Nicotine Records
'Swingin'
At The Fences' the sophomore release from the swashbuckling Swedish rock and
roll gypsies, Cowboy Prostitutes, scorches along ferociously with a
high-powered blend of the New York Dolls' sleaze rock blueprint, The
Ramones' bludgeoning primal minimalism and the post-punk, commercial flash
of Hanoi Rocks. The guitar fire power is provided by Tobbe Johansson and
Simon Soloman who matches the electric energy of vocalist/bassist Luca
Isabelle. Then you have drummer Per Wedell that sends the entire
pile-driving concoction spiraling into the stratosphere. From the slamming,
full-tilt frenzy of "Rock 'N' Roll Jail" to the towering crescendos of "Down
The Drain", there is no let up. The boys also serve up a supercharged
version of the CCR classic, "Travelin' Band". Dirty and gritty sound with
whisky soaked vocals and loud guitars, and you could almost imagine bar-room
brawls in the background. So to conclude, with a handful of catchy rock
anthems and more than a handful of other good strong songs, the Cowboy
Prostitutes is band worth checking out. While you're at it, why not spike
your hair, get some tattoos, where sweatbands high up your arms and down a
bottle of Jack Daniels. If your taste is for thrash laced with swagger and
panache, then you'll love 'Swingin' At The Fences'. - The Atomic ChaserHIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Four
years after the release of their previous release, 'Into The Now', Tesla
returns with, 'Forever More'. This is first album to be produced by Terry
Thomas since 1994's 'Bust a Nut'. The album was engineered by Michael Rosen,
who worked with the band on their lasting outing and marks the first full
album of original material for new guitarist Dave Rude. Tesla has always
been better than most of their peers, and probably shouldn't have been
lumped in with the Aqua-net crowd in the first place. So if anyone would be
able to release a superior album in modern times, it would be Tesla.
'Forever More' is everything you could have hoped for. It contains all of
the key elements that made Tesla great - Jeff Kieth's scratchy vocals, Frank
Hannon and new member Dave Rude's guitar work is amazing. As is evident
right off the bat with the title track and other soon to be Tesla classics,
" One Day At A Time", that packed with enough adrenaline and electricity
that could light of a whole city block and even more. Then you have other
spark plug tracks like, "So What", "Just In Case" and "Pvt. Ledbetter", a
song the band wrote for our troops in the Middle East. Honestly there is not
a weak track on this album all twelve are tops. For sure, there is no
mistaking that it's Tesla, but it has a surprising freshness to it that
proves that this band is more than relevant nearly two decades after they
first came on the scene. Like each and every Tesla album I have ever owned,
this one comes highly recommended. A great band will always make great
records. Tesla is a great band. If you're a Tesla fan from years ago you're
going to love this CD. If you love to rock, YOU'LL LOVE THIS CD! Thanks guys
for rocking off ours socks once again! - The Atomic Chaser
If
ever we needed a solution to the self consciously stylized over-hyped
"art-pop-rock" being peddled in the so-called mainstream music industry,
ladies and gentlemen, we have King's Call. Alex Garoufalidis (vox, guitars),
Martina (bass), Asik (drums) and Hendrik (keyboards). The band serve up
their debut release in the form of, 'No Alibi's. Though the songwriting is
on one level conventional enough, the various elements of the band's sound
combine forcefully to grab the listeners attention. King's Call are tight,
and rhythmically limber, while Alex Garoufalidis's distinctive vocals and
literate writing draw the listener in relentlessly. And unlike many
guitarist, Garoufalidis's solos are there to support the song rather than to
be flashy. When the vocals stop, the guitar really does seem to take over
the singing and the expressive force of the song. Thanks due in part to
producer Chris Tsangarides (Thin Lizzy). I would recommend this album to
every music fan. From the opening fast-paced "Shaking" to the groove laden
"Caught In A Lie" to the moving "Never Be Alone," this truly is a class
album. Just sit back and enjoy and appreciate the brilliance of King's Call.
I hope after listening to this album you will share the same opinion.
Excellent all around. - The Atomic Chaser
Jean
Beauvoir and the boys of Crown Of Thorns, Tommy Lafferty (guitar, backing
vocals), Michael Paige (bass, backing vocals) and Hawk Lopez (drums) are
back with their highly anticipated new release, 'Faith'. The new release
finds the band doing what they do oh so well and that is ROCK! Crown Of
Thorns sound better and stronger that ever. The songwriting on this album is
stellar. The production on this album is absolutely huge. As they prove
right off the bat with the title track with its swelling keyboard intro and
insistent riff delivers the goods in spades. Then you have the groove laden
‘All In My Head’ picking up the pace with its spirited style before ‘Living
in the Shadows’ down shifts while still keeping your undivided attention. If
anyone is worrying at this point that the album’s initial rock promise was
just a tease, don't worry the boys shift back into high gear with ‘Rock
Ready’, the song tells it like it is, classic Crown Of Thorns rocking and
carefully crafted to get the listener breaking out the air guitar. The
touching heartfelt vibe of ‘Believe Me’ features a hook that would ignite a
thousand lighters. Crown Of Thorns have always put out stellar releases and
'Faith' is no different. The band has never sounded so tight and rocked this
hard in a long time. 'Faith' is another true rock masterpiece. Jean Beauvoir
has written some of the best rock these ears have heard on this one release.
It's just sad that the album has no US release but trust me with a band like
Crown Of Thorns no price is too high. - The Atomic Chaser