CD

If you know this band, you surely are of my generation or older. This band was quite popular in the seventies. Mastermind behind the band was then, and is still now Thijs van Leer.

Since I received both the single and the full album at the same moment, I found it a bit stupid to write two distinct reviews.

This is the second album by this Belgian/Dutch band, that I’d never heard of before.  To say they play hard rock wouldn’t do justice to their music.  This is much more than plain hard rock.  It’s more something in the vein of poppy stoner rock, with also hints of other genres hidden in the songs.

Carry-All is a ska punk band from Italy. They have already been around since 2002, but they are pretty unknown outside of their own country. A few weeks ago, they released their new record, Drink It Yourself. This was a DIY project which went together with the unfortunate event of the departure of both the original drummer and bass player of the band. They didn't let this letdown get to them and recorded Drink It Yourself in their practice room and produced it themselves.

Spanish metal band Zarpa comes across with a definite verve and energy, but ultimately falls prey to such things as unoriginality and cliché.

I first came across this relatively prolific (this is his 7^th studio album since 2002's To Let – not counting two live albums, that means he comes with a new album every two years) Australian singer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist “World Music” artist thanks to his previous album Koonyun Sun, which was released through the elitist Anti- label (review posted...somewhere in April 2010, I guess – I am quite unable to check that at the time of writing, and forgot to do so when I would've been able to).

This Melodic Rock/ Metal Czech quintet was founded in 2007, and as far as I know their line-up has always consisted of lead singer Ray, guitarists Jeff (also backing vocals) and Sasha, bassist/ backing singer Marian, and drummer Frankie.

There’s three dutchmen flying through my speakers as we speak and you best clear a path for Barry van Esbroek – drums, Willem Verbuyst – guitars and Jochem Jonkman - vocals, bass.

If the name of guitarist Mark Tremonti sounds familiar to you, then you know him from his work in Creed, or even from Alter Bridge. All I Was is his debut solo outing, and music lovers can only hope that there will be follow-up albums in the future!

I have been so lucky as to be able to follow this Canadian band since the release of its debut album Once Only Imagined (review posted 06/09/2007). Already a stylistic sensation on that record, the guys (and frontlady) improved on their style for the sophomore album Lullabies For The Dormant Mind (review, again by yours truly, posted 01/02/2009) and, frell me, if they did not go through yet another progression since! And that this progression is definitely a positive one, is something I want understood from the get-go...so we don't get any mistake in about that, okay!?

Within Darkened Disorder got recorded and produced by Andy Classen at the famous Stage One Studio (Varg, Suidakra, Graveworm, Prostitute Disfigurement, Belphegor, Obszön Geschöpf etc.) and was originally released and distributed in 2011 through Twilight.