APRIL 2001 - REVIEWS |
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Frank Marino
& Mahogany Rush - Eye Of The Storm Legendary Canadian guitar hero Frank Marino, who released a string of great guitar rock albums in the 70s with such classics as "Strange Universe", "World Anthem", and "Tales of the Unexpected" makes his return to the scene [along with a lot of live dates] with this new disc that clocks in at over 70 minutes! Marino’s bandmates include - Peter Dowse [bass], Dave Goode [drums], and Mick Layne [rhythm guitar]. Marino's guitar work throughout this is simply superb. Stylistically Marino and company spread things out nicely from the first few lengthy slower cuts to the Hendrix inspired blues rock of "Learned My Lesson Well" or the jazz / blues of "Avalon"! Best pick may be the title track clocks in at nearly 10 minutes and is classic Marino, with a slower pace, haunting vocals… This disc really needs to be listened to thoroughly to be appreciated, as you won't be finding simple big heroic riff rockers, power ballads, or basic blues rockers, but more so a focus on classic and tasteful performances. They rarely make albums like this anymore. One for the headphones Check out http://www.mahoganyrush.com The Doobie
Brothers - Sibling Rivalry [Koch] The legendary Doobie's are back with a new studio disc, lead by founding members Tom Johnston and Pat Simmons. "Sibling Rivalry" is a real return to the band's early roots with plenty of acoustics; as well they've become more adult contemporary, with much of this album being fairly lightweight stuff. Cuts like "Don't Be Afraid", "Can't Stand To Lose" and "Leave My Heartache Behind" hark back to the band's earlier days with simple acoustic guitars, and harmonies [the latter reminiscent of "Black Water"]. But forget the odd classic rocker [i.e. "China Grove"...]. Songwise, this is fairly decent, although I'd prefer a few beefed up cuts However, for the most part this is mainly ballads, with a few light pop oriented tunes thrown in. Performances are good, and the band is great with the harmonies, but I can't imagine much of this going over live or appealing to fans of the band's more 'rock' days. Classifying Doobie's with the likes of Peter Cetera lead Chicago and Phil Collins. For more info http://www.doobiesinfo.com IT - It [Indie] Timmons, Ontario based metal trio. This 8 track indie disc starts out just OK, but the first few tracks don't impress much with sounds and styles that remind me of everything from Sabbath to Nirvana to typical Canuck sounding bands. [Note, might I add that although I don't care for the vocal or stylistic approaches on tracks like "It's Only Rain" & "Why Can't I Feel Human" the guitar solos are fairly good throughout, especially on the former]. The latter half of "IT" picks up from average new Canuck metal & alternative to pretty decent rock n roll with cuts like "Weirdos", "Nightmare and the straight ahead rock of “Shadows” [my personal fave here]. … Recommended to newer and 80s rock fans. CONTACT : 2238 Dundas Street West, Box 59001, Toronto, Ontario, M6R 3B5 KELLY KEAGY -
Time Passes [Frontiers] Night Ranger’s drummer / vocalist best remember for hits like “Sister Christian” [Keagy also plays guitar and bass a few times here]. Like fellow bandmate Jeff Watson, Keagy can put out a solo album equally impressive to anything the band has done. “Time Passes” will appeal to those who like the Night Ranger sound with a number of strong rockers “Anything Goes”, “Acid Rain”, “Bottled Up”, “Wong Again”, and the more earthy “Time Passes”. Ex Survivor writer Jim Peterik wrote and co-wrote a number of tunes here as well, most notably the ballads “Where There’s A Woman” and “The Journey”, both strong cuts, with a bit of commercial appeal. Overall a very good album of HR / AOR. Things wind down here with a string of ballads! Guests include various Night Ranger bandmates on at least 1 tune each [Brad Gillis, Watson, Jack Blades], Peterik [keys on a few cuts], Mike Aquiro [gtr], Brian Bart [gtr & bass], and Bruce Gaitsch [gtr & keys]. Contact www.jimpeterik.com
A Tribute To
BON JOVI - Covered Dead Or Alive [Cleopatra] Bon Jovi set a lot of the trends for 80s Hair bands, and in comparison to the likes of Poison and Warrant - were far more successful. So here we get a lot of 80s rockers, and a few that came at the ass end of the era. Tracks feature Kelly Hansen [Hurricane, Stuart Smith] doing “You Give Love A Bad Name”, Kory Klarke [Warrior Soul] doing “Blaze of Glory”, and Alex Mitchell [Circus of Power] on “Runaway”. There’s also a ‘bonus’ cut of Dangerous Toys doing “It’s My Life”, which is pretty close to the original musically, but I ain’t fond of the lead vox. Other artists here include Jerry Dixon [bass], Eric Turner [gtr], and Danny Wagner [keys] - all of Warrant [Hmm…] as part of the backing band here along with James Kottak [drums] of the Scorpions, and [guitarist] DJ Ashba. Singers include John Corabi of Union [“Born To Be My Baby”], Marq Torien of BulletBoys [“Livin On A Prayer”], and a cool take of “In And Out Of Love” by Tuff’s Steve Rachelle. For the most part the playing and arrangements are kept faithful to the originals [despite the voice box absence from “Livin On A Prayer”. A fairly decent release of BJ covers, worth checking out!
WASP - Unholy
Terror [Metal Is] 80s shock-rock metal band Wasp are back with their follow up to “Helldorado”, an album that saw the band return to Heavy straight ahead metal, after the awful “K.F.D.” disc of a few years ago. Unholy Terror makes a nice partner to Helldorado in that it sees the band return the rough and heavy sound they were known for Way back. Mind you, where Helldorado was largely Wasp of the 80s, Unholy Terror picks up more of the sounds and styles from such albums [and best Wasp IMO] “The Headless Children” and “The Crimson Idol”. Touching on social aspects and story type songs from those albums, as well as including hammond and arrangements along the same lines, Unholy Terror is a step up on Helldorado. Best cuts would be rockers such as the opener “Let It Roar” and “Wasted White Boys”. The opener harks back to the earliest Wasp days, fitting nicely alongside such old gems as “Love Machine” and “I Wanna Be Somebody”. Also the calm ballad “Evermore”, very different to previous Wasp ballads, Sadly, like Helldorado, Blackie Lawless and company continue regurgitating old riffs and very similar sounding songs; check out “Locomotive Man” - it’s pretty damn close to “Murders In The New Morgue” in many parts. But not all is unoriginal here. Anyway, if ya missed the band’s Headless / Crimson era, this might be worth checking out, overall ‘OK’. Note: cheesy Kiss type packaging Again! With the CD booklet advertising 101 overpriced pieces of “official” merchandise, including Gold Records and a guitar! Check out www.waspnation.com CHAPTER 23 -
Flying In The Face of Conventional Wisdom [Indie] Ottawa, Ontario based prog rockers that thrive on such influences as Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Kansas, and can be classified with [IMO] fellow Canucks - Saga. Starting off with the Kansas reminiscent "Big Top", CHAPTER 23 features progressive piano work and underlying hammond organ with heavy drums, bass, and guitar [cool solo!]. "Shakedown" is more in the rocking Heep vein, especially the guitar approach and hammond, and again the solo is cool; this being about the best rocker here, and easily a favorite. The musicianship is solid throughout, and I'm sure the hammond and heavy guitar approach will appeal greatly to Heep fans [I'd almost think Mike Hemish is somewhat of a metal fan], while the more progressive arrangements and piano will appeal to Kansas fans. "Catch 22" is another solid tune of these styles, as is "Cold Steel & Neon" -which features the gritty vocals of keyboardist Allan Whitmore. Pierre Lauzon handles vox on 6 of the 8 tunes here, and his vocals suite this stuff fine, but I’d like to hear the guy let loose once in a while. The band is lead by drummer / songwriter Don Nafe, and thus the drums are a huge part of the band's sound. All the tracks are very likeable here, although I think what's lacking is that one obvious 'hit' tune that jumps out at you [although "Shakedown" and the prog epic "Can't Stand The Weather" come close]. Originally out in '99, here's hoping Chapter 23's next disc will be even more impressive. For more info check out http://magma.ca/~dnafe And check out my previous interview with drummer Don Nafe at Universal Wheels http://go.to/universalwheels
SANTERS -
Cold Fusion [Dandelion] About a decade overdue! A Best Of Santers that is. While fellow Ontario rockers like Coney Hatch and Teaze have all seen excellent CD compilations released domestically, it is only in recent years when Santers fans had to look overseas to pick up something of the band on disc. And a best of Santers is pretty argumentative, much in the same way as a Best of Coney Hatch! There's the obvious cuts - radio faves and hits like "Time After Time", "Mistreatin Heart", "Can't Shake You" and the Free cover "All Right Now" [the latter 2 from the shoddily produced "Guitar Alley" - compliments of Rik Emmett!], and beyond that it's the band's picks [presumably]. Not that I'd complain, cause tracks like "Road To Morocco" and "Winter Freeze" are killer as are the few cuts from the more recently released long lost 4th album "Top Secrecy". But like I mean, if you got the albums you can argue for things. :) A great collection though, with the hits, the above mentioned rockers and lesser known cuts like the 80s ballad "Dry Your Tears" and "Heaven On Earth". Making this collection even more worth while is the inclusion of 2 previously unreleased tracks from the 1981 era, which show much more progressive influences, and are 'must hears' for fans of Rick Santers' guitar work. These being "In Foreign Skies", which features a bit of Rush influence [a few parts resembling of "2112"] and the more hard rock driven "Life In My Hands". A cool compilation for the curious and casual fans, and a must have for Santers's fans [for the bonus cuts!]. For more info And to order go to http://www.santers.com SAGA -
House Of Cards [SPV] Canada’s SAGA is back. The classic line-up come up with a solid disc of classic Saga styled tunes, bordering on HR/AOR and progressive rock. This one a bit more Prog oriented IMO, with the lead off cut “God Knows” reminding more so of the band’s first few albums. This one doesn’t blow me away like “Security of Illusion” did a few years back, but it’s decent overall with notable tracks like “Once In A Lifetime” and “We’ll Meet Again” - which is perhaps the best pick here for commercial appeal, slightly comparable to classics like “Wind Him Up” and “Careful Where You Step”. Lacking here is a few huge tracks that jump out at you, but likely Saga fans will dig this and plenty of tunes could grow on the listener. For more info check out http://www.saga-world.com VAN ZANT - VZ
2 [CMC] Brothers Donnie [of 38 Special] and Johnny [Lynyrd Skynyrd] took a brief time-out from their respective bands to record a 2nd album together. What can be expected, with 2 of the best known voices in Southern rock [mind you 38 Special always bordered more on straight ahead HR / AOR in my opinion]. But this album is more situated in the brothers roots of Southern rock. The songs are excellent and very likeable, with instant faves like “Oklahoma” featuring great slide guitar work and vocal arrangements, as well as the upbeat cuts like “Is It For Real” and “What’s the World Coming To”, and the ballads “Heart of An Angel” and “Alive” - sit comfortably alongside most Skynyrd & 38 Special classics. VZ2 will appeal hugely to fans of the Van Zant brothers, as well as southern rock fans. Every song is listenable at least, with most of this being perfect summer time music, and nicely varied [check out the almost county-ish “Imagination” or the rockin “Wildside”!]. Produced by the legendary Robert Johnson, VZ2 also boasts guest Kenny Wayne Shepherd on 2 cuts, and those lyrics of life that Van Zant brothers have come up with for ages. Highly recommended!! LA GUNS - Man
In The Moon [Spitfire] LA Guns are back with original members to follow up last years re-recordings on “Cocked And Re-Loaded [The Millenium Edition]”. Man In The Moon features some decent riffs, good melodies, harmonies, and a more 70s glam / HR approach ala Mott The Hoople, with Phil Lewis reminiscent of Ian Hunter on tunes like “Beautiful”. Plenty of cool rockers here ala the title track - which opens the disc with a heavy intro [cool rough guitar sound throughout here], as well as “Spiders Web”, “Hypnotized”, and the speedy “Scream”. Also includes 1 nicely 70s sounding ballad in “Turn It Around”. 10 good tunes, that for the most part rock, and make for an easily likeable HR disc.
DAVID GLEN
EISLEY - Stranger From The Past [Frontiers] One of the better HR discs I got at the tail end of 2000, from former GUIFFRIA vocalist. I didn’t care much for Guiffria, who’s hair-band days last 1 hit single and 2 albums overloaded with Greg Guiffria synth crap. On “Stranger In The Past” Eisley [who also fronted such acts as DIRTY WHITE BOY and STREAM - which featured Bob Daisley and Eric Singer!] strikes out big on his own with all his own tunes [and all pretty impressive], and besides handling vocals and production, takes on a lot of the guitar, keyboards, and bass, and gathers a few special guests such as guitarist Craig Goldie [Dio, Guiffria], Ron Wikso on drums [Foreigner, Storm], and bassist Chuck Wright [Quiet Riot, Guiffria]. Stranger From The Past features a number of AOR rockers such as “Can’t Call It Love”, “Run Run Run”, “When It’s Over”, and the title track, as well as a few cool ballads, most notably the big 80s sounding “Don’t Turn Away”. Eisely’s vocals are unique, with slight comparisons to Sammy Hagar and vaguely like Steve Perry and David Coverdale at times. Stranger From The Past will apeal to 80s rock fans, AOR / HR and classic rock fans alike with Eisley’s batch of good tunes and sound here. Highly recommended. KICK - Consider This [Beast] UK HR band that look like yer average boy-band, but on the contrary rock more along the lines of AOR / HR bands like Harem Scarem, Bon Jovi, and most likely comparisons - Loverboy. Singer Nick Workman sounds a good deal like Kevin LaBrie of DreamTheater, and pens most of the tunes along with bassist Mikey J. Plenty of upbeat radio friendly rockers like “Up Close and Personal”, “Consider This”, and “Victory Dance”. Nothing original here, but these guys manage to take the better sounds of the above mentioned bands with the harmonies, the heavy rhythm section and lots of guitar riffs, and solos, and a very energetic approach, and catchy decent songs. Best picks would be “Breathless” and “Streets of Shame”. Overall a solid album, that should be liked a lot by aor/HR fans. For more info check out http://sanctuarymp.co.uk/labels/beast/index.html |
PRIME TIME - Free The Dream [Frontiers] Melodic HR band from Europe, boasting former members of Narita and Royal Hunt [members hail from Denmark and Holland] and now on their third studio release “Free The Dream”. These guys being a bit more pop & prog sounding than labelmates like Millenium, although they also use plenty of backing vox and lighter edged vocals. The lead off track “Hanging On” stands out right away, not just due to the neat synth intro and smooth harmonies, but the song sounds remarkably like Thin Lizzy’s “Out In The Street”, a good memorable tune none-the-less. By the third track the band already has a poppy ballad - “Until Tonight”. Best cuts include “The New You” - which follows along the lines of Hanging On with lots of keyboards [reminiscent of various 80s pop bands] & fast drums [a pattern that a few songs are based on] and “Scorned” - one of a few heavy cuts here that are more guitar driven. Overall a decent album, albeit a bit lightweight, keyboard heavy, and IMO lacking a serious spectacular track. Still this should be quite appealing to fans of various other Frontiers bands [i.e. Norway, Teer …], as well as older bands like Toto or Europe. For more info check out http://primetime.chorusline.com MILLENIUM - Hourglass [Frontiers] European based band consisting of 2 Austrians, 2 Americas, and Norwegian singer Jorn Lande. Lande is the band’s new vocalist, who was previously known for his tenure with ex Whitesnake members in ‘The Snakes’, thus the Coverdale comparisons [he’s also got an excellent solo disc of his own, and more recently stooped to touring with Blackmore wannabe Yngwie Malmsteen]. Anyway…”Hourglass” is a pretty smooth and classy production of AOR / HR, big on the harmonies, and layered vocals, guitar hooks, and aor keys [provided by the likes of Don Airey and Howard Helm]. The album opens with the vocal arrangement intro to “Power To Love”, which is reminiscent of late Journey. Guitar wise this is pretty heavy, but the keys, and big vocal arrangements bring it back to the melodic rock arena on tracks like “Wheels Are Turning” and “Superstar” - both with pretty heavy cool riffs, minimal synths, and big vocal harmonies. Best tracks include the title track, where Lande sounds most like Coverdale on this big Whitesnake-ish 80s rocker, the guitar driven fast rocker “Rocket Ride”, and the bluesy ballad “I Will Follow” [most unique track here]. Recommended to fans of such bands as Journey, Whitesnake, City Boy, and Van Halen. For more info check out > http://www.idnsi.com/millenium < TUNNELVISION - While The World Awaits [Angular] Prog-metal band hailing from Finland, with their full CD debut. A solid release of heavy prog tinged metal, with heavy riffs, plenty of classic keyboard work [hammond!] and harmony vocal arrangements. Not overly winded and over produced, as many such albums of this genre can be, but songs that aren’t overly long and to the point. Best cuts include the opener “Reach The Moon” - which is very likeable right away, with a memorable chorus, as well as heavy cuts like “Dive Down” and “Shapeless Visions”, as well as the ballad “Empress”. Overall the album leans more towards the heavy side, with just 2 ballads [and 1 of them being fairly heavy guitar driven, and the vocals are strong and clear. For fans of great keyboard work [check out “Days Of Joy And Bliss”] and modern metal, and bands like Dream Theater - TunnelVision is worth checking out. For more info check out > http://www.angular-records.com < COMPANY OF SNAKES - There They Go Again : Live [SPV] Company of Snakes are really ‘The Snakes’ [see Millenium!] who were founded by original Whitesnake guitarists Micky Moody and Bernie Marsden, as well former ‘Snake bassist Neil Murray, keyboardist Don Airey, drummer John Lingwood [ex Manfred Mann] and unknown Swedish vocalist Stefan Bergen. Although Whitesnake was largely known as David Coverdale’s band in it’s day, The Company of Snakes boasts the guitarists who contributed immensely to the old Snake sound, songwriting, and classic recordings. The playing here is spot on, with the band remaining loyal to the old blues rock style and arrangements and strong performances [see also Moody-Marsden band!]. The main difference here is in the singer, and Bergren does a pretty decent job! Sure he’s not Coverdale, nor does he sounds as close to Coverdale as Jorn Lande does, but he does a very good job with no blunders, and he suits the songs well, despite not having a very distinctive voice, but he does justice to the songs, and Whitesnake fans should be happy. Airey is excellent as well, retaining the old Hammond organ sound of the old Whitesnake sound, as opposed to the synths that crapped up so much of the later albums. The 19 tracks here are classic Whitesnake, which should make this very appealing to old fans, with classics like “Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues”, “Don’t Break My Heart Again”, “Sweet Talker”, “Lovehunter”, and “Fool For Your Lovin”, as well as a decent version of “Since You’ve Been Gone”, and strangely post- Moody-Marsden Whitensake hit ballad “Is This Love”. An excellent live recording and great release for fans of old Whitesnake stuff! For more info check out > http://www.spv.de < CARL DIXON - Into The Future [MTM] Well it’s been 8 years since the former Coney Hatch frontman [and now new guitarist/keyboardist in April Wine!] released the critically acclaimed “One” CD, a solid album that was greatly appreciated by old Coney fans. This - his second CD [finally!], now on MTM Records is another solid release, showing why many feel Carl Dixon is one of Canada’s most underrated talents. “Into The Future” is less of the summertime beer anthem rockers that graced “One”, but a bit less polished, a bit more diverse, and more unique in the songwriting. The title track has been available on Carl’s web site for a few months, and it’s an instant favorite for longtime fans. “Hot Streak” is another solid tune featuring former Coney Hatch guitarist Steve Shelski on lead guitar. There’s a number of easily likeable songs here, and as a fan I think it’s great! Check out tunes like “Strange Way To Live” and “Point Of No Return” [both from ‘96]. Most unique and outstanding tunes here have to be the pop rock of “Back To Where We Started” - featuring April Wine’s Brian Greenway on lead guitar [Carl’s new bandmate!] and the summertime balladry of “Lonely You” - a classic! Also features a neat haunting little keyboard passage titled “Koln”. Players here beside Carl [all vocals, guitar, hammond…] include bassist Tim Harrington, drummer Mark Santers [Santers!], and Mike Hall [guitar, ex Killer Dwarfs] on 5 tracks. Carl Dixon AND Coney Hatch fans will dig this release, and it should appeal to classic rock and 80s rock fans. A guitar based album of good songs, not overly heavy, but rockin, with minimal and choice keyboard use and simple production. Highly recommended! For more on Carl Dixon check out http://members.home.net/rocknrolr/coneyhatch.htm *Also, check out Carl’s contribution to the Phil Lynott tribute “Spirit of the Black Rose” where he contributes a good version of “Romeo and the Girl”. TEER - Teer [Frontiers] Florida based melodic HR band who’ve been around there for close to a decade. The band's debut was produced by Millenium’s Ralph Santolla, and the band also boasts Millenium guitarist Shane French. These guys being more HR guitar sounding than other Frontiers bands, with less emphasis on keys and huge vocal arrangements. Teer will appeal to more mainstream Hard rockers, more along the lines of bands like Firehouse, Tesla, Kiss, and Night Ranger. Plenty of catchy riff / 80s rockers here like “Heaven’s Not Enough”, “Tell Me It’s Over”, “Monday Mourning”, and “Heart On A String”. Not too much in the way slowing down here either, with just one solid 80s styled power ballad - “Man Of The World”, and the soft intro to Monday Mourning. Closes with another solid rocker here “Pride”. Credit must go to Ralph Santolla for keeping these guys rocking and guitars up front and big, with minimal keyboards, decent harmonies that don’t sound over layered and over produced. Great drum sound and heavy bass sound style, reminds me of the first Firehouse album. Great debut, highly recommend to hard rock fans. For more info check out http://www.nowandthen.co.uk TED NUGENT - Full Bluntal Nugity [Spitfire] Legendary guitarist Ted Nugent, still on the road in 2001, releases this Live disc from his New Year’s Eve show in Detroit. With a band that comprises simply of Nugent on guitars and vocals as well as veteran Marco Mendoza [bass] and Tommy Aldridge [drums], these guys deliver the Nuge classics loud and heavy. Nugent’s playing is excellent, check out faves like “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Paralyzed”. This being a “100% totally live disc with no overdubs” means sadly that all of Nugent’s profanity [lots of it!] and often shitty vocals make it. He would’ve done better to at least cleaned up some of the painful vocals… and/or better yet he could’ve splurged and taken another singer [Charlie Huhn? Derek St Holmes?]. Still a solid heavy disc of Nugent classics that will appeal to Nuge fans and worth checking out for prospective new fans. For more info check out http://www.tednugent.com FASTER PUSSYCAT - Between The Valley Of The Ultra Pussy [Deadline] Just painful. Once a promising late 80s HR - glam metal band with a few decent albums way back, now intent on going totally techno, using all industrial and techno crap sounds to remake old songs, forgettable new ones, and devouring one Kiss classic [“I Was Made For Lovin You”]. What were these guys thinking? GEDDY LEE - My Favorite Headache [Anthem] Rush’s bassist/singer finally delivers his first solo album a few years after fellow Rush-mate Alex Lifeson’s. “My Favorite Headache” being much of a collaboration with former FM guitarist/violinist Ben Mink. This has been out for some time and much has been made of it, and radio embraced it right away, perhaps also in part due to the lack of new Rush during the band’s 3 year + hiatus [which has recently ended]. There’s no escaping Lee’s distinctive vocals and bass style & sound, which is such a huge part of Rush, thus rendering this pretty close to be a watered down Rush disc. The title track and a few others [see “Grace To Grace” sound like they would’ve fit nicely on Rush’s last album “Test For Echo”. Even the drums on the lead off track are Neil Peart-like busy. Still tho’ Lee comes up with a few very non-Rush styled unique tunes like the light acoustic track “The Angels Share” and the ballad “Slipping”. Overall a decent album, but one that will likely appeal to mainly Rush fans, as Lee’s songs and sound [for the most part] are still in the realm of Rush and not extremely different, such as more pop or more metal or more progressively oriented. For more info check out http://www.myfavoriteheadache.com RICK ROSE - Songs From The Studio B Sessions [Bandana] Niagara Falls, Ontario native Rick Rose has been around the local scene for some 25 years from young rock bands to new country to acoustic solo gigs. This, his first full fledged solo disc comes from his recent years spent travelling to Nashville and New York peddling his biggest career move in to the songwriter’s market. A number of these tunes have been recorded by other artists already [or to be soon], most notably “Rude Awakening” - which was done by Bill Medley. Elsewhere “Songs From Studio B Sessions” showcases Rick as a singer/songwriter in the field of the likes of Springsteen, Mellencamp, and [gasp] Kris Kristoferson. This ain’t Hard rock, but more pop, pop-rock, folk, and even new country oriented with a number of very good and memorable tunes like “Dreaming Out Loud” http://www.garagemusic.com , “Break In The Clouds”, “The Greatest Train Ride”, and “Wichita”. Rick’s voice is pretty distinctive and suitable for this stuff, with vocal influences and comparisons to the likes of Springsteen and Rod Stewart. For more info and to order check out http://www.rickrosemusic.com Or write to BTB Management : 4025 Dorchester Road, Suite 203, Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2E 7K8.
SHADOW GALLERY - Legacy [Magna Carta] Prog rockers Shadow Gallery return with their 4th album, and perhaps most impressive yet. The 6 man band that has taken on a big fan base from the start with their own prog metal sound, melodies, and harmonies. The band’s previous disc “Tyranny” saw the band try a full concept album, but on Legacy the band is more melodic, perhaps a bit less clinical [as many prog-metal acts tend to be], and thus even a bit more ‘human’ sounding. Legacy opens with the 13 minute “Cliffhanger 2”, typical and solid Shadow Gallery, as is the fast paced “Society of the Mind”, but it’s the classic sound of the heavy title track and the unique softer epic “Colors” that make this album more appealing to new listeners. Great classy piano, as well as synths, heavy guitar, soaring lead and harmony vocals. Only over-exertion listening here is the 34 minute “First Light” that takes up half the disc, but should appeal to SG and prog fans. If you haven’t heard Shadow Gallery as of yet, this is THE disc to start with. For more info check out http://www.shadowgallery.com More soon ….
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