AOR HEAVEN is definitely my favourite label this year, because after releasing some masterpieces earlier this year such as STREET TALK, TALK OF THE TOWN, CRYSTAL, FRONTLINE, the LE ROUX live record, the label now has another winner for fans of pure AOR. The band is called T'BELL and they come out of Sweden. Their debut CD 'Replay' is one-helluva AOR Classic. The 12 songs on the album sound like the perfect mix between DAKOTA, TOTO, AIRBORNE (1979), SUGARCREEK and LE ROUX. Hooklines, harmonies, catchy choruses and lots of keys, it's all there, this is definitely
pure Classic early 80s AOR all the way!

There isn't a weak song on this CD, so there you have it, a Classic AOR record. My
favourites are "Do ya" (speaking of catchy AOR) , "Send her a letter" (hello DAKOTA!), "Always pretending" (this is very much in the style of DAVID ROBERTS' classic "Someone like you"), "I wanna remember" (let's get back to the 80s midtempo AOR, very cheerful, very Swedish sounding, remember DAVINCI?), "Foolish love" (your typical 80s AOR ballad, JOURNEY influenced), "Take me tonite" (superb AOR chorus a la ROBERT TEPPER's "No easy way out"), "Night after night" (very cheerful uptempo 80s AOR) and the album's closing track "It's only love" (hello westcoast AOR ballads from the 80s!).

Actually all the songs are fantastic, so there's only one thing for you to do, get this CD a.s.a.p.! Check out the interview I had with T'BELL on our INTERVIEWSPAGE. Check out AOR HEAVEN for any additional info on the band.

Rating: 9,5/10

'AOR live' from LE ROUX is quite a pleasant and surprise release from the German AOR label AOR HEAVEN. The CD contains 14 songs and a lot of the Classic LE ROUX can be heard on the disc. Basically this is a must for the fans of 'Up' and 'So fired up', because the whole CD is filled with fantastic AOR material of LE ROUX. Most of the songs are taken from the band's final 3 releases ('Up', 'So fired up' and 'Last safe place').

Sometimes it's like you're listening to the original studio recordings, only with a big audience at the background. The songs are performed so well, you can't almost hear a difference with the original album versions. Songs like "Last safe place", "You know how those boys are", "Let me be your fantasy", "Crying inside" and "Line on love" just reminds you how good early 80s AOR/Pomp sounded. The only Classic LE ROUX songs I missed were "Yours tonight", "Let me in" and "Get it right the first time". In general, this is a must have release for any fan of early 80s AOR/Pomp.

Rating: 9/10

LOVERING from Canada has released a CD titled 'Calm before the storm' and while listening to the songs, it's like you're listening to 'the perfect AOR sound'! The songs are filled with hooklines, catchy choruses, many harmonyvocals and pure AOR. Besides, the production is crystal clear and so we can easily call this a sensational release. The music can easily be compared to ROKBOX. LOVERING also consists of two members, namely guitarist/keyboardplayer Brian Lovering and vocalist Doug Martin.

One of the additional musicians is Murray Daigle from EMERALD RAIN/PAIN who does backing vocals. Together they have created a perfect summer AOR record that will attract all AOR fans (ROKBOX, BAD ENGLISH, SIGNAL, ALIAS). The only complaint I have is that I miss uptempo rockers, but who cares if you get to hear 10 fantastic midtempo AOR tunes. There aren't any fillers on this record, from the beginning until the end it's classic 80s AOR all the way!

My favourites include "One more lie" (Fantastic midtempo AOR a la ROKBOX), "I'll give her my love" (superb semi AOR ballad a la BAD ENGLISH), "The love in your eyes" (superb midtempo AOR like STREET TALK, first HAREM SCAREM…), "Nowhere to run" (lovely semi AOR ballad a la BAD ENGLISH), "Forever" (very strong midtempo AOR like JOURNEY) and "Feel this way" (wonderful AOR ballad in the ALIAS style). Actually all songs are fantastic, so nothing keeps me from giving this CD a high rating. Fans of Pure AOR should get this CD as soon as possible, because it is right up there with bands like STREET TALK and ROKBOX. Expect an interview with LOVERING very soon. In the meantime contact their label at: MLeaf71412@aol.com

Rating: 9/10

The news that HYBRID ICE's debut from 1982 was going to be re-issued on CD through Escape Music came as a big surprise to me, because I had given up the hope to ever see such a CD release. But it has now been released and so all fans of that typical early 80s AOR/Pomprock (read: ROADMASTER, STYX, ANGEL and some BOSTON) can now finally enjoy one of the 'lost classics' from the eighties. The HYBRID ICE debut is one-helluva Pomprock Classic and basically contains everything to make it a classic indeed. The super melodic harmonyvocals, soaring keyboards and synthesisers and lots of
hooklines. Besides the 9 original songs of the HYBRID ICE debut from 1982, this re-issue also contains 2 new songs of the band.

Opener "Looking glass" is the first one and although the band is still playing Pompous Melodic Rock, this song definitely has an updated 90s sound. The other new song is the closing track "Test of time". This song on the other hand is a superb early 80s typed AOR ballad with some fantastic harmonies. In between are the 9 classic Pomp Rock songs. My favourites are "On we go" (pure Pomprock a la ROADMASTER/STYX), "Think it over" (great midtempo AOR), "Magdalene" (the song that BOSTON covered a few years ago, amazing harmonies during the brilliant chorus), "Heart of the night" (superb Pomprock, a pure Classic, close to LE ROUX at their best) and "Please tell Mary Ann" (another BOSTON typed semi Pomprock ballad).

I think for many Pomp Rock freaks, this re-issue is a dream come true, because this album used to be a collector's item. Now it is available here in Europe for the first time, so all ANGEL, ROADMASTER, STYX nad BOSTON fans should get this album a.s.a.p.

Rating: 9/10

This band from Munich, Germany is sounding very professional on their debut CD 'Additional parts inside'. DEAD MEN WALKING is playing awesome 80s influenced melodic hardrock with a lot of hooklines and very melodic harmonyvocals. The band sounds very updated, while still being very melodic. They sound like a mix between CITA/GUILD OF AGES, JADED HEART, PINK CREAM 69 and DOKKEN. There are some great tunes on the record and it wouldn't surprise if this band would be signed to one of the AOR/Melodic Rock labels here in Europe, because they sound pretty huge actually.

The CD starts with "Stories", a nice MHR tune like JADED HEART, PINK CREAM 69… Next track "Moments in time" starts with some fantastic AORish keyboards and features a super melodic chorus with some very catchy harmonies. A song like this is the perfect melodic rocksong, definitely a must to hear if you like AXE, CITA and GUILD OF AGES. Some heavy guitars can be heard in "Out of control", while still featuring a melodic chorus, this midtempo melodic rocker has a lot of similarities to JADED HEART. Following track "Believe" is a great midtempo melodic rocker a la 80s DOKKEN.

The semi melodic rockballad "Tell me" follows and the lovely chorus with very melodic harmonies brings you right into CITA territory. "Behind the doors" is up next and is a bit too 90s, but still a nice uptempo melodic rocker (a la AXXIS). "L.I.S." has again an 80s DOKKEN similarity. "Perfect time" slows things down, this is a great calmer melodic rockballad. We're back into the classy 80s uptempo melodic rocksound of bands like DOKKEN, HEAVENS EDGE and DANGER DANGER on the song "Walking with the enemy".

Closing track "Deadman" is a song with a playing time of more than 10 minutes. The song sounds like a melodic rock anthem, especially the catchy chorus. This final track also contains some experimental parts that even includes some dance/house parts (not much happily!). DEAD MEN WALKING is another great new German melodic (hard) rockband and a must to have in your collection if you like any of the mentioned bands. For more info, contact their label at: MLeaf71412@aol.com

Rating: 8,5/10

Another fine release on the German Melodic Rocklabel MAPLE LEAF RECORDS. 'Paint box' is the debut CD of the German band DEVEREAUX. This band is playing 80s typed cheerful melodic rock a la CHALICE, EUROPE, TERRA NOVA… with some Progressive and Pop influences. Most of the time this band is playing catchy 80s fun melodic rock with
harmonies and keyboards to make the songs sound very polished and radio-ready. My favourite songs can be heard at the beginning of the CD.

These are the cheerful uptempo melodic rockers "The saga of the rings", "Build your own world" and "War", the catchy midtempo melodic rocker "Return to here" (fantastic song with lovely harmonyvocals) and the AORish semi ballad "Emotional fall". The second part of the CD is a bit weaker with songs like "Throw your tears away", "Victory", "You got me wrong" and "Heatwave- funtrack". These are not bad songs, but I rather had heard some more uptempo melodic rocker like the starts of the CD. Anyway, another interesting release on MAPLE LEAF RECORDS. E-mail this label at: MLeaf71412@aol.com

Rating: 8/10

Guitarist/Vocalist MICHAEL JAHNZ from Milwaukee, USA has already had a lot of success as singer for RICHRATH. Michael formed that band with former REO SPEEDWAGON guitarist Gary Richrath back in 1989 and released one CD titled 'Only the strong survive'. That CD was filled with catchy AOR rockers and ballads, in the same style as REO SPEEDWAGON's last couple of albums. Now Michael has finished and released his first solo CD on which he sings and plays guitar, but also wrote, produced and arranged all the 10 songs.

A couple songs already appeared on that RICHRATH album, but they have been re-mixed and re-mastered to highlight Michael's vocals, as opposed to Gary's guitar, which brings out a fresh, new perspective in those few songs that were re-done. The harmonies on all songs are really superb and will please any fan of REO SPEEDWAGON and RICHRATH. There aren't many rockers on the album, but nevertheless I enjoyed all those gorgeous (semi) ballads a lot. Maybe only some more electric guitars on a future CD, because the acoustic guitars are sometimes a bit too much on the foreground. My favourite songs are the fantastic 80s Power AOR ballads "Where I pray", "I found in you", "It's never enough", "Angels flyin' my way" and the closing 3 RICHRATH AOR tunes ("Hearts on fire", "After all" and "Murder by suicide"). This is quite an enjoyable AOR record from a very high quality. Fans of REO and RICHRATH will enjoy this a lot, so get this CD asap! More info at: http://www.mjahnz.com and e-mail him at: info@mjahnz.com or mgmt@mjahnz.com

Rating: 8/10

Another dream come true for the fans of Pompous AOR/Melodic Rock has got to be this release of TOUR DE FORCE. Remember their CD 'World on fire' on LONG ISLAND RECORDS in the mid 90s. That CD was filled with Classic 80s AOR/Melodic Rock with catchy choruses and hooklines all over the place. This 'Unreleased' CD release contains another 13 songs that basically are in the same style as the 'World on fire' CD.

The songs were recorded during the period the band existed, so from the late 80s until the mid 90s. Basically you'll get 13 fantastic pure 80s typed AOR/Melodic Rock songs. If you love one song, you'll love them all. My favourites are the uptempo Pompous Melodic Rockers "Diana", "City nites", "Lies" (lovely keyboards), "Take my love", "Back to basics" and "Can't wait" (beautiful harmonies, super catchy!). This is a must-have-record for fans of acts like PROPHET, DANGER DANGER, WHITE SISTER, CRYSTAL… More info at:
http://www.kivelrecords.com

Rating: 9/10

AZTEC JADE from New York has released two CDs so far and this European release entitled 'Paradise lost' is a best of those two previous released completed with an extra unreleased bonustrack. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the 17 songs on 'Paradise lost'. The band is obviously playing Progressive Rock, but you can clearly hear they are different than any other band in this genre. AZTEC JADE combines Progressive Rock with elements of AOR, Pomprock and Melodic Rock. Besides, the band features the excellent singer Leon Ozug who has a very melodic voice.

My favourite tracks on this compilation are "To believe" (great uptempo progressive melodic rock), "Atlantis" (very nice progressive melodic rocker with a lovely hookline reminding me of the old EUROPE!), "Stained" (progressive AOR song with a very catchy chorus), "Modern prophet" (fantastic pompous AOR a la SHOTGUN SYMPHONY, a superb chorus and lovely keys make this song a true winner!) and "Dirty secrets" (again fantastic Pompous AOR a la SHOTGUN SYMPHONY, MESSAGE). To me songs like these are just great tunes and not pure Progressive Rock, but a very well constructed mixture of pure AOR/Melodic Rock and Progressive Rock.

Fans of both genres will like this a lot, but I think I really need to recommend it to the AOR fans to check out AZTEC JADE, especially since this is their official European debut. For more info, check out their label at: http://www.adrenaline.it and e-mail them at: claudio@adrenaline.it

Rating: 8,5/10

This tribute to QUEEN features 12 (mostly unknown) bands playing some of the most popular QUEEN tunes. It all has been produced very well and you can really hear that most bands sound very professional indeed. Remarkable are the bands EVIL WINGS (covering "Killer queen" very well), AVALANCH (from Spain, they did "Save me"), AZTEC JADE ("The show must go on"), JESSE JONES PROJECT ("Now I'm here") and SPREAD MIND ("One vision"). Not all bands are new to the scene, because EVIL WINGS, AVALANCH, AZTEC JADE and SPREAD MIND already put out a couple of albums and
are well-respected bands in the Progressive Rock genre. Nice tribute to one of the pioneers of Progressive/Pomprock.

Rating: -

Some time ago I reviewed the debut of this Californian outfit. ACCOMPLICE is a melodic Progressive Pomprockband and their debut was a quite sensational record that combined the music of bands like QUEENSRYCHE, KANSAS, STYX, JOURNEY, TRIUMPH and DREAM THEATER. Now their debut has also been released here in Europe. The independent release counted 10 songs and this new release 11 tracks, so there is a bonustrack added titled "Crusader soul".

Here is a part of the original review I wrote a few years ago. They sound a bit like MYSTERY from Canada, only less AOR/Pomprock orientated. I think you can also compare the band easily to TILES, they both soundalike each other, but both create an own sound. Opener "Courageous" has some great Pomp-keyboards and can be described as a good Progressive melodic AOR song with some TRIUMPH influences. Same goes for the song "For all the world". The songs "Reactor" and "State of the nation" are a bit weaker 90s Progressive rock. "Welcome" slow things down and is a calmer Progressive AOR Ballad. "Fallin" is a nice Pomprock ballad.

The best tracks though are "Let the show begin" (the most AOR orientated song, a great track with lovely keysand a sound somewhere between Q5, TRIUMPH and JOURNEY) and "Fight on" (Progressive Melodic Hardrockwith lovely Pomp-keys, again like TRIUMPH. A good release. A must for the fans of Progressive Rock (also DREAM THEATER fans can taste this). On the other hand I think that there is enough melody for the AOR fans to enjoy this record. So far nobody has heard of ACCOMPLICE, but I think that will change soon, because the professional sound of the band must take them to higher places. Contact the band at the following addressses; Postal Address: ACCOMPLICE, c/o Brad Hanley, 1907 W. Houston Ave. Fullerton, CA 92833, U.S.A. or e-mail them at: brad@accomplice.com or visit their WebSite at the following address: http://www.accomplice.com

Rating: 8/10

The French Recordlabel AXE KILLER RECORDS has released a tribute to THIN LIZZY. The performing musicians are all well respected in the English Melodic (Hard) Rockscene. Some of the people appearing on this release include Steve Overland, Andy Burnett and Merv Goldsworthy (FM), Paul Dianno, Neil Murray, Bernie Torme, Lea Hart, Bernie Shaw
(URIAH HEEP) and Steve Grimmett (LIONSHEART). So, this must be a very good sounding tribute to one of the leading rockbands from the 70s.

ll the hits of THIN LIZZY are covered and I must admit that they all did their best in making this tribute sounding perfect. "The boys are back in town", "Jailbreak" and "Whiskey in the jar" are of course the most famous Lizzy tunes and they sound pretty good. My favourites though are the ones with Steve Overland on lead vocals. These are the songs "Waiting for an alibi", "Sarah", "Rosalie" and the bonustrack "Out in the fields". This last mentioned song is of course not a THIN LIZZY original, but is the duet of Phil Lynott with Gary Moore as featured on Gary's album 'Run for cover' from 1985. Not long after they recorded this superb uptempo melodic rocker, Phil died.

This tribute if not only a tribute to THIN LIZZY, but also a dedication to the man behind THIN LIZZY: PHIL LYNOTT. For fans of the band, this is a much respected and recommended tribute album to have in your collection. More info at: http://www.musicentury.com

Rating: 8/10

BENJAMIN ALEXANDER from Melle, Germany is only 16 years old and he can already play all instruments by himself. There are 3 songs on the CD he sent me and I must say that for a guy of that age, he is really doing a good job. Maybe vocally, Benjamin needs to improve in the future, but the instruments are played very well. The first song, "Back on the streets again" (not a cover) is a nice melodic poprocker that sounds a bit like JIMMY MARTIN, JAKE MAYHEM…

The other two songs ("Opus 2" and "Experience no. 1") are both instrumental and it's pretty clear that YNGWIE MALMSTEEN is one of Benjamin's favourites, because you can definitely hear his influences throughout the songs. Benjamin is working on a couple
more songs for a future CD. In the meantime check out his music at: http://www.Benjamin-Alexander.de and discover some great new young talent. E-mail him at: BA@Benjamin-Alexander.de

Rating: 7/10

ALAN SNYDER is a new multi-instrumentalist from Chicago. The AOR songs on his untitled debut CD sound pretty good and I hear similarities to AOR performers such as HUGO, JOE ROBINSON, WAYNE SMART, TIMOTHY LEWIS, VINNIE KAY, DAVID KUHN, JOHN TAGLIERI, RICK MATHEWS and so on… The lead vocals of Alan are not really sensational, so don't compare Alan's voice with mentioned artists, musically though sometimes Alan is quite good and close to aforementioned artists. There are 11 songs on the album and no complaints about the production here, because this sounds
very professional. The album opens with "Deceived", a nice uptempo melodic rocker.

Then comes the sensational midtempo AOR tune "Anytime, everywhere" with it's beautiful pure AOR chorus, this song can be compared to JOHN TAGLIERI and even STREET TALK. Next track "Seclusion" is a good semi AOR ballad. The calmer ballad "Alone" follows and definitely show similarities to HUGO and STEVE PERRY, but only not as good as them. "My mistake" is a really great uptempo AOR rocker. "Into the fire" follows and is a pretty good semi AOR ballad (HUGO style). Some more uptempo AOR can be heard in "Here I am (why me?)".

My favourite song of the whole album has got to be "You don't know". This uptempo AOR rocker has a briljant chorus that sounds like a cross between the first PHANTOM'S OPERA, TOUR DE FORCE, PROPHET and 80s BON JOVI. This song is pure New Jersey AOR and remember that Alan is from Chicago! "You don't know" captures that
pure 80s AOR sound and I can only hope for some more of such catchy tunes on a future record of Alan. Anyway, the CD continues with "Forever without you", a soft ballad like STEVE PERRY. "You don't own me" is a nice midtempo melodic AOR rocker (a la JOHN WAITE). The CD closes with the poppy ballad "I need you". This CD of ALAN SNYDER captures some great AOR tunes and a few 'o.k., but nothing special' ballads and rockers. Nevertheless, it made quite an impression on me and I am pretty sure some of the AOR fans will enjoy this too. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.alansnyder.com and
e-mail him at: alans@nufrontiers.com

Rating: 8/10

Here's another talented multi-instrumentalist for you. He is called BYRON NEMETH and comes out of Ohio. His instrumental CD '2000' is a journey that takes you in some sort of fantasy. The songs are very melodic (VAI meets MALMSTEEN) and you can hear that Byron is a very talented man. He plays all the instruments perfectly and also the production is crystal clear. My favourites are "Summers new day", "Machines of ice" and the ballad "November luno". A great instrumental release from someone who will probably get some more attention in the coming year. Check out his site at: http://www.byronnemeth.com and e-mail him at: byron@byronnemeth.com

Rating: 7,5/10

MISS KRISTIN from San Jose, California is actually formed around one person. She is called Kristin Elaine Pedderson and all 10 songs on 'Trouble child' were written, performed and produced by her. So Kristin is one of the very first female multi-instrumentalists in the scene. Musically she has been often compared to Christine McVie from FLEETWOOD MAC and Grace Slick. Although musically she is also playing in this soft 70s typed melodic pop/rock, her music sounds pretty nice. I have to say that the vocals are not really sensational and sometimes are just o.k., but here and there the CD really rocks.

My favourite tracks are definitely "Celebration" (fantastic classy early 80s AOR/Melodic Poprock a la early PAT BENATAR, ELLEN SHIPLEY) and "Only when" (uptempo melodic poprocker like a mix between PATTY SMYTH and PAT BENATAR). These are two fun pure rockers. Unfortunately the remaining 8 songs are much poppier and have not much to do with rock. I had rather heard some more uptempo rockers like the mentioned songs. Nevertheless if acts like FLEETWOOD MAC, STEVIE NICKS and PATTI SMITH are your kind of artists, this girl also needs to be checked out at: http://www.MissKristin.Com and e-mail her at: beautygirl4u@juno.com

Rating: 6,5/10

ELAYNE is a German Melodic Rockband and they have released two CDs so far. The first CD contains 10 songs and musically is comparable to BLACK ROSE (Austria!), URIAH HEEP and late NAZARETH. The raw vocals of singer Hajo Stengert make the melodic rock of ELAYNE sound rawer that it really is. My favourite songs are "Doris day" (great 80s typed cheerful melodic rocker a la NO EXQZE, ZINATRA…) and the uptempo melodic rockers "Downtown", "Young love", "Livin' lovin' laughin'" and "Lonely tonight" (AOR influences).

Some other songs are a bit weaker, but in general this is a nice melodic rockalbum. The new CD 'Two sides of Elayne' follows the same steps, although I heard some differences. First off, the first 2 songs are both sung in German and are not really something special. The other 3 songs of this mini-CD are actually pretty good and are definitely the best ELAYNE songs so far. "Take my breath away" is a nice melodic poprocker and also features the
vocals of female singer Sandra Fabienke. Next track "Wildest dreams" features some fantastic AOR keys that give this song a pure 80s sound. "Wildest dreams" is a really wonderful uplifting AOR tune. The closing track is the ballad "Take me home". ELAYNE is another good melodic rockband from Germany to check out. More info at: http://www.Elayne.de and e-mail them at: Info@Elayne.de

Rating: 7,5/10

This band from North Carolina play a mixture of Funk Rock and Melodic Rock, not in a way we heard from bands like EXTREME or KING'S X. THIRD DEGREE is really playing melodic rock, but it has the rhythms of Funk Rock and also sometimes it sounds a bit dark and moody. Actually I can not compare this band to any other band, because they sound pretty unique in one way or the other. There are 7 songs on their independent CD and although the start is a bit weak (opener "Round" is very 90s based), what follows are a couple of nice melodic tunes such as "Wouldn't understand" and "Mindwarp".

"Menace" then again is a very slow song with Billy Idol typed vocals. Some TESLA and AEROSMITH influences can be heard in "Medicine man", although the vocals sound a bit dark. The last two songs are "Watch your back" (nice funky melodic rocker) and "Revolution" (heavy guitars, but melodic harmonies during the chorus). Maybe nothing sensational here, still a band to check out, because there is a lot of originality in here. Only the production could have been a bit better. Their website is located at: http://www.mp3.com/3rd and e-mail them at: thethirddegree@alltel.net

Rating: 7/10

Look out here come the next all girl sensation in the form of Pure Passion from East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Pure Passion are no Spice Girls dance/pop garbage baby, nor are they an Indy tinted band a'la Hole, Kittie etc, no Pure Passion are a classic rock 'n' roll band in every sense of the word, and they rock with the best of them.

Pure Passion come across like a female Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams or Girlschool, Saraya, Pat Benatar, Dante Fox, Joan Jett, Tia Carrea, Private Life and even The Bangles.

Pure Passion are Mandi -vocals, Dre - bass, Sal - drums, Julie - keys and Charley - guitars. These girls have been playing non stop since 1995, they have even been voted best UK unsigned band at a Battle Of The Bands contest held at London's Earls Court (where Iron Maiden recently played on their reunion tour), where Pure Passion competed against 5000 other bands. These sexy ladies have played over 600 gigs in the UK, and this batch of nine self finaced recordings should be enough to turn many heads in this crazy music industry.

"Who Are You" opens the cd and is a killer rock song a'la Bon Jovi/Vixen with lots of cranking guitars and a very catchy chorus to singalong to,"All I Need" is an uptempo power ballad with lots of keyboards. "All I Need" slightly reminds me of Sheriff's mega hit "When I'm With You", Mandi's voice is incrediable on this track, I was actually trying to think of who else her voice and the chorus reminded me of ,and Cher and Bonnie Tyler came to mind.

"Queen Of Drag" is well groovy, the almost funky rhythm parts and piano melodies drive the song into a very catchy number that reminds me of early Lisa Dalbello.

The Bangles and Darby Mills come into view on the excellent "Living Dangerously" which echo's a similar song structure to The Bangles "Hazy Shade Of Winter". Charley's guitar virtuoso is also worth mentioning as she brings that added extra kick into the songs, Charley is a major part of what drives Pure Passion.

"Screaming Silence" for example has really strong guitar parts and keyboard melodies with a big chorus hook that reminds me of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name", this is the bands signature tune, a marvelous song to give Dante Fox a run for their money., amazingly Charley's guitar playing has a similar tone to Richie Sambora and Ten's Vinny Burns.

On a downside "Feelin' Fine" sounds a little out of place. This song reminds me of Swiss keyboard/popsters Max, the song itself sounds like something that Meatloaf or Eddie Cochren would record, and ultimately distracts the listener from his/her listening post (coffee break anyone?)

One of the cd's heaviest and best songs is "My Philosophy" which puts the band back on rockier track a'la Chrissey Steele/Femme Fatale/Lee Aaron. Charlie's guitar playing is shit-hot and Mandi's vocals here are very strong, in fairness to Mandi she can sing anything that is thrown at her, Mandi is possibly one of the best females singers to have emerged in the UK since Leigh Matty from Romeo's Daughter.

"Hold On Me" is another ballad similar to Heart's "Alone". The song features some excellent keyboard work from Julie, "Hold On Me" is another of the cds top songs, what is nice about this ballad is that the band suddenly explode into full force, and let their combined musicanship rip, this raises the heat for the next song which is called "Deciept" ."Deciept" is quite similar to Nancy Luca and even Lana Lane, I say Lana Lane because the song has slight progressive keyboards, jazzy jangley bits and cool bass thumping from the blonde haired Dre.

Overall it won't be long before we hear more about Pure Passion ,I can't believe that the labels haven't picked them up yet as their songs are dead catchy and filled with memorable hooks.

The band are defintley one of the UK's best kept secrets waiting to be unearthed. Until them if you would like more information on Pure Passion then please visit their website at: http://www.u-net.com/~passion or email Charley@passion.u.net.com

Rating For The Demo Quality: 8/10
Rating For The Songs: 9/10

(Review by Nicky Baldrian)

"Unreleased" is the long awaited follow up to Tour De Force's excellent second album "World On Fire" (Long Island Records 1995). The band recently signed with hot US label Kivel Records and this new album is going to suprise alot of people as "Unreleased" is one of those albums that you can get lost in, thanks to the masterful musicanship and the bands brilliant craft for writing killer songs.

"World On Fire" was a more melodic hard rock based album a'la Silent Rage, Danger Danger, Prophet etc, "Unleashed" however is much heavier in the music department, songs like "Over 'n' Over", "Lies", and "Can't Change" are killer melodic songs a'la Zeno, Millenium, TNT, Rainbow, Kharma, Talk Of The Town etc.."Over 'n' Over" lets rip a killer guitar solo and features lots of keyboard twists, singer Chali Cayte reminds me of a mix of Jorn Lande, Jeff Scott Soto and Thomas Vikstrom, thus alot of "Unreleased" sounds almost like German power rock, but fans of "World On Fire" needn't panic as songs like "All
Night Long", "On My Way" ( a ballad a'la Survivor/Hit The Ground Running), "City Nites", "Can't Change" and "Can't Wait", cater for your melodic hard rock tastes that will leave you stuffed - these songs are like many of the songs on "World On Fire" and bare comparisons to Eyes, Shotgun Symphony, The Storm, Journey,Survivor, Hit The Ground Running, Intruder etc..

Also worth a mention is "Diana" which is my favorite song on the album, the chorus is superb, and the melodies are fantastic a'la The Storm and Survivor. All in all, "Unreleased" is a very powerful album, that I'm sure will be in many a fan and writers list of top ten albums of the year, I know it will be in mine.Highly Recommended.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

You have to hand it to Firehouse for sticking to their melodic hard rock roots. You know what to expect when Firehouse release an album and I strongly urge you all to check this live affair out, as it shows all of us here in Europe and the UK exactly what we are missing. We need a band like Firehouse to come over and play some gigs, "Bring 'Em Out "Live" is the ultimate live album and gives grunge and punk music a big kick in the arse Firehouse are continuing to show the world that this genre of music is still very much alive and kicking.

"Bring 'Em Out "live" is the bands first live album, a few years back they did release the "Rock On The Road" video, which was 80 minutes of pure Firehouse rock 'n' roll. This album spans the bands history between the bands first album "Firehouse" and the more recent release "Category Five", so basically it's live best of package. I'm quite amazed at how heavier Firehouse sound live, as the band play each song you can really hear the crowd roaring and singing along to the bands songs. It really does go to prove how much of an impact Firehouse have made over the years, the band raise the roof and drive the audience
mental as they rip through material like "Overnight Sensation", "Hold Your Fire", "Reach For The Sky" and a crowd pleasing "Don't Treat Me Bad".

The song which actually gets the biggest reaction from this particular shows audience was "I Live My Life For You", C.J's voice is amazing and the audience singalong like their lives depended on it, they sound as if they are having so much fun and I feel really jealous of the fact that I have yet to see the band perform live over here in the UK. I hope it happens soon as Firehouse are the last of the truly great melodic hard rock bands. May they continue to Rock forever!!!!! Recommended .

http://www.spitfire.com or http://www.firehousemusic.com

NB: You can catch an interview with Firehouse in issue one of Fireworks magazine, for details email, Nikammusic@thegowerspring.freeserve.co.uk

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

TSO is essentially the brainchild of Savatage/Badlands producer Paul O'Neill, who also happens to be a fine musician, a writer of some imagination, and with the drive and vision to pursue something like TSO, which is so removed from MTV fodder that it inhabits a different plane of existence, to very successful-I believe a previous TSO album "Christmas Eve & Other stories" turned gold in the US-fruition.

The album is telling of Beethoven's last night on earth and his struggles with the fates and the Devil himself over his final and greatest work-there's a great twist in this which I won't reveal- and a cast list featuring all members of Savatage, Mark Wood, Patti Russo, Jody Ashworth,Robert Kinkel, and myriad others deliver a breathtaking range of music, which, in shorthand, draws on influences ranging from the pomp & circumstance of Queen, the fire and gothic brimstone of Meatloaf, and classic Broadway musicals, whilst paying suitable homage of the great composer through pieces such "Fur Elise" and "Overture".

Selecting individual tracks for analysis from a piece of work such as this is a redundant exercise, just listen and appreciate artists putting themselves utterly into the vision and music on offer, and be pleased that in the age of the shallow and the soundbite, something such as T.S.O. can thrive and prosper.. Stunning.

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Andrew Paul)

US hard rockers Raquel had a song called "Pop Goes The Music" featured on MTV at the beginning of the nineties. The majority of the songs on this album were produced by Tony Wright who later went on to success by producing multi-million selling albums for contemporary grunge bands such as Alice In Chains and Korn, but don't worry as Raquel are defintley big haired hard rockers.

Raquel gained themselves quite a following on the East Coast, but as with nearly every hard rock band, they struggled to gain record label exposure in the grunge inflicted world of the early nineties, it was those nice people at metal mayhem who saw the bands potential and picked them up finally securing a release for Raquel's debut album which is a tasty blend of catchy American hard rock a'la Firehouse, Tyketto, Attraction, Bon Jovi and Extreme.

There are nine song on this album with top of the bunch being "Love Don't Go", "Dark City", "Angel" and "Take Me Down". All of these get the feet tapping and force you to bring out the old air guitar and play along with the band. Raquel is a very nice album worth investigating and the good news is that the band are writing and recording new material for a follow up- of which I can hardly wait to hear. Recommended.

http://www.metalmayhem.com or Email: Sofaking@aol.com

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Album number number two for Atlanta based AOR and melodic rock newcomers Tandym. Tandym were fromed in the early nineties and have recieved positive press for their debut album "City Out Of Time", the album showed similarities to Nightranger, Preview, Thrills, Styx etc. One song on that album which stood out was called "Annie", a fantastic AOR-song with an unbeatable chorus which actually gained some radio airplay.

The songs on the new cd are much better, the production is a lot better and the band seem to be on a roll with such excellent songs as "No Reason" and "Understanding". The former is similar to Nightranger, whilst the latter sounds like a calmer Jaded Heart. Being an accoustic guitar flavored song "Understanding" also offer similarities to Kee Marcello's "Shine On" album.

However there are a further two songs that win top scores of ten points, these are "Out Of The Blue" and the truly excellent "My Eyes". Now "My Eyes" is a very singable song indeed - the chorus is just so damn irresistible, Bon Jovi, Steve Perry (solo) and the recently released Prisoner album amongst others. "My Eyes" is the albums best track which I cannot get out of my head for the life of me.

Featuring a total of eleven tracks Tandym cover what we all love about melodic rock and AOR, from catchy melodic rock and AOR songs to your obligatory ballads. Only the first three songs didn't work for me which were "What You Feel", "Too Far Too Gone" and "Worry About You", but that's just a minor quibble to an otherwise terrific album and a band to keep your eyes on.

For more info on Tandym, Email: sgoodfellow@mindspring.com or info@tandym.com The band also have a website for you to visit @ http://www.tandym.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Phew tough one this, weighing in at a total of thirty songs on two cd's, there is no doubt about the songwriting capabilities of Houston based singer/songwriter Billy Thompson. These two cd's are just basically one man and his accoustic guitar, singing thoughtful songs about love, tragedy, cup-a-soup and the X Files, so it seems that humour also plays an essential part in Billy's songs.

The trouble is that the cd's maybe just a little too long and light-weight to swallow in one gulp. His music can be compared to The Beatles and The Rembrandts, whilst vocally Billy reminds me of Chip Z' Nuff from Enuff Z' Nuff, The Nelson Brothers and Paul McCartney. Songs like "Obsession", "You're Not The Forgotten One", "The Rest Of My Life". "Don't You Hate It", from cd 1 and "Out Of My Wits" and "The Show" from disc 2 are pleasing enough, but the feeling I have is that songs would appeal to a wider audience if he had added electric guitars.

But I guess this is the way that Billy felt his songs ought to be heard, and that's cool as he is obviously going with what comes out naturally, thus I have the utmost respect for his craft and different approach. But at the end of the day his market will be limited, and I just hope that come the next album Billy will unleash guitar madness all over his songs. These songs though at the end of the day are aimed at the over thirties market, but even so, these albums are one paced accoustic sessions that are hard to get to grips with and take time to grow onto the listener.Approach with caution.

Rating: 6,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

The latest release from underrated musician Lars Eric Mattson. "Another Dimension" explores Yngwie Malmsteen, Craig Goldy, Kelly Simonz, Dokken and Royal Hunt styled meoldic rock with some nice neo-classical segmants here and there.

Singer Bjorn Lodin makes the material sound strong and powerful, like on "Don't Chain My Mind" for example, which combines Bjorn's killer Bruce Dickinson, Goran Edman, Ronnie James Dio inspired vocals with Mattasson's stunning guitar technique that would have remained an ego guitar trip, had he not hired the talents of Bjorn Lodin.

"Another Dimension" is one of Lars Eric Mattsson's stronger releases and is well worth investigating if your a fan powerful guitar driven melodic rock.

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Elsewhere on this website you can see an interview that I did with Italian singer/songwriter Bruno Rock who released a rather great AOR and hard rock album a few years back which was sung in his native Italian tounge..

Nightpride is Bruno's English project and features four excellent songs that would sound even better with a sound engineer's expert touch.

The first song "Fighting For Something" is very good, quite heavy with a killer chorus. This reminds me of Crystal, Signal, Phil Vincent, and House Of Lords amongst others. "Fire Of Emotion", is a cool ballad with lots of keyboard action, "Midnight Lover" is the best song of the cd and is very catchy with a melodic twist and the last song "18 Minutes Of Love" reminds me of From The Fire and West Of Sunset.

Overall not a bad effort at all. Bruno's full album is well worth checking out and hopefully we can urge him to rerecord the material into English. Until then you can contact him via http://www.mp3.com or check out my interview for further details.

Demo Rating: 6/10
Song Writing Rating: 7,5/10

(Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Canadian trio Ivory Knight were put together by ex Annihilator drummer Paul Malek and vocalist John Devadasan Perinbam in the late eighties. The band play catchy power metal and hard rock a'la Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Lillian Axe, Annihilator, Sword, Hexanhaus, Dio, Loudness, Keel etc..

This demo features five songs, the production isn't too bad either, and singer John D. Perinbam certainly has a range similar to Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Martin, Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio, whilst guitar shredder Rob Gravelle has a speedy style similar to Joey Taffola, Marty Friedman and Akira Taskaski.

"Out In The Streets" is probably my favorite song on the cd. This is a slow melodic ballad that is quite effective, of the rockers there are two that stand out, track two "Voices In Your Nightmare" is great, lots of speedy killer axe work and track five "Inferno" which is more of the same and is a killer song with great singing from John.

Ivory Knight plan to release their full cd which they hope to have out very soon.

In the meantime visit the band website http://www.ivoryknight.com or email: j@ivoryknight.com

Demo Rating: 6.5/10
Song Writing Rating: 7/10

(Review by Nicky Baldrian)

New album from the former Fandango, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple and Rainbow frontman. "Holy Man" is a very slick hard rock album and sees Mr.Turner reflecting back to his classic rock roots, thus the album features thirteen songs that follow the styles set by his former achievements and is a marvelous release which is very hard to criticize.

To this day my favorite record with Joe LynnTurner simply has to be Yngwie Malmsteen's massive "Odyssey" album "Holy Man" seconds that with top songs being "Babylon"(huge vocal performance and guitar playing), "Midnight Tokyo" (killer chorus), "Angel", "Freedom's Wings" and the ballads "Closer" and "Anything".

Turner makes use of various musicians including Al Pitrelli, Andy Timmons, Tony Bruno and some female backing singers, which will keep long term fans very happy indeed. A killer album. Highly recommended.

http://www.joelynnturner.com

Rating: 9/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Sometimes I just don't understand record company policies, here we have a great new band who combine hard rock with commerical pop with stunning choruses and they still remain unsigned. I can understand to a certain degree the labels thinking as a lot of Rain's material is mellow and light weight, but it's fun, sexy and perfect for the car stereo and radio for that matter. I mean, if a label took a chance and released say "The Best Is Yet To Come" as a single, then I'm sure with the right promotion and the current popularity of Bon Jovi it could ride high into the singles charts, making the label and the band a packet.

Add to the fact that many websites and magazines are now talking about this band, one would have thought that the labels would have had a safe bet with these guys as people really want to hear them!!

Rain are from Norway and features the excellent talents of journeyman frontman Michael Bormann, (Jaded Heart, Charade, The Sygnet etc..). Here we find Michael sounding across between Steve Tyler, Jon Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams with the odd reference to Axl Rose here and there. This has got to be one of the best set of songs that I have ever heard Michael sing, the choruses are all singable and perfectly built for radio exposure.

Many of the songs have a Bon Jovi circa "These Days" laid back approach, like "No Such Thing" for example which reminds me of the Bon Jovi's"Something For The Pain" and the BIG ballad "Can't Say If" is somewhere in-between Bon Jovi's "This Ain't A Love Song" and "Always", good stuff indeed.

The whole sound of these demos has a summer feel and is very nice to listen. I was out driving with my girlfriend yesterday and she fell in love with Rain, she noticed similarities in Michael's voice a'la Steve Tyler, Bryan Adams and Jon Bon Jovi on songs like "Everytime You Go", "Hold On", "Soul", and even slight refrences to the latest Crown Of Thorns album "Destination Unknown" on "Bad For Everything" and "Talking To My Heart", so you see Rain have something for everyone to enjoy.

These demos have a slightly rough sound, but with the help of a label, I can really see Rain's songs sounding bigger and better.

Rain as I mentioned feature Michael Bormann - vocals, Peppa - drums, Tore Moren - guitar, Lars Forseth - rhythm guitar, Bjorn Boge (DaVinci/Street Legal) - bass amongst others, the band sound as if they had so much fun making these songs, they are soooo catchy. Tongues are going to start wagging about these guys, I guarantee it. The best songs of Rain for me personally are "Anyway The Wind Blows", now this song is dead catchy with a killer chorus which reminds me of Bon Jovi and John Tagileri, also cool is the afforementioned "Bad For Everything", which sits nicely along side what Crown Of Thorns are doing
now with a hint of Damn Yankees. "No Such Thing" is another favorite, as is "Miss Myself" which is a mix of Aerosmith, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. "Can I Say If" is one of the albums top songs though, and possable ballad of the year, just wait until you hear this one baby!

There a few songs that didn't have an impact like "Sentimental Sunday" (too laid back) "Talkin' Too An Angel" (too indy sounding), "Ain't Found Heaven Yet" (too sugary) and "Walkin Away"(too modern sounding a'la Bryan Adams).

With all the other bands baring the Rain moniker like Rainlord, R.A.I.N.E, Rainmker etc, I really think the band should change the name, how about "SUMMER RAIN" guys? as this best describes your music!

Anyway expect the monsoon to break pretty soon!!!

Rain are superb, if you would like more information on these guys them Email Rain@start.no or visit their website http://home.no.net~rain

Demo Rating: 8/10
Song Writing Rating: 8,5/10

(Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Column A is the talents of Californian singer/songwriter Jim Agnello, some of you may remember that old UK magazine Frontiers featured Column A on their cover cd with the track "Inherit The Earth", which to this day remains a firm favorite of mine, and was quite similar to Brett Walker, Dan Lucas and Steffan Andersson, with a little country twist in the guitar department.

A couple of years back Jim did release a batch of demos that were classy mid-paced AOR/radio songs a'la Glen Burtnick, Brett Walker, Signal, Alias, Rick Springfield, Mark Spiro etc.. This new set of demos is in the same league. Containing five songs the cd kicks off with "Livin ' Proof" which is catchy pop by numbers, the next song "My Work Here's Not Done", reminds me of Nelson and The Rembrandts and is very catchy, track three "Once And For All" is another pure pop song a'la Brett Walker and Bryan Adams whilst "Carried Away"which could have fitted perfectly on Freddy Curci's "Dreamers Road"
album.

"Inherit The Earth"is also included on this cd and it's this song that is the show stealer with it's easy irresistible chorus that marks Jim Agnello as one of the most underrated songwriters in the scene.

For those interested in hearing this great cd, please contact JAGNEL56@AOL.COM for more information.Excellent stuff, good sound too!!

Demo Rating: 8/10
Song Writing Rating: 8/10

(Review by Nicky Baldrian)

You gotta get your paws 'n' claws into this as it rocks. Lazy Jane are a hard rock band from Las Vegas and are led by former Lancia frontman Paul Lancia who released a much respected album back in 1993 .The production on "Destiny"is very nice indeed and is ready for a label to get behind.

The band are Paul Lancia - vocals/rhythm guitar, Shon McKee - drums, Howie Cooperstein - bass, Corey Beaskey - lead guitar and June Sigman - lead vocals.

Musically the band sound like Tesla, Shark Island, Michael Monroe, Slaughter, Gun's 'N' Roses, Keel, Ted Nugent and most other famous American rock bands of the eighties - for example the song "Devil's Daughter" is very much like Guns 'N' Roses and Ted Nugent, a sleazy groovy song with a great chorus twist.

Paul Lancia has been voted best singer in various parts of the US and has played live with Guns 'N' Roses, Poison and Warrant, whilst drummer Shon McKee has shared stage with bands like Britny Fox, Slaughter, Ugly Kid Joe, Street Legal, Innuendo and Alliance amongst others and lead guitar player Corey Beaskey has played with such bands as Aces High, and
Fallen Angel before joining Lazy Jane.

There are eleven songs on "Destiny" with "I Want You", "Sometimes", "Gemini Lady" and "Devil's Daughter" being some of the best.

But the bands best songs are "Tomorrow" which has an incrediable chorus a'la Tesla and Bon Jovi, this is followed by "Time Heals". These two songs are excellent and should be played in all the rock clubs.

On a downside only "Soldier Boy" didn't do anything for me because the song feels too dark compared to the rest of the material, "Soldier Boy" just sounds like something Dokken did on Dysfunctional or Shadowland and is not very inspiring, but that's the only flaw min an otherwise perfectly acceptable release that you should investigate immediatley by visiting the band at their website http://www.lazyjane.com or by emailing Lancia1010@aol.com Oh and don't forget to check out that cult album "Lancia" released in 1993 to.

Rating: 8,5/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Toronto based indy and rock influenced band who are actually pretty good despite their indy influences. They have a seventies sounding vibe running through this demo, the songs are quite heavy and catchy like the opening song "Never Been To LA" which ends up floating around in your head. Now if only other indy bands like Pearl Jam for example could play songs like this. Melody is the key factor to Mary's Fire that seperates them from many of the other indy bands, and this song is just great to chill back to with a couple of cans, the guitar parts are quite raw, which makes Mary's Fire even an even tastier prospect.

The next song "Grade Seven" is a little more subtle and reminds me of many bands. This is great song with killer vocals and music. Track three "Sleeping Naked" is the best though, featuring the best chorus and the heaviest guitar work.

Mary's Fire I suspect will soon find themselves linking a deal if they continue writing music in this tradition. For more info on the band Email: marysfire@hotmail.com or check out their website http://www.marysfire.com

Rating: 7/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)

Good band this one! Foolz Gold come from the home of San Francisco's most famous sons - Journey.. These guys however play guitar driven sleazy eighties hard rock a'la Warrant, Michael Monroe, Poison, Heaven's Edge and Motley Crue.

The band have had over twenty years experience in the live field and fans of the above bands should take a look at the songs of Foolz Gold like "One More For The Road" which is a very catchy song that bounces along in tune to Poison and Warrant whilst "Hands Off My Moonshine" sound similar to Michael Monroe.

Also cool is "Quaterbooth", this song feature some great axe work and a catchy chorus with a good beat. This is a fairly enjoyable cd, I look forward to hearing much more from Foolz Gold in the future as they sound very promising indeed.

http://home.beseen.com/barsandclubs/foolz_gold/ or Email: foolz_gold@hotmail.com

Rating: 8/10 (Review by Nicky Baldrian)