Retro Reviews - February 2026 Part One!

Now that 2025 is finally out of the way, I can focus on a new set of Top 5 lists for this year.  However, in order to check out some stuff for my 1971 list, I figured I should squeeze in a handful of debut albums in advance.  The first three bands all have albums in 1971, but I'll get to those next time.  Here's what I've been checking out for the start of the new year!

Caravan - Caravan

Formed by remaining members of The Wilde Flowers, and borrowing equipment from their country mates Soft Machine, Caravan had their humble start with this debut album in 1969.  While I definitely enjoyed their follow up from 1970, going back to this one shows them still forming their sound and clearly hoping for some pop success.

The songs are much more conventional here, with many of them featuring standard verse and chorus structures.  While they aren't bad songs, they do just kinda carry on in a bit of a lazy, laid back.  The opener "Place of My Own," "Love Song with Flute," and the nine-minute closer "Where But For Caravan Would I" all sound the most like their jazz fusion-y second album, so they stand out the most to me, but there were a few other good moments.  "Ride" gets some decent, meditative sections and "Magic Man" is a good little ballad.  However, other tracks like get a little too weird.  "Policeman" feels like their attempt at a quirky Beetles-like song, and "Cecil Rons" has some jarring repetitive chords and aggressive growling vocals, of all things!

So over all, it's a decent set of songs with more than a few clunky moments, though this is expected of a band who is on the cusp of something greater.  Sometimes it just takes some experience before a band really coalesces into themselves.  I don't know what I was expecting necessarily when I started listening to this, but it served as a decent foundation for them to build on for future releases.

Wishbone Ash - Wishbone Ash

This is a band I've heard about, but had never really gotten around to until now.  They are best known for having two guitarists, a style that would be very influential on later metal bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.  Opening for Deep Purple helped them get attention from MCA Records, and by the end of 1970, they released this debut album.  Clearly built on the British blues rock scene, this some decent rock with a very jam-friendly vibe.

While bands like Cream, The Yardbirds, and perhaps even Black Sabbath's first album come to mind, but the double-guitar work really sets them apart from those bands.  Another stand-out element is the very clean production, allowing you to hear those crisp guitar harmonies that really are the highlight of the album.  Even bassist Martin Turner joins Andy Powell and Ted Turner on some of the melodies, creating a powerful sense of unity.  Meanwhile Steve Upton gets plenty of work out of his drums, find all kinds of gaps to get in a fill.  Overall, there's a solid, upbeat vibe to their songs, at least for the first half, with "Blind Eye" and "Lady Whiskey" bringing a lot of boogie.

The second half has the band really pushing into psychedelic rock, featuring only two tracks that are both over ten minutes long.  "Handy" starts with an extended bass solo before settling into a blues rock groove that felt like a genuine ancestor to Seven Planets before reaching a rather jazzy ending.  "Phoenix" was much the same, starting with some laid back jamming before turning up the energy with a swing step.  I definitely like the second half more, as I think it had more identity and featured the players at their best as they jammed away.  Overall, it was a pretty fun album, banging my head through it all.  For a debut album, there's quite a bit going on, and I look forward to where the band goes from here.

Hawkwind - Hawkwind

Another debut album!  Hawkwind is another band I had heard about, but never listened to until now.  I mostly knew them as a band that leaned in "space rock" long after the 60s (and had Lemmy on bass for a bit before they kicked him out, which caused him to start Motorhead).  But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  Their first album is considered an early space rock landmark, but honestly, I don't think it's aged that well.

I get that the point of psychedelic rock is the vibes and atmosphere instead of having thought-out orchestrations, but there are times where this album seems to revel in musical noise that occasionally has some rock jams in between.  A great example is "Seeing It as You Really Are," where there are so many sound effects and strange noises going on that it overwhelms what might have been a decent track.  Another example is "The Reason Is," which turns out to be just a few minutes of jarring ambiance.  Fortunately, there are a few songs to enjoy here.  The opener "Hurry on Sundown" has a folky twang coming from a 12-string guitar, making for a very acoustic-heavy rock jam.  "Be Yourself" has some rather King Crimson rhythms at the start before settling into a decent groove.  The closer "Mirror of Illusion" is probably the best track, as Dave Brock's voice really carries the song through a pretty solid jam, featuring plenty of solos.  I guess this song is what I was expecting the whole album to be like.

After listening to the whole thing, I get the feeling that the band were more interested in freaking out the listener than focusing on the music.  The descending warp in "Paranoia Part 1" in particular seems designed to make the listener to panic, thinking there is something wrong with their player.  Perhaps innovative and bizarre for its time, but listening to this retroactively on a computer, it feels just tacky.  Even though there are a few decent sections, this feels like one of those "you had to be there" kind of albums.

Deep Purple - Fireball

Finally, something that isn't a debut album!  I've been slowly working my way through Deep Purple's catalog, and I can see why Mark II is so important to the band's history, as I'm finding quite a bit to like.  This one has another decent bunch of songs, but listening to this retroactively, it's hard not to feel like this is just preparation for something greater.

I think a good way to describe this album is to say that the band is coming to terms with their new sound.  While In Rock was a massive burst of power, here they are grappling and controlling that power into something more organized.  They also wander into elements of space rock here and there, exploring the dynamics of their sound.  "No No No" and "Fools" have some stark transitions between hard riffs and mellower sections, but none of it feels jarring as they make these switches with a confident ease.  "The Mule" also has this droning quality that pushes the listener into a very strange space (though I do think the version on Made In Japan is better, naturally).  Still, there's plenty of rockin', with the opening title track not wasting anyone's time with its double-kicking bass drum energy, and "No One Came" has this pulsing drive from Roger Glover that keeps things moving.  "Anyone's Daughter" is a curious attempt at a joke song, but it's hard to know how much of the band was into the idea.

This is an improvement over In Rock, as the band is a little more confident in what they're doing, not really having to prove themselves as much.  However, like I said, with Machine Head coming after this one, it's hard not to feel like this one falls short of that excellent album.  Perhaps it's unfair to do that.  In any case, they are really becoming a strong unit with some solid (if quickly written) songs, proving that the switch to Mark II was worth it for both the band and the listener.

Top 5 of 2025!!

Once again, I'm later than everyone else as I wanted to give everything I could a shot to get into this list.  I admit it's been a crazy year for me, as I wasn't as consistent at reviewing new releases as I wanted to be, while getting in over my head with the retrospective Top 5s!  Still, I think I was able to check out a solid chunk of what last year had to offer, allowing me to share my Top 5 of 2025 with some confidence!  As usual, power metal dominates the year with some very solid releases, but there are a few honorable mentions to throw in.  The Ferryman had an outside chance with Iron Will, and Helloween's Giants and Monsters ended up not quite making it, despite some very good songs.  With those out of the way, let's get into this thing!

5. Sabaton - Legends

Sabaton have really cemented themselves as a band that does their own thing, and usually does it well.  While the World War I themes were starting to wear a little thin on that last album, the band decided to not bother with a big concept album, and I think it has helped them regain some energy and squeeze themselves into this list.  It may be churlish of me to put this over the veterans Helloween, but I will take an album that's consistent all the way through than one full of highs and lows.

4. Crazy Lixx - Thrill of the Bite

The odd one out in this list, but this album made me smile all the way through!  While they aren't doing anything new or innovative, they definitely know how to make their style of throwback glam metal just dominate your speakers.  Sometimes, you just want a good, fun rock 'n' roll album, and Crazy Lixx has that in spades!

3. Primal Fear - Dominiation

Another incredibly consistent band that had a bit of a drop of lately, but seems to be returning with strength in 2025.  Perhaps their new rhythm section helped improve their execution, but Scheepers, Karlsson, and Sinner really pulled together a pretty good album this time.  Not as good as Rulebreaker, but solid enough to get onto this list.

2. Dragonknight - Legion

Certainly the sleeper of the year, I really can't find much fault with this album.  There's certainly plenty of symphonic power metal to compare this debut album to, but these guys have pulled off a well-executed album, being bombastic enough to be fun, but not losing themselves in overly complex or melodramatic songwriting.  It's just the right mix that helps it stand out over the others.

1. Majestica - Power Train

It might be silly, but I can't deny that what Tommy and his buddies have done is write probably the greatest love letter to power metal I've ever heard, not only respecting their elders but also finding a decent amount of variety in these tracks to mitigate any repetitive elements.  I think it also helps that they clearly just love doing this kind of music, and that passion is what pushes this album above the rest for 2025.

2025 Wrap Up Part Two!

I admit I'm really cutting this one close, but I wanted to make sure that my review of the year wasn't just all metal!  I've got some prog rock as well as some AOR for this one, which might be a little contradictory, but these albums are all worth checking out.  Here's what I've finally gotten around to!

exo-X-xeno - Luminous Voyage

So this is a bit of a weird one.  A few years ago, I had heard that a man named Craig Maher had put together a prog rock project that featured Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen of Yes, and Patrick Moraz, who was Yes's keyboard player for Relayer.  I admit I was moderately intrigued by that, but then I heard nothing for quite some time.  Recently, while picking through some of my spam emails, I discovered that I had signed up for their newsletter and saw that they had finally released their album last June!  So figured I had better check it out before I was finished with the year!

Listening to this is a bit of an odd experience.  The best way I'd describe the music that it's like that era of late 70s Genesis where Phil Collins has just taken over on vocals, but they haven't gone full pop yet, but then pushed through Yes's 90125 to make it more lush.  Craig Maher is not a bad singer, but I do think there are a few weak spots.  His guitar playing is quite good, though, as it's more in the melodic school of Ian Bairnson.  Billy Sherwood seems to be channeling Drama-era Chris Squire, as he has some very energetic basslines, and Schellen is right there with him on the drums.  However, Patrick Moraz feels like the weak link.  He has some good keyboard runs, but some of his synth choices are odd, and sometimes sound cheap.  "At Water's Edge" is a good example of this.  However, I think the biggest problem is the production.  While it's not bad, it does feel a little uneven.  Billy's bass might be a little too loud, and it feels like everything needs some more polish to help it feel like the instruments are working together, though I'm not smart enough to know what's missing.  I just know that it's off somehow.

The songwriting is decent enough, though.  "Vitrivian Man" is probably the best song, as it feels like they really put a lot of thought in putting that one together, "Reaching for Beyond" has some nice ideas, and "Live Life" has good energy as the closer.  I don't know if this album really makes the most of its promise, but I could see this being a decent starting point for a new prog project.  If they do more, I will certainly be curious.

Spock's Beard - The Archaeoptimist

So going from their first album to their latest is certainly quite the leap, especially since only Alan Morse and Dave Meros are the only two members who have remained.  (Though Ryo Okumoto joined shortly after the first album, making him the third longest member of the band.)  This time, the band worked with someone named Michael Whiteman, resulting in some pretty solid prog rock.

Sonically, this seems to be between Marillion and Haken, with the melodic sensibilities of the former with the creative transitions of the latter.  Despite the fact that it's all I've listened to, comparing this to their first album would be pretty unfair as they have clearly matured since then.  In fact, maturity might be the key word for this whole thing.  Nothing feels particularly excessive (for prog anyway), letting sections drift a little, but not too far.  "Invisible" is a good starter for what to expect, but I think "Electric Monk" is a little stronger as a song.  The title track is the album's 20-minute epic, telling a story about a post-apocalyptic future about a father who teaches her about the past, inspiring her to become a good leader in the future.  The closer "Next Step" is another rather optimistic number that sings about leaving the past behind, featuring some neat transitions and dynamics.

Overall, I liked a lot of it.  I don't know if I have much to say about the performances other than they're pretty solid.  Okumoto definitely plays around his synth tool box, drawing on influences ranging from Keith Emerson to Isao Tomita, but otherwise, this is some pretty good third-wave prog from a band who clearly has the experience to do it well.  I know that this is a pretty huge gap in my prog knowledge, but this album gives me hope that it will be one worth filling.

Crazy Lixx - Thrill of the Bite

Making a hard switch from prog rock to glam metal, this band has been pretty reliable lately in providing some solid, 80s-inspired hard rock, and their latest is more of the same, in the best way possible!

While there has always been a small cinematic quality in their sound, I do think this album they lean much harder into the schlocky movies of the 80s (if the album art wasn't a clue).  Nearly all the songs are about darker, edgier subjects while keeping that decade's iconic glam metal sound, feeling like a blend of Def Leppard with Ozzy's or Mötley Crüe's shock rock approach.  Of course, this is a subtle thing, as they are still rocking hard like the MTV hits that inspired them, and they rock it well.  The album kicks off with the very upbeat "Highway Hurricane," and blasts its way through to the end, with no ballads to bog things down at all!

I think the main difference that makes this band stand out compared to others in the same style is that Crazy Lixx has the right energy.  They know they're being kinda cheesy and campy, but they also love this stuff and embrace it like fans, which allows them to find the fun in what they're doing.  The production is spot on, and the band plays with so much precision and gusto, I can't help but smile through most of this album.  While I could make some nitpicks, this is definitely Crazy Lixx at their most pure, and I don't think I'd want it any other way!

W.E.T. - Apex

I can't believe it's been nearly five years since I'd heard anything from this band.  I enjoyed their last album enough that it got a spot in that year's Top 5 article.  While I'm sure these guys were busy with other bands over the years, they've come back together for another round of AOR, and once again, it's a solid set of songs.

Night Ranger comes to mind again for this band, finding that sweet spot between Journey and glam metal.  Whitesnake comes to mind as well when the band gets a little bluesy.  Henriksson provides more crunchy riffs and melodic solos, and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is joined by Eclipse's Erik Mårtensson on a few songs, making this album feel more like an Eclipse album than the last one did.  However, these are minor details as the band rocks together quite well as usual.

The album starts well with "Believer" and "This House Is On Fire," both being good uptempo rockers, "Nowhere to Run" has a nice groove, "Day By Day" is a crunchy closer with good energy, and the rest of the album carries on its melodic rock path much like the last one did.  Again, what could have been some standard AOR is bolstered by the band's passion for this kind of music, making it quite the cut above the rest.  I don't know if it will make my Top 5 for the year, but it's definitely a highlight of the previous year that I should have gotten to sooner.

Styx Retrospective!!

I believe I've mentioned that my music listening history started with my father's classic rock collection.  While the big three have remained pretty constant in my life, if there was a fourth, it would be Styx.  I remember getting into them in the mid-90s, enjoying the purple A&M compilation album my dad had.  They really were the first "hard rock" band I got into, and they've stayed with me over the years, as I've never grown tired of their unique blend of distorted guitars and theatrical ballads.  Perhaps not unique for the 70s, but still iconic in all the right ways.  This time, I decided to focus just on their studio albums, largely because I had been working on this for a few years, and I was hoping to get it out before the end of the year with their latest album.  I didn't quite succeed, as you can tell, but it's been a fun ride regardless.

2025 Wrap Up Part One!

I have to admit that I've been pretty negligent with my New Releases articles, as my Top 5 lists took up a lot more of my time than I anticipated.  However, I did want to at least go over some new albums, so I've got this handful plus one more group before I figure out my Top 5 list for 2025.  This is much more metal focused (I'll get to rock in the next one), so for now, here's what I've been headbanging to lately!

Sabaton - Legends

After completing a pair of albums based on World War I, the band decided to break away from album-long themes in favor of just writing a bunch of songs about various heroes and moments in military history, ranging from ancient Egypt to Napoleonic France, with a few trips to East Asia for good measure.  While I did find their last album to be a little lackluster, I think these topics have revived the band a little, as there are quite a few good songs here.

As for their style, it's Sabaton doing what they've been doing for nearly two decades now: bombastic heavy/power metal, though this time I did notice an increase in synthesizers (and not just orchestrations), which was interesting.  They rarely take center stage, but do feature on most of the songs, which is a little unusual for them (or maybe I hadn't noticed them before).  However, all the sounds you expect are here.  Joakim Brodén's baritone voice dominates the album, giving the lyrics plenty of gravitas, and the rest of the band stays tight to the song, as they do little beyond their  solid songwriting formula.

This time around, I really enjoyed the faster songs, like "Hordes of Khan," "Maid of Steel," and "The Duelist," though they still have some solid mid-tempo stompers with tracks "A Tiger Among Dragons" and "Crossing the Rubicon."  The rest of the tracks are decent as well, if pretty standard fare for the band.  In the end, though, it's Sabaton doing what they do best, with a bit of extra flair that I think makes it stronger than some of their other albums.

Cristiano Filippini's Flames of Heaven - Symphony of the Universe

I checked out their debut album a few years ago and found it to be pleasant, but not an amazing listen.  However, their line-up stayed together, and now they've released another bombastic batch of symphonic power metal.  Not much has changed in five years, as they still have their blend of shreddy guitars, soaring vocals, and layered keys, providing both orchestrations and 80s synths.  Once again, I thought of Rhapsody of Fire, Beast in Black, and Sonata Arctica (especially their excellent first album), and they do a good job of blending those styles together.  The lyrics remain as melodramatic as before, being both fantastical and sentimental, and there are a number of longer songs on this one, with four of them going over six minutes in length.  However, I do think the songs lean more into AOR territory than they did on the first album, but considering their sound, that isn't much of a stretch, really.

Naturally, I was drawn to the faster songs, like the opener "On the Wings of the Phoenix" and "The Power Stars," though they often had some interesting shifts for the bridge, providing a touch of prog.  From the mid-tempo songs, I think "A Flame from the Sky" is the best one, as it has some anthemic qualities.  The rest of the songs were fine, largely held together by the consistent, lush production, and the album does a better job than their debut at maintaining its energy to the end.  Not amazing, but pleasant.

The Rods - Wild Dogs Unchained

When I checked their album for 2024, it was really the first time I had given them a shot, finding it to be a solid collection of straight-ahead, no-frills metal.  However, their discography seemed to show some pretty large breaks between albums, so I was surprised to see that they'd cranked out another one so quickly!  Apparently inspired by one of their albums from the 80s, this one is just business as usual for the old veterans.

Once again, this is cruise control metal, as things mostly stay in the mid-tempo range and rock along without too much to shake things up.  There is a few more synths than just the Purple-style organs, especially on the dynamic "Tears of the Innocent," but otherwise, this just plods along, providing decent riffs and hooks to headbang along to.  The energy does pick up a little with the title track, "Time to Rock," and "Make Me a Believer," where the band comes alive, at least for a little while.  I do enjoy this band, but compared to the likes of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Accept, who are still dominating the traditional metal space these days, this band really struggles to compete.  There's nothing wrong with "rocking it old school," but aside from their retro charm and confidence, The Rods aren't really doing a whole lot that helps them stand out.

Majestica - Power Train

After Tommy Johansson left Sabaton, he turned his attention back to his own band Majestica.  Once known as ReinXeed, this band his been Tommy's personal band since the early 2000s.  Five years ago, he orchestrated a rather clever concept album, telling the story of A Christmas Carol with Christmas carols.  This time there is no concept, just a set of very fun power metal songs!

While there are obvious comparisons to recent power metal, such as Sabaton, Twilight Force, and Beast in Black, I think what makes this album work is that it draws upon the uplifting attitude and whimsy of Helloween.  Things kick off with the title track, which is such a refreshing, high-speed blast of joy.  Sure, it's a little cheesy, but the cheerful attitude is pretty infectious, and I found I was smiling through a lot of it, and that feeling carried through the rest of the album.  Some of the songs are more story-based, but they never drop the ball, carrying the same energy as the other tracks.  All of this is performed with gusto, as Tommy and his buddies are tight and majestic as ever.

I actually feel pretty bad for sleeping on this album for so long, as it came out back in February!  This feels like a love letter to power metal in general, with "Megatrue" being full of HammerFall references as the most obvious in that tone.  "No Pain, No Gain" is probably the most empowering song I've heard in a while, and "Thunder Power" is a nice blast to the face.  However, the closer "Alliance Anthem" had such strong classic-era Stratovarius vibe that I nearly jumped out of my chair listening to it!  This is going to give both Helloween and Primal Fear some serious competition when I consider my Top 5 for 2025!

Top 5 of 2020 (Revised)!!

Here we are!  Granted a little later than I wanted, as I was hoping to get through all of these Top 5's before the end of the year, but I didn't manage my time well enough.  Still, this has been an interesting Top 5 to consider, or rather, re-consider, as I put one together five years ago for this blog.  However, after relistening to everything I reviewed before and catching a bunch more for good measure, I've ended up with the same five albums (albeit in a different order)!  Apparently good albums stay good.  

Last time, I brought up Let There Be Nothing by Judicator as an honorable mention.  It's still decent, but a few others need to be mentioned, namely PWR/UP by AC/DC (which really is quite solid as an album of hard rock) and Firewind's self-titled album.  Their style of heavy/power metal seems to have grown on me a lot in the last five years.  Nevertheless, let's get into this Top 5, and talk about how these albums have faired these five years later.

5. DGM - Tragic Separation

Let's be clear: this is still a very good album.  It's in the Top 5, after all!  And it's not like I've lost any love for what the band does here.  It really came down to how the other four albums have just grown on me over time.  Admittedly, it also doesn't help that I think Endless was a better album, as they really pushed themselves on that one.  However, I still enjoy much of this album, with all of its technical riffing and melodic choruses.

4. Primal Fear - Metal Commando

Listening to this a few more times, I think I was a little unfair to this album when I first reviewed it, as there really is some pretty strong material here.  While it doesn't dethrone Rulebreaker as my favorite of theirs, this band is very consistent in quality and this album serves as another testament to their upbeat, heavy/power metal style, bolstered by Ralf's iconic, soaring vocals.

3. Iron Savior - Skycrest

I admit my thoughts on this album have not changed that much.  Iron Savior remains one of my recent favorites, and while this album isn't as good as Firestar or Kill or Get Killed, it's solid enough to maintain it's place from five years ago.  I will say that the song "Hellbreaker" has become one of my favorite songs, now, which certainly helps.

2. Lovebites - Electric Pentagram

I've mentioned it before, but I do think this is still their best album, with so many awesome, high energy power metal songs!  The album isn't perfect, as there are a few songs that I think are not as strong, but I wouldn't call them filler, either.  As I've gotten more into this band in the last five years, they really are a gem, especially in a time where I feel like power metal has been drifting into this farcical territory that I'm not fond of.  These women keep the fire for great power metal burning!

1. Sorcerer - Lamenting of the Innocent

This album.  I was blown away when I first heard it, and it has only gotten better.  Practically a musical steamroller, the album just flattens listeners with it's incredible atmosphere, bolstered by excellent riff after excellent riff.  Not since Paragon's Controlled Demolition has an album grown on me so much!  Now that I've listened to all of Sorcerer's albums, I'm confident that this is their best, and I look forward to whatever they do next, as I really do like their style of doom metal.  These guys definitely had the best album of 2020.