New Releases - December 2024 Part Two!

Yup, I'm still catching up on stuff, this time in the realms of AOR and melodic rock.  This is a genre I should be better at covering, but when this stuff is good, it occupies a fun, uplifting vibe in the rock space that isn't easily found elsewhere.  What I've got here are four albums that provide some interesting variety within the genre, but they all are worth listening to, for one reason or another.

Find Me - Nightbound

When I reviewed their third album, I felt that they had leaned pretty hard into the synths, and while I skipped their fourth album (an act of negligence I will likely fix in the future), here on their fifth, the guitars are very much forward this time around.  Otherwise, this is more solid melodic rock that catches the right balance between big and sentimental.

Once again, we're very much in Journey territory, with synthesizers on loan from Asia, and if there's a touch of Survivor in there, it's because they got Jim Peterik to help write some of the songs.  Robbie LaBlanc soars over the songs with confidence, Andi Kravljaca gives the songs plenty of classic shreddy solos, Daniel Flores provides the right ambience with his sythesizers, and the rest of the band is on point in giving them that classic 80s tone that makes these songs sound so big.  Things start well with the opener "Never Be Alone," which has some good energy, and that uplifting charge carries on with "Can't Wait Here Anymore," "Love Always Finds A Way," "Speechless," and the closer "The Time Has Come."  The title track takes things a little darker, and "I See You in Everyone" and "Distant Lovers" are full of cinematic sentimentality.

There is one problem, and it's the production.  While everything is pretty clear and easy to follow, something about it makes the songs feel narrow, like they're confined or compressed in a way that doesn't quite match the epicness I was expecting.  Once you're into the album, it's not a deal breaker, but part of me thinks the album would have been better if they could expand the soundscape of the songs.  Still, there is plenty of classic, energetic rocking, I enjoyed a lot of this album, and it's likely to be one of the best of the year for AOR.

FM - Old Habits Die Hard

Now that I've been becoming more aware of what's in the AOR space, this is definitely a band that comes up a lot.  Starting in the 80s, they had a few minor hits before breaking up in the mid 90s.  Then, starting back up in 2007, they've apparently been pretty consistent with releasing albums of melodic rock.  I don't know if this was a good place to start with them, but based on this, they rock like it's 1981.

While most AOR bands borrow from Journey, these guys glean quite a bit from Foreigner instead, sitting in a spot between cool and uplifting.  Despite not knowing this band before, I can tell that Steve Overland's voice has aged well, and Jim Kirkpatrick's solos have this ease to them that make me think of guitarists like Ian Bairnson or Steve Lukather.  Overall, it's a pretty laidback affair, with most songs settling into a mid-tempo groove, with the subtle use of acoustic guitars and 80s synths establishing a cozy, yacht-rock tone.

I admit I'm not completely sold on the band, as I prefer my rock to have more energy than this, but I could see this growing on me as it does capture a pleasant mood that few bands are able to do.  At the very least, I'm curious to go listen to their earlier albums to see what (if anything) has changed over the years.  The album doesn't blow me away but sits well with the rest of the stuff in the article.

Lionville - Supernatural

Looking at my previous reviews of this band's works, it's hard to say if this band has really done anything great, but rather maintained a strong consistency in their style.  Once again, they offer typical 80s rocking, with some appropriate synth ambience here and there. It's all written and performed competently, and fans of AOR will find plenty to like.  Compared to the others on this article, it's like they've found a comfort zone between Find Me's energy and FM's soft rock groove.

So is there anything that really stands out?  The title track, "Breakaway," and "The Storm" have some good energy, powered by some well-arranged synth choices.  However, much like FM, this is very much about capturing a very nostalgic and sentimental atmosphere.  Lionville's strength lies mostly in their production and soundscape, making each song feel like a melodramatic movie scene.  In the end, there aren't any surprises, but it's another solid collection of melodic rock from a band with a good track record for it.

Eclipse - Megalomanium II

While I thought their last album had some decent stuff, it was still a bit clunky, especially at the start, so making a sequel seemed like a weird decision to me.  Still, they insist on pushing through with another chunk of uptempo rockers.  This is another band I should probably dig into their earlier records to really get a feel for how they've evolved over the years.

As for this one, they're still crossing over into alternative rock, with "All I Want" sounding like pop punk, but in all honesty, it feels like they're taking anything that rocks and making it work for them.  The album starts well with "Apocalypse Blues," and much of the album is about grappling with desperation of all kinds.  "Divide & Conquer" is another stand out with its stomping drive, "One in a Million" has some darker vibes that make me think of 90's Metallica (in a good way), and "The Spark" probably has the best chorus for singing along with the band.  I think the biggest improvement though is that they added much more heft on the guitars, making them really chug.  While there's still plenty of energetic songwriting and playing on display, it's not quite as strong as Paradigm, but I do think it's better than the first Megalomanium.  For now, it's a solid entry, with a lot of momentum that pushes it above the pack.

Last Played - 2023 Roundup!

Here's the problem: there are too many albums I want to listen to, and not enough time to listen to them all.  Maybe if this were a full-time job, I could do it, but I'm definitely not to that level at all.  Still, I wanted to at least give some time to all things I listened to, even if it wasn't as much attention as the albums in my regular Last Played articles, so here are a bunch of mini-reviews.  To be honest, it's a lot of bands carrying on their sound, resulting in a lot of albums that were good, but not amazing.  Here's the rest of what I listened to for 2023!

Vega - Battlelines

Vega has been an interesting band to follow.  I started with Only Human, which I loved for it's cheesy 80s anthemic rocking.  Grit Your Teeth saw the band keep their style but loosen up in a good way.  However, Anarchy and Unity felt like a shift into more 90s or 2000s alternative rock.  It wasn't bad, but certainly different.  So how is Battlelines?  It's pretty similar to Grit Your Teeth, honestly.  The production isn't as thick as it was on Only Human, but otherwise, it's another solid set of melodic hard rock.  The opener "Heroes and Zeroes," and "Embrace the Grey" have some good energy in particular.

DGM - Life

This is one I wish I could have given more time, as their last album was my number one choice for 2020.  However, it's hard to deny that Life isn't more of the same as what was on Tragic Separation.  Of course, this means more chunky, syncopated riffing in the guitars, more catchy, AOR-style choruses, and more great soaring vocals from Mark Basile.  This is clear from the beginning as they start with their lead single, and the rest of the tracks carry on just like that.  Sure, they shake it up here and there with some clean piano or an a cappella section, and they throw on some appropriate synths for "Neuromancer," but otherwise, they remain pretty consistent.  Unfortunately, there wasn't much that stood out compared to what I've heard them do before.

Sorcerer - Reign of the Reaper

After Lamenting of the Innocence blew me away a few years ago, I knew I had to keep an eye out for what Sorcerer would do next.  Once again, we are back into the weird blend of big doomy riffs and melodic shredding solos.  This time, I feel like there's an increase in classic metal (which maybe isn't a surprise after doing an EP of covers during the lockdown).  I continually got vibes of Judas Priest, Saxon, and Rainbow, which were blended very well into their wall-of-sound approach to doom.  Anders Engberg soars over everything, and Kristian Niemann and Peter Hallgren bring another excellent set of heavy riffs and shreddy solos.  If there is a difference, I feel like the songs are more uplifting and heroic.  It's not something across the album, but I did pick up on it here and there, and I found it pretty refreshing, actually.  While I don't think it's quite as good as Lamenting, it's about on par with The Crowning of the Fire King and is another solid release from a band who clearly has their own stamp on the epic doom genre.

Final Strike - Finding Pieces

This is the new project by Christian Eriksson, formerly of NorthTale and Twilight Force.  Bringing along a few mates from NorthTale, this group sets out to do power metal in a very classic way.  I know I enjoyed two of their singles, and I'm hearing everything from Helloween, Gamma Ray, and Edguy to even bits of Hammerfall and Stratovarius.  Eriksson sounds solid, and the guitarwork by Martin Floberg is full of noodly shredding and uptempo riffing.  While they do change things up, occasionally having a mid-tempo stomper, it's mostly high speed, double-bass-kicking anthems.  "Finding Pieces" and "Freedom" remain as good songs, and I also enjoyed the closer "Turn of the Tide."  However, this year has had some excellent power metal, so I will have to give it a few more listens to decide how well it stacks with the competition.

Eclipse - Megalomanium

Eclipse makes no major changes, but why fix what isn't broken?  While Paradigm remains my favorite of theirs, this is another solid set of rock songs, though they have pushed more in an anthemic direction (if a song simply named "Anthem" wasn't a clue already!).  However, in an effort to sound big, I think they've lost some of the meat, especially since the opening tracks do feel a little lackluster.  They even lean into pop punk a little with songs like "Got It" and "The Broken."  However, things pick up with "Children of the Night," starting with a riff that could have come from Bark at the Moon, and the second half of the album gets back into some solid rocking.  Overall, they haven't fallen into a slump as they continue to provide good, energetic tunes.

Tanith - Voyage

After enjoying two of the singles, this album is certainly a solid follow-up to their debut, carrying on their Thin-Lizzy-meets-Blue-Oyster-Cult style of rock.  However, some of Russ Tippins' NWOBHM background has slipped in, as I sometimes thought of Iron Maiden's Killers, with some galloping guitar rhythms.  Still, their of 70s fantasy lyrics powered by cosmic descriptions still makes them feel like something from another time.  Tippins provides plenty of old-school fretwork on his guitar, and Cindy Maynard continues her role of vocal counter point, though this album has a lot more of them singing together.  While a few songs get into some proggy or atmospheric sections, most of the album has a lot of solid, straight-on rock, making for a pretty consistent listen.  I don't know if this is better or worse than their debut, as it's close, but this certainly confirms what they started, making them a pretty unique band in the current rock music landscape.

Last Played - December 2021 Part Two!

Round two of 2021 catch-up!  Some of these bands I haven't really talked about much this year, but some have definitely been lighting up my New Video articles.  With a good split of epic power metal and 80s hard rock, it's been a lot of fun to listen to these!  Here's what I've checked out this time.

Rhapsody of Fire - Glory for Salvation

While I did check out the singles for this album, none of them really excited me enough to share them in my articles.  However, I'm always intrigued by a story, and this band is continuing on with their Nephilim's Empire Saga from their last album.  They also continue their well-established style of symphonic power metal, full of bombast and epicness.

The story picks up with Kreel, a thrall of the evil gods known as the Nephilim, going about doing their bidding and maintaining their tyranny.  After killing a holy prophet and falling in love with his next target, a desert enchantress, he decides to defy his evil lord, but the lord kills the enchantress in retaliation, inspiring Kreel to start fighting back.  I'm assuming the next album will focus on the epic showdown as Kreel takes on his former master.  It's not much of a story, but as always with these things, it's an opportunity to hang some power metal on all the angst and melodrama.

As for the music, it's pretty typical stuff for Rhapsody of Fire.  Plenty of orchestrations to back up Giacomo Voli's vocals and the noodly guitars.  The album does start with some darker, heavier material, culminating with the 10-minute "Abyss of Pain II," before switching to a more upbeat tone for the rest of the songs, which matches the story.  While I've always kind of struggled with Rhapsody of Fire's style, I did feel this one was more on the accessible side than some of their others.  As for stand out tracks, "Terial the Hawk" moves into folk metal territory, "Son of Vengeance" and "Chains of Destiny" were solid power metal songs, and "Abyss of Pain II" is certainly epic, if a bit too long.  Fans of the band will find plenty to like, but outside of that, it's standard story-driven power metal.

Night Ranger - ATBPO

With all these new bands playing in older styles, it's nice to see some of the originals still kicking it.  Night Ranger has always been one of those bands that I consider pretty solid from the 80s, but I've never dug too deep into their catalog.  I did enjoy their last album, though, and here they are back with another set of decent, if predictable, melodic hard rock.

Fans will probably find this to be more of the same from a band who's style was set nearly from the get-go.  The album itself has an interesting flow, as it starts with a lot of energy, gets a little slower in the middle with those ballads, and then finishes with some bigger sounding songs.  Overall, there are some solid rock riffs, nice melodies, decent guitar solos, and a great vocal performance from Jack Blades.  I liked "Coming for You" and "Breakout," as they start the album well.  "Monkey" was a curious stand-out as well, with a bit of a heavier riff than the rest of the tracks.

It's always tough for some of these bands, as it can feel like their best years are behind them.  Rarely, a band can put out a great album later in their career, long after the spotlight has moved on from their style of music.  As a result, some of these later albums, such as this one, come across as a little safe.  Maybe they'll play a song or two when they tour, but otherwise, a lot of this might be forgotten.  That doesn't mean this album is necessarily bad; I definitely like what I heard.  But in the end, this is probably not one many will come back to frequently.

Eclipse - Wired

Speaking of those newer bands playing older styles, Eclipse hit my radar with their last album Paradigm.  I had heard a few singles and liked what I heard, but it wasn't until I heard the album that I was really impressed by them.  Just solid hard rock from beginning to end.  So when I saw more singles from them announcing a new album, I was definitely excited.  Now that I've finally sat down for this one, I can say that it's a solid follow-up, if not quite as strong.

The basics are certainly still here.  The riffs really rock, and the vocals really soar, making for a lot of anthemic stompers and ensuring that the album retains much of the energy and fun of the previous album.  Even the ballads get into it, often starting in somber, acoustic guitar territory before hitting with a big distorted riff out of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playbook.  However, some of the tracks do feel a little pedestrian at times, and the album doesn't really move much from a mid-tempo pace.

That being said, those are pretty small nitpicks, and any one looking for some solid, wall-of-sound hard rock will find plenty to like.  "Roses on Your Grave" has a bit of a classic Def Leppard vibe, "Saturday Night (Hallelujah)" is a party by itself, "Twilight" is very epic with its added touch of Beethoven, and "Bite the Bullet" has some great, crunchy riffs and an interesting, ominous slide-guitar solo that builds to some more epicness.  I think some of my excitement for this band has been tempered by this album, but I feel I can continue to expect great things from these Swedes.  I should probably dig into their back catalog as well, as I know they've got plenty of albums behind them!

Brainstorm - Wall of Skulls

Brainstorm is a band I was somewhat aware of.  I had listened to their 2011 album On the Spur of the Moment and found it to be some decent heavy/power metal that's typical from Germany.  However, as 2021 got going, Brainstorm suddenly hit with a number of singles that really got my attention!  Now that I'm catching up, this was an album I was definitely looking forward to!

Once the instrumental intro builds up, the album kicks off with tons of power and the rest of the songs do a decent job of maintaining that level of intensity.  The riffs are heavy, but they're also pretty catchy, and the solos are very tight and melodic.  However, the drumming by Dieter Bernert really nails the driving, epic vibe with his fierce double-kicking power.  Overall, this is some pretty gritty power metal, much in the vein of bands like Primal Fear, Metalium, and Bloodbound.

Not every track is a winner, as a few just seem to jog in place, but they're still decent.  Nothing really brings the album down.  The songwriting is especially tight, with no real frills or extensions, just straight-forward power metal.  "Where Ravens Fly" is a great high flying starter, "Escape the Silence" has some seriously pounding drumming, and "My Dystopia" is another fast one that really stood out to me as above the pack.  As for the mid-tempo songs, "Turn Off the Light" and "Glory Disappears" were pretty enjoyable to hear again.  "Stigmatized (Shadows Fall)" had an unexpected bit of groove, surrounded by some interesting 12/8 riffing.

The end of the album kinda tapers off in energy, but doesn't completely lose its steam.  To be honest, this album might be in my Top 5 for this year.  I knew it will be tough to decide what those five will be, and this album has definitely made it tougher!  This is some solid, crunchy, epic music and worth a look from any power metal fan who likes it on the heavy side but somehow hasn't picked this up.

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Alright, I think I've got one more article to pull together before I'm caught up with all I want to hear.  I'm certain that I've listen listened to more current-year albums this year than I have ever before!  Still, when it's all this solid, I can't complain, or at least I shouldn't, right?  Well, onto the last batch!  Until then, rock on!  \m/

New Videos - August 2021 Part Two!

Sorry for the delay on this one, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for the last article of August.  Eventually, this one won out, mostly by the fact that it got done first.  In any case, there's plenty to check out, mostly power metal.  Turn it up!

I'm always surprised by how many new bands just keep coming out with new stuff, but I guess these guys have been kicking around Sweden for more than a few years, now.  I don't know if having those pulsing bass synths is normal, but it does push this metal track to the next level of epic, sitting next to the likes of Beast in Black and Primal Fear in style.

While the band is doing some more cross-promotion with a video game, I can't deny Sabaton can still put out fun stuff.  Going back to their well-tread ground of tanks (get it?), they offer another catchy, upbeat stomper.  I kinda wish the music wasn't drowned out by the explosions and tankfire, though.

Speaking of reliable bands, Eclipse keeps bringing the rock!  They seem to have really mastered writing these massive, anthemic, upbeat rockers (this time with a little Beethoven).  Their last album had a bunch of them, and it seems this next one won't be any different.  Incredible stuff.

Rage is another band that's a gap for me.  These German metallers have been going since the 80s, and are often cited for being a part of the early shift into power metal.  However, here, we have something that's more like melodic thrash, making me think of bands like Metal Church and Savage Messiah.  Huge, crunchy riffs, and plenty of energy prove that the band leader Peavy hasn't slowed down.

Hey, remember these guys?  I still never got around to their debut album, but this new video they threw together serves as a good reminder for me to get back to them.  Full of neo-classical energy a la Stratovarius, these guys had some great power metal chops.

Metalium has actually been broken up for nearly 10 years now, but when their founded and bassist Lars Ratz passed away, the remaining members got together to write this song in tribute to him.  To be expected, it's a pretty solid power metal track that balances the crunch with the epic.  I know I'd like to hear them come back, but for now, this is a nice tribute to one of the underdogs of metal.

New Videos - July 2021!

Sorry for the delay on more articles.  I guess the heat (along with a bunch of smoky haze) really ruined my motivation to get these done.  Still, I was eventually able to find some pretty awesome stuff, pulling this collection of great songs together!

Despite being a big post-grunge fan, Tantric isn't a band I'm very familiar with.  However, they seem to be carrying on pretty well, if this solid track is anything to go by.  Kind of standard for the genre, but it crunchy and has a solid chorus.

After listening to their last album, Paradigm, these guys are at the top of my AOR/Hard Rock watchlist now, and it looks like they have a new album coming soon.  This single is more of the same: straight-forward anthemic rock, with tons of energy.  Definitely looking forward to this!

Here's another barn-burner from Brainstorm.  I know I've listened to this band before, but I remember thinking they were just okay, but stuff is great!  Full of epicness and high speed crunch, their upcoming album is starting to sound like a must-hear for 2021!

Vega is just so good!  Their music always seems to have a lot of energy, and this one is no different.  Just another great, stomping straight-ahead rock song.  I mostly can't believe they're putting out another album already.  I feel like I can barely keep up with these guys!

Despite the ridiculous name, this is another side project that involves a few Yes folks, with singer/guitarist Craig Maher (who I've never heard of before).  They released one single before this one, which I found lackluster, but this one is definitely better, featuring a lot of Yes-isms, if you will.  There's certainly some promise here, but we'll have to see if a full album comes out of this (no announcements from them yet).

I admit I don't know anything about Flostam and Jetsam beyond the fact that's where Metallica got Jason Newstead, and I'm wondering if I've missed an interesting band.  This is some melodic thrash, much in the vein of Metal Church, but much more uptempo, as they really tear this one up!

Last Played - October 2020!

Oh, look!  Another Last Played!  I can't believe its October already.  I need to get cracking on those new releases.  In the meantime, here is some stuff I've listened to lately.  Lots of straight-forward, fight-pumping rock!

Accept - I'm a Rebel

Despite being familiar with their sound and history, I haven't really listened to many of Accept's albums.  While I'm way past my 1980 anniversary article, I felt like giving this a shot anyway.  At first, it's obvious that the band doesn't quite have their iconic sound, but it's still a decent chunk of rock, sitting comfortably between AC/DC and NWOBHM, with a dash of disco.

I'm not kidding.  Both "Save Us" and "I Wanna Be No Hero" have this disco beat, with the bouncy bass lines.  I'm guessing it's an attempt to capture the success of Kiss's "I Was Made For Lovin' You," and they're not as bad as you'd think.  Another curious factor is, despite having the iconic Udo Dirkschneider (even this early, his voice has a lot of charisma), they have two songs sung by the bassist Peter Baltes.  He's not bad, in fact, though he's given the acoustic ballads, which end up being just okay.

The main impression is a band being pressured for a more mainstream sound, but the result is a pretty forgettable album, though Wolf Hoffmann does have some solid solos on here.  Even the title track, which happens to be a song written for AC/DC (they recorded it but never released it), feels lackluster.  Only "Do It" sounds like the kind of metal the band would later be famous for.  Still, it's fun while it's on, if nothing else.

AC/DC - Rock or Bust

Speaking of AC/DC: there's news breaking about a new album coming from the Australian rock masters.  As I was going over those details, I realized that I hadn't listened to their last album, Rock or Bust.  I know I rather liked a lot of Black Ice, as I felt the band captured their classic style very well, so I was curious to see how much of that carried over, despite the six year gap.

Of course, the band has a sound as regular as the tide: straight-forward blues rock designed to be as distilled and toe-tapping as possible, and this one is no different.  If there is any distinction, Rock or Bust is shorter than any of their other albums, and that Malcolm Young didn't perform on it, as he had retired due to his health.  However, he gets plenty of song-writing credit, as he was working on these songs with Angus while they were touring. The band decided to have his nephew Stevie take over on rhythm guitar.  However, I don't think I can really tell a difference.  With stuff this simple, it's more about the song-writing anyway.

Like I mentioned when I reviewed Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, there may not be much point in reviewing an AC/DC album.  There certainly are some catchy songs, like "Rock or Bust," "Baptism by Fire," and "Sweet Candy" that have the punchiness of Black Ice, and "Dogs of War" is nice, gritty take on their style.  As for the rest, it's pretty standard stuff, but not really their strongest effort.  As expected, it's solid rock that shows the band isn't quite out of gas yet, and here's hoping that their next one proves the same.

Eclipse - Paradigm

I can't believe it took this long to get this album.  I was excited for this nearly a year ago.  Still, better late than never, I guess.  What we have here is some really great hard rock, built off of the 80s AOR mold, but isn't afraid to get metal in the riffing from to time.

The first thing I noticed was the production which gives the songs a ton of punch.  They all sound massive, and beg to be turned up.  The band is all on point, with vocalist Erik Mårtensson really giving his all on these songs, carried by the massive riffs and rhythms backing him up.  While I knew that "Viva La Victoria," "Mary Leigh," and "Delirious," were solid songs, but I didn't expect the rest of the album to be just as good!  The album just has this driving energy all the way through.  Even the slower songs like "Shelter Me," "When the Winter Ends," and "Take Me Home" rock pretty hard.  I also want to point out "United," "The Masquerade" as highlights.

Seriously, this could have been a Top 5 contender for 2019.  I had a blast listening to this, and I'm sure I'll be listening to it more, as well as digging into this band's discography.  If their albums are even half as good as this, it will be worthwhile.  Quality hard rock from top to bottom.

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Well, that was some pretty fun stuff.  Like I said earlier, I'm planning on hitting the 2020 releases here at the end so look forward to that.  In the meantime, I hope you are all staying safe and well.  Until next time, rock on! \m/

New Videos - March 2020!

Let's kick this month off with a bang!  Got a lot of big songs, this time around, full of epicness, power, and glory!  Check them out!

We're starting off heavy this time with Mystic Prophecy giving us a dire piece of post-apocalyptic power metal.  The riffs are crunchy, the vocals soar, and the drums pound away like it's the end of the world!  (Heh.)

Eclipse just keeps making great songs that rock hard along with their melodies!  Apparently, I need to go back and just listen to their whole album.  If it has this many great songs, already, it's probably a winner, right?!

Noveria just keeps chugging away, making for some epic progressive metal.  Between the huge riffs, the synthy solos, and dynamic shifts, they really take you on a journey in such a short song, and it's great all the way through!

Never heard of these guys before, but all it took was this one song to decide to post it.  Add a touch of country to a thick post-grunge sound very reminiscent of Nickelback (which is not a bad thing, in my book!).  Balancing hard rock riffs with acoustic touches, this is a band I'll have to keep an out for in the future.

Yup, more Archon Angel!  Full of big riffs, orchestral sweeps, and Zak's huge voice, this one is simply epic!  While it definitely stands on the shoulders of Savatage and TSO, Archon Angel proves they have it where it counts.  I should probably get around to the whole album, now that it's out, huh?

Let's finish with another piece from this exciting Allen/Olzen project.  We get Russell Allen doing the vocals solo for this song (I think), but it remains a solid piece of symphonic metal, full of drama and solid melodies, nonetheless!  Excellent song from start to finish!

New Videos - November 2019 Part Two!

As the days get cooler and the dog days of Summer become memory, rock and metal and continues on!  A lot of fun stuff in this list, so turn up the volume and check this stuff out!

When you get a former Nightwish singer and a former Sonata Arctica guitarist teaming up, you know you're getting some very epic, melodic metal!  With the symphonic flourishes being supported by some pulsing synths, this is some anthemic stuff!

Now this is some great AOR!  Work of Art really rocks this one out, bringing a nice balance of synths and guitar to go along with the uplifting tone and lyrics.  A lot of fun!

Another Eclipse track that just sounds huge and rocks right along!  Sitting right in that pop metal sound between Def Leppard and Crazy Lixx, this is some fist-pumping, arena-filling magic here, and blast to listen to!

I think I've since proven that I'm not afraid of getting silly sometimes, and this video is rock silliness personified!  A curious mashup with glam metal band Kissin' Dynamite and the rockabilly outfit The Baseballs, you can tell they had a lot of fun with this one.

Getting back into more dramatic stuff, Diviner just continues to rock my face off!  While this starts off as an acoustic ballad, that just sets up the epicness to come.  Again, Yiannis's vocals are right on point, matching the scale of the huge guitars.  Great stuff!

Another single from Those Damn Crows, and it's more uptempo post-grunge!  I love the energy in this one has, while still being pretty catchy and melodic.  Something tells me I'm gonna like this album once it releases.

New Videos - November 2019!

Well, I'm hoping to finish the year strong, so I'm going to try and put out more stuff in the next two months.  I hope I haven't jinxed myself!  Anyways, here's some of the new stuff I've been enjoying lately.

Kind of picking up from where we left of last time, here's more power metal!  This trades in speed for a more epic scope, adding in some pulsing synths for that extra layer.  Definitely slick, catchy, and a lot of fun!

Eclipse seems to be riding the line between melodic metal and hard rock, and it's some very solid, anthemic stuff!  Balancing softer verses with harder choruses and some nice riffage in-between, this will put your fist in the air in no time at all!

NEW YES MUSIC!!  This is the first new material we've had in 5 years.  Now, as it turns out, this is part of an EP of material written and recorded around 2010, so it's Benoit David singing.  Honestly, though, this sounds pretty good, and if the rest is just as solid, I can't wait to get my hands on the rest!

Covers are always a risky thing.  Sometimes they can fall pretty flat, but this is a very solid take on a song from a classic AOR band.  Perfect Plan maintain the classic 80s sound while bringing it up to date sonically.  Nice work!

Vanden Plas!  When I first came across these guys, I considered them a kind of "Dream Theater-lite" (not in a bad way!), but over time, I've been able to really get a feel for their iconic prog metal sound, and nothing has really changed with their new material.  Big, melodic, and a blast to listen to!

One more piece of metal from Moonlight Haze, this one really mixes the genres.  It's a bit proggy, very symphonic, a dash of power metal, and some synths for good measure, but it all sounds great together!  Tying it all together is some great melodies and very strong vocals!