I would venture to say that he has yet to be part of an album, which has gone sour… while we might all have our personal favorite House of Lords album(s), the one thing they all have in common is some of the finest hard rock you will come across. Even though they came into the game rather late, just when the hay-days of glam rock and arena rock were running on its last breath, they’ve maintained the spirit and the roots of the 80s throughout all of their albums.
The same can be said about his solo albums, and I am not sure how he distinguishes between a House of Lords song and a song for his solo project… might be the lyrical approach to things. And he is also working with other song writers than his long-time sidekick Jimi Bell on “Craving”. But musically he’s still operating within the safe confines he knows so well; on this album he is just exploring the more softer sides a bit more.
Overall we are served a solid, yet unspectacular album where not all eleven songs are firing on all cylinders, but still worth your hard earned money if you, like me, loves his voice.
Rock solid!
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Their latest studio album, “Can’t Slow Down”, dates back to 2009, and since then we have been blessed with numerous live albums, compilations and so on… and now it’s time for… well another live album!
Only difference is – they have a Symphony Orchestra joining them on stage, adding a new and fresh dimension to the songs. But do we really need another live album featuring all of the classic Foreigner songs we love and have heard in various versions since their latest studio album…?
Isolated speaking it’s a fine and interesting release (CD+DVD), but I for one would much rather have a new studio album than live album number seven!
But you be the judge – do you need another live album from Foreigner? If so then you will get the full treatment and all you could wish for from them.
]]>And low and behold, the stars have aligned or the money got big enough for them to get together again, as a fan I really don’t care why they decided to hit the stage one more time, I am just extremely glad they did.
And to see and hear them perform some of the finest songs they have written over the years live on stage for one (last) time is a sheer pleasure. This is a journey back in time, to a time when the four musicians were amongst the frontrunners in American metal, the songs remain strong and current. But time has taken its toll on the four guys, they are not a agile any longer and Don Dokken doesn’t have the same power as he used to have, most due to him undergoing vocal chord surgery in 2010.
But for fans like me, watching the DVD and/or listening to the CD is a welcomed journey back in time, and absolutely worth recommending for hard rock fans around the globe!
(PS – the new song: not much to talk about, just a nice effort).
]]>The Swedish super-group W.E.T. consists of Robert Säll (Work of Art), Erik Mårtensson (Eclipse etc.) and Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman etc.), along with Magnus Henriksson (Eclipse) and Robban Bäck (Ex-Sabaton, Mustasch etc.) and they are once more firing on all cylinders and have created an album that lives up all the high expectations I had.
It’s not always it works when you put such prominent artists together, but for the third time I must say it works to perfection. W.E.T. delivers exactly what we’ve been hoping for from them: first class melodic hard rock with razorp sharp guitars, a brilliant production and songs with hit-potential. The hooks and the melodies stick and no matter where you dive in it’s clear that you dealing with some extremely talented and gifted musicians, who know how to write, produce and execute first class hard rock.
You will probably not come across a finer and more complete hard rock release this year, and I am very pleased to tell you all that this album is up-to-par with the other two W.E.T. studio albums and as time passes by it might just sneak into the number one spot!
Excellent!
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The band dates all the way back to 1983, and has over the years stayed true to their roots and themselves… some claim that they peaked early on with their debut album and has since tried to live up to that album, an opinion I agree with. The set-list features what I think is the essential L.A. Guns songs, and they perform them like the veterans they are with confidence.
A strictly for fans only release, but a solid and joyful live album from one of L.A.’s longest serving hard rock institutions.
And yet, Bonfire is not really a Power Metal band. There is more of a melodic old School Metal touch with maybe a hint of a mild sleaze touch thrown in. Take the title track “Temple of Lies”, for instance. There is a certain Power Metal touch to it, but at the same time you get this certain sleaze “me against the world” Metal feeling. Also, the guitar work. It does not feel like the guitarist just wants to show off, it feels more like the guitarist is so full of anger and frustration that he has no other choice, but to let out his frustration in his guitar work. “Stand or Fall” stresses the sleaze touch much more though. Mid tempo, a “get your act together” attitude, clean vocals and yet again excellent guitar work. However, this time it feels more as if the guitarist just wants to play for the fun of it. It simply feels right and not forced in any way or form.
Another thing that you get a lot on this album are love songs. “Crazy over You” is the most positive song here. Passionate and full of overwhelming emotions which are, yet again accentuated by the guitar again. However, love is not always fun. “I’ll never be loved by you” explores the subject of unanswered love and that sometimes it is better to just say “Screw it!” and to move on.
All in all the album leaves a very positive impression. It is packed with so much feeling and so many emotions that it will take you on a wild ride, if only you allow for it. If you like Old School Metal, Sleaze and at least a tiny bit of Power Metal then chance is that you will simply love this album! 9 devils!
]]>This 2-CD + DVD package was recorded in 2017, and features the current line-up of Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and they really kicks ass on stage and the selection of songs leaves no desires open for the fans. You get it all, even the long solo interludes, which you either love or hate – there’s really no middle ground here.
Ronnie Romero is a very strong vocalist, and a good choice… no he’s no RJ Dio, but no one is expecting that and he really sounds great on this live album. And ohhh yeah – they have recorded a new song that captures the essence and spirit of Rainbow very well.
Some might think – well another Rainbow live release and yes there’s has been many lately, but this is in my humble opinion one of the best of them all.
I for one enjoyed this a lot, and this is a live album I will return to many times with joy!
]]>Their sleazy take on hard rock has a clear American touch and they clearly wear their influences on their sleeves; Guns ‘n’ Roses, Skid Row, Aerosmith and even some The Darkness comes to mind again on this album, but they have thankfully expanded their sound and are introducing new and more surprising sounds like horns on this album. And it surely is a move in the right direction, because they do still have some way to go before they can challenge for a position in the upper echelon of European Hard Rock.
Everything is done better and more professional than on “For Crying Out Loud“, but nothing really stands out and no song makes me wanna go back and play it over and over again… a nice solid collection of hard rock songs is still on offer, and they are clearly on the right track!
Rock solid!
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We, who have been following them over the years have been blessed with eleven studio albums and a few live albums, think highly of them and are looking forward to anything they might throw at us, like this new double-album, which features a close to perfection set-list and a stellar performance.
I think they’ve hit the bullseye with the selection of songs, and we do all have our favorites but for once I wouldn’t change a thing!
So I can only recommend this live album if you are a fan or if you for some strange reason is unfamiliar with them… go get it now!
]]>Personally I think their debut album is one the best Hard Rock albums with a strong AOR vibe from the nineties, but their sophomore album ‘Waiting for the Sun’ does in my world top it and will always be the album I return to… but let’s return to this live album.
They have mixed the set-list nicely up without ruining the flow of the show, you get all the cool songs from the album, just in another order. The performance is solid and the songs do still hold water so many years later. Unruly Child proves that they are still current all these years later.
A fine live disc (and DVD) from a vastly underrated band – if you like their studio albums then I suggest you should check this release out as well.
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