Archived Reviews: # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Reviews Index
BMG 2003
Review by 
9 November 2003
It's never easy to follow up a smash hit like "Save Tonight" (1998 - the album "Desireless" went platinum all over the world), and I guess it became even more difficult, when this happens to your first single on your debut album. Lots of water have passed under the bridge ever since though and "Sub Rosa" is actually Cherry's third release already.
With the help from producers such as Al Stone (Björk and Jamiroquai), John Kurzweg (Jewel, Puddle of Mud, Creed), Tim Simenon (Massive Attack, Depeche Mode), and Cameron McVey (husband and producer of his sister, Neneh Cherry), Eagle-Eye may just have recorded his most various and mature sounding album up to date.
There may not be another "Save Tonight" song on "Sub Rosa" and it's probably for the best anyhow. However, the overall material is still being performed in the gather-around-the-campfire tradition with acoustic guitars upfront. The mellow and very laidback "How Come", is similar to the slow songs Lenny Kravitz did in the past. There's no secret that Tom Petty & Neil Young are two of Cherry's biggest influences in the past and maybe still are. The singer/songwriter style is very present every now and then, even if it's been slightly updated with a more "modern" pop sound. Check out "Feels So Right" and "The Food Song", for a big slice of rock, inspired by both above mentioned artists. The first single "Skull Tattoo" did okay in the charts, but it's hardly the success of "Save Tonight", and I believe that Eagle-Eye will always be remembered and compered with 'that' song. Unfair or not... but I simply can't find 'that' hit song, which could turn this album into a mega seller. Nice, pop/rock, but dangerously close to being too predictable.
www.eagleeyecherry.com
Locomotive/Rock Inc 2004
Review by 
11 December 2003
The Spanish heavy metal band Easy Rider started in 1990 and consisted back then out of: Daniel Castellanos(guitar), Javier(guitar) and Jose Villanueva(bass) and Antonio Chaves(drums). Seven years later they released their first album "Perfecta Creacion"(perfect creation), with the new vocalist Eugenio Garaneda. To get closer to the international music business they decided to record their next album "Lord Of The Storm" with English lyrics. In 2000 Easy Rider released their first album with Locomotive Music, "Evolution", and after that singer Garaneda and drummer Chaves were replaced by Ron Finn(American vocalist) and Rafa Diaz. With this new line-up they also recorded their best album so far "Regeneration".
"Animal" is the second album with American shouter Ron Finn and I must say that his voice tends to get on your nerves after a couple of songs....But if you put on this cd and "Visions" blows out of your speakers, you probably want some more of that; a great fast, metal song with excellent vocals; a song that reminds me of good old Saxon. Then in "Chasing Demons" Finn's high-pitched vocals are already a bit too much sometimes, but it still is a great Flotsam And Jetsam-like metal track.
But then as the cd goes further I start to realize that there is almost no variation and that shouter Finn is starting to scream and scream and scream...... This really is a pity, because this album started out so great. However the guitar riffs and solos are still worth listening to and if you enjoy (heavy) metal and bands like Blind Guardian, Manowar or Flotsam And Jetsam, then you should give these Spanish blokes a chance. Death to false metal and up the irons, it is for Easy Rider!!! Release date: 23rd February 2004
www.locomotivemusic.com
Z Records 2001
01-05-01
Tell me ... do you want the truth & little more about the new Swedish band Eclipse? Well, look no further as we´ll bring out all their dirty little secrets about the debut album in public. This is a new, fresh band from my homeland and the only member that I´ve really heard about in the past is drummer/keyboard player Anders Berlin who recorded a couple of prog-metal albums with Timescape, before he teamed up with vocalist/guitarist Erik Martensson & Magnus Henriksson (guitar).
Now don´t go thinking that Eclipse plays prog metal 'cause nothing could be further from the truth as this is pure Scandinavian hardrock a-la the rougher guitar oriented stuff from Europe or Glory. You can´t help comparing vocalist Martensson with Joey Tempest as his style and phrasing are sometimes so much alike that they could have been brothers (Sven Karling is that you? - inside joke).
Some of the songs could easily have been from one of the later Europe albums like opener "Midnight train" a great funky uptempo rocker with a catchy chorus. Same goes with "I thought I had it all" and "How many times" which both have a big Tempest warning sign written all over them. Still these guys have a style of their own and songs like "The truth" a nice mixture of classic hardrock and more up to date music "The only one" a nice semi ballad "Message of love" a lovely ballad and "A little more" proves to be just that. I must say that I enjoy all the guitarwork on this CD and the musicians also likes to point out that Yngwie Malmsteen has been a big inspiration for them while growing up. This is indeed a good debut album even if a couple of the tracks are not that much to talk about and who knows what lays in the future for Eclipse? Me think it can only be good things though as Sweden is after all the land of catchy hooks. www.zrecords.net
Z Records 2001
Eclipse?! No way! This is pure sunshine! Well, okay with some fleecy clouds but only minor ones. Someone at the A&R Department of Z Records must be doing a fabulous job, last year they came up with Dreamhunter (that made it to be the album of the year in my list), now we get Eclipse and this one is pretty close too. The music could be characterized as a classic Treat/Europe/Danger Danger album given a facelift and some silicon to fit the requirements of our times. And the result? A supermodel for the new millenium.
"Midnight Train" opens the album with class, an uptempo melodic rocker with an extremely catchy refrain. The melodies remind me of Treat's "Organized Crime" era, while the guitar and the overall sound resembles to the latest Danger Danger or Alfonzetti albums. "The Truth" follows in the same vein, the late Danger Danger comparison is even more obvious with this one however a cool X-files sounding, whistling synth sound adds a nice twist to the arrengement. Another winner! No rest "The Only One" carries on with the melody treatment. This is a typical 80's resembling melodic rocker with up-to-date sound.
The first spot on the face of our supermodel appears when listening to "Message Of Love". This is a beautifully arranged ballad with an acoustic intro but there's some annoying uptempo techno (?) additional drum programming to be heard during the intro. To be honest at first I thought there was something wrong with the pressing of my CD. This was absolutely unnecessary, I felt that the band wanted to be a bit too trendy here; the sound of the album is modern enough without it and this is a wonderful song! Why ruin it?! To stick to our supermodel metaphor, a bit too much makeup shadowed the original beauty of the face of the song.
Anyway, we get "I Believe In You" right away, probably the best song of the album, another melodic uptempo rocker in the Alfonzetti meets Danger Danger vein. With its shout-out refrain this will definitely be one of the concert favorites. "I Thought I Had It All" and "The Way I Feel" follow just as the album began, great tracks with up-to-date sound and highly memorable melodies. Though my promo copy arrived without any info material, the track-listing at the band's website mentions that "Songs Of Yesterday" features Kee Marcello. Yes, this is exactly what you are thinking of now, a highly melodic track in the vein of Europe's "Final Countdown" or "Out Of This World" albums with a fast scaling solo. "A Little More" and "How Many Times" guest Mats Olausson, the latter is the heavier, yet more memorable, rocking track, reminding me a bit of the above mentioned Europe albums but with some steroid pills taken before recording. Let's not forget about "Too Far" that got stuck between the two tracks featuring Olausson. This one is a soulful, bluesy ballad in the vein of Flesh & Blood or Tattoo Rodeo; definitely different from the rest of the album but with its thick organ sound and female backing vocals it adds a nice flavor to the overall chemistry of the album.
The closing "I Won't Hide" could be the best track of the album. I say "could be" with purpose. I had a deja vu feeling when listening to the song: "is there something wrong with the pressing of my CD again??" The song suddenly ends after a minute and a half or so (our supermodel's legs are a bit too short.). Shame because it's a wonderful acoustic ballad with tasty female backing vocals and beautiful real (!) cello melodies. Vocalist Erik Martensson delivers the best performance of the whole album on this one. I really hope the soon to be released (scheduled for 7th May) version of the album will contain the complete song!
The overall sound of the album reminds me of the recent Danger Danger, Alfonzetti, Brad Gillis, etc. albums. Rough guitar sound, bombastic drum sound, polished chorus, each and every instrument clearly audible. If this is the "trendy" melodic rock album sound for the 00' s, it's absolutely okay with me because I dig it! A careless observer might not even recognize the above-mentioned spots on our supermodel's face and all in all, this is a baby that any melodic rock fan would long for. Get "her", you won't regret it!
Frontiers 2004
Review by Kimmo Toivonen, 
14 March 2004
The first Eclipse album was a big favourite among our staff, and I believe that this one will be just as well. The band hasn't drastically changed their sound, although one could argue that this album is even more contemporary sounding.
There's been a few albums that have been hailed as the "bridge" between 80'ies hard rock and modern rock, and I would say that "Second To None" is another good attempt to do just that. Take opener "Always Standing" for example: hard hitting riffs that remind me of a more hard rocking Metallica mixed with a strong AOR chorus. "All I Do" and "Second To None" are more traditional melodic rock, both excellent songs with big hooks. "Streets Of Gold" is again a bit heavier, European styled hard rock in the vein of the most melodic songs of Pink Cream 69.
I can't really get a grip of the ballad "I'll Ask Of You", but "Nothing Between Us" does leave a more lasting impression, with its' crunchy guitars, a cool bridge and a very Kelly Hansen-like performance from Erik Mårtensson. "Road To Forever" is basic AOR, nice enough but somewhat bland perhaps. "Body And Soul" follows the formula of the opening track, combining heavy rocking verses with an AOR styled chorus, although the song doesn't work quite as well. The highlight of the second half of the album is "Light Of Day", blessed with a killer chorus. That's something which "Season Of Life" could've used, as it now doesn't quite make the grade. The closing track "Better World" takes us all the way to the seventies, ending the album with a "classic rock" vibe. This ballad reminds me of such rock radio staples as "Stairway to Heaven" and "Dust In The Wind"...
I may still rate the debut a bit higher, but this is by no means a disappointment. The production is very good, and if the whole album had been as good as the four first songs, we'd have "the album of the year" title spoken for! A safe purchase for the fans of the debut album, and worth checking out for everyone else into melodic hard rock.
Indie 2001
Review by Endre "Bandi" Hübner
20 February 2002
Eddy & Cartman is the name of this project as it features Kevin Eddy on guitars and Lyndon Cartman on vox, however it would be a mistake not to mention Matt Woodring (bass) and Jim Pennington (drums) as the two guys provide a very solid rhythm section. God knows the band really needs it as they play a kind of guitar driven party rock, trying to reach a bombastic rock sound that doesn't work without a good rhythm section.
However it doesn't work without a confident, well-trained vocalist either and Lyndon is not one of those (yet). His high- pitched vocals are often bordering being off-key and the weak production doesn't really help them either. Musically the band is pretty tight and the songs are very well-written, Jim Pennington's drum playing and Kevin Eddy's guitar work are the best parts, however the bass tracks are almost inaudible, so it would be hard to talk about them… The opening "Dreams Of You" is probably the best track here, a positive up-tempo rocker with a driving guitar riff and good vocal melody ideas. The acoustic, haunting ballad "You Can't Hide" is a good moody track ruined by a weak vocal performance, while "Friday Night" is a real party anthem, must be the concert favorite of the band. "Angel" has the best songwriting as far as the guitars go, reminding me of Night Ranger, the vocal melodies are also okay but at some verses I feel that the lyrics are a bit too much and they can't really be pronounced and sang well, but otherwise this (and the opener) song could be the path to follow for the band.
The reason of recording the "House Of The Rising Sun" is really beyond me. Forget about it as soon as possible! This version is at least as boring as the original (probably one of the most overrated, overplayed, ruined by many songs of rock history). If someone is recording a cover version he MUST add something to it, otherwise it's just a filler to make the CD longer, and that's pretty much the case here. The four guys should concentrate on polishing their own songs, work on vocal melodies (some backing vocals would also be helpful) and then there's the potential of a good guitar rock act.
EDDIE AND THE TIDE: "Stand Tall/Dig Down Deep" 9
Target Records 2002
Review by
4 January 2003
These two CDs (but three albums) of Eddie And The Tide reissues might just be the best reissue I've come across in 2002, and a worthy addition to any serious AOR fans' CD collection. Eddie And The Tide were a band from San Fransisco, who released two albums on MCA, but these albums were originally released before ("I Do It For You") and after (the other two) their affair with the major label.
"I Do It For You" was the first full album from the band, and it was released in 1984. It showcases a band with a sound somewhere between Rick Springfield and Eddie Money, with a bit of Springsteen in thrown in for an extra flavour. Vocalist Steve "Eddie" Rice sounds like a long-lost brother of both Springfield and Money, while the songs vary from the more down-to-earth sounds of Money & Springsteen to the more hi-tech style (well, hi-tech circa 1984) of "Living in Oz"-era Rick Springfield. The original 10 tracks of the album include a bit too many average tracks for a rating of 7, but fortunately the three bonus tracks are of high quality, especially the catchy "Jean", so seven it is. Other highlights and worthy of checking out are "Running Wild, Running Free", "One In A Million" and "I'm A Little Bit Nervous".
After the first album the band got the major deal and recorded two albums, one with Eddie Money as producer actually. I am not familiar with them so I can't make any comparisons, but now that I've heard the two albums recorded after them, the MCA albums are something I really need to track down. You see, "Dig Down Deep" (originally released in 1988) and "Stand Tall" (1989) are both very tasty slices of AOR. They're maybe a bit short by today's standards (18 tracks altogether), but then again, they're pretty much filler-free.
The style is basically still the same as on "I Do It...", but with a bit more edge and better songwriting. These songs are made for warm summer days, to be blasted out of your car stereo with volume turned up to eleven. Even the lyrics reflect that - there's none of that typical "Heartbreak and Despair" stuff here. The lyrics are mostly quite uplifting, which really isn't the case when it comes to most AOR releases. Highlights from "Dig..." include the raunchy opener "Just Gotta Rock", the ballad "Don't Let It Take You Over" and the highly infectious "Days Gone By". I must mention "Loving You From A Distance" which must be the most Eddie Money-like tune I've ever heard. The Highlights of "Stand Tall" are "She Lives For The Summer" and "Pray For A Miracle", just to name two - it's all good really!
www.target-records.de
Massacre 2001
Review by
27 November 2001
Melodic Metal with progressive touches, lots of keyboards and an angelic female vocalist...Nightwish, right? No, this time I am talking about Edenbridge from Austria. The two bands do have similarities, but I think Edenbridge might be little bit more accessible, as their melodies seem to be easier for the ear and their vocalist Sabine Edelsbacher doesn't always go for the operatic approach. She has more in common with Maggie Reilly or Candice from Blackmore's Night than Kiri Te Kanawa!
The band's record label compares them to a cross between "Nightwish and Edguy" and I can see where they came up with that. Edenbridge combines the more melodic elements of Edguy to a somewhat Nightwish-like style, but with an emphasis on strong melodies. Sure, the "classic" melodic metal elements dominate the sound, double bass drums, widdly keys and anthemic choruses, but somehow the band manages to sound more impressive than majority of their competition.
The production by Dennis Ward (of PC69) is excellent, he is really becoming one of the most important producers of the scene. As for the songs, you won't find anything below average here. I seem to enjoy the ballads most, like "Winter Winds" or "Velvet Eyes Of Dawn", but I also quite like the Dream Theater-influenced title track and highly melodic "Fly On A Rainbow Dream", which reminds me of Zeno. There's nothing wrong with the rest of the tracks, they may be just a bit less memorable, but still quite good.
Edenbridge are not likely to shake off "the shadow of Nightwish" anytime soon, but once they do, they might just end up surpassing the sales figures of theirs. What they now need is a surprise radio hit, and given their more accessible nature, I wouldn't dismiss the possibility alltogether.
Massacre 2003
Review by
4 february 2003
It is not too often you hear that a metal band hails from Austria. But here we have a great band that has been together since 1998 and has released two albums before „Aphelion”. Their singer is Sabine Edelsbacher, who has an angelic voice and that is what got me interested in the band at the first place, hearing Sabine sing in the Beto Vasquez Infinity album together with Tarja Turunen of Nightwish, Candice Night of Blackmore’s Night and Fabio Lione of Rhapsody. The album is mostly full of softer songs and Edenbridge is more melodic and powerful. The band has even toured in Korea, a country where this kind of music seems to have impact on people. This album was produced by Dennis Ward of Pink Cream 69 and he’s done a great job as usual, the sounds are in balance here.
Edenbridge is almost like Nightwish, seducing, but still treacherous. Once you get into that dreamy world, they stab you in the back with all kinds of changes you weren’t expecting. But Edenbridge isn’t as dramatic, powerful and catchy as Nightwish, they’re a softer version of them. And even if they’re a bit softer, from song one on („The Undiscovered Land”) they get a grip of you with their twists and Sabine’s ethreal voice. Her voice can almost be compared to someone like Celine Dion, it’s almost as sensitive in the slower song „The Final Curtain”, which is like another one of those best selling pop ballads. And in „As Far As Eyes Can See” the chorus gives goosebumps, it’s as beautiful and sublime as TNT’s „Lionheart” or „Soldier Of The Light”.
But it’s not just the easier songs that work. The catchiest smashers are „Perennial Dreams”, „Deadend Fire” and „Red Ball In Blue Sky” with a guest appearance from the amazing Silent Force vocalist D.C. Cooper, who’s voice you cannot be mistaken of. This song is also the longest one on the album, over nine minutes, when others are somewhere in five mins. This album needs a few listens to really start working. All in all the songs are quite alike and most of the songs are moving evenly. This is the small drawback here that needs a bit of polishing. But it’s a minor thing, ’cos I did enjoy listening to this band for eight points and it’s not often I’m this pleased. So definitely a band worth checking out. This album is also available as limited edition with 3-D cover and a bonus track „The Whispering Gallery”. The cover artwork was done by Markus Mayer who suprise, surprise, has also worked with Nightwish.
Indie 2001
02-01-20
Edera is an Italian Prog-Rock band that really likes to drive the complex way instead of following the main road. Well, no one can accuse them for being just another copy cat band, without any ideas of their own. No Sir! This is their debut? 6-track CD.
I'm sure you could find some similarities to the master of the 70's, if you look really hard. Still, the song arrangements take yet another turn, when you don't expect them to do so. Unfortunately vocalist 'Valerio Valentini' has one of those singing voices, that you either love or hate. And I'm afraid I'm more of the latter category!
You can't ignore that fact that Edera is a bunch of good musicians though. Especially keyboardist 'Matteo Catarisano' who is responsible for the overall sound of the band since the keys are the most important instrument here. "Debris.. A Needle Falls" and "Broken Glass" are both, pretty nice, progressive songs. The overall material is way too bleak! Too bad I didn't receive any more background info about the band, not even the URL to their homesite (if they have one?).
MTM 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
23 May 2004
Edge Of Forever is a new Italian project with famed keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (Glenn Hughes, Time Machine, Bruce Kulick, Patrick Rondat, etc). Formed in 2002 with the remains of several different groups in Italy, the line-up now consist of Matteo Carnio (guitar), Christian Grillo (bass), and Francesco Jovino (drums). Add to this US vocalist Bob Harris (Axe, Steve Vai, Frank Zappa), and you'll end up with a rather interesting act.
It must also be said that power vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Talisman, Eyes, Yngwie), helps out with excellent background vocals. Not to forget the power duel and intriguing duet "Prisoner", where the two vocalists clash heads. This is a fun uptempo rocker in the Malmsteen/Talisman tradition and style. Soto's fellow musician and partner in crime, Marcel Jacob (Talisman, Force, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Norum, etc), is the man responsible for the production of "Feeding The Fire". And all this is resulting in a nice melodic metal hybrid, with quite some similarities to Talisman, Yngwie Malmsteen, and even Axe (the latter is mostly due to Harris of course).
Guitarist Carnio works in the tradition of Malmsteen (without the most tempo furioso stuff), while Del Vecchio delivers the goods 'ala Jens Johansson (Yngwie, Dio). I would have to say that there's a certain aura of Swedish melodies all over this CD. I actually kept thinking about Talisman and Yngwie throughout the entire disc. For example, "Mother Of Darkness" is one mother of a song with neo-classical influences in above mentioned style. "The Road We Walked On" is one of the better power ballads lately, and "Dance Into The Fire", is once again classy rock in the J.S.S./Talisman style. Add to this "Gates Of Hell", which is completely "Yngwie" during his "Trilogy" period and time. Overall a pleasant surprise and could be worthy a check out, if you're into above mentioned artists.
www.edgeofforever.com
AFM Records 2001
3 October 2001
Drool drool! Bring me a bucket please. I finally got my hands on this treasure since the long wait when I first heard this in the album listening session in May. And even there "Mandrake" made the people in the studio drool all over.. This band has improved so much since the first time I saw them live in Wacken in 1998 though they were good even then.
The beginning song "Tears Of A Mandrake" starts the album very promisingly with its fastness and impressive sounds hypnotizing me to a heavy party feeling, gotta go out and get really drunk! Then follows "Golden Dawn" that is even faster, but more straightforward, yet still very catchy. The third one "Jerusalem" is a bit slower and not the best ones on the album including "Fallen Angels", which made me think of the fast Helloween tracks.
"All The Clowns" has a very good chorus with all the backing vocals that bring shivers down my spine. One of the background singers is Rob Rock by the way. Now for the next one you really need to prepare yourself! "Nailed to the Gun", yaiks! The title already says it all. But the slow acoustic beginning promises something delicate and sensitive.
Don't get a heart attack, but it then turns into something that reminds me of Judas Priest-like hammering with screams I never thought Tobi could bring out of his tiny (but beautiful) body. This one made everyone laugh at the listening session, not that it's ridiculous, but just not what you'd expect to hear from Edguy!
After the hammering you get "The Pharaoh" for over ten minutes (hmm?). One of my faves because of its versatility, the fast and slow parts, the Crimson Glory- like beginning and many other interesting things. I also love "Wash Away The Poison" that is the slow track on the album, beautiful but still powerful. And the single-release song "Painting on the wall", a good choice for a single. Not too fast and it has the effect a song needs to get attention from bigger crowds, it doesn't stop playing in your head.
The last song is "Save us now", very fast with some comical parts added and a testosterone chorus. Now Edguy isn't the typical metal band with serious and "kill fuck die"-attitude what you see everyday in metal scenes. You can expect some jokes from these guys, they're German for chrissake! "The Devil & The Savant" visit you on the limited edition cd, a mid-tempo, eurometal song. Not as light as other eurostuff, but I just got the same kind of feeling from this.
I would've given ten points from this, but I think ten is only for those who deliver albums with only winning songs. Songs that all touch your heart very deeply. But this isn't far from that. Like some teacher once said "ten is for the God". Nearly there, nearly there!
AFM Records/Rock Inc 2003
Review by
24 May 2003
The first live-album(recorded during their Mandrake World Tour of 2001-2002) of powermetal rockers Edguy will be a double cd containing 16 songs with a playing time of 103 minutes and 37 seconds!!
On this album there will be no surprises for people who have seen Edguy’s live performance. Tobias Sammet sings like a young metalgod, Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer show their excellent guitarplaying craftsmanship and the rhythm section Tobias Exxel and Felix Bohnke do the rest to make this a worthy and enjoyable live-album.
Best tracks are “The Pharaoh”, the epic powermetal classic “How Many Miles”, “Out Of Control” and the titletrack of Tobias solo-album “Avantasia”.
Just sit back, turn up the volume and let yourself go; rock till you drop.
www.edguy.nu
www.afm-records.com
Nuclear Blast 2004
Review by Martien Koolen,
10 February 2004
This month we were treated to the “King Of Fools” EP and on 15th of March the German jester power metal band will release their new album called “Hellfire Club”. Right from their debut album these guys made it clear that they were to stay in the rock business for a long time. “Mandrake”(2001) became their first big success, which was mainly due to the fact that Edguy was a fantastic live band and that there were a few powerful tracks on that album that you could actually sing along to...
Last year they changed the record label and produced their first Nuclear Blast album: “King Of Fools”, an EP with four powerful non-album tracks only to be found on that album. The title track of that EP can be found on their first full album with the new record company. Besides that song, there are 11 brand new power metal tracks on “Hellfire Club” and right from the opener “Mysteria” you know what you can expect from these guys. Fresh and funny power metal combined with bombastic parts and of course catchy choruses. “New” on this album are the groovy rhythms, the harder than usual guitar riffs and some symphonic elements, which make this album even more interesting.
“The Piper Never Dies” is the longest track ( 10 minutes) and it is a killer song, lots of diversity, “shouting” by Tobias and a beautiful short but sweet orchestral middle part. “We Don’t Need A Hero” is clearly influenced by early Helloween material and therefore fast, while “Down To The Devil” reminds me of Stratovarius; listen to the beginning of that song. “Under The Moon” is a riff monster which really invites you to bang your head for five minutes long (hello migraine...). Of course Tobias and Co. do not forget their “soft side”; “Forever” is a true power metal ballad and “The Spirit Will Remain” is an orchestral ballad, not a typical Edguy song by the way. All in all “Hellfire Club” really kicks some serious ass and there are no bad songs on this album. Edguy is metal for the new millennium!!!
www.nuclearblast.de
www.edguy.de
Indie 2003
Review by
23 October 2003
Here's something exotic and very unusual even for RockUnited! I believe it's our first review of a rock band from Santiago, Chile, and it's actually a pretty cool act too. Edonis is a female fronted band with Ely Edonis (vocals) and her mysterious sister Rena (guitars) upfront. They proclaim to be the first fashion rock band ever?
Reading through their info I noticed that Ely is a nurse and likes to wear those kinky outfits and kill, sick, old, men, at work. While the mysterious Rena (who's that girl?) aka Nikki is an known personality by the internet community and people in porn business??? Wow! I have no idea what that means in reality and your guess is as good as mine, but it sure caught your attention I'm sure?
This is their first independent release and the buzz is already happening down there in Chile-land. They've been performing live at a couple of TV shows desperately searching for the next Shakira wannabe perhaps? These girls with the help of Charley (bass) and C.A.P.O. (drums) are sleazier, heavier, and meaner than Shakira though. The music combines the whole Latin, Punk, and 80's Glam Rock scene into one unusual pot of stew. They actually do a cover of "Talk Dirty To Me" which glam-sters Poison made popular in the mid 80's. I must say that Ely probably feel more at home with the Spanish lyrics. She sings them with more passion and intention than any of the other songs. Only three out of ten tracks are sung in English anyway and best of that bunch is "Thanx Honey". A rather harmless yet fun sleaze/punk-ish tune a'la Donnas with weird lyrics, done with both wit and charm though. The real winners are all in Spanish however and something like "Necesito De Alguien" (great bal!
lad), "Esa Rubia Tentación", and "Mi Dulce Nena" are all winners in the end. The power ballad "Esperando Por Tí" is perfect for Ely's voice and Rena delivers one fine and flashy guitar solo. Maybe they are Chile's answer to Heart after all? Nah, not quite as there's still a lot of things to work on here. Their perfromances are rather poor comparing to the mighty Wilson sisters. Girl power is always fun though and you can check out soundclips at CDBaby (link below).
www.cdbaby.com/edonis
Perris Records 2003
Review by
26 June 2003
Eidolon with the Drover brothers Glen & Shawn, recorded these 11 songs before their Metal Blade days. This material is comprised from their first 2 demos between the years of 1994-95. In other words, you'll find stuff here that no-one wanted or bothered to release in the past.
"Sacred Shine" do shine every now and then and the sound quality is actually rather good. In fact, the production isn't that far behind any of their other releases. The music is slightly more melodic & progressive than say "Coma Nation" in 2002.
5 out of the 11 tracks included are all instrumental, something which easily could scare away some potential buyers. I must however point out they are all rather good one's and "Race With Time" is actually darn impressive stuff. The overall material is more inspired by the 80's Prog-Metal than anything else. It's very much in the spirit of Queensryche and Fates Warning and you'll also find a cover of "Silent Cries" [Fates Warning] here. Something like "Forbidden Liar" reminds me a lot of early Queensryche [The Warning/Rage For Order]. I'm not sure who the drummer is on "Shadows"? There is however some serious kicking going on here for sure. The last 4 tracks [Tribal Fury, Hellbound, Nemesis, Darkfall] are all instrumental and it gets a bit boring in the long run. Essential pickup if you're a die-hard Eidolon fan, while the rest of us will find this rather nice/average.
www.perrisrecords.com
David Glenn EISLEY: "Stranger From The Past" 7
Frontiers/Now & Then 2000
I really
waited to hear this record because Eisley is a pretty good singer and
I really liked Dirty White Boy, not to mention Giuffria. Eisley has some
of his old friends playing with him here, and Chuck Wright even did the
artwork.
The
songs seem to be pretty personal. There is even one song named after
his wife; "Olivia". I think one of the best songs is "Who You Tryin'
To Fool", the fastest song. Most of the songs are midtempo, and if one
is in a certain mood then these songs will fit right in. Should be listened
with candles around, maybe some red wine. That's the way I ended up
listening this record.
The
songs are good but when the atmosphere is low there isn't much fun to
be found here. Like I said with a certain state of mind, this is a very
good record. Just turn the lights low and so on, then this record gets
better. Good comeback, and Eisley's next on will have to be pretty good
to top this one.
David Glenn EISLEY: "Stranger From The Past"
Frontiers/Now & Then 2000
New solo project by former
Giuffria/Dirty White Boy singer which features such prestigious guests
like CRAIG GOLDIE (Dio/Giuffria) on guitars; CHUCK WRIGHT (Quiet Riot/Giuffria),
STEPHAN ELLIS (Survivor) and RICKY PHILLIPS (Bad English, Babys) on bass,
RON WIKSO (The Storm, Foreigner) on drums, ERIC RIGGLER (“Titanic” Soundtrack)
on Illean pipes. DGE intended to get back to his melodic roots with this
album, and yes, it is melodic, I'll grant you that, but to me it's been
a great disppointment.
The production is flat, and
a bit dull at times. Most of the songs on the album are very lineal, and
some even really boring. It's not untill track #6, "Don't Turn Away",
a mid tempo which begins with Dave himself singing a Randy Jackson-like
falsetto, that you find an interesting song. And after that comes "Who
You Trying To Fool", an uptempo rocker that is to wake
you up from the sleep-all-the-way-through track five, "Sing Brother",
boring
as hell. "Can't Wait Forever" and "When It's Over" are the
more clearly Giuffria-like tracks, (ok, the title track also sounds like
Giuffria, but it's a completely forgettable song) and maybe the best of
the album. The ballad "Olivia", dedicated to Dave's wife is nice
too. Other than that nothing, as the rest of the songs are fillers. Well,
I also like the intro and outtro, with the pipe sound setting a very celtic
atmosphere.
Four good tracks out of 11 (actually
tracks 1&13 are instrumentals), and maybe another two which are decent
at most, is a rather poor baggage for what one should expect from Eisley.
Only recommended to die-hard
fans of DGE, and only because of the four good tracks mentioned, you can
skip the rest.
Frontiers/Now&Then Productions 2001
13 August 2001
"The Lost Tapes" is a collection of unreleased tracks from the former Giuffria/Dirty White Boy/The Stream vocalist David Glen Eisley. So what should we think of it? Eisley's last effort, the mediocre "Stranger From The Past" wasn't exactly a "return to the glory days" but this album is - literally: many of these tracks were intended to be on the third Giuffria album. That album never came true, instead Gregg Giuffria went on to form House Of Lords and Eisley went on to form Dirty White Boy with Earl Slick. All of these three bands "meet" on this album, as some of these tracks are Giuffria demos, some are from the DWB archives, and some ended up on the first HOL album, although re-recorded with James Christian on vocals.
If you are familiar with the three bands mentioned, you know what you can expect. The Giuffria-era tracks are awesome, big-sounding arena AOR tracks and the DWB tracks are gritty, bluesy hard rock tracks. I prefer the Giuffria-tracks, and much to my delight 9 of the 13 songs are from that era. The three tracks that were remade by House Of Lords are "Slip Of The Tongue", "Jealous Heart" and "Pleasure Palace", and they sound pretty similar to the HOL versions. Out of the 6 unreleased Giuffria-tracks I would pick "Stand Up", "Don't Turn Away From Love" and "One Love" as highlights, although they are all very classy tracks in the vein of the first HOL album. The DWB-tracks aren't that bad either, "The Ballad" and "Lay Down Your Love" aren't actually that different from the Giuffria-tracks.
One might think that since these are rough demos, the sound quality would be poor, right? Wrong. These recordings might lack the final polish, but still they can compete with most of the melodic rock releases of today. All in all, a worthy addition to any melodic rock collection, especially if there are a couple of HOL or Giuffria CD's there already!
World Records 1995
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
I am familiar with Mr. Elefante through his work as a producer and a co-writer for Petra, the christian group. This CD is quite far from their style, though. I'd compare this to Desmond Child's "Discipline" or Rick Springfield's more mellow songs. Most of the songs are balladic numbers, with "Hold Me In Your Arms" being the only real uptempo track. It is also my favourite, a great AOR number with horns. It reminds me of Phil Collins' "Something Happened On The Way To Heaven". Thankfully Elefante's vocals are much better!
I didn't think too much of this album at first, but it has proved to be a grower. Other songs worth mentioning are the opener "Hello My Good Friend", "What If Our World", which reminds me of Rick Springfield and the ballad "That's Why God Made The Moon". A couple of the songs are quite uninteresting, but in general this is a good album.
Frontiers/Now & Then 1999
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
The early reports said that this album would be a change in direction from the two previous John Elefante albums, but I wouldn't say so. To me it sounds like a natural follow-up to John's first album "Windows Of Heaven". Sure it's better and less bland than the disappointing "Corridors", and has more Kansas-isms, but I don't think there's such a drastic change. Maybe I was expecting something heavier and more bombastic...
"Defying Gravity" is quite similar to the "WOH" album in that aspect that most of the songs are quite balladic, with only a few songs that are somewhat uptempo. I would have liked to hear at least one real rocker, but I guess John is saving them for the next Mastedon album. Anyway, the nine songs on this album are all pleasant enough, with "The Truth, The Life", "If You Just Believe", "The Truth" and "Home With A View" being my favourites. They all feature those quite dramatic melody lines and the exceptional production that the Elefante Bros. (John & Dino) are known for, not to mention the heavily religious lyrics. What's more, this album sounds better everytime I play it, so I again reserve the right to change my rating...Damn these growers!
ELEGANT SIMPLICITY: "Architect of Light" 9
Proximity Records 2002
According to their bio this band(?) has been recording since 1992, however this album is the first time I've ever heard from them which is quite a shame cuz they are doing a fine job in their genre (melodic progressive rock would be the best category to describe them). It's hard to call this project a "band" though because everything is centered around Steven McCabe who wrote all the songs, produced the album, designed the artwork, and played all guitars and keyboards, plus some flute and mandolin too. Christopher Knight on drums and Ken Senior on vox (both doing a good job) contributed to the completion of the album, but right here I have to emphasize that the majority of the music consists of lengthy but tasty instrumental parts which is absolutely fine with me however people more into easily digestible verse-refrain rock should be cautious before buying the album.
At best(?) the music reminds me of Asia, at worst(?) of the musically "mad" side projects of Dream Theatre musicians but melodies never disappear, not even from the most progressive parts. The 70 minutes length of the album is divided into five songs, but believe me not even the tracks close to 20 minutes get boring. I really enjoy the classical favored instrumental parts of "A Crack In The Ice" and the title track, there are parts that Yngwie or Blackmore would easily give a finger to call his own. :)
The mix is balanced, all the instruments are clear, audible, the arrangement (due to Steven's multitalented musicianship) is vivid. The album is definitely recommended to fans of progressive rock, also to instrumental fans, with its 70 minutes and professional sound and packaging you get value for your money. www.elegantsimplicity.com www.proximityrecords.co.uk
Elektradrive 1989/2000
Italian group Elektradrive are just about to return to the scene with a new album produced by Ronnie Montrose. Meanwhile, they are re-issuing their two previous albums, of which "Due" was originally released in 1989.
Elektradrive deliver us AOR in the late eighties' vein, sounding like a cross between Shy, Journey and Valentine. Their songwriting and especially their lyrics cannot always match those classic bands, but one a few occasions the band manages to really pull it off.
"Due" is given a good start with "Back On The Road", a bouncy number with a rather "scandinavian" sound, reminding me of bands like Treat or Skagarack. Same goes for "St. Valentine's Day". "Sunset Boulevard" is a bit more Toto-like, with a bit of a westcoastish feel. From West Coast we move on to "Wild West", which is probably my favourite track. Gotta love the heavy riffing mixed with the whistled western theme! The chorus is great too.
"Right Or Wrong" starts off like one a boring boogie rocker, but it is thankfully blessed with a fine chorus. "A Man That Got No Heart" may have some problems when it comes to the lyrics, but musically it is top stuff, very Journey-like and with fine harmony vocals.
Although three tracks aren't really on par with the earlier tracks, I have to say that this isn't a bad album. Maybe not the classic that some sources claim it to be, but worth investigating anyway!
Elektradrive 1993/2000
Originally released four years after "Due", "Big City" doesn't see the band really improving. The first half of the album fails to impress, with only the opener "Rockin' On The Bad Side" (similary "bouncy" to the opener of "Due") and the ballad "Still Remember" being able to hold their heads above the water. The rest of them are more "groovy" and "funky", but not very memorable.
The second half sees the band shaping up. The trio of excellent, catchy melodic rockers - "Escape From The Rock", "The Riot Of The Young Guns" (very Shy-like) and "Lucille" - are just as good as the best tracks of "Due".
Unfortunately, the last three tracks are rather average again. "She Will Be Hangin' Over" is another funky/jazzy track with only the very Bad Habit-like pre-chorus being its' saving grace. "Hear It On The Radio" is more in the AOR-vein, but has a rather forgettable chorus. "Hitman Boogie" is just what it sounds like, a boogie number in the vein of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher", with frantic double bass drum groove and the guitarist Simone Falovo showing all of his fancy tricks. There's even a weird jazz outro in the song.
We'll see what the band has in store for us with the next album. The highlights on both "Due" and "Big City" prove that they've got potential to make a monster of a melodic rock album!
Favored Nations 2002
5 May 2002
What ever happened to 70's Blues/Funk rock huh? Well, look no further as the power trio of Stacey Ellis (vocals/bass), Brett Ellis (guitars) & Mike McFarland (drums) delivers some classic rock straight from memory lane down to future boulevard.
It's their third (duh!) release by now and from being an independent act, they recently signed a contract with Steve Vai's label Favored Nations. I guess this means they are a notch above the rest out there. And while they are indeed class act musicians, I must admit that I'm not too crazy about some of their material. Some of them are way too much inspired by Jazz and Alanis Morisette to be any good.
Its more about 'groove' than hooks and while I can appriciate a cool groove, I'd like to have a chorus in there too. Stacey Ellis is one heck of a singer tho', this sheila can easily compete with ALL the big names out there. I believe that Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath etc.) has the same opinion as he co-wrote the song "Happy To be Cool" with the band. He also sings a stunning duet with Stacey (Growing Wise) and this song, easily blows away most of the vocalists out there. The Stevie Wonder cover of "Superstition" has already been done to boredom though. Not the most original songs to cover. I really enjoy the guitar work by Brett Ellis as he chops and shreds like a modern day Hendrix. The instrumental Foghat cover "Couldn't Make Her Stay" is a masterpiece and also dedicated to the memory of Foghat's own 'Lonesome' Dave Peverett. They have a couple of KILLER tracks included here though. Check out the kick ass opener "Looking For Love", which had me playing and shouting along at once. Closing track "Cold North" is a darn right amazing semi ballad with some violin and a big goosebumps warning sign. You could say its their answer to Hendrix "Little Wing" as Brett does his best Jimi moves here. If only all the songs could have been like this, oh mama. Still, make sure to check 'em out if you're into 70's blues rock, Hughes, Trapeze, Tommy Bolin, Hendrix etc. Somewhat similar, except that here you have this amazing female vocalist. Hmmm... I guess I will have to mention Sass Jordan too :-)
AFM Records 2001
20 August 2001
Well what should we call this then? "Folk Metal"? A couple months ago I reviewed another band that mixed folk music with metal, but they fell more towards folk. Not Elvenking, they are more like a power metal band with some folk influences.
Curious as I am, even though this CD screamed out "TROTTEL METAL" I didn't forward it to our resident trottel/powe/melodic metal guru Satu, but decided to give it a go myself. The first two songs, the beautiful folk intro "To Oak Woods Bestowed" and the frantic "Pagan Purity" sounded pretty darn good to these ears, kinda like TEN in their celtic mode jamming with Helloween, catchy hooks and everything. Little did I know that it would be all downhill from there.
Let's put it this way: the rest of the album is probably more "artistically ambitious", with plenty of tempo variations, Nightwish-like operatic female vocals and some gruesome Death Metal vocals. All the same, it's not as appealing to me as the highly melodic opening song (or two). Sure, there are some nice pieces here 'n there, these folk-like melodies given a metal treatment do not sound too bad, but overall the rest of the album leaves me cold. The vocals of Damnagoras tend to get to my nerves, especially on the slower tracks where he sounds like that guy from the Latvian pop band Brainstorm! Can't say I'm too thrilled about the death metal vocals either.