CD

Okay, the Finnish band Sad Parade might surely not hit the very same status of acts like, let’s say, Sisters Of Mercy, Christian Death or Nine Inch Nails, but for sure they are of a comparable level of craftsmanship. During the nineties, they were quite influential, especially in their home country, with a couple of attractive EP’s going around. At the very beginning of this new century, the band ceased activities, but the rumour goes that Aku-Tuomas Mattila has plans to reform this band???

Actually Missa Mortvm were formed almost five years ago, but Et Lux Perpetua Luceat Est isn’t but this Chilean band’s first official release. The album was initially released independently the digital way in very, very, very early 2015, and then pressed on CD in order to get released via the unholy trinity Satanath Records, Sphera Noctis Records and Darzamadicus Records (a co-operation that appeared before in other constellations).

One of the many releases that did came out on Russia’s Satanath Records in 2015, and since I promised label owner (and friend) Aleksey to give my attention to all of them, is Ecstasy, the third full length of Polish act Manipulation. This band was formed at the very beginning of this millennium, but after the recording (+ release) of their debut, they did split up. Eventually, the band reformed, and some more releases did follow, but their ‘success’ remained somewhat local.

Assisted by a score of big names in our music genre, like Michael Sweet (Stryper), Jeff Pilson (Dokken), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and a whole list of other artists, this is the first solo album by Veronica Freeman, frontwoman of heavy metalband Benedictum.

Rob Moratti started his career in the nineties as lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Moratti.  Around the millennium he teamed up with songwriet Mladen and they formed Final Frontier.  In 2008 he became the singer in famous Canadian rockband Saga.

Being a fan of Journey himself, he decided it was time to bring a tribute to them, so he recorded these 12 songs. Among them some of my all time Journey favorites like ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ or ‘Anyway You Want It.

Just like another band I’ve recently revied, Full Devil Jacket this band, Pyogenesis has taken over a decade to release new material.  And just like FDJ and even more so, this is a band I’d never heard of before.

Having checked up on this band, I found out this band was founded in 1991 in Stuttgart, and that they were in some sort the founders of the Gothic Metal Genre.

This iis already the sixth studio album from this German band that was created in 2003 by brothers Charles and Matthew Greywolf.  It took them a while to complete the line-up of the band, but in the end they found the perfect key-stone in the person of Romanian Attila Dorn, who became their vocalist.

And, while I knew the band existed, I had never felt the urge to listen to one of their albums, thinking it would be the umpteenth German metal band.  But I now have to admit I made a big mistake.

Jim Peterik,the driving force behind Survivor and The Ides Of March has in the past collaborated with a score of vocalist, who in the beginning were relatively unknown, but later became big stars.

To name but a few of them : Jimi Jamison, Toby Hitchcock  and Dave Bickler.

For this album he teamed up with Marc Scherer, who also lives in Chicago, and despite being a long time musician, was up to know unknown, his main occupation being a jeweler.

Nashville Pussy were formed in 1998 in Atlanta, out of the ruins of Blaine Cartwrights former band Nine Pound Hammer, and his wife Ruyter Suys, a lady he met at a Nine Pound Gig.  The 16 studio tracks on disc 1 are taken from their 3 SPV releases. The other disc is a bonus disc, containing songs form a gig they played in Nottingham.

A new album from House Of Lords is something I’m always looking for.  In all those years since this band, fronted by James Christian came on the scene, they’ve never managed to release a bad album.

It has to be said they won’t win the price for originality or inventiveness, as time upon time they go back to their roots, but hey is that so bad ?  Other bands have done the same, if I only may mention one of my all time metal gods Iron Maiden.  So what you get on this album is melodic hard rock, well performed.