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

 
TREAT: "Muscle In Motion" 8

Metal Mayhem Records 2001

Review by Andreas Hoehn 11 July 2001

Nearly ten years have passed since the self titled last Treat album saw the light of day. Finally I have a new CD in my hands.....NOT! What we have here is a collection of never before released demos .The sound is brilliant for a bootleg, much better than the usual Z Records releases. Those nine tracks (plus live version of “Rev It Up“) were recorded 1992 before the last CD. Due to musical “Wind Of Changes“ they didn’t make it on the last album. Nearly every band would kill for having such material in their set list. And guess what , some of the songs are better than the tunes on the band classic “Dreamhunter“.

Mats Leven (later in Yngwie Malmsteen) sings his heart out, no matter if you like haunting ballads (“Waiting To Get Even“) or nice little uptempo rockers (“Streets Cry Freedom“) - “Muscle In Motion“ has something to offer for everyone. Still into the Europe kinda cuts? Well, then check out “Better Off Without Your Love“ - totally in the “Superstitious“ groove, but way better. You don’t want those “took the chick on the backseat of my car“ anymore? Then you’d definetely love those ironic words of “Once In A Lunchtime“. “Don’t Wanna Be Your Lover, I’m Not That Kind, Just Wanna Have Your Liver“ Great or what?

The marvelous title track closes the best collection of unreleased songs I heard the last two years. What a shame that this band doesn't exist anymore. Definetely a must have!
www.metalmayhem.com

 
TRITON: "Storm Over Paradise"

Indie 2001
Review by 13 October 2002

Triton are a Finnish band who have apparently been around for quite a while, as this three track demo contains material written over a long period. The oldest track "Lady Darkness" orginates from the late eighties, while the other two tracks have been written more recently.

The musical style is traditional melodic metal with a strong eighties' vibe. Closest relatives could be early Europe (pre-"Final Countdown") or Finnish band Tarot, although they were a bit heavier. The vocalist Jarkko Kolehmainen has a similar style to young Marco Hietala (of Tarot), except that his accent is a bit stronger. Keyboardist Jarkko Immonen (no, they are not all named "Jarkko", just two) adds some cool, almost progressive touches to the songs, without which they might have been rather ordinary metal workouts.

The three songs here aren't too bad, although they are somewhat lacking when it comes to the hooks. The minimal use of background vocals doesn't really help either. On a more positive side, the lyrics are quite original and avoid many of the pitfalls of "hard rock poetry". The production is decent enough for a demo, and the same goes for the packaging.

I hope that the next time the band sharpens those hooks and brings the choruses a bit more upfront with some background vocals. Work on the weaknesses but don't lose sight of your strenghths!
http://members.tripod.com/triton_band

 
TROUBLEMAKER: "Nothing but trouble"

Indie 2001

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom 01-06-12

Never judge a book by its cover... or a CD I might add since a first glance at Troublemakers´s "Nothing but trouble" could really put you off believing this to be some weird American folk/country music from the hillbilly regions of Texas (is that a banjo I can hear in the background? :-). Believe it or not but the backcover is even worse with some ugly lookin cartoons of this female fronted hardrock band from US of A.

The music is way better than the album cover art though even if some of the songs may be too riff oriented, especially since they all seem to be without that catchy hook in the refrains. What´s wrong with some cool guitar riffs you might ask? Well ... it´s never a good thing to overdo it... just think back at Metallica´s "and justice for all" album (the horror, the horror).

Vocalist/Guitarist Kathy James Davis has got a lovely voice that can sound both raunchy and sweet at the same time, and lead guitarist Michelle Pasantino is all over this CD with some great guitar play (keep in mind what I said about the riffs though). Troublemaker´s sound is not far from the second album with Phantom Blue, except here the thrash influences may even be a bit more clear. I really enjoy the opener "Bad sugar" with its catchy chorus and powerful riff and another highlight would be the ballad "After all this time". Bottomline, not a bad album if you´re into Thrash influeced hardrock with a lot of chords... but sadly not enough hooks for my taste. www.troublemaker-inc.com.

 
TUFF: "What Comes Around Goes Around"

Atlantic 1991
Review by

Hey, these guys look like a rock n' roll musician has to look like! Stevie Rachelle, the singer is so much Bret Michaels that even Bret's mom could have problems identifying them. Jorge Desaint, the guitarist has one the biggest hair ever seen in the genre (and moreover it is made up as hell.). The other two musicians bring the feeling too, so the look is given, let's hear something!

Well, this is definitely not Poison. The opening two tracks "Ruck A Pit Bridge" and "The All New Generation" blow you away with their energy. Both are a lot heavier than the Poison tracks of the same years. "The All New Generation" has great party rocker lyrics about the history of rock n' roll music, and it mentions a lot of great bands. It's extra fun to listen to the names of the mentioned bands (to catch as many as possible) and to recognize some ever-famous lines quoted.

Third track: ballad. As it is compulsory with an image like this. Well, this is Poison like. "I Hate Kissing You Goodbye" is the same vein as "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Anyone who likes good melodic rock music must have a good feeling listening to this one. As far as I remember the video was quite often played in MTV back in those days (it might have made it to some Top20 too. though I'm not sure).

Killer riff opens "Lonely Lucy" a mid-tempo rocker with a good vibe and huge vocal choirs. Though the track is a bit of a setback compared to the first three, but "Ain't Worth A Dime" brings the energy of the opening back. The bass pumps you into the concrete and the song is running you over without catching your breath again.

Time to relax a bit. Another acoustic driven tune "So Many Seasons" comes and it's time to sing along with the boys. They wrote a refrain that a whole stadium could sing with them for the first listening. Great tune! So is the next one "Forever Yours". Another radio friendly rocker that should have gotten much bigger attention back then. Though the lyrics are a bit cheesy but the song is whole lotta fun from the beginning to the end. Something you would wanna crack your car-speakers with when driving down to the beach. Then back to the acoustics with "Wake Me Up". Another great ballad that measures up to "I Hate Kissing You Goodbye". The usual melodic rock ballad arrangement: acoustic guitars, piano, some distorsed guitar in the refrain. Nothing new under the sun, just great music to listen to!

Two rockers finish the album. "Spit Like This" has funny lyrics and "Good Guys Wear Black" is another cool party tune (shameless plug: the guys all wear black on the cover photos). But this album is definitely good, and though some might get scared by their looks, these guys are all talented, great musicians.

 
TUNNELVISION: "Tomorrow" 7

Massacre 2002
Review by 12 September 2002

Tunnelvision was founded in 1995 in Finland with the aim to combine 70's Prog Rock in the vein of Yes, Genesis, Rush etc. with the metal sound of Dio or Iron Maiden. All this of course with a new approach to the music and with fresh influences of the 90's metal scene.

"Tomorrow" is the follow up album to the debut 'While The World Awaits' back in 1999, it's also their first release on Massacre Records. The material is a little bit darker, heavier than on the debut, but still very enjoyable somehow and catchy I may add. Produced at Sonic Pump Studio in Helsinki by Kastermaa and mastered by Mika Jussila at the famous Finnvox studios. You already know this is going to be a solid piece of craftmanship from start to finish (he,he... finish).

Singer Marko Waara actually sounds like a mixture of Ozzy Osbourne and James LeBrie (Dream Theater) from time to time. This may sound like a strange combination but it actually works just fine, to my very suprise. The massive drumming by Mirka Rantanen and the superb keyboards by Vili Ollila adds a extra dimension to the overall good performance here. To say that "Tomorrow" would be 70's prog is really just wishful (?) thinking though. This is more in the vein of Dream Theater with a little bit more edge to it!!! Tunnelvision is for sure a step above on the ladder of Finnish Prog-metal acts, that I've had the pleasue to meet lately. All the songs from opener "Calling" to the closing track "While The World Awaits", fits each other and the whole prog concept perfectly. Check out "Silence" or "Lightning" for some kick ass prog metal with big choruses!! There are a couple of less impressive tracks here though, but overall a pretty nice suprise indeed.
www.massacre-records.com

 
TURI: "Insanity" 6

Escape Music 2001

Review by 01-10-06

There must be something in the water around New Jersey!!! And I´m not talkin´ about all the pollution here!! Nah... I´m talkin´about all the musicians and hardrock bands, that seem to pop up every now and then over there. TURI, consisting of vocalist Michael Turi, Robert Perez [guitars], John Kronenberger [bass] and Edgar Montes DeOca [drums] have now, after years of touring over there, finally released their debut album "Insanity"

The music may not be all that "typical" for New Jersey though, as this is more bluesy, melodic hardrock in the style of Tesla, Tattoo Rodeo, Badlands or why not... 70´s heroes Bad Company. I really do enjoy guitarist Perez as he managed to come up with some cool licks & tricks all over this album. Not to mention the good performance by vocalist Turi.

The songmaterial is a bit weak on a couple of the tracks though, and you can in my opinion find too many fillers here. The first three tracks are simply marvelous though as opener "Train", track two "Whiskey" and "Tell Me Virginia" are darn fine examples of bluesy hardrock. The later is a lovely ballad, while the others are catchy uptempo tracks. Then again, bands like Tattoo Rodeo or Badlands were never really my cup of tea... even if they both sure had a couple of great tracks on each album. So, if you´re into any of the above mentioned bands, don´t ignore this without checking some soundclips at the link below. Since "Rumble In The Wind", "Faye" and "Fade Away" are after all, pretty good stuff.

www.escape-music.com

 
TURN: "Turn Back Time" 8

Indie 2001

Review by 20 April 2001

Wow! I’m floored. Normally an independent release would belong to our A&R Dept. column but Turn delivered a 5 track EP that measures up to the “big boys” and has its place here! As for the rating of the album, it would have definitely been a 10 pointer in A&R Dept. but the criteria are different here. Recently I haven’t seen a self-financed, independent release with such a professional looking artwork and info material. The sound of the album surely beats some of the “big” label releases too.

The music could be described as an up-to-date mix of Foreigner meets Journey AOR with a slightly modern feel like House Of Shakira. Sometimes the guitar and drum sounds recall Def Leppard’s high-tech era, the keyboards are similar (both in sound and in approach) to T’Bell (one of last year’s best albums). Listening to the performance of the musicians ease, attitude, and professionalism shines through; makes it hard to believe these guys are from the South of Germany and not from the South of California. Another hard to believe fact: Steffen Lauth, the singer is only 20; he is already “there” with a well-trained voice and a confident performance that resembles to Jon Fiore or Steve Newman in lower ranges, and to Jimi Jamison or Steve Perry in higher.

Now on to the music: “Change The Letters” opens the album with an acoustic intro that soon turns into a catchy uptempo melodic rocker supported with great brass section keyboard work reminding me of Lynch Mob’s “Tangled In The Web”. The guys sing excellent backing vocals on the refrain that sticks in your ears. Jacek Jan Zajac’s guitar work is very enjoyable, his solos and his guitar sound are absolutely professional. The additional drum sample programming adds a cool modern (yet not annoying) feel to the song. “Crazy Mama” with its piano based arrangement supported by traditional hard rock riffing ala the 80’s reminds me of Journey. The biography characterizes Markus Metzger as “one of the last real keyboard players” (probably meaning real performance and disregarding midi tricks), anyway regardless of what they wanted to say with it this guy is fun to listen to, again: T’Bell or Hugo/Valentine come to my mind. There’s a nice tempo change for the guitar solo, and due to a very balanced mix the tightness of rhythm section shines through it, not to mention the great melodic solo and the very good guitar sound. “Dream Dancer” is probably the weakest track of the album. Musically it’s very good, especially the guitar work but somehow the vocal melodies sound not to be “there”. The refrain seems to be too high for most of the singers (not only for the lead but for the backing vocals too) that takes some of its energy away. The ballad “Honesty” should be a hit! Airplay for this song in Germany right away! A Foreigner flavored beautiful ballad with great arrangement and catchy melodies; nothing left to say about it: play it! The album closes with “Living In Darkness” another modern midtempo rocker, the guys used sample programming very well again and it adds a good twist to the 80’s like sound. The band managed to “Turn Back Time” yet show the way to the future with combining the smooth, ear-candy sound of 80’s melodic rock with modern samples and high-tech sound. Pee Bonfert, the bassist and Markus Metzger, keyboard player were responsible for the sound and the production; congrats to them! Sign the band now! MTM could come handy as the guys are from around Stuttgart…

www.turn-music.de

 

Joe Lynn TURNER: "Holy Man" 6

MTM 2000
Review by

Anyone still longing for a new AOR album like "Rescue You" might just as well bury those dreams, as it seems that Joe Lynn Turner is sticking to the bluesy hard rocking style he's been following for a while now. Granted, there are a few songs here that bring back memories of "Rescue You" and Rainbow's more AORish tracks, but mostly "Holy Man" is gritty, bluesy hard rock.

Though some of the hard rock numbers, like "Midnight In Tokyo" and "No Salvation" aren't too bad, they pale in comparison to the melodic bliss of "Anything", "Closer" and the ballad "Angel". This is where I feel that Turner is at his best. Maybe, just maybe the guys at MTM can lure him into making a full-blown AOR album the next time...

 
Joe Lynn TURNER: "Holy Man" 5

MTM 2000

Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom 01-03-16


One of my all time favorite singers JOE LYNN TURNER is back with his second solo album on the MTM label. I´m sure you all know his background/history (?) but rookies might wannna know (?) that he started out in FANDANGO in the mid-70´s, he sang in RAINBOW between 1981-84 and the album "Bent out of shape" is a a classic melodic hardrock album. He recorded his first and still his best solo-album in 1985 (Rescue You) also a classic, before he ended the 80´s in YNGWIE MALMSTEEN´s band.

One album with DEEP PURPLE, a couple CD´s with MOTHER´S ARMY, BRAZEN ABBOT and some solo stuff in the 90´s before he on March 9, 2000 started the rehearsals for "Holy Man". The band went into the studio 6 days later and recorded the whole album in only 21 days and the production by BOB HEALD & JOLT is actually very good and it sounds a lot like the albums from the late 70´s.

Too bad that the songwriting doesn´t have the same high quality! Sure we can find some classic RAINBOW pieces here and there, but this is more BLUES then Rainbow ever was and I can´t find that many Catchy Hooks. Songs like "Holy Man, Wolves at the Door, Something New, Too Blue to Sing the Blues" and a couple of others are all pretty boring and second rated "Poor White Man´s Blues". The highlights are opener "No Salvation" which is a good uptempo rocker a-la RAINBOW. "Anything" is a nice ballad and the same goes with "Angel". I really like "Midnight in Tokyo" and "Closer" is yet another good ballad with some superb vocal performances by JOLT. I´m sure that others might enjoy this album more than I did. But where are all the hooks??? www.mtm-music.com

 
Joe Lynn TURNER: "Slam" 7

MTM Music 2001

Review by 01-10-09

Credit to the man for standing up against trends! Grunge, skateboard punks, hardcore and other disturbing elements, never really bothered him now, did they? With other words, when you´re going out to buy a new Joe Lynn Turner album... you already know what to expect, right? The curse of the purple rainbow will follow him as long as he lives, and why change something you´re good at?

I have not been all that crazy about his latest work, but I do find this CD to be better than expected. "Slam" is without a doubt the best solo-album JOLT has done since the marvelous Rescue You" back in 1985. Without being all that impressive though, since you can find a couple of fillers here. In fact, tracks like "Show Yourself", the European bonus track "Cover Up", "Hard time" and "Evil" are all pretty boring, bluesy hardrock without any hooks or new ideas.

The collaboration between Turner and co-songwriter, guitarist Akira Kajiyama works at its best on songs like "Always Tomorrow". As it´s so much enjoyable to listen to, when the bluesy hardrock ends up with a really catchy and melodic chorus. Other highlights are "Eye For An Eye" that does sound like something from the "Straight Between The Eyes" album. The ballad "Heart Of The Night" is another winner in my book and the title track "Slam", simply rocks with a slow verse followed by an uptempo chorus. Kajiyama´s guitarwork is really something special here, as he throws in some spooky "Blackmore" moves and licks. Let´s not forget about "Dark Days" or "Possession" either, as this is Deep Rainbow at its best... well... almost anyway. Bottomline, Slam is not a "bad" album at all... even if I´m neither fully satisfied. www.mtm-music.com

 
Joe Lynn TURNER: "JLT" 7

MTM Music 2003
Review by 14 June 2003

Joe Lynn Turner (ex- Fandango, Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen, Deep Purple) is back with his 5th solo album including the debut "Rescue You" in 1985. Like any of those old roadhouses and their infamous BLT, you pretty much already know what you'll get with JLT. It's a royal slice of bluesy hardrock with lots of attitude and hold the ketchup please.

I really shouldn't have to introduce this rock legend anymore and you can always check our archive for more info and previous CD's (see reviews index). Fans already know what to expect by now and most of them like to keep it that way too.

Turner and his music partner Glenn Hughes (Trapeze, Deep Purple, Hughes/Thrall, Gary Moore, Black Sabbath, Phenomena, John Norum) took some time off inbetween the success of their HTP thing and recorded each a new solo album. Very recently came Hughes with "Songs In The Key Of Rock" and Turner strikes now back with his "JLT". With the help of guitarist Al Pitrelli (ex- Megadeth, Alice Cooper, etc.) who also played on the "Rescue You" album, JLT may have recorded his strongest album since back then. Do however not expect this to be as "catchy" as in the mid 80's though. It's very much a continuation of his latest albums "Slam" and "Holy Man", with the sound of 70's hardrock and a wall of hammond-keys in the background. The songmaterial is overall strong even if something like "Let's Go" is way below average. "In Cold Blood", "Jump Start", "Dirty Deal", "Love Don't Live Here", "Excess", "Cryin Out Loud", "Fantasize" etc. are on the other hand all winners in my book. Guest musicians include players such as John O'Reilly (Rainbow, Blue Öyster Cult), Paul Morris (Rainbow) & Chris Cafferty (Savatage). No suprises or major hickups to be found here at all really. Just a nice, solid, rock album and perhaps slightly more impressive than his rock/soul brother Glenn Hughes.
www.mtm-music.com

 
TVFORDOGS: "Heavy Denver" 5

Wampus Multimedia 2002
Review by 24 October 2002

Tvfordogs are a new band from UK, who immediately score an extra point for their album title: "Heavy Weather" was the term used by the legendary BAD NEWS when asked to describe their musical style. Now anyone who is influenced by Bad News can't be all bad, can they?

Seriously though, tvfordogs have nothing to do with spoof heavy metal. They are a modern rock band who to these ears sound like a curious mixture of The Foo Fighters and the softer side of Red Hot Chili Peppers, with several other influences in there too.

The first song "Love Tonight" shocks with its' percussive intro that could lead into a Prodigy-styled mayhem but doesn't, the song itself is a basic rocker that brings up the Foo Fighters comparison. The next one ("FAQ") is somewhat similar stylewise, while both "Capsule Wardrobe" and the very melodic "Come To My Senses" remind me of RHCP somehow.

"Keep It Coming" is quite mellow as well, but "To Be The First" takes the band to a completely new direction - its' breathtaking tempo and the almost half-spoken vocals of Neil Luckett remind me of Bad Religion. It's followed by a short and rather unmemorable instrumental and "Around", a good melodic track.

"Our Angel" is a punkish rock track, while "At Home With The Stars" boasts one of the better choruses of the album. "Clouds" is clearly not my cup of tea, reminding me of a weird, mellow combination of Nirvana and Neil Young!? The last track "Too Soon To Leave" is much better, with cool strings and and a strong hook.

I suppose the modern/alternative/post-grunge(?) rock fans might find this band more to their liking than me, an old melodic rock fan raised on a diet of big choruses, layered keyboards and flashy guitars. Good, well produced material for modern rock radio, and most probably soon-to-be critics' darlings in the major music magazines. Check them out and be ahead of the masses!
www.wampus.com
TVFORDOGS @ MP3.com

 
Shania TWAIN: "Come On Over"

Mercury 1998
Review by

Produced by Mutt Lange of Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, AC/DC fame, this album is the perfect mixture of country, rock and pop. All the songs are written by Shania and Mutt, who incidentally is not only her producer but also her husband! The songs range from beautiful ballads like the huge hit single "You're Still The One" to cool pop rockers like "When" and "Black Eyes, Blue Tears".

The country elements add an interesting flavour to this album, and mostly there seems to be just the right amount of them. That might not be the case with the US version of the CD, which I believe is a more country oriented. The other important element here is Mr. Lange, whose trademark background vocal tricks appear on most of the songs. And to be fair, some of these tracks could just as well be from Bryan Adams' last couple of albums.

Admittedly some of the tracks are a bit too country for me, but mostly this album is very good! Those three tracks already mentioned are all good tracks, but my favourite tracks must be numbers 12 and 13, Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" and "That Don't Impress Me Much". Funnily Enough "Don't Be Stupid" is very country-flavoured, but irrestably catchy nevertheless. And I must add that it rocks seriously! The other favourite of mine, "That Don't Impress Me Much", rides on a killer riff that just stays in your head, and the lyrics are quite funny too.

 
TWENTY FOR SEVEN: "Twenty For Seven" 8

Indie 2003
Review by 5 October 2003

Holy crap! This pretty much rocks! Twenty For Seven would probably be labeled as "Punk-Rock" by average joe and posh reviewers in the states. Sure enough as they blend in some aggressive tendencies in the tradition of The Ramones every now and then. However, I simply do not understand why bands like Sum 41, Good Charlotte, Dum Dums, etc. are being hailed as the new wave of punk??? When in reality it's simple power-pop with lots of different influences.

Twenty For Seven comes from Central Texas, USA, and their debut CD is full of hook-laden music, lots of sing-a-long choruses and overall fun stuff. They actually describe their dual guitar attack unmatched since the days of Dave Murray & Adrian Smith or Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing. I'm not sure I can agree on above mentioned statement as TFS is not exactly "heavy metal" you know. Then again... after spinning the disc a couple of times I discovered some great guitar work in the old shredding tradition. Their music are what most people would name as "Nu-Breed" rock though.

The band was raised on 80's stuff and it seems like acts such as Journey, Reo Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, are only some of all their influences? Check out the lyrics from "2000 For Me" and you'll understand what I'm talkin' about: "I've been livin' in 1983 yeah and you're a little bit 2000 for me. [chorus] So maybe play me a Journey song or maybe some Reo Speedwagon and I'll put the top down. Just because I never really dug Kurt Cobain don't mean that I ain't got something that I'd like to say and I don't wear flannel is that OK?". You know, something like "Clueless" could easily be the 2003 nu-breed version of Rick Springfield. Do however not expect everything to come out sounding as "80's" music. This is very much music of today and they have a bunch of really catchy uptempo tracks like "Promise", "Lovesong", "Alive", "2000 For Me", "Dumped", "Tear My Heart Out", "Clueless", etc. Not to forget the fine ballad "Hang The Moon", which is more or less a "cowboy" tune á la Poison/Bon Jovi only up-to-date (if you know what I mean?). These chaps should be huge by now and I believe it's just a question of finding the right people to work with too. The buzz is already happening in Texas and the hype isn't that much out of proportion at all really. The only downer is the mixing of the CD (you'll have to turn up your stereo really loud) and there's a couple of fillers included too. Nevertheless, if you like your "nu-breed" rock catchy, with lots of guitars, and overall fun, punky attitude, make darn sure to check out Twenty For Seven. You can sample all songs at CDBaby!
www.cdbaby.com/cd/twentyforseven

 
TWINBALL: "Remnants Of A Broken Soul" 9

SwedenRock Records 2002
Review by 30 December 2002

The new record label 'Sweden Rock Records' is yet another cornerstone in the Sweden Rock concept. They are of course also resposible for the best "classic" hardrock festival in Europe nowadays. Some of their releases are darn interesting too and especially Twinball comes to mind. Their debut "Remnants Of A Broken Soul" is a melodic yet heavy rock album from the land of the midnight sun [Sweden].

Twinball actually started out as a Thin Lizzy cover band. This is something you still can tell by their music today by the way. The excellent twin-guitar work by Lollo Sköllermark & T Park are of best Lizzy class. Add to this one helluva' fine vocalist in Daniel Samuelsson and the rhythm section of Adde Psilander (bass) & Eke Pettersson (drums).

What strikes me as funny here is the marvelous cover of Chris DeBurgh's "Don't Pay The Ferryman". This was a really good Pop/Rock song in the 80's but this version is even better. How often can you say this about a cover? They've turned it into a Thin Lizzy sounding tune somehow and the result is remarkable. However, don't go thinking that Twinball must sound like Lizzy all of the time. Cause nothing could be further from the truth really. They've taken the sound of Lizzy [how many times have I written Lizzy now? Ooops! yet another time now] and mixed it with Swedish hardrock. It's like Talisman on steroids and a little bit of the Matti Alfonzetti (Jagged Edge) fronted band, Skintrade. However, this is way better than Skintrade ever was!!! I must also add, it's more melodic, catchier, and not as 'brutal' either. Fans of Z Records "heavier" releases, will also dig this a lot. It only takes a couple of seconds of opening track "Twinball", before you realize it's going to be a good listening. The twin-guitar action combined with the wicked groove, makes this a winner in my book. Robin "H-H-H-Heartline" George is stunt/guest guitarist here. "Rules Of The Spinning World" and "Times Of Destiny" continues on the road of success. While "Tears Of Guilt" is a great semi-ballad with a catchy chorus. "Broken Soul" is back to the sound of Thin Lizzy (verses), while the chorus rocks a'la Talisman. Another favorites are "Inner Light" and "Reach Down". Bottomline, this is a great debut album that simply came out of nowhere and suprised me positively. Recommended!
www.swedenrock.com

 
TWIST OF FATE: "New Skies" 6

New 2000

Review by 01-04-15

Attention fans of 70´s AOR/pomp here´s a band that might fit ya like a glove! TWIST OF FATE is a sextet from Detroit/USA that plays classic rock a-la STYX, KANSAS, BOSTON & ASIA but also with influences from 80´s prog metal.

T-O-F came together as a band in 1996 and released this CD for the first time in early -98 but it will now be re-released in 2000. They have shared the stage with acts such as Ted Nugent & John Waite and more live shows will follow.

The album starts with the title track "New Skies" a really good, mellow song a-la KANSAS, STYX but also with some killer guitar riffs a-la Dream Theater and the chorus is pretty catchy. I think that you can really hear some major Kerry Livgren influences all over this CD like on the second track "No question why" a nice semi-ballad. "Serenity" is a great ballad with verses that remind me of the old Lionel Richie hit "Hello" and a pure AOR chorus that is really beautiful; vocalist "Patrick Curry" really shines on this track. "Borrowed time" is another ballad but this time it´s a duet with female vocalist "Noreen Novrocki". I must say that I find it a bit too cheesy... it´s more a POP ballad than rock. "Passing time" is a good uptempo progressive track that sounds more like a mixture of STYX and a softer DREAM THEATER. Then there´s a couple of weaker tracks but none of them is really bad! If you like to hear the sound of the 70´s again mixed with some soft prog-metal from the 80´s & 90´s make sure to give TWIST OF FATE a chance. Find out more about them and details how to order this CD from USA at: www.egotripent.com You can also mail Mr. Dave Tedder dave@egotripent.com

 
TWISTED FOREVER: "A Tribute To the legendary TWISTED SISTER" 7

Koch Records 2001

Review by 01-09-25

"You are a disgusting slob... stand up straight, tuck in that shirt, adjust that belt buckle and tie those shoes! What is that? A Twisted Sister pin... on your uniform?! What kind of man are you? You are worthless and weak... you do nothing, you are nothing! I carried a M16 and you carry that... that... guitar!!! Who are you? Where do you come from? What do you wanna do with your life?"

" I WANNA ROCK !!!" The immortal words from one of the funniest videos to ever have been screened on MTV, still echoes inside my head. Have we not all been there? This three-piece suite, trying to put us done for believeing in rock´n´roll !! Hell yeah! and Twisted "F**kin" Sister, sure took a hit or two for all of us out there! With their outrageous image and noisy music. Heck! I wanted to be a SMF, ehhh... even if the make-up [lookin´ in retrospective] was a bit too much blush and drag huh? Let´s admit it, Dee Snider looked like s**t, talked like s**t [the live shows were darn funny to watch, with all his BS] and some even say, smelled like it! Noone can take away the fact, that he was a born frontman, buisness man, musician, who created legendary albums and darn right, catchy music.

This tribute includes some... ehhh, interesting [read: crappy!!!] bands such as Cradle Of Filth doing a black metal version of "The Fire Still Burns", Chuck D [Public Enemy] covers a RAP!!! version of "Wake Up The Sleeping Giant" and Fu Manchu handles a really lame version of "Ride To Live (Live To Ride)" Jesus Christ! Whatever happened to rock´n´roll huh? Thank God for: Motörhead [Shoot ´em down], Joan Jett [We´re not gonna take it], Sebastian Bach [You can´t stop rock´n´roll], Hammerfall [We´re gonna make it], Nashville Pussy [The Kids Are Back], Anthrax [Destroyer] and Overkill [Under the blade]. Credit to Nine Days [who?] for doing a stipped down, more modern sounding version out of the, lovely semi-ballad "The Price" Nice indeed! Some water, some wine... but overall, a nice tribute to a legendary band. Add that Jay Jay French is the executive producer, the whole Twisted Sister band are involved as backup singers, musicians or producer on many of the songs. And, as a bonus track you can even find TS doing a cover of "Sin City" [AC/DC] here. Just remember to... PLAY IT LOUD MUTHA!!! www.kockentertainment www.twistedsister.com

 
TWISTED TOWER DIRE: "Crest Of The Martyrs" 7

Remedy records/Rock Inc 2003
Review by 8 June 2003

Twisted Tower Dire was founded in 1995 for the sole purpose of resurrecting true heavy metal and so their influences range from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and Candlemass. In September 2002 the band signed with Germany’s Remedy records and their third album called “Crest Of The Martyrs” has just been released.

So, what can you expect; true metal songs with high pitched vocals, excellent twin guitarsolos and lots of headbanging riffs. “Axes In Honor” is a typical guitardriven batllehymn with twin guitarsolos a la Thin Lizzy and lots of diverse rhythms and the longest track of the album ’The Reflecting Pool” has an acoustic intro, then a Geoff Tate scream and the song is loaded with Iced Earth influences and Maiden guitarsolos.

It really is a shame that these guys are just, with all due respect, copy cats of the earler mentioned bands, they should try to develop their own style. Then and only then Twisted Tower Dire will get the recognition they deserve, until that time I will wait in anticipation for their first splendid true heavy metal album. Keep up this good work, guys, never surrender!
www.remedyrecords.de

 

TWO FIRES: "Two Fires" 8

Frontiers/Now & Then Records 2000
Review by

Two Fires is a band featuring two members of The Storm, one of the best AOR bands to emerge during the 90'ies. The members in question are vocalist Kevin Chalfant and guitarist Josh Ramos. Other musicians involved include drummer Kenny Aronoff and keyboard player Jim Peterik (ex-Survivor), among others.

Two Fires deliver us an album full of classic AOR, much in the vein of Journey or The Storm. There's very little that's original here, but it's all very well done. The production is very good, and even if some of the songs are a little ordinary, the brilliant vocals of Kevin Chalfant rescue them. He is in top form here, and I listening to this makes me think that he really would have been an excellent replacement for Steve Perry in Journey.

There's a bunch of songs here that any AOR fan should be pleased with. the very Journey-like opener "My Love Will Be There", the brilliant and pompous semi-ballad "When Love Is Gone", "Summer Of Love" (Bryan Adams meets Journey), the dark and moody "Remember" and "Rivers Of Destiny" (co-written by Peterik, and sounding a bit like Survivor) make this album a safe bet for anyone into for the aforementioned bands.

About the remaining songs then...as I said, a certain lack of "that something" is evident in some of these songs, especially when it comes to choruses. Several of the songs suffer from somewhat understated and AOR-by-numbers type of choruses. Just when I'm expecting a really good hook, along comes something that's just "nice" or "okay". I can't say that none of the songs are bad, but after all the hype I was expecting a monster of an album! That said, the "monster" does raise its' head quite a few times.

 

TWO FIRES: "Two Fires"

Frontiers/Now & Then Records 2000
Review by Jorge "Vigilante" Antonaya

Finally, the long awaited formerly The Storm members Kevin Chalfant/Josh Ramos' TWO FIRES album is here. Much expectations were put on this. Let's dig into and see if the album fulfill such high expectations:

"My Love Will Be There". Great bluesy intro, that leads to this short of Journey recreation that is this song. Really fantastic voice ala Steve Perry, but you already knew that, didn't you? It is a very good opening for the album indeed!
"I Won't Give Up On Us". This one sounds ok, but nothing else.
"Piece Of My Heart". Nice mid-tempo song. I like specially the guitar licks.
"When Love Is Gone". Very good ballad. Fantastic work on the guitar. Great backing vocals for the chorus.
"Summer Of Love". This one brings you into high spirits. Absolutely nice vocal melody! And the back up vocals are simply great, as well. One of the best melodic rock songs I've heard lately.
"Surrender". The song wouldn't be the same without Kevin Chalfant's voice. The vocal melody in the chorus is just amazing! And the way it's backed by the guitar ... You really have to listen to know what I'm talking about.
"A Man's Gotta Do (What A Man's Gotta Do). But this one is far behind the previous one, Ok, but not as thrilling as the other one.
"Remember". A stronger, more powerful keyboards are missing in this one. If it wouldn't for the voice, it would  be pretty much Y&T instead of Journey. Oooops ... Two Fires!
"Never Stop Loving You". This track has the basic ingredients to be a hit, but they have been somehow softened too much, leaving nothing but a light shadow of what could have been. Pity!
"Alyssia". Definitely much better than the previous track. This one is for sure the hardest song in the album, and also one of the best.
"I Believe In You". Nice ballad, but IMO Kevin Chalfant could have give much more in this track. It's like you listen to the whole song waiting for that special moment that never comes. A bit disappointing.
"I Can See You". Another mid-tempo, another disappointment. If anything, I would pick up the guitar solo, because it reminds me a lot of Vito Bratta.
"River Of Destiny". A melancholic song to close the album. Nice, specially the backing vocals. Catchy song.
As a result, good effort with some remarkable moments in which Kevin Chalfant's voice really shines, and Josh Ramos guitar seems to caress Chalfant's voice. Almost great, but please, note the word "almost". On the downside, there are some moments where the whole thing gets too weak. It's not that there are some fillers, but that they have not been able to keep the standard so high on the whole of the album. I can't explain why has this happened to a couple of such experimented musicians as these two fires (but the fire don't last long on this album).
My advise, I would definitely recommend this album to all Journey fans out there, but don't expect a classic, or a master piece; it's just a good album, nothing more, but nothing less!

 
Two Fires: "Ignition" 8

Frontiers 2002
Review by 30 January 2002

The first Two Fires-album was a big favourite among the melodic rock fans, and fair enough, it was a good album, if not worthy of all the raving it got in my opinion. "Ignition" follows the same path, it's a decent collection of classic AOR tracks in the vein of Journey et al, but unfortunately some of the tracks suffer from a rather poor production.

After listening to the first half of the record I was sure that we have an "album of the year" candidate here, the first few songs are that good. Jim Peterik (of Survivor fame) is very involved as a co-writer on most of the tracks here, and his style makes the songs sound a little less Journey-esque than those on the first album. Opener "Ignition" is very much in the Survivor vein, and the same goes for "I See Red", which reminds me of the "grittier" side of Survivor. He has also co-written "More Than A Mystery", a great AOR-number, which has touches of Foreigner, Survivor and Journey..."Classic AOR" or what?

After the six first songs (also including "Somewehere Far Away", an uptempo AOR track, "You're Bringing Me Down", a cool rocker and the ballad "I'm Falling"), there seems to be drop in the level of songwriting. The remaining four tracks are standard AOR material, there's nothing wrong with them really, but they just don't do it for me. It has to be added that especially "I Will Remember You" seems to get a rough deal when it comes to the production.

I rate this album higher than the debut, but still, I don't think Two Fires have reached their peak yet. What they need is some gasoline thrown into the flames!

Frontiers
www.CliqueRecords.com

 
TWO PIECE PUZZLE: "Finally Here…"

Indie 2001

Review by 01-12-09

'Two Piece Puzzle' is the same as 'Two Sides Of The Coin'? Well, I´m not really sure what to say about this CD. "Finally here"... is the new demo from this female fronted band from Sweden. 'Catchy Hooks' readers may recall that I reviewed some demo´s in the past, with this very band.

The main problem with their latest release? Well, only a few of the tracks has any resemblance to hardrock at all. Even a wimpy AOR fan like yours truly, has to draw the line somewhere. TPP walks the borderline of AOR and laid-back POP. And I´m afraid they never 'really' cross that border over to the hardrocking side.

Only exception to the rule is the marvelous opener "It Might Be You". This is a great song in the style of Alyson Avenue or Tone Norum. Female vocalist Anna Savhed really shines here and the song is darn catchy. Oh, if only the rest of the tracks could have been like this! OK! Track #2 is not bad at all really. "I´m Ready" works out really nicely, with some haunting keys and a couple of power chords. On the other hand, the rest of the CD do sound more like "Cardigans" in their most laid-back period. Or an even better description would be "Suzzies Orkester", a female fronted Pop band, who had a couple of hits in Sweden in the 80´s. But let´s face it! The overall material is simply not catchy enough this time. My advise would be to either to do AOR/Hardrock all the way or simply do the Pop stuff all the time. "Two Piece Puzzle" is a really good bunch of musicians with (perhaps) a bright future ahead. If only they could make their minds up that is. Did anyone say 'stuck in the middle'? www.tpp.nu

 
TYGERS OF PAN TANG: "Noises From The Cathouse" 5

Communique 2004
Review by Urban "Wally" Wallstrom,
4 April 2004

Tygers Of Pan Tang used to be the NWOBHM act where guitarist John Sykes (Whitesnake, Blue Murder) first came to fame in the early 80's. They were however formed in the Whitley Bay area in northern England already back in 1978. Nowadays they are mostly into modern metal I guess, since their "Noises From The Cathouse" (meow?) is obviously more inspired by the US scene of today than 80's metal.

Guitarist Rob Weir is the only remaining member since the good old days. The lead vocalist is none other than Richie Wicks, which some of you might remember from Angelwitch (yet another NWOBHM act). With an album title like that and tracks like "Bad Bad Kitty", you already know what to expect somehow. Lots of hardrock clichés and reused melodies.

It's not that "Noises From The Cathouse" is a complete failure. It's just plain average without any real highlights or future classics. It's almost like they have no idea on which foot to stand upon either. They're flirting with Nu-Metal on 50% of the songs, while the other 50% is NWOBHM stuff and even older hardrock. In fact, "Three In A Bed" could have been a Van Halen tune from their very early days. Wicks is "singing" with his best DL Roth impression here and the song works nicely after a beer or two. The booklet is a complete disaster though without any info whatsoever. Only a band picture and it certainly feels and looks, like one of those russian bootlegs that are so popular nowadays. Only essential for the die hard fan or if you'll find it in the bargain bin.