New Videos - July 2020 Part Three!

How about that?  I was able to pull together another article before the end of the month!  I wasn't sure if I was going to make it.  This time, expect a lot of metal!  \m/

So this is a pretty neat little song.  Blind Guardian is a decent reference point, with the epic scope and crunchy guitars, but staying grounded.  It's also a touch on the long side, but I think it works for what they're going for here.

More Primal Fear is always a good thing!  Their Judas Priest inspired style of power metal is such a thrill, and you get the impression they love playing it as well!  As expected, this is full of big, crunchy guitars and Ralf Scheepers huge voice!

Orden Ogan is a name I've seen around and heard many good things about, but never got to them until just now.  Power metal, with some proggy touches, is the nature of this one, with some great riffs and a neat solo (once you get to it).  Not sure if I like all the lens flares, though.

I know I usually don't do live videos for these articles, but I had never heard of this band before.  Redemption is very much prog metal, in the vein of Dream Theater or Symphony X.  In fact, that's Tom Englund from Evergrey on the vocals!  Technical, but not too dense, with some nice solos.

Well, this is a blast of metal if I've ever heard one!  Palace play a very classic style of 80s metal that would make their German countrymen proud, full of crunchy riffs and a driving tempo often heard in the likes of Accept and Rage, and the shout-along chorus is the cherry on top!

After all that metal, let's finish with something mellow.  Pattern-Seeking Animals already has their second album out (I don't think I ever got around to listening to their first one completely!).  Nice, melodic, mood-driven prog rock that's refreshing and pleasant.

New Videos - July 2020 Part Two!

So here's another nice round up of videos.  A lot of good AOR this time around, with a few other genres mixed in.  Check'em out!

Kicking things off with some big 80s rock.  Not a lot of surprises, but it has that arena-ready, Def Leppard style that I like.  Anthemic, with lots of layers on the vocals for the chorus, and some solid riffing that knows that sometimes less is more.

Yeah, these girls are on my radar now.  Again, the vocals do take some getting used to, but it's great, upbeat power metal that puts a big smile on face.  I clearly need to put their albums on the top of my list!

More One Desire!  Melodic riffs?  Check.  Epic chorus?  Check.  Big 80s sound?  Check.  Clear, massive vocals?  Check.  Lighting-fast guitar solo?  Check.  Honestly, if haven't caught up with these guys, then you're missing out on some great rock 'n' roll.

So here's a neat band from Chile, channeling some of the prog metal stuff from Europe, like Evergray or Symphony X.  The singer definitely has that Russell Allen vibe going.  Oh, and the guitars are way crunchy.  Some of the heaviest stuff I've posted here.

Creye is a band I've seen around, but this is the first time I've really liked their particular brand of melodic AOR.  The song has this really nice, driving energy.  Not a million-miles-an-hour, but cruising along at a solid, manageable speed, with some nice riffing and solid production.

Okay, now this has an old-school Kansas feel.  The right balance of crunchy guitars and light violin, with hammonds backing it all up.  While it might not be as uptempo as "Carry On Wayward Son," this shows the band still that classic sound up its sleeve!

Anniversary Series - 1995!

Well, I'm making some serious progress on these, now that we're in July!  As we move further in time, rock music really begins to separate out into its genres and communities, making it difficult to really say anything conclusive about the time period as a whole.  As such, these articles are going to focus more on what I've listened to, and therefore be less comprehensive and historical in nature.  Still, there's plenty to talk about for the year of 1995!

Let's start things off with some power metal, as the genre was really starting to come alive by now.  Blind Guardian released Imaginations from the Other Side, Gamma Ray finally got things together for Land of the Free (which I reviewed here), and Stratovarius would find their voice in Timo Kotipelto and give us Fourth Dimension, the first in a long string of great albums.

1995 would be a big year for prog rock.  Pink Floyd's big final tour would result in the Pulse live album, with the iconic blinking light on the spine.  King Crimson continued their unique complexity with Thrak, and Roine Stolt, after the success of The Flower King, would bring together the band The Flower Kings and produce their debut album, which I reviewed earlier this year.

Prog metal would be no slouch either, with Ayreon releasing their debut, Symphony X following up on their debut by introducing the great Russell Allen to the world with The Damnation Game, and Dream Theater expanding their songwriting with the epic "A Change of Seasons," released as an EP.  However, the big surprise was Savatage suddenly coming back with Dead Winter Dead and the hit single "Sarajevo 12/24," the song that inspired the Trans-Siberian Orchestra project.

Of course, atlernative rock was still a big deal at this time, but grunge was making its shift into post-grunge.  Dave Grohl would bounce back with the debut of the Foo Fighters, Candlebox released Lucy, and Alice in Chains had their self-titled third album.

Just to round things out, Van Halen would carry on with Sammy Hagar with the successful Balance, Iron Maiden had The X Factor with their new singer Blaze Bayley, and AC/DC released Ballbreaker, proving that the older styles of rock and metal hadn't gone anywhere.

So that's 1995.  As usual, there's a playlist below, and I'm sure I've missed some good stuff, so don't hesitate to give me recommendations!  Until then, rock on! \m/

New Videos - July 2020!

Well, July is just as hot as June, and I'm not just talking about the temperature!  I've found another great handful of videos full of epic melodies and catchy choruses.  Hopefully, these will help you deal with the summer heat, or at the very least, give you reason for why you're sweating so much!  Headbanging is hard work, you know!

Why do I always keep forgetting about Lovebites?  This is another high-speed monster from the Japanese power metal outfit I discovered at the end of 2018.  The vocals are sung in English, so they take some getting used to, but the shredding and the powerful rhythms are huge, reminiscent of DragonForce or some of Sonata Arctica's faster songs.

One Desire does it again!  Their style of poppy 80s rock is just massive, full of catch melodies and the epic vocals from André Linman soaring over everything.  This album needs to get to the top of my priority list yesterday!

This is different!  Deep Purple, best known for hard rock classics in the early 70s, has a new album coming out, and this shows a spacier side to them.  Granted, maybe it's because Don Airey pulled out some hammonds for this one, but it really does feel like a song from another time.

Falconer is a name I've seen around, but never really listened to.  Fortunately, they have a new album, but unfortunately, the band is now breaking up after this release.  Still, this promises the same epic folk/power metal fusion the band has been known for all these years.

So John Payne was the singer for Asia after Wetton left but before the band reunited in 2006 with the original lineup.  Since then, Payne has been kicking around, and his latest group is the Dukes of the Orient, which has a very strong British 80s AOR vibe, like Asia and The Alan Parsons Project.  This one is a neat little song for their second album, as they carry on their sound.

Apparently, Moonlight Haze has already released a second album!  Their take on symphonic metal is very poppy and fun, with just a dash of mystery, and this song is full of the same energy.  I'm seriously having a hard time keeping up with all of these releases!