When founding member and guitar virtuoso Mark Reale passed away in 2012, the future for Riot seemed unclear. Was this band, with a career of almost 40 years, doomed to be ended? This would really have been a shame, after releasing magic albums like Narita, Fire Down Under, and their latest efforts Thundersteel and Immortal Soul, not to forget The Privilege Of Power.
I have to confess I had never heard of Danish guitarist Michael Jessen. Memories is his debut album and with it he delivers a solid first efford. Michael was able to to get Gören Edman (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen) behind the microphone and the line up was completed with Christopher Hoaas on Bass and Mads Grunnet on drums.
In the fall of 2008, vocalist Mike Tirelli was diagnosed with stomach cancer. At the same time guitarist and songwriter Georg Kraft had also a serious health issue so the band went on hiatus to give both gentlemen the time to take care of their health problems. After seven years the band returns with their fourth album and it is a come back that blows away their three previous albums.
Astralion is new band in the melodic power metal genre, Like many other bands in this style they hail from Finland. They formed in 2011 and have with vocalist Ian Highhill and Bassist Dr. K. Lundell two ex-Olympos Mons members in their ranks. The line-up is completed with guitarist Hank Newman and drummer Arnold Hackman both ex-members of the thrash band The Addiction. Keyboard player Thomas Henry rounds up the line-up.
Wolfen come from Cologne Germany and Evilution is their 5th full length album since the band started out in the second half of the nineties…
Wow….for a moment I thought I was the victim of a time warp which brought me back to the late seventies, listening to a new record on dad’s record player.
Since their beginnings – already 20 years ago I suddenly realize – Mob Rules have released seven studio albums, and to celebrate their 20 years existence have now released this Timekeeper album, which consists of 2 full CD’s, a DVD containing only a single, and a DVD.
What the f..ck is this I thought, when I put this CD on. Was I given some as yet unknown, hidden Motörhead album ? But halfway through the first song the reality dawned on me. This is a band who is doing his utmost best to sound like the aforementioned band, and almost succeeds. Starting from the voice, down to the bass guitar, even the sound of the drums and the guitars have been copied from Motörhead, at least that’s my opinion.
Although Greenville (South Carolina) based Post-Hardcore outfit Islander has only been around since 2011, its members (singer Mikey Carvajal, guitarist Andrew Murphy, bassist Chris Doot, and drummer Eric Frazier) have been playing together since 2006. Admittedly, the guys broke up for a few years, but in 2011, purely out of love of being in a band, they got back together as Islander!
US POWER METAL… there was time that if a band was labelled such I simply had to have it. Hence I did have high expectation when Firebreather was sent my way to review it. So, can Sunless Sky from Cleveland, Ohio, live up to my expectations?
