Here we go, kicking things off with more videos! I think I'm gonna have a bunch of these articles for May, as I'm seeing a lot of good stuff in the pipeline, as well as learning about a lot of new bands!
However, let's kick things off with one of my favorite bands: Hammerfall! Coming back with their 11th album, they decide to start off with something that's more mid-tempo and anthemic as they celebrate their Swedish rock heritage. A solid start!
Here we have a new AOR project from Mike Slamer, who seems to have a lot of those. This time, he's teamed up with Andrew Freeman from Last in Line for some great 80s anthemic rock. This one has a very nice mix of guitars, synths, and epic vocals!
Apparently this band has been around since the mid-90s, but this song really doesn't show any aging in their classic sound. While giving me some massive Saxon vibes, this is a nice slice of old-school metal for those who hanker for the days of denim and leather!
I admit that, except for Pink Floyd, my knowledge of psychedelic or space rock is pretty limited, but this is some amazing stuff from Monkey3! The guitar has a bit of a Gilmour vibe in the solo, but the rest is a very dynamic mix of guitars and synths that really takes you out there!
Moonlight Haze is a new band, but seems to be sticking with a very solid style of symphonic metal. Full of dramatic sweeps and epic vocals, there may not be any surprises, but it's well put together, and shows the promise this band has.
I'm really getting the impression that Italy has a lot of solid progressive metal bands (maybe because of their RPI heritage?). This is Hollow Haze, and while it might not be the most proggy piece out there, this one is still some great, melodic metal, with some synth leads thrown in for good measure!
One last set of videos before we finish the month of April. We've got a good mix of things here, ranging from classic 70s rock, to 80s anthemic sounds, to 90s power metal. Check it out!
Whitesnake is back with another album of sleazy hard rock. While the first few singles were just okay, here we have them really piling on the 80s anthemic sound. With the shout-style chorus, they almost sound like Def Leppard!
Enforcer is here to revive the classic sound of metal from the early 80s, full of energy and speed, and not much else. And I mean that in a good way! Seriously, this is about as straight-forward and classic as it gets!
I can't help it! If it's fast, epic, and melodic, I'm gonna love it! Here we have Frozen Crown, a newer power metal band from Italy, and this song is giving me a massive last 90s power metal vibe, like Stratovarius or Edguy or Fourth Legacy era Kamelot! Amazing!!
The album this one comes from is titled In Another Time, which is very appropriate for this piece 70s metal. Adding in some folky and proggy elements, this sounds somewhere between early Rush and early Rainbow, but with dual guitar leads like Kansas!
Well, this is different. Taking their progressive metal roots and adding in a dash of anthemic 80s sounds, Mind Key makes it a great track of epic melodic metal. Aurelio Fierro Jr's voice is what really holds it together, having that right mix of gritty and charismatic elements. Italy knows how to make some great prog!
Let's end with another throwback rock artist, The Vintage Caravan. This trio seems to live in the late-60s, early-70s, calling up vibes one would get from Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, and Blue Oyster Cult. Between the smooth vocals and psychedelic noodling, there's a lot to like here!
Like I promised, I'm listening to more and more stuff! I might be able to get one more article out by the end of the month, but this set of videos should tide you over in the meantime. Let's get rocking!
Arch / Matheos is a side project that features a number of Fates Warning members past and present. With this lead single, we get a very technical, but power piece of prog metal that really soars!
One more Alan Parsons single before the new album. Definitely staying with the ballad vibe, but I think this one is stronger than the other two. I think it's the classic symphonic touches that help make this song sound better.
Epic symphonic metal with Chilean vocalist Caterina Nix. While the new album won't have former Stratovarius shredder Timo Tolkki, they plan to move forward with the project, and if this song is anything to go by, we should be in for some good stuff!
First Signal is back with a pounding piece of AOR. Seriously, these drums sound powerful! And the rest is just as good, with lots of melodic hooks and a big, driven chorus. Solid piece of melodic rock!
Jack Slamer is something of a psychedelic, bluesy, hard rock band, and they really pound it out with this one. For those who like their rock to be driven, hard, with a bit of flair.
Let's finish off with a great piece of heavy/power metal! Here we have Diviner really crushing it, with some great riffs and melodies from the guitars, and epic vocals from Yiannis Papanikolaou!! This sounds amazing!
