New Videos - March 2021 Part Two!

Oh, look!  More videos!  Got a bunch of great stuff here, and once again, a little bit of everything.  There's just a lot to look forward to, and catch up on, this year!  Let's get into it!

I know I'm a bit behind on this one, but I can see what everyone was talking about.  Definitely a different tone from our "Party Hard" hero.  Still, despite the dramatic approach, it's over-the-top in a way only Andrew W.K. can provide.  I don't know if this is a new direction or just a one of song, but I can't deny it has a lot of rocking power in it.

Despite a major lineup change, Frozen Crown sound as good as ever.  Of course, with vocals like Giada Etro's, you'd want to keep a band around her!  It might not be anything particularly new, but when it's played this well, I can't complain.  Nice solo work from new member Fabiola Bellomo as well!

The more I hear these guys, the more impressed I am.  This one has a more uplifting vibe, while being completely technical out the wazoo!  The run at about 2/3rds of the way in is incredible, with Petrucci and Rudress playing together so tightly!  Definitely masters at work here!

Another modern pop metal from Sweden, I guess these guys have been around for a while and are making a comeback. They have a gritter approach to their sound, with some chunky riffs, but they keep the anthemic chorus and noodly solos you'd expect.  Solid stuff!

Here's another one from W.E.T.!  While they're clearly building off of the 80s AOR template, I feel like they've really pushed it further than just homage.  Maybe it's just a production thing, but this feels pretty fresh to me.  I really need to listen to more of these guys.

Yep, back to the Italian Prog Metal.  Like the other one of theirs I shared, this one is more on the melodic side, like a fusion of power and prog metal.  I'm not complaining, though!  Very epic stuff, especially with the double-kicking drums and "Ramon" Messina coming back to do vocals.

New Videos - February 2021!

Alright.  Time to get back into it!  After a quiet-ish January, I'm ready to start checking out some new stuff again.  I've got a good mix of rock and metal this time, so turn them up!

So Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood, and Jay Schellen of the current Yes lineup decided to start their own side project during all the lockdown, grabbing Jimmy Haun (who has done studio guitar work on previous Yes albums) and keyboardist Dave Kerzner, best known for Sound of Contact and In Continuum, resulting in a curious mix of prog and AOR.  Their first single was rather mediocre, but this is stronger material.  I can also hear Billy's iconic production on things, so I'm quite optimistic for this.

And Evergrey is back with their emotionally driven prog metal.  I like the little touches on this one, like the symphonic keys in the background.  Also a solid solo.  One of these days, I'll get into this band more, but until then, here's their latest single.

I can't believe I still haven't gotten around to these guys.  They're having a bit of a shake-up in their lineup, but if they keep making consistent power metal, I'll still be interested.  I'll admit this song might be a bit on the generic side, but it works as a foundation for Giada's great vocals, which is definitely the star for this piece.

Hey, another one from these guys!  This one might be better than the last one of theirs I shared.  It seems to have all the 80s metal cliches, from anthemic parts to chunky riffs to gritty thrashing, and everything in between.  Just gritty enough to make you think it's 1982 again, and I wasn't even alive back then!

Another returning artists!  Simulacrum really do have my attention.  Soaring vocals over some very technical riffing and drumming.  Like DGM and Symphony X, but about 20% more complex and chunky.  I'm definitely looking forward to their new album.

Let's end on some epic, cheesy power metal.  Bloodbound is probably a band that runs under the radar a little, compared to the bigger names in the genre, but they do have a solid grasp on the fundamentals and let them ring.  Anthemic choruses, melodic riffs, soaring vocals, they have it down and this track is just another example of their expertise.

New Videos - December 2019!

Well, one month left, and a lot of rock and metal to cover!  I'm hoping I can put out as many articles as I did in November (that was a productive month!), so that I'll have a lot of momentum when the new year starts!  In the mean time, here's some new stuff I've come across lately!

More power metal?  Yeah, I know, but I can't help it!  Especially when it sounds like 90s Stratovarius or Edguy!  Full of high-speed riffing and melodies, Frozen Crown is pure epicness!

A team-up of a bunch of AOR guys, we got a nice, hard rockin' song that seems to fit just between rock and metal.  I admit W.E.T. is another new one for me, but I guess they've been making albums for a few years, and if it all rocks like this, I'm gonna have to do some digging!

More of The Ferrymen!  Here we have a real melodic cruncher with some lightning fast solos to spice it up.  Along the way, Ronnie Romero provides his epic vocals that push this song that much further.  Turn this one up!

Another great piece of melodic metal from Nordic Union!  Ronnie Atkins is just as epic as Romero (and has been for much longer!), and the guitars just crunch right along with him.  Great stuff from these guys once again!

Going for more of a folky style of symphonic power metal is Cathubodua, this is the right mix of crunchy guitars, orchestral sweeps, and epic female vocals!  Perhaps a bit melodramatic, but this is definitely for those who miss the classic Nightwish sound, like myself.

Let's finish with something fun!  GloryHammer is a band that's been around for a while, providing some of the cheesiest power metal this side of 1992 (it's complicated).  While their songs can be quite over-the-top and silly, this one doesn't go too far into weirdness territory, making for some pretty solid metal.

New Videos - April 2019 Part 3!

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!