New Videos - May 2022!

End of the month means it's time for another batch of videos!  I think there's a lot of great stuff here, mostly metal, but there is some rock in there for good measure.  There's certainly a lot of stuff to look forward to this year, that's for sure.  Check these out and see if you agree!

Another champion of the melodic prog metal style, Seventh Wonder's new single is pretty standard for the style, but it works!  Tommy's vocals remain expressive, the band show some dynamic playing and songwriting, and it's even a bit catchy!  I'll have to find some time to catch up on more of their stuff!

Yet another track from new symphonic metal band Shield of Wings.  I really like their sense of scale with their songs, making me think of Antti Martikainen in a way.  They also use some harsh vocals (from the keyboardist, I believe), but they're mostly in the background to add a bit of extra spice, which is interesting.

I featured this band back in November, and it's taken this long to get to their next song, and I enjoy this one as much as the last one.  I got Twilightning vibes from this track this time, but that's a good thing.  It just means that this is some solid power metal I'll need to take the time to check out.

After a three year gap, Tobias Sammet is back with another Avantasia album, and for the lead single, he's tapped into the incredible Ralf Scheepers to join him on vocals.  While there are some of the typical symphonic flourishes one expects, this song mostly stays in the heavy/power style that fits Scheepers like a glove.

After some controversy and a new singer, GloryHammer carries on their quest to be the cheesiest power metal band in the world.  While they may still have their tongues becoming permanent residents in their cheeks, I can't deny they still have a knack for some catchy melodies and epic vocals, and newcomer Sozos Michael seems to be fitting right in.

While GloryHammer continue crafting their own stories, Blind Guardian has once again found another novel to inspire new epic tunes of their own.  Building off of the book American Gods by Neil Gaiman, Kürsch and company have crafted yet another bomastic epic, with some pretty solid guitar solos.  Perhaps nothing new, but when they do it this well, I can't complain.

Good heavens, Moonlight Haze has been prolific.  Once again, they're back with their catchy symphonic metal, featuring quite the flurry of notes to kick this one off.  This really does have a lot of good, uplifting energy, with some great singing by Chiara Tricarico.

Harry Hess is back with more First Signal, and this track has some great rocking energy.  Great use of layers for something really driving and anthemic.  I know AOR can get a little samey, but I think this is a great example of how to make this genre really stand out. 

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!

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!

New Videos - June 2019 Part 2!

Man, I can't believe we're already half-way over with 2019!  Where did the months go?  The time probably flew by from listening to all this great new rock music!  Here's a bunch more!

Billy Sherwood is better known these days as the replacement bassist in both Yes and Asia, but he is also a good songwriter.  When Yes brought him on for the Open Your Eyes album, it definitely had his stamp all over it, one that I find I quite enjoy, and with this song, it's nice to hear more of it.

Starbreaker come together with an epic pop metal anthem here.  With a massive wall of sound, and a chorus that gets stuck in your head, it's a solid piece of work.  Tony Harnell really gets dramatic on this one, and he sounds great!  

I'm racking my brain to remember if I knew about this band or not.  Essentially a sequel to Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders carry on a unique folk/hard rock sound, and this song really shows it!  Full of character and vibe that doesn't come easily these days.

Oh, look, it's Diviner again.  Seriously, this album sounds amazing with all the songs they've released for it.  This is just another slab of excellent, epic heavy metal, full of great riffs with Yiannis's vocals soaring over it all! 

Visionatica is a new symphonic metal band, and while they may not break the mold much, this is still very epic stuff.  The lyrics are a little clunky, but Amara Avodem sings with bravado and clarity, backed by some solid riffs and orchestration.  

Let's finish off with another piece of epic symphonic metal.  Singer Chiara Tricarico has a bit more attitude on this one, but it's backed by some awesome power metal drumming and more epic riffs than one song deserves.  Great stuff!

New Videos - May 2019!

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!