New Videos - September 2023!

I'm catching up on other things, but I think the rest of my year might be a little busy.  We'll see what I have time to get to.  Still, I found quite the collection of new videos, ranging from prog rock to power metal, and a few things in between.  I'm definitely excited for the albums these ones are teasing!

Well, if I thought the first single of Trevor Rabin's new solo album was unique last month, this knocks it further from the norm!  Definitely leaning into some proggy sections and songwriting, this feels like some of the noodlier parts of Talk turned left somewhere and found itself deep in some other dimension!  The while piano runs make me think of "Endless Dream," and the ending falls into this bouncy, symphonic arrangement, making for a song that I had no idea where it was going for its entire run time, and I loved it!

After their last album, Vega seems to be back in the 80s anthemic rock vein, providing a catchy chorus and some solid, crunchy riffs.  While the last album wasn't bad, it did feel like a letdown compared to what I had heard from them before, so here's hoping the new album sees a return to what they do best.

After Christian Eriksson left NorthTale, I guess he ended up fronting this new band.  Naturally, it's classic European power metal, very much in the vein of Freedom Call and Helloween, so I'm all for it.  It's certainly on the cheesy side, but I'm definitely curious how the rest of their debut album will sound.

I featured this band a few years ago and liked their style, and now they have a new album out!  Definitely falling into the more dramatic style of power metal like Kamelot and Blind Guardian, this track has some good dynamics to go with their crunchy riffs.

Yup, even more power metal!  While having Ralf Scheepers is enough to get me curious, the band's own singer Carlos Zema is very good in his own right!  While it's a very high speed blend of heavy and power styles, much like Brainstorm, I had never heard of this group until now.  Definitely on my list!

I know I've liked DGM in the past, but here it sounds like they've really fused their AOR sensibilities with their proggy chops to create something really dynamic and sentimental without losing any of their technical heft, with Mark Basile's vocals soaring over everything.  A good start for their new album!

New Videos - August 2023!

After reviewing so many albums, it's nice to just check out some music videos.  I've definitely got a mix of rock and metal this time around, with a few surprises along with some familiar faces.  Let's wrap up this summer by turning these songs up!

Taking a break from doing movie soundtracks, Trevor Rabin is coming back to recording vocal hard rock for the first time in decades.  This single is interesting, with a big, anethmic hook and some neat fretwork on both lead and bass guitars.  I kinda wish the production wasn't quite so muddy, especially with the vocals, but it's still pretty different and unique compared to a lot of the AOR that comes out these days.

I don't know what it is about Iron Savior, but they just keep ticking all the right boxes for me.  Otherwise going for a fantasy theme instead of their usual sci-fi, this is business as usual for them: catchy riffs, great energy, and Piet Sielck's excellent vocals.  October can't come soon enough!

Here's another Noveria single full of noodly solos and an anthemic chorus!  This one has a bit of an Arabic twinge, but otherwise, the chunky riffs and epic strings make for a solid track of melodic prog metal.  I'm definitely hearing stuff similar to DGM in this one, and that's a good thing.

While I've featured The Defiants on my blog before, it's been a few years, and I guess they've shifted from their 80s pop rock sound to something heavier and more anthemic.  Not that I mind, of course, it's just surprising to hear them rock this hard.  

The Dust Coda seem to be expanding their sound, this time coming out with a 70s style country rocker.  I admit when I started this song, I wasn't sure if I would like it, as I find country to be a little same-y (not that I've listened to a lot of it).  However, the band brings in some of their unique transitions, letting things build pretty well to a very anthemic ending.

Meanwhile, the Queen of Metal keeps things classic, sticking to some catchy, melodic, old-school metal.  If you've followed Doro at all, there are no real surprises here (though they look like they're having fun with their Mad Max aesthetic), but there's nothing wrong with keeping things simple, and this is about as straight-ahead as metal gets.