodic rocker "Rainbow lunch" follows. Then comes a weak song, the groovy rocker "Hey little honey". The CD closes nicely with the semi melodic rocker "She's gone".

VICTOR MARTINETTI has released a nice melodic rock/aor album, not sensational, but still recommended if you like GARY HUGHES, DAVE BALDWIN, JOE ROBINSON, PHIL VINCENT… E-mail Victor at: vmartinetti@mediaone.net and visit his site at: http://people.mw.mediaone.net/vmartinetti/index.htm

Rating: 8/10

MARZ BONFYRE is a band from London. Their CD contains very 80s typed Rockmusic that sounds pretty melodic. The vocalist (Mark) sings with an English accent and although musically this band is not a pure melodic rockband, I still think fans of bands like KICK, RADIO MOSCOW and CHOIRBOYS will find something of interest in this MARZ BONFYRE. The band is at their best during the uptempo rockers such as "That ain't love" and "Miles from home". The ballads ("This time" and "Some call it heaven") are a bit weaker. More info on this English band at: http://marzbonfyre.iuma.com or www.mp3.com/marzbonfyre and e-mail them at: marzbonfyre@erith65.freeserve.co.uk

Rating: 7/10

DR. ALEX consists of vocalist Alexander Gegov and multi-instrumentalist Iliya Tzikov. They come out of Bulgaria and 'Have you ever felt' is their debut CD. Although it isn't a sensational record, I still feel that these guys are taking their music serious, because the included songs sound pretty nice. Musically they play lighter AOR/Poprock a la JUDE COLE, JOHN WAITE, RICHARD MARX, ORO and 2AM.

The CD starts with "Have you ever felt", a nice calmer poprocker with some westcoast influences. Next track "I wanna see you smile" is a nice calmer 80s AOR song in the style of JUDE COLE (very much actually). Also in the JUDE COLE style is the poprocker "Feelings". Following track "Endless road" is a bit poppier. Up next is the good midtempo AOR song "Dissapointed longings". The best song has got to be "With me", a very nice semi AOR ballad/rocker.

The calmer ballad "Tears in my eyes" follows and is just pure RICHARD MARX, late JOHN WAITE. The acoustic ballad "We're gonna find it" follows. Then comes another nice midtempo AOR tune in the shape of "Weird dream". The CD closes with the calmer popsong "Come today". Not really a heavy CD, but for people who like JUDE COLE, JOHN WAITE, RICHARD MARX … this might be interesting to check out and the fact that they come out of Bulgaria makes it even more interesting as they sound as professional as any other European act. More info at: http://www.mp3.com/DrAlex and e-mail them at: alexander.gegov@port.ac.uk

Rating: 7,5/10

Out of Helsinki, Finland comes a duo called REBEL BABY. The band is formed around vocalist Michael Saint and guitarist/bassist/drummer Johnny Rebel. They look like two posers from the 80s LA Rock/Glamscene, something which also shines through in their names. Anyway, together with keyboardplayers Tabi and Aleksi and drummer Randy G. REBEL BABY has released a 3-track CD titled 'Heartbreaker'.

The first two songs ("Heartbreaker" and 'Secret") are nice uptempo melodic rockers with a definite 80s feel (a la TINDRUM). Closing track "Storm of tears" is a nice ballad. A nice CD, but not sensational, still interesting for fans of 80s melodic Poser Rock (Mix POISON, WARRANT, WINGER mixed and a little melodic rocker). More info on their site at: http://www.rebelbaby.net and e-mail them at: rebelbaby@n2trouble.com

Rating: 7,5/10

Kaj Svensson comes out of Sweden and he is the man behind K.A.J. He did everything on his own, so you can easily call him multi- instrumentalist. He sent me a tape with 6 songs. The production is not superb, but I can live with it. Vocally Kaj is also not that sensational, but musically this is pretty good stuff. KAJ is playing catchy melodic rock with 80s influences, similar to other newcomers such as PHIL VINCENT, JOE ROBINSON…

The best songs are the uptempo melodic rockers "We believed in love", "You got me" and the AOR orientated "She's the one". This last mentioned song is also the best track of
K.A.J. as this song reminds me of DAVID KUHN, BRETT WALKER, CARL DIXON… Hopefully more tunes in the future with a possible CD release, in the meantime listen to K.A.J.'s music at: http://www.mp3.com/k_a_j and e-mail at: k.a.j@delta.telenordia.se

Rating: 7,5/10

CESTI is the name of a female multi-instrumentalist who sent me a rough CDR with 6 songs. They are all instrumental and are quite different than most other instrumental albums. The style is a mixture of Jazz and Melodic Rock, sometimes very relaxing. The best song is the melodic "Everywhere" and "Surfs up" as well as opener "Rack off". The songs are very short, but well played by CESTI who is coming out California. More info on her site at: http://www.mp3.com/cesti and e-mail her at: cesti@socal.rr.com

Rating: 6,5/10

This is the second CD of Canadian outfit EXISTENCE. This band is quite unique in rock history as they seem to do something that I have never heard before. Musically they play some sort of rock that is impossible to categorise, yeah sure there are influences of 70s Progressive Rock (PAVLOVS DOG/STYX), but in general this band has created an own style. The first track "Beauty teen" is a nice semi progressive melodic rocker and is one of the few songs that can be categorised. What follows are many instrumental songs with a lot of dark pianoplay, violins and guitars to rock up the sound.

One other thing I haven't mentioned is the CD booklet that comes as a magazine typed book that features a lot of stories around the band. The vocalist Alan Charles has a very good melodic voice, but unfortunately not many songs feature vocals. Besides the already
mentioned "Beauty teen", other interesting vocal songs are the melodic semi ballad "Darkness" (with violin solo), the slow melodic rocker "Farewell from the lone poet" and "Flowers won't do" (the only typical rocker, this is a good 70s typed melodic rocker with a groove a la MOXY, APRIL WINE).

The fact that the band has a violin player is not a problem, it's more that the songs are quite complex. Sometimes it's just a bit too much out of the ordinary, then you're longing for a little more melodic rock. Nevertheless, this band needs to be checked if you're into experimental progressive music that has a sound of it's own and includes many instrumental and spoken passages. More info at: http://www.blackpearl.qc.ca and e-mail at: pearl@mtl.net

Rating: 6,5/10

CHERRY STREET is an American outfit playing good old 80s Hard Rock a la DIRTY LOOKS, HELIX, KROKUS… 'Buster cherry' is the second CD and there are appearances of some well-known names such as the HELIX vocalist Brian Vollmer who sings all the songs. The production is very good and they got help with mixing the record by PAT REGAN (a very famous producer, including GOTTHARD).

There are 10 songs on the album and with albums like these, it's like you love 'em or you hate 'em. If bands like DIRTY LOOKS, KINGS OF THE SUN, NOISY MAMA, KROKUS, HELIX… are up your alley then this CD is yours. Best songs to me are "Suicide ride", "Heart of stone" and "Black'n'blue". More info at: http://www.perrisrecords.com

Rating: 7/10

BIG BANG is a band from the Michigan/Indiana area in the USA and they play somewhat an own style. Their debut CD 'Manic' contains 6 songs and musically they are playing acoustic hard rock with an updated 90s approach. Sometimes it's melodic, but also a lot of times it's like I am listening to one of the 90s rockacts. This is definitely not a typical melodic rockband, but that isn't important.

More important is the fact that these guys are trying something new that sets them apart from other bands and that is something to admire. This makes it hard to compare them to other bands, but maybe a cross between TESLA and EXTREME would come close in some songs, although the songs do sound very different than these bands.

Best songs are "Broken" (nice melodic chorus, midtempo acoustic poprock) and "Madison" (nice melodic semi ballad). More info on BIG BANG at: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/25/big_bang.htmland e-mail them at: spineynorman@qtm.net

Rating: 6,5/10

ZENDERO is a band from Mexico who are playing 80s typed AOR/Melodic Poprock. The start of their debut CD 'Briendo los ojos' is a bit weak and poppy, but later on we can hear some very sensational songs. The CD contains 15 songs and the production by the band is done very well and in general it sounds very professional. The first two songs ("Soledad" and "No me abandones") are both average poprockers with even Reggea influences. Then suddenly the style changes into AOR/Melodic Poprock from the next track on. This is the fantastic semi AOR ballad "Don't know", a song sung in English. Most of the songs are sung in the Spanish language, but a few songs are sung in English, but to me it doesn't matter because I really like bands who sing in the Spanish language (think about CODA, LA FASE, TERCER ACTO, CODRE AZUL).

Anyway, next track "Abriendo los djos" (titletrack) is a great cheerful 80s typed melodic poprocker. The good semi melodic rockballad "Eres" follows and reminds me of that Italian band DHAMM. The band throws in some 90s influences in the semi melodic rocker "Fuerte herida". Back in the 80s style is the song "Ser" (semi AOR rocker a la CODA, TERCER ACTO). Up next is "Abismo", a fantastic semi AOR ballad again, this style is definitely the strongest point of ZENDERO! The semi AOR rocker "Aquel momento" follows and is a fine semi AOR rocker with some great 80s keyboards (not unlike TERRA NOVA). Then comes a popsong called "Loco por ti".

"Dancing with the moon" is a cheerful 80s melodic poprocker that sounds pretty catchy actually. The poprocker "Don't leave me alone" follows, but is weaker. Then comes the English version of the earlier featured song "Abismo". The English version is titled "Abyss", and the song itself is still a fantastic semi AOR ballad. Also next track "No se" is a superb semi AOR ballad. These last two songs are actually the best songs of the whole CD and are both pure AOR!

The closing track "No se" is the second version of the previous mentioned song, only this time the song is sung in both English and Spanish. Well, the start of the CD is maybe a bit weak and will not attract AOR fans, what follows is quite an impressive AOR/Melodic Poprockalbum. This is a must for fans of Latin AOR acts like MANA, LA LEY, CODA, TERCER ACTO, MONKEY BITE etc. but also the average AOR fan will enjoy a couple of songs of this Mexican band. Check out their site at: http://www.mp3.com/zendero and e-mail them at: davidzen@prodigy.net.mx

Rating: 8/10

DIANE CORRADO sent me her CD 'Picking up the pieces'. She comes out of the state of New York and musically she is making soft pop/rock, very much reminding me of the 80s discopoprocksound of artists like SHEREE, LAURA BRANIGAN and MERI D. MARSHALL. I find the CD a bit too light for me and for most other AOR fans this will probably be just a pure Pop record. Not a bad one at all, because it is all performed very well and the production is pretty good.

Songs like "Twilite nite" (light poprock), "So much easier" (SHARON O'NEILL typed poprocker) and "Through fire and ice" (a song that even has similarities to BONNIE TYLER!) are the best songs and may attract the die-hard fan of female fronted AOR/Poprock. On the other hand songs like "Freedom dance", "Looking for the right time" and "So easy" are just pure Pop and have absolutely nothing to do with AOR or Rockmusic. Nevertheless this is a nice little record, recommended if you're tired of rockmusic and want to hear quality pop music. More info at: Diane Corrado and e-mail her at: dcorrado@optonline.net

Rating: 6/10

This band from Canada sent me their debut CD and what strikes me is the fact that all 13 songtitles on their CD consist of one word. The songs are called "Water", "Drone", "Room", "Unity", "Sight" etc. etc. I don't have a problem with this, but most of the time when a CD with such songtitles appear in front of me it concerns a 90s typed rockalbum. This 24UNITY is a band that tries to mix the 80s with the 90s and sometimes this sounds pretty good, but other times it sounds very average. The first two songs ("Light" and "Life") are both instrumental, so no comments about that. The CD really starts with "Purpose", a nice uptempo melodic heavy rocker. The midtempo "Shining" is a whole lot better, because this song has a very catchy melodic chorus (a la TALL STORIES, 21 GUNS and NEVERLAND).

The following three songs ("Simmer", "Paranoid" and "Moments") are all very weak 90s typed Metal songs. The rest of the CD is much better though and features some great melodic tunes. Best tracks are the catchy 80s uptempo melodic rocker "Room" (a la WHITE LION/DANGER DANGER) and "Sight" (semi melodic rocker with good harmonies). I hope the band can make some more songs in the style of last mentioned tracks, then this could turn out to something big. Now the band is trying to bring both 90s typed rock and 80s styled rock, so a wide variety, but not everyone will like both styles. Anyway, check this band out for yourself at: http://www.24unity.com and e-mail them at: 24unity@24unity.com

Rating: 7/10

This band from Texas is playing cool 80s melodic (hard) rock that sounds like a mixture between DANGER DANGER, DIRTY BLONDE, LA GUNS and KISS. The CD contains 10 well produced songs. Best songs are the catchy uptempo melodic rockers "Sometimes she cries", "Saturday night", "Love in danger", "Nights are cold" and "Rock and roll over". Songs like these are a total must to hear if you dig the sound of bands like DANGER DANGER, BRITTON, FIREHOUSE…

But the band also throws in some Partyrockers like "If you want it" (KISS style), "House of pain", "Cigarettes and rock&roll" (CRUE meets LA GUNS) and "Elixir". Those songs are just nice, but nothing special. Only song I haven't mentioned yet is the calmer semi-ballad "Ariel" which is just average.

Half of this CD is pretty sensational typical 80s melodic rock, while the other half is just nice, but nothing more than that. It kinda reminds me of that CD of GARBO TALKS from some years ago that had the same feeling as this CD, good songs and average songs throughout the CD. Still this TRAGIC HERO is worth checking out, because it offers enough for the fan of typical 80s melodic rock. Check out their site at: http://www.tragichero.com and e-mail them at: hotstrat@flash.net

Rating: 8/10

MAD is a band from England and they sent me their debut CD 'Consequences'. The CD contains 11 songs and musically they play a mixture of 80s and 90s melodic poprock with some influences of other musicstyles. The first two songs ("Don't leave me this way" and "Know") are nice uptempo melodic rockers with a definite 80s feel. These are two good songs I really liked to listen to. On the other hand there are also songs like "Take the roof off" (jazzy Pop), "Consequences" (groovy rocker), "Lost blues" (bluesrocker), "Bee" (weak 90s rocker) and "Trojan square" (instrumental acoustic pop) that didn't click with me.

Happily towards the end there are also some more interesting songs to check out such as "Song that Jack wrote" (starts weak, but then suddenly follows a fantastic pure AOR chorus) and "Inquisition" (catchy 80s uptempo melodic rocker). More info on this English band at: http://www.mp3.com/MikeAndDave/ and e-mail them at: daveyboy.smith@virginnet.co.uk

Rating: 7/10

NO LOGIC is a band from Ohio, USA and their 8-track CD is a nice mixture of 70s, 80s and 90s melodic (hard) rock. Opener "Deep edge" is a nice 80s influenced catchy uptempo melodic rocker and after hearing the whole CD this is one of the best songs. Next track "Captive" is o.k., but nothing special, this rocker contains some punk influences (not much though). "Rare addiction" is better and is 70s typed Hard Rock.

The following 3 songs are weaker and more in the 90s rock style, especially "Lifeline" and "Fantasy". The ballad "Last sail" makes it up, while closing track "Pirates of compassion" is very experimental and goes to nowhere. The CD started off pretty nice, but somewhere in the middle the CD the style changed and it never got that melodic again. Nevertheless, you can check out NO LOGIC at: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/158/no_logic.html and e-mail them at: steveandmo@ameritech.net

Rating: 6,5/10

Out of Minnesota, USA comes Steve Wonchoba, yet another multi-instrumentalist making it to our site. He sent me a promo CDR of 5 songs that are a sneak preview of his forthcoming CD which will also be titled 'The words I say are true'. First track "Change" is a great 80s typed AOR rocker like a mix between ROBERT TEPPER and BENNY MARDONES with some BILLY SQUIER thrown in for good measure. The other 4 songs are less AOR/Rock orientated, but still nice to hear. The instrumental "Dipolar logic" for example sounds very relaxed and is still AOR based.

The jazzy pop thing "I know why I love you" didn't appeal to me and actually should be left out on the CD. The poprocker "Luck is gonna fight for me" is simple, but still nice to hear. This last mentioned song reminds me of RICK CUA back in his 'rock' days. Closing track "Secret fear" is a nice poppy AOR ballad with some good vocals of Steve. Not bad at all, only hopefully some more AOR rockers (like "Change") on the upcoming CD release. Check out his site at: http://www.mp3.com/wonchoba and e-mail him at: swoncho@uswest.com

Rating: 7/10

Finish label LION MUSIC is really trying to give guitarists a chance to become known in this 'non-instrumental' world. Torben Enevoldsen is one of the latest signings of the label. He has release a full instrumental CD titled 'Heavy persuasion'. The CD is filled with some very nice instrumental hard rock. Best songs are the uptempo melodic hardrocksong "Cloud nine" (imagine FIREHOUSE in a fight with DOKKEN, but cut the vocal parts) and the semi ballads "Another page" and "About time". This is a well done CD with some good hard rock, a must for guitarfreaks.

Rating: 7,5/10

German guitarist Rolf Munkes has released his debut CD 'No more obscurity' on the Finish 'Guitar' label LION MUSIC. Between the 14 songs on the CD, we can find some vocal tracks, although most of the tracks are instrumental hard rock songs. There are guest appearances by LANCE KING (BALANCE OF POWER) and drummer Anders Johansson (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, HAMMERFALL).

The best song of the whole CD is a cover of the famous 80s POLICE song "Message in a bottle". This song is covered very well and now sounds like a very cool catchy uptempo melodic rocker with sharp guitar riffs. Also the vocals of Lance King contribute in making this song a winner on the CD. Also a good semi melodic rocker is the song "Lord of flies". The other vocal songs are a tad heavier such as the groovy opener "You and I" and the fast uptempo heavy rocker "Starsailor". Rolf can play the guitar very well and guitarfreaks should really try this out. More info at: http://www.lionmusic.com or check his site at: http://www.rolfmunkesband.de

Rating: 7,5/10

Joe E. Daddario from Newport Beach, California is yet another multi-instrumentalist who has released a great AOR/Poprock record. The CD doesn't only contain Joe's 12 songs, but also features an excellent multimedia experience once you put the CD into your CDROM. I was totally amazed by all the stuff that happened after putting the CD into my CDROM on my computer. Joe's has done a terrific job, and especially the videoclip of his song "Retreat" is done very professionally and this could easily be played on MTV. Anyway, also musically JOE is in good shape, because almost all songs are enjoyable AOR/Poprock in
80s style. This man can easily be compared with other newcomers in this genre (think about PHIL VINCENT, JOE ROBINSON). I also hear similarities to GLEN BURTNIK, RICK SPRINGFIELD, EDDIE MONEY and JOHN PARR.

The CD starts with the relaxing calmer semi AOR ballad "Retreat", a very nice song. Later on the CD we can hear more songs in this style ("Back to Baltimore", "Broken doll", "Our day will come", "I wait in the wind" and "One misguided soldier"). The best songs though are the rockers such as "Restless age". This song is a very cool 80s typed uptempo AOR (hi-tech) Poprocker like ROBERT TEPPER meets GLEN BURTNIK with a killer chorus a la STAN BUSH. More or less this song sounds as a whole a bit like the first DAVID HALLYDAY ('Rock'n'heart').

Other great tunes are "Little miss perfect" (80s fun uptempo melodic poprocker in Springfield/Money/Parr area), "Forbidden feelings" (uptempo 80s AOR/Melodic Poprocker a la RICK MATHEWS), "My heart is six years old" (semi AOR rocker) and "When things s/b forgotten" (lovely AOR chorus, another cool 80s uptempo AOR/Poprocker). Fans of mentioned artists can easily check out JOE E. DADDARIO's music, as this is a collection of good-old-fashioned 80s AOR/Poprock. More info at: http://www.songman.com and e-mail him at: songman@songman.com

Rating: 8/10

This Californian band is formed around bassist/songwriter/producer David Thompson and lead vocalist John West. John used to be in the band BADLANDS, but it seems RIDER is now his new band. Musically this band is playing a mixture of 80s AOR/Melodic Rock, Blues, R&B and Soul/Pop, so there's quite a variation in the material. It's hard to place this band in one category as they switch from style on each song.

The CD starts with the "Victim of the plan", a song with a great 80s typed AOR sound a la SURVIVOR, although John's raw soul vocals give this song a light bluesy touch (like 38 SPECIAL and COBRA). This is actually the only pure AOR song, because what follows is a rather soft soul/r&b experience with occasionally some Rock influences. Songs like "Stole her from a fool", "Two trains runnin'", "I'm a lucky man", "She rocked my world", "Lookin' for my baby" and "You were a friend of mine" are slow bluesy soul/r&b typed ballads that could've easily been on the last BAD COMPANY record.

Happily, there are also some more rockers such as "Dark star" (70s typed Classic Rock a la URIAH HEEP), "Jonnie the foxx" (early 80s uptempo AOR/Poprocker a la CHARLIE) and "Storms of madness" (great 80s AOR/Melodic Rocker like opening track). If the band could throw in some more rockers (like their song "Victim of the plan") on a future CD, then it could easily be a target for fans of 80s typed AOR/Melodic Rock. Now they have too many Pop/Blues/R&B orientated songs on their CD. Anyway, you can check out RIDER at: Rider and e-mail them at: ridermusic@com-pair.net

Rating: 7/10

The Russian rockers of AZAZELLO sent me their new demo tape 'Upstairs 2000'. The album features 7 songs and the production is rather good. The band signed to the American label Moonchild Records haven't changed much since their debut CD (which I recently reviewed). Again we can hear progressive melodic rock with influences from the 70s. The songs all feature long instrumental passages and will attract fans of 70s progressive rock. This is definitely a band to check out if you're into progressive melodic heavy rock, because a Russian band playing this style is quite unique and they do it very well. Check out their site at: http://www.progressor.net/azazello and e-mail them at: akulak@tynda.dvgd.ru or a_kulak@hotmail.com

Rating: 7/10