New Videos - June 2021!

Still dealing with the heat, but I'm catching up on the latest videos.  This one is a bit back and forth between rock and metal, but it's all great, I promise!  These songs really demand to be turned up all the way!

Starting off with another great rocker from Big City.  This one is a little darker, a little more dramatic, and features some slide-guitar for one of the bridges (and the other solo is pretty tasty, as well).  While it's still within the pop metal wheelhouse, this one shows that the band has more than just good anthemic songs.

Another band I've heard a lot about, but never gotten around to.  Galneryus has been doing neo-classical power metal for quite a while now, and it sounds like they haven't slowed down in the slightest!  The song does bounce back-and-forth between Japanese and English, but the Malmsteen style solos are universal as far as I'm concerned!

I know I've called The Treatment a more melodic AC/DC, but this song seems to wander into more Def Leppard or Dokken territory, with a distinct pop metal vibe.  Still, it's quite enjoyable, and has some interesting little guitar licks.  Kinda wish the solo was a little longer, though.

Another awesome track from Hammer King!  Very much sitting between the sounds of HammerFall and Gamma Ray, this is some epic, chest-pounding metal.  I need to make their new album a higher priority for me!!

This new Styx album is sounding more and more peculiar.  While I recognize Tommy's voice, the song has this acoustic 6/8 groove, with some 70s synths laid on top.  It's a decent song, but I don't know if it really sounds like Styx.  I suppose I'll find out when I listen to the new album.

Finishing this article off with some gritty German power metal, Brainstorm has a great, double-kicking speed fest here.  Along with a catchy chorus and those crunchy guitars, it's one of the better songs in this style I've heard in a while!

New Videos - February 2021 Part Two!

Looks like this winter has been pounding some people pretty hard.  I hope everyone is staying safe.  In the meantime, I've got some more excellent rock and metal videos for you to help you get through whatever hard times you might be having!  Music is always such great stress relief.

Hey, I remember these guys!  Kind of an 80s AC/DC with a cleaner singer, this is all about having fun riffs and a driving tempo.  Great, anthemic hard rock.

Another one from Dust Coda.  They guys have such a powerful, straight-forward hard rock crunch that's very catchy.  I really like the build up towards the end on this, as it really turns up the energy!  These guys are definitely a priority for me this year.

I admit that this is another group I have been aware of, but never really gotten to.  Based on this song, I guess I should expect a lot of musical power, broken up by nice melodic segments.  Then again, given the prog pedigree this group has, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  I know a lot of people are excited about them coming back, and this certainly sounds like a promising effort.

Evergrey just seem to be so reliable with these singles.  Plenty of crunchy and evocative vocals to be found with their stuff.  This one has some interesting, almost chiptune-y synths that make this song a little different.  Well, and the head-down riffing section for the bridge.  Great stuff!

More prog metal!  This band was introduced to me by a friend and feature Billy Sheehan and Jeff Scott Soto, both from Sons of Apollo.  Unsurprisingly, it has a very strong Dream Theater vibe, particularly their darker, moodier stuff.  Still, nice riffs and melodies, backed by a few orchestral elements.

Continuing with our prog streak, this is more of a power metal style of prog, a bit Stratovarius, but with more grit like the German bands.  Plenty of melodies, though, making for a pretty solid release.

New Videos - March 2019

Another month, more videos!  Let's get into it!

As mentioned before, I'm a pretty big Alan Parsons fan, so the fact that he's finally coming out with a new album after 15 years has me pretty excited.  That being said, this song does feel a little lackluster.  While it has a classic Parsons sound, it doesn't seem to do much more.  Hopefully the album will have more going for it.

Here we have a new band The Brink playing hard rock like it's 1982, where the anthems of the 70s meet the crunch of the 80s.  I'm not sure if I like the waaaa-ing underneath the whole song, the rest of it is great, fist-pumping rock!

Battle Beast is back with another anthemic rocker, but when they're this good, how can you go wrong?  Seriously, though, if you're in it for uplifting, melodic metal, you can't go wrong with these guys (and gal)!

Another banger from Japanese band Anthem!  This upcoming collection of re-recorded greatest hits is sounding better and better!  Just full of power and, well, anthemic riffs!

This one is a live recording of Riverside, playing the title track off their last album.  Riverside is a name I've seen around, but I've never really listened to them.  Here, we get a nice, moody piece that later explodes into a proggy metal jam.  Check it out!

Let's go with some classic party rock to finish this list!  Here we have a very AC/DC inspired track from Treatment, with a guy who can actually sing!  No disrespect to the gritty tones of Scott and Johnson, but hearing this style of music with clean vocals is just as catchy!